Sublime
Artist: Sublime
Community Score: 8.67

Sublime's eponymous major-label debut arrived a few months after the band's leader, Brad Nowell, died tragically of a heroin overdose. As a show of sympathy, the album tended to be slightly overrated in some critical quarters, who claimed that Nowell was an exceptionally gifted lyricist and musical hybridist, but Sublime doesn't quite support... Read More

Blender
Artist: Murmurs
Community Score: 9.33

Blender is an appropriate title for this CD, because it contains a blend of new material and songs that had already been heard on the Murmurs' 1997 release Pristine Smut. The alternative pop-rock duo probably would have been better off recording nothing but new material, but for those who discovered the Murmurs with Blender, it was quite an... Read More

The Best of R.E.M.
Artist: R.E.M.
Community Score: 6.90
Noon Chill
Artist: Arto Lindsay

This disc proves the adage that you shouldn't judge a book (or CD) by its cover: beneath a blurry and daunting photo of Lindsay as a soggy frogman, the more adventurous buyer will discover hypnotic rhythms and enigmatic lyrics. While Lindsay's voice is thin (and sometimes flat), his narcotic delivery is nicely suited to the pictures he paints.... Read More

Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down (D.L.T.B.G.Y.D.)
Artist: The Toasters
Community Score: 4.00

After the exuberance of Dub 56, and its thrill packed follow- up Hard Band for Dead, those expecting yet another high octane set from The Toasters were in for a surprise. The band had taken this opportunity to downshift a gear, further hone their songwriting, and offer up a new, more mature sound.



There's a bit of a... Read More

So Much for the Afterglow
Artist: Everclear
Community Score: 7.69
Seen a Ghost
Artist: Honeydogs

Like their pair of indie records, the Honeydogs' major-label debut, Seen a Ghost, is a charming collection of Beatlesque pop, demonstrating the group's knack for bright, catchy melodies and ringing guitars. Seen a Ghost is a solid, craftsmanlike collection of pop that doesn't offer any new thrills, but there are nevertheless thrills in the hooks... Read More

Twenty Percent of My Hand
Artist: 59 Times the Pain
Community Score: 5.00

The second full-length by Sweden's 59 Times the Pain -- the group's first album to see U.S. release -- build on the strengths of 1996's More Out of Today by opening up the stylistic straightjacket of hardcore just a bit to incorporate occasional tempo shifts and some actual pop song approaches. The single "Don't Belong Here" has the pubbed-up... Read More

Hatched
Artist: Inqbator

Psychedelic and oddly jittery, Hatched sports an impressive guest list, including Lenny Kravitz (who delivers an incendiary guitar solo on the single "Electra"), Daniel Lanois (who co-wrote and co-produced "Needles") and Karl Wallinger (who co-authored "Be There"). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide Read More

Egomania (Love Songs)
Artist: Cobra Verde

Atmospheric, earthy sounds are what Cobra Verde specialize in, and they deliver the goods yet again on Egomania (Love Songs). It's a compilation of new songs, unreleased material, and tracks that have been previously unavailable on CD (from 45s released on the Sub Pop, Scat, Wabana, and Get Hip labels from 1995-96). The band shows off its many... Read More

Pristine Smut
Artist: Murmurs
Community Score: 10.00

For their second album, the Murmurs decided to electrify their collegiate folk-pop and add a full rhythm section. Such an approach could have led to a standard-issue post-grunge affair, where the sound is grungy but glossy and the lyrics are too angst-ridden, but under the watchful eyes of producers k.d. lang and Larry Klein, the duo is steered... Read More

Roomic Cube
Artist: Takako Minekawa

Based on the concept of a "room" being Takako Minekawa's favorite place for creating music, Roomic Cube finds a place for everything. Co-written and produced with her friends in Buffalo Daughter, the album stretches her sound: while her more usual style of minimal, poignant songwriting shows up on tracks like "Sleep Song" and "Never/More," the... Read More

In a Doghouse
Artist: Throwing Muses
Community Score: 7.00

Throwing Muses' classic first album was never released in the U.S., nor was their follow-up EP, Chains Changed. For well over a decade, the two records were only available as imports through 4AD, which meant that Throwing Muses, one of the most influential and individual albums of late-'80s alternative rock, was very hard for anyone outside of... Read More