Ocean Colour Scene - Moseley Shoals

By the time Ocean Colour Scene released their debut album in 1992, they were already considered has-beens. The band had formed during the height of Madchester, but they never released their first album until the scene was already dead, which left them without a following. But between their debut and their second album, 1996's Moseley Shoals, a strange thing happened -- the band was taken under the wings of two of Britain's biggest pop stars, Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher. The band suddenly catapulted back into the spotlight because of its superstar connections, but the music actually deserved the attention. Ocean Colour Scene had spent the time between their two albums improving their sound. On Moseley Shoals, they are looser, funkier, and have a strong, organic R&B vibe that was inherited from the Small Faces and Weller's solo recordings. They sprinkle Beatlesque and Stonesy flourishes throughout the album, as well as the odd prog rock flair, adding an even more eclectic flavor to their traditionalist pop/rock. Ocean Colour Scene are still developing their songwriting skills -- the sound is more impressive than the songs throughout Moseley Shoals -- but their second album is an unexpectedly enjoyable record.(get away)

Television - Marquee Moon

Originally released on Elektra (1098). Includes liner notes by Alan Licht. New York's 1970s punk was markedly different to that of Britain. Rather than reject the past, American groups deconstructed its forms and rebuilt them with recourse to the music's strengths. Television's leader, Tom Verlaine, professed admiration for Moby Grape and the folk rock of early Fairport Convention. Elements of the latter appear on this album's title track, which offers a thrilling instrumental break, built upon a modal scale. Verlaine's shimmering guitar style provides the set's focus, but his angular compositions are always enthralling. A sense of brooding mystery envelops the proceedings, and Marquee Moon retains its standing as one of the era's pivotal releases. (Venus)

The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead

More than any of their other albums, The Queen Is Dead represents the elegance, craftsmanship and humor for which the Smiths are remembered. Opening the album, the explosive title track is filled with vintage punk-era iconoclastic rage, wherein Morrissey tears at the very fabric of the British monarchy atop the howling feedback and swirling chords of Johnny Marr and the pounding fury of Rourke and Joyce (whose punk roots were never so apparent). The Queen Is Dead also contains some of the band's most disarmingly beautiful work. "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" bears a lush accompaniment and utterly miserable lyric, while the chiming, heavenly atmosphere of "The Boy With A Thorn In His Side," as convincing an ode to the sensitive outcast as has ever been penned. "Bigmouth Strikes Again," the album's most recognizable tune, is a dizzying adrenaline rush. And the upbeat tunesmanship of Marr was never in sharper contrast with Morrissey's lyrical ire than on the bouncy, wistful "Cemetry Gates." (Marr, Mozz, Rourke, Joyce)

Manic Street Preachers - This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours

At the time of its release in 1998, This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours was the Manics' most commercially successful album to date. It included the singles "Tsunami," the brilliantly unwieldy "If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next," and the soaring "You Stole the Sun From My Heart." Despite its success, this album remains true to the anarcho-punk socialist ethic, as the song titles "If You Tolerateà" and "I'm Not Working" indicate. Combining trademark social critique and despair with an equally typical high quality of songwriting, there is plenty here to occupy the discerning listener, and though "mature" can often denote a kind of mixed praise, this album could be described as such, in only the most positive way. Songs are more varied and melodic than those of previous albums, making This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours more accessible, but without sacrificing any of the band's searing intelligence and passion. One can only be thankful that the Manics did not keep their promise to do just one album and then disappear.(Tsunami, Tsunami...)

Mogwai - Rock Action

From the opening static surge of "Sine Wave" to the majestic closer "Secret Pint," Rock Action is Mogwai at its best. For this 2001 album, the Scottish post-rock band reigns in much of the bombast of earlier recordings, opting for melody and texture over all else. Guitarist Stuart Braithwaite contributes more vocals than ever before, though they're often hushed or heavily treated, and Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys lends his voice to the haunting "Dial: Revenge." While the ominous, amped-up "You Don't Know Jesus" is the closest that the record comes to living up to its cheeky title, Rock Action's true highlight is the gorgeously chiming nine-minute mini-epic "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong." Throughout the album, Dave Fridmann's sterling production calls attention to the dynamic arrangements, allowing fascinating sonic elements (including strings and horns) to emerge from Mogwai's three-guitar/bass/drums lineup. For most Mogwai fans, Rock Action stands as one of the band's finest moments, and for newcomers, it's an excellent point of departure.(nice band check it out, living waters)

Scissor Sisters - Ta-Dah

The Scissor Sisters' self-titled 2004 debut proved the band to be postmodern recombinant wizards of the first order, mixing the hookiest elements of pop history with tongues planted firmly in cheeks. The group's sophomore effort, Ta-Dah, builds on many of those same references, including flashy glitter-ball disco, accessible 1970s AM pop, glam rock, and almost any artist who has crafted dramatic, danceable jams with a knowing wink. When not mining familiar vibes from the Bee Gees ("I Don't Feel Like Dancin'") and Elton John ("She's My Man"), the Scissor Sisters reference Blondie ("Kiss You Off"), Paul McCartney (the music hall-esque "I Can't Decide"), and Stevie Wonder (on the funky tune titled, ironically, "Paul McCartney"), among others. But it's the way the Sisters throw these elements together that lifts them above jokiness and into the realm of pure, celebratory fun. And it's this--along with the album's sharp sense of craft-- that makes it superior to its predecessor.(She's my Man)

Dead Can Dance - A Passage In Time

Though tracks from most of the band's albums are represented (only those from its 1984 self-titled debut are omitted), the bulk of the tracks appearing here were originally on The Serpent's Egg(1988) and AION (1990). It also features two tracks that were recorded specially for this collection, "Bird" and "Spirit," both of which subsequently turned up on the vinyl version of the band's next studio album, 1993s Into The Labyrinth. Among this collection's standouts are "Saltarello," which was adapted from a 14th-century piece of Italian dance music and played on bagpipes, drums, and tambourine; "The Host of Seraphim," with hyper-sustained organ notes under a spectacularly echoed vocal by Lisa Gerrard; and "Enigma of the Absolute," featuring one of the best examples of Brendan Perry's genuinely affecting vocals along with a tempered, pulsing percussive line. A Passage In Time is an excellent place to examine Dead Can Dance, though it really only scratches the surface of this band's fascinating cannon. (A Passage In Time)