Album: Handwriting

Artist: Rachels

Released: 1995, Southern / Quarterstick

Links: Allmusic, Amazon

Brief Review: ex-Rodan members combine with classical bod's to create original orchestral music (with slighlty understated rock-ist overtones).

Album: The Shape of Punk to Come

Artist: Refused

Released: 1996, Burning Heart / Epitaph

Links: Allmusic, Amazon

Brief Review: I got hooked after hearing / seeing the "New Noise" video. Pretty cool stuff.

Album: Ride

Artist: Today Forever EP

Released: 1988, Sire

Links: Amazon

Brief Review: Not much to say other than I really like the cover art :-)

Album: Ride

Artist: Nowhere

Released: 1995, Sire

Links: Allmusic

Brief Review: Great indie guitar pop. Swirling distorted guitars and dreamy vocals.

Album: Rusty

Artist: Rodan

Released: 1995, Southern / Quarterstick

Links: Allmusic

Brief Review: More exceptional Slint-esque guitar rock (there must be something in the Lousville, Kentucy water supply). Sadly this is their only album but members can be found in June of 44 and the Rachels.

Album: 1000 Hurts

Artist: Shellac

Released: 2000, Touch and Go

Links: Allmusic, Trouserpress

Brief Review: One more time with feeling - definitely a better vibe than the previous Terraform and it has all the trademark Alibini touches to make it great.

Album: At Action Park

Artist: Shellac

Released: 1994, Touch and Go

Links: Allmusic, Trouserpress

Brief Review: Debut album from Steve Albinis new band (engineer to the stars and ring leader of Big Black and the short lived and controverially monikered Rapeman). Actually a bit of a let down after the fantastic singles but still a cut above 90% of the stuff currently clogging record stores.

Album: Skeptics III

Artist: Skeptics

Released: 1988, Flying Nun

Links: Allmusic

Brief Review: Completely brilliant and sadly ignored NZ band. Fusing a pair of drummers to samplers, guitars and otherworldly vocals they sounded completely unlike anything else on the Flying Nun roster. Their best album came shortly after this - 'Amalgam'.

Album: IIIrd Gatekeeper

Artist: Skullflower

Released: 1992, Headdirt

Links: Monotremata

Brief Review: Early guitar 'skronk' - more overly rocky than later releases but still with the distinctive overblown amplifier sound.

Album: Carved into Roses

Artist: Skullflower

Released: 1994, VHF

Links: Monotremata

Brief Review: Skree-tastic. Long drawn out guitar and electronics squal from the usual suspects. The faint of heart should stick with the more rock-oriented early releases or 'Infinityland' - meanwhile everyone should steer clear of 'Argon' which is terrible (IMHO).

Album: Infinityland

Artist: Skullflower

Released: 1995, Headdirt

Links: Monotremata

Brief Review: Possibly the pinnacle for these noise-rock-gods. Guitars that sound like um nothing else - maybe the sound of a sun imploding married to a dirge like beat and occassional vocal howls.

Album: Obsidian Shaking Codex

Artist: Skullflower

Released: 1993, RRR

Links: Monotremata

Brief Review: The tinny 'skree' starts to creep in that finally gets prefect pitch on 'Carved Into Roses' (or any Total album).

Album: Ruins

Artist: Skullflower

Released: 1990, Shock

Links: Monotremata

Brief Review: More early guitar freakery from this trio.

Album: Tweez

Artist: Slint

Released: 1993, Touch and Go

Links: Allmusic, Amazon, Trouserpress

Brief Review: Debut albums are rarely this good. Songs named after their parents. Oddball tempos and time signatures combined with sharp guitars and ubtuse lyrics make for a brilliant album

Album: Goo

Artist: Sonic Youth

Released: 1990, Geffen

Links: Allmusic, Amazon, Trouserpress

Brief Review: Major label debut that melds their space-rock sounds to bite size palatable pop. Pretty cool especially - 'Disapearer' and 'Mote'. Theres also a rather good 'Dirty Boots' EP around from this era as well as the '1991 the Year Punk Broke' movie/video of them touring live + bits of Nirvana, Dinosaur Jnr and Babes in Toyland.