Though sadly short-lived, Tiger Trap emerged as one of the most beloved indie-pop bands of the 1990s. The group was formed in Sacramento, CA in 1992 by singers/guitarists Rose Melberg and Angela Loy, schoolmates who soon recruited bassist Jen Braun and drummer Heather Dunn to complete the lineup; within weeks of their formation, Tiger Trap -- so... [+] Read More

Though sadly short-lived, Tiger Trap emerged as one of the most beloved indie-pop bands of the 1990s. The group was formed in Sacramento, CA in 1992 by singers/guitarists Rose Melberg and Angela Loy, schoolmates who soon recruited bassist Jen Braun and drummer Heather Dunn to complete the lineup; within weeks of their formation, Tiger Trap -- so named in reference to a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip -- issued their debut single "Words and Smiles," a split release with Bratmobile which appeared on the Four Letter Words label. Jumping to K, the band issued the "Supercrush" single, followed in 1993 by their self-titled debut LP; the record was a major underground favorite, with its spiky melodies, lovely harmonies and sweet-and-sour lyrics striking a chord throughout the indie community. Sadly, after just one more EP, Sour Grass, Tiger Trap disbanded in the wake of a December 1993 concert in San Francisco, although a handful of compilation tracks appeared posthumously; in the years to follow, Melberg remained the most prolific member of the outfit, recording as one half of the Softies as well as with Go Sailor! and Gaze. Dunn, meanwhile, frequently drummed in support of Lois. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Crush-pop trio Cub formed in 1992 after vocalist/bassist Lisa Marr, guitarist Robynn Iwata and drummer Valeria Fellini met while working at the college radio station of their alma mater, the University of British Columbia. Despite no prior musical experience -- throughout the band's first year, Iwata played live seated on the stage while looking... [+] Read More

Crush-pop trio Cub formed in 1992 after vocalist/bassist Lisa Marr, guitarist Robynn Iwata and drummer Valeria Fellini met while working at the college radio station of their alma mater, the University of British Columbia. Despite no prior musical experience -- throughout the band's first year, Iwata played live seated on the stage while looking at cheat sheets for chord progressions -- Cub's live shows (during which the group often tossed candy to the audience) won their unique brand of simple, infectious punk-pop a cult following on the Vancouver club circuit, and in October 1992 the trio issued their debut EP, Pep, on Mint Records, the Vancouver-based label co-owned by Iwata's brother Randy.

Following the release of Betti-Cola -- a superb collection of EP tracks and new recordings complete with a Josie and the Pussycats-styled cover by famed Archie Comics artist Dan DeCarlo -- Fellini left the band; she was replaced by drummer Lisa G., whom Marr met through the pages of the fanzine Self-Esteem Queen. After the release of 1994's Come Out, Come Out, Mint signed a distribution deal with the U.S. punk label Lookout!, which brought increased visibility to the release of 1996's edgier Box of Hair; Mauler, another collection of singles, followed in early 1997. On June 10 of that year, a series of three handwritten messages posted on the Mint Records website -- one from each member -- announced Cub's breakup. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Japanese trio Shonen Knife has made major fans out of alt-rock's elite (Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Redd Kross, among others) and built a solid, worldwide cult following with their Ramones meets the Beatles brand of sticky sweet punk-pop. Comprised of members Michie Nakatani (vocals, bass), Naoko Yamano (vocals, guitar), and Atsuko Yamano... [+] Read More

The Japanese trio Shonen Knife has made major fans out of alt-rock's elite (Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Redd Kross, among others) and built a solid, worldwide cult following with their Ramones meets the Beatles brand of sticky sweet punk-pop. Comprised of members Michie Nakatani (vocals, bass), Naoko Yamano (vocals, guitar), and Atsuko Yamano (drums), Shonen Knife originally formed during December of 1981 in their hometown of Osaka, Japan (all three members were working at the time as office clerks), before playing their first real show in March of the following year. Soon after, the group began issuing albums in their native land, including 1982's cassette-only release Minna Tanoshiku (English translation: Everybody Happy?), 1983's Burning Farm, 1984's Yama No Attchan, and 1986's Pretty Little Baka Guy (the latter of which was reissued with extra tracks four years later, under the title Pretty Little Baka Guy/Live in Japan). Although their records were only available in the U.S. via import, Shonen Knife struck a chord with the underground with a track of theirs appearing on the Sub Pop 100 compilation in 1986. Also, in 1989, a variety of alternative bands recorded renditions of their favorite Shonen Knife songs for the tribute album Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them.

