With their second record, Candycoatedwaterdrops, Plumb makes a move to expand its fan base and it works. There's not much that is different with their music, other than presentation. Candycoatedwaterdrops has the same core values as their debut -- it's still essentially adult alternative pop/rock, heavy on jangles and sweet melodies -- but the production is fleshed out. Instead of relying on synthesizers, there is a real rhythm section and orchestra on the record, which makes the music feel organi...   [ read more ]

CD $11.38

Toad the Wet Sprocket was among the best and most popular of the adult alternative pop/rockers of the early '90s. They harnessed R.E.M.'s jangle pop, smoothed it out, and turned it into something pretty, melodic, and accessible to a wide audience. Toad the Wet Sprocket never was as idiosyncratic or edgy as R.E.M., so they could reach a totally different audience, comprised equally of politically correct collegiates and housewives. Their third album, Fear, arrived in the late summer of 1991 (...   [ read more ]

CD $7.59

In December 1997, the Gin Blossoms announced their breakup, and the lines of communication were severed so severely that the band didn't realize their former label was assembling a hits collection, Outside Looking In: The Best Of. The album may not have been compiled with the complete authorization of the band, but that doesn't mean it isn't good or useful. Aside from the live version of "Whitewash," a sap to collectors, this is a tight distillation of the band's two A&M albums, noteworthy for ...   [ read more ]

CD $13.25