The Official Lenny Kravitz Site
URL: http://www.lennykravitz.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Bonnie J. Burton
Rock and Roll is not dead on the Web and The Official Lenny Kravitz site proves it. Groove to his latest songs or watch snippets of videos and television interviews. Lenny talks about his music, style and family. (His mom was Helen on the television show, The Jeffersons.) The same folks responsible for the Megadeth Arizona site wow Web heads again with the similar eye-boggling graphics and design. BLUE LIGHT
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Jazz Online
URL: http://www.jazzonln.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Since its emergence over 50 years ago, jazz has been perennially hip. Jazz Online is the Web¹s premier entryway into the genre, featuring interviews, biographies, CD Reviews, Xing-streamed radio, and insightful profiles. A recent gem, for example, is a conversation with Ravi Coltrane, who does not want to be known as his father's son. Elegantly designed and knee-deep in information, Jazz Online is the coolest virtual jazz bar on the net.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Res Rocket Surfer
URL: http://www.resrocket.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Res Rocket is the perfect illustration of why the Web excites creative minds; namely, the potential for collaboration between artists around the world. Res Rocket's ingenious software enables users all over the world to jam in real-time as part of the Res Rocket Surfer virtual band. Via real-time MIDI signals, synthesized soundscapes from London can be overlaid on jungle drums from San Francisco, for example, to create true World Music in the Moo-based virtual worlds of RRS. It's free to join, and the only requirement is a desire to be another neuron in this evolving performance of the Third Mind.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Bikini Kill
URL: http://www.columbia.edu/~rli3/music_html/bikini_kill/bikini.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Well, if Blue Grrrl (formerly Net Web site reviewer extraordinaire) were here, she¹d rave about this site¹s adorable riot grrrl qualities, the darling photos of Tobi, Kathi, and Kathleen, and the grrrl manifesto. The Little hearts on a string graphic is super-Rad as well. But Blue Grrrl is at art school, and Shel Kimen is here to satiate the mainstream populous, and guess what? It¹s still a Rad site. Gossip, discography, sound clips, and cool girl links lace this Bikini Kill (grrrl rock non-stars) tribute page with style and thoroughness. It¹s super-duper fresh.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Welcome to Agents Inc. Firefly
URL: http://www.agents-inc.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Ever spent too much time waiting to hear the latest CD at a record store listening booth, only to be disappointed? Firefly can help. It¹s an intelligent agent of sorts designed to categorize your music tastes, then spew recommendations of other artists you might like. You¹re given a list of bands to rate according to what you already know of them, and Firefly stores that in a mega-database. It then searches the database for other people who¹ve entered similar interests, and recommends potential new music for you. It¹s ingenious and surprisingly accurate.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Internet Music Review Service Main Page
URL: http://www.monsterbit.com/IMRS/
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Here¹s another place to check if you¹re not sure what to add to your music collection. The graphics are nice enough and the organization is handled well, considering how much information is stored here. Search for bands you may have heard of and read what others have to say, or browse through the ³what¹s new² section to get some fresh ideas. It¹s got one of those dastardly little ³Point Top 5% of the Web² logos on it, so it¹s apparent that others have also found this site useful.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Welcome to the Metaverse
URL: http://metaverse.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Go, Adam Curry! Though I¹m tempted to slight this site on the premise that Adam Curry is a dweeb, it¹s really a well-designed, thoughtful, comprehensive look at the music industry. Metaverse uses the technology well, and has pages and pages and pages of industry news, gossip (the infamous sleeze report), reviews, events, and so on.... And while the site sports advertising, it¹s for the most part tasteful and unobtrusive. A great site for most modern (alternative, pop, punk, funk, etc.) music fans.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

VIBEonline takes it to the Bridge
URL: http://pathfinder.com/@@rOPfiIGGhAMAQHte/vibe/VibeOnline!.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
What makes the VIBE site the music site of the month? Could it be the ultra-amazing graphics? Maybe it's the astonishing amount of original content, updated WEEKLY. Or maybe it's the level of interactivity it initiates with live chats, reader surveys (of both serious political issues and just-fer-fun follies). No, no, maybe it's the diversity of subject matter. Though mainly musical, VIBE touches a bit on all aspects of entertainment; movies, video and literature. O.K., no, I get it, it's definitely the quality of the reviews section, with a specifically hot Web-site-of-the week review ‹a thorough walk-through of a great online creation. Hmm. Yes. Yes! YES! It is all of these things. In a word (or two), VIBE ROCKS! It's a fantastic companion to the paper zine, in fact, it is definitely as good as the paper zine and one would have to wonder (less the coffee table status quo reasons): Why buy the paper zine at all? Everything you could ever want to know about the VIBE world of rhythm, blues, rap, and traditionally African-American entertainment is wrapped up in a snazzy, I mean super-snazzy, hypertexted format, whenever you want it ‹ for free! Technically, they pull off some nice stunts. The image maps are beautiful, but not server-bogging. The tables are aligned perfectly (no matter what size your browser is). The colors and fonts all work especially well with the overall design (kudos to the artists.) And the CGI scripts (for all that interactive stuff) run superbly. This is no small feat, mind you. I reviewed the December issue of the zine, where I found an outstanding article about the history of black super-heroes (in chronological order complete with cool graphics). The reader survey opinion poll chose the controversial topic of abortion (with a nonpartisan non-bias): Are you pro-life or pro-choice (and why)? And, of course, the feature stories revolved around the year in hip hop, with comprehensive coverage of all the chart stoppers and flavors of the 1995 season ‹ Mariah Carey, Notorius B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, and Adina Howard, to name a few. And there's a compelling interview with anti-rap activist and proclaimed feminist Delores Tucker. (I'd suggest a look at the back issues if you missed this one.) Overall, I find it difficult to understand how anyone wouldn't like this site, even if VIBE isn't your chosen music scene. It's everything a good zine should be, and more.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Welcome to JAZZ Online
URL: http://www.jazzonln.com/JAZZ/
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
This is a GREAT site. It starts with a smashing BANG of colorful graphics, then shoots to an outstanding table of contents. Reviews, news, catalogs, and links line the pages and yikes, you could even register to win a Gibson guitar. (That¹s enough to lure me in...) Did I mention the online live chat rooms, interviews, and intelligent feature articles? Yes, it¹s a definite winner.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

ULURU- Interactive Cyberopera
URL: http://www.orbitex.ch/uluru
Category: Music
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
ULURU is the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock, a massive hunk of sandstone in the Australian desert. It is also the name of this ambitious trek into avant-garde transmedia art. Since the project began several years ago, Austrian-Swiss composer Robert Bachmann has melded minds with musicians, digital artists, dancers, and installation artists to expand this masterpiece into a diverse collection of works. The creation of the ballet, symphony, and the Web site, for example, are part of the performance. ULURU is fractal art, where every element represents the whole. Lose yourself in this beautifully complex system where the process is the product.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Cage on the Internet
URL: http://www.emf.net/~mal/cage.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
The late John Cage is the father of experimental music and possibly the most influential avant-garde artist of the 20th century. Fans and initiates can peruse the massive list of the artist's works on this site. If the fifty or so links to Cage resources aren't enough, ease into "Silence," the anything but quiet John Cage email list. Years ago, performance art queen Laurie Anderson asked Cage if he thought things were getting better or worse. His answer? Things are getting faster. If only he could be online.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Grateful Dead
URL: http://www.dead.net
Category: Music
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Jerry Garcia may be dead, but the Dead is not. The enduring Deadhead subculture thrives on the Web. Cyberspace, after all, is a fine place to communicate with the extended family. Whether you're a fan or not, this page is worth a visit. Read about the new projects of the living band members, give a hearty "hey now" to other fans via a linked IRC channel, and, yes, drop some cash on some Deadwear (no bartering). It¹s good to see that the Heads have a strong online hub for the post-Jerry leg of this long strange trip.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

American Recordings
URL: http://american.recordings.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Miles Orkin
Just like some of the acts on the label, the American Recordings site goes for that lean, mean, dark and evil ambiance. Luckily, lurking behind the black screens and occult iconography are layers of tasty content. Read bios and discographies for every band on the American roster, listen to sound files, view video clips and send e-mail. There's tour info, freebies, a complete American discography, previews of upcoming releases, and even a special section of "stuff that makes you want to puke." Non-label-related levels, such as the Web Wide World of Music and Virus e-zine are equally chock-full of goodness.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Netmix
URL: http://www.netmix.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve LeVine
Stuck in Walla Walla but wish you were wallowing in a New York nightclub, undulating to the latest House riffs?...Point your sound card to the transparent, throbbing, DJ-driven, Netmix site, where an hour of ethereal .ram files await your delight. Really leavens the daily bread, if you know what I mean. Netmix promises a new hour, twice a week, of the latest sounds from unabashedly self-promoting DJ¹s around the world. There's not a lot of variety here, so a quick listen will tell whether these vibes will soothe or grate. Make sure you download Real Audio 2.0 first (link provided).
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

