CD of the Day: ‘Lost Dogs,’ Pearl Jam (2003)

It took a lot of guts to do this. Pearl Jam could’ve released a one-disc collection of b-sides featuring the best of the rest and made themselves look really good. Critics would have been saying things like “as good as a proper album,” because the top tracks from “Lost Dogs” easily rival Pearl Jam’s best work. Instead, in the band’s typical transparency, they dumped the bathwater and put out two discs worth of unused material. That means each disc isn’t consistently good, but I appreciate them all the more for it.

The two discs are basically split thematically: Disc 1 offers more of the harder, heavier rockers, while Disc 2 is quieter in the main. Both have their gems and clunkers, but I give the edge to Disc 2.

Highlights from this collection are almost too plentiful to mention. Many of them we’d already heard before on scattered releases, such as the majestic “Hard to Imagine,” haunting “Wash” and “Footsteps,” pounding “Alone,” and, of course, the band’s ultimate b-side, “Yellow Ledbetter,” released on the “Jeremy” single back in 1992. “Down” was better than most of the songs included on “Riot Act” but was cut as too upbeat for that downer of a record; “Undone” is another lighter rocker from the same period that suffered a similar fate. The fan-club singles make a nice reappearance here, too, including “Drifting,” “Strangest Tribe,” and “Last Kiss,” the latter a throwaway cover that became the band’s biggest hit.

The most astonishing true surprise is “Sad,” an Eddie Vedder-penned masterpiece that was inexplicably left off “Binaural” and never heard until this release. Other great debuts include “Ten” outtake “Hold On” (were those original sessions amazing or what?), sturdy rocker “All Night,” the contemplative “Education,” and “Fatal,” a dark acoustic gem that is easily one of Stone Gossard’s best songs.

As for the “Lost Dogs” tracks I regularly skip, they’re plentiful, too: “Black Red Yellow,” “Don’t Gimme No Lip,” “Whale Song,” “U,” and, the worst offender, “Sweet Lew,” are not exactly Pearl Jam’s finest moments. But, again, kudos to the band for having the stones to throw a track like “Gremmie Out of Control” on here, too.

Pearl Jam always puts a lot of effort into an album’s artwork, and the liner notes for “Lost Dogs” are a treasure. Not only do we learn which album each song was intended for, but various bandmembers provide commentary for every track, discussing what they like about it or why it was left off or what it means or how it was written. As a sample, here’s Ed’s thoughts on “Education”: “‘I’m a seed, wondering why it grows …’ sums me up.” Or how about this Vedder quip from "Last Kiss": "We've done really well with teenage death songs." Throw in the photo of the band’s tape archive, and “Lost Dogs” features my favorite liner notes in the band’s catalog (yes, besting “Vitalogy”).

So, despite (or because of?) its flaws, “Lost Dogs” in a sense summarizes one of Pearl Jam’s core principles: No use doing something unless you’re gonna do it right.

Grade: B+

Favorite Track: “Sad”

Least Favorite Track: “Sweet Lew”

CD of the Day: ‘Riot Act,’ Pearl Jam (2002)

This is Pearl Jam’s worst record. I don’t see how there could be any debate about it. That’s not to say “Riot Act” is entirely worthless, but it falls short of the band’s standards, for sure.

Let’s start positive, though: “I Am Mine” is a keeper, certainly, as is “Save You,” one of the hardest-rocking songs the band’s ever done. “Can’t Keep” is an effective, if off-kilter, opener, while the experimentation on “You Are” holds promise (if only the lyrics were a bit better). “All or None” is a devastating blues number, and who knew “Arc” would become one of my all-time favorite Pearl Jam songs thanks to Eddie Vedder’s solo concerts from a couple years ago.

The rest, though … yikes. I get that Vedder & Co. were depressed over George W. Bush's presidency, but come on … live a little! “Riot Act” sounds like they all want to just up and kill themselves. Eddie sings in a cotton-mouthed mush for much of the CD, and his lyrics are way too wordy—“Love Boat Captain” and “Thumbing My Way” are just two of the worst examples.

Perhaps, though, he was merely trying to cover for everyone's lack of musical inspiration. “Get Right” and “Cropduster” are easily two of the band’s most boring tracks, while “Green Disease,” “1/2 Full,” and “Bu$hleaguer” are ripoffs of their own previous work (“MFC,” “Red Mosquito,” and “Push Me, Pull Me,” respectively, if you’re wondering). At one point I thought the mediocre “Ghost” was a five-star song simply because it shows a pulse.

As relatively bad as it is compared to the rest of Pearl Jam’s work, “Riot Act” remains listenable because this band is just that good. I return to it now and then for a change of pace, if nothing else. But out of 15 tracks, there’s only one on this record I couldn’t live without.

Grade: C

Favorite Track: “I Am Mine”

Least Favorite Track: Too many to choose

CD of the Day: ‘Binaural,’ Pearl Jam (2000)

“Binaural” is a mess—from the recording method to the sequencing to the songs inexplicably left behind in the studio, you can’t help but wonder … what were they thinking? That it’s still such a good record makes “Binaural” all the more astonishing.

It’s the only Pearl Jam album over-weighted to the back. You don’t hit the first truly great song until the seventh track, “Insignificance,” and then there follows some of the band's best work. “Of the Girl” is an ethereal near-masterpiece; “Grievance” is new drummer Matt Cameron’s first “hello!” moment of his PJ career; “Sleight of Hand” is gargantuan; and “Parting Ways” closes the album with another look back to the Neil Young sessions, a stately, grand track in the vein of “Long Road.” Those five songs stand tall among the entire Pearl Jam songlist.

But what about that first half? The trio of rockers that open the album are OK but should have been broken up and spread throughout the record rather than jammed together—sequencing a CD isn’t the same as crafting a great setlist, as you need more ebbs and flows. “Nothing As It Seems” is so ponderous it’s difficult to get through if I'm not in the right mood, and is Exhibit A in the case against anyone but Eddie Vedder writing Pearl Jam lyrics (an unfortunate trend in this decade). “Light Years” is good but not great, and though “Thin Air” holds tremendous personal significance for me, it crumbles a bit under the pressure of “Binaural’s” oddly paced first half.

If you really want to drive yourself crazy, though, consider the band left off “Sad,” one of the best songs they’ve ever written! Also kicked to the curb: “Fatal,” a darkly majestic track that certainly would have made an indelible impression on this record.

“Binaural” came out in May 2000, a special time when I was making decisions that defined my career and my life as a whole. It also marks the absolute height of my Pearl Jam fandom—I spent my summer with this CD and ended up seeing the band five times in four states during the ensuing tour.

So I will always cherish “Binaural,” even while admitting it was yet another missed opportunity in the alternately fulfilling and frustrating journey of one of my all-time favorite bands. The “Ten” remix from last year was awesome, but this is the album I really wish Pearl Jam would go back and fix.

Grade: B

Favorite Track: “Insignificance”

Least Favorite Track: “Soon Forget”

CD of the Day: ‘Yield,’ Pearl Jam (1998)

There is no conversation about best Pearl Jam songs that doesn’t include “Given to Fly.” From the purity of that opening guitar line (no, I don’t think it sounds like “Going to California”) to the final soaring chorus, this is Pearl Jam. This is who they are, what they are, and why I love them. Everyone shines, but especially Eddie Vedder—one of his career highlights as both a lyricist and a singer. He conveys so much here, even in the simplest non-verbal phrases of “oh … oh.”

“Given to Fly” is one of three tracks on “Yield” that make this one of Pearl Jam’s best albums all by themselves. The other two are wildly different from one another except for they’re written by Stone Gossard. “Do the Evolution” is a “Vitalogy” throwback: a nasty, dirty song where Eddie spits, screams, and howls more than sings. Its swinging riff and beat is the closest Pearl Jam’s ever come to a dance track (Ed did as much onstage back when this song was fresh); it’s an oddball concoction that shouldn’t work but so does because the band treats it seriously, rather than as a joke.

“In Hiding,” meanwhile, is a cousin to “Given to Fly” in its structure, tempo, and general feel. Gossard’s lead riff is as unmistakable as any of his best songs, and Vedder once again makes magic with a melody that fits his iconic voice like a glove (“Yield” may just be his best vocal album, as a whole). Like several PJ tracks before it, “In Hiding” is so good rock radio stations started playing it even though the band never released it as an official single.

With those pillars in place, Pearl Jam just had to go about filling in the gaps, and so they did with a collection of perfectly complementary tracks. “Yield” is so well paced it’s a joy to listen to straight through, ebbing and flowing in all the right spots. Overall it’s one of their more mellow affairs, but don’t tell that to opening rocker “Brain of J.” There are crunchy parts (“No Way,” “Pilate”), tender moments (“Wishlist,” “Lowlight”), and weird-but-not-too-weird tracks (“Push Me, Pull Me” and “Untitled”). “Faithfull” is strangely constructed but somehow still works, while “MFC” has always sounded to me like the gently rolling hills on the cover photo.

“Yield” is a beautiful album, something that can’t be said about any of the band’s other records; one full of rich, warm tones that pull you in rather than pummel you. It is the soundtrack to a good portion of my life and means so much to me that this is by far the most difficult Pearl Jam review I’ve ever written.

So I’ll leave it simply at this:

“Yield” is my favorite Pearl Jam CD.

Grade: A

Favorite Track: “Given to Fly”

Other Favorite Track: “Do the Evolution”

Other Other Favorite Track: “In Hiding”

CD of the Day: ‘No Code,’ Pearl Jam (1996)

Though they don’t often get enough credit for it, drummers do make a difference. At least where Pearl Jam is concerned. This was Jack Irons’ first proper album with the band, and he made an impact on their sound. “Softening” isn’t the right word, but Irons has an warmer, more laid back approach to keeping time—almost like he’s always playing catch-up with the beat instead of keeping it.

His style mellowed the rest of the band out a touch, at a time when they needed it most. “No Code” marks a dramatic shift in tone following their near dissolution during the “Vitalogy” years. This CD, like Irons, is a bit more passive and low key—revving up for big rockers is the exception this time around, not the rule. It’s a more adult-oriented record, too, and marks a turning point in the band’s recording career.

And, thus, like Irons, “No Code” is idiosyncratic. Look no further than opener “Sometimes,” which starts the album much like a PJ concert—quiet but intense, not so much a song as an prologue. The CD really “starts” with the full blast of “Hail Hail,” a sister to “Corduroy” and a surefire concert-hall hit.

From there “No Code” is all over the place. Certainly no one expected the tribal beats of “Who You Are” to anchor the album’s first single; “Lukin” rocks as hard as any PJ song—for all of 62 seconds; “Mankind” features rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard on vocals, the first time Eddie ever stepped away from the mic on an official album; he returns the very next track for “I’m Open,” a … poem? And then the record ends with a country ballad!

For all its oddities, though, “No Code” features some of the best Pearl Jam songs ever written. “Red Mosquito” is a bluesy stunner straight out of the Neil Young School; “Smile” offers a fantastic groove—played, in true “No Code” fashion, on guitar by bassist Jeff Ament in a reversal of roles with Gossard; “Off He Goes” is not just arguably the band’s best acoustic track, but one of their best songs, period; and “Present Tense” will stop you in your tracks with Mike McCready’s minimalist guitar line building to a cathartically explosive minute that’s one of my favorites in the entire catalog. And then there’s the soaring “In My Tree” and its unmistakable Irons drum line that is so good the band still has trouble getting this song right in concert since he left.

“No Code” is a weird record—as weird as “Vitalogy” in its own way, without being so intentional about it. It’s the band’s least “Pearl Jam”-sounding CD. But that’s not a bad thing.

Grade: B+

Favorite Track: “Off He Goes”

Least Favorite Track: “Mankind”

CDs of the Day: ‘Mirrorball’/‘Merkin Ball,’ Pearl Jam & Neil Young (1995)

For a few days in early 1995, Pearl Jam served as Neil Young’s backing band during an impromptu recording session that led to Young’s “Mirrorball” album later that year. The CD is as frustrating as it is fulfilling due to the general lack of Eddie Vedder’s presence, who sings only a couple of verses on the entire album (and “Peace and Love” isn’t even that good).

