| 5.0 classic |
| Alice in Chains Alice In Chains |
| AIC saved the best for last. It sounds like a sludge monster drowning in quicksand. I love the raw production and haunting melody throughout. Several standout tracks and zero skips = classic. |
| Brand New Deja Entendu |
| This is just a fantastic and fun varied album to listen to. My wife and I love listening to this album on road trips. Never a weak moment and full of addictive choruses. The mixture of abstract and personal lyrical content along with some of the more Hum-sounding (for obvious reasons) diversions are a plus for me. |
| Deftones White Pony |
| I am almost in love with the follow up to "Around the Fur". A lot of the Deftones finest moments are contained within, but overall it feels a little tame compared to their other work. At the same time, what it lacks in ferocity it makes up for with the variation and electronic experimentation here, which helped to take the band to another level and has become a staple in the Deftones repertoire. The broad scope of this album is simply amazing. |
| Deftones Around the Fur |
| What can I say about this album? This is my favorite album ever by anyone. This is whisper to roar audio perfection. Terry Date's production is top notch and you can feel every instrument at full throttle jarring your bones. Around the Fur will leave you feeling like you've been crushed by a tsunami of sound over and over again. |
| Failure Fantastic Planet |
| This band and album are criminally underrated. No one else blends impenetrable slow burning walls of distortion and strange melodies with lovingly arranged keys quite like Failure. Ken Andrews later works even fall short of the high standard set here. Poor promotion and lack of exposure are the only reasons Failure aren't mentioned in the same breath as Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins. The NASA sponsored ambiance and heroin fueled lyrics go hand in hand to make children happy all over the world. |
| Fear Before The Always Open Mouth |
| This album is suffocating in a good way. It smothers you in a blanket of fractured electronics, bottom heavy riffs, oddly melodic interludes, and then some. I don't know what to say about this. I was blown away when I first heard it. I was blown away the last time I heard it. A true enigma. You can't go wrong with any of these tracks. |
| Filter Short Bus |
| Richard Patrick and Brian Liesegang create industrial perfection here. This was the last cassette tape I ever purchased new. I wore the blue tape out from listening to it so much, so then I just bought the CD and continued listening. A true start to finish listen that stands the test of time. |
| Foo Fighters Foo Fighters |
| Rewind to 1995 and I was expecting to like Dave Grohl's new band even though I found the name a little strange. I was not expecting him to carry on and build on Nirvana's legacy (sans the name) the way that he did. I wish that he would have kept this raw fun grungy punk sound for their later albums, which they finally surprisingly sort of returned to on Wasting Light. This is the Foo's first and best release. Long live David Grohl behind the kit and pretty much any other musical device known to mankind. |
| Glassjaw Worship and Tribute |
| This is it. The juggernaut. Worship and Tribute is the perfect title for this LP. It should have been a double album. They latched on to something special with this sound in this period of time. Take the El Mark EP and add Midwestern Stylings and 8 more songs and you've got a definitive collection. This album is like a drug from start to finish and I just want more of it. |
| Glassjaw Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence |
| What can I say about this album that hasn't already been said? Glassjaw have created the audio equivalent of the chemical burn scene in "Fight Club". |
| Helmet Betty |
| Page Hamilton is so wrongfully overlooked. Although I think his best years are probably behind him at this point, "Betty" is like a day at the beach with sharp riffs and pounding drums. It never reached anything close to the Nevermind status that Interscope Records hoped it would achieve, nor did Helmet become the next Nirvana, but it is a milestone in their catalog and is a genre-bending cult classic. I know. |
| Hopesfall Magnetic North |
| Hopesfall went out with a big bang on this one. I just don't understand why people were so critical of this band's metamorphosis from a hardcore band with spacey alternative tendencies to a spacey alternative band with hardcore tendencies. It's not like they were trying to become the next Creed or something. This was an attempt to creatively bridge the gap of "The Satellite Years" and "A-Types" and it succeeded in every way possible, yet somehow the core fan base was more divided than ever. Due to this and a lack of promotion and support from their label this was their sweet swan song. |
| Hotwire The Routine |
| The Curious Case of Hotwire and "The Routine". After multiple delays and changing producers 3 times it lost all of it's buzz, but doesn't disappoint patient and open minded listeners. This album had a bad case of being too punk for the metal kids and too metal for the punk kids, and probably too radio friendly for everyone involved. Who was their target audience? Me, I suppose. I can listen to this from start to finish any day of the week. It's too bad that this was Hotwire's first and last album. If you look closely you can find another album's worth of unreleased material lying around the internet. |