The Velvet Underground
URL: http://spider.media.philips.com/vu/
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
This site is big on information in a straight forward, nonfanatical way. Much of the text is taken from David Fricke's 20-thousand word essay on the history and legacy of the Velvet Underground, which is included with the Peel Slowly and See album. The site includes profiles of the band members and a full discography. Even if you¹re a long time fan of the *Velvet Underground*, this site is useful in exploring the background and the influences that colored their music, and contributed to their lasting impact.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

MusicWest
URL: http://www.musicwest.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
Finally, a music site that focuses on alternative bands and cultural issues while at the same time boasting truly creative design, engaging text, great graphics, and *beaucoup* information. MusicWest appears to have been constructed to mark a interdisciplinary conference that went down in May. However, the conference and its concerns live on in this site covering everything from *No Means No* and *DOA* to censorship issues, methods of taking on the music industry, and links to record labels like C/Z and Wrong Records. Very clever, very insightful, MusicWest is a site I¹ll be revisiting often.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Mr. Nefff¹s Mambo Karaoke Steakhouse
URL: http://www.teleport.com/~zoetek/mambo_karaoke/entrance.html
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: Yes
Author: Patrick Joseph
You want alternative? I¹ll give you alternative. Step into the totally whacked out world of Mr. Arthur Nefff (three f¹s mandatory), a home page so strange that ³strange² isn¹t the word. Erstwhile front man for the Midwestern musical sensation, The Pachinko Playboys, Nefff specializes in a hybridized musical form featuring Latin rhythms with an Eastern twang -- way East, that is, like Tokyo. It¹s a bizarre commingling; East meets West with surprising results. OK, now, don¹t think I¹m not hep to the obvious parody, Nefff¹s fictitious album covers and bogus band history. But while The Pachinko Playboys Record Museum may be nothing more than a stupendous gag, (³By 1969, we had lost our way,² writes Nefff, ³breaking up during the recording of the unreleased ŒLet It Be Bop,¹ which had few, if any, Oriental influences, unless you count the feedback free jazz sitar solo.²) the site is not entirely a joke. Click on ³Japanese Mambo Jukebox² to see what I mean. The bands on this page are for real, honest-to-goodness Japanese mambo ensembles. Download songs from acts with names like *Frank Chickens* and *Shang Shang Typhoon* for a taste of this new genre. I don¹t know about you, pardner, but I kinda like it. Fans of the style (are there any out there?) should follow the link to the excellent *Pizzicato Five* fan page (http://www.clark.net/pub/fan/pizz.html), not to mention the pages, official and otherwise, of various other big name lounge acts: Esquivel being perhaps the best known. As for Mr. Nefff, he¹s an oddball -- a *hen no gaizin*, as they like to say in Nippon -- with an ... ahem ... unique sense of humor. His only real musical sampling on the site is an atonal interpretation of an old pop culture standard. ³Zestfully clean, Zestfully clean,² he croons spastically, ³you¹re not fully clean unless you¹re Zestfully clean.² Now if that¹s not alternative, I don¹t know what is.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

House of Blues
URL: http://hob.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
The House of Blues has become a "Fillmore-esque" concert hall chain of the 90s‹host to the hottest artists from across the musical spectrum. And while an evening at one of the Houses is worth a thousand words, the clubs aren't on every corner. So kudos to the HOB gang for dropping cash on the technology to make their brand, and the music it represents, a worldwide phenomenon. Chats with the likes of Luther Allison and Charlie Musselwhite are frequent, music news is neverending, and the online Real Audio concerts are actually worth tuning into‹Joshua Redmon is always a good listen. As far as the HOB's big-budget design goes: glitzy graphics, Java, and animated GIFs are slick, but‹and I hate to use the Web review cliche‹it all makes for a damned slow download!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

ABBAnatic
URL: http://www.dlc.com/funnyguy/abba.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
What¹s an ABBAnatic? A mental patient who slaves away on a web page about Scandanavia¹s finest pop quartet. Featuring primo graphics, lyrics to all their songs, track listings and cover art to all the albums (including a bunch of bootleg recordings), this site is overwhelmingly comprehensive. Catch up with post-ABBA solo projects including the Broadway flop CHESS which spawned the early 80¹s smash One Night In Bangkok. Even if you hate ABBA and all things Swedish, the site¹s worth visiting for the album art alone.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Bird on a Wire: The Leonard Cohen Home Page
URL: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/cpage/Leonard_Cohen/
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
The Leonard Cohen Home Page looks terrific with Netscape. Like Mr. Cohen, it¹s got professional class in a morass of tired-looking nobodies hurriedly cobbled together. The discography and lyrics are listed by album, complete with scans of the original record¹s art. There are a few articles and interviews to be perused and pointers to choose Lenny-related resources. If you¹re a fan, it¹s an indispensable resource, and if you¹re not, the crooning shots may be worth the visit alone.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

The Byrds
URL: http://www.uark.edu/~kadler/rmcguinn/
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Psychedelic, man! Even though I was through with the 60¹s in the late eighties, this brought me back. A trippy logo dominates this site featuring tons of band photos and album artwork, a few sound files, a giant unformatted USENET FAQ, guitar tab, and the latest news from the band members themselves. Also peruse ³fan memories² of the great times and the concerts they were too drugged out to remember. Visit the ³Folk Den² which has a new unreleased folk song every month available for the download. Maybe these Byrds can sing, but William Shatner still does a better Tambourine Man.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Peeps
URL: http://www.peeps.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Bonnie J. Burton
The Peeps site has nothing to do with those sugar-coated, pastel marshmallow chicks only sold around Easter. Cool, smooth urban sounds are the focus of this Hip-Hop nation spot on the Web. Get get-up-to-date info on BMG artists such as Deborah Cox, R. Kelly, Monica, Notorious B.I.G., Omar, Chantay Savage, Chef Raekwon and TLC. Bios, photos, audio and video files are available on all the bands for a complete multimedia experience.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

THE FLAT EARTH SOCIETY
URL: http://www.tdolby.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
When an artist has personal involvement in the creation of their site the results can be truly magnificent, as in the case of The Flat Earth Society. The paradigm is an exclusive gentlemen¹s club (although anyone can join The Flat Earth Society) with wood paneled walls, big leather chairs, and cigars. The Library section has Thomas Dolby¹s discography, clips from his albums, videos, and song lyrics. The Club Room has an online discussion area, and there¹s a form for sending comments to Thomas Dolby himself.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Virgin Records
URL: http://www.vmg.co.uk/
Category: Music
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
How can a big corporation be as cool as Virgin Records? I thought there was some kind of natural law that makes any large organization impersonal. Sure, a company can start out small, and be really cool, but when it gets successful, and starts to grow, then the money people take over and it loses its soul. I mean, Starbuck¹s probably started out as a funky little neighborhood cafe¹ devoted to serving really tasty coffee, and now it wants world domination. Maybe it has something to do with its British base, but Virgin is different. A long time well respected record producer, it also started an airline that from all reports is one of the most enjoyable on which to travel. And the Virgin Web site is just further proof that this company has a soul. The fact that we categorized the site under music as opposed to corporate says quite a bit. The most complete area of the site is called ³The Raft,² which I guess is supposed to be metaphorically complementary to ³surfin¹ the Internet.² And to get right to the creamy center, the section titled ³Artists on the Raft² is the place to go. 22 bands are hanging out on the ³Raft² with some of the most interesting Web sites I¹ve seen. These are not your standard here are six sound clips and a bio kind of promotional sites. Well a couple of them are, but most show some real creativity, and it looks as if the bands actually got involved in the concept behind the site. For example, the Massive Attack area defies any sort of linear process, being organized on a stream of consciousness principle where your left brain is useless but your right brain is swimming in familiar waters. Images and words with no definite purpose fill the pages, interspersed with links that only take you further into the labyrinth. On the other hand, The Chemical Brothers have strange narratives that tell how they came up with their records. One story, called ³The Chemical Brothers vs. The Boring Brothers² tells how The Chemical Brothers were taken in by a talking daisy that influenced them to stop making cool music. The Smashing Pumpkins area only has links to independently created fan sites because the Virgin site creator thinks the independent¹s did such a great job. That is definitely not typical corporate thinking.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

The George and Ira Gershwin Homepage
URL: http://www.sju.edu/~bs065903/gershwin/homepage.htm
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Lydia Schwartz
For the Gershwin fan, this is the creme de la creme. It¹s a full-on archive that must have taken quite a lot of time to research (I¹m suspecting years of enthusiastic pursuit). Though I am no Gershwin expert, the bundle seems complete, with a listing of plays, film scores, and behemoth discography, all in glowing hypertext format. Plentiful in details and trivia, it even includes some reviews written by the site creator. And, of course, you¹ll find the ubiquitous link page of other Gershwin related sites. Bravo.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

ABBAnatic
URL: http://www.dlc.com/funnyguy/abba.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
What¹s an ABBAnatic? A mental patient who slaves away on a Web page about Scandanavia¹s finest pop quartet. Featuring primo graphics, lyrics to all of ABBA¹s songs, track listings, and cover art to all the albums (including a bunch of bootleg recordings), this site is overwhelmingly comprehensive. Catch up with post-ABBA solo projects, including the Broadway flop CHESS, which spawned the early 80s smash, One Night In Bangkok. Even if you hate ABBA and all things Swedish, the site¹s worth visiting for the album art alone.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

