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

Let Me Come Over
Artist: Buffalo Tom
Community Score: 10.00

While Birdbrain was a marked improvement over Buffalo Tom's self-titled debut album, Let Me Come Over was truly the great leap forward for the band, sounding richer, more imaginative, and more emotionally powerful than anything they'd attempted in the past. Guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis individually... Read More

Puzzle
Artist: Dada

Guitar riffs permeate dada's pleasing debut Puzzle, wedded to thick slices of an equally important influence -- 60s psychedelia. The L.A. trio offers plenty to keep the ears busy: the orchestral sadness of "Timothy," and insidious melody of "Dog, " strung-out ravings of "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, " and over-the-edge teen-angst of "Dizz Knee... Read More

Hit Parade 1
Artist: The Wedding Present

The Wedding Present have been unanimously despised by the British music press following a brief honeymoon period in the mid-'80s. When they announced their desire to issue a single a month for a whole year, one particularly caustic Melody Maker journalist pointed out that she now had two low spots in her monthly cycle to endure. It must also be... Read More

Gordon
Artist: Barenaked Ladies
Community Score: 7.42

Gordon picks up where the Barenaked Ladies' famous demo "The Yellow Tape" left off and moves them into majors. Their first for Reprise, this witty songbook finds the Canadian five-piece to be a clever group -- charming, but not childish, yet the Barenaked Ladies are pretty close to overstepping the boundaries of silliness. The thing that keeps... 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

Little Magnets Versus the Bubble of Babble
Artist: Transvision Vamp

One 1991 release that certainly didn't deserve to be neglected was Transvision Vamp's \Little Magnets Vs. The Bubble of Babble, an eccentric and quirky effort drawing on both early-'80s new wave and '60s rock. Though the group sometimes inspires comparisons to outfits like the Divinyls and Siousxie & the Banshees, this obscure band has a sound... Read More

Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Artist: Red Hot Chili Peppers
Community Score: 8.19

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' best album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik benefits immensely from Rick Rubin's production -- John Frusciante's guitar is less overpoweringly noisy, leaving room for differing textures and clearer lines, while the band overall is more focused and less indulgent, even if some of the grooves drag on too long. Lyrically, Anthony... Read More

One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure
Artist: The Jody Grind

The title track and "Eight-Ball" encapsulate the Jody Grind sound -- from jazz to bossanova to soul shouting. It's a little discombobulated, but ultimately timeless. Kelly Hogan's voice is hard to resist, but the band's cool detachment never matches the singer's warmth. Sadly, the band did not stick around to enjoy the lounge-music revival. ~... Read More

Hindu Love Gods
Artist: Hindu Love Gods
Go Go Harlem Baby
Artist: Flat Duo Jets

This band's deliciously dirty and rough brand of rockabilly is unrivaled, and this disc is perhaps their finest. Whether they are running a chainsaw through "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" or crooning a baleful "You Belong to Me," the result is pure joy. ~ Tim Sheridan, All Music Guide Read More

Reluctantly We
Artist: Ellen James Society
Un-Led-Ed
Artist: Dread Zeppelin

Despite singer Tortelvis' reputed propensity for gas, there is no denying that, initially, Dread Zeppelin was a breath of fresh air in a stale music scene which oftentimes took itself way too seriously. Anyone jaded enough to think they had seen it all in rock & roll was forced to think again when faced with the band's improbable reggae... Read More