1993

"Frosting on the Beater" is an album that redefined power pop. Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow's uncanny songwriting skills are augmented by the crashing drums of future FASTBACKS stickman Mike Musberger and loads of half-baked guitar madness. "Solar Sister" and "Earlier Than Expected" blend the addictive hooks of THE HOLLIES with the crashing, stinging energy of HÜSKER DÜ, while the dark, sprawling clatter of "How She Lied By Living" pitts Musberger's impeccable grooves against Auer's Chilton-inspired melodic meandering. The disc is as bittersweet as it is addictive, and fuses elements of dischord and impeccable melody that create unrivaled beauty in their refusal to come to terms with one another.

The hellish guitar tone of ENTOMBED's "Wolverine Blues" record is a peak for needle-burying metal riffage. Alex Hellid's murky, cinderblock-to-the-skull tone, seasoned with blues rock turnarounds have made this disc one of those metal albums that never seems to sound "out of date". Check out the crackling, campfire riff about 15 secs into "Hollow Man" for an example of why this album still smokes over ten years after its original release.

Picks of the litter, 1993: