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.
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS: Mass Romantic (2000, ***)
A six-piece driving garage act, the New Pornographers get the most indie press mileage, and probably sales, from Neko Case, who sings lead and background vocals on several songs. Certainly an entertaining album, but one without many memorable hooks.
NICO: Chelsea Girl (1967, ****)
Beautiful music sung with unbelievable power and passion. Featuring material written by her friends in the Velvet Underground and her lover Jackson Browne, this is bleak, powerful material.
NICO: Do or Die - Diary 1982 (1982, ***)
This collection of live tracks was originally issued by ROIR shortly after Nico completed a poorly-received tour of Europe along with the prog band Magma. ROIR, a New York-based indie which I don't believe ever released anything on vinyl, did a shoddy job with the packaging, with no documentation of dates and confusing information on the musicians, who varied from show to show. The CD, issued in 2000, does not correct the shoddy packaging. Nico's performances are extremely uneven, probably having something to do with the amount of smack and cough syrup imbibed before each gig. "Janitor of Lunacy" and "No One is There" are astonishingly bleak and eerie. Unfortunately, a passionless, bored rumble through Bowie's "Heroes" is embarassing, and she can't even bring a glimmer of life to the Velvets' standard "Waiting for the Man." This album is for fans only.
NICO: The Classic Years (1998, ****)
This is a compilation that features her debut single, three Velvet Underground tracks (including the rare, inferior single mix of "All Tomorrow's Parties") and 14 songs from her first four albums, including the spectacular "Fairest of the Seasons" and "Janitor of Lunacy." Her cover of the Doors' "The End" is a harrowing experience, and it squashes the original like a grape.
GARY NUMAN: Selection (1990, ***)
In 1987, Beggars Banquet had released Exhibition, a 2CD retrospective of one-time hitmaker Gary Numan. Known principally in the USA for his one-off top ten "Cars," his brand of alienated, disaffected synth-kraft had actually been much more successful in England, with seven top 10 hits between 1979 and 1982. Selection was a low-priced mini CD released three years after Exhibition, which is a darn odd way to promote an album. Four of its six songs were among his run of smashes. It also includes "Down in the Park," an early chart miss, and "Music for Chameleons," which made #19. It's not a bad introduction, since it's kept so simple, but considering its abbreviated length (about 25 minutes), it isn't worth buying for more than a few dollars.