Grand Royal - "At Home With the Groovebox."
Pop/Rock, review by Alex Pappademas
Beck's Kraftwerk-meets-Kraft-cheese funk -- and more audio fromage from Sonic Youth, Pavement, Cibo Matto and Air.
(03/15/2000)

Low Estate - 16 Horsepower
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
16 Horsepower: hellfire-and-brimstone pop
(01/26/98)

Stay Down - 2 Lone Swordsmen
Pop/Rock, review by Amanda Nowinski
Proudly synthetic, the electronic duo 2 Lone Swordsmen prove that man is more intelligent than machine. (07/08/99)

The Big 3 - 60ft Dolls
Pop/Rock, review by Douglas Wolk
Spinal Tap reincarnate: Clichéd Welsh rockers break like the wind (01/29/97)

1965 - Afghan Whigs
Pop/Rock
A straight-up party record. Lead singer Greg Dulli has never sounded so open, his great and terrible bastard persona nowhere to be found.
(12/09/98)

Moon Safari Air
Pop/Rock
French electronic duo Air create easy-listening for the furrow-browed. (05/06/98)

Gimcracks and Gewgaws - Mose Allison
Pop/rock, review by Geoff Edgers
Mose Allison's cool, smoky growl
(02/12/98)

To Venus and Back - Tori Amos
Pop/rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
A new record suggests that Tori Amos' power is inversely proportional to the number of instruments involved. (09/22/99)

Boys For Pele - Tori Amos
Pop, review by Cynthia Joyce
This time, not even sex can save Tori Amos. (1/13/96)

From the Choirgirl Hotel Tori Amos
Pop/Rock
Amos adds her recent real-life miscarriage to the heap of negative experiences that she pours into otherwise imaginary dramas. (05/13/98)

11,000 Virgins (Chants for the feast of St. Ursula) -Anonymous 4
Pop/rock review by Brett Campbell
The upsurge in the popularity of medieval and early Renaissance music has produced dozens of albums, but none as compelling as these recordings of the music of German abbess Hildegard von Bingen (12/18/97)

Richard D. James - Aphex Twin
Pop/Rock, review by Hans Eisenbeis
Is it sound or is it music? Aphex Twin's terrific techno-trance tunes. (01/27/97)

"Aphrodite" - Aphrodite
Rock/Pop, review by Michelle Goldberg
Aphrodite's first commercial drum 'n' bass record gets at the difference between music for the DJ and music for your stereo. (10/27/99)

Telescopic - Edith Frost
Pop/Rock
The heart she's presenting isn't cold at all, but she sings like she wishes she could chill it.
(10/21/98)

"When the Pawn ..." - Fiona Apple
Pop/Rock, review by Alex Pappademas
Fiona Apple transforms from a flinty "Shadowboxer" to a raging bull. (11/24/99)

Tone Soul Evolution- Apples in Stereo
Pop/Rock review by Andrew Hultkrans
Apples frontman Robert Schneider, a four-track whiz kid with a line in homebrew pop that draws on the Beatles, Kinks, Byrds, and most prominently, Pet Sounds/Smile-era Beach Boys, doesn't sing about anything in particular on "Tone Soul Evolution," but who cares? With melodies this memorable, lyrics are pure frosting.(11/03/97)

Aquarius - Aqua
Pop, review by Michelle Goldberg
Aqua's radio confections match pomo knowingness with sugar-shocked swells. The insidious result: Pop that eats itself. (03/28/00)

White Trash Heros - Archers of Loaf
Pop/Rock
They could damn well have made a great album, but there's little here to justify the Archers's status as preeminent indie-rockers.
(10/07/98)

Vitus Tinnitus - Archers of Loaf
Pop/Rock, review by David Fenton
Archers of Loaf: Uneasy beauty from a massively underappreciated band. (01/24/97)

The Seduction of Claude Debussy- Art of Noise
Pop/Rock
On "The Seduction of Claude Debussy," Art of Noise offer a playfully pretentious tribute to the father of modern music.
(07/13/99)

"Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic" - The Artist
Pop/Rock, review by Christina Nunez
Call it a comeback: The Artist employs Sheryl Crow, Ani DiFranco, Chuck D. and others to get back into the groove. (11/09/99)

Life Could Be A Dream - Auntie Christ
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
As the music charts float and flutter with the pristine melodies of Jewel and the pseudo-funk harmonies of the Spice Girls, the disquieting, discordant rage of Exene Cervenkova on Auntie Christ's "Life Could Be a Dream" is more than a welcome antidote. (05/30/97)

Immobile - Autour de Lucie
Pop/rock, review by Natasha Stovall
The latest from the French pop band Autour de Lucie sounds like everything the Cranberries should be, with none of that band's taste for pretension
(02/24/98)

Died For Your Sins - The Avengers
Pop/Rock
Nine rare songs collected for the first time. Punk can get faster and more gnarly than this, but it doesn't get more musically whole (03/02/99)

Time Capsule - The B-52's
Rock/Pop
Two solid new tracks show the B-52's still searching for a planet, or a dimension, cool enough to host their party (07/08/98)

The Way We Were - Babe the Blue Ox
Pop/Rock
The Brooklyn trio mixes art-rock polyrhythms and kick-ass hooks to create a sound that's both complex and catchy.
(10/28/98)

Millennium - Backstreet Boys
Pop/rock, review by Jon Dolan
Why teenage girls will murder their grandmothers for a whiff of Backstreet Boys sweat.
(07/28/99)

Live - Erykah Badu
Pop/Rock review by Michelle Goldberg
Erykah Badu may never be as haunting as Billie Holiday, but Holiday never had the perfect comic timing Badu reveals on "Live." (12/02/97)

Remedy - Basement Jaxx
Pop/Rock, review by Amanda Nowinski
House music will never die: The hyped -- but worth it -- Basement Jaxx testifies. (08/13/99)

Inna Heights - Buju Banton
Pop/rock, review by Rosalind Cummins-Yates
Buju Banton's newest release reinforces his rare ability to showcase many of reggae's variations -- dancehall, roots and vintage ska -- on one cohesive album.
(03/12/98)

The Pet Sound Sessions - The Beach Boys
Pop/Rock review by Mark Athitakis
The reworked music of "Pet Sounds" is so wondrously varied, so thrilling, so listenenable in and of itself that it's a Beach Boys fanatic's dream come true (11/12/97)

Hello Nasty - Beastie Boys
Rock/pop
The Beasties return to a slower, hollering rap style.
(07/15/98)

The Beatles Anthology, Volume 2 - The Beatles
Pop, review by Mark Hertsgaard
Their "new" single "Real Love" is one of the highlights of the Beatles' second Anthology CD. (3/23/96)

Mutations - Beck
Pop/Rock
Another record where Beck "turns shit to gold"; constantly churning through forgotten pop movements, the folkie alchemist resuscitates late '60s Brazillian jazz, hayseed country and orchestral easy listening.
(11/11/98)

Odelay, Odelay - Beck
Pop, review by David Fenton
With his new album, "Odelay, Odelay," Beck proves he's more than a one-hit wonder. (6/10/96)

Bedhead Loved Macha - Bedhead/Macha
Pop/Rock, review by Joey Sweeney

Bedhead sing their swan song through Macha, the only indie-rock band forgiven for smelling like patchouli. (05/17/00)

Transaction de Novo - Bedhead
Pop/rock, review by Mark Athitakis
In a rock world that's built for speed, Bedhead are -- surprisingly, elegantly -- the ones who are moving faster and seeing farther
(02/18/98)

Salad Days - Adrien Belew
Pop/Rock
This collection offers a satifying tour of Belew's universe, which is loony but not sardonic, full of suprising and moving pathos
(02/02/99)

Tigermilk - Belle and Sebastian
Pop/Rock, review by Douglas Wolk
Pastoral pop group Belle and Sebastian finally re-release their out of print debut "Tigermilk," which once sold for $1,200. The excellent disc is worth the long wait, if not the inflated auction price. (07/15/99)

The Boy With the Arab Strap - Belle and Sebastian
Pop/Rock
A promising, gifted band reverts to involuted studies in pop allusion.
(09/02/98)

Lazy Line Painter Jane (EP) - Belle and Sebastian
Pop/Rock review by Nick Hornby
Belle and Sebastian, a ramshackle, cute and only occasionally fey folk-pop band from Scotland, provide a charming respite from the braying mob that is Britain these days (11/14/97)

Ben folds five By Brett Anderson
Piano man Ben Folds grows up on "The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner."
(05/17/99)

Naked Baby Photos - Ben Folds Five
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
As the outtakes and B-sides of "Naked Baby Photos" show, Ben Folds Five have always been charismatic and generally appealing, but not always totally likable
(01/12/98)

Whatever and Ever Amen - Ben Folds Five
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Even without the success of their new album, "Whatever and Ever Amen," Ben Folds Five's fresh, distinctive rock sound is enough reason to see them live -- although maybe not in New York. (05/01/97)

50 Eggs Dan Bern
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
Dan Bern, the neo-folkie who was dubbd the "next Bob Dylan" after his self-titled debut, has developed a Tori Amos problem on "50 Eggs": He vomits words, sets them to music, and somehow thinks this makes him an inspired songwriter (04/28/98)

Dan Bern - Dan Bern
Pop/Rock, review by Lori Leivobich
Singer-Songwriter Dan Bern may sound like and even sing about Bob Dylan on his self-titled debut EP -- but that doesn't mean he's not sick of the comparison. Lori Leibovich talks to Bern about what it's like to be anointed the new folk king. (07/04/97)

Live 81-82 - The Birthday Party
Pop/Rock, review by Dave Clifford
Nick Cave and The Birthday Party adored the sound of piercing feedback, physical exhaustion and collapse.
(07/21/99)

Social Dancing - Bis
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Growing up all wrong: The anti-electronic anthems of Bis make hypocrites out of youngsters who should know better.
(08/16/99)

William Bloke - Billy Bragg Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
On his new "William Bloke," Billy Bragg, the loveable socialist folksinger, finally merges his political and personal sides.
Text-only version. (9/2/96)

Homogenic - Bjöork
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
With her fourth album, "Homogenic," Björk combines the warmth of Iceland's String Octet with Mark Bell's programmed beats on the same songs, provoking shave-headed DJs to swoon and conservatory-trained musicians to party like it's 1899. (10/02/97)

Telegram - Björk
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Björk remix: Studio wizards turn sexy Nordic pixie into robot (01/13/97)

Hours - David Bowie
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
After hemorrhaging mystique for a decade, David Bowie finally releases a record that's better than its gimmicks. (10/15/99)

Earthling - David Bowie
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Ground Control to Major Tom: David Bowie goes techno on "Earthling," gets lost in space. (2/11/97)

Songs of Innocence and Experience - Billy Bragg
Pop, review by Gavin McNett
On his new "William Bloke," Billy Bragg, the loveable socialist folksinger, finally merges his political and personal sides.
Text-only version. (9/2/96)