The Byrds
URL: http://www.uark.edu/~kadler/rmcguinn/
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Psychedelic, man! Even though I was through with the 60s in the late eighties, this brought me back. A trippy logo dominates this site, featuring tons of band photos and album artwork, a few sound files, a giant unformatted Usenet FAQ, guitar tab, and the latest news from the band members themselves. Also, peruse ³fan memories² of the great times and the concerts they were too drugged out to remember. Visit the ³Folk Den,² which has a new, unreleased folk song every month available for the download. Maybe these Byrds can sing, but William Shatner still does a better Tambourine Man.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Bob Marley
URL: http://softrax.com/pub/marley/marley.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
With a long and detailed biography of Bob Marley, complemented by beautiful images of the man and his musical family, this page is a finely tuned introduction to the rich culture and teachings that Marley lived, loved, and conveyed through music. The frames are a bit tight, but effective in keeping the hypertext-rich site organized and easily navigable. A worthy tribute, and home to Detroit's Marcus Garvey Records, you can order almost everything you need to get into the Reggae spirit here. Almost everything.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Ubu Web
URL: http://www.dnai.com/~obo/ubu/
Category: Music
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Back when Pere Ubu formed in 1975, "alternative" was synonymous with "weird." This band is still just plain weird. To get an inkling of what I mean, visit Ubu Web, the group's "Avant Garage Online," for release details, deep Ubu history, and "Media Priests of the Big Lie," a trippy narrative by Ubu vocalist, David Thomas. A beautifully designed page, but oddly enough, totally visual. Ubu cites the degradation caused by compression as the main reason for not "downsampling." The second and farther-reaching rationale? "Soon enough you will be living in a world in which all art is nothing but software and no objects have value and no ideas have value."
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Sub Pop
URL: http://www.subpop.com
Category: Music
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Adam Douglas
Few record labels have attained the status of culture. That may be a dubious distinction, but remember, most independent record labels are lucky if they can leak out a few copycat records before filing for bankruptcy, let alone make the Big Time. And to actually be at the forefront of a musical movement, to spawn a new sound,...a culture even? Well, that¹s exactly what Sub Pop did: It was Sub Pop that blew the top off the whole disaffected-white-boys-in-flanel culture of late 80¹s Seattle; Sub Pop that nurtured Soundgarden; Sub Pop that exposed the now-legendary band, Nirvana, to the world. There was a time not long ago when you could hardly walk into a record store without overhearing some long-haired kid talking in reverential tones about ³Sub Pop.² The Seattle label has always been about its bands, first and foremost. The sleeves on the singles reflected that fact: They were homogeneous, featuring a black and white photo of the band in (very) live action -- often tumbling off the stage or onto one another -- with a white bar across the top bearing the the band¹s name, song titles, and the Sub Pop logo. So while the focus was on the group, the sleeve was always instantly recognizable as Sub Pop¹s. And for many music fans, that fact alone made it worth a listen. The Web site, while livelier than those grunge-era sleeves, fulfills the same purpose: focusing on the bands, without letting you forget who is behind them. The deepest section of the site is the discography. You can search for your favorite Sub Pop band by catalog number or band name, or just trawl through the vast sea of bands to see what¹s out there. A quick haul turned up some old favorites (Mudhoney, Tad), some new (Jale, Sunny Day Real Estate), plus a few surprises, mostly in the form of the highly collectible ³Singles Cub² (a 7² record a month ). You can download many of the A-sides (samples or full-length). If you¹ve ever wondered what early Greenriver sounded like, here¹s your chance. The rest of the site is made up of (selected) band histories, including an interesting anecdote about the Rev. Horton Heat, up-to-date tour information, a plethora of photos, and the omnipresent MegaMart, where you can shop for all your favorite Sub Pop merchandise. You can even find out how to book a band or get a job with the label. The site is pleasing to look at, all retro graphics with linoleum-style backgrounds. Like everything Sub Pop does, the pages are economical and unselfconscious. There¹s no attempt to, like, force it down your throat; they know they¹re hip and they¹re mellow about it. So if you haven¹t heard from Sub Pop since the whole grunge thing got out of control, take a look-see. There are loads of great bands at this site just waiting to be discovered. Which is what Sub Pop¹s all about, right? Nothing but great bands. Download one today and see for yourself.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Warner Brothers JazzSpace
URL: http://www.wbjazz.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
Jazz Space, Warner Brothers' self-promoting site, is slick and dense, offering sound bites of more than 50 jazz recording artists. The Pollstar database allows you to track down any one of WB's signees to find out where they¹re appearing live. The Multimedia Catalog offers access to Warner's Jazz-related catalog and lets you hear clips, find videos, and get information about artists. Check out the screensaver and three interactive programs available for download. Lot's to listen to and it¹s just as glossy as you'd expect from a megamedia conglomerate.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Cora Connections
URL: http://www.drive.net/kora.htm
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
The traditional Mandinka musicians of the Gambia, often called *griots* or *jalis*, have long been an integral part of their culture's social events, such as weddings and naming ceremonies. Their storytelling and singing often features the music of the kora, a twenty string wooden instrument similar to the sitaar or the harp. These wonderfully illustrated pages contextualize the kora within the cultural realities of West Africa, thereby imparting history along with pitch notations and virtual visits among master musicians. Downloadable sound files of Alhaji Bai Konte, for instance, are a tantalizing introduction to the instrument.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Cybergrass
URL: http://www.banjo.com/BG/
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
In case you didn't guess from the domain name, Cybergrass is a Web 'zine about Bluegrass music. But more than just a magazine, Cybergrass is a Bluegrass clearinghouse‹with classifieds, MIDI files, festival listings, and suggested reading lists. Meanwhile, the usual 'zine content of show reviews, editorials, and artists profiles are all written in a conversational, unpretentious tone that is, well, downright folksy. Serious fans should also check out the list of Bluegrass Associations to find a partner‹it takes two to tango, after all, when you're playing Dueling Banjos.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Street Justice
URL: http://www.oslonett.no/~gatasp/gpe.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Gatas Parliament is the Norwegian Communist rap group that makes up 67% of the funk in that country, and 100% of this Web site. Even though the bulk of it is in indecipherable Norwegian, there¹s enough English to understand what¹s going on. Read (what you can) of their bios. Don¹t they look cute? Sure, these young Red Shirts may want to overthrow their parents capitalist agenda, but that doesn¹t stop them from Rockin¹!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Gordon Lightfoot
URL: http://www.mmlc.nwu.edu/~mfifer/lightfoot/index.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Hotfoot it over to the Gordon Lightfoot page where you can get a fanciful band biography, up-to-date tour information, a decent discography, guitar tab, and links-a-plenty to outside Gordon-sites. The ³band² area contains separate pages for each band member detailing their vital stats and outside interests and hobbies. A sort of Rock & Roll resume. The ³You and the Gord² area is filled with user-submitted pictures of Gordy and themselves throughout the ages. And age they have. While not the prettiest or most comprehensive fan resource, it functions and has funny pictures to boot.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Hieroglyphics Music Promotions
URL: http://www.webcom.com/~stinke/
Category: Music
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Bonnie J. Burton
Archeologists study hieroglyphics to learn about the past, music lovers visit Hieroglyphics Music Promotion to learn about the future sounds of Hip-Hop. For a small fee, musicians can sell their demos and mix tapes on this site or download sound clips of albums before buying them. However, for a site named after important drawings, Hieroglyphics Music Promotion’s space online has limited graphics, even with the snazzy Java zipper at the beginning.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

MUSICIAN.COM
URL: http://www.musician.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Bonnie J. Burton
Missing a tuba player for your punk band? MUSICIAN.COM has a free musician search for traditional and not-so-typical artists. The real attraction here is the Hollywood Rock Walk Museum online archive where visitors can see photos of B.B King’s favorite guitar "Lucille" and the famous Star Boots from leader singer of KISS, Paul Stanley. Most of the site contains advertisements selling vintage guitars and equipment. Read articles on the featured artist of the month in Cyber Folio. For additional music-related site surfing, go to the Music Link Central section.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

BMG Classics World
URL: http://classicalmus.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Classification is one problem that faces us reviewers, and in this case it was whether to put this site in Music or Shopping. Classical music is a bit harder to get a handle on than pop music because if you hear a poor performance of the greatest composition, it¹s not going to sound very good. Classics World, however, has enough information to help the novice get an appreciation of classical music. Then, of course, there¹s the easily accessible BMG catalog where you can buy the music.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Pizzicato Five fan page
URL: http://www.clark.net/pub/fan/pizz.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
While this isn¹t a huge fan site with magazine articles and album reviews, it is very well-designed and generally has a very solid feel. The content is basic stuff, such as a discography, Pizzicato Five timeline, pictures, and sound clips. Considering that most of their albums are hard to get in America, the discography is rare information, if not immediately useful. I¹ve never seen a site that didn¹t use backgrounds and still looked this good. The secret seems to be good, well-placed graphics.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

10 Things Jesus Wants You to Know
URL: http://weber.u.washington.edu/~ten/
Category: Music
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Not a bible-bouncer's home page, but a rad Washington-based punk 'zine. The list of upcoming shows in the Pacific Northwest, including basement and garage gigs, makes me yearn for the pit, while interviews with the Jesus Lizard, The Melvins, and Ward beckon me to the record store. With 10 Things' fresh design, clear navigation, and fine 'zine-quality writing, hardcore indie music fans couldn't ask for more. As punk continues to be pulled into the mainstream, this 'zine is one to watch.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Sonic State
URL: http://www.sonicstate.com
Category: Music
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
With a fine British sense of streetwise humor a la the New Music Express, Sonic State is something of a cross between a hip music fan 'zine and an irreverent industry resource. Much fun is the directory to rock and roll hotels, from the Chelsea to the Chateau Marmont and across the world. Big Wig wanna-bes will also enjoy determining the fate of rising (or falling) acts in the "Let's Play A & R Game." MTV Online should take a look at this site. A close look.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

8-Track Heaven
URL: http://pobox.com/~abbot/8track
Category: Music
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Browsing the Web can be a personally broadening experience, exposing one to art, literature, and cultures. Sometimes it just gets weird. Not many people realize that a sizable group in the U.S. is devoted to collecting 8-track tapes, but at the 8-Track Heaven Web site, the extent of this mania becomes apparent. There are tips on maintaining tapes and players, articles about the history of the 8-track, and the special relationship between cars and 8-tracks. The site is organized along the same principle as an 8-track tape index, demonstrating excellent consistency with the subject matter.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Richard Wagner Archive
URL: http://www.utu.fi/~hansalmi/wagner/
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Wagner, underscorer of weddings and formal gala events, is alive and well in cyberspace. Though this site tries one¹s patience with its slow server and too-heavy graphics, it¹s well-informed and thorough. Quotations, critical essays (by the site creator and others), a biography, and, of course, a complete discography provide this site with the necessary components of any ³fan page.² If you can wait for the pages to load (hint ‹ turn off the auto-load images on your browser), it¹s worth it. Some of the pages load first in Finnish, though they¹re all also available in English.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Ceolas Celtic Music Archive
URL: http://celtic.stanford.edu/ceolas.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
While it doesn¹t *look* particularly inspiring, The Celtic Music Archive certainly delivers content. You¹ll find everything from song lyrics and artists, to basic information about instruments used in Celtic music. There¹s also a semi-current listing of Celtic-related events and concerts organized by geography and by performer.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Street Justice
URL: http://www.oslonett.no/~gatasp/gpe.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Gatas Parliament is the Norwegian Communist rap group that makes up 67 percent of the funk in that country, and 100 percent of this Web site. Even though the bulk of it is in indecipherable Norwegian, there¹s enough English to let you understand what¹s going on. Read (what you can) of their bios. Don¹t they look cute? Sure, these young Red Shirts may want to overthrow their parents capitalist agenda, but that doesn¹t stop them from Rockin¹!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Gordon Lightfoot
URL: http://www.mmlc.nwu.edu/~mfifer/lightfoot/index.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Hotfoot it over to the Gordon Lightfoot page, where you can get a fanciful band biography, up-to-date tour information, a decent discography, guitar tab, and links-a-plenty to outside Gordon-sites. The ³band² area contains separate pages for each band member detailing their vital stats and outside interests and hobbies. A sort of Rock & Roll resume. The ³You and the Gord² area is filled with user-submitted pictures of Gordy and themselves throughout the ages. And age they have. While not the prettiest or most comprehensive fan resource, it functions and has funny pictures to boot.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Original Roughstock
URL: http://www.ossinc.net/roughstock/
Category: Music
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
I enjoy country music. And before you start making jokes about ten gallon hats and Garth Brooks, you better check out this site. Country-western is as much a subculture as punk rock or hip-hop. In fact, judging from this site it might even be more interesting. Alphabetized images and info about rodeos, Willie Nelson, Clint Black, and a multitude of other country fixtures make me want to buy some boot-cut Wranglers and become a ranch hand. As you read the History of Country Music you too will learn that there¹s a lot of heart and soul in this oft-joked about lifestyle, even if Garth is affiliated.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Addicted To Noise
URL: http://www.addict.com/issues/2.06/html/hifi/
Category: Music
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Miles Orkin
Addicted To Noise sports all the trappings of a successful rock and roll e-zine: in-depth features, up-to-date music biz news, record reviews, columns, chat, sound files and photos, all held together by a vivid, eye-catching graphical interface (rock poster madman Frank Kozik helped with the latest redesign). Unfortunately, ATN comes up short in the personality department. The articles tend to be a bit bland, low on attitude and incisiveness, and occasionally emit recycled-press-release fumes. It's a worthwhile stop for surfers seeking the sonic scoop, but don't expect to become addicted to Addicted to Noise.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Roots of Lounge
URL: http://www.gonix.com:80/rol/
Category: Music
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Daniel Alarcon
For a little historical context to the furor over ³smooth jazz², look no farther than the Roots of Lounge home page. So retro, it¹s the next thing, this site offers a long look at ³highly orchestrated instrumental pop music,² ³the sound track to suburbia,² tracing its evolution from the swing period to its heyday in the late 50¹s and early 60¹s. The treatment is largely tongue-in-cheek; with links to the ³History of Muzak² and the ³TV Themes Home page,² Lounge is sufficiently camp to satisfy even this musical snob. The ³Lounge/Not lounge² (Athens-Lounge, Sparta-Not Lounge) bit is just too funny, as are the reviews of suggested listening. The jazz link is no good, but then again, jazz is real music.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Brazil Online
URL: http://brazilonline.com/music.html
Category: Music
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
This is a comprehensive site covering all angles of Brazilian music in depth, and some international sounds as well. There are literally hundreds of sound bites, discographies for various artists, and histories of different musical movements. "Images of Brazilian Music" is a vivid photographic exhibit by Mario Luiz featuring key Brazilian musicians, composers, and vocalists. You can get the lowdown on Samba, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, etc. A must for Brazilian music novices and aficionados alike.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Harmony Central
URL: http://harmony-central.mit.edu
Category: Music
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
Harmony Central is an extremely effective clearinghouse of information for musicians. Get the scoop on bass lessons, MIDI explanations, new music-related software, or browse the classifieds. The information in this site is truly exhaustive, including a Band Page that will link you to sites for everything from getting gigs and copyrighting songs to silk-screening T-shirts and building your own studio. Scott Lehman, the erstwhile musician who runs the show here, was inspired by the sheer magnitude of music-related information on the Internet to start Central Harmony. He's accomplished no mean feat by pulling it all together. A little sticky on the download, but worth the patience.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Theremin Home Page
URL: http://www.Nashville.Net/~theremin/
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
Invented by Leon Theremin in 1918 and credited with being the first "synthesizer," the theremin is played by waving one's hands near two metal antennae: one for pitch, the other for volume. The result is a beguiling elasticity of sound that's been much in vogue of late among experimental musicians. Here, neophytes and adepts alike will find what they're looking for, from theremin ordering information and detailed building schematics to performance schedules and a photo gallery. You can also download sounds, browse a bibliography or join a newsgroup that discusses technique. A visually appealing, informative, one-stop site.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

International Saxophone Home
URL: http://www.saxophone.org/
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
A combination magazine, clearinghouse, and buying guide, the International Saxophone Home Page is *the* most happening place online for horn players. Read an interview with Steve Coleman before trying out "Close Multiphonic Harmonies For Alto Saxophone." Then, click to the "Vintage Saxophone Page" for a history of Selmer Saxophones, or play a game that tests your vintage sax knowledge. Well-maintained with lots of content and no signs of hot air. Or Kenny G.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Buzzcuts
URL: http://www.sunset.net/buzzcuts/
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
I misread the tag line on the home page, "The One Word in Independent Record Reviews Sites," and thought that each review would deliver just one well-chosen word. Now that would be worth something. But alas, Buzzcuts is a basic collection of standard-issue record reviews, all apparently penned by the same indy-rock loving young hand. Don't get me wrong though, some of the writing on Buzzcuts actually demonstrates a modicum of talent. Example from a review of Cub's latest, "Box of Hair": "Cub found the balance. The balance between instrument and lyric, between innocence and aggression. The balance of a great record." Maximum Rock and Roll, hire this hepcat.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
URL: http://www.rockhall.com/index.html
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Hey, Huey Lewis was right! The heart of rock and roll *is* in Cleveland. Or at least this icon to it is. Unfortunately, their Web site just makes me want to take a trip to Cleveland. (I never thought I'd say *that*!) The list of exhibits is alluring and eclectic, from "Good Vibrations: The Making of a Song" to "Video Killed The Radio Star." And let's not forget to take a peek at Janis Joplin's psychedelic Porsche. Perhaps a bit more innovative multimedia would make the Museum's Web site shine‹a Quicktime VR tour and audio files just isn't that exciting! Ultimately though, things like the list of "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" make a virtual visit worthwhile. (Especially before going record shopping.)
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Lupo's Punx Page
URL: http://www.punx.net/lupo
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Punk's not dead after all! Forget the spikes and mohawks because at its core, punk rock is about... rock. And the genre is still alive and thrashing, in backroom bars, basements, and underground clubs around the world. Lupo is a detail-oriented, high school-age punk curator of sorts, collecting links to hardcore acts online, relevant 'zines, and providing an annotated schedule of California punk shows (including a "pit warning" where applicable). Smash it up.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