| Hum You'd Prefer an Astronaut |
| One hit what? You don't want to miss this train to Mars. Ride this sweet wave of distortion and understated pop sensibilities into outer space and perpetually cruise around Saturn's rings with us. You will not want to come back down to Earth. |
| Korn Korn |
| I am reluctant to call this a classic, but at the same time I can't deny Korn's debut that status. This album just about single handedly created the nu-metal genre which didn't last very long before it become overcrowded and cliche, but nonetheless continues to have an impact on popular music. This was a totally different beast with the super detuned 7-string guitars, whisper to scream vocals, and hip pop like drumbeats. The only thing that really hampered this album was Jonanthan Davis's incessant whining and sophomoric lyrics which still wasn't enough to hold this back. I can't say that this album has aged well, but it still has a rightful place atop the nu-metal heap. |
| Nirvana In Utero |
| This is Nirvana's anti-corporate rock fuck you. A raw uncompromising grungy masterpiece of noisy garage alternative rock. I can just see the blank stares of DGC executives upon initially listening to this monolith. The perfect and carefully arranged sounds of Nevermind being thrown out the window and replaced with raw emotion and vitriol toward the recording industry which made them household names to begin with. If the "mainstream" was the wrist, Nirvana was the razor. Oh well, at least they could count on Eddie Vedder. |
| Nirvana Nevermind |
| This is a classic despite being overproduced and geared for radio. That in and of itself speaks volumes about the talent of Kurt, Dave and the Jolly Green Giant. |
| Saosin Translating the Name |
| Imitation may be the most sincere form of flattery, but Cove Reber's efforts will always fall short to the greatness of Anthony Green as evidenced here. This still stands as Saosin's best work and in my opinion the best EP in the history of EPs. If they had stuck with this bruising/bandaging post-hardcore formula and could have managed to keep Green in the fold they could have truly been something special. |
| Scarlet Cult Classic |
| This is an ironic yet perfect album title considering it's cult classic status. People call this metalcore, and if it is, this is the only band in the genre I ever liked. Face melting riffs and ferocity combine with unexpected melodic moments and thought-provoking sociopolitical lyrical content to create an unforgiving machine that can't be replicated. |
| Soundgarden Superunknown |
| MTV and radio could have played this album in its entirety on either format in the mid 90s and had 15 hit singles. Soundgarden crafted a sound that didn't fit into any particular classification, but instead managed to satisfy the masses without being cliche. One of the few bands that could realistically headline both Lollapalooza and Ozzfest with no problem. |
| Starflyer 59 Silver |
| Most people will never hear this album and that is a shame. It combines everything that is good about 90s alt/indie pop and shoegaze into a nice, neat little package. Jason Martin's whispery vocals just fade into the enormous wall of distortion. I will never understand why Mr. Martin elected to abandon this sound for a more run-of-the-mill indie acoustic based type of thing. |
| Stone Temple Pilots Purple |
| Just listen to these 12 gracious melodies and tell me where the hell all these Pearl Jam comparisons come from? Scott Weiland and the DeLeos have crafted a mid 90s alternative masterpiece for our enjoyment. They lost a little of their edge, but I think it served them well artistically as well as commercially. This has music for every mood as well as a sense of timelessness about it that could span generations. |
| Taking Back Sunday Louder Now |
| It seems to me that Taking Back Sunday took the mainstream emo tendencies they wore on their sleeve on the first two albums and turned them down a notch. They simultaneously turned the energy and rock showmanship up to eleven and matured in a very loud way, much like the album title suggests. To me, this is the defining album in a crowded and overblown genre that is seldom relevant. As a resut, I will never understand all the hate this album receives. |
| The Jesus and Mary Chain Hate Rock N' Roll |
| So this is a collection of b-sides from two brothers not named Gallagher in a great band who can't get along? I had no idea of this fact when I purchased this disc on a whim back around 96. I just knew that "Snakedriver" from "The Crow" soundtrack was on it and I wanted to hear what else The Jesus and Mary Chain had to offer so I picked this hidden gem up. I strongly prefer this short-lived noisy and acoustic departure of the 90s to the goth tinged darkwave version of the band in the 80s and this collection showcases the later JMC style in perfect fashion. |
| The Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream |
| No sophomore slump to be found here. Lyrically, "Siamese Dream" was basically the soundtrack to my teenage life as it encapsulated every theme I dealt with during this time. No one else ever made disillusionment and angst sound like this much fun. Butch Vig did a masterful job of producing this alternative rock masterpiece, making the fuzzy guitar assault of Billy Corgan and James Iha sound like it was recorded sometime in the 70s and brought to tape in the mix. This makes sense as I always thought of Smashing Pumpkins as socially awkward and mildly depressed flower children during this album cycle. I also always thought Smashing Pumpkins would remain relevant and have an extensive catalog. As it turns out, I was right about the latter of those sentiments, but that doesn't take anything away from this album's rightful place as one of the best in the history of rock music. |