Mermaid Avenue - Billy Bragg and Wilco
pop/rock
A 15-song tribute to Woody Guthrie, America's most important folksinger (06/24/98)

By Your Side - The Black Crowes
Pop/Rock
The swaggering cock rockers come back to rock-roots basics to create a solidly mediocre album.
(01/06/99

Nico - Blind Melon
Pop/Rock, review by Hans Eisenbeis
Blind Melon's passionate farewell (12/5/96)

13 - Blur
Pop/Rock
Is celebrity ennui a fitting topic for a concept album? (03/30/99)

Blur - Blur
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
With the Brit-crits on their case, Blur goes American-eclectic -- and sounds suspiciously like a bald-faced caricature of the Amerindie style (3/20/96)

Brand New Year - The Bottle Rockets
Pop/Rock, review by Kandia Crazy Horse
The Bottle Rockets trade trad country for classic rock, leaving them with one tire in a ditch, the other on the right track. (09/09/99)

Blush - Bows
Pop/Rock, review by Lydia Vanderloo
On the debut "Blush," Bows creak and skitter like a haunted house. (08/31/99)

The Noise Made By People - Broadcast
Pop/Rock, review by Carlene Bauer
Futures past to past futures, Broadcast fuse the cool sounds of '60s films to singer Trish Keenan's chilly fables. (05/08/00)

"In the Life of Chris Gaines" - Garth Brooks
Pop/Rock, review by By David Cantwell
Garth Brooks had friends in low places. Chris Gaines is just weird. (10/11/99)

The Pawn Shop Years - Buick MacKane
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Buick Mackane's "Pawn Shop Years": A virtuoso performance disguised as mondo-trasho slop by under-the-hill veteran Alejandro Escovedo. (2/28/96)

Ultimate Alternative Wavers - Built to Spill
Rock/pop
Layers of guitar sit brooding, then punch through the speakers.
(07/22/98)

Perfect From Now On - Built To Spill
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Rosenthal
They're "Perfect From Now On": Built to Spill's guitar-rock masterpiece (01/30/97)

Deconstructed (Techno remixes of album material) -Bush
Pop/rock review by Gavin McNett
Tricky manages to bring out qualities of depth and reverie in singer Gavin Rossdale's voice on this collection of Bush remixes (12/09/97)

Razorblade Suitcase - Bush
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Pothead poetry for teen seductions. (11/19/96)

Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, The Ballad of Easy Rider, The Notorious Byrd Brothers - The Byrds
Pop/Rock, review by Sean Elder
Columbia's reissue of four album's from the Byrds' own "Blue Period" (1967-1970) harkens back to a time before lite rock, when the band's distinctly Southern California sound projected an optimism and sense of possibility that perfectly captured the mood of the times. (04/10/97)

Feelings - David Byrne
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
Working hip-hop, feedback-drenched rock and even country into his trademark Latin themes, David Byrne has created his freest, most diverse and optimistic post-Talking Heads work with "Feelings." Mark Athitakis talks to Byrne about "surviving through change." (06/30/97)

Nu Blaxploitation - Don Byron and Existential Dred
Pop/Rock
Byron's abrasive, self-absorbed personality fights for space with the virtuoso musicality that marked his past work(03/16/99)

"Dwarf Star" - Chris Cacavas
Pop/Rock, review by Dawn Eden
Don't let songwriter Chris Cacavas play with guns. (10/08/99)

Goodbye, So What - Cake Like
Pop/Rock, review by Robbie Woliver
On "Goodbye, So What," New York trio Cake Like play power pop with sweet and sour kiss-offs. (07/14/99)

Eat/Kiss - John Cale
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
Like some of John Cale's more experimental solo records (like "Fear" or "Music For a New Society"), "Eat" and "Kiss" conjure up a sense of both forboding and joy -- and often blurs the line between the two. (06/19/97)

Hot Rail - Calexico
Pop/Rock, review by Lisa Gidley
Like a long drive through the American Southwest, Calexico's "Hot Rail" evokes a landscape of sun-cracked desert basins and lusty border towns. (05/10/00)

Can Box - Can
Rock/Pop
The German progressive-rock band Can made world music for some other world. (05/27/99)

The Dust Blows Forward (An Anthology) - Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
Pop/Rock, review by David Bowman
A new anthology tries to put the wild career of the deranged Captain Beefheart in perspective -- as if that's even possible. (09/08/99)

Grow Fins, Safe as Milk, The Mirror Man Sessions - Captain Beefheart
Pop/Rock, review by David Bowman
Oh, Captain, my Captain. Zoot Horn described it best when he said Captain Beefheart was "Jackson Pollock trying to play John Lee Hooker." A new box set and two re-releases chronicle the chaos. (06/23/99)

Life - The Cardigans
Pop, review by Charles Taylor
The Cardigans' American debut, "Life," evokes the spark and fantasy of pop at its best. (4/6/96)

Butterfly - Mariah Carey
Pop/Rock, review by Gina Arnold
The woman may have a ruthless career plan, but Mariah Carey also has genuine pipes, and, seemingly, her finger directly on the pulse of the populace. Carey, now sure of her fanbase, divorced Mottola just in time for the release of "Butterfly," her fifth and cheesiest LP yet. (09/30/97)

A Woman & A Man - Belinda Carlisle
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
She may be gorgeous now, but like Madonna, Carlisle made her best music when she was chubby and funky. But beneath layers of treacly production on "A Woman & A Man," Carlisle's voice trills just as prettily as it did when she was the fabulous lead singer of the Go-Go's. (07/22/97)

Flying Saucer Blues - Peter Case
Pop/Rock, review by Geoff Edgers
From "Hanging on the Telephone" to hanging in the old oak tree, Peter Case has left power pop for jilted folk. (04/18/00)

Equally Cursed and Blessed - Catatonia
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Like Lolita with a conscience, Catatonia's Cerys Matthews blows and huffs through the beguiling "Equally Cursed and Blessed." (04/11/00)

The Covers Record - Cat Power
Pop/Rock, review by Dave McCoy
On "The Covers Record," Cat Power strips "Satisfaction" of Jagger's swagger and manages to velvet over the VU. (03/24/00)

Moon Pix - Cat Power
Pop/Rock
Songs so slow, spare and understated that they seem to be coming from some Southern Gothic music box.
(09/23/98)s

The Boatman's Call - Nick Cave
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
The godfather of goth lets his lyrics into the limelight on "The Boatman's Call." (3/19/97)

Us and Us Only - The Charlatans U.K.
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
The Charlatans U.K. aren't really an innovative band, but they've got a world-weary confidence that makes for good rock 'n' roll. (10/12/99)

Night and the City - Charlie Haden and Kenny Barron
Pop/rock, review by J. Poet
Those currently enamored with the ironic hipness and faux feeling of the Lounge Revival should give "Night and the City" a listen to find out what real sophistication is all about.
(03/30/98)

Eat - Charming Hostess
Pop/Rock, review by Douglas Wolk
The women of the funk-folk band Charming Hostess draw on dozens of traditions that have never met before, and even when the results are flawed, they're never less than interesting
(01/22/98)

Cheap Trick, In Color, Heaven Tonight - Cheap Trick
Pop/Rock
Cooler than ever, their gleeful and triumphant snideness is a natural fit for current indie-rock's studied, joyful cynicism.
(10/21/98)

Stereotype A - Cibo Matto
Pop/rock review by Jon Dolan
Cibo Matto's "Viva! La Woman" rewired hip hop in the same way that riot grrrls reinvented punk. What happened on "Stereotype A"? (06/09/99)

Vertigo - Cinnamon
Pop/Rock, review by Joey Sweeney
Swedish popsters Cinnamon have the singer, the songs and the sheen. They're like the Cardigans -- for smart people. (04/12/00)

Nightlife - Cobra Verde
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Gross
Cobra Verde find the swaggering essence of glam rock that Todd Haynes and "Velvet Goldmine" missed. (09/21/99)

Valley of Christmas - Andrei Codrescu
Pop/rock review by Mark Athitakis
Bargain-priced and custom-built for every possible target market in existence, you can rest assured that there's a "Silent Night" to fit every musical taste, age, race, sexual preference and denomination (12/19/97)

Elvis in clubland - Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve
Pop/Rock, reviewed by Stephanie Zacharek
The new live CD set "Costello & Nieve" is a magical memento of five intimate concerts. (12/9/96)

Gentleman's Blues - Cracker
Pop/Rock
Maturity fits this post-hippie cult hero well.
(08/26/98)

Bury the Hatchet - The Cranberries
Pop/Rock
The songs are not particularly innovative -- they still have that same grungified dreaminess -- but the album maintains a consistency and stamina absent on the group's bland third album. (04/20/99)

Bloodflowers - The Cure
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Cure fans know the band was at its best making shiny, happy pop. So why have the cartoon necrophiliacs gone back to wallowing in muddy gunk? (02/17/00)

Time Out Of Mind - Bob Dylan
Pop/Rock, review by David Bowman
It's now been seven long, lackluster years since Bob Dylan's "Oh Mercy" -- can producer Daniel Lanois fire up the Bard a second time? Amateur Dylanologist David Bowman takes on the long-awaited "Time Out of Mind." (09/19/97)

Surrender - Chemical Brothers
Pop/Rock, review by Jon Dolan
The Chemical Brothers grow up but find no place to go. (06/18/99)

Dig Your Own Hole - Chemical Brothers
Pop/Rock, review by Terri Sutton
With its hip-hop influenced hybrid of techno and rock, the Chemical Brothers' "Dig Your Own Hole" is dangerous enough to seduce all your sullen guitar diehards into crashing the all-night disco party. (04/09/97)

About to Choke - Vic Chesnutt
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
The beneficiary of "Sweet Relief II" sings his own songs on his major-label debut. (11/11/96)

Tubthumpers - Chumbawamba
Pop/Rock review by Gina Arnold
If they could just learn a little restraint, Chumbawamba could be one of the better lesson-bands of the decade (12/01/97)

Providing the Atmosphere - Cloudberry Jam
Pop/Rock, review by Alex Abramovich
Now that the new Swedish record company North of No South, or NoNS, is bracing itself for an all-out assault on our shores, it's a good time to ask why Sweden has long been such an anomaly in the global music market
(01/07/98)

Forever: The Judy Collins Anthology - Judy Collins
Pop/Rock review by Gavin Mcnett
There's no clearer soprano in popular music, nor is there a singer who can enunciate so crisply with so much warmth. The thing to do with "Forever" is just to sit back and let the Voice wash over you (11/20/97)

Still Life - The Connells
Pop/Rock
Southern guitar-rockers give Ben Folds Five a run for their money in the college-hit sweepstakes (05/27/98)

Fantasma - Cornelius
Pop/rock, review by Mark Athitakis
Cornelius -- the moniker for Japanese one-man-band Keigo Oyamada -- really is big in Japan, having already sold half a million copies of "Fantasma," his third album, in his homeland(04/03/98)

