Johnny Marr - The Messenger: 7 (B+)

Probably more of an honorable mention, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt because it's Johnny and he deserves it for what is technically his first solo album. I'm reminded of Mick Taylor.

Electronic [Sumner/Marr] - Twisted Tenderness [honorable mention]

:-|

Jinx Lennon - Pet Rent [honorable mention]

:-) [Intermittently extremely irritating and uplifting. Might be a 7 (B+), but # [limited edition (100); import] anyway.] [4 listens - which is not an easy thing to do (it's long)]

Gillian Welch - Revival [honorable mention]

:-)

The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead: 9.5 (high A)

Alanis Morrissette - Under Rug Swept: 8.5 (high A-)

Great album cover.

Alanis Morissette - So-Called Chaos: 8 (A-)

Alanis Morissette - Flavors of Entanglement: 8 (A-)

When people stopped paying attention to her, she turned into a pretty great alt-rocker.

Grandaddy - Signal to Snow Ratio [EP]: 7.5 (high B+)

A couple more songs and this might have been a classic EP - as it is, very short at around 13 minutes. Goes nicely with The Sophtware Slump, with which it was repackaged at one point. I wish I had it in that configuration.

Tegan and Sara - Sainthood: 8 (A-)

Tegan and Sara - Crybaby: 7.5 (high B+)

# [indie/dance pop]

Tegan and Sara - Love You to Death: 8 (A-)

Quasi - American Gong [honorable mention]

:-) [deshelved]

Quasi - Featuring Birds [honorable mention]

:-) [deshelved]

Quasi - Breaking the Balls of History [honorable mention]

:-) [I'm closer to Hull (B-) on this than Christgau (A-). The latter no doubt overrates this band because it's a married couple, and for whatever psychological/philosophical reason he's super into that. Also because it seems to be moderately "political." For me, mostly it just irritates, but it gets an honorable mention because there are moments of transcendence sprinkled throughout which make you temporarily think it's a noise rock tour de force.]

Electronic [Sumner / Marr] - Raise the Pressure: 7 (B+)

Please see review of debut.

Electronic [Sumner / Marr] - Electronic: 7 (B+)

Both this one and Raise the Pressure are OOP. I might try to hunt down used copies but am opting instead for their forthcoming best-of reissue on Rhino.

Aaliyah - Aaliyah: 7 (B+)

Kind of hard not to love the album cover.

Amon Tobin - Supermodified [honorable mention]

:-)

Taana Gardner - Heartbeat 12" [honorable mention]

[I don't normally grade singles, but Christgau gave this one a full A.]

Deftones - White Pony: 7 (B+)

# [metal] I would get this anyway if it were multiplatinum.

Sebadoh - Feel It If You Feel It [honorable mention]

:-) 

Sebadoh - Secret [EP] [honorable mention]

:-)

Taj Mahal - Savoy: 7 (B+)

# [blues? jazz? pop?] [4 listens - downgraded from 7.5 (high B+) on 4th listen]

The Rave-Ups - Town and Country: 7.5 (high B+)

# [country-rock (Christgau calls it that, so I’ll go with it)] [I'm almost certain I have this but can't find it anywhere. Anyway, if I find it one day, I'll keep it.]

Burning Spear - No Destroyer: 7 (B+)

Sounds a little cheesy at first, but it grows on you. Does not appear available on CD.

Kool Keith/Real Bad Man - Serpent: 9.5 (high A-)

Ordered a copy from online merchant MixUnit. They have some terrible reviews, so I might be getting ripped off, but PayPal still contracts with them, and it was only $9 shipped, so I took a chance. Update: It came in after a couple months! Nice. This is a great album.

Clams Casino - Rainforest [EP]: 7.5 (high B+)

# [electronic] [Christgau appears to have logged this as self-titled]

Grandaddy - Sumday [honorable mention]

:-) [4 listens]

Grandaddy - Just Like the Fambly Cat: 7 (B+)

Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump: 7.5 (high B+)

Grandaddy - Under the Western Freeway: 8 (A-)

Ornette Coleman - Friends and Neighbors: Ornette Live at Prince Street: X stars

Not really qualified to rate. Live 1970. I pick him up again with the following year’s Science Fiction.