St. Alphonzo's Pancake Home Page
URL: http://www.wins.uva.nl/~heederik/zappa/
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Don't forget, the word "fan" is short for "fanatic"! Plenty of interviews, sound files, a daily quote, and quips culled from alt.fan.frank-zappa make this the comprehensive home for all children of the Mothers of Invention. The Zappa Discography, with lyrics to more than 450 songs, is perfect to transform your next slumber party into a Zappa sing-a-long. Not enough for you? Well there¹s a lot of surreal, posthumous Zappa stuff floating around the world in the form of radio shows, tribute bands, multimedia installations, and general mayhem. Check this searchable site to find the mayhem nearest you.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Odd Music Page
URL: http://www.amexpub.com/jbatutis/noddmusic/oddmusic.html
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Dorrit Tulane Walsh
If you scour bargain bins for records like, ³The New York Harp Ensemble, Volume II,² you¹ll have a field day here. Webmaster Joe Batutis offers an eclectic collection of ³unusual releases on CD,² that opens with Herb Alpert and closes with British TV themes. In between you¹ll find everything from spoken word artists and sound effects to movie stars singing. Click a tiny CD cover, and you get a mini-description and short sample (.au format). The only thing missing is label info, in case you want to try and track down one of these CDs for your own collection.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Be Happy Or Die
URL: http://www.emba.uvm.edu/~jross/aonhome.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Be Happy or Die is dedicated to the 80¹s techno-pop band, Art of Noise, which is no longer with us. How sad. The discography features album cover art and track listings to most of their stuff. The ³text² section separately features the liner notes to all the albums. The ³images² area is simply a standard directory listing of all the images on the site. Not very helpful. Maybe a class on the Art of Web Design would be more in order.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Beyond Infinite Connections
URL: http://www.eelab.newpaltz.edu/~harple31/pm.dawn/index.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
The Infinite Connection celebrates the magical music of pop stars PM Dawn... and Beyond! The Web site includes a text-heavy discography, lyrics and liner notes to some of the songs, a few pictures, and some information on how to get in contact with the record company. The one unique resource on this page is a set of links to various music charts, like Billboard¹s Top 40 and the Gavin Report, which track PM Dawn¹s success (or lack thereof). Also check out the site¹s news bulletin center to follow the latest news on their DJ who was arrested for having sex with his 14 year-old cousin.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Labyrinth Oz Music Site
URL: http://jeack.apana.org.au/~rexx/
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Personally, I think we have enough unsigned bands in this country, but If you¹re into local bands from Sydney and Melbourne, you¹ll like this site. There are links to information on independent bands including any e-mail addresses or Web pages they might have. The best link they feature is the Rick James Prison Web site which has been keeping him busy. Unfortunately all this information comes with a price: being so far away, it¹s incredibly slow. Save time, turn the graphics off, and read about the band SILVERTHRONE, a SILVERCHAIR knock-off... only these guys are 15!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

NoMeansNo
URL: http://www.musicwest.com/wrong/nomeansno/
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
NoMeansNo claim to have toured the world over since 1981 selling out stadiums and everything, but so does David Haselhoff. There are the usual lyrics, list of tour dates, and a nice set of publicity stills to prop up this otherwise anemic site. I¹m not familiar with this band¹s music and might have liked some sound files or some other content to give me a sense of what they do. I guess if you¹re a fan (and I¹m sure you are) you¹d like this O.K. I just Say No.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Great American Country Home Page
URL: http://www.countrystars.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Bonnie J. Burton
The Great American County Home Page has more information on country musicians than you can shake a fiddle at. Dedicated to bringing fans closer to their favorite country stars, the site is sponsored by the 24-hour country music video network G·A·C Great American Country. Get the latest dirt on Garth Brooks from Katy Bee's Nashville Newsline. Read the history behind every hit maker band from Alabama to Trisha Yearwood. However, the site needs audio and video to really deserve the Patsy Cline seal of approval.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

The very aquatic homepage of Fish Of Death records
URL: http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/square/fh49/fishofdeath/fodindex.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
An incredibly slow server does not necessarily damn a site, especially when it¹s got such a cool name and background. Also, producing such seriously alternative bands as Tiny Buddy and Heavy Into Jeff earns extra points on the cool scale. Frills such as sound clips and band pictures are lacking, which isn¹t going to help marketing at all, but with the speed of this server, I didn¹t really want to take all that time to download a clip. The beauty of Fish of Death is you can order CDs (via an offline order form) directly from them, cutting out the middleman.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Christian Music Online
URL: http://www.cmo.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Even if you're not down with Christianity, gospel and inspirational music can be a fun listen--if it's good. Everybody from traditional religious musicians to singer/songwriter types to Christian rappers (seriously) and Metalheads (swear to God!) are reviewed and represented here. (Don't worry, no Stryper). The writing is fluffy PR-type stuff, the design is kind of bland, but there¹s a lot of information and detailed tour itineraries for Christian music fans. And don't be fooled--there are plenty.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Surfdog
URL: http://www.professionals.com/~surfdog/
Category: Music
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Surfdog is a company producing products for the surfer lifestyle; actual, in-the-ocean type surfing, not via computer. Surfdog doesn¹t sell wet suits or boards, however. Music and clothes that complement the surfer lifestyle are its specialty. The music isn¹t traditional surf music, but a range of Southern California bands that go from rock to reggae. CD¹s by some of the bands can be ordered via the site, and sound clips allow cagey consumers to preview the music. A number of the links didn¹t work but the graphics and organization were nice.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

The Indian Scene Page By Nav
URL: http://www.interlog.com/~nverdi/bhangra.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
India has long been a culture rich with music. Unfortunately, this site is not too rich in content or aesthetics. It takes a stab at informing the curious net surfer about concert events around the world and new Indian music releases. Considering the site attempts to serve a global community but is only a few pages thick, it¹s missing a lot. For someone casually interested in exploring a little more of India¹s music who isn¹t that in touch with the community, it¹s an O.K. site. And the top-10 Bhangra charts are nice.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Be Happy Or Die
URL: http://www.emba.uvm.edu/~jross/aonhome.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Be Happy or Die is dedicated to the 80s techno-pop band, Art of Noise, which is no longer with us. How sad. The discography features album cover art and track listings to most of their stuff. The ³text² section separately features the liner notes to all the albums. The ³images² area is simply a standard directory listing of all the images on the site. Not very helpful. Maybe a class on the Art of Web Design would be more in order.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Beyond Infinite Connections
URL: http://www.eelab.newpaltz.edu/~harple31/pm.dawn/index.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
The Infinite Connection celebrates the magical music of pop stars PM Dawn... and Beyond! The Web site includes a text-heavy discography, lyrics, and liner notes to some of the songs, a few pictures, and some information on how to get in contact with the record company. The one unique resource on this page is a set of links to various music charts, like Billboard¹s Top 40 and the Gavin Report, which track PM Dawn¹s success (or lack thereof). Also check out the site¹s news bulletin center to follow the latest news on their DJ, who was arrested for having sex with his 14-year-old cousin.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Labyrinth Oz Music Site
URL: http://jeack.apana.org.au/~rexx/
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Personally, I think we have enough unsigned bands in this country, but If you¹re into local bands from Sydney and Melbourne, you¹ll like this site. There are links to information on independent bands including any e-mail addresses or Web pages they might have. The best link they feature is the Rick James Prison Web site which has been keeping him busy. Unfortunately, all this information comes with a price: being so far away, it¹s incredibly slow. Save time, turn the graphics off, and read about the band SILVERTHRONE, a SILVERCHAIR knock-off... only these guys are 15!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