1990 saw the first Shonen Knife release to be issued outside of Japan, a self-titled compilation that featured the entire Burning Farm and Yama No Attchan albums, as well as three tracks that were only previously available on the obscure Japanese comp Aura Music. Shortly thereafter, the group began touring America on a somewhat regular basis, supporting their 1991 release 712 with some dates opening for Nirvana just prior to the runaway success of Cobain and co.'s now-classic Nevermind album. With Shonen Knife now the hip band to name drop, the group signed their first major U.S. recording contract with Capitol, resulting in the release of one of their finest (and best-known) albums, 1992's Let's Knife. A year later, the group switched to the Virgin label, issuing Rock Animals, which would spawn a semi-popular MTV video with "Tomato Head" (even landing a spot on the station's popular animated series Beavis & Butthead).

1994 saw the trio perform as part of the traveling alternative rock festival Lollapalooza and contribute a cover of "Top of the World" to the Carpenters tribute album If I Were a Carpenter, while Virgin issued an 18-track collection of rare tracks, Birds & the B-Sides, in 1996. Although they were able to greatly expand their U.S. fan base, the group never obtained the breakthrough success that was expected by many, resulting in Shonen Knife returning to the independents and issuing such further releases as 1997's Brand New Knife, 1998's Happy Hour, and the 2000 Japan-only release Strawberry Sound (which featured the band's revamped lineup of Atsuko Yamano on bass and Mana Nishiura, who joined Shonen Knife after Nakatani left in 1999, on drums). In 2005, Oglio reissued the band's first four albums, and the band released Genki Shock in Japan; late that year, Nishiura was killed in a New Jersey traffic accident while touring with DMBQ. Both Shonen Knife and DMBQ performed at a tribute concert for Nishiura that was held in Kyoto in spring 2006, shortly before the U.S. release of Genki Shock. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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Conventional wisdom dictates that the Vaselines might have been relegated to footnote status were it not for Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, who regularly cited the little-known Scottish quartet's influence in interviews with the music press. Cobain's gospel-spreading no doubt accelerated their rise to cult sainthood, but truth be told, the Vaselines... [+] Read More

Conventional wisdom dictates that the Vaselines might have been relegated to footnote status were it not for Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, who regularly cited the little-known Scottish quartet's influence in interviews with the music press. Cobain's gospel-spreading no doubt accelerated their rise to cult sainthood, but truth be told, the Vaselines would have gotten there sooner or later on their own accord -- lewd but naïve and abrasive yet tender, the band's shambling, primitivist squall remains a perfect distillation of pop at its most guileless and euphoric. The group was formed in Edinburgh in 1987 by singers/guitarists Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, who were later joined by Kelly's brother Charles on drums and James Seenan on bass. Soon signing to Pastels frontman Stephan Pastel's newly formed 53rd and 3rd label, the Vaselines' first-ever studio session yielded their debut single, 1987's fantastic "Son of a Gun." The follow-up, "Dying for It," appeared a year later, with the inclusion of viola player Sophie Pragnell plainly acknowledging the band's debt to the Velvet Underground. The demise of 53rd and 3rd proved fatal to the Vaselines as well, however, and the group dissolved the same week their lone studio LP, 1989's Dum Dum, was released via Rough Trade, although the following year the original lineup briefly reunited to open for Nirvana in Edinburgh. Nirvana would go on to cover the Vaselines' "Molly's Lips" and "Son of a Gun" (both later compiled on their Incesticide collection) as well as performing "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" on their now-legendary MTV Unplugged appearance. Renewed interest in the band resulted in the 1992 Sub Pop release of The Way of the Vaselines, an assemblage of all 19 of their official recordings. Eugene Kelly later went on to front Captain America (subsequently and rather unfortunately renamed Eugenius), while McKee spent the better part of the decade out of sight before finally resurfacing in Suckle. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Beat Happening's final LP is also their best: concluding the emotional and musical progression begun with the minimalist innocence of their earliest work, You Turn Me On is a mature record of tremendous breadth and complexity. Where once the trio's songs were brief and bouncy, the nine tracks here are epic (several top out at over six minutes)... [+] Read More