The CD isn’t bad; the other members of PJ obviously provided Young with a big spark, because these songs come with a big, healthy dose of classic rock. Young’s trademark monster chords are all over the record, and new PJ drummer Jack Irons is on fire behind the kit. Favorite songs include “I’m the Ocean” and “Act of Love.”

But there’s a huge Vedder-sized hole shot through the middle of “Mirrorball.” His lone appearance gives just a hint of what a whole album of trading verses between him and Young could have been.

“Merkin Ball,” perhaps, fulfills a little of that promise. Though Young doesn’t sing any lead on this two-song EP released later in 1995, his fingerprints are all over it and result in two of Pearl Jam’s best songs. “I Got Id” is a stomping rocker in the classic Young tradition, while the elegiac “Long Road” is an arresting ballad—and a beautiful way to start a concert.

‘Mirrorball’

Grade: B-

Favorite Track: “I’m the Ocean”

Least Favorite Track: “What Happened Yesterday”

‘Merkin Ball’

Grade: A

CD of the Day: ‘Vitalogy,’ Pearl Jam (1994)

If “Vs.” was a meaner record than “Ten,” then “Vitalogy” is downright nasty. Harsh. Devoid of all studio sheen. This album is stripped bare to the essentials and, as such, is one of the band’s best-sounding records.

Lyrically “Vitalogy” is unquestionably Eddie Vedder’s best Pearl Jam album. The heart of his tale is “Corduroy,” a song so rich with meaning it’s worthy of an essay all its own. Now a rock star, Vedder’s life had changed violently in the past few years and he’s left wondering if and why this is what he wanted. “You’re finally here and I’m a mess” he howls in the opening line—they could’ve put that on the album cover as a tagline for the whole thing.

At the core of "Vitalogy" is the struggle to retain one's humanity amidst the most trying of times. Music being such a core part of who Vedder is, several of the songs here address his relationship to the art form and the business behind it (“Not For You,” “Spin the Black Circle,” “Satan’s Bed”). But elsewhere he focuses on abusive relationships (“Nothingman,” “Better Man”), and a feeling of being bereft and lost in a new world he doesn’t understand (“Tremor Christ,” “Whipping”). Given the heavy subject matter, it should come as no surprise the songs that bookend this album are about escape (“Last Exit,” “Immortality”).

Vedder’s intense desire to pull back from the crushing weight of superstardom is easy to criticize—isn’t making tons of money and being famous why you get into the business in the first place?—but at least he’s being honest. “Vitalogy” was written at a crucial point in the band’s history, as they were on the verge of dissolving under the pressure. Thus, this is the band’s most personal album and, arguably, their most affecting. There's mercifully little politicking going on here.

It’s not all great, though. Dribbled in between the 10 actual songs on “Vitalogy” are experimental musings that drag it down. After awhile you just start overlooking the noodlings of “Pry, To” and “Aye Davanita”; you chuckle at “Bugs” or skip it altogether; you push stop after “Immortality,” not wading through the dystopian psychobabble of “Hey Foxymophandlemama, That’s Me.” But just because we’ve grown accustomed to ignoring all that filler doesn’t make it go away, and any honest assessment of “Vitalogy” must take into account how much these tracks take away from what could have been Pearl Jam’s best album. Trim all the crap out of this CD and you’re left with … this:

Last Exit

Spin the Black Circle

Not For You

Tremor Christ

Nothingman

Whipping

Corduroy

Satan’s Bed

Better Man

Immortality

Put that playlist on your iTunes and let it run straight through. Wow.

But, intentional or not, those twisty cuts accomplished exactly what Pearl Jam wanted—and needed. “Vitalogy” was the band’s last smash-hit album. They lost a significant number of fans too weirded out by this CD to stick with them any longer. After “Vitalogy,” Pearl Jam became the biggest cult band in the world. They continue to sell out arenas most everywhere they play, but “Vitalogy” let just enough air out of that fame balloon and in so doing kept Pearl Jam from exploding.

