Elvis Costello and the Attractions, "Brutal Youth," Warner Brothers. The return of the Attractions and a return to form for Elvis. This is most solid collection of songs since "Punch the Clock," featuring a nice mix of quirky upbeat numbers ("Thirteen Steps Lead Down" and "My Science Fiction Twin") and beautifully mellow songs ("Clown Strike" and "London's Brilliant Parade.") The Attractions give this disc a real group feeling and nearly every song is worthwhile.
Eggstone, "Sommersault," BMG. A great album from a fairly unknown Swedish band that features well-produced Beatles-influenced pop with varied instrumentation. Eggstone is at times quirky, not unlike early Squeeze, musically and lyrically. Highlights include "Against The Sun," "It's Not The Rain," and "The Dog."
G Love and Special Sauce, "G Love and Special Sauce," Okeh, Epic. The debut from G. Love is also my favorite of his albums, featuring blues music, sometimes with a rap or hip-hop flair. What makes it most interesting is that the production and arrangements are quite simple, featuring just guitar, bass and drums, some some harmonica and keyboards thrown in. The lyrics are often silly in a positive way, not unlike non-offensive rap. A fun album to listen to with some good musicianship, although it begins to wear thin over time, especially on follow-up CDs. Stick with this one, it's the best.
Greenberry Woods, "Rapple Dapple," Sire. A power-pop band from Maryland that creates a straight-forward guitar sound. The CD has a few great songs, especially the single "Trampoline." Some of it, however, sounds a little half-baked. The second album is much better, although this one is worth seeking in the bargain bin.
Ivy, "Lately EP," Mammoth. Ivy is a neat pop band with a French singer that creates mellow to mid-tempo pop songs with nice hooks and cleanly played instrumentation. They sound at times like the Cardigans, minus the quirky guitar licks and drum fills. All five songs on this EP are wonderful, especially "Can't Even Fake It."
Ivy, "Realistic," Seed. Ivy's full length CD is more of the same; great mellow pop with clean and well played instrumentation. Ivy stands out among many bands recording this type of mellow pop because they craft great melodies and hooks. The single "Beautiful" is great and the rest is worth the price of admission.
Tom Petty, "Wildflowers," Warner Brothers. This first in a series of frustrating Tom Petty albums that contains some great music and some of his worst moments. Rick Rubin provides stripped down production that works well on many songs like "You Don't Know How It Feels," "You Wreck Me" and "Cabin Down Below." The rest of the CD ranges from interesting songwriting from Petty ("It's Good To Be King") to some of the most boring crap he's ever put on disc ("House In The Woods.") Apparently Tom was going through a separation during the writing of some songs, and we have to suffer with him as we listen on some tracks. Overall, it's a solid outing with a few stinkers worth skipping.
Liz Phair, "Whipsmart," Matador. Liz Phair's second disc was a little less extreme than her first, as she concentrated more on standard song arrangements. She hit with "Supernova" on alternative radio, which seemed a bit like a calculated move by the record company. Nevetheless, the album is full of great tracks and well worth checking out. Highlights include "May Queen," "Whipsmart" and "Crater Lake."
Sam Phillips, "Martinis and Bikinis," Virgin. Apparently Sam Phillips was at one time a Christian Rock artist. Now she's married to T. Bone Burnett, who helps out here, as she focuses on the so-called "secular market." There's a heavy Beatles influence on several tracks that provides some great songs like "I Need Love," "Baby I Can't Please You" (Co-produced by Colin Moulding of XTC,) "Signposts" and the title track. The rest ranges from average to boring at times. The best songs make this one worth checking out and you can probably find it in a bargain bin for a couple of bucks somewhere.
Smithereens, "A Date With The Smithereens," RCA. - The Smithereens last great album of the 90s was their first for RCA records. This one is really a return to form for the band, featuring some of their best songwriting and hooks since 1988's "Green Thoughts." The single "Miles From Nowhere" is typical and enjoyable, "Afternoon Tea" is a fantastic slow number with a great hook and "Gotti" is a weird but great tribute to the notorious mobster. The album didn't sell much and was probably dismissed by many, but should be sought after by hardcore fans. It's actually one of their best.
Sugar, "File Under Easy Listening," Ryko. - Sugar released a crappy EP between their first and second albums. Luckily their sophomore effort put the band back on track. While "File Under Easy Listening" lacks the intensity of their debut, Mould provides a couple of great singles ("Beleive What You're Saying," and "You're Favorite Thing,") along with some decent tracks ("Gee Angel.") Overall, the album failed to stimulate fans and MTV as much as "Copper Blue," and the band broke up shortly after a tour for "F.U.E.L." This one is another popular item in bargain bins across the country. If you find a cheap copy, it's worth checking out.
Matthew Sweet, "Son Of Altered Beast," Zoo, BMG. - A neat collection of Matthew Sweet live tracks from the "Altered Beast" tour and one of his greatest b-sides, "Ultrasuede."
Velvet Crush, "Teenage Symphonies To God," Creation/Sony. - Named for Brian Wilson's original concept for the "Smile" album, "Teenage Symphonies To God" is Velvet Crush's masterpiece of the 90s. The album mixed Beatles and Big Star influenced power pop with the country sensibilities of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Produced by Mitch Easter, the album has a beautiful clean sound, without sounding slick or radio-ready. The band rocks the power-pop genre with songs like "Hold Me Up," "My Blank Pages," and "This Life Is Killing Me." Their Byrds and country-rock influences come to a fore on tracks like "Keep On Lingerin'," "Why Not Your Baby" (A Grahm Parsons cover) and "Weird Summer." The album is at one moment powerful with fuzzy guitars and Ric Menck's impeccable drumming. The next moment is filled with sweet, ringing guitars and wonderful harmonies. This is one of my top picks for the decade, and the best work from a band that never got the credit they deserved.
Wedding Present, "Watusi," Island. - While most Brit-pop tends to annoy me with overly accented and obnoxious lead vocals, the Wedding Present's "Watusi" is an exception. The album features some infectious melodies and hooks that transcend the typical posturing of this genre. The single "Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah" is great fun and "It's A Gas" is a killer tune.
Weezer, "Weezer," DGC. Few hits of the Alternative Radio scene in the 1990s sounded as "indie" as Weezer's "The Sweater Song" and "Buddy Holly." Was anyone expecting this album to sell millions? It fit right in when we first played at my college radio station and then it suddenly took off into the big time. And for good reason: Rivers Cuomo writes great power pop songs with catchy hooks. The album features other gems like "Say It Ain't So," "Holiday" and "Surf Wax USA." If you've never bothered to get this one, you're missing out. Commercial radio got it right for once.