Spoon -- Transference

  Stereotypically mediocre Indie Rock album by, a band I usually like, Spoon.  Luckily I saved my evening with Neil Young's Unplugged, which was great, proved that the man still had it!

R.L. Burnside -- My Black Name A-Ringin'

  Another almost undiscovered American blues legend, R.L. Burnside, and frighteningly, who knows how many of these characters are sprawled across US, who lived and died like folk hero's, never recorded.  Luckily, sometimes, someone out there has an opportunity to capture these unique talents, and My Black Name A-Ringin' is just one of those moments.

Jamming with Edward!

  What do you get when Keith Richards storms out of the Let It Bleed sessions protesting the producer's decision to hire extra guitar luminary Ry Cooder to beef up the numbers?  A poor man's Rolling Stones.  This record was never intended to be released, just a goof off session, a band killing time waiting for their lead guitarist to come back.

Nick Drake -- Pink Moon

  Nick Drake is the epitome of the sad-sack genius.  His songs are beautifully haunting and his guitar playing is perfectly brilliant.  There wasn't anything Drake could do wrong, unfortunately his crippling depression ended his career with this album, and eventually ended his life with antidepressants ... 

Beastie Boys -- Check Your Head

  This album marked a change in Alternative music.  Check Your Head put Hip Hop right into the freak scene, and it's the only Rap music, that I can remember, you could really listen to and keep your Punk Rocker street cred. 

Gorilla Biscuits -- Start Today

  I never really liked this band, or melodic punk in general, but Gorilla Biscuits's Start Today will always reminds me of my buddy's mini ramp we had built in his shed, which I liked to call the Shred Shed!

  Shred Shed didn't always have a mini in it, no no, in the time before I started going by to help renovate it to it's current skate state, it was a diseased ridden ex-chicken coop, luckily I wasn't around to help out for that clean up job.  Point is, what used to be a shitty, cold, dank, drinking spot, turned out to be, after a couple years and a f*ck load of dangerous team work, a radical skate spot where only old school will survive and you'll most likely hear Gorilla Biscuits pumpin' on his crappy and broken iPod speakers! 

*footnote: I'm pretty sure the mini eventually got torn out!

Dance Mix 93'

  So here I am living like a curmudgeon hobo for the last month, I've had the distinct pleasure of sleeping in various cellar dwellings, an empty apartment, and have been subjected to more poppy dance music than I have ever had in my entire life.  The main offender was Dance Mix 93, this music represents everything I hated about the 90's, while we were all getting high freaking out to Mudhoney, most people out there were listening to this garbage, and apparently to my new knowledge they still are!  I'm so glad I smashed my head on the punk rock instead.

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down -- We Brave Bee Stings And All

  Mega cute Indie Pop goodness!  A must hear for this day and age!

Plastic Bertrand -- An 1

  Over the top poppy Punk New Wave high pitched weirdo Plastic Bertrand, who is primarily known for super hit Ca Plane Pour Moi.  The rest of the album just sounds like variations of the main track, which makes it hard to listen to entirely in one sitting.  Oh well, I still love it, it's still great!

Marilyn Manson -- Antichrist Superstar

  I have this dystopianesque anti-structural functionalism theory that bad taste should be a crime.  Why could this work?  Because bad taste's cultural ramifications can span generations, passing down their rationalized stupidity to future offspring, while the pure bad taste justifies any idiotic behavior, as they increase in numbers, it becomes more and more part of society's norms, meaning a never ending cycle of a regressive society, rather than progressive -- trust me I've seen this in practice first hand, living in a educationless welfare stated town.

  Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar is a perfect example for the use of my theory.  This crap encourages all kinds of young impressionable heavy metal simpletons to succumb to every whim however ridiculous, for example the Columbine High School Massacre shooters, I'm not saying Manson pulled the trigger, but he sure as sh*t harnessed those kids's negative feelings making them understood and accepted, not only to a peer, but to a pop culture icon.  Things don't have to be all sunshine and lollipops, but for god's sake how did some dude's corrupt capitalist mental illness make it's way through the cracks and labelled as mainstream art, like Mein Kampf, maybe because bad taste has become accepted as the norm and conglomerate companies are more concerned with lining their pockets than endorsing a quality product!  F*CKERS!

  Furthermore guilty pleasures would be like misdemeanors ... if you get caught.  All in all this would never work and I can't totally agree with my theory, I guess it's just a fun thought for grumpy old man who doesn't like Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar! 

Skinny Puppy -- Bites & Remission

  Innovative Industrial luminaries, Skinny Puppy.  I have no clue as to why people like this music and furthermore is it really music?  Although this would be a wicked soundtrack if you were a depressed junkie doing heroin in a basement slum apartment on a rainy day, sweltering in your dark pit of deair!

Sloan -- One Chord To Another

  Sloan's crowning achievement One Chord To Another.  This is the band at their best, using a slew of new instruments, less formulaic song structure and getting deeper into their Beatlesesque Indie Rock.  All in all this is Sloan at their creative height! 

Negative Approach -- Total Recall

  Total Recall is a complete discography of Negative Approach's career.  The only thing to really write home about is their first and only album, Tied Down, featured in this comp.  Why is Tied Down better than the rest?  I'll tell ya, and it's not like the other tracks lack in ferocious angry Hardcore action, it's just that Tied Down is polished and produced to be taken seriously, that and the band is tighter than a hangman's knot around your neck.  So if you are down in the dumps and pissed about it, put on some Negative Approach to remember, "that it's all no use, it's all worth nothing."

The Meatmen -- Stud Powercock: The Touch And Go Years 1981-1984

  Hardcore's jokesters The Meatmen.  These guys were out to offend everybody, even themselves.  I usually like 80's hardcore, but I'm not too crazy about The Meatmen, it's just too loose, too shoddy.  Yes I get that the lyrics are a joke, but how far can too far go ... I think they reached it, even G.G. Allin seems more intelligent.  Point is, they're the Meatmen ... and they suck, suck, suck!

Rancid -- Let's Go

  "Hi, we used to be cool when we were in Operation Ivy, but now we are way more concerned with marketing our look rather than our music."  You know I thought these guys were the sh*t when I was a teenager, but their sound hardly stood the test of time, their whole shtick is lame ... and didn't the singer collaborate with Pink?  Who knows, who cares!  

Green Day -- Dookie

  For starters I didn't really listen to this, why in the f*ck would I do that to myself.  As you guessed it I f*cking hate this album, their first two releases were almost good, but all in all I cannot stand these sellout posers, they killed and plagued Punk Rock worse than Nirvana, turning it into a jock nerd wanna-be fiasco.  The worst part is that these dudes are still making music today, the years pass, they get shittier and more pathetic, influencing kiddies of the future generation to be stupid while they're getting grants from the eyeliner company!

Broken Social Scene -- Broken Social Scene

  Arena style Indie Rock luminaries Broken Social Scene.  These guys are famous for having almost every cool Canadian musician in their band, my buddy and I are still waiting for the call.  This album I'd have to file under forgettably good, other than dreamy Shoegaze track Swimmers which knocked my socks off.

Deerhunter -- Microcastle

  Keeping the Shoegaze torch burning.  How come it took bands so long to realize the awesome impact of the scene that celebrated itself, they were way too ahead of their time, in fact music took a step back when it was over, and then finally took the step forward again, Deerhunter's Microcastle is a perfect example of that step!

Tv On The Radio -- Return To Cookie Mountain

  A good friend of mine once told me, "you gotta hear this band, it's like Indie Doo Wop."  And I gotta hand to him, I could not have said it better myself!

Gabor Szabo -- Spellbinder

  ... in a tumultuous state, while trying to relax at my buddy's place, he slapped on Gabor Szabo's, a Hungarian Jazz guitarist, Spellbinder.  His playing eludes to the free form style of a Horn player.  Gabor is such an artist he even painted the Picassoesque cover.  In my time of need Szabo came through and chilled me out!  And now it's made it on my must have list!