That’s worth sacrificing a classic album for, I guess.

Grade: A-

Favorite Track: “Corduroy”

Least Favorite Track: “Hey Foxymophandlemama, That’s Me”

CD of the Day: ‘Vs.,’ Pearl Jam (1993)

In a way, Pearl Jam’s second album set the template for all those that followed. When it’s good, it’s great; when it’s bad, it’s really bad.

Overall, “Vs.” is a much leaner, meaner record than its predecessor “Ten.” Gone are the annoying reverb and other thick-as-mud production mistakes. Gone, too, are the classic-rock guitar solos. This album is sharp and straightforward—right down to the clattering drumsticks at the end of “Rearviewmirror.” While Eddie Vedder’s voice is as powerful as ever, he screams instead of sings in several spots—most notably “Blood”—providing a rawer sound than anything on “Ten.”

Unfortunately, “Vs.” also isn’t as consistently good. Certainly it features some of the band’s best-ever songs, strangely most of them softer tracks such as “Daughter,” “Indifference,” and (though I’ve grown weary of it during concerts) “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.” Taut rockers “Go,” “Animal,” and “Blood” embraced the band’s punk influences more openly than ever and set a high bar for the many PJ songs in this genre to follow. The aforementioned “RVM,” meanwhile, is easily among the band’s top achievements in arena-sized songwriting.

Those are the hits—the misses are glaring: “Glorified G” goes nowhere; “Rats” sounds a little silly after all these years; the juvenile lyrics of “Leash” don’t hold up at all, either; and “Dissident” … I just hate that song. Throw in “W.M.A.,” which always sounded more like an extended improv than an official song, and you’re left with quite a mixed bag.

Of all Pearl Jam’s albums, my opinion on “Vs.” has changed the least over the years. I look forward to hearing some of these songs in concert, but the CD’s flaws mean I rarely listen to the actual disc much anymore.

Grade: B-

Favorite Track: “Indifference”

Least Favorite Track: “Dissident”

CD of the Day: ‘Ten,’ Pearl Jam (1991)

A few months ago I wrote about how some bands work up to their best material, and others give you their best work right away. In Pearl Jam’s case, it was a bit of both.

“Ten” is the sound of … release. These guys had been slogging away at the music business for years—going nowhere—and all of a sudden they got in a room together and their talents complemented one another perfectly, in a way only a select few bands experience. Written in just a few days, the album is like one cathartic anthem broken into 11 parts. It would be more another 15 years before they’d write a collection of songs with such a clear purpose and unified sound.

Strangely enough, “Ten” also sounds like nothing the band’s recorded since. It was a get-to-know-you record, where they sought common ground among a wide array of influences that ended up merging classic rock, metal, and punk into a fusion of what they’d help define as “alternative.” Since this album, the band’s gone beyond their comfort zones to varying levels of success. I get the feeling none of their subsequent CDs have come together nearly as easily or naturally—mostly by design.

I’ve had a twisted relationship with “Ten” not unlike many PJ fans, I imagine. It was the first “alternative” record I ever heard, and, thus, changed my life forever. I listened to it incessantly for a period of time, but familiarity eventually bred a little contempt. Like the band members themselves, I got sick of these songs and convinced myself “Ten” was just, you know, OK.

What a crock. For years I just haven’t wanted to be one of those lame people who say it’s the band’s best album because I felt that somehow demeaned the rest of Pearl Jam’s catalog. But just because I feel they’ve done even better songs since doesn’t mean there’s ever been so many of them on one CD. And it doesn’t mean praise for “Ten” is synonymous with saying it defines Pearl Jam’s sound or the sum total of the band’s legacy—because it definitely does not. If they’d wanted to, they probably could have written 10 more “Tens.” But then they wouldn’t be who they are, and I probably wouldn’t be going to see them again next month. They likely wouldn’t even still be together.

This is a great record. A classic with nary a weak point. While it’s not my personal favorite Pearl Jam release, I can’t objectively point to another one that’s better.

