Editorial Review

This Seattle-based band was formed from the ashes of the incredibly talented Carissa's Wierd [sic], whose mopey and self-deprecating songs were like some magical and baroque combination of the Magnetic Fields, Cat Power, and Leonard Cohen. Longtime friends of Iron and Wine, few fans in their native Pacific Northwest could understand why Carissa's weren't huge. But they weren't, and after three albums and few folks really caring, they naturally broke up. Band of Horses, led by ultra-charming CW bassist Ben Bridwell, is a remarkably different, though just as radically excellent, brand of indie-pop sulk. These songs are anthems to ambivalence, and Bridwell's lovely high-pitched trill will please any fan of Built to Spill, the Shins, and Modest Mouse. It takes a few listens to sink in, but Read more

Reviews (31)

Yawn
This is boring faceless alt country indie rock. These guys have less outlaw cred than John Kerry at a 1000 dollar a plate dinner. Normally I don't knock bands for doing their own thing, but here the affectation is too much."when we leave this place and drive back to carolinaand down to savannah and
Dreamy, Sad, Happy and Smart
I would hear a fantastic song on our local station KEXP (truly the greatest music station to ever exist) and after a couple more songs played, they would say that fantastic song was Band of Horses. This happened several times, then I saw them on Letterman and realized how incredible this band actually is. The vocals and echoey quality does sound a bit like My Morning Jacket. People have compared them to Neil Young (I don't really see it). Maybe a little of Flaming Lips thrown in. Possibly Arcade Fire. But they stand on their own. I can't listen to the CD enough. If you like dreamy, beautiful, well-crafted indie pop, or are just an open-minded music lover looking for something new and different, then buy the CD. I cannot imagine you'd be disappointed.

**1/2
Despite all the other opinions, I find that they sound much more like Porno for Pyros (Perry Farrell's post-Jane's Addiction band) than My Morning Jacket.They are much poppier and, IMHO, more boring than MMJ.This is very run-of-the-mill stuff that doesn't stand up to repeated listenings.I liked it most after a single spin, and my enthusiasm has shrank with each repeat to the point that I can't imagine a mood that would warrant another listen. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

As AFI rode onto mainstream radio playlists with their gleaming major label debut, Read more

Reviews (214)

Loyal AFI Fan!!!
Decemberunderground is one of the greatest cd's ever!!! I love all of AFI's music and bands do change there style to keep up to date.Davey's style keeps the band going and his voice is great!!!Jade's style with his guitar is his own!! Every song on this CD is excellent and you will never tire of it. Even if you have never heard of AFI, you will love this CD, give it a try!!!

Not a shabby followup

A bold new direction.....in cruise control.
AFI is one of the more exciting acts in the quasi-rock mainstream.While they aren't risk takers in the Tim Buckley sense, they certainly aren't scared of adding fresh interesting levels to their maturing foundation. This of course accumliated in their best release to date,"Sing the Sorrow."This isn't the case with "December Underground" as they appear to have cut themselves down to the old punk quick so that they may construct an entirely different sound from the rubble.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Emo    3. Glam Rock    4. Goth Rock    5. Hardcore Punk    6. New Wave    7. Pop    8. Punk    9. Punk Revival    10. Rock    11. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Now that Beck has effectively exorcised his personal demons with 2002's hyperconfessional Read more

Reviews (253)

Uninspired .......... and boring
I just can't figure Beck out -- This album offers very little entertainment. You could always count on Beck for something different each time out--- but not with this album. The songs sound like tunes that were from previous sessions and just left of off earlier albums.
4.5 Stars - My Favorite Beck album
How you could not like this album is way beyond my comprehension.Beck absolutely rocks on this release.The comparisons to Odelay are hard to avoid because it is a fun, upbeat album full of "Beckisms"...goofy lyrics, gatchy grooves and ryhmes you can't get out of your head.
Great album, but not Beck's best
Guero is definitely enjoyable to listen to, but it still doesn't match Odelay. I like pretty much every song on the album, but some of them are kind of boring to listen to. I don't know why, I just didn't enjoy this album as much as some of Beck's others. Here are my ratings for each song:
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Dance    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Club/Dance    4. Experimental Rock    5. Indie Rock    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Something extraordinary is afoot in Albuquerque. The Shins' first big-timerecord, Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (272)

Best Song
My Favorite is The Past And Pending... check out the words... after 100 or so listens, you'll know... you're hooked!!

I love the Shins!
This album is great - if you're already a fan, you can't go wrong with "Oh, Inverted World." As Natalie Portman so accurately put it, "The Shins will totally change your life."