All This Useless Beauty - Elvis Costello and The Attractions
Pop, review by Joyce Millman
Mr. Costello records the songs he wrote for his favorite singers — because they won't. (5/13/96)

Across a Wire - Counting Crows
Rock/pop
Another slowly metered-out rock product.
(07/22/98)

Recovering the Satellites - Counting Crows
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Counting Crows play it safe on their long-awaited second album. (10/21/96)
Text-only version. (10/21/96)

Miles From Our Home - Cowboy Junkies
Rock/Pop
The latest from the Cowboy Junkies is what grunge sounds like after it achieves ambiance (07/08/98)

200 More Miles - Cowboy Junkies
Gentle Creatures - Tarnation
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
Sam Hurwitt mainlines the Cowboy Junkies and Tarnation. (12/2/95)

To the Faithful Departed - The Cranberries
Pop, review by Charles Taylor
On "To the Faithful Departed," the Cranberries' craftsmanship gets buried beneath a wave of socially conscious gruel. (5/6/96)

The 9 Volt Years: Battery Powered Home Demos and Curios (1979-198?) - Marshall Crenshaw
Pop/Rock
Relaxed, unstudied songs that distill the energy and eternal themes of sock-hop pop.
(07/29/98)

Miracle of Science - Marshall Crenshaw
Pop, review by Charles Taylor
Although out with the in-crowd, Marshall Crenshaw is a master of pop song-craft. (7/29/96)

Take Your Shoes Off - Robert Cray
Rock/Pop
Take Your Shoes Off" is a sign of life for Cray after a serviceable if somewhat uninspired decade of anemic electric stylings. (05/04/99)

The Globe Sessions - Sheryl Crow
Pop/Rock
Full of small strange gestures that show she's not entirely resolved to full-speed-ahead hitmaking.
(09/16/98)

The White Album - Sheryl Crow
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Contemplating the sonic blancmange that is Sheryl Crow.
Text-only version. (9/30/96)

Voodoo - D'Angelo
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
D'Angelo's potent sensuality sneaks into dreams and turns day into steamy night. (02/02/00)

Homework - Daft Punk
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Daft Punk's debut album "Homework" puts a Eurotrash gloss over fat, squishy hip-hop beats and ecstatic house crescendos, and the result is exuberant, hands-in-the-air techno. (05/29/97)

Playback Swingers - Damon and Naomi
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
"It's the turn of the century -- which way you going to go?" Damon and Naomi ask on "Playback Swingers." Straight to bed for a good, long mope, the album's nine weary, lazy songs suggest.
(04/13/98)

Before These Crowded Streets - Dave Matthews Band
Pop/Rock
Forget Viagra -- "Before These Crowded Streets," the sexy third studio album from the Dave Matthews Band, could make even Church Lady feel like a sexpot (05/20/98)

Adored - Day Behavior
Pop/Rock, review by Alex Abramovich
Now that the new Swedish record company North of No South, or NoNS, is bracing itself for an all-out assault on our shores, it's a good time to ask why Sweden has long been such an anomaly in the global music market
(01/07/98)

Ordinary Man - Day One
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Day One find beauty in the sidewalk cracks without glossing over the British lower-middle-class milieu. (03/06/00)

Hatful of Rain: The Best of Del Amitri - Del Amitri
Pop/Rock
Seventeen tracks reflect the band's soft and harder-rocking styles and hang together as a meditation on troubled romance.
(10/07/98)

000 - Delta 72
Pop/Rock, review by Mac Montandon
Goddamn! Soul-punk R&B fans the Delta 72 trade sharp angles for shaggy, stoned beats. (04/06/00)

"To the Teeth" - Ani DiFranco
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Forget the solipsistic neurotica of Fiona Apple, on "To the Teeth" righteous babe Ani DiFranco feels the funk and represents Buffalo. (11/16/99)

Up Up Up Up Up Up - Ani DiFranco
Pop/Rock
The 12th album from the courageous folk/punk musician is a baffling misstep. This time, she's just fakin' the funk
(02/02/99)

Dilate - Ani DiFranco
Pop/Rock, review by Lori Leibovich
Ani DiFranco is making it the hard way — on her own. (6/3/96)

Little Plastic Castle - Ani DiFranco
Pop/rock, review by Lori Leibovich
"Little Plastic Castle": Fame takes its toll on weary Ani DiFranco
(02/20/98)

C'est La Vie - Henri Dikongué
Pop/Rock, review by j. poet
"C'est La Vie" tips its hat to the international cadences of the African Diaspora by embracing reggae, samba, salsa, soul and jazz as well as the expected Cameroonian rhythms of makossa and bikutsi. (04/08/98)

"All the Way ... A Decade of Song" - Celine Dion
Pop/Rock, review by Geoff Edgers
To deny Celine Dion is to deny the culture that made her a star. (12/01/99)

Hand It Over - Dinosaur Jr.
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Joe Mascis, the Greatest Living Burnout, may still be playing with the old high school band, but he parlays his genuinely epic slackness into an oeuvre of remarkable consistency on "Hand it Over." (03/28/97)

Whatever You Love, You Are - The Dirty Three
Pop/Rock, review by Lydia Vanderloo
The sad, dangerous sounds of the Dirty Three capture the wisdom of pain and experience. (03/10/00)

Casanova - Divine Comedy
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Divine Comedy's adult-pop album "Casanova" is a big-ticket, technicolor Alfa Romeo ride through a landscape of antique Eurochic, moody sensuality and unfiltered cigarettes. (10/21/97)

Fly - The Dixie Chicks
and Ruff Ryder's First Lady - Eve
Pop/Rock, review by Jon Dolan
Thug rapper Eve's assertive female raps would sound even more radical at the top of the charts if the countrified Dixie Chicks weren't telling the exact same stories. (10/04/99)

A Night at the Playboy Mansion - DJ Dimitri from Paris
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
DJ Dimitri from Paris swings at the Playboy Mansion. (04/24/00)

Kakusei - DJ Krush
Pop/Rock, review by Amanda Nowinski
DJ Krush reduces trip-hop to suggestive subtlety. (08/30/99)

Milight - DJ Krush
Pop/Rock review by Michelle Goldberg
When Krush puts his DJ skills at the forefront, the results are layered and plush, if sometimes lacking in variety. But it's the mindless stoner bon mots that distract from what would otherwise be a deliciously narcotic groove (11/24/97)

Preemptive Strike - DJ Shadow
Pop/rock, review by Natasha Stovall
Fusing hip-hop break beats with forays into soul, funk, jazz, new age, classical and real-life-whatnot, DJ Shadow takes us down long, winding rivers of sound on "Preemptive Strike."
(02/04/98)

"Subliminal Minded: The EP" - DJ Spooky
Pop/Rock, review by Amanda Nowinski
DJ Spooky remixes the remix. (12/06/99)

American Teenage Rock-n-Roll Machine - The Donnas
Pop/rock, review by Natasha Stovall
The Donnas may say they're "Seventeen, and already going nowhere" -- but their kickass music says otherwise
(02/10/98

Day One - Sarah Dougher
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Sarah Dougher, a collaborator with Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker in Cadallaca, releases her own minor suite of summer songs. (09/23/99)

Times Like This - Slim Dunlap
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Ex-Replacements guitarist's minor-league masterpiece. (12/11/96)

Dylan live
Pop/Rock, review by Bill Wyman
The temperamental troubadour plays one more encore along the Never-ending Tour. (06/22/99)

Evergreen - Echo and the Bunnymen
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
For all of the drab middle-of-the-road pop "Evergreen" proffers, none of it erases any of the impact and power of what Echo and the Bunnymen accomplished back in the days of "The Cutter" and "The Killing Moon" -- but it does make it look that much more like distant history. (08/04/97)

West - Mark Eitzel
Pop/Rock, review by Richard Overton
Former American Music Club crooner Mark Eitzel still has traces of bitters in his soda on "West," but thanks in part to the appearance of Peter Buck, the fog of his obscurity is lifting. (05/08/97)

Twistin in the Wind - Joe Ely
Pop/Rock
Ely's recorded output has often failed to reflect the dynamism of his live shows, but album number 13 proves lucky for the Texas singer-songwriter (05/20/98)

"The Drop" - Brian Eno
Pop/Rock, review by Joshua Klein
No doubt "The Drop" will sound to some like aural wallpaper peeling. But for those willing to invest the time to get to the bottom of Eno's theory, it may be his most satisfying release since 1982's epochal "On Land." (08/13/97)

Never to Be Forgotten - The Bobby Fuller Four
Pop/rock, review by Dawn Eden
"Never to Be Forgotten," Del-Fi's new Bobby Fuller Four box, doesn't explain how Fuller died, but it does show why his music has survived
(03/10/98)

Cowboy - Erasure
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
On "Cowboy," synthpop duo Erasure makes every song seem like an offhand gesture -- even while continuing, against the trend, to do things the hard way. (05/05/97)

Fly - The Dixie Chicks
and Ruff Ryder's First Lady - Eve
Pop/Rock, review by Jon Dolan
Thug rapper Eve's assertive female raps would sound even more radical at the top of the charts if the countrified Dixie Chicks weren't telling the exact same stories. (10/04/99)

Temperamental - Everything But the Girl
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
Everything But the Girl marry the lonely pop romance of Frank Sinatra to the dance-floor sounds of house and drum 'n' bass. (09/28/99)

Immigrant Sons - The Farmdogs
Pop/rock, review by Rennie Sparks
If you've ever wondered why Bernie Taupin remained in Elton John's shadow,Taupin's new CD with his side project, The Farmdogs, does much to answer the question
(02/09/98)

"The Day That Didn't Exist" - The Fastbacks
Pop/Rock, review by Brett Anderson
The Fastbacks saw grunge come and go. Like that matters to a band that hasn't left the garage in 20 years. (10/06/99)

All the Pain Money Can Buy Fastball
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
If Fastball's "All the Pain Money Can Buy" sounds like a Revolver-esque throwback, it's worth noting that sounding like a throwback in this day and age is an act of bravery (04/24/98)

As Time Goes By - Bryan Ferry
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Bryan Ferry retreats from the ignominy of contemporary pop with a set of smoky standards. (10/18/99)

Try Whistling This - Neil Finn
Rock/Pop
Free-range pop from one-half of the former duo Crowded House (06/24/98)

"Teenage Head" and "Flamingo" - Flamin' Groovies
Rock/Pop, review by Geoff Edgers
Garage days revisited: Two reissues re-introduce the trashy sounds and perverted pop of the Flamin' Groovies. (06/24/98)

Zaireeka -Flaming Lips
Pop/rock review by Mark Athitakis
With the four-disc "Zaireeka," the Flaming Lips have completely fulfilled their most insane dreams, creating a fantastically ambitious -- and incredibly stupid -- record (12/12/97)

