1999
The death of Stereo Total's Françoise Cactus in February 2021 marked the end of one of indie pop's most enduring -- and endearing -- outfits. The duo's international pop postmodernism rarely sounded finer than it did on 1999's My Melody: Alongside clever covers of heroes such as Serge Gainsbourg and Pizzicato Five, Stereo Total's original songs pay homage to French pop, Neue Deutsche Welt, and other cult-favorite sounds with boundless charm and enthusiasm.
July, 1996
Once Game Theory's Scott Miller knew he wasn't going to get his well-deserved commercial breakthrough with the Loud Family, he doubled down on their angular melodies, noisy window dressing, and sharp dynamics on their third album, 1996's Interbabe Concern. It's sometimes hard to get through the surface of the music, yet the brilliance of "Don't Respond, She Can Tell," "I'm Not Really a Spring," and "Where They Walk Over Sainte Therese" make the effort worthwhile.