| Thursday No Devolucion |
| Atmosphere is the theme here and lots of it. You can feel all of the personal emotion and effort put into this album. I'm not sure if Thursday knew this would be their final album, but you have to wonder. I imagine a lot of people struggle for something profound to say with their last words and Thursday did just that. The only difference is that they put those words to some amazing music. |
| Tool Ænima |
| "Aenima" is a weird album. It has the feel of a concept album without a concept. Tool put everything and the kitchen sink into this effort and somehow it just works. It is memorable and will never be outdated because it sounds so damn original. Maynard and co's second official album is such a from start to finish listen that it is somehow hard to listen to without all the odd semi-musical departures contained here. If a bad LSD trip had a soundtrack this would be it. |
| Virgos Merlot Signs of a Vacant Soul |
| Ever heard of Dark New Day? This is their amazing frontman Brett Hestla's OTHER band's album that allows him to show his immense talent to a greater extent. The fact that most people have only seen "Signs of a Vacant Soul" in a cut-out bin at the turn of the century is a crying shame. I think that Virgos Merlot is the most mismanaged band in the history of time. Some of the tragic events in this band's history include three band name changes, fraud, lawsuits, an ill-fated attempt to reform minus Hestla, not to mention a tragic drug overdose. Despite all this, the music contained here is groundbreaking modern rock featuring a melodic three guitar attack with goth and electronic undertones. Intrigued yet? Unfortunately, Virgos Merlot were written off early as just another major label artist that got thrown on the wall and didn't stick, but there is much more here than meets the eye. |
| Vision of Disorder Imprint |
| Vision of Disorder's second album is 100% pure violence that pummels you into submission. Tim William's screams and the raw analog production of this brutal assault on the senses will leave you in a bloody mess only letting up once or twice just to spit in your face. |
| Weezer Weezer |
| This is more than the soundtrack for dorky kids who fall in love and get the "lets just be friends" line. It is equal parts 50s doo-wop nostalgia and 90s alternative rock that features incredible songwriting. This could be the best debut album in the history of time. Everyone who likes rock music seems to love this album no matter their age, attitude, or image. Weezer's "Blue Album" is the only album I know that can bring frat boy jocks and Comic-Con attendees together with such ease. That is saying something in itself. |
| 4.5 superb |
| A Static Lullaby Faso Latido |
| Don't hate, congratulate. This is far and above ASL's best album despite the opinions to the contrary of basically everyone else in the universe. ASL grew into a full size boy quickly and went from teen screamo to a rock band with a post-hardcore edge. It sounds nothing like their other output and this is for the best. The vocals are a nice mixture of scream and clean which fits this sound accordingly. The dirty production is another plus. Listen with an open mind and leave the mascara at home. |
| Abandoned Pools Humanistic |
| This is a hard one to cover. There is such a variation of sounds here that it will make your head spin. Abandoned Pools almost sound like different bands on different tracks, all with Tommy Walter on vocals. All of their personas are excellent in their chosen styles though. You get it all from bubbly radio pop to dark Pumpkins style riffing. This can be both a blessing and a curse as it depends on your mood about about which tracks you want to listen to at any given moment. There is something here for everyone. |
| Alice in Chains Dirt |
| This could have been known as "The Drug Album". Some of the darkest most desperate lyrics ever written are found on this album. I don't think they were a cry for help though, I believe that Layne Staley embraced the lifestyle of the addicted rock star, and this is the result of that attitude. All that being said, Alice in Chains sound like they had a lot of fun putting their grunge metal misery to tape here and it shows. |
| Alice in Chains MTV Unplugged |
| This is right up there with Nirvana's MTV Unplugged appearance as far as quality goes, but it couldn't quite match the emotion of Kurt Cobain's masterful performance. AIC delivers amazing live renditions of their acoustic EP songs as expected, but the real gems here are the unplugged versions of album tracks that you can't hear anywhere else. Some of these variations come out out of left field, but all of them hit their mark here. |
| Amen Amen |
| This is the world's introduction to Casey Chaos, and what an introduction it is. The music is an unrelenting punk-metal assault like no other. Anti-Everything is the theme here as Casey strains his vocal chords on every raw bludgeoning track found on this mass murderer of an album. A lot of people have questioned Chaos's integrity. Former band members and critics alike have suggested that the anti-capitalist image was just an attempt to get kids to buy their mass produced controversial merchandise at the time, and that by doing so Amen was just trying to take advantage of the very system they claimed to despise. This is probably true, but they failed miserably, and when the music is this amazing who gives a fuck anyway? |
