Bucky Fellini
Artist: The Dead Milkmen

A step up from the good but not great Eat Your Paisley, Bucky Fellini begins with a parody of the bandmember introductions from Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" and raises another fun and funny stink. The most entertaining and ridiculous thing the band ever did takes deserved center stage -- "Instant Club Hit (You'll Dance to Anything)." Consisting of... Read More

Twist of Shadows
Artist: Xymox
Community Score: 8.00

Gothic vocals surrounded by synthesizer atmospherics will greet you upon entering the world of Xymox. While Twist of Shadows isn't exactly industrial in its sound, the BPM's run midtempo and sound totally danceable in a New Order-ish way. This includes the club hits "Obsession" and "Blind Hearts." ~ James Chrispell, All Music Guide Read More

Bird Wood Cage
Artist: The Wolfgang Press

Bird Wood Cage remains one of the most pivotal records in the Wolfgang Press catalog; here, the trio begins to incorporate the dance and funk elements which would ultimately emerge as the dominant facet of their work. The lead single, "King of Soul," with its female backing chorus, is the first tip-off, while the Talking Heads-like "Kansas"... Read More

Guilt Regret Embarrassment
Artist: Treepeople
Community Score: 10.00

Combining elements of Hüsker Dü-esque power pop and hints of grunge, without going overboard on sounding metal, is what gives Treepeople their unique sound. Fuzzy dueling guitars and tortured lyrics accompany Guilt Regret Embarrassment from the second "No Doubt" hits the speakers all the way to the final track, "Trailer Park," making this... Read More

Children
Artist: The Mission UK
Community Score: 5.00

Most bands usually wait two or three albums before the "big statement," but this is the Mission. Sure, their debut was well received (at least by fans and record buyers) and was full of big, dramatic moments and over the top production, but nothing would equal the band's reach on its follow-up, Children. Kicking off with one of the longest... Read More

Post-Mersh, Vol. 2
Artist: Minutemen

Picking up where the first volume left off, Post-Mersh, Vol. 2 contains the Minutemen's 1983 Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat LP and the 1985 Project Mersh EP. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read More

Post-Mersh, Vol. 3
Artist: Minutemen

The third and final volume of Post-Mersh crams an extraordinary amount of music on one-disc, compiling the EPs Paranoid Time (1980), Bean-Spill (1982), and Tour-Spiel (1985), the 1981 "Joy" single, and the 1984 rarities and outtakes collection The Politics of Time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read More

Bummed
Artist: Happy Mondays
Community Score: 10.00

Happy Mondays first essayed their fusion of dance-club beats, hip-hop, funk, and rock & roll on Bummed. A considerable improvement from the unfocused Squirrel and G-Man, Bummed is slightly inconsistent, but the group's sound is beginning to gel. In particular, Shaun Ryder's incoherent bluster of non sequiturs, surreal imagery, and verbal threats... Read More

Hallelujah
Artist: Happy Mondays

This American-only release was something of a catchall, drawing together tracks from the breakthrough Madchester, Rave On EP plus the WFL and U.K. Hallelujah remix singles. The result is a good balance between the rambling and shambling funk slop that made the band's name and the more dancefloor-oriented revamps that won the group even more... Read More

Lolita Nation
Artist: Game Theory
Community Score: 10.00

Game Theory leader Scott Miller has never made much of a secret of his fondness for Big Star, but while Real Nighttime favored the sound of #1 Record and The Big Shot Chronicles suggested the harder-edged tone of Radio City, Lolita Nation sounded like Game Theory's variation on the themes of Big Star's masterfully damaged swan song, Third/Sister... Read More

You're Living All Over Me
Artist: Dinosaur Jr.
Community Score: 7.42

A blitzkrieg fusion of hardcore punk, Sonic Youth-style noise freak-outs, heavy metal, and melodic hard rock in the vein of Neil Young, You're Living All Over Me was a turning point in American underground rock & roll. With its thin, unbalanced mix, the album sounds positively menacing and edgy -- Lou Barlow's bass barrels forward over Murph's... Read More

Tender Pervert
Artist: Momus
Community Score: 10.00

Tender Pervert is the first great Momus album, thanks to a newfound affinity for synth-pop and songcraft, not to mention his sudden discovery of irony. It's hard to say which is more important to the overall effect. The lush, electro-acoustic arrangements provide a platform for Momus' increasing production acumen, and the rambling song-poems of... Read More