| 1 | Everclear– | American Girl |
| 3:32 | ||
| 2 | Engine Kid– | Breakdown |
| 4:29 | ||
| 3 | Throneberry– | Here Comes My Girl |
| 5:25 | ||
| 4 | Nectarine (2)– | Even The Losers |
| 5:03 | ||
| 5 | Truck Stop Love– | Listen To Her Heart |
| 2:34 | ||
| 6 | Silkworm– | Insider |
| 3:41 | ||
| 7 | Loud Lucy With Louise Post– | Stop Draggin' My Heart Around |
| 4:02 | ||
| 8 | Edsel– | You Got Lucky |
| 5:09 | ||
| 9 | Punchdrunk– | Nightwatchman |
| 4:01 | ||
| 10 | Fig Dish– | Don't Come Around Here No More |
| 5:11 | ||
| 11 | aMiniature– | Century City |
| 3:36 | ||
| 12 | Dexter Methoropham– | Southern Accents |
| 1 | –aMiniature | Physical Climber | |
| 2 | –aMiniature | Towner On The B Side | |
| 3 | –Sister Psychic | Velvet Dog | |
| 4 | –Sister Psychic | Kim The Waitress | |
| 5 | –Swains (2) | Unfulfilled Desire | |
| 6 | –Swains (2) | Streetfighter | |
| 7 | –Smut | Symphony #1 | |
| 8 | –Smut | Goodness, No Grief | |
| 9 | –Crain (2) | Blistering | |
| 10 | –Crain (2) | Hey Cops | |
| 11 | –God And Texas | In The Blast Furnace | |
| 12 | –God And Texas | Bury Magnets | |
| 13 | –The Hang-Ups | Waiting | |
| 14 | –The Hang-Ups | Runway | |
| 15 | –Giant Sand | Bender | |
| 16 | –Giant Sand | Here On The Planet |
| 1 |
|
Physical Climber | 3:58 |
|
| 2 |
|
No Bonds | 3:33 |
|
| 3 |
|
Featurist | 3:23 |
|
| 4 |
|
Weepo | 3:08 |
|
| 5 |
|
Maestro | 1:25 |
|
| 6 |
|
Ovisghian Zodahs In Panoply | 2:43 |
|
| 7 |
|
Towner On The B-side | 3:36 |
|
| 8 |
|
Foreign Room | 2:59 |
|
| 9 |
|
Showdowned | 4:35 |
|
| 10 |
|
Last Night At Sakura's | 3:01 |
|
| 11 |
|
Zero In Trust | 3:40 |
|
| 12 |
|
Hiker Atlas | 4:36 |
| 1 | Godflesh – | 40 Versions | 4:03 | |
| 2 | Lush – | Mannequin | 2:28 | |
| 3 | Resolution – | It's A Boy | 4:21 | |
| 4 | aMiniature – | A Serious Of Snakes | 4:51 | |
| 5 | Kustomized – | A Question Of Degree | 2:44 | |
| 6 | Band Of Susans – | Ahead | 5:14 | |
| 7 | Bark Psychosis – | Three Girl Rhumba | 4:39 | |
| 8 | Ex-Lion Tamers, The – | On Returning | 2:05 | |
| 9 | Spasm (5) – | 12XU | 3:23 | |
| 10 | Fudge Tunnel – | Lowdown | 3:32 | |
| 11 | Laika – | German Shepherds | 4:39 | |
| 12 | Chris Connelly – | A Mutual Friend | 3:40 | |
| 13 | Carl Marks – | Eastern Standard | 2:58 | |
| 14 | Petty Tyrants, The – | Our Swimmer | 3:43 | |
| 15 | Scanner – | Eardrum Buzz | 4:30 | |
| 16 | Polar Bear – | Being Sucked In (Again) | 3:14 | |
| 17 | Lee Ranaldo – | Fragile | 1:04 | |
| 18 | My Bloody Valentine – | Map Ref 41°N 93°W | 4:11 | |
| 19 | Transformer (3) – | Outdoor Miner | 2:30 | |
| 20 | Main – | Used To | 3:45 | |
| 21 | Mike Watt – | The 15th | 3:07 |
| 1 | Skyline | 3:50 |
| 2 | Security From A Stranger | 2:48 |
| 3 | Bassboost | 2:58 |
| 4 | Windskirt | 3:42 |
| 5 | Fake It | 3:07 |
| 6 | Memory Traveler | 2:28 |
| 7 | Frozen | 2:09 |
| 8 | A Ragged Turn | 3:16 |
In the early ’90s, with no warning, San Diego began spewing out an endless supply of high-octane punk bands, most of them following in the footsteps of either Rocket From the Crypt (sloppy, slightly retro garage-rock) or Drive Like Jehu (rhythmically complex prog-punk). From the start, aMINIATURE set its own agenda, with a rhythm section that provided the thump and wallop of traditional hardcore but a guitar sound built on weird tunings, harmonics and melodic dissonance. That’s not to say that Depth Five Rate Six is all noise, it’s just that the quartet continually pushes the envelope on how many different sounds, textures and rhythms can be assimilated into the formerly narrow confines of punk rock. Like vintage Dylan, guitarist/vocalist John Lee’s stream-of-consciousness lyrics rarely make sense on the printed page yet connect emotionally, often punctuated by Christian Hoffman’s scattershot drumbeats that pepper the repetitive, sing-song riffs. Songs like “Towner on the B-Side” and “Showdowned” follow few of the traditional rules of pop music; their anthemic choruses stick in your head anyway. Other bands (like Wire and Superchunk, in different ways) have explored similar territory, but few have succeeded in fusing the excitement and immediacy of hardcore with such adventurous sonic bedlam.
After a lineup shuffle, Murk Time Cruiser finds the band expanding on the ’94 album’s blueprint. New drummer Mark Trombino dominates nearly every track, providing pounding ferocity for emphasis and intricate fills for effect; his doubletracked off-kilter rhythms on “The Prizefighters” are nothing short of amazing, making it seem as if the tape is running backward! Lee continues to explore unusual guitar textures that eschew simple effects like feedback and distortion pedals for unusual fingerings and unexpected chord changes. But no matter how ambitious the music, aMINIATURE remains a punk-rock band at heart. If the ambition is to incite gleeful head-bobbing enthusiasm, the jaunty, exhilarating “He, the Bad Feeler,” “Long Live Soul Miner” and especially “Flux Is Flux” succeed admirably.
| 1 | He, The Bad Feeler | 3:09 |
| 2 | Peddler's Talk | 3:03 |
| 3 | Bored Spy | 3:18 |
| 4 | Maximum Accident | 4:00 |
| 5 | Secret Enemy | 2:46 |
| 6 | The Prizefighters | 2:06 |
| 7 | Signer's Strut | 3:02 |
| 8 | Murk Time Cruiser | 2:08 |
| 9 | Flux Is Flux | 1:47 |
| 10 | Long Live Soul Miner | 4:48 |