Carsie Blanton - Wolf: 7 (B+)

 

# [singer-songwriter] I think this is the cover. When you select this on Spotify, it gives you this as the cover of the 7 individual tracks, and then another image of a female face as the cover of the EP. Anyway, 7 tracks in 20:42 and the first one is "Wolf."

Alanis Morissette - Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie: 7 (B+)

That Mexican OT - Lonestar Luchador: 8 (A-)

Digital only

Durutti Column - The Return of the Durutti Column [honorable mention]

:-)

Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R: 8 (A-)

Upped a notch for having the wisdom to use Gene Trautmann on drums.

Surfer Blood - Hourly Haunts [EP] [honorable mention]

:-)

Alice in Chains - Sap [EP] [honorable mention]

:-)

Karate - The Bed Is in the Ocean [honorable mention]

:-)

Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch - Music for the People [honorable mention]

:-)

No Doubt - Return of Saturn [honorable mention]

:-)

Wayne Shorter - Juju: 7.5 (high B+)

# [jazz]

Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk [honorable mention]

:-)

David Murray/Brad Jones/Hamid Drake - Seriana Promethea: 8 (A-)

Murray, with Jones on  bass and Drake on drums. Normally I don't consider myself qualified to rate things like this, but I feel safe aping both Christgau and Hull. I just liked listening to this more than the average jazz album. # [import]

Dinosaur Jr. - Fossils: 8 (A-)

Contains the following:

1. "Little Fury Things" - on You're Living All Over Me, which I have

2. "In a Jar" - on You're Living All Over Me, which I have

3. "Show Me the Way" - very good cover of Frampton song

4. "Freak Scene" - on Bug, which I have

5. "Keep the Glove" - on reissues of Bug, which I don't have (I have the original on SST)

6. "Just Like Heaven" - on Just Like Heaven EP, which I have

7. "Throw Down" - on Just Like Heaven EP, which I have

8. "Chunks" - on Just Like Heaven EP, which I have

So do I spring for a copy for a cover ("Show Me the Way" (3:45)) and one track ("Keep the Glove" (2:47))? Really just the latter, since covers are almost always dispensable. Stay tuned to find out! [Answer: no. I should have bought the reissue of Bug for that track though.]

Dinosaur Jr. - Bug: 7.5 (high B+)

Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me: 7.5 (high B+)

Sebadoh - Soul and Fire [placeholder]

[Not so easy to find. Two versions, CD and 7", with different tracks but both of which appear to contain mainly alternate versions of Bubble & Scrape tracks and/or a Rejects cover.]

Sebadoh - Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock [placeholder]

[Contains tracks from the EPs Rocking the Forest and Sebadoh vs Helmet. Please see separate reviews of those EPs.]

Sebadoh - Sebadoh III: 8.5 (high A-)

I have the reissue version with the extra disc, including the Gimmie Indie Rock EP.

Francis Bebey: African Electronic Music 1975-1982: 7 (B+)

# [electronic; mbira/sanza; import]

Two Fingers [Amon Tobin] - Stunt Rhythms: 7 (B+)

# [electronic]

Lukid - Lonely at the Top: 7 (B+)

# [electronic]

Francis Bebey - Akwaaba: Music for Sanza: 7 (B+)

# [mbira/sanza]

Plug [Luke Vibert] - Drum 'n' Bass for Papa: 7.5 (high B+)

# [electronic] [docked a notch for going on for-f*cking-ever] [also gave a single listen to each of the EPs 1, 2, and 3, which were appended to the reissue of this by Nothing/Interscope -- definitely does not bump it back up to an 8 (A-) by configuring it that way]

The Dandy Warhols - This Machine [honorable mention]

:-)

Noname - Sundial

:-|

Common - Like Water for Chocolate [honorable mention]

:-) [de-shelved] 

Common - Finding Forever [honorable mention]

:-) [de-shelved]

Various - Early Congo Music 1946-1962: First Rumba, to the Real Rumba [placeholder]

Japan-only release, not on streaming services and prohibitively expensive in physical ($45-50 for 2 CDs). If I can ever get to hear it sometime, that would be great.

Andy Fairweather Low - Flang Dang

:-|

Clams Casino - 32 Levels [honorable mention]

:-)