Ween – The Mollusk – Review

December 1, 1997

The songs are smooth to the point of cheesy. Then slowly light dawned over Marble Head: this is Ween’s ’80s tribute record.

Verbena – Souls for Sale – Review

December 1, 1997

Birmingham, Alabama’s retro/modern garage-rock band conjures lush lo-fi grooves, invokes Stones-like melodies, and fills in the cracks with ambient putty.

Tokyo Trashville! – Review

December 1, 1997

The liner notes to this Tokyo garage rock comp give the impression that the sheer hideousness of the Japanese pop scene inspired most of these bands to form.

The Ska Zone – Review

December 1, 1997

Maybe the underlying theme was the ska twilight zone. Maybe the scary coincidence is that all of these ska bands played sci-fi metal instead of ska.

The Duran Duran Tribute Album – Review

December 1, 1997

Near the end of “Rio,” Goldfinger switches from ska to Dio’s “Rainbow in the Dark,” both in rhythm and vocal melodies, yet keeps the lyrics to “Rio” intact.

Poptopia! ‘70s Power Pop – Review

December 1, 1997

People who like power pop probably like Cheap Trick, but when asked, they say they like Big Star. The bands selected are totally misrepresented here.

The Vibrators – We Vibrate – Review

December 1, 1997

“Baby Baby” and “London Girls,” from this pseudo-greatest hits collection, are straightforward, unabashed love songs, more Dave Clark Five than Buzzcocks.

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