The Shins: An Indie Rock group thats going places!
I've never been one to jump all over "Indie Rock". In fact, until a couple years ago I had never really paid attention to that genre, I figured it was probably underground alternative rock (it is) that I probably would not enjoy or find sounding to much like a lot of the new crap that plugs up my FM dial (I was wrong, so wrong). After opening my mind and checking out some Indie Rock albums, I settled on purchasing this album by "The Shins". I couldn't believe the strength they had with their light approach to guitars and yet still belt out some fun, sometimes enlightening, and sometimes haunting music. The first description I found of this band was that they did their music in the "tradition of the beach boys". I figured that can't be all bad, and it's not. Some 60's sounds do emit from this eleven-track debut, but coupled with the other fresh and often eclipsing sounds from this band (I'm also hearing some folk presence if ever so lightly) I don't think we are dealing with any rehash here. It's genuine. For some reason this band that came out of New Mexico as a sort of revamped project from some of the members previous band, isn't coming up on the radar much. Just as well, sometimes the best-kept secrets are worth keeping.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. United States of America   

Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (176)

BUY IT!!
Are the Red Hot Chili Peppers the best of the alternative-rock bands? This reviewer (who generally thinks alternative rock is an evil corporate piece of crap) says yes. And this is a great way to get into the group, containing all the big songs (Give It Away, Under the Bridge, Suck My Kiss, Breaking the Girl, Californiacation, Scar Tissue, Higher Ground), although there is one big mistake this album makes: WHERE IS THE ZEPHYR SONG? It sure as hell was a hit - in fact, it was a big one. And I loved it, unlike most other big rock hits of 2002. I also would've appreciated Aeroplane, as well as some of the older stuff (Johnny Kick a Hole in the Sky, True Men Don't Kill Coyotes, especially Knock Me Down). But I highly recommend this album, as well as the classic rock and funk that influenced the Chili Peppers.

its chili peppers, so you know its good
however, its not what it could be. its missing some notable songs, including their biggest recent hit Can't Stop. it also has some fairly obscure 'hits' like Universally Speaking. however, it is a great album. although it may seem weird to consider the Red Hot Chili Peppers rock legends, they will be elligible for the rock and roll hall of fame in less than 3 years.

Red Hot Chili Peppers Greatest Hits not so hot
Not the best compulation I would have come up with. Only had one or two songs on it that I liked. But oh well Its in my collection now. Maybe it will grow on me later. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. Funk Metal    4. Pop    5. Rap-Rock    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Irish troubadour Damien Rice doesn't so much reinvent the folk genre on this lush, impossibly mature debut album as push its boundaries in several compelling musical directions at once--all the more remarkable considering the album was largely self-produced and home-recorded. His songs revolve around familiar, bittersweet concerns of life, love, and their attendant frustrations, but delivered with conspiratorial intimacy on melodic wings (like on the graceful "Cannonball") that Rice seems almost embarrassed to share. If there's anything like a template here, it's "The Blower's Daughter," the song that first attracted the interest/stewardship of film composer David Arnold (whose guest production provides "Amie" with expansive cinematic elegance) and became a massive Irish hit. His plaintive vocal, embroidered by the mournful solo cello of Vyvienne Long, is suddenly brightened by an instrumental flourish and Lisa Hannigan's vocals--before just as quickly wafting on the breeze. With touches that range from "Day in the Life"-styled string collages to the dizzy, exhilarating neo-operatic excesses of the 16-minute "Eskimo," Rice's musical palate here is as adventurous as his songs are grounded in emotional intimacy. Read more

Reviews (312)

Magical
This has to be one of the most beautiful CDs ever recorded. Damien's vocal range is vast; his musicianship excellent; but it's the crafting of songs at which he truly surpasses most artists. Haunting, sensitive, flowing, crashing...(If I have one criticism, it's the mixing levels - at times, his vocals are drowned. In concert, when he lets rip, you really feel the power of his vocals/music, which, unfortunately, doesn't come over quite as well on the album.) A truly magical album.

This album is amazing
This is one that sways the soul. Damien Rice's timing and melody just reach into your gut and extract every piece of love and sorrow that you ever felt.
One of the most impossibly beautiful albums ever released
Although I knew "The Blower's Daughter" from the film CLOSER and "Delicate" from LOST, Damien Rice has until recently been unexplored territory for me.What I didn't know is that his album O is not a disc with only one or two great songs, but one of the most from-beginning-to-end brilliant albums of recent years.Vocally Rice reminds me of a lot of other performers.Jeff Buckley and Ryan Adams spring to mind, there is even something of the very young Leonard Cohen in the songs.But this album is more consistently brilliant than anything released by those singers.He isn't quite the singer that Jeff Buckley was (but then who is?), but he is a much better songwriter.His songwriting reminds me somewhat of Hayden, but it is much more dramatic, lush, and expressive and his singing is in an entirely different league.There is also a soft serenity to the music that is nearly as gently calming as the best of Iron and Wine.Actually, Rice and Iron and Wine's Sam Beam write songs that evoke many of the same feelings, though Rice is a far stronger vocalist (though it has to be granted that Beam is perhaps unrivalled as a lyricist today--I think you have to go to people like Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan to find a demonstrably better lyricist than Sam Beam).
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Folk    2. Contemporary Folk    3. Contemporary Singer/Songwriter    4. Folk & Traditional    5. Folk-Rock    6. Ireland    7. Pop    8. Popular Music    9. Post-Grunge    10. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

There's always been something a little mysterious about Gomez. Yet no one would mistake them for a dream-pop or shoegazer act. The UK quintet relies too much on acoustic instrumentation (violin, mandolin, harmonica, etc.) and rocks too hard to qualify. In fact, they've never been part of any "scene," British or otherwise. Their debut for Dave Matthews's ATO label, after live set Read more

Reviews (29)

Superb!
Am a true fan and finds this album truly eclectic. My favorite track is "girlshapedlovedrug" the story is brillant...the wicked girl. I think that Gil Norton did a great job at production and it's not "Split the Difference" but How We operate stands on its own. And these guys are great live....
Folk rock vocal fun!
Gomez has something for everybody on this one.Great lyrics, great music, great arranging--- hard not to like.It rocks, it's whimsical, it's emotive, it's got a beat.Really hard to classify.Track 7, Tear Our Love Apart, is my 8 year old son's favorite song.I've bought 3 more to send to friends.

Gomezing
i saw Gomex perform live touring with this album, and although I had never heard tracks from How We Operate I went right out and bought it.I think the best track is "How We operate," by far.There is more energy packed into that one song than into most "high energy" albums.The diversity between songs just shows the wide range of musical abilities within this group. There is variation in style, composition, and musicality in this entire album. "Hamoa beach" and "Tear your Love Apart" are also amazing.This is a must-buy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Experimental Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Fans of Willy Porter, Ben Harper, and G. Love will all want to check out Jack Johnson's engaging folk- and blues-inflected pop. Born in Oahu, Hawaii, Johnson, a former surfer and film-school graduate, has a knack for acoustic ballads whose calm surfaces hide a subtle but strong lyrical undertow. "It seems to me that 'maybe' pretty much always means 'no,'" sings Johnson on "Flake," which features crony Harper on slide guitar. Production by J.P. Plunier (who also handles Harper's recordings) is simple and uncluttered: acoustic guitar and drum tracks share the foreground with Johnson's easygoing vocals, which evoke everyone from G. Love (who recorded Johnson's "Rodeo Clowns" on his Read more

Reviews (481)

Terrific, as the other reviews say
How can such a seemingly simple, barely instrumented album sound so convincing, so riveting?Great lyrics, sung with perfect (nearly telepathic) intonation by Jack Johnson and great communitative playing come together to grab your attention.You can sense something transcendent, something spiritual while listening to Brushfire.Very special and highly recommended.

Pleasant and light but not a keeper
I'm a big fan of acoustic-based singer/songwriter stuff, so I thought I might like Jack Johnson too. And at first I did. His music is laid back, quite catchy, softly sung, undemanding. Anybody would like it, I guess. But after a while I started to find this CD a bit annoying. When you listen over and over to something really good, it reveals things you didn't see the first few times you played it. But all that's revealed here is a rather `lite' and one-dimensional approach to songwriting and arranging. Lyrics that sound cute at first soon sound empty. It's okay on whimsical songs like `Sexy Plexi', but when he tries to be more serious it doesn't hit the mark. And you may soon tire, as I did, of the crack of the drum that accompanies every song, not to mention that one guitar lick Jack can manage and always does. The band's instrumentation is admittedly fairly minimal, but somebody like Josh Ritter or Garrin Benfield gets more variety with just a guitar and fewer notes.
Another Jack Johnson plus
Love the music - always relaxing and upbeat. Even my 12 year old son thinks the music is great. He really appreciates the fact that most of Jack Johnson's songs have an actual message that is common sense - something we all think and/or understand. Overall Good buy! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Bass    4. Drums    5. Drums (Steel)    6. Guitar (Acoustic)    7. Guitar (Electric)    8. Percussion    9. Piano    10. Pop    11. Rock    12. Rock/Pop    13. Singer/Songwriter    14. Slide Guitar    15. Vocals   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (94)

Awesome Stuff but a bit uneven
This is an excellent album but, as a whole, its a bit uneven to listen to all at once. I'd recommend burning a few songs on a CD at a time or shuffling a few on the mp3 player.
Great Work!
I don't know what's more entertaining, the album or the negative reviews from indie snots bent out of shape because the "unwashed masses" are listening to this CD.
The emperor has no clothes.
The Decemberists are wonderful performance art, an exercise in demonstrating just how gullible the indie crowd really is. Will they swallow a precious, pretentious, pseudo-english, neo-prog, ren-faire-reject band that delivers lines like "Meet me on my vast veranda / my sweet untouched Miranda / And while the seagulls are crying / we fall but our souls are flying" with perfectly nasal ernestness?
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Subjects:  1. Chamber Pop    2. Indie Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Live
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (2)

Lovely treat for Sarah fans
I am usually quite miffed when Sarah and Nettwerk decide to re-release old Sarah songs but in this case I am *very* happy! This two-disc edition of "Mirrorball" is perfect for long-time Sarah fans as it covers her first four (and best) albums and it isn't as polished as the 1999 release. The sound quality is excellent and it almost feels like being at a McLachlan concert. An excellent addition for die-hard Sarah fans!

It's about freakin' time!!!
I found this CD totally by accident when out record shopping. I had to have it since I love the DVD and Sarah's more recent concert film, "Afterglow Live".
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Canada    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Singer/Songwriter   

Reviews (63)

Not what I expected
I have to admit, when I first heard about this band and viewed their website, everything about them screamed 'cookie-cutter pop/punk/screamo band'. You know what, they might even be just that, but their album is still pretty good, and that's what really matters.
how much worse can it get
i'm tired of all these bands that come out and they think they sound good. this is another example of how dumb music is sometimes. RJA has copied every other band i've heard of and i'm sick of that. "Face Down" is there first single and it sounds like a rip of MXPX. so yeah not even that song."Guardian Angel" or whatever sounds like Copeland, or Lifehouse or something like that. i mean every song on the cd is a copy of other bands. no originality what so ever. i wish bands that are trying to make it big use their own skills in writing instead of others. one star is the least i could do, and that's sad cause i enjoy music, don't waste your time on this cd.

Seriously. ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS I OWN!!!
When I saw these guys on some 'Ones to Watch' sort of thing on mtv, i was immediately entranced. They had a catchy song and I immediately found my way to Limewire and downloaded face down.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Emo    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Screamo    7. United States of America   

Editorial Review

One of the freshest country albums of the year comes not out of Nashville, but rather New York, from a sporadic band with the unlikely (and somewhat suggestive) moniker of the Little Willies. At times, the fivesome (named in homage to Willie Nelson) hearkens to the great historic western-swing bands--crack, loose-limbed musicians fronted by a hypnotically sublime girl singer. If that sleepy female voice (and her distinctive piano) sounds astonishingly like Norah Jones, that's because it Read more

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• Enhanced

Reviews (48)

Perfect for the road
I purchased this CD before going on vacation. With both a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old in the car, we had to endure the loud soundtracks of movies from the back seat. And, when I suggested that we turn off the TV and listen to a CD, they were both unhappy! That is, until I popped in this CD. These happy tunes made all of us smile and my kids even started to sing along! If you want a CD that will make your day, purchase this one!

Fun listen... more fun the second time, even more fun after that!
I'm a recording engineer by trade.I sit in little rooms with no windows and big speakers listening to the same song for 15 hour stretches for weeks in a row.Every now and again a record will roll through that is actually fun to make.This sounds like one of those recordings.
Nora and Texas Swing
Great collection if you like Nora and also like Texas Swing. There's Nora doing a few cuts as lead and sounding great as usual. The other cuts on the CD are great country tunes, some funny, some sad with a tight band keeping it interesting. Definately worth a listen. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Country-Rock    3. Americana    4. Country-Rock    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

"Upbeat" seems like an odd description of a recording that includes song titles like "Throw It All Away" and "Waiting to Die." Yet fans of Zero 7 (the English sound-design duo of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker) will indeed discover that the group's third release exhibits a slightly more animated pace--more multitempo than downtempo--than its predecessors, the seductively trippy Read more

Reviews (66)

It needs a chance
It seems there a lot of mixed feelings about this album. I think it is quite good, yes a departure from Simple Things, but different is not bad it is just different. I will admit at first I had mixed feelings about it, but after a few listens it really grew on me. I think it could be their best album yet. I do miss the vocals of Sophie Barker, but change is sometimes a good thing. It is nice to see a band move away from the more typical sounds of this genre. The acoustic guitars really add a nice touch. The most important ingredient is still here, the ethereal atmospheric sounds. If you keep an open mind and give it a chance you may really like it.

I would never have expected this but it's true: "The Garden" is my favorite album of the year
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Elevator Music
This is a boring album.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Ambient Pop    3. Downbeat    4. Downtempo    5. Electronic    6. Pop    7. Rock   

Editorial Review

A side project doesn't usually hit gold, especially when said project is a quirky virtual collective fronted by cartoon characters. But the first, self-titled album by Gorillaz--the brainchild of illustrator Jamie Hewlett and Blur frontman Damon Albarn--actually hit platinum and turned into a surprise worldwide hit. Naturally expectations were a lot higher for Gorillaz's sophomore effort, but Read more

Reviews (345)

one of the best of our time
This album is one of the best of our time. Integrating interesting drum riffs, symphonic arrangements, creative lyrics, musical sounds that inspire, all to create a mixed up style that breaks all barriers of genre and time. Truely a classic.

The music draws you in...
The music is a unique mix that really draws you into what you are listening too.I was not crazy about the title (a little creepy) the CD was a great surprise, because I like everything on it!Great sounds and great listening!!!

O Damon Albarn
Being the second full record from Gorillaz, I was re-introduced to them after listening to "Feel Good Inc." millions of times, due to my Gorillaz-happy friend.I decided to check this one out and I was glad that I did.This is one of the best records of '05.No, it didn't pick up any Grammys and there is no real standout song apart from "Feel Good Inc." but it is very conisitent and diversified.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Rap    3. Hip-Hop    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Underground Rap   

Reviews (94)

Not your average review
I'm sick of two things in all the reviews I've read. 1How much they hate Mosley the lead singer 2How much they love Mosley the lead singer. The weird thing about music people can't seem to grasp is that music isn't something you can rate and say that what you think is the law. No, music means something different to everybody and different people like different kinds of music. I think that girl's voice is amazing and she sounds like the voice of a thousand angels but there are alot of people who think she sounds like a drunk hitchhiker and his buddies in a basement. The bottom line is this is an albulm you have to decide on for yourself, don't trust the lovers or the hatters in this case.

Venting Panorama colorfully melodized
I bought this CD on a whim while browsing the "up and coming" section at Target.I bought it along with Blue October.What I don't understand is why Blue October is getting more radio time, they're just "ok" to me.Flyleaf is an intense, vocal, wide range of emotional color that exudes a venting panorama.There's the heavy riffs and sizzling drums in the background that vibes so well with Lacey Moseley's wide ranging, beautifully melodic vocals.But she also has this passion and intensity that blends so well with the heavy rock feel.I've always enjoyed a melodic female voice mixed with heavy rock/pop sounds.
Good CD
I bought Flyleaf's CD over the weekend and just had to put up a comment about it.I would not rate this CD my favorite that I have bought in the past year but I would certainly put it into the top, oh I don't know, 20.It is a good CD having many good tracks on it, but listening to Fully Alive on the radio then buying the CD and listening to the entire CD, the CD was different than what I expected, so that could be altering my judgement on it.There is a bit too much screaming on the first track and another on it, I don't remember which one.Buy the CD because it is worth your money, just don't buy it because you really like Fully Alive because many of the songs on the CD are not like that song, they are a bit heavier than that.A good CD overall and I will be buying their next CD coming out. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Metal    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Ten years between albums is a long time for a musician to sustain momentum, but when you're Evan Dando, it's a matter of doing again what you do best: Stick close to what got you here. Of course, this self-titled record comesnowhere near the early Lemonheads' mayhem of Read more

Reviews (9)

nice but nothing memorable
Like when old friends get back back together and play in their old reharsal room..
Just in the nick of time ...
Just when I thought every band I had ever loved had vanished, The Lemonheads show up out of nowhere. With none other then Bill Stevenson of "The Descendents" on drums Evan Dando has return with another great collection of fun, thoughtful and of course catchy songs that like classics such as "It's A Shame About Ray" and "Lick" won't soon be forgotten. I highly recommend to all and every Lemonheads fan.

Amazing return of the lemonheads!!!
Evan Dando has once again delivered an astounding collection of pop/punk songs.This album rocks like Lovey and is almost as catchy as Come On Feel.I've been listening to this album for weeks on end. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop    5. United States of America   

Editorial Review

New Age diva Enya first became widely known when her 1988 album