Music: By Rating

These are the definitive scores for all music ranked from best to worst.

Absolutely Madness

8/10
Not as ska-rific as their first record, yet lacking the pop brilliance of their later records. But still, it’s... more

All-Time Greatest Hits Les Paul & Mary Ford

8/10
A nice little collection of Les Paul & Mary Ford. As one might expect, Lots of fast harpsichord sounding guitars... more

Bare Faced Cheek Toy Dolls

8/10
From here on out, Toys Dolls records and songs start to follow a pretty standard formula. While every release... more

Bedazzled Love Interest, The

8/10
A one-off single featuring drummer extraordinaire Martin Atkins, Jesus Lizard’s David Simms, Bowie clone Chirs Connelly and someone named... more

Browsing Beauty Noiseborder Ensemble, The

8/10
A pair of arty, ambient soundscapes featuring a nice blend of electronics and natural instrumentation.

Bulletproof Mortals, The

8/10
Straight forward rock with a slight 60s garage vibe. By its very nature this is derivative music and can... more

Can’t Stand the Rezillos: The (Almost) Complete Rezillos Rezillos, The

8/10
This is a scottish punk band from the seventies. They are responsible for the original Destination Venus. The songs on... more

Change (The Youth Mixes) Killing Joke

8/10
Youth returned to the band prior to Pandemonium with these dancy remixes of “Change” and “Requiem.” Nothing too exciting here but... more

Coatings Wire

8/10
Coatings compiles outtakes and alternate mixes of songs from The Ideal Copy and A Bell Is a Cup… with a few Manscape outtakes. For the most... more

Come on Pilgrim Pixies

8/10
The Pixies debut sets the stage for the better work to come. Raw and punky but not quite there... more

Come Pick Me Up Superchunk

8/10
Mostly more of the same from Superchunk but with a lot more non-rock instrumentation like strings and woodwinds thrown... more

Copper Blue Sugar

8/10
I’ve never really liked most of Bob Mould’s solo efforts (and later-era Hüsker Dü for that matter). I thought Black Sheets... more

DDD Poster Children

8/10
Poster Children finally return to form after their less-than-stellar New World Record CD. I guess they decided to forget about all... more

Down Jesus Lizard, The

8/10
I like the cover of this one. This CD continues along the lines of Liar. The songs aren’t as memorable, but... more

Elvis Double Features: Harum Scarum / Double Trouble Elvis Presley

8/10
It’s kismet, I tell you. Yesterday, driving around town, I was listening to this CD all day. Lo and... more

Escalation Ennio Morricone

8/10
There is a lot of variety on this soundtrack. It feels similar to the excellent Danger: Diabolik score. But, unlike that... more

Every Man Got Dreaming Sandoz

8/10
When not using the Sandoz moniker to make intense dub reggae albums, Richard H. Kirk’s side project sounds much... more

Everything Is Falling Apart Subsonics

8/10
This bands rocks in a Cramp’s style rockabilly sound with a heavy dose of The Velvet Underground. The mix... more

Exotic Creatures of the Deep Sparks

8/10
I wasn’t sure what to think of this album when I first listened to it. It feels more like... more

Exremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions Killing Joke

8/10
It took Martin Atkins pounding drums to knock some sense back into Jaz Coleman. The band conscientiously returned to... more

Field / Noise Zebras

8/10
This is a limited issue, three track CD I picked up at a Zebras show. The songs are unlabeled... more

First Album Pebbles, The

8/10
The Pebbles are a fun, all-girl garage band from Japan. They are no where near as frantic as The... more

Floyd Lloyd & the Potato 5 Meet Laurel Aitken Potato 5, The Featuring Floyd Lloyd Seivright

8/10
This CD has a bit of a branding problem. Is it a Potato 5 record? Laurel Aitken? Floyd Lloyd?... more

Focus on Guitars Lester Peabody

8/10
Lester Peabody is an excellent finger-picking guitarist from Finland. His technical ability is absolutely amazing. At times he sounds... more

For Your Own Special Sweetheart Jawbox

8/10
More of Jawbox being Jawbox. The only thing that signing to a major may have changed about the band... more

Gli Occhi Freddi Della Paura Ennio Morricone

8/10
The final CD from the Fear box set is pure experimental improvisation. There isn’t much method to this madness, just jazzy noise,... more

Good Violence Subsonics

8/10
Judging from the cover, Subsonics not only borrowed much of their sound from The Velvet Underground they also adopted... more

Happy? Public Image Ltd.

8/10
This is the point in the Public Image Ltd. timeline where John Lydon decided either a) to completely forgo... more

Horsepower Triple Whip

8/10
What do you do when your guitarist/singer packs up and leaves town? You soldier on as an instrumental bass... more

Idiology Mouse on Mars

8/10
I bought this CD after a talk from one of the members of Negativeland who recommended the band. This is... more

Indoor Living Superchunk

8/10
These Superchunk reviews are going to get a bit repetitive from here on out. Another good collection of poppy... more

Intravenous Television Continuum Man... or Astroman?

8/10
Another hit-or-miss hodgepodge of redos and covers. Production quality is better than most of the band’s previous releases.

It’s Beginning to and Back Again Wire

8/10
This is a weird little release that contains alternative versions of many of the songs from A Bell Is a... more

Killing Joke Killing Joke

8/10
First Killing Joke record is not their best, but has a few classics on it: “Wardance” and “Change.” They... more

L’Ultimo Treno Della Notte Ennio Morricone

8/10
et another cool Italian movie soundtrack from Cinevox! The title track features Demis Roussos of Aphrodite’s Child(!) on vocals.... more

L’Ultimo Uomo Di Sara Ennio Morricone

8/10
The opening title track is a dull, schmaltzy pop song, but once you’re past that it ramps up into... more

La Tarantola Dal Ventre Nero Ennio Morricone

8/10
Although it contains two fantastic easy-beat Edda Dell’Orso songs, most of this is standard giallo experimentation. I also have... more

Laugh? I Nearly Bought One! Killing Joke

8/10
A greatest hits compilation. The only reason I bought it was to get the tracks “Turn to Red” and... more

Les Cauchemars Naissent La Nuit – Nightmares Come At Night Bruno Nicolai

8/10
Bruno Nicolai is often cited as Ennio Morricone’s conductor for many of his soundtracks. I get the feeling that... more

Let’s Talk Dirty in Hawaiian Petty Booka

8/10
Cutesy ukulele pop from Japan. Half the songs are just the two girls, their ukes and some sweet vocal... more

Mind Hive Wire

8/10
Wire has been on autopilot since their 2015 self-titled release. There’s nothing wrong with the records, just none of... more

Music That You Can Dance To Sparks

8/10
Technically this CD is titled The Best of Sparks: Music That You Can Dance To. I imagine that horribly misleading... more

My Pet Fish Malka Spigel

8/10
Being as it’s the same two people making music, My Pet Fish is a nice complement to Colin Newman’s, Bastard. Both records... more

Nevermind Nirvana

8/10
The importance of this record cannot be understated, however, I do think the quality of the music might be slightly... more

Nig-Heist Nig-Heist

8/10
This is quite possibly the most retarded band ever. They are like a friendlier version of GG Allin or,... more

Novelty Jawbox

8/10
Good 90s post punk music. Much more rockin’ than say, Fugazi, but the songs are not as memorable.

Now I Got Worry Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The

8/10
This record doesn’t reach the level of greatness that was established on Orange. There’s a level of polish or, dare... more

Object 47 Wire

8/10
While it starts out on a high note with “One of Us,” Object 47 doesn’t quite live up to the promise... more

Oh Yeah, Baby Royal Pendletons

8/10
This is the debut LP from this New Orleans frat-rock combo. This is a really good album. The opening... more

Pandemonium Killing Joke

8/10
Having veered off course for a few records, this CD seems like the natural progression from Thousand Suns. The band... more

Peckin’ Party Southern Culture on the Skids

8/10
This starts out as a chicken themed EP but it turns out SCOTS only had two chicken songs in... more

Pink Pistachio Candy Pebbles, The

8/10
The band has certainly gotten much more proficient since those early Planet Pimp singles. The formula remains the same:... more

Planet of the Apes Jerry Goldsmith

8/10
There are lots of echoes and percussive bursts that elevate this mostly run-of-the-mill film score. It’s the appropriate music... more

Pow Wow Plus Stephen Mallinder

8/10
Part of a Cabaret Voltaire three-pack I bought. Natural sounds take dominance over the usual electronic noise. If you... more

Pure Guava Ween

8/10
This was my introduction to Ween. At the time I thought of them as They Might Be Giants with... more

Salaryman Salaryman

8/10
This is the Poster Children’s electronic side project. The music is generated mainly with analog and/or cheap synthesizers and... more

Sampler Exotica Yma Sumac

8/10
This one’s a short little five song tease of some great big band exotica. If you haven’t heard Yma,... more

Smells Like the Big Time Three Stoned Men

8/10
As the band name may suggest, this album contains a bunch of songs about smoking dope. This trio is... more

Snake Creeps Down Triple Whip

8/10
This Champaign-Urbana trio was the first band with which Nonagon ever played a show. The songs are very much... more

Soul Pilgrim Satan's Pilgrims

8/10
Satan’s Pilgrims are one of the better surf bands to have emerged during the 90s surf revival. Despite the... more

Spasmo Ennio Morricone

8/10
Another solid giallo score from Morricone. There are three main themes here: “Bambole”, “Spasmo”, and “Stress Infinito”. The first... more

Strummin’ Mental Part One Various Artists

8/10
The first Strummin’ Mental CD compiles thirty or so surfy guitar instrumentals from the early 60s. The aesthetic here is raw,... more

Strummin’ Mental Part Two Various Artists

8/10
This is a compilation of instrumental music from 1957-65. It’s equal in quality to the stuff in the Back From... more

Superchunk Superchunk

8/10
Superchunk has followed a rather standard indie band trajectory by starting their career with a rough, punky debut before... more

The Great Surf Crash of ’97 Phantom Surfers, The

8/10
The title of this great release refers to the recent glut of surf bands out there. The cover art... more

The Laughter Guns Superchunk

8/10
Four pretty good songs and 45 minute long recording from a community radio program in which the hosts deconstruct... more

The Meadowlands Wrens, The

8/10
I got this CD as a gift from my brother several years ago. I understand why he got it... more

The Monkees Greatest Hits Monkees, The

8/10
They may have been a fake band and all, but they had Neil Diamond writing songs for them and... more

The Monty Python Instant Record Collection Monty Python

8/10
This is a compilation CD of some of Monty Python’s most memorable skits. Many of the tracks are live... more

The Phantom Surfers and Dick Dale Phantom Surfers, The

8/10
This is a surprisingly straightforward Phantom Surfers record. The premise behind this record is that it is with Dick Dale.... more

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants

8/10
Yeah, I get it. You went to art school you clever bastards. Fun, smart pop songs, it’s no surprise... more

Toast Tar

8/10
While this disc starts out with a couple of great Tar tunes it doesn’t quite keep the energy up... more

Trait Pailhead

8/10
Ministry with Ian MacKaye on vocals. Pretty much sounds like all of the Ministry side projects of that era.... more

Twenty-Two Tunes Live From Tokyo Toy Dolls

8/10
Another new record label and another quick cash in on the band’s older songs. This time it’s a live... more

We Ate the Machine Polysics

8/10
Polysics were another band (along with Lolita #18, Spoozys, Mummy the Peepshow, and Number Girl) that I saw at the excellent... more

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newly

8/10
Well, Gene Wilder died a this week so it’s fitting that the next CD in my queue would be... more

Your Weight on the Moon Man... or Astroman?

8/10
Another early MorA? release with a new version of “Destination Venus” and several other good songs.

Ages 3 and Up Supernova

7/10
After loving Servotron’s latest, and hearing about the similarities with that band, I decided to give Supernova a try.... more

Art of the State Quatre Tête

7/10
My band has played with Quatre Tête a few times now. They share our taste for weird time signatures... more

At Home With Satan’s Pilgrims Satan's Pilgrims

7/10
Competent and straightforward surf music from this Portland group. This record isn’t the most exciting stuff this band has... more

At The Fabulous El Morocco Lounge Untamed Youth, The

7/10
This is far from the best starting point if you want to listen to The Untamed Youth. It’s a... more

Back from the Grave Volume 9 Various Artists

7/10
The Back from the Grave series seeks to uncover raw sixties garage rock that has a punk-rock sensibility. It’s been well... more

Balls Sparks

7/10
Although still a dance music record, Balls feels a little more like a rock than Gratuitous Sax ever did. I don’t think I... more

Barnyard Favorites Smith's Ranch Boys

7/10
This is a side project by Big Sandy’s guitarist. They rock in swingin’ western rockabilly style, not unlike the... more

Broad Appeal Henchmen, The

7/10
This is the bands first full length offering with their new drummer and it is their clearest sounding stuff... more

Change (Spiral Tribe Mixes) Killing Joke

7/10
More studio knob-twisting and ambient rethinkings of “Change” and “Requiem.”

Clock Street Poster Children

7/10
This is a 4-song CD single that includes two tracks from Tool of the Man and two new songs. “Everything Burns”... more

Ecologia Del Delitto / Gli Orrori Del Castello Di Norimberga / Cani Arrabbiati Stelvio Cipriani

7/10
This is a double CD set of Mario Bava soundtracks. Cipriani’s work is a little corny at times. To... more

Every Song we Fuckin’ Know Marauders, Los

7/10
This is one twisted piece of work. It contains a bunch of fun rockabilly tunes. All of them are... more

Excellent Italian Greyhound Shellac

7/10
I think this is my least favorite Shellac album. Sure there are some great tracks on it, as there... more

Fat Axl Silverfish

7/10
I bought this CD based on their cover of Grand Master Flash’s “White Lines.” It’s a great cover, albeit... more

Fat Bob’s Feet Toy Dolls

7/10
This CD includes the embarrassing bonus track “Turtle Crazy!” which is a song about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.... more

For Lovers Only Southern Culture on the Skids

7/10
Although there are some great songs on this record (“Nashville Toupee” and “Daddy Was A Preacher But Mama Was... more

Fuck the Mummies Mummies, The

7/10
This is a bootleg CD release of The Mummies’ shelved debut record. The recordings are uncharacteristically clean and professional.... more

Gli Intoccabili Ennio Morricone

7/10
Gli Intoccabili opens with the tense and pounding, “Ballad of Hank McCain.” It’s reprised three more times on the record... more

Gub Pigface

7/10
The first full-length record from Martin Atkins all-star review. Very drum centric as one would expect—on many of the... more

Hedwig and the Angry Inch: Original Cast Recording Various Artists

7/10
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the greatest musical about a statutory rapist since Subway! The Musical. I saw the off... more

Here’s to Shutting Up Superchunk

7/10
When this record arrived, you could sense the downward trajectory of this band. Not that this is a bad... more

I Malamondo / La Tarantola Dal Ventre Nero Ennio Morricone

7/10
I originally bought this dual soundtrack CD because I wanted the music from La Tarantola Dal Ventre Nero. That soundtrack is... more

Incidental Music 1991-95 Superchunk

7/10
The second singles collection from Superchunk is a bit more of a hodgepodge than the last. There are a... more