Beat Happening's final LP is also their best: concluding the emotional and musical progression begun with the minimalist innocence of their earliest work, You Turn Me On is a mature record of tremendous breadth and complexity. Where once the trio's songs were brief and bouncy, the nine tracks here are epic (several top out at over six minutes) and ambitious; produced in part by ex-Young Marble Giant Stuart Moxham (an obvious influence), the record's full, deep sound belies its bare-bones performances -- "Teenage Caveman" sports booming, primal drums perfectly suited to its title, while the propulsive "Noise" manufactures the illusion of a bassline where none ever existed. The most democratic record in an output founded on egalitarian ideals, You Turn Me On offers Heather Lewis' strongest songs ever -- her hypnotic nine-minute "Godsend" is the LP's heart and soul -- and she and Calvin Johnson even trade verses on the closing "Bury the Hammer." As for Calvin himself, his solo contributions are exceptional -- the spartan opener "Tiger Trap" is an evocative heartbreaker, and the title track is a fire-breathing corker. A masterpiece. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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Although revered in certain indie circles, for far too long the Field Mice appeared in danger of languishing as the great lost pop band of the early '90s, with their records out of print and fetching obscene prices on the collector's market. A lavish two-disc retrospective worthy of their growing legacy, the extraordinary Where'd You Learn to... [+] Read More

Although revered in certain indie circles, for far too long the Field Mice appeared in danger of languishing as the great lost pop band of the early '90s, with their records out of print and fetching obscene prices on the collector's market. A lavish two-disc retrospective worthy of their growing legacy, the extraordinary Where'd You Learn to Kiss That Way? finally restores the group to their rightful prominence, assembling all of the key tracks they released on the legendary Sarah label between 1988 and 1991. With their shimmering guitars, indelible melodies, lush arrangements, and Bobby Wratten's heartbreaking songs, in retrospect the Field Mice now seem like the missing link between the Smiths and Belle & Sebastian -- at their best ("Emma's House," "This Love Is Not Wrong," "Coach Station Reunion," and countless others), they achieve the same kind of pop transcendence, spinning tales of love and loss with an elegance and grandeur that are often breathtaking. And while it's a shame Shinkansen didn't opt to include a third disc and release the band's complete recorded output, each of the 36 tracks which did make the cut sparkles. No longer lost, the Field Mice were simply a great pop band, and with Where'd You Learn to Kiss That Way?, their music might finally reach the wide audience it so richly deserves. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

What's great about Wolfie is that their music isn't out to change the world; with song titles like "Hey It's Finally Yay," "Yeah Yeah You" and "Life Saver Socks," it's tough to take Awful Mess Mystery too seriously, which is precisely the point. Although the crunchy guitars and adenoidal vocals make comparisons to Superchunk inevitable, Wolfie... [+] Read More

What's great about Wolfie is that their music isn't out to change the world; with song titles like "Hey It's Finally Yay," "Yeah Yeah You" and "Life Saver Socks," it's tough to take Awful Mess Mystery too seriously, which is precisely the point. Although the crunchy guitars and adenoidal vocals make comparisons to Superchunk inevitable, Wolfie still sounds fresh, investing new life and energy into their time-tested boy-girl harmonies, cheesy synth lines and classic pop songs which average under the two-minute mark. Effervescent, guileless and relentlessly charming, Awful Mess Mystery is ultimately about nothing more than good, clean fun, and even if it won't change the world, it can't help but make it a better place to live. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Shop Assistants represented all that was right and good with Scottish rock during the mid-1980s; their music brilliantly fused the gap between the three-chord noise of the Jesus & Mary Chain and the shambling naiveté of bands like the Pastels, generating infectious, sweet-and-sour pop completely lacking in pretense and polish. Will Anything... [+] Read More

The Shop Assistants represented all that was right and good with Scottish rock during the mid-1980s; their music brilliantly fused the gap between the three-chord noise of the Jesus & Mary Chain and the shambling naiveté of bands like the Pastels, generating infectious, sweet-and-sour pop completely lacking in pretense and polish. Will Anything Happen is a superb retrospective combining the group's self-titled 1986 debut LP with tracks from their earlier EPs, and although a little of the Shop Assistants' primitive charms can go a long way, the spirit and sheer exuberence of their music is never less than infectious -- an essential artifact of its times. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide