Neutral Milk Hotel - Everything Is E.P.

"Everything Is was the first recording mass-released by Neutral Milk Hotel, which at this point was largely still an outlet for the songwriting of Jeff Mangum, instead of a fully formed band. The recording was originally the second release on the fledgling Seattle label Cher Doll Records in 1994. The label in the form of a 7", with "Everything Is" as the A side, and "Snow Song, Pt. 1" as the B side. The first 50 7"s pressed also featured different artwork, with each sleeve being personally xeroxed by Mangum. The Cher Doll edition is now out of print, and standard copies can expect to sell for around $20-$30, with the hand-xeroxed version likely to sell for considerably more. The British label Fire Records re-released the record in 1995, on CD and 7", with the 7" retaining the same A and B sides, and the CD version featuring an extra track, "Aunt Eggma Blowtorch", a five minute sound collage by Mangum. Both CD and 7" featured different artwork (which can be seen to the right). The Fire version is also out of print, though not as collectable as the Cher Doll version.

Modest Mouse - Interstate 8

"Interstate 8 is the second out-of-print EP by indie rock band Modest Mouse, released on Up Records in 1996. It contains the band's original demo, Live in Sunburst Montana, which was recorded in Isaac Brock's garage in Issaquah, Washington."

Nirvana - Bleach

With a sludgy, chainsaw guitar sound that owes as much to early Black Sabbath as to Kurt Cobain's heroes The Melvins, whose drummer puts in an appearance here, Nirvana emerges from Seattle's underground scene as standard-bearers of a style that embraces the anger and energy of punk alongside the thick, muddy sonic attack favored by early '70s proto-metal bands. Cobain's lyrics are fueled by outrage and self-loathing, combining literary flair with a direct, visceral quality that makes him a viable candidate for the John-Lennon-of-Gen X award.

Nirvana's debut album showcases what sounds more like a force of nature than a rock band. The unrelenting fervor with which the group delivers these 13 tunes is almost frightening. There is also a strong melodic flair that leavens the ferocity occasionally, hinting at the scope of Cobain's compositional talents. "Love Buzz" and "About A Girl" show off enough pop smarts to make it clear that as strong as Bleach is, Cobain's hiding even more tricks up his sleeve.First CD from Nirvana, recorded for about $600 in a garage. This Sup Pop release includes 'About A Girl', 'Love Buzz', 'Negative Creep' & 10 more tracks.

Interpol - Our Love To Admire

Although many fans have been waiting around for Interpol to replicate the magic of their 2002 debut Turn On The Bright Lights, the band deserves credit for not overtly aping the formula of that album. On 2007's Our Love To Admire, as on the group's sophomore effort Antics, Interpol endeavor to stretch the fabric of their classic 1980s post-punk sound while leaning toward straightforward pop territory. They succeed, to a large degree, thanks to a major label budget (the band moved to Capitol for this release) and a strong batch of material.

None of this is to say that Interpol aren't still rooted in the dark dramatics of Joy Division, the band's primary influence, as the gloomy, churning "Pace is the Trick" and "Wrecking Ball" prove. But the upbeat feel of "The Heinrich Maneuver" and the thumping groove and catchy hooks of "No I in Threesome" show a fresher-faced Interpol, as do the ambitious production flourishes of tunes like opener "Pioneer to the Falls." The album's nicest surprise comes at the end: "The Lighthouse" is a spare, emotionally affecting song, lovely and haunting, illustrating--as the rest of the album does--the band's continued ability to captivate.

Joy Division - Permanent

For those curious about Joy Division, but wary of diving into the double-disc compilation Substance or the band's two outstanding studio albums, the single-disc Permanent provides a strong, representative sampling of the band's songs. These 15 tracks (culled from the studio records and non-album singles) remind listeners that, among other things, Joy Division was a tally of the time in its brilliant presaging of punk's metamorphosis into moody, introspective, synth-tinged dance music.

But Joy Division cannot be reduced to a page in late-1970s history--the group's music sounds as fresh and uncompromising decades later as it did in '79. Led by Ian Curtis's possessed, anguished vocals, the quartet's sound is an intuitive navigation of chaos--propulsive drum lines, angular guitar riffs, and throbbing bass. Though it often seems on the verge of flying apart, the music coalesces in its fierceness and intensity. Permanent covers most of Joy Division's memorable moments--"These Days," "Isolation," "She's Lost Control," "Heart and Soul," "Love Will Tear Us Apart," among others--and reveals a remarkably influential and powerful band. Live Recording

PJ Harvey - The Peel Sessions

Although PJ Harvey has moved far afield musically from the gutsy blend of punky intensity and blues grit that powered her stark debut, DRY, and the equally harsh RID OF ME, the Welsh singer-songwriter always remained fond of that stripped-down sound. On her regular appearances on the late BBC DJ John Peel's show, Harvey always went for a dry, live-in-the-room sound, and so the 12 songs on this set are a testament to the purity of her voice and guitar. Along with familiar tunes like "Water" and "Sheela-Na-Gig," Harvey favors comparative rarities like a sly version of the blues standard "Wang Dang Doodle." This collection also includes the entirety of her October 1991 debut session, which predates her first album by almost a year.

Ash - 1977

On its 1996 debut, the Irish trio Ash offers up an immediately engaging set of energetic punk-pop. Given Green Day's rise to fame in the preceding years, Ash often received comparisons to that American band, but the young group, led by charismatic frontman Tim Wheeler, was more directly influenced by common older sources (as the album title would imply) such as the Buzzcocks and the Ramones.

Largely due to the presence of producer Owen Morris (the Verve, Oasis), Ash also benefited from a Britpop connection, a trait magnified by its playful demeanor (see the fun, martial arts-themed "Kung Fu"), which echoed precursors such as Blur and Supergrass. While the hard-charging, highly melodic single "Girl from Mars" garnered attention on both sides of the pond, it would prove to be Ash's peak of popularity in the U.S., though the U.K. would go on to embrace the ensemble's later, more adventurous sound, which reached full fruition on FREE ALL ANGELS.