| Anakin Random Accessed Memories |
| This is Ken Andrews (Failure, Year of the Rabbit ect.) worship at it's finest. The only thing that is surprising here is that at times the students are able to surpass the teacher. Imagine that Weezer circa 1994 started playing Space Rock with keyboards and layers upon layers of sound and you get the idea here. My wife says that the vocals bear a resemblance to Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional, but I've never listened to them much so I will just take her word for it. The only detriment to this album is that it is so short and they could stand to take a few more chances next time. Amazing first effort. |
| Brand New The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me |
| While the songs on this album are well crafted and fantastic, I can't help but miss the energy on their previous efforts. I do think that Jesse Lacey's vocals are the best they've ever been, at times cutting through the melody like a knife with his forceful delivery on some of these tracks. Some of the most thoughtful words ever put to music are here for your enjoyment. This album can satisfy indie, emo, and alt rock fans alike. |
| Chore The Coastaline Fire |
| This band should be more known than they are. To me, this is the best album to come out of Canada, and this includes all of Alexisonfire's material. These guys are like a slightly depressed fuzzier version of Helmet with some off-beat percussion thrown in for good measure. I'm not sure this makes much sense, but at times the singer almost sounds bored, but in a good way. There are few original ideas presented here, but these guys play this style of music very very well. Give it a shot. |
| Circa Survive On Letting Go |
| A lot of people like "Juturna" more, but this is Anthony Green's finest work IMO. This album shows what happens when Circa fires on all cylinders. I don't think they will ever top this one, but that is quite alright. ("Living Together" contains the greatest intro to a song ever...ever) |
| Circa Survive Blue Sky Noise |
| Just another amazing effort from Anthony Green and his merry band of gentlemen. I get the fact that it sounds slightly more commercial and less experimental than the first two albums, but it just doesn't matter that much. I don't think that any of these songs were written to become hits or get radio play. The strength of the released singles did that on their own merit. I especially enjoy some of the Seattlesque feeling of a few tracks. |
| Deftones Deftones |
| I think this album is overlooked due to the fact that it is not White Pony 2.0, but it doesn't intend to be. Chino and company admirably elected to destroy the slight possibility of becoming MTV or radio darlings with this release. I couldn't have been happier to hear the opening chords and scream of the crushing opener "Hexagram" which confirmed that they were not interested in watering down their sound in favor of commercial appeal. I think this is the most unstable of all their albums. Unstable meaning that rather than picking a weapon they just throw their entire arsenal at you (sometimes in the same song) and it works. |
| Deftones Diamond Eyes |
| I am going to cut straight to the chase here. My only complaint about this album is the buzzy sounding mix of the guitars. It works really well on some songs as I couldn't imagine the title track without it, but not so well on several others. At the same time, this is a very minor annoyance because this is their most live sounding cohesive effort to date. The fact that these are the most introspective and personal lyrics Chino has ever written is also noteworthy. The Deftones have done it again and this should be in everyone's collection. |
| Deftones Koi No Yokan |
| The Deftones ability to constantly evolve while maintaining their core sound, integrity, not to mention their fan base is absolutely incredible. Not content to ride the caustic and rawer sound of Diamond Eyes, the band are more reflective this time around and manage to create an array of vast soundscapes that somehow manage to occasionally have an 80s feel without sounding retro at all. All of this is, of course, built around their trademark soaring vocals and waves of heavy guitar underscored by delicate violent outbursts. Overall though this is just another intricate and engaging affair from Sacramento's finest that no one should be without. |
| Emil Bulls The Southern Comfort |
| Allow me to introduce you to my favorite musical import. This German band should be playing shows all over the world. They blend so many influences and styles together without ever sounding disjointed or derivative. This is their best album in my opinion. These guys love loud guitars with a DJ undercurrent, along with acoustic diversions and you will too. What a unique voice the frontman was gifted with. Comparisons won't do "The Southern Comfort" justice - you really don't want to miss this. |
| Filter Title Of Record |
| Filter is one of the most underrated and misunderstood bands in the history of rock, and "Title of Record" is one of the most underrated albums of all time. Richard Patrick seems very comfortable experimenting with his sound and more confident in his singing abilities on their sophomore effort While maintaining the debut's dark vibe, this one has way more of a live rock sound. This works for the most part, but they do take a slight hit because this approach takes away some punch from the heavier tracks. This is not one you must listen to from start to finish because the mood varies greatly and some tracks are better than others, but the ones that are good are great. Forget about the damn Kodak commercial ("Take a Picture" is a great song, anyway!) and give this another spin. |