Grade: A

Favorite Track: “Alive”

Other Favorite Track: “Release”

Least Favorite Track: “Deep”

CD of the Day: 13 Days of Pearl Jam

On May 13 I'll attend my 13th Pearl Jam concert. So for the next 13 (week)days, I'm going back through the PJ catalog to get myself ready for the show. Starting with …

‘Temple of the Dog,’ Temple of the Dog (1991)

This one-off album is famous because it features Pearl Jam members before they even were “Pearl Jam”—with Chris Cornell on lead vocals and—in a come-full-circle moment—eventual PJ drummer Matt Cameron (then with Soundgarden). It was released to little fanfare in 1991 but broke huge a year later once Pearl Jam and Soundgarden started dominating modern rock radio.

As famous as it is, I wonder how many fans actually listen to this album all that much anymore. I don’t.

“Temple of the Dog” was recorded quickly in honor of a dead friend, and it’s fascinating to try and pick out the mergent sounds of two iconic bands. In general I’d say this CD leans more toward Soundgarden than Pearl Jam, and not just because Cornell sings lead; “Your Savior,” for instance, is a dead-on Soundgarden cut, while “Say Hello 2 Heaven” features a Mike McCready solo that would fit perfectly on “Ten.” “Pushin’ Forward Back” and “Hunger Strike” are the most equally balanced—no shock, I guess, that these are my two favorites on the disc.

More than anything, though, “Temple of the Dog” is an outpouring of emotion in light of Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood’s death—pain, sadness, anger, mystification. Such a raw undertaking is bound to have some highs and lows.

Let’s start with the best stuff. Of course there’s “Hunger Strike,” the mid-tempo anthem and only track on this disc to feature one Eddie Vedder on lead vocals. The song is an icon of 1990s rock—you know it right from that first guitar melody. Other choice cuts include opener “Say Hello 2 Heaven,” hard-rocking “Pushin’ Forward Back,” and ballad “Times of Trouble” (whose core riff also became PJ’s “Footsteps”). I also like a bit of the bluesy, twangy music on here in “Call Me A Dog” and “All Night Thing.”

My overriding complaint about “Temple of the Dog” is simple: The songs are way too long. The biggest offender is “Reach Down” at more than 11 minutes (!!!), but “Four Walled World” (6:54), “Say Hello 2 Heaven” (6:24), and “Times of Trouble” (5:43) could’ve used some trimming, too. Many of the tracks feel a bit generic, shapeless, and lack focus. Though it’s only 10 cuts long, “TOTD” clocks in at nearly an hour, making a once-through listen tough to survive.

Looking back with the perspective that only two decades can provide, “Temple of the Dog” is an over-praised CD. It’s definitely important to the history of Pearl Jam and worth an occasional listen, but in general the songs here aren’t as exciting as anything the group’s contributing members created in their respective bands.

Grade: B

Favorite Track: “Hunger Strike”

Least Favorite Track: “Wooden Jesus”

CD of the Day: ‘Mission Control,’ The Whigs (2008)

For their second album it’s like the Whigs went through my CD collection and decided to make a best-of compilation in their own words. On “Mission Control,” the Athens, Ga., trio take a whirlwind trip through the past three decades of rock and roll, delivering one of 2008’s best records in the process.

If you don’t like a particular track, just wait about three minutes because one song doesn’t sound anything like any other. It’s an astounding feat for one band to take so many sharp turns in so short a span (the album clocks in at less than 40 minutes) and still make it all work. I don’t pretend to know The Whigs’ actual influences, but here’s what these ears hear:

• “Already Young” is the best arena-ready rocker Pearl Jam never wrote.

• “Right Hand on My Heart” is a soaring drummer’s manifesto reminiscent of the Foo Fighters.

• Lead single “Like a Vibration” hearkens back to the hard-driving passion of Social Distortion.

• “I Never Want to Go Home” evokes the lilting style of Snow Patrol’s “Final Straw.”

• “Hot Bed” recalls the perfect pop/rock pitch captured by the La’s.

• “Production City” plays like an homage to The Clash.