NoMeansNo
URL: http://www.musicwest.com/wrong/nomeansno/
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
NoMeansNo claims to have toured the world over since 1981, selling out stadiums and everything, but so does David Haselhoff. There are the usual lyrics, list of tour dates, and a nice set of publicity stills to prop up this otherwise anemic site. I¹m not familiar with this band¹s music and might have liked some sound files or some other content to give me a sense of what they do. I guess if you¹re a fan (and I¹m sure you are) you¹d like this O.K. I just Say No.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Henry Rollins Stuff
URL: http://www.st.nepean.uws.edu.au/~alf/rollins/
Category: Music
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Looks like ol' Hank Rollins has a fan down under -- the University of Western Sidney, to be exact. There's plenty for this student to tell about the thick-necked, Renaissance man of punk. Rollins is not only a singer and writer, but a spoken word comedian for the black leather and combat boot set. Here, you can read reviews of Rollins¹ performances, check out his own sensitive-guy poetry, and groove to audio samples. There're also plenty of Rollins photos.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Genitorturers
URL: http://www.cris.com/~linenoiz/gen.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
A mainstay of the S/M-tinged industrial music scene, Genitorturers are bringing their nipple clamps to the Web. And, it's a slow and painful process (no pun intended!). While the design of their site is clean, the only things that aren't "coming soon" are song lyrics, a few images of Gen herself (nipple clamps intact) and, surprise, surprise, information for ordering merchandise. Seems like the promised song samples and press clips should have been a higher priority than the Genitorturers animated GIF logo, and, for the time being, I¹d say fans are better off staring at a Genitorturers album cover while wearing a corset.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Grand Royal
URL: http://www.southern.com/grandroyal/
Category: Music
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
As any hipster in baggy jeans will tell you, Grand Royal is the umbrella tag for the Beastie Boys' record label and merchandising company. Here, you can check out hip hop vixens, Luscious Jackson, on SNL, sample cuts from the mad DJ Hurricane, and fill your calendar with Grand Royal artist tour dates. With plenty of PR and a lot of annoyingly inane attitude, this site is a sad example of the Beasties selling back the youth culture that spawned them. All that's missing is an official Grand Royal glossary of b-boy speak. You heard the record! You read the "'zine!" You bought the t-shirt! Now, see the Web site!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

WWW Massive!
URL: http://www.boomshaka.com
Category: Music
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Miles Orkin
Jah mon, I and I survive online too! Fans of the Los Angeles-based reggae outfit, Boom Shaka, might already be stoked by the band's online presence, but no craver of Afro-Caribbean grooves should pass up this site. It features a full compliment of band info (tour dates, member profiles, sound files, etc.), plus a Haile Selassie archive and a collection of poetry by Marcus Garvey. Don't miss the links list, which reaches out to a bounty of reggae sites and a plethora of related pages (everything from the Black Panther Coloring Book to Ethiopia Web).
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Chalkhead Records
URL: http://www.chalkhead.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Daniel Alarcon
Chalkhead is the sort of innovative enterprise you would expect on the Information Superhighway. They let you hear singles from bands that you would otherwise have no access to, then they let YOU choose the songs you want on your very own customized compact disc. The page itself is really cool. They go through a lot of trouble to explain their mission, and the sincerity shows right through. Chalkhead also solicits demos, DAT¹s, etc. from bands for possible sale on the Net. Drawbacks: 1) the page is useless without the technology to hear the music 2) Chalkhead deals exclusively with gothic/industrial music. If that¹s your thing, welcome to the cutting edge.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Loud Records
URL: http://www.loud.com/index.html
Category: Music
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
Loud Records' site is as packed and powerful as its recording artists. Covering the New York Hip Hop scene, Loud features the likes of Sadat X, Cella Dwellas, Wu-Tang Clan, and the Alkaholiks. Go to the Open Bar, click on a bottle, and get the appropriate flavor, including sound clips and information about the groups. Links connect you to Peeps Republic and Loud Radio, which features a DJ competition comprised of a series of mixes broadcast every two hours. Strong design and a good bit of information, though not all of the pages are up and running yet.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Queensryche
URL: http://www.cris.com/~marcus44/rych.shtml
Category: Music
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
This fansite is devoted to The Ryche: the myth, the recordings, and what the guy who runs the page thinks of it all. It's dark. It's metallic. And the color scheme and gothic lettering remind me of what someone would spend hours drawing on a pee-chee folder. You say you've been wanting a peek at The Ryche comic book? Ryche pictures to download so you can look at them any time you want? Hankering to enter the CD- ROM world of the Ryche? You wanna read Ryche's Internet magazine? Who'd have figured there were more Ryche-related sites than you could shake a spiked amulet at?
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Hollow Ear
URL: http://www.hear.com/hollow/
Category: Music
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
Defined here as "(1) music and art that defies easy categorizations or quick quips (2) a sideways glance at commercial culture," Hollow Ear fits the bill on both counts, exploring a variety of off-the-beaten-path sounds and ideas. The Sound File delivers clips of music from all over the world, offering up everything from Vietnamese folk to Romanian Gypsy bands. Features include interviews, commentary, poetry, and a regular column from Moscow. Check up on the doings of rebel radio in "Radio Resistor," a section which archives a now defunct publication by the same name and links to various independent radio sites. Eclectic coverage, nice layout, and an interesting angle make this 'zine a good read.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Firefly
URL: http://www.ffly.com
Category: Music
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
Firefly is a software service that matches its members to entertainment recommendations and to each other, according to their interests and tastes. The more information with which you provide your "agent," the more accurate the recommendations sent your way, highlighting music, movies, and members to meet. Only extended usage will determine how valid Firefly's picks are, but there's a lot of info available for immediate access. Enter the name of a band, musician, film, etc. and you'll get a page of information and be asked to rate the subject for Firefly, helping it to better define your tastes. Ultimately, this site will be as interesting as its users. Good design and lots to do.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Sonic Blue Heaven
URL: http://www.netgate.net/~dwpd/nirvana/
Category: Music
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
OK. If you like Nirvana, you will really dig this page. There is an unbelievable amount of mind-numbing trivia here, like why Kurt spelled his name that way or the date he smashed his first guitar. The detail of the research is impressive in itself. But then I wonder....what is a person who compiles thousands of obscure facts about another person like? Or am I just a jaded anti-fan? Features include Nirvana movies, tons of sound bites, and links to other Nirvana pages and Hole sites. Don't know what more a Nirvana fan could ask for.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

NegativWorldWideWebland
URL: http://sunsite.unc.edu/id/negativland/
Category: Music
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jose Alvear
The official rest stop for the part-time "rock" group, Negativland--a band that has been involved in a copyright lawsuit with U2's Island Records. It seems Negativland used a snippet of a U2 song without their permission. Naturally, a legal battle ensued. Island won an out of court settlement, but the band fought back by telling their story through music and through their local radio show in California. In keeping with the anti-copyright theme, there are articles and links to other copyright-related topics and other negative places. Their online store is positively overflowing with goodies--purchase their tapes, CD's, pamphlets, books and more. And yes, audio files are freely available for downloading.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Styx
URL: http://ParadiseTheatre.com
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve LeVine
Party on, Garth, *STYX* are back and taking the 70's into the 90's with their fab Revival page...Yes, on tour again for the thrill of the masses who once rocked to tunes as familiar as,...um...*Come Sail Away*? If you liked them the first time around you may feel a nostalgic warmth for this tour; on the other hand, if those old albums all ended up in Frisbee heaven you can leave this site off your bookmark list. Lots of tour photos all of which could be captioned "See! We're still alive!"
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

tt.net
URL: http://www.tt.net/index.html
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
tt.net is a Minneapolis-based ISP that maintains a large Website catering to the local independent music scene. A straightforward, graphical interface points you to a comprehensive and frequently updated list of local record labels, bands and management services. Labels hosted here include Restless Records, TRG, Atomic Theory and their numerous subsidiaries. Bands range from *The Replacements* to *The Last Poets*, and *Babes in Toyland*. Individual sites typically include press information, sound and video samples, and ordering information. Primarily, this site was built to shift units and is best approached with that in mind. Of the individual nodes, Restless seemed to be the most evolved.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Modified Online
URL: http://www.compulink.co.uk/~modified/
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
Billing itself as an interactive music channel, Modified Online (from a UK media group by the same name) brings live four-track audio mixing to the Internet, offering a menu of various mixes that you can listen to while uploading and modifying your own sounds. If you have Netscape and Shockwave, you¹re invited to enter The Freezer, (³the world's first interactive Web single²) but even appropriately equipped, you might still be out of luck. I consistently got the message, ³Sorry groove cruisers, new Freezer transmissions are temporarily on hold while us hard drinkers are drinking hard in Ibiza.² There are, however, more hotlinks than I¹ve ever seen in one place and a demo of Modified¹s interactive FreQUency CD-ROM.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Steely Dan Internet Resource
URL: http://pages.prodigy.com/steelydan/
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
More than just a fan page, this site is worth visiting even if you¹re not big on the band¹s sound. Though all aspects of Steely Dan¹s world are represented in the manner of discography, photos, history, sound clips, tour schedules (first European shows in 22 years), etc., other areas of the site offer good reading to random passerby. In the Cafe L¹escargot, you¹re given several chat options, a reading room with music-related essays, and links to The Electronic Frontier Foundation (well worth a visit!) and Pathfinder. A nicely designed and comfortable place to spend some time.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

iMusic
URL: http://imusic.com
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
With record reviews, streamed audio, national tour guides, and chat boards devoted to various bands, iMusic gets an "A" for effort. But even all this, plus decent writing, and a few cutesie games featuring images of the stars (Tic Tac Toe with The Presidents of the USA, for instance) isn't enough to bring another music site to the top of the Web's publishing mire. Quaint radio station carryovers, like the trite, Smash It of Trash It! feature leave a bad taste. Still, it¹s one to watch.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Tie-Dyed
URL: http://www.tie-died.com/tied.htm
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Tie-Dyed is the oft-mentioned indy film documentary about Deadhead culture, filmed during the Summer 1994 tour. Whether you loved the Dead, or swerve to hit VW mini-buses, the pop cultural importance of the band and the mad circus that followed them cannot be denied. The Tie-Dyed Web site is, of course, a marketing tool for the film, providing a schedule of showings, reviews, videotape ordering information, and a trailer preview. But the creators have also done a commendable job of sifting through the online noise to provide a few good links to sites related to the Deadhead scene. Not a very compelling film promotion, but the site still piqued my curiosity. And I've never owned a tie-dye.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

