American Alternative music reviews

I have been listening to Rusted Root for quite a while now, and somehow had never listened to this CD. I never knew what I was missing. This CD is great. It not only has a great version of Send Me On My Way, but the Cat Turned Blue is amazing. The song Won't Be Long is one of my personal RR favorites now. I would recommend this CD to any RR fan.

in no way can one classify the sound of rusted root into one genre. it is unique, so much so that i'll be redundant and say it's very unique. if you haven't heard their music before, imagine taking an african, an american or englishman influenced by rock & roll, one from the land of a billion people, two women with a feminist spirit and a shaman, give them instruments with which they are highly skilled, and let them play. that will sound something like rusted root. who gives a feck about the lyrics?, albeit they aren't bad.

I'm probably biased writing this review since I grew up listening to Rusted Root in Pittsburgh. I've never heard any band like them and that is a rare thing. I'm on my fourth copy of this CD, having worn out the others. This CD never gets old. The Root strayed from their original raw acoustic sound in future albums. When I Awoke is their first outing on a major label, it's good but not great. Crual Sun is great. Just buy it and you'll see.

I have been listening to Rusted Root for quite a while now, and somehow had never listened to this CD. I never knew what I was missing. This CD is great. It not only has a great version of Send Me On My Way, but the Cat Turned Blue is amazing. The song Won't Be Long is one of my personal RR favorites now. I would recommend this CD to any RR fan.

in no way can one classify the sound of rusted root into one genre. it is unique, so much so that i'll be redundant and say it's very unique. if you haven't heard their music before, imagine taking an african, an american or englishman influenced by rock & roll, one from the land of a billion people, two women with a feminist spirit and a shaman, give them instruments with which they are highly skilled, and let them play. that will sound something like rusted root. who gives a feck about the lyrics?, albeit they aren't bad.

I'm probably biased writing this review since I grew up listening to Rusted Root in Pittsburgh. I've never heard any band like them and that is a rare thing. I'm on my fourth copy of this CD, having worn out the others. This CD never gets old. The Root strayed from their original raw acoustic sound in future albums. When I Awoke is their first outing on a major label, it's good but not great. Crual Sun is great. Just buy it and you'll see.

After the demise of legendary Seattle band Green River, a schism saw the emergence of three now classic bands. Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, and Bruce Fairweather went on to form Mother Love Bone and then (minus Fairweather) Pearl Jam. Green River's vocalist, Mark Arm, along with sometimes Green River guitarist Steve Turner, formed Mudhoney with bassist Matt Lurkin and drummer Dan Peters.

Mudhoney was pure, unadulterated grunge, in its truest sense. In fact, Mark Arm is the one who coined the term "grunge." In describing the band's sound, he said it was "Pure grunge, pure, s@&t." The band took its cue from such pioneers as Black Flag and Iggy and the Stooges. Distorted, muddy guitars, strong riffs, feedback, and intense drumming were all trademarks of the bands sound. While Mudhoney employed many of the same themes as their peers; bleakness, despair, and nihilism, it was done somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

Mudhoney, along with such bands as Thin Lizzy and Motte the Hoople, remains one of rock's great also-rans. Although they received media coverage and critical praise, they never broke through the way the "big four" (Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains) did. It's a shame to, because they were such a cool band.

While Mudhoney never enjoyed mass popularity, they still maintained a loyal following and critical praise. Over the course of ten years, from the late 80s to the late 90s, the band released half a dozen excellent albums, as well as EPs and a compilation of early singles.

"March to Fuzz...Best of and Rarities" is split, as the title states, between their best known singles and rarities. The first disc collects songs from all their studio albums and EPs. The songs are not in chronological order, but it doesn't really matter. While the band's albums never sounded redundant, they really had the same sound/vibe. Therefore, the songs not being in chronological order does not make the compilation lack cohesion. The "best of "disc is thoroughly enjoyable, from start to finish.

The second disc, made up of rarities, while not quite as strong as the first disc, is also a great listen. It contains a lot of gems that are just as good as anything from the studio albums, such as "Overblown" from the "Singles" (1992) soundtrack. Many of these songs, however, are more loose, and not necessarily contenders for being released as singles, i.e., "You stupid A!*@ole." It's still a terrific listen.