Though not perfect (the twofer of “Sleep Sunshine” and “1,000 Wives” bogs down the middle a bit), “Mission Control” is a deep, wide-ranging rock record with hooks and melodies to spare. It’s one of my favorites in recent memory.

Grade: A-

Favorite Track: “Right Hand on My Heart”

Least Favorite Track: “Sleep Sunshine”

CD of the Day: ‘I and Love and You,’ The Avett Brothers (2009)

I’m not one who usually talks like this, but The Avett Brothers’ music touches—no, check that, grabs—me right in the soul. This album made an instant emotional connection in that way only music you love can. I can’t play these songs loud enough.

It’s their voices, more than anything: These boys’ vocals are pure, bright, strong, crisp, and clear. The harmonies on this, their latest album (and basically every song of theirs I’ve heard) are so pleasing and good it almost hurts. They’re like this century’s country version of Simon and Garfunkel.

I’d heard about them for a while, but I first heard them on the “Ace of Cakes” TV show, of all places. Maybe I’m just a sucker for an edible banjo, but I bought this CD almost immediately after catching their brief performance on that show—a few seconds of footage was all it took. Their sound is rooted firmly in folk, bluegrass, and country, but they wander all over the musical map. At times they remind me of Ryan Adams (“Ten Thousand Words”) or Ben Kweller (“And It Spread”), at others Ben Folds (“The Perfect Space”) or Bruce Hornsby (“Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise”).

The variety of moods, emotions, and styles on this disc is stunning: How they can go from the devastatingly sparse title track to a Barenaked Ladies-esque ditty like “Slight Figure of Speech” is beyond me. They can rave up to a bar-brawling fervor like early Wilco (“Kick Drum Heart”) and then rebound with a quintessential country ballad (“Laundry Room”).

It all works, though, because these two brothers (plus bassist Bob Crawford) can sing. They sing loud and they sing proud, and it’s so good you won’t know whether to smile or cry. Either way, you’ll be doing so with joy.

Grade: A-

Favorite Track: “I and Love and You”

Other Favorite Track: “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise”

Least Favorite Track: “It Goes On and On”

CD of the Day: ‘On How Life Is,’ Macy Gray (1999)

History may remember Macy Gray as little more than a one-hit wonder thanks to “I Try,” but that would be a shame because that song may not even be the best one on her debut album.

Gray shows every side of her personality on this fantastic disc: sultry, strong, street-wise, sensitive … she has it all. The music here demonstrates just as much range, as she fuses funk, soul, R&B, hip-hop, and more—all of it, of course, set off by her iconic frog-in-throat voice.

This is one of those gateway CDs, opening my ears to new types of music outside my traditional favorite genres at the time I picked it up. I can’t say “On How Life Is” led me directly to artists such as Otis Redding, Al Green, and Marvin Gaye, but this album certainly didn’t hurt.

Grade: B+

Favorite Track: “Sex-O-Matic Venus Freak”

Least Favorite Track: “I’ve Committed Murder”

CD of the Day: ‘Incesticide,’ Nirvana (1992)

I’m not a huge Nirvana fan, but a disc like this that’s made me come to respect them so much. It’s obscene that a collection of b-sides, demos, and other castoffs is this good.

“Incesticide” is certainly solid enough to be an official album, even though it isn’t. The title is apt, because most of the tracks here sound like a blending between Nirvana’s second and third albums, with the power of “Nevermind” mixing with the raw-nerve sound of “In Utero.” The disc flies by, with most songs hovering around the two-minute mark. Yet, even a track like “Been a Son” feels like a fully developed effort at just 1:56.

B-side comps often become some of my favorite discs; there’s no pressure or expectations, no dramatic “statement” to be made—just a bunch of songs standing on their own. There’s also no better proof of a band’s caliber than when cuts this good can’t even make the official record. Sure, there are some trouble spots—Kurt Cobain’s caterwaul on “Hairspray Queen” is downright unbearable, for example—but that’s to be expected from a warts-and-all collection like this. Considering the broader context of this collection, a few missteps are easily overlooked.

Grade: B+

Favorite Track: “Been a Son”

Least Favorite Track: “Hairspray Queen”