The GRAMMY Awards
URL: http://www.grammy.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
By the time you read this, the Grammy Awards will be a glint in the eye of a fickle public. A visit to the Grammy page will yield a big list of who¹s been nominated in every category, from Rock to Classical. There¹s also a mysterious link to a Rock Artist Showcase which never works. A few days from when I am writing this, the site promises to have daily updates and live feeds leading up to the awards. Of course, by the time you read this it¹ll all be moot. My bold prediction for 1996: The Monkees sweep this year¹s awards... again!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Rhino Records
URL: http://cybertimes.com/Rhino/Welcome.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Web sites have made leaps and bounds in design quality from the early days (about 2 years ago) of blue links and blinking text. The current look is slicker, with fonts and graphics seamlessly integrated into the design gestalt. Unfortunately, the Rhino site hasn¹t experienced the same evolution. This is a first-effort catalog of Rhino¹s CD¹s and tapes which doesn¹t really describe the music or performers, nor provide sound clips. And, while the music is for sale, there is no provision for online ordering. Rhino does claim to be working on a real Web site, however.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

The GRAMMY Awards
URL: http://www.grammy.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
By the time you read this, the Grammy Awards will be a glint in the eye of a fickle public. A visit to the Grammy page will yield a big list of who¹s been nominated in every category, from Rock to Classical. There¹s also a mysterious link to a Rock Artist Showcase, which never works. A few days from when I am writing this, the site promises to have daily updates and live feeds leading up to the awards. Of course, by the time you read this, it¹ll all be moot. My bold prediction for 1996: The Monkees sweep this year¹s awards... again!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Net Spew
URL: http://www.netspew.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
NetSpew is the cross-promotional marketing child of Atlantic Records and Michael Wolff & Co. -- the one who brought us the ubiquitous *NetGuide* series of books. Basically, NetSpew packages together the *NetMusic* guide to online music resources, and *Spew+*, an enhanced CD digizine featuring articles about and tracks by (you guessed it!) Atlantic Records artists. My advice? Check out *NetGuide* from the library and skip NetSpew entirely. The site is only good for easy access to the Atlantic Records, Michael Wolff, and Tower Web sites.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Austin Music
URL: http://www.quadralay.com/www/Austin/AustinMusic/AustinMusic.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Miles Orkin
The main focus of this Southern-Fried site is to connect you with the home pages of as many Austin-based bands as possible. Austin has long been known as a hotbed of musical activity, and judging by the number of live links, Austinian rockers are pretty computer-savvy as well. Listings are divided into genre categories for your searching convenience, with a master alphabetical list to boot. If you live in or plan to visit the Austin area, the club listings and musician's resources might come in handy as well.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Classical Net
URL: http://www.classical.net/
Category: Music
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Daniel Alarcon
Purportedly out to help the uninitiated understand the repertoire, Classical Net has its work cut out for it. Smartly designed and organized, Classical Net is both visually pleasing and intellectually satisfying. The Recommended Listening Section is designed to help a listener explore the Western canon, each according to their tastes. Demystifying classical music isn¹t easy, but this site makes great headway. The Classical and Romantic Periods are well covered; while the Modern Music section is very much under construction. Classical Net is soliciting writers to help finish the gargantuan task. Help them out; a resource like this deserves completion.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

NBC Club Noir
URL: http://www.nbc.com/clubnoir/
Category: Music
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Daniel Alarcon
A page that posts such names as Quincy Jones, LL Cool J, and Joshua Redman SHOULD be at the very least decent, but it seems the programmers forgot to put anything of substance behind those links. Lots of teasers announcing chat sessions that already happened. Search for transcripts of those chats and you find the kind of inane discourse in which the questions are longer than the answers (to Ziggy Marley: ³Do you think reggae is political?,² ³Music is music²). I¹ve stepped in puddles with more depth. On the other hand, Club Noir remains the site of choice for that full color photo of Barry White you¹ve been meaning to download.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Cymekebob
URL: http://www.wco.com/~cymekob/
Category: Music
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
Cymekob is a small label specializing in Brazilian fare, and the site is as limited as the label's catalog, which consists of only four offerings. The covers are cool. The recordings run the gamut of Brazilian music from classical instrumentals on McNair and Kobialka to the vintage strings of Grapelli and Thielemans. Cymekob is the home of the IndieNet Music WWW Network, which has four other member labels, to which the site provides links: OZmosis, Lind, Black Tie Records, and Jazz Spheres.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Liquefaction Zone
URL: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/bigtlittlet/Liqui.htm
Category: Music
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
I don't exactly know what this is all about. Links to a Frank Zappa site, Enchanted Corncob Records, iRock, a page for a band called Beer For Dolphins, and other quirky locales. Though it's billed as a music site, there aren't any sound clips involved. Liquefaction Zone seems to be bent towards Zappa/Beefheart fans with lots of wacky aliases and inside information, about what I'm not sure. I found myself in a weird labyrinth where obscure personages with unspecified talents are lauded by other unknowns. Sites like this remind me of showing up at a party where everyone else knows each other. You'll know if the Liquefaction Zone is for you when you arrive.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Vintage Guitar
URL: http://www.vguitar.com
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Daniel Alarcon
There's just something about vintage guitars; maybe its the smooth shine of fine wood, the elegance of an ebony inlay, or the sensuality of the hand-crafted contours that makes men covetous. It's not uncommon to find guitarists in a shop drooling over a vintage spread like seventh grade boys checking out a centerfold. Ah, but how do you translate this beauty to the Web? Not this way. Vintage Guitar, which routinely puts out issues of 200 pages or more, has transferred scarcely a fifth of its archives online. They let you look at the contents, but you can't read anything. They let you glance at a few thumbnail-size guitars, but without the detail, every guitar, no matter how amazing, pretty much looks like any other. I don't want to rely on the caption to tell me what it is; I want to see it! Except for the classifieds (which are extensive and free), there is nothing here that does justice to the instruments or the craftsmen that fashioned them.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Bhangra Radio
URL: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/3050/
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Unless you're from Far East, you probably don't know that Bhangra is "a festive style of dance and music from the Indian province of Punjab." But as any hipster DJ can confirm, the Indian vibe can make a blissful meld with Western drum and bass, reggae, and techno. Along with music charts and an India chat room, Bhangra Radio promises audio samples from the likes of ABC Productions' Dance Mix India compilation. Unfortunately, a text-light music site is only as rich as its sound samples. And these don't work. Get on it, Webmaster! Your audience is listening.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Adam's Audio Archive
URL: http://pagraphics.com/~adam/
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Dorrit Tulane Walsh
I was excited when I first opened this site and found that not only was it OK-looking and speedy, but it featured music samples‹including theme songs from TV shows and movies. But my initial thrill mutated into something between annoyance and shock when I saw his (RealAudio) selections. I¹m guessing Adam is about 14, because TV shows include gems like ³Beverly Hills 90201,² and cartoons; ³Judge Dredd,² begins the list of movies; and the ³Music² section is basically just a tribute to Smashing Pumpkins. The Webmaster gets an ³A² for effort, but‹unless you¹re a teen‹content is ³C-.²
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Wilson and Alroy's Record Reviews
URL: http://student-www.uchicago.edu/users/alr2/WAreview.html
Category: Music
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Dorrit Tulane Walsh
Okay, Wilson and Alroy may be nobodies, but they¹re musicians and that immediately ups their credibility. They review older albums/CDs, and Alroy is a ³stodgy 60s addict,² so there¹s a huge collection of 60s artists included, like the Beatles and the too-often-forgotten Zombies. Reviews vary in detail, but many contain trivia tidbits plus links to other sites on the artist, and should enlighten anyone‹except maybe fellow opinionated rock know-it-alls. Definitely check out the accurate ³60s Rock Overview² and ³20 Essential Rock Records.² My only disappointment was not being able to access the samples from their very own demo tape. AESTHETICS: 3 CONTENT: 3 TECH SAVVY: 2
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

This is Jazz
URL: http://www.sony.com/Music/Legacy/ThisIsJazz/index.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
This Is Jazz, a series of CDs from Sony Music, would do its name justice by introducing another generation to the unrivaled notes of Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, and other legendary players. Each of the initial ten digitally-remastered discs features an informal "best of" selection from the greats by way of introduction to America¹s classical music. The promotional Web site however, offers little more than a track-list for each album and a short bio of the performer. Would-be jazz buffs are advised to pick up the CDs but look elsewhere online for the stories behind the music.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 13

Internet Music World
URL: http://www.mw3.com/imw
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
This is a no-frills zine targeting music-related people who need to stay Web savvy. Articles in the most current issue (Winter 96) run the gamut from *Internet for Dummies*-type explanations to Industry CEOs¹ take on music and the Web. It all seems a little stale. The most dynamic part of the site is its link to Baudway Communications Music Interactive page which makes a more concrete and interesting connection between music technology and its Web applications.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 13