This collection is good for casual fans, novices, and hard-core fans alike. It's a great introduction to the band's best work. It has many of their best songs, and has tons of hard-to-find material that should satisfy the dire hards. The cardboard packaging is really cool, with a lot of photos and liner notes.

Mudhoney were like an Iggy and the Stooges for the late 80s/90s, it's a shame that more people didn't appreciate how great they were.

I should note that while this collection serves as the band's epitaph, they reformed in 2001 for "Since we've become Translucent."

This compilation is amazing! One usually expects the rairities/B-sides CD in such compilations to have tracks that have been horribly recorded live or in studio. But this isn't so here! This is amazing!

As annoying as it was, the whole "grunge" movement brought forth some really good bands that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Without the whole country smelling like teen spirit, my local record store probably would have never ordered Superfuzz Bigmuff, my first Mudhoney album. In 'N' Out Of Grace, Touch Me I'm Sick, and When I Think (all of which are included on March To Fuzz) were instant favorites. I bought March To Fuzz last year, and in my opinion, Mudhoney's music withstands the inevitable test of time. Today, they are no longer a "grunge" band, just a damn good rock group. The guitars are noisier than a monster truck competition, and Mark Arm's screeching yelp cuts through the mess like a rusty knife. These guys know how to arrange a song, too...just listen to the breakdown in the middle of In 'N' Out Of Grace...when those guitars rev back up over the pounding drums and bass, all hell breaks loose until Mark comes back in and shreds his vocal cords with the final verse. It sends chills up my spine every time I hear it. I wish I had enough space here to review each song, but since I don't, you'll just have to trust me on this and go buy this double album. The rarities and b-sides disc is as awe-inspiring as the first disc...the only thing that could make it better would have been a third disc with nothing but live songs...but I'm probably asking for too much. Go out and buy this cd, and march to some serious fuzz.

Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart catches the Campers at the height of their powers. The tension between David Lowery's country-rock nihilism and the rest of the band's art-folk nihilism is in perfect balance here, one album before that tension ultimately drove the band apart. They ambitiously weave heavy-metal-style power-guitar solos with precision mandolin work, politics with traditional folk, and even slyly sample Michael Stipe in concert as "She Divines Water" deconstructs itself before its coda. Not their most accessible work--Key Lime Pie would fit that bill--but for the connoisseur of quirky 1980s pop, this is one of the finest works of the decade.

Camper Van Beethoven were quite a revelation to many in their day. They were a college alternative band who appealed to those who grew up listening to classic rock but were a little disenchanted with the eighties sound (ie MTV, drum machines, lack of tempo changes, and say..heavy metal). In my opinion, Camper was second to only REM as far as offering anything interesting as a new band to discover. This album, along with Key Lime Pie, are their two finest, combing excellent songwriting with a more honed-in production. All of the band's prior work was excellent as well; it offered more experimental songs using many different instuments and styles accompied by a humorous and satirical outlook. The last two albums, however, prove to be an admirable progression for the band. One should not try to "figure out" Camper's music all at once, but should give it several tries. The music has not aged one bit over the years, and it is heartening to see these recordings re-released. Camper deserves a place as a cult band available for many to discover down the line.

This is an unbelievably outstanding album. Collected herein are both the silly oopahs and the melodramatic fiddling of the Russian steppe. It is so eclectic and with so many changes that you will not tire of it quickly.

With this album Camper captured a lasting sound for themselves. If you want an entry album for this band, this is it.

This is the first Danzig alblum I have ever purchased and I think it is outstanding!! I would recomend this to any rock and roll fan anywhere.

too DARN good for words... I'm trying to learn "I'm the one"

Danzig's debut introduced him into the world of metal, and for those who were fans of Samhain and early Misfits, they wanted to follow Danzig's career. With a new band (John Christ-guitars, Eerie Von-bass, Chuck Biscuits-drums) and a very blues-rock feel, Danzig was back. While the debut was a simplistic affair of good blues metal, LUCIFUGE introduces a more expanded pallette for Danzig.

Encompassing everything from blues to metal,rock to shuffle, LUCIFUGE is by far the most diversified album from Danzig's career. His vocal prowess on this album is equally as intoxicating, harnessing power that is missing from his later efforts. Musically, the album tends to shift from hard rockers ("Her Black Wings", "Long Way Back From Hell") to some boogie blues numbers ("I'm The One", "Killer Wolf"). This album is all over the rock map, and LUCIFUGE ranks as one of the bands best albums.

"Snakes of Christ" is flat-out a rewrite of the debut's "Twist of Cain", but it's irresistible flair will grab you and never let go. Likewise, "Her Black Wings" ranks with the band's best songs, with a sinister riff and a memorable chorus. "777" is devilish fun thanks to its bluesy slide guitar fade into the explosive chorus, and "Blood and Tears" is a sweet, tender ballad that has Danzig crooning his heart out. "Tired of Being Alive" is a standard but very memorable hard rock crunch, and the musical focus is dead-on. Even "Pain in the World" ends the album on a slightly aggressive note, making the listener aware that Danzig means business.

So while he would shift into straight blues-metal territory with the haunting and beautifully crafted HOW THE GODS KILL and then into straight metal with DANZIG 4, LUCIFUGE allowed the band to explore their fondness of blues, waltz, and shuffle-boogie with surprisingly astonishing results. With Danzig's vocals at the start of his prime and the music beginning to take shape, LUCIFUGE is a tightly constructed, impressive musical collection.

Kory and the Fireflies are a great band! You really should see a concert but if that's impossible, get the CD! It'll surprise you and entrance you! And if ya like this CD check out Radiate!

The cd just can't be described by words. I was lost in the music the minute I put it in the CD player. Its amazing. The whole band is amazingly talented.

The cd "sparks fly" grabs your attention from the moment you start it. It shows how the world around us can be so cruel, but tells us not to give up. Also, it shows us the trial and error that people go through day by day and it makes us stronger. This cd really makes SPARKS FLY!!!! GO BUY IT TODAY

OK. Here it goes. I saw these guys open up for what I would have called a 'lesser known band' at the time. Stir was great, and the sound surpassed the crisp sound on their album, if that is believable! The vocals on this album remind me of Jackson Browne in the way that they are 'everyman' vocals, and not too high or low, but just perfect. It's a damn shame that these guys didn't get the push they deserved. From top to bottom this CD is worth the money. Buy this CD please, and recognize one of the best undiscovered bands of the '90's...

IT IS A F--ING SHAME THAT NO ONE WILL EVER SEE THIS REVIEW. I INVITE ANYONE THAT GETS TO THIS POINT TO HELP ME RAISE AWARENESS FOR ONE OF THE GREATEST POWER-POP BANDS SINCE CHEAP TRICK. i HAVE SEEN THIS BAND LIVE ONLY ONCE, IN A SMALL VENUE IN A SMALL TOWN CALLED COMBINED LOCKS, WISCONSIN. THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE AS A LIVE BAND!THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON WHY THEY DIDN'T BECOME STARS, AND THAT IS THAT THEY HAD IDIOTS FOR MANAGEMENT.
THESE BOYS ARE POSSIBLY THE BEST POWER POP TRIO I HAVE EVER SEEN. THEY ARE YOUNG ENOUGH THAT THEY COULD MAKE A COMEBACK IF THEY HAD ENOUGH SUPPORT. MY BEST AND STRONGEST RECCOMENDATION FOR THEM IS THAT IF I HIT THE LOTTERY TOMMOROW, I WOULD DEVOTE EVERY DOLLAR I HAVE TO ALLOWING THEM TO PURSUE THEIR CRAFT, A CRAFT THAT WOULD BRING THEM TO THE FOREFRONT OF ROCK MUSIC.BANDS THAT ARE POPULAR TODAY SUCH AS "GREEN DAY" WOULD PAY MONEY TO KISS THEIR A_S I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY RESPONSE TO THIS REVIEW. I NEVER GIVE UP ON ANYONE, AND ANY HELP OR SUPPORT YOU COULD GIVE ME WOULD BE APPRECIATED
HENGDOG@AOL.COM

I hate to rehash what every other reviewer has said but oh my god are these guys under-rated. THE single greatest thing to happen to music since the Beatles, just without any of the mass popularity. Expect a little bit of AMERICAN classic rock sound mized with semi-country but not so country riffs..it's hard to explain. Songs like "We Belong" "Star" "One Angel" and "Ten Dances" are classics that I'll never stop listening to...truly timeless music that will never go out of style. If you haven't already then do yourself a big favor and buy this.

Being a mobile disc jockey, I have to keep up with all of the new Top 40 hits. I first heard of these guys when Everything You Want came out. I was very hesitant to pick up any of their earlier CDs as I really didnt know what to expect. One day I broke down and bought this album. Believe me I have NO regrets. This is a great CD and shows their melodic sound and great songwriting abilities. If you are a fan of Go and Everything You Want then, as many other customers said, have an open mind. The lyrics in this CD are heart-felt and the acoustic guitar playing is superb. Now when I get around to it, I have to order Running On Ice and Live Stages. Buy this CD, listen to it with an open mind, and I guarantee you will not have any regrets. I surely didn't.

My brother brought this CD back when he was in college and it hasn't left my CD player since. I am actually writing this review as I order yet another copy to give as a gift. Since it is always in my disc carousel, it is inevitably played whenever I have people over for a party / dinner. Turns out it is as popular w/ my eclectic group of friends as it was over a decade ago w/ me (when I was a teenager!) As written above though, it isn't like their popular radio tunes. However, it is a must buy if you enjoy DMB, James Taylor, Toad the Wet Sprocket, or Jack-o-Pierce!

In 1995 in Austin, TX, some friends took me to the White Rabbit on Sixth Street to listen to two guys play acoustic guitars. They, of couse, were Vertical Horizon. I had never heard of them before, but wow, the show was incredible.

Since that concert, I have been a big fan. "Everything You Want" was their big breakout record. It's not a bad record, but I admit that I got disenchanted with their live shows after that release. They were loud and electric and lost all of the soul that their earlier shows had. Did these guys sell out? That's what I am wondering.

Anyway, this record is a reminder of what they were before they became household names. All these reviews say the same thing -- the music is folksy. Well, I am not disagreeing. It has some grassroots sound, but what struck me so much was the songwriting. Good stuff. It's a pretty mellow, melancholy record.

It sounds silly, but some of the lyrics just bring tears to my eyes. "Trying to Find Purpose"...I mean, any guy in the world probably can relate to that song sometime in their life. It could be called, "There's something better out there, I know it, and I'll find it someday with you at my side." My favorite one is "Love's Light". It stikes a chord with me. This one could be called, "You and I are so good together, but you can't see that, so I need to let you go before I become an emotional wreck."

For those who are VH fans because of "Everything You Want", then take this review with a grain of salt. The styles are quite different. But the songs here are great, writing is great, just something to listen to on a lazy afternoon.

Being a mobile disc jockey, I have to keep up with all of the new Top 40 hits. I first heard of these guys when Everything You Want came out. I was very hesitant to pick up any of their earlier CDs as I really didnt know what to expect. One day I broke down and bought this album. Believe me I have NO regrets. This is a great CD and shows their melodic sound and great songwriting abilities. If you are a fan of Go and Everything You Want then, as many other customers said, have an open mind. The lyrics in this CD are heart-felt and the acoustic guitar playing is superb. Now when I get around to it, I have to order Running On Ice and Live Stages. Buy this CD, listen to it with an open mind, and I guarantee you will not have any regrets. I surely didn't.

My brother brought this CD back when he was in college and it hasn't left my CD player since. I am actually writing this review as I order yet another copy to give as a gift. Since it is always in my disc carousel, it is inevitably played whenever I have people over for a party / dinner. Turns out it is as popular w/ my eclectic group of friends as it was over a decade ago w/ me (when I was a teenager!) As written above though, it isn't like their popular radio tunes. However, it is a must buy if you enjoy DMB, James Taylor, Toad the Wet Sprocket, or Jack-o-Pierce!

In 1995 in Austin, TX, some friends took me to the White Rabbit on Sixth Street to listen to two guys play acoustic guitars. They, of couse, were Vertical Horizon. I had never heard of them before, but wow, the show was incredible.

Since that concert, I have been a big fan. "Everything You Want" was their big breakout record. It's not a bad record, but I admit that I got disenchanted with their live shows after that release. They were loud and electric and lost all of the soul that their earlier shows had. Did these guys sell out? That's what I am wondering.

