Stereo/Mono

Like its predecessor, 1999's cruelly overlooked masterpiece Suicaine Gratifaction, Stereo was recorded at Westerberg's Minneapolis home (indeed, the only thing wrong with the album is that Westerberg occasionally overdoes the wilfully amateurish authenticity--a couple of tracks end mid-song because that's where the tape ran out). He was clearly aiming to create something raw and honest, and he's done it: the ballads on Stereo are suitably reflective and lonely, and the punky rave-ups on Mono bristle with the exuberance of a garage rehearsal. --Andrew Mueller