Afghan Whigs - Up In It (1990)

Though the Afghan Whigs were still about a year away from hitting the peak of their powers in the studio, their second album, 1990's Up in It, was a major improvement over their self-released debut, and it was their first recording to suggest that they would mature into one of the best American rock bands of the 1990s. As a songwriter, Greg Dulli was starting to really get in touch with his self-loathing, and "Retarded," "White Trash Party," and "I Know Your Little Secret" offer a powerful and sometimes disturbing look into one man's obsessions. Just as importantly, the band had finally learned to make the most of their musical muscle; Greg Dulli's nicotine-laced growl merged "heavy-alternative" bellow with a soul man's sense of phrasing, while the guitars of Dulli and Rick McCollum and the rhythm section of John Curley and Steve Earle managed to combine bruising power with a remarkable sense of drama and dynamics. While lots of bands riding the "grunge"/"alternative" bandwagon at the time owed an obvious debt to Led Zeppelin, the Afghan Whigs were one of the few that fully grasped not just their pomp and heaviness, but their precision, their timing, and their understanding of R&B. While it pales in comparison to what the Whigs would achieve on Congregation and Gentlemen, Up in It made it clear the Afghan Whigs had truly arrived, and would not be ignored. Source: [AMG]


Afghan Whigs - You My Flower


Track Listing
1. Retarded
2. White Trash Party
3. Hated
4. Southpaw
5. Amphetamines and Coffee
6. Hey Cuz
7. You My Flower
8. Son of the South
9. I Know Your Little Secret
10. Big Top Halloween
11. Sammy
12. In My Town
13. I Am the Sticks

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My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything (1988)

Though it's often seen as just a precursor to their magnum opus Loveless, in its own way My Bloody Valentine's Isn't Anything is nearly as groundbreaking as their 1991 masterpiece. Not only was it the most lucid, expansive articulation yet of the group's sound, it virtually created the shoegazing scene and spawned legions of followers. The album's tightly structured songs still bore traces of My Bloody Valentine's previous incarnation as jangly indie popsters, but Kevin Shields and company crafted wide-ranging experiments within those confines. "Feed Me with Your Kiss"'s mix of bruising guitars, drums, and sensual boy-girl vocals define My Bloody Valentine's signature sound, while "All I Need"'s weightless guitars and vocal melodies melt into a heady haze. Shields' unique tunings, tremolo, and miking techniques stand out on "You Never Should" and "Nothing Much to Lose," but Deb Googe's surprisingly funky bassline on "Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside)" reaffirms that all of the Valentines contributed to their innovative sound. Indeed, many of Isn't Anything's disturbingly beautiful highlights come from Bilinda Butcher. On the wrenching "No More Sorry," she sings abstractly pained lyrics like "Your septic heart and deadly hand/Loved me black and blue," barely audible over a swarm of fragile yet menacing guitars, while on "Several Girls Galore" she's sexy, yet dazed and distant; it sounds like she's whispering in your ear outside of a blaring nightclub. The Valentines' dark side is especially prominent on the album, particularly on "Sueisfine," where the chorus slyly morphs from "Sue is fine" to "Suicide." Isn't Anything captures My Bloody Valentine's revolutionary style in its infancy and points the way to Loveless, but it's far more than just a dress rehearsal for the band's moment of greatness. Source: [AMG]

My Bloody Valentine - You Never Should


Track Listing
1. Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside)
2. Lose My Breath
3. Cupid Come
4. (When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream
5. No More Sorry
6. All I Need
7. Feed Me With Your Kiss
8. Sueisfine
9. Several Girls Galore
10. You Never Should
11. Nothing Much to Lose
12. I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It)

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Man or Astro-man? - Intravenous Television Continuum (1995)

Intravenous Television Continuum was a full-length album released by the surf rock group Man or Astro-man?. It was a collection of alternate mixes of previously released songs and a handfull of TV show themes (The Jetsons, My Favorite Martian, etc.). The first pressing was available in 1996 on clear vinyl and opaque purple vinyl through One Louder Records. The following year, the CD was re-issued through Australia's Au-Go-Go Records. It was recorded at Zero Return in Elmore, Alabama sometime in 1994 and 1995. Cover art and design by Shag. Thank you section specifies that the band wished to "thank every organization and citizen on the planet Earth except John Esplen and One Louder Broadcasting.". Source: [Wikipedia]

Man or astroman - Theme from Eeviac


Track Listing
1. Immersion Static
2. Put Your Finger in the Socket - (Maximum Voltage Version)
3. Nitrous Burn Out 2012
4. Tetsuwan Atomu
5. Max Q (Nielson Rating Video Version)
6. ------(Reverse Sync Moog Version)
7. Jetson's Theme
8. Invasion of the Dragonmen - (Alternate Universe Mosrite Version)
9. Bionic Futures
10. Tomorrow Plus X - (Time Travel Through Sleep Deprivation Mix)
11. Out of Limits
12. Calling Hong Kong (Supernova)
13. Munster's Theme
14. Principles Unknown
15. Everyone's Favorite Martian
16. Deuce's Wild
17. Cool Your Jets

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Sonic Youth - Confusion Is Sex/Kill Yr. Idols (1995)

Abrasive and archaic, theatrical and confrontational, Confusion Is Sex marks the opening strides that Sonic Youth made during their long slog through the American underground scene of the '80s. And yes, this album is underground if anything; it's lo-fi to the point of tonal drabness, as the instruments seem to ring out in only one tone, that of screechy noise. Yet that tone in itself is part of the album's style, which is one of antithesis. The album isn't comprised of songs but rather soundscapes, while the instruments are your traditional guitar-bass-drums-vocals lineup but are performed most untraditionally. Taken as a whole, Confusion Is Sex is a spellbinding listen, especially the first time through. If you're a bona fide Sonic Youth fan, chances are you'll find it especially spellbinding -- the more of the band's albums you've heard, the better. However, if you're unfamiliar with the band, or a casual fan at most, chances are you're going to be thoroughly tested: this is not an easy album to enjoy. As inaccessible as it may be, however, Confusion Is Sex is a cornerstone of Sonic Youth's career, their true opening salvo toward underground heroism, though miles and miles away from such highly regarded albums as Daydream Nation (1988) or Dirty (1992). [DGC's reissue appends the Kill Yr. Idols EP, which is very much a continuation of Confusion Is Sex, and an excellent one at that.]. Source: [AMG]

Sonic Youth - Shaking Hell


Track Listing
1. (She's In A) Bad Mood
2. Protect Me You
3. Freezer Burn/ I Wanna Be Your Dog
4. Shaking Hell
5. Inhuman
6. The World Looks Red
7. Confusion Is Next
8. Making The Nature Scene
9. Lee Is Free
10. Kill Yr. Idols
11. Brother James
12. Early America
13. Shaking Hell (Live)

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Lyres - On Fyre (1984)

Of the dozens of bands that emerged in the 1980s garage rock revival, Lyres were one of the few that seemed to realize that the point wasn't about how much paisley clothing you could wear or finding the right vintage effects pedals (i.e. wallowing in nostalgia for an era you were too young to have actually witnessed -- the musical equivalent of living in an episode of Happy Days), but about playing cool stripped-down rock & roll. Jeff "Monoman" Conolly understood that the Sonics and the Ramones were traveling in the same direction, but merely using a different path to get there, and, as a result, Lyres' recordings have an energy and passion that's stood the test of time far better than most of their contemporaries; their debut LP, On Fyre, may well be their best. Lyres divide their time equally between covers and originals here, and Conolly's songs are strong enough to stand proudly beside those of his heroes; truth to tell, the album's two most exciting songs, "Don't Give It Up Now" and "Help You Ann," came from his pen. While Conolly's Vox Continental organ keeps his 1960s obsessions up-front throughout, the rest of the band is capable of generating a hard-driving groove, and the performances capture what was exciting and soulful about 1960s punk without drowning in a sea of "retro." If On Fyre has a flaw, it's pacing; the best songs appear on side one, rendering the second half just a bit anticlimactic. But there's good stuff throughout the album, and anyone who digs rock of all eras will find something to shake to on On Fyre. Source: [AMG]

Lyres - Help You Ann


Track Listing
1. Don't Give It up Now
2. Help You Ann
3. I Confess
4. I'm Telling You Girl
5. Love Me Till the Sun Shines
6. I Really Want You Right Now
7. Tired of Waiting
8. Dolly
9. Soapy
10. The Way I Feel About You
11. Not Like the Other One
12. Never Met a Girl Like You Before
13. How Could Have I Done All of These Things
14. Swing Shift
15. Trying Just to Please You
16. Busy Body
17. Someone Who'll Treat You Right Now
18. She Pays the Rent
19. You've Been Wrong
20. I'll Try Anyway

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Spin Doctors - Up For Grabs... Live (1991)

Although billed as a mere EP, this six-song live set recorded at New York City's Wetlands club in September 1990 runs 45 minutes, which used to be the length of a full-fledged album. Calling it an EP is a way of de-emphasizing its significance, since it is intended more as an introduction to the band than as the major statement implied by a debut album. Fair enough: Up for Grabs gives you the kinetic, groove-heavy approach of Spin Doctors, especially on the leadoff song, "Big Fat Funky Booty," and Christopher Barron proves to be a funny, crowd-pleasing frontman, but it's also obvious that not much money was spent producing this record. Source: [AMG]

Spin Doctors - Little Miss Can't Be Wrong


Track Listing
1. Big Fat Funky Booty
2. At This Hour
3. Freeway of the Plains/Lady Kerosene
4. Yo Mamas a Pajama
5. Little Miss Can't Be Wrong
6. Rosetta Stone

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The Swingin' Neckbreakers - Live For Buzz (1993)