Anyway, this record is a reminder of what they were before they became household names. All these reviews say the same thing -- the music is folksy. Well, I am not disagreeing. It has some grassroots sound, but what struck me so much was the songwriting. Good stuff. It's a pretty mellow, melancholy record.

It sounds silly, but some of the lyrics just bring tears to my eyes. "Trying to Find Purpose"...I mean, any guy in the world probably can relate to that song sometime in their life. It could be called, "There's something better out there, I know it, and I'll find it someday with you at my side." My favorite one is "Love's Light". It stikes a chord with me. This one could be called, "You and I are so good together, but you can't see that, so I need to let you go before I become an emotional wreck."

For those who are VH fans because of "Everything You Want", then take this review with a grain of salt. The styles are quite different. But the songs here are great, writing is great, just something to listen to on a lazy afternoon.

I bought this after seeing Mark Morton of Lamb of God reference these guys and Duane Dennison as worth a listen. What I heard was bad production, shoddy vocals, generic guitar, and overall dullness. Steer clear of this is you like good music.

yep, from the opening few seconds of 'boilermaker' you can tell this record is not for the faint of heart. but then none of us would have it any other way, right?
anyway, these guys first came to my attention with their split single with nirvana when i saw all of 5 seconds for the video to 'puss'. was interested enough to check it out and this album doesn't disappoint. gotta admit though it took a while for some of the tracks to grow on me. i'm thinking mainly about 'rope' and 'whirl', which are now among my fave lizard tracks. 'boilermaker' hits you instantly (violent sensations have been mentioned in a few other reviews and here they're entirely apt). and who can resist the 125mph throb of the likes of 'art of self defense', or the sinister paranoia of 'dancing naked ladies'. its yow's world, and its a scary one. fun though
yow's (mostly) incomprehensible yowls were never a problem with me (in fact i remember playing my brother 'i can learn' and he couldn't believe it was the jesus lizard). given a beautiful voice and rubbish music versus music of the lizard's calibre and its an easy choice every time.
the sticker on the cover of 'bang' has one magazine citing the lizard as 'the best f*cking band on the planet'. unsurprisingly for the music press they're wrong. but not as far off as usual this time.

It's bands like the Jesus Lizard that make me regret wasting my teen years in the mid '90's listening to FM radio-approved drivel, and Liar is one of the main reasons why. Liar is a wild, unhinged piece of punkish, metallic alt-rock, one that obliterated petty genre distinctions at the same time that it exposed the legions of pretenders that were just starting to pop up at the time. Want to know how ahead of its time Liar was? It came out before such boring Seattle knockoffs as Bush and Silverchair had even emerged, to say nothing of the ridiculous throwbacks (this means you, Puddle of Mudd) polluting the scene right now. Of course, being ahead of the curve is a virtual guarantee of going unnoticed by the masses, but then I don't think mainstream success was high on the Lizard's list of priorities.

Anyway, in the grand tradition of Steve Albini acts such as Shellac and Big Black (and yes, I know the Lizard's albums were merely *produced* by Albini, but why get picky?), Liar is assaultive, abrasive, and decidedly in contrast to all things commercial. Melody, good taste, and traditional rock-song structures are thrown right out the window here in favor of swirling collages of noise complete with twisted rhythms and the singular nasal howl of the great David Yow. Opener Boilermaker sets the tone literally from its first second, conjuring up a psychotic atmosphere out of a series of spastic drumbeats, hellish guitar riffage, and Yow's nightmarish chants. The next song, Gladiator, might be even more frightening, with Yow menacingly intoning such oddball lyrics as "You should see her use a gun," backed by a bass riff that hits with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the stomach. On slower tracks like Perk and Zachariah, Duane Denison's creepy-crawly riffs scratch against the surface of Yow's bizarre vocal impressionism, but fortunately the album loses nothing by slowing down because its oppressive atmosphere is never compromised one bit.

So, what more can be said about Liar? Well, unfortunately, not much. This is definitely one album that must be experienced to be fully comprehended. But let me leave you, gentle reader, with this: Liar is a supreme testament to a band that may not have released a classic every time out, but had a singular vision and didn't allow the temptations of fame or money to get in the way. If only more acts had their integrity, I might not have to comb the internet looking for stuff to listen to.