Premonition - John Fogerty
pop/rock
John Fogerty long ago perfected music that sounds like it's tossed off, but actually takes hours of painful, painstaking work to properly place each barbecued lick and casual howl (06/17/98)

One Part Lullaby - The Folk Implosion
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
After 10 years of indie rock and a semi-hit on the "Kids" soundtrack, Folk Implosion's Lou Barlow changes his tune. (09/14/99)

"There Is Nothing Left to Lose" - Foo Fighters
Pop/Rock, review by Andy Battaglia
Forget Nirvana, unrepentant Foo Fighter Dave Grohl settles down for mediocrity. (11/04/99)

See What You want to See - Radney Foster
Rock/Pop
Radney Foster's neo-traditionalist country faces the harrowing future of not mattering. (05/18/99)

Springtime - Freakwater
Pop/Rock, review by Terri Sutton
Born before country went "insurgent", Freakwater has flown the flag of righteous imagination for going on five albums, and on their latest, they complicate country music's standard issues from evil to workers' revolt
(01/23/98)

Sentimental Education - Free Kitten
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
With Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth, Julie Cafritz formerly of Pussy Galore, Mark Ibold from Pavement and Yoshimi from The Boredoms, you can't help but come out with a few sparks of brilliance, as the combo Free Kitten does on "Sentimental Education."
(01/06/98)

Retrograde - Friends of Dean Martinez
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
If nothing else, the Friends of Dean Martinez are sincere as hell -- lounge lizards without the sneer and drifters without the con, who thankfully leave irony out of their repertoire on the instrumental "Retrograde."(07/14/97)

"Calling Over Time" - Edith Frost
Pop/Rock, review by Jason Zengerle
Edith Frost's achingly beautiful debut album is an exercise in heartbreak, but it's remarkable for the fact that it never once trips the treacle-detector.(08/12/97)

Pardon My French - Fuck
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
Though the name may suggest a garage punk group, this San Francisco combo is a more slow and languorous Fuck than one might expect. "Pardon My French" is music for sleepyheads, soporific and yet far from boring. (07/15/97)

End Hits - Fugazi
Pop/Rock
"End Hits" is Fugazi at its fiercest yet most approachable (06/03/98)

Memories of Love - Future Bible Heroes
Pop/Rock, review by Doug Wolk
Legendary Unknown Stephin Merritt steals the show on the Future Bible Heroes' first album and delivers the kind of deliberately synthetic, genuinely sad, deeply funny music for which he's famous -- that is, if you already know who he is. (06/09/97)

Yeah, It's That Easy - G-Love and Special Sauce
Pop/Rock review by Natasha Stovall
G-Love returns to the original spirit of jamming with his soulful new "Yeah, It's That Easy." (11/11/97)

Caught in a Trap and I Can't Back Out Because I Love You Too Much, Baby - Mark Eitzel
Pop/Rock, review by Jerry Dannemiller
The gloomy-Gus-with-open-wounds role has always suited Mark Eitzel, and on "Caught In A Trap," he seems all too eager to carry a few more sad sacks on his back
(01/15/98)

Leisure Noise - Gay Dad
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Gay Dad are a controversial sensation in England, proving once again that the only thing that the Brit press likes better than pure pop is overbearing hype. (09/20/99)

Ad Finite - Genaside II
Pop/Rock, review by Amanda Nowinski
Genaside II bring hard-ass thuggism to the paranoid visions of dark electronic music. (09/30/99)

Calling All Stations- Genesis
Pop/Rock review by Sean Elder
Maybe it's comforting to know that rock 'n' roll's elder statesmen can still crank out rock riffs and boozy ballads in their sleep -- but it's too bad they have to take that judgment literally. Sean Elder makes an arhument for early retirement.(11/05/97)

Genesis Archives Vol. 1 - Genesis
Rock/Pop
An encyclopedia of songs from the ace prog-rock ensemble (06/24/98)

Duality - Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke
pop/rock
Unlike a good Dead Can Dance album, this outside project lacks the accessibility that made even a medieval Italian ballad sound like rock music (06/17/98)

Gimme Indie Rock Volume One - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Joey Sweeney
The label synonymous with "As Seen on TV" goes after indie rock. Oh, sweet, delicious irony. (04/28/00)

Grammy Nominees 2000 - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Jon Caramanica
A compilation of songs from this year's Grammy nominees aims for the hearts of soccer moms and Shrieking Teenage Girls. (02/23/00)

"Poor Little Knitter on the Road: A Tribute to the Knitters" - Various Artists
Rock/Pop, review by Brett Anderson
The Knitters broke from X and the Blasters to find classic country. A new slew of alt-country bands is repaying the favor. (10/26/99)

"Woodstock 99" - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Andy Battaglia
"Let me stand next to your fire" and other joyful idiocies prop up two CDs' worth of Woodstock 99 live cuts. (10/21/99)

Unknownwerks - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Amanda Nowinski
A new Astralwerks compilation takes the electronic pulse of underground urban America. (07/22/99)

"All Sold Out" and "(S)he Smiled Sweetly"\ - Spinanes
Rock/Pop
The evanescent Spinanes sharpen two songs from the Rolling Stones' catalog, chronicling the impulse to fight emotional weariness and the temptation to succumb to it. (07/23/99)

Oh, Merge: A Merge Records 10-Year Anniversary Compilation - Various Artists
Rock/Pop, reviewed by Wendy Mitchell
Now celebrating a 10th anniversary with a compilation featuring Rocket From the Crypt, Superchunk and Neutral Milk Hotel, Merge Records is the little label that could, and did. (07/12/99)

This Note's for You, Too!: A Tribute to Neil Young - Various Artists
Rock/Pop
If this collection of Neil Young covers inspires even one listener to write a new, original song, then the tribute, and the genre as a whole, is redeemed. (05/11/99)

Delphonic Sounds Today! - Various Artists
Rock/Pop
Innovative indies pay tribute to Del-Fi's wonderful amalgam of primitive rock 'n' roll, vintage surf and twang, prime-time sleaze and dream teens. (04/27/99)

Virgin Voices - Various artists
Pop/Rock
On "Virgin Voices" the same kind of underground artists that Madonna once mined for sound and image attempt to take back the songs that they helped inspire. (04/13/99)

Drinking From Puddles - Various artists
Pop/Rock
This Kill Rock Stars compilation is a glorious collection of live, in-studio recordings from Portland's KBOO. (04/13/99)

Jewish Music:Serge Gainsbourg-Various Artists
Classical review by Douglas Wolk
What musicians love most about Serge Gainsbourg's records is their arrangements, and occasionally the temptation to re-create them proves too great -- but the arrangers who take the greatest liberties on "Great Jewish Music" come out the best. (11/07/97)

Late for the Future - Galactic
Pop/Rock, review by Philip Booth
Galactic's swampy funk melds Meters-style riffs, acid-jazz grooves and jam-band spontaneity. (03/31/00)

1987-1991 Box Set - Galaxie 500
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Rosenthal
Defunct minimalists rock on in 4-CD set. (11/15/96)

Hot Rod Guitar: The Danny Gatton Anthology - Danny Gatton
Pop/Rock
Danny Gatton's unbelievable guitar playing embraced so many pop music styles that no record label could ever figure out how to sell him. (04/20/99)

Butch - Geraldine Fibbers
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
It's hard to draw a straight line between where the Geraldine Fibbers' punk roots end and their country obsession begins, but on their new, nearly perfect, "Butch," both camps are equally represented. (07/31/97)

Atardecer - Friends of Dean Martinez
Pop/Rock
Steel guitarist Bill Elm has given up the band's sweet simplicity in favor of turbulent sound textures and spacey effects (03/30/99)

On the Way Down From the Moon Palace - Lisa Germano
Pop/Rock
A rerelease of her 1991 solo debut shows hints of the stark and pulsing terror that pushed later albums to the scalpel-edged limits of emotional endurance. (02/23/99)

One Endless Night - Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Pop/Rock, review by David Cantwell
Zen cowboy Jimmie Dale Gilmore expresses the beauty of sadness and the perfection of sorrow. (03/09/00)

Kundun: Music From the Original Soundtrack - Philip Glass
Pop/Rock, review by Jack Skelley
Tibetan instruments deepen and enrich Philip Glass' minimalist style, resulting in what is perhaps Scorsese's most strangely satisfying soundtrack since Peter Gabriel scored his "Last Temptation of Christ."
(01/09/98)

Liquid Skin - Gomez
Pop/Rock, review by Dave McCoy
Gomez steal from groups like the Beatles, the Band and the Who. But after classic pastiche records like "Paul's Boutique," nicking good riffs just makes you boring.
(09/27/99)

Jubilee - Grant Lee Buffalo
pop/rock
The LA-based band has a knack for combining earnest, '90s-style power-throating with a mild case of White Album-damage in an appealing pop package (06/17/98)

III Grassy Knoll
Pop/Rock
Dissonant melodies layered over dense funk rhythms make "III" one of the most groundbreaking albums of the year. (05/06/98)

"So Many Roads (1965-1995)" - The Grateful Dead
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
The first serious Grateful Dead retrospective is riddled with confounding decisions, stupid mistakes and beautiful music -- just like the band. (11/29/99)

White Ladder - David Gray
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
English folkie David Gray is a star in the U.K. Can some electronic blips and an endorsement from Dave Matthews win him an audience in the States? (03/30/00)

Nimrod- Green Day
Pop/Rock review by Mark Athitakis
Scruffy punkers Green Day are just going through the motions on "Nimrod"; all that's different this time around is that they've discovered a few more motions to go through.(11/04/97)

Flaming Red - Patty Griffin
pop/rock
With "Flaming Red", Griffin proves she's ready for radio success, but willing to reward the long-distance listener (07/08/98)

Mag Earwhig! - Guided By Voices
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
GBV's Robert Pollard has always had a real talent for using tiny details that turn a song from passable to great, but with "Mag Earwhig!" he's hitting the bullseye instead of raiding the cutting room floor. (05/16/97)

Jet Generation - Guitar Wolf
Pop/Rock, review by Alex Pappademas
Garage sounds revisited: Guitar Wolf roars on the loudest record, ever. (06/25/99)

"Live Era '87-'93" - Guns n' Roses
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
A double live set remembers when Guns n' Roses played with the thunder of the gods. (12/08/99)

7 Park Avenue - Pete Ham
Pop/Rock, review by Sean Elder
Pete Ham, lead singer of the other Fab Four, offers a glimpse into his more introspective side. (03/26/97)

"So... How's Your Girl" - Handsome Boy Modeling School
Pop/Rock, review by Britt Robson
Hip-hop producers Prince Paul and the Automator recruit young multi-culti bohos for their Handsome Boy Modeling School. (12/22/99)

Through the Trees - Handsome Family
Pop/Rock, review by Randall Roberts
The third record by the husband-and-wife duo of Brett and Rennie Sparks, a.k.a. The Handsome Family, "Through the Trees" is emotionally wrecked music for nature lovers.
(03/04/98)