With all the subtlety of their 1970s pro-wrestling maneuver namesake, Trenton, NJ's Swingin' Neckbreakers beautifully piledrive their way through 14 songs on their debut album. Live for Buzz put Swingin' Neckbreakers' formula in place: a deft mixture of covers both unknown and familiar with bassist and lead vocalist Thomas Jorgensen's strong original songwriting. The onslaught comes quickly, song after song smashing its way into your subconscious and your hips with John Jorgensen's bashing beat, his brother's soulful howl, and Shaggy's biting guitar. If a particular number doesn't grab you, no matter; the next one, an even better one, is already coming at you. Live for Buzz, sounding like high fidelity compared to other '90s garage rock kingpins, starts to flag near the end of side two when Swingin' Neckbreakers veer a little too close to a bar band boogie. Trenton makes, the world takes. Source: [AMG]

The Swingin' Neckbreakers - Thinkin' Man's Girl


Track Listing
1. You
2. Thinkin' Man's Girl
3. Same All Over the World
4. Take Your Life
5. I Took My Baby Home
6. Shake It Some More
7. Little Pink Medicine
8. Boss Hoss
9. I Live for Buzz
10. She's Ready to Go Now
11. Little Bitty Corrine
12. You're Lying
13. Saturday's Best
14. The Girl Can't Dance/Look Away

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Morphine - Good (1992)

While it may not be as stellar as their future releases would be, Morphine's debut album, 1992's Good, did a splendid job of introducing the Boston trio's highly original sound. While it was the alternative crowd who immediately latched onto Morphine, their music was geared more toward the jazz scene -- a wailing saxophone, lead bass (played with a slide), and lyrics influenced by '50s beat poetry were all-important ingredients. The opening title track remains one of the band's darkest, while other selections are a bit more upbeat -- "Have a Lucky Day" and the inappropriately titled "The Saddest Song"; all the while, the band excels at creating different moods with each successive track. Other highlights include the mid-paced "Claire" and "The Only One," the slight salsa feel of "You Speak My Language," the frantic "Test-Tube Baby/Shoot'm Down," and the more calm and sultry "You Look Like Rain." On their next release, Cure for Pain, Morphine would improve further on the strength of their songwriting and cutting-edge sound, but Good still contains more than a few standouts. Source: [AMG]

Morphine - The Saddest Song

Track Listing
1. Good
2. The Saddest Song
3. Claire
4. Have A Lucky Day
5. You Speak My Language
6. You Look Like Rain
7. Do Not Go Quietly Unto Your Grave
8. Lisa
9. The Only One
10. Test Tube Baby/Shoot 'Em Down
11. The Other Side
12. I Know You, Part I
13. I Know You, Part II
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Buffalo Tom - Birdbrain (1990)

From the first notes of Buffalo Tom's second album, Birdbrain, it was clear the band had done more than their share of growing up since their self-titled debut, which had come out the year before. The title cut leaps out of the gate with a tight snap that leaves anything on the first album in the dust; drummer Tom Maginnis and bassist Chris Colbourn sound far tighter and more unified as a rhythm section, and guitarist and vocalist Bill Janovitz reveals a taut, slashing authority that was quite a change from the sloppy, sometimes meandering sound he'd summoned up his first time at bat. Just as roadwork had firmed up Buffalo Tom's sound, their songwriting was also steadily improving; the ultra-catchy "Birdbrain" sounded like it could have been a hit single in some alternate universe, while "Guy Who Is Me" and "Crawl" indicated they were learning to work better with trickier structures, and "Enemy" and "Skeleton Key" prove they could slow down effectively and communicate something other than a rant. While the band was still working the last vestiges of their clear Dinosaur Jr. influence at this point (J Mascis was in the producer's chair once again for this set), Birdbrain made it clear Buffalo Tom was far more than just Dino Jr.'s little brother band. The CD adds a nice acoustic cover of "Heaven" by the Psychedelic Furs as a bonus -- yet another touch you would never have expected judging from their debut. Source [AMG]

Buffalo Tom - Birdbrain


Track Listing
1. Birdbrain
2. Skeleton Key
3. Caress
4. Guy Who Is Me
5. Enemy
6. Crawl
7. Fortune Teller
8. Baby
9. Directive
10. Bleeding Heart
11. Heaven [Live Acoustic]
12. Reason Why [Live Acoustic]

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Sugar - Copper Blue (1992)

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 post-Nirvana alternative nation, which provided ample explanation for its phenomenal success. But Sugar were well deserving of their success, regardless of time and place. A more aggressive, contemporary guitar attack aside, stunning power punk masterpieces like "The Act We Act," "The Slim," and "Fortune Teller" bear all of the vintage Mould musical traits: tell-tale lyrics, great hooks, and snappy melodies. It's all underpinned by that unexplainable, chilling tension between innocent beauty and dark melancholy that fans came to expect from Mould, and topped by his somewhat nasal, almost timid vocal harmonies. Other highlights include the '60s-style "If I Can't Change Your Mind," the loud, beautiful guitars of "Man on the Moon" and "Helpless," and the tongue-in-cheek Pixies tribute "A Good Idea.". Source: [AMG]

Sugar - Helpless


Track Listing
1. The Act We Act
2. A Good Idea
3. Changes
4. Helpless
5. Hoover Dam
6. The Slim
7. If I Can't Change Your Mind
8. Fortune Teller
9. Slick
10. Man on the Moon

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