| Glassjaw El Mark |
| This is basically an essential three track extension to "Worship and Tribute". As always, the songs are great. One is loud. Two are soft. Go get it if you don't have it. gj = Rad. |
| Glassjaw Our Color Green (The Singles) |
| The expectations for Daryl Palumbo and company's first signs of life in years were high, and as always the expectations were exceeded, but this time they weren't shattered. I was amazed at the opening scream on "...John Lennon", and this is one of the best songs they have ever put to tape. "Natural Born Farmer" is another new favorite. Of course the other songs are beyond good, but it is pretty easy to tell that all of the songs on "Our Color Green" were recorded at different times and some were even pieced together, albeit just right. I wish it was longer and had more of it's own identity, but the 5 tracks here are absolutely essential for your Glassjaw collection. |
| Helmet Unsung: The Best of Helmet 1991-1997 |
| The title says it all. A great collection of tracks, especially if you are trying to introduce your girlfriend or boyfriend to Page Hamilton. If you have all the albums you can skip it with no problem though. |
| Helmet Aftertaste |
| More of the same from Helmet, and that is not a bad thing. Several tracks found on "Aftertaste" are actually probably a step above those featured on "Betty", but the album doesn't have the natural flow and variation of "Betty". I will say that there is more actual singing as opposed to the mostly barked gruff vocals found on previous releases which is nice at times. Still, you can't go wrong with anything Page Hamilton touches and this is no exception. |
| Helmet Size Matters |
| I call bullshit, not on this album, but on just about everyone's opinion of it. I must be hearing something totally different than critics who say this is by far the worst Helmet album ever. How? It is the most polished album they have ever done, but I think it works well here. I don't buy the argument that they were selling out or wrote songs for the sake of trying to get radio play. I know that at this point Page Hamilton is the only remaining original member, and I just don't see that it really matters. I am done trying to defend my opinion. This is Helmet at their most varied and they made a damn fine album with "Size Matters". |
| Nirvana MTV Unplugged in New York |
| "MTV Unplugged in New York" is Nirvana stripped down at their finest. The show is amazing as it is, but Kurt Cobain's vocals are on another level here. You can feel every emotion as Cobain slices through Nirvana's back catalog and the well chosen cover songs with the greatest of ease. His masterful performance on "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" will send chills down your spine if you are indeed human. |
| Rival Schools United By Fate |
| This is what happens when a talented Post Hardcore outfit decides to use big, loud choruses suitable for radio rock. "United By Fate" has such a natural ebb and flow it is hard to believe that this is a debut album. This is not a combination, but rather a collision of sound that seems like a seamless transition in every track. |
| Silversun Pickups Carnavas |
| This is the album that the other band with the initials S.P. should have made had they stuck with the Siamese Dream sound. Try as you may, you can't deny the overwhelming influence that early 90s Pumpkins has on this band. I mean they even have the same type of lineup as the original four members of Smashing Pumpkins. However, the new SP takes the ball that the old SP dropped long ago and runs with it formidably. In place of the melodramatic sometimes whiny vocals of Billy Corgan, the Pickups frontman Brian Aubert puts in place airy and powerful vocals which at times sound feminine. Silversun Pickups throw well-placed ambiance and varied tempos into the mix along with excellent songwriting to create an alt rock winner that manages to be extremely influenced by Chicago's favorite sons (and daughter), but is far from a carbon copy. |
| Silversun Pickups Swoon |
| The if it isn't broken don't try to fix it mentality works well here. The Silversun Pickups know their trade and add a few experimental touches here and there to further shape their sound. I think they were trying to mix a little indie rock in with their throwback 90s alternative edge. Despite their initial success with "Lazy Eye", there really is no prime candidate for a follow up as a hit single, just an albums worth of strong Pumpkinseque tracks. They even throw in the Cello this time around. A very enjoyable from start to finish listen that is a road trip favorite. Further props to the Pickups for not allowing Mitt Romney to use their amazing song from this album "Panic Switch" at campaign events. |
| Snapcase End Transmission |
| Sonic Youth Dirty |
| Starflyer 59 Gold |
| Stone Temple Pilots Core |
| The Killers Hot Fuss |
| The Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness |
| The Smashing Pumpkins Pisces Iscariot |
| Thrice The Artist in the Ambulance |
| Thrice Vheissu |
| Thursday A City By the Light Divided |
| Trophy Scars Alphabet Alphabets |
| Vaux Beyond Virtue, Beyond Vice |
| Weezer Pinkerton |
