Shimmering, Warm & Bright
Artist: Bel Canto
Community Score: 6.00

Jenssen left before the recording of Shimmering to pursue his solo career as Biosphere; arguably he took some of the harder and darker edges of Bel Canto with him, but by no means all, and the band was not crippled as a result. The duo of Drecker and Johansen here create another bewitching array of songs with sources young and old, resulting in... Read More

Bohemia
Artist: Mae Moore
Community Score: 6.00

Moore finds herself with a fine supporting crew on Bohemia, first and foremost thanks to the production and co-writing help of Steve Kilbey from the Church. Bandmate Peter Koppes adds guitar to one song, while Kilbey's Jack Frost partner, Grant McLennan, contributes throughout; meanwhile, Moore's fellow Canadian, Gordon Downie, shares vocals... Read More

Push
Artist: Gruntruck
Community Score: 10.00

On Push, Gruntruck's second album, the band discards some of its excessive Soundgarden influences and finds its own musical identity. Because of their vicious, sometimes atonal guitar riffage and sparing use of melody, the album only starts sinking in after numerous plays, but as is often the case in such situations, the listeners are ultimately... Read More

Candy Everybody Wants
Artist: 10,000 Maniacs
Seamonsters
Artist: The Wedding Present

Steve Albini's production gives Seamonsters a noisy, discordant feel in some spots, but David Gedge's suberb songwriting lies just under the surface. He manipulates his limited vocal range into a rich, wistful voice just about to crack. The Wedding Present work best on this album when Gedge's plaintive love songs explode into a distorted fury,... Read More

Seven
Artist: James
Community Score: 7.10

Following the breakthrough success of their previous outing, James released Seven, a record that married the ambitious scope of the lyrics with a grand, anthemic feel. Horns give songs like the lead-off "Born of Frustration" and the surging "Sound" a certain majestic grandeur, sweeping without being overblown. Lead singer Tim Booth is in fine... Read More

Copper Blue
Artist: Sugar
Community Score: 7.00

How ironic that after years fronting the hugely influential but desperately overlooked Hüsker Dü, Bob Mould's first project with new band Sugar, 1992's Copper Blue, would become the most commercially successful project of his career. Of course, it was released just as the seeds sown by his former band were bearing bountiful fruits in the... Read More

Reading, Writing and Arithmetic
Artist: The Sundays
Community Score: 9.20

The Sundays' debut album builds on the layered, ringing guitar hooks and unconventional pop melodies of the Smiths, adding more ethereal vocals and a stronger backbeat. As evidenced by the lilting, melancholy single "Here's Where the Story Ends," it's a winning combination, making Reading, Writing and Arithmetic a thoroughly engaging debut. ~... Read More

Anthology: SST Years 1985-1989
Artist: Screaming Trees

Understandably, Screaming Trees gained far more attention during the '90s, caught up as that decade was in the Nirvana fallout and the fluke (but well-deserved) success of "Nearly Lost You." But the band's '80s efforts are worth a listen, and Anthology, cherry-picking from the three SST albums as well as the Other Worlds EP that preceded them,... Read More

Too Dumb to Quit
Artist: Jr. Gone Wild

Jr. Gone Wild's debut, Less Art More Pop, was a scattershot affair, flirting with Byrdsy country but without the chops to make it truly convincing. The follow-up took four years, and a lot happened during that time: two of the original members were let go, the band signed with hometown label Stony Plain, the band reunited with one of the sacked... Read More

Fossils
Artist: Dinosaur Jr.
Community Score: 8.50

A brief, eight-song compilation of the group's SST singles, Fossils effectively sums up the power and vision of Dinosaur Jr.'s early work. Not only does it contain the two masterpieces from You're Living All Over Me and Bug -- "Little Fury Things" and "Freak Scene," respectively -- but it also gathers several excellent B-sides, including... Read More

Satellites
Artist: Big Dish
Stone Tower - DOSSIER
Artist: Delerium