Built to Spill - You in Reverse

Genre indie rock

year: 06 - review: These songs are impressive, but the album really shines on the tracks that boost the tempo. "Conventional Wisdom" is a raging rocker that rides an inspired guitar melody into alt-rock guitar nirvana, sounding like the best tune Dinosaur Jr. never wrote (although those slackers never would have thrown a chamber music-inspired instrumental bridge into the middle of a song before freaking out with an epic solo). "Mess with Time" charges ahead like an angry rhino, kicking up guitar sparks and sounding a lot like classic Wipers in the process. Best of all is the amazing "Goin' Against Your Mind," an almost nine-minute guitar explosion that kicks off the album in breathtaking style. By the time it's through playing, you'll be hard-pressed to imagine a way the rest of the album could stand up to its intensity and drama.

Led Zeppelin - Mothership

year: 07 - review: Though this collection is no substitute for the first six records, MOTHERSHIP succeeds as a greatest hits retrospective on two levels: one, as an introduction for neophytes who want all the band's signature songs, and two, as a sound upgrade for completists. (In fact, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones themselves are all given production credit on these blistering remasters.) While many extraordinary gems--"Going to California," "Battle Of Evermore," and "Your Time Is Gonna Come," among them--are left out, no reasonable Zep head can argue with the cuts that are included, from "Communication Breakdown" and "Black Dog" to "Dancing Days," "Kashmir," and "Achilles' Last Stand." In the end, MOTHERSHIP works as a stirring lecture in Zeppelin 101.