Slow Dirty Tears The Hangovers
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
Like Dylan's Grammy winner, the Hangover's "Slow Dirty Tears" is an understated and unexpected gem. (04/27/98)

So We Go - The Hang Ups
Pop/Rock, review by Terri Sutton
With their graceful,frisky hooks, melancholic choirboy harmonies, and pensive moods, the Hang Ups show they're proudly twee, cheerfully sensitive and shamelessly addicted to beauty on "So We Go." (05/09/97)

Middle of Nowhere - Hanson
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Looking at the teen stars of Hanson and Radish as well, as 16-year-old blues prodigy Jonny Lang, it's clear that the youth of these teen idols is supposed to grab our attention -- but they'll be damned if they're confined by it. (06/06/97)

Burn to Shine - Ben Harper
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
Ben Harper is no Bob Dylan -- he's actually not even Robbie Robertson.
(09/01/99)

The Will to Live - Ben Harper
Pop/Rock, review by Michael E. Ross
Ben Harper understands the breadth of modern music's vocabulary, from folk to urban blues, reggae to rock, and "The Will to Live," Harper's diverse and occasionally brilliant new album, signals his arrival at an impressive command of that vocabulary. (07/01/97)

Is This Desire? - Polly Jean Harvey
Pop/Rock
In her first release in three years, Polly Jean Harvey offers sops to a self-consciously hip underground
(09/30/98)

Bed - Julianna Hatfield
Pop/Rock
Some wonderful turns of phrase, a handful of catchy riffs and a dud or two.
(09/02/98)

Please Do Not Disturb (EP) - Juliana Hatfield
Pop/Rock review by Michelle Goldberg
Strange that Hatfield should be complaining about her lack of success after 10 years and eight recordings, while Loeb already has already had a number one single, a Grammy nomination and a Brit award. Isn't it ironic? (11/18/97)

In From the Storm/Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix tributes
Pop/Rock, review by Bill Kisliuk
Two new tribute albums aim to channel Jimi Hendrix. (1/27/96)

Magic City- Helium
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
Helium is a less kind, less gentle B-52s for the late '90s. What better antidote for the bubble-gum-flavored sawdust that is the current alternative grind?(10/30/97)

Sky Motel - Kristen Hersh
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
With a series of dark acoustic records, Throwing Muses singer Kristin Hersh transformed herself from a post-punk Ophelia into a macabre folk singer. On "Sky Motel," she plugs in again.
(07/16/99)

Murder, Misery, and Then Goodnight - Kristen Hersh
Pop/Rock
These 12 traditional selections which spin dark yarns are different from Hersh's own song style of strange fragments and moody puzzles (03/02/99)

Little Head - John Hiatt
Pop/Rock, review by Sean Callahan
John Hiatt's tell-tale fingerprints are all over his fourteenth album "Little Head" -- it's his heart that's hard to find. (07/09/97)

"Snowbug" - High Llamas
Pop/Rock, review by Andy Battaglia
Why the High Llamas are more than just another workingman's Beach Boys. (11/02/99)

Love Thinketh No Evil - Peter Himmelman
Pop/Rock
Himmelman writes songs with an assured easiness, the music fitting snugly around his graceful but often biting words
(01/19/99)

Mocking the Mayflower By Charles Taylor
There was plenty of antagonism in the air at the start of Hole's Boston show Sunday night. But Courtney Love wouldn't have it any other way.
(05/18/99)

Celebrity Skin - Hole
Pop/Rock
Hole's defiant "Celebrity Skin" suggests Courtney Love's scars have calloused over
(09/11/98)

Don't Look Back - John Lee Hooker
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
John Lee Hooker no match for Van Morrison's bloated ego (3/11/97)

Musical Chairs - Hootie and the Blowfish
Pop/Rock
All-midtempo OK country-rock from a South Carolina bar band that >is maturing, albeit slightly.
(09/23/98)

Spirit Train - Bruce Hornsby
Pop/Rock
Catches the ear with musical moments, but instrumental virtuosity is no substitute for truly memorable songs.
(11/04/98)

Cut You - Penelope Houston
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
In "Cut You," Penelope Houston, formerly of the ur-punk band The Avengers, delivers psychotic lyrics in a soft, pleasant tone. (3/9/96)

Moss Elixir - Robyn Hitchcock
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Perfect pop songs from pervert-creepy, acid-damaged, hyperlucid eccentric Robyn Hitchcock.

The Complete '50s Chess Recordings (2CDs) - John Lee Hooker
Pop/rock, review by Andrew Hamlin
If old blues records tell the story of one man and one guitar against the world, then these tell how the earth must have trembled at the sight of John Lee Hooker climbing in the ring circa 1951.
(01/29/98)

Fly Stereophonic - Lida Husik
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Lida Husik's music is clearly the sum of her inspirations: '60s psychedelia, '70s sci-fi movies, and '90s indie-rock. It doesn't sound like a promising combination, but Husik compresses these elements into three-minute confections that sound like pop hits from another galaxy on "Fly Stereophonic." (07/08/97)

Let it Come Down - James Iha
Pop/rock, review by Natasha Stovall
Iha has everything a good songwriter needs: nuance, sensitivity, nice words, an ear for melody and that sixth sense for conceiving tunes impossible to get out of one's head
(03/11/98)

What Is Not to Love - Imperial Teen
Pop/Rock
Like a carefully set table, but instead of food there's mostly just condiments (03/16/99)

Apartment Life -Ivy
Pop/rock review by Joshua Klein
Ivy's sophisticated and pleasant new album of hazy pop songs flows with impeccable taste and songcraft, picking up where the band's somewhat drab debut, "Realistic," left off (12/17/97)

All Mod Cons/Sound Affects - The Jam
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Two stunning re-issues dust off one of the punk era's most heroic bands.
Plus: The Undertones' irresistible teenage kicks. (7/29/96)

The Sound of Lies - Jayhawks
Pop/Rock, review by Jon Maples
When Jayhawks co-founder Mark Olson took a hike late in 1995, it appeared that the band was history. But after a year hiatus, the remaining members pulled together and produced "Sound of Lies," an album that suggests the band's bold new direction. (06/05/97)

Individually Twisted - The Jazz Passengers
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Deborah Harry shines with screwball Jazz Passengers (2/25/96)

Traveling Without Moving - Jamiroquai
Pop/Rock, review by Aidin Viziri
Jamiroquai: Play that funky music, New Age British white boy. (01/17/97)

Far From Perfect Duane Jarvis
Pop/Rock, review by Meredith Ochs
Duane Jarvis may have made a name for himself adding the pure ring of glorious, understated licks to the songs of John Prine and Lucinda Williams, but on "Far From Perfect," he also reveals a knack for transforming his sound into songcraft. (04/21/98)

Midnight Roads and Stages Seen Jason and the Scorchers
Pop/Rock
Finally, a great live album from the band that first jammed country and punk together. (05/06/98)

Munki - The Jesus and Mary Chain
pop/rock
Bookended by "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" and "I Hate Rock 'n' Roll," everything in between on the Reid brothers' sixth studio album is a search for, well, something in between (06/10/98)

Spirit - Jewel
Pop/Rock
There's only one reason to listen to Jewel, and it's a good one -- the girl can sing.
(11/18/98)

The Big Picture- Elton John
Pop/Rock review by Sean Elder
Maybe it's comforting to know that rock 'n' roll's elder statesmen can still crank out rock riffs and boozy ballads in their sleep -- but it's too bad they have to take that judgment literally. Sean Elder makes an arhument for early retirement.(11/05/97)

Blue riffs parkway By Stephanie Zacharek
Fountains of Wayne wears its melancholy lightly on the near-perfect pop songs of "Utopia Parkway."
(04/13/99)

Never Home - Freedy Johnston
Pop/Rock, review by Scott Rosenberg
On his third songwriting masterpiece in a row, Johnston keeps his bleakly beautiful songs from wafting into the ether.(3/12/97)

Ghostyhead - Rickie Lee Jones
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
More than anything else that she does, it's Ricki Lee Jones' singing that drives people into paroxysms of worship, and on "Ghostyhead" -- a mix of hip-hop, electronica and experimental music -- it's still her voice that provides the most transcendent moments. (06/27/97)

Rehearsals For Departure - Damien Jude
Pop/Rock
Mostly acoustic, thematically driven foray through acres of sorrow, heartbreak and despair, is about as close to brilliant as CDs get these days (03/16/99)

Four Great Points - June of 44
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
One of the finest bands to spin off from the Louisville-Chicago math rock axis, June of 44 is moving the math rock sound forward in new ways that are both intense and eloquent
(01/21/98)

"K.K.K.K.K." - Kahimi Karie
Pop/Rock, review by Lydia Vanderloo
The girlish and irresistible Kahimi Karie spins delicious pop confections. (11/15/99)

Bombay the Hard Way - Kalyanji, Anandji and Dan the Automator
Pop/Rock
This selection of Bombay film soundtrack music set to hip-hop beats is both shamefully derivative and proudly original.
(01/06/99)

Passport - Kahn
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
On the scattered "Passport," Kahn's musical shortcomings upstage a compelling multiple-personality crisis. (02/01/00)

Isolation Party - Tommy Keene
Pop/Rock, review by Gina Arnold
You must buy this album now and indulge it as if was a big ol' box of bad-for-you chocolate; as if you'd never heard the Beastie Boys, DJ Shadow or Beck
(02/26/98)

Jet - Katell Keinig
Pop/Rock, review by Heather Havrilesky Although Katell Keineg's lastest offering, "Jet," is unpredictable, at her best she sounds like a combination of Sinead O'Connor and PJ Harvey, with only a simple acoustic strum accompanying her haunting voice. (09/09/97)

One for the Road - The Kinks
Rock/Pop
This live comeback wasn't one of unplugged storytellers, it was loud arena rock, pop subtlety blown out with power chords. (05/04/99)

The Northeast Kingdom - Cheri Knight
Pop/rock, review by Meredith Ochs
With "The Northeast Kingdom," Cheri Knight reveals the inner life of a country woman weened on rock 'n' roll
(03/09/98)

What Makes it Go? - Komeda
pop/rock
Retro served up in the unmistakable style of this Swedish pop foursome (07/08/98)

"SSAB Songs" - Harmony Korine
Pop/Rock, review by Andy Battaglia
Semiotics and narcotics guide filmmaker Harmony Korine's debut record. (12/02/99)

Life is Peachy - Korn
Pop/Rock, review by Hans Eisenbeis
Canned Korn: Just a little too psychotic to be believed. (12/18/96)

The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum - L7
Pop/Rock, review by Jennie Yabroff
The SoCal punk band's fifth album delivers fast-food for thought. (3/6/97)

The Albemarle Sound - Ladybug Transistor
Pop/Rock
The band's got its style down fine -- with stately instrumentation and impressive arrangements. It's just still working on the songs to apply it to (03/30/99)

