This is a reviews page based on my own collection, which just keeps growing despite itself. If it isn't listed here, it's because I don't own it yet, or I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Also, bother your local "new rock" radio station and make sure they are playing "new rock" and not "I Melt With You," which is not new.

note: entries in red text indicate my pick for the artist's best available album. A gold numeral indicates the POPocalypse winner of the year's best album; second- and third-place winners are in blue. Green lettering indicates an obviously exploitative record company compilation without apparent artist input.

I AM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER: Out of the Loop (2001, ****)
I can picture Vince Clarke getting a copy of this duo's first full-length album on Kindercore Records, listening to Amy Dykes' delightful sing-song voice bopping along over a fast-paced, undulating techno rhythm, and thinking "Dammit, I should have made this record in 1985." This is a bright, wondrous, loveable debut.

THE INNOCENCE MISSION: The Innocence Mission (1989, US #167, ****)
The first time I fell in love, it was with someone a lot like I imagined Karen Peris of the Pennsylvania quartet Innocence Mission to be: vunerable, playful and frilly, with sort of a children's storybook wistfulness about her. Their 1989 debut is ethereal and folksy, full of warmth and joy, with song subjects ranging from sibling rivalry to childhood fears to Christian allegory. MTV gave the video for "Black Sheep Wall" a fair amount of airplay, but the band slid under the media radar afterwards, with only limited success beyond their fan base.

MARK ISHAM: Songs My Children Taught Me (***)
The renowned trumpeter and synth artist creates some elaborate soundscapes to punctuate classic kid's stories like "Thumbelina" and "The Emperor's New Clothes." This is an incredibly charming little album.