The Black Music Department
URL: http://www.frontiermusic.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Patrick Joseph
The curriculum as designed by Frontier Music is pretty narrow; Black music here means R&B and Rap, period. No jazz, no gospel, no soukous or juju. And despite a purported ³devotion to the development of new music,² the site is just all about selling records, which is fine, except that it comes off a little forced and heavy-handed. The Entertainment 101 section is aimed at insiders, with profiles of recording execs and the like.The graphics are none too dope anywhere on the site and, remarkably -- unless I missed something -- there¹s no sound available. So, unless you¹re an independent record retailer interested in doing business with Frontier, you¹d be wise to point your browser elsewhere.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 13

IUMA Welcome to IUMA
URL: http://www.iuma.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt
Each band in the Internet Underground Music Archives has an entire MPEG-encoded song you can download for free. What a great idea. Cruddy modem users, fear not! They also publish a low-bandwidth version with smaller graphics and have smaller sound samples, too. Requisite photos, bios, lyrics, and lugubrious press releases fill out the rest of each performer's area. Easy-to-use search tools lead you directly to the genre or band you want to hear. And if you have the cash, you can even publish your own song. Something like this service will be the future of music distribution.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 12

8 Bold Souls
URL: http://www.suba.com/~ltipxred/
Category: Music
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
Well, this is apparently intended as a promotional site for an assembly of veteran musicians called *8 Bold Souls*. Technical problems abound and half the souls have their bio pages under construction. I wanted to learn something about Black Herman, ³World¹s Famous Zulu Magician,² who gave *8 Bold Souls* his official endorsement, but, alas, it was not to be. His URL was also not to be found, but maybe that¹s because he¹s currently performing his ³most noted miracle, the Œhuman seed,¹ buried six feet under, deprived of air and dependent on the teachings of the ancient yogis...² I swear I¹m not making any of this up.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 12

Rockweb TM Interactive
URL: http://www.rockweb.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Rockweb has a lot of stuff in it. The good things include the ³House of Boo² (a decent rock zine), lots of Web-based chat rooms dedicated to different bands, some cool graphics, and a moderate collection of RealAudio interviews and songs.The rest of the site feels like a publicists¹ wet-dream. Filled with dry, corporate propaganda, tons of bandwidth-hogging promotional pictures, and hardly any sound samples, Rockweb lacks soul. And, with all this content, there¹s no easy way to navigate. No search engine, no little hints, nothing but a bunch of twisting menus. It¹s all flash, and no ROCK!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 11

Everything But the Girl
URL: http://www.ebtg.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Everything But the Girl is a post-punk duo that¹s been performing since the early 80s. To navigate this site, you click on different backstage passes for entrance to various areas. While this makes for a unique design, it¹s difficult to determine what the ³All-Access² area offers (answer: band bios). There¹s tons of information about the band here, too: in-depth bios, songbooks, photos, tour dates, etc. There¹s even a section I¹ve never seen on any other fan site: a page fetishizing musical instruments, complete with pictures. It¹s only *slightly* creepy.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 11

Michael Nyman
URL: http://www.netpoint.be/abc/music/nyman/
Category: Music
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Who is Michael Nyman? As a film composer, he scored soundtracks for Peter Greenaway¹s films. However, fans will tell you that he¹s a talented performer and musician in his own right. Follow his discography. Read his composer¹s notes. Check out his CD covers. Leave messages for other fans. Be mesmerized by the many photographs of his balding pate. This page looks classier and is better organized than most music fan sites.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 10

Geffen DGC Home Page
URL: http://www.geffen.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Aren¹t you dying for record company information on various Geffen artists like Lisa Loeb, Sonic Youth, and Urge Overkill? Each artist¹s area offers a way-long ³official² biography, a discography, fan club info, pictures, sound files, and video clips. These pages are well-designed with nice graphics that look good despite their small size. However, no matter how good the site looks, it¹s still corporate propaganda. The true masochist can even download the ³official² Geffen newsletter in the oh-so-convenient PDF format ‹ not like they have the money to translate it to HTML.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 10

Global Electronic Music Marketplace
URL: http://192.215.234.100/Flirt/GEMM/gemmlean.c.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
The Global Electronic Music Marketplace is a good idea that fails to deliver. When you connect to its home page, you¹re presented with a form on which you type an artist or band name. When you submit the form, the GEMM server searches its database for related keywords, looking for sale items and related Internet resources. It works... sort of. Many searches of established artists turned up nothing.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 8

RootsWorld Music On The Net
URL: http://www.rootsworld.com/rw/
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
From flute music of the Andes to Mexican polka, RootsWorld is a one-stop shop for information on world music. Extensive artist catalogs, music reviews, recommendations, and many magazine features on the world music scene shape RootsWorld. While the graphics are generally good (I like all the accordions), it does not have many sound samples, nor an easy way to navigate this large site. Still, RootsWorld is fun to browse.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

The CRYPT
URL: http://www.henge.com/~stooge/
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Grrr! White Zombie has been rockin¹ for 10 years, but only recently has the group broken into the mainstream. New and old fans can follow satanically inspired image-maps to band photos, bios, video, sound clips, and a complete discography. The cool cartoony graphics set an edgy tone, and can be easily navigated around by low-bandwith users. Although the site is easy to follow, has lots of good info, and looks cool, it still feels a bit empty. The fan presence is here, but not felt, especially since the letters section was removed due to lack of disk space.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

The Mighty Mighty Homepage
URL: http://www.reptech.com/bosstones/
Category: Music
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Dedicated to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, this site features the usual reviews and tour dates. There¹s also a well-organized discography that features cover art, lyrics, and sound files. The fan confessions I read weren¹t that rabid, though they were revealing. People either complained about skinheads ruining shows, or reminisced about how cool the band was when it played at local schools. All in all, a useful resource for fans, albeit slightly uninspiring.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

They Might Be Giants
URL: http://www.dnai.com/~obo/tmbg/
Category: Music
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
They Might Be Giants is a certifiably weird band. While this site doesn¹t quite capture the group¹s oddness, it does offer cool fan resources: news updates, tour info, links to lyrics, FAQ, FTP archives, and a link to a MUSH that¹s partly modeled on TMBG product. The best part is Dial-A-Song Online. For 10 years, the band has put a recording of demos, new songs and assorted weirdness on a regular phone line that you could call for free in the New York City area. While it¹s less costly to get this from the Web, it does take longer.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

The Alanis Web
URL: http://www.pernet.net/~rbarrow1/alanis.htm
Category: Music
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Alanis Morissette¹s career began long ago ‹ she was the little girl who had slime poured on her head on ³You Can¹t Do That On Television.² Now that show manages these fan pages. You¹ll find her very deep lyrics, a voluminous discography, and an epic bio detailing her long show-biz resumé. And what fan page would be complete without tear-jerking testimonials from obsessive fans? Now get ready for the best feature of the site: You can slime a younger, but still-annoying, Alanis herself. Way cool. Just push a button. Too bad she doesn¹t let them do this to her on MTV.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

Nutra World's Spudland
URL: http://www.nfinity.com/~nutra/spudland.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
When MTV began broadcasting, its only good videos came from a single group: DEVO. Now, even though this new wave institution has disbanded, its presence still haunts pop. As you enter Spudland, a background filled with energy domes (those flower pot hats) protects you from evil. Now you can look at video stills mysteriously arranged to form some sort of indecipherable story. Read weird Devonian writings from the back of a bootleg album. Feed your DEVO fix with cheap, post-industrial garbage. This site could have weightier content. It could have flashier design. It could be weirder. But it¹s DEVO.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

Andrew Lloyd Webber Online
URL: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~smfriedm/alw.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
You can¹t walk 10 feet out of Times Square without bumping into one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-running Broadway hits, like ³Cats,² or ³Phantom of the Opera.² Comprehensive and nicely organized, this fan-oriented page will point you to other Internet resources containing biographical data, show lyrics, tour dates, places to book tickets, and even a script to ³Sunset Boulevard² translated into Dutch. The ³Phantom² MIDI file I downloaded set the appropriate mood and, as a bonus, woke up the baby who has the misfortune of living next door to me.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Pat Benatar Online Fan Club Home Page Unofficial
URL: http://www.southwind.net/~jcross/benatar/
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Pat Benatar, Queen of Rock, has been belting out hits since the late 70s, winning four Grammy¹s in the process. Her fans have dedicated this shrine on the Web. See her high school yearbook photo, read her bio, follow her touring schedule, and find out what the media has to say about her summer tour with REO Speedwagon and Fleetwood Mac. The real treat, though, is to read what the fans themselves have to say. Read how Pat turned their empty lives around through music! Their love is no battlefield.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

the ultimate band list
URL: http://american.recordings.com/wwwofmusic/ubl/ubl.shtml
Category: Music
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
What the Ultimate Band List lacks in visual slickness is more than made up for in true functionality. Want to know something about your favorite band? Use the handy search tools to find a band¹s