Sounds of the Satellites - Laika
Pop/Rock, review by Josh Klein
A longtime staple of England's trendsetting indie label Too Pure (who introduced us to PJ Harvey and Stereolab, among others), Laika is still breaking ground in electronic music with "Sound of the Satellites," offering a taste of things to come. (05/23/97)

Lie to Me - Jonny Lang
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Looking at the teen stars of Hanson and Radish as well, as 16-year-old blues prodigy Jonny Lang, it's clear that the youth of these teen idols is supposed to grab our attention -- but they'll be damned if they're confined by it. (06/06/97)

"Drag" - k. d. lang
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
k.d. lang knows that when it comes to love we all have addictive personalities: "Everyone thinks that they know what they want," she breathes on "Drag," her new album of covers. "But sometimes your drug chooses you." (06/16/97)

Dose - Latin Playboys
Pop/Rock
the Playboys specialize in fantasias, matrixes of sounds and grooves that coalesce for reasons that the musicians themselves are probably still trying to comprehend. (04/13/99)

Sisters of Avalon - Cyndi Lauper
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Once a New York City new-wave goddess who had legions of pre-teen girls singing along to a song about masturbation, Cyndi Lauper's no longer enough of a chameleon to pull off an album this eclectic. (04/02/97)

"Le Tigre" - Le Tigre
Pop/Rock, review by Carlene Bauer
Kathleen Hanna and Le Tigre say dance first and theorize later.(11/09/99)

Smoke Follows Beauty - The Leaving Trains
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
They have no ambition and they'll never amount to squat. (01/28/97)

Breathing Tornados - Ben Lee
Pop/Rock
If there's a downside to the precocious pop of this album, it's that finding true love with Clair Danes has left Lee a little tepid in his lyric sentiments (03/23/99)

Rhythm and Stealth - Leftfield
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Four years ago, Leftfield were contenders in the Fatboy Slim-Chemical Brothers-Prodigy poptronica pantheon. Now they're back, but where's the hype? (09/17/99)

Punishing Kiss - Ute Lemper
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
The vision of a Valkyrian dominatrix, Ute Lemper steps into a smoky cabaret with songs by Tom Waits, Kurt Weill, Nick Cave and Elvis Costello. (04/14/00)

Wonsaponatime: Selections form the Lennon Anthology - John Lennon
Pop/Rock
A grossly contrived marketing scam full of greatest misses is not, for my money at least, how I want to remember one of the most enigmatic musicians of our time.
(11/18/98)

Into The Sun - Sean Lennon
Pop/Rock
"Into The Sun" is Sean Lennon's unabashed sonic valentine to his girlfriend and producer, Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto (05/20/98)

Significant Other - Limp Bizkit
Pop/Rock, review by Jon Dolan
Why Limp Bizkit's idiotic rap-metal represents a cresting wave of alt-rock conservatism. (08/05/99)

"Prize" - Arto Lindsay
Rock/Pop, review by Seth Mnookin
Arto Lindsay graduated from horrible noise to gently beautiful music. It only took 20 years. (10/28/99)

New York Underground - "Little Louie" Vega
Pop/Rock, review by Jeff Stark
"Little Louie" Vega's mix of early '90s dance remembers a time when electronic music was still sexy. (10/01/99)

Buzz Me In - Jack Logan
Review by Stephanie Zacharek
"Come on, baby, let me pay your rent": Songwriter Jack Logan wrote the year's most romantic verse. (07/26/99)

Unboxed - Los Angeles Free Music Society
Rock/Pop
A magnificent single-disc distillation that should cement the Society's place in the history of West Coast outness. (04/27/99)

"Days of Our Nights" - Luna
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
Luna's latest album got the band dumped by Elektra. For once, a major label made the right call. (11/12/99)

I Am Shelby Lynne - Shelby Lynne
Pop/Rock, review by David Hill
Shelby Lynne offers a fresh start from someone who's been burned before. (01/25/00)

"Run Devil Run" - Paul McCartney
Pop/Rock, review by Geoff Edgers
Paul McCartney used members of Pink Floyd and Deep Purple to help him get back to rockabilly on "Run Devil Run." The real surprise? It worked. (10/05/99)

Silly loved songs - Paul McCartney and Wings
Pop/Rock
"Band on the Run" may have aged badly, but 25 years later, it still sings (03/31/99)

Combustication Remix - Medeski, Martin & Wood
Pop/Rock
A collection of trip-hop influenced mixes oftunes released on their 1998 album lands right in the middle of the remix debate. (04/20/99)

"Northern Star" - Mel C
Pop/Rock, review by Mac Montandon
Sporty Spice breaks out of the pack. Who knew Mel C was an L.A. rocker at heart? (11/05/99)

John Mellencamp - John Mellencamp
Pop/Rock
A plush mix of guitars and fiddles tethered to a colorful rhythm section and Mellencamp's raspy lead vocal -- a familiar sound in search of something to say.
(10/28/98)

Building Nothing Out of Something - Modest Mouse
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
Modest Mouse builds a singles collection -- nothing out of something -- and all sorts of other contradictions. (01/31/00)

Stars Forever - Momus
Pop/Rock, review by Wendy Mitchell
On "Stars Forever," British cult singer Momus offered fans personalized, one-of-a-kind songs -- for $1,000 apiece.
(08/24/99)

Royal Astronomy - µ-Ziq
Pop/Rock, review by Alex Pappademas
µ-Ziq's forbidding electronic music paraphrases the cool minimalism of Philip Glass.
(08/06/99)

Gourmet - Nixon's Head
Pop/Rock
A 14-course ear candy pig-out courtesy of some exceedingly choosy epicures of pure pop (03/30/99)

Pieces in a Modern Style - William Orbit
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
For all its pretentions, William Orbit's "Pieces in a Modern Style" makes for seductive secret listening. (02/15/00)

Middle of Nowhere - Orbital
Pop/Rock
Orbital's impaired glimpse into the greater possibilities of techno will hypnotize you right to sleep, hypnotize you right to sleep. (06/01/99)

Walking into Clarksdale Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
Pop/Rock
The first entirely new album from the Page-Plant collaboration since 1979. (05/06/98)

The Complete Trios Plus (1936-47) - Les Paul
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
"The Complete Trios Plus" reveal Les Paul as a highly talented and stylish, though fairly conventional, pop-jazz player. (01/05/98)

Every Other Day at a Time, Something Special for the Kids Liquor Giants
Pop/Rock, review by Gina Arnold
Liquor Giant Ward Dotson's got one of those clever but twisted minds which can make the dopeyist lyric sound poignant -- which is a great help when it comes to imbuing Dusty Springfield covers with meaning (04/30/98)

Firecracker - Lisa Loeb
Pop/Rock review by Michelle Goldberg
Strange that Hatfield should be complaining about her lack of success after 10 years and eight recordings, while Loeb already has already had a number one single, a Grammy nomination and a Brit award. Isn't it ironic? (11/18/97)

"Trike" - Bob Log III
Pop/Rock, review by Jason Ferguson
One-man band Bob Log III makes the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion look like blues night at the local jazz club. (11/02/99)

The Geometrid - Looper
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
Belle and Sebastian spinoff Looper's billowy songs float on groovy rhythms, electronic beats and laid-back vibes. (05/09/00)

Coming Up - London Suede
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
With a pop craft so confident, it's hard to resist, the London Suede attempt to navigate the fine line between the discontents of pop culture and its pleasures on "Coming Up." (04/18/97)

This World Is Not My Home - Lone Justice
Pop/Rock
Fifteen years later, this set of tracks reveals a great bar band whose L.A. energy never translated to wax. (02/23/99)

On the 6 - Jennifer Lopez
Pop/Rock
Baby got back, but can Jennifer Lopez sing? (06/10/99)

Got No Shadow - Mary Lou Lord
Pop/rock, review by Joe Heim
For those not yet familiar with Mary Lou Lord, "Got No Shadow" works quite well as an introduction -- but longtime fans want more, not less, of her signature writing style
(02/03/98)

Colossal Head - Los Lobos
Pop/Rock, review by James Marcus
Los Lobos gets wild and crazy on "Colossal Head." (4/22/96)

Days for Days- The Loud Family
Pop/Rock
Scott Miller's exploding-thesaurus verbiage match his springwater pop melodies like a clown nose on a pedigree poodle. (05/13/98)

Ray of Light - Madonna
Pop/rock, review by Gina Arnold
Madonna, despite all her innovations and subversions and gender groundbreaking, is nothing more than a slightly rattled femme fatale, the kind of woman who dresses too young for her age.
(03/06/98)

Holiday - The Magnetic Fields
Pop/Rock
This reissue from Stephin Merritt's bubble-gum band is permeated with radical electronic experiments
(01/26/99)

The House of Tomorrow - The Magnetic Fields
Pop/Rock
A reissue from Stephin Merritt's bubble-gum band, this high-concept experiment is a small treat for fans
(01/26/99)

Pretty Strange - Mannix
Pop/Rock, review by Dawn Eden
The New York City duo Mannix crafts timeless power pop driven by sad songs that sound happy.
(07/19/99)

Mechanical Animals - Marilyn Manson
Pop/Rock
Manson is softening up, turning away from his dour preoccupation with religious fascism and toward space-age genderfuck chic.
(09/23/98)

Kids in Philly - Marah
Pop/Rock, review by David Cantwell
Endorsed by Steve Earle, compared to Springsteen, Marah map out the streets of South Philly with an out-of-breath rock 'n' roll rush. (05/01/00)

"Chant Down Babylon" - Bob Marley, with Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Lauryn Hill and Bob Marley, together at last. But what's Aerosmith doing on this shameless collection of posthumous duets? (11/23/99)

Mezzanine - Massive Attack
Pop/Rock
At its best, Mezzanine is both blase and astoundingly sad, like modern life at its worst. (05/13/98)

The Lateness Of The Hour - Eric Matthews
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis Now that time and various reissues have saved Brian Wilson et al from the dustbin of history, the world is Eric Matthews' for the taking. But on "The Lateness of the Hour," it becomes clear that no matter how hard he's trying, he's not quite worthy of that '60s pantheon. (09/04/97)

Que Viva Mingus - Mingus Big Band
Pop/rock, review by Michael J. Agovino
Mingus Big Band's latest offering, "Que Viva Mingus," is a collection of master Mingus' Latin compositions
(04/02/98)

"Hits" and "Misses" - Joni Mitchell
Pop/Rock, review by Joyce Millman
Both sides of the greatest confessional singer-songwriter of our time. (11/4/96)

Punk Singles Collection - Newtown Neurotics
Pop/Rock
The blazing power-trio energy and snap-tight combo arrangements of these songs prove the Neurotics to be on the of the great punk bands of all time
(01/26/99)

Sharps & Flats By Andy Battaglia
What happens when a band like Oasis, known for youthful swagger and insouciance, actually grow up? You fall asleep of boredom. (03/14/00)

Be Here Now - Oasis
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek Oasis' third album, "Be Here Now," is a massive, angry woolly mammoth of a record, sounding less like pop music than some kind of sonic fantasy conquest. (09/02/97)

Farewells & Fantasies - Phil Ochs
Pop/Rock, review by Dawn Eden While many of his fellow Vietnam-era activists believed that the country was rotten to the core, Phil Ochs, like his idol Woody Guthrie, had an almost Capra-like faith in the American people's essential goodness.Rhino's long-overdue triple-CD Ochs box, "Farewells & Fantasies," attempts to place his music within a historical context. (09/03/97)

Ice Pick Slim - The MC5
Pop/Rock, review by Aidin Viziri
Will the real MC5 please stand up -- and kick out the jams! (01/20/97)

"See It Another Way" - Macha
Pop/Rock, review by Funke Sangodeyi
Macha rides a rickshaw loaded with esoterica to the top of the college charts. (10/07/99)

I'm With Stupid - Aimee Mann
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Singer Aimee Mann scorns twiddly hippie-girl poetry. (1/27/96)

"1212" - Barbara Manning
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Unlike gloomsters like Nick Cave, Barbara Manning doesn't distance herself from the misery of the characters in her songs on "1212" -- she collapses that distance, moving right in like a zoom lens to show us what makes these people tick. (06/13/97)

Summertown - The Mayflies USA
Rock/Pop
Summertown" is punchy enough to unite power popsters and indie rockers at the altar of the three-minute pop song. (05/04/99)

The McGarrigle Hour - Kate and Anna McGarrigle
Pop/Rock
Harmonies that sound beautifully sweet yet induce almost instant despondency.
(11/04/98)

Building a Mystery - Sarah McLachlan
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Sometimes, its the simplest pop-music banalities that are the most sublime. It's not just Sarah McLachlan's pain that seems more real on "Surfacing" -- her voice sounds even more sensual and more sultry than it did on 1994's "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy." (07/29/97)

Live in Montana - Meat Puppets
Pop/Rock
A never-before-released '88 recording of one of the corniest bands to ever flirt with transcendence. (02/23/99)

Me - Mekons
Pop/Rock
With all their deep thinking weighing down on the music, "Me" is rough going, both as rock album and political tract (05/20/98)

Ophelia - Natalie Merchant
Pop/Rock
Big on concept, "Ophelia" is unfortunately short on the buoyant rhythms that could carry you through Merchant's melancholy songs (06/03/98)

Older - George Michael
Pop/Rock, review by Michael E. Ross
Pop smoothie George Michael returns from a rough trip through corporate no-man's-land. (5/20/96)

"The Horrible Truth About Burma" - Mission of Burma
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Mission of Burma is one of those seminal rock band one hears about who never got their due until after they were gone, but now Rykodisc's new box-set is proof -- music really was better 15 years ago. (07/28/97)

Play - Moby
Pop/Rock, review by Scott Marc Becker
Moby draws a bold line straight from the Mississippi Delta to the South Bronx, connecting the dots of black music in a search for the roots of his electronic craft. (06/08/99)

Animal Rights - Moby
Pop/Rock, review by Douglas Wolk
Thar she blows: Moby's guitar rock is a monumental misfire. (2/13/97)

Big Calm - Morcheeba
Pop/rock, review by Frederick Woodruff
Classify Morcheeba under "Neo-pop, country/blues shoegazing with a trip-hop tap root that aims to please" -- and for the most part does.
(03/24/98)

The Night - Morphine
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
Morphine's last record, completed just before singer Mark Sandman's death, bids farewell to the rocker who wanted to walk across a carpet of stars. (02/03/00)

Like Swimming - Morphine
Pop/Rock, review by Lori Leibovich
The rock band without a guitar serves up more of the same steamy mood music on "Like Swimming -- now they just need to figure out something else to do. (04/01/97)

Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie - Alanis Morissette
Pop/Rock
Mellowed from an angst-filled demoiselle to a more reserved woman, her self-absorbed songs are broadcast friendly, mid-tempo ballads that still follow the formula that gave her a mortal lock on the pop charts.
(11/11/98)

The Healing Game - Van Morrison
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Morrison's moony-eyed mystical romanticism is among the best of his latter-day work. (3/4/97)

"EP + 2" - Mogwai
Pop/Rock, review by Carlene Bauer
Mogwai's migrainous wankery has absolutely no potential for popular appeal. (12/15/99)

Come On Die Young - Mogwai
Pop/Rock
This once-rowdy hybrid Scottish ensemble has defected to the artiste side with a sentimental album and a case of the blahs. (04/08/99)

"March to Fuzz" - Mudhoney
Pop/Rock, review by Mac Montandon
If Nirvana was tight and Mudhoney was a disaster, why is the other grunge band still around? (01/18/00)

Happy Birthday to Me - The Muffs
Pop/Rock, review by Patricia Romano
With Courtney Love having shed her smeared lipstick and baby-doll dresses for Armani suits and a nice disposition, The Muffs' Kim Shattuck takes over as punk Princess. (05/24/97)

Comatised - Leona Naess
Pop/Rock, review by Carrie Havranek
Another solipsistic chick with an airy voice? Leona Naess proves that's not such a bad thing. (05/15/00)

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Neutral Milk Hotel
Pop/Rock, review by Caterina Fake
Like watching someone fly: Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane" (04/20/98)

Meet the Real You - Noise Addict
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
The sound of 10,000 kids with guitars. (1/27/96)

From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah - Nirvana
Pop/Rock, review by David Fenton
"From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah" doesn't lay Nirvana to rest -- it springs them, live and electric, from the tomb.
Text-only version. (9/30/96)

New Dreams for Old: 1984-1998 - Gary Numan
Pop/Rock, review by Mac Montandon
A new Gary Numan retrospective fills in the gap between "Cars" and an era when one man and a keyboard actually became cool. (01/26/00)

"San Lorenzo's Blues" - Nuzzle
Pop/Rock, review by Mac Montandon
Nuzzle's plaintive rock comes on as unexpectedly soft as a full-count change-up. (11/19/99)

Gospel Oak EP - Sinead O'Connor
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
No, Sinead hasn't converted to Christian Rock. The 30-year-old Irish Catholic-cum-Buddhist's new six-song EP of original spirituals points rather toward a vague pagan pantheism, with no ready answers but a dogged conviction that things will somehow turn out for the best. (06/11/97)

Ixnay on the Hombre - The Offspring
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
Kenny Loggins in a Germs T-shirt. (2/10/97)

Guarapero: Lost Blues 2 - Will Oldham
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
"Guarapero: Lost Blues 2" collects Will Oldham's stream-of-consciousness rants and odd tales of sexual dysfunction. (02/25/00)

Too Far To Care - Old 97's
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
Sure they've got the Texas pedigree, the Western shuffle beat, and the blue yodels to qualify them for coverage in the No Depression zine, but based on their major label debut "Too Far To Care," the Old 97's is pop, not alt-country. (08/18/97)

Owsley - Owsley
Pop/Rock
Deft rock 'n' roll from a one-named guitarist, this might be the best debut of the year. (04/08/99)

Absurd Pop Song Romance - Pansy Division
Pop/Rock
The queercore band's least funny record is also their most balanced, hook-wise and contemplative.
(09/16/98)

Buildings and Grounds - Papas Fritas
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
On "Buildings and Grounds," Boston trio Papas Fritas prefer precious pretense to prescient emotion. (03/07/00)

An Anthology: The Elektra Years" - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Pop/rock, review by Geoff Edgers
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Sad deaths, the fire of youth and a brotherhood born of the blues
(02/17/98)

"Terror Twilight" - Pavement
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
Pavement's latest is as polished and refined as the band's early efforts were rough and jagged. (06/07/99)

"Brighten the Corners" - Pavement
Pop/Rock, review by David Fenton
Pavement's irresistibly quirky "Brighten the Corners" (2/17/97)

On Two Legs - Pearl Jam
Pop/Rock
The consummate album from a canonized classic-rock band that's always been just exactly as good as they had to be -- and not a bit more or less.
(12/02/98)

Yield - Pearl Jam
Pop/rock, review by Gina Arnold
Pearl Jam has always made an effort to take the road less travelled, and this time, at least, that offbeat route is a distinctly pleasurable one
(01/29/98)

Something in the way - Pearl Jam
Pop/Rock, review by David Fenton
Eddie Vedder is incandescent — too bad the rest of Pearl Jam won't step aside.
Text-only version. (8/26/96)

Winners Never Quit - Pedro the Lion
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Pedro the Lion's acoustic pop aims to reconcile evil, pain and weakness with belief and compassion. (03/21/00)

"Resigned" - Michael Penn
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
For a (more or less) sensitive-guy/singer-songwriter, Michael Penn has an appealingly untrustworthy side. Combining his self-possessed singing style with orchestrated pop, he becomes both Romeo in black jeans and Casanova in a double-breasted suit on "Resigned." (08/08/97)

Ubu Roi - Pere Ubu
Pop/Rock, review by Milo Miles
One of America's most eccentric rock bands, Pere Ubu, comes in from the nuclear freeze.
Text-only version. (9/16/96)

Echo - Tom Petty
Pop/Rock
Even though the Heartbreakers sound as crisp as ever, "Echo" is as digestible and predictable as a "Tonight Show" monologue. (04/13/99)

Happy End Of The World - Pizzicato Five
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
This Tokyo trio's combination of disco, lounge, '50s sitcom jingles and techno would scream zeitgeist even if they weren't fronted by a gorgeous supermodel-type who sings in Japanese and French. (09/17/97)

ÁViva El Amor! - The Pretenders
Pop/Rock, review by Joyce Millman
On the most coherent Pretenders album in a decade, Chrissie Hynde proves that she does Chrissie Hynde better than anyone. (06/28/99)

Machina: The Machines of God - Smashing Pumpkins
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
Message to Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan: You are not God. (03/01/00)

The Aeroplane Flies High By The Smashing Pumpkins
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
New Smashing Pumpkins: Smells like 5-CD hubris (12/3/96)

Adore - Smashing Pumpkins
pop/rock
The lovely "Adore" is something of a bona fide maturity move for Corgan and his (now two) Corganaires (06/10/98)

Omnipop - Sam Phillips
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
Songstress Sam Phillips proves that "pop" is not (necessarily) a dirty word. (8/19/96)

Waved Out - Robert Pollard
Rock/Pop
A handful of gorgeous art-punk hymns tossed off by Guided by Voices leader (06/24/98)

One Left Shoe - Steve Poltz
Pop/rock, review by Keith Moerer
There are times when Steve Poltz's voice is so earnest and his acoustic guitar so soft, you'd swear James Taylor could left-hook him to a pulp
(03/17/98)

Naughty Little Doggy - Iggy Pop
Set the Twilight - Lou Reed
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
Punk forefathers Iggy Pop and Lou Reed show their age. (2/24/96)

Portishead - Portishead
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Whereas Portishead's fabulous debut "Dummy" hinted at something frightful and dissolute, the self-titled follow-up could be the soundtrack to a horror movie, with unfortunately few sublime moments to be found. (10/08/97)

II - Presidents of the USA
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
A case for term limits. (11/5/96)

Sunrise - Elvis Presley
Pop/Rock
Another comprehensive look at Elvis lovingly compiles all of his known recordings (03/09/99)

White Sky - Archer Prewitt
Pop/Rock, review by Carlene Bauer
Archer Prewitt's songs sound like they were written on a piece of shag carpet resting in a slice of sun. (10/14/99)

Rhinoplasty - Primus
Rock/pop
There's nothing particularly funky about fulfilling a contractual obligation.
(07/15/98)

The Brown Album - Primus
Pop/Rock, review by Ezra Gale
Primus bassist and vocalist Les Claypool has always written some of the craftiest lyrics around, and "The Brown Album" proves he hasn't lost his knack for satire. (07/18/97)

Chaos and Disorder - Prince
Pop/Rock, review by James Marcus
Prince says Warner Bros. has "enslaved" him, but with "Chaos and Disorder" he's doing his best work in years. (7/22/96)

Emancipation - Prince
Pop/Rock, review by Patrick Macias
Prince's 3-CD set flaunts his new family values. (11/25/96)

The Fat of The Land - The Prodigy
Pop/Rock, review by BY Gavin McNett
With "Fat of the Land," the Prodigy proves they're a rock band now, though still a techno-flavored one, with enough hip-hop accents and wiggy wibble noises to make them commercial radio format-busters.(07/11/97)

Decksanddrumsandrockandroll - Propellerheads
Pop/Rock, review by Gina Arnold
The mainstream-sounding techno grooves on Propellerheads' "Decksanddrumsandrockandroll" may make it the "Walk this Way" of electronica.(04/07/98)

"He Got Game" OST Public Enemy
Pop/Rock
The best Public Enemy album in years -- and not just because it's their first in years, either. (05/06/98)

Forever - Puff Daddy
Pop/Rock, review by Jon Dolan
Puff Daddy's audacious "Forever" captures a paranoid success spitting in the face of his own demise. Is the Ebenezer Scrooge of rap losing it? (09/16/99)

This Is Hardcore - Pulp
Rock/Pop, review by Michelle Goldberg
Forget Chumbawamba -- with "This Is Hardcore," Pulp once again prove themselves the kings of prole pop.
(04/15/98)

Field Studies - Quasi
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
On Quasi's "Field Studies," the divorced duo sing about romantic disillusionment like they know what they're talking about. (09/15/99)

Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
A resurrected John Frusciante establishes the Red Hot Chili Peppers as the premier white-boy party band of the last two decades. (06/14/99)

The Hot Rock - Sleater-Kinney
Pop/Rock
Sleater-Kinney love rock enough to come up with a new way to play it, incandescing with their own energy, bouncing from sheer power. (02/23/99)

Featuring Birds - Quasi
Pop/Rock
The third album from this Sleater-Kinney spin-off shows the duo to be in yet another unhappy, reflective mood (05/27/98)

Restraining Bolt - Radish
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Looking at the teen stars of Hanson and Radish as well, as 16-year-old blues prodigy Jonny Lang, it's clear that the youth of these teen idols is supposed to grab our attention -- but they'll be damned if they're confined by it. (06/06/97)

OK Computer - Radiohead
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
With "OK Computer," Radiohead has finally hit their stride, crafting a dense, dizzying album that smartly welds their modern ennui to complex, intriguing -- and sometimes genuinely frightening -- pop music. (07/17/97)

"The Battle Of Los Angeles" - Rage Against the Machine
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Why listening to Rage Against the Machine is bad for lefty idealism. (11/22/99)

Fundamental Bonnie Raitt
Pop/Rock, review by John Milward
What strikes you first about the new Bonnie Raitt album is the unmistakable sound of a band rocking out in real time, and that's why "Fundamental" is reminding everybody of the singer's 1971 self-titled debut (04/23/98)

How We Quit the Forest - Rasputina
Pop/Rock
The "ladies' cello society" concocts such rich, nuanced chamber rock that it's a wonder boys ever bothered with that guitar nonsense at all.
(08/19/98)

Up - REM
Pop/Rock
After 15 years, you'd think they'd show at least a few signs of artistic weariness, but they're raring to go.
(11/04/98)

New Adventures in Hi-Fi - REM
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
"New Adventures in Hi-Fi" proves once again that REM is impossible to dismiss.
Text-only version. (9/9/96)

One More Time - Real McCoy
Pop/Rock, review by Michael Ullman
Cynics might expect from this pop trio all the anguish, tragedy and fury of Barbie and Ken dolls dancing to a house beat -- but even cynics will find that wind-up camp works on Real McCoy's "One More Time." (05/14/97)

Hazel - Red Krayola
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Rosenthal
Art rock pioneers "The Red Krayola": Drunken, inspired poetry (12/16/96)

Perfect Night- Lou Reed
Pop/Rock, review by David Bowman
It's too late for Lou Reed to go Martha Stewart on us now. Although we welcome a temporary "Perfect Night" -- 15 songs perfomred live at London's Royal Albert Hall -- Reed will always be the perfect companion for a proverbial Dark Night of the Soul. (05/01/98)

All for Nothing- The Replacements
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
"All for Nothing" highlights the waning years of The Replacements, one of the most influential bands of the '80s (10/29/97)

I'm So Confused - Jonathan Richman
Pop/Rock
Richman's given up the angst for off-handedly sweet pop, spare and causal in feel.
(10/21/98)

Surrender to Jonathan - Jonathan Richman
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
Jonathan Richman, the celebrity no one has heard of, croons sad, sweet, irresistible songs.
Text-only version.. (9/16/96)

Songs From a Marriage - Amy Rigby
Pop/Rock, review by Joyce Millman
Amy Rigby's superb "Diary of a Mod Housewife" looks at real-life love from the kitchen-sink perspective of great country music. (11/25/96)

Installation Sonore - Rinocerose
Pop/Rock, review by Joey Sweeney
Fronted by a husband-and-wife team of French psychiatrists, Rinocerose introduce house music to post-rock. Yikes! (04/05/00)

Points in Time, Vols. 4, 5 and 6 - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Amanda Nowinski
The three-disc "Points of Light" comp flies off to an expansive, airy space -- somewhere between jungle, jazz-fusion and outer space. (03/22/00)

Clicks + Cuts - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Andy Battaglia
"Clicks + Cuts" reconciles avant-electronic music with the politics of dancing. (02/08/00)

Blow'n the Blues: Best of the Great Harp Players, Frett'n the Blues: Best of the Great Blues Guitarists - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Andy Battaglia
Three chords, 12 bars or just one note -- two Vanguard collections promise the essence of the blues. (01/27/00)

INCredible Sounds of Drum 'n' Bass - Various Artists, Mixed by Goldie
Pop/Rock, review by Amanda Nowinski
On "INCredible Sounds of Drum 'n' Bass," mix DJ and jungle superstar Goldie loses the rattle and throb of the street. (01/24/00)

"Early Modulations" - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
"Early Modulations" captures the important (and unlistenable) history of turntablism, electronica and drum 'n' bass. (01/20/00)

"The New Latinaires 2" - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
On the "The New Latinaires 2," transnational artists fusing Latin, house and electronic music suggest that the Ricky Martin explosion was not a fluke. (12/17/99)

The concert for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Lisa Crovo
The concert for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame showcases rock's wide-ranging family.
Text-only version. (9/2/96)

Contact From the Underworld of Redboy - Robbie Robertson
Pop/rock, review by John Milward
Robertson casts throat singers, peyote healers, an imprisoned activist, computer programmers and his own lead guitar in an ornate soundscape that evokes a John Ford movie without the cowboys
(03/18/98)

Altered States of Drum & Bass - Raymond Roker
Pop/rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
DJ Raymond Roker's bleak and claustrophobic "Altered States of Drum & Bass" crushes the warm beats of hip-hop and strangles the gasping voice of house.
(08/18/99)

Bridges to Babylon- Rolling Stones
Pop/Rock review by Sean Elder
Maybe it's comforting to know that rock 'n' roll's elder statesmen can still crank out rock riffs and boozy ballads in their sleep -- but it's too bad they have to take that judgment literally. Sean Elder makes an arhument for early retirement.(11/05/97)

Get Some Go Again - Rollins Band
Pop/Rock, review by Christopher Binkley
Smashing fey rockers with one hand, punching complacency with the other, Henry Rollins robotically returns to rock 'n' roll. (02/28/00)

We Ran - Linda Ronstadt
Rock/pop
She's still playing dress-up with songs and styles.
(07/22/98)

Dedicated to the One I Love - Linda Ronstadt
Pop/Rock, review by Joyce Millman
Linda Ronstadt joins a generation of rockers with a brand new reason to sing "Baby I Love You." (6/10/96)

Material Girl: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays the Music of Madonna - The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Pop/Rock
While the ironies inherent in this album are substantial enough to fill a Camille Paglia essay, they seem lost on the orchestra, which reduces the pop icon's music to its most basic, tuneful components.
(12/09/98)

Brand New - Salt-n-pepa
Pop/Rock review by Gina Arnold
Salt-n-Pepa is the more empowered, more thoughtful, and ultimately higher artistic expression of the Spice Girls pop-like confectionary -- but to knock either is to be on the wrong side of the argument. (11/13/97)

Blues Blues Blues - The Jimmy Rogers All-Stars
Pop/Rock
Rogers is the magnanimous host of a sweet Chicago blues party featuring dinosaur rockers such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Jimmy Page. (02/23/99)

The Complete Chess Recordings - Jimmy Rogers
Pop/Rock, review by Pete Golkin
With this long-delayed collection, one could argue that the late bluesman Jimmy Rogers' only error was in working among too many legends
(01/13/98)

Accelerator Royal Trux
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin Mcnett
Resolved: Ozzy rules; Hanson sucks. These categories are eternal, and are unrelated to issues of quality. But Gavin McNett's favorite band right now is Royal Trux. And he submits that Royal Trux blows. (04/22/98)

Sweet Sixteen - Royal Trux
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
The Royal scam: '70s boogie from post-punk pranksters (2/19/96)

Supernatural - Santana
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
Surrounded by multi-platinum young artists, Carlos Santana still sounds like a noodly old hippie. (06/16/99)

distant - Sarge
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
As a band, Sarge never knew how good they were. Fortunately, their post-break album "distant" makes a decent epitaph. (05/04/00)

Sarge - Charcoal
Pop/Rock, review by Staphanie Zacharek
Gentle bravery beyond belief. (02/05/97)

The Glass Intact - Sarge
Pop/rock, review by Charles Taylor
"The Glass Intact" offers the exhilaration of hearing a young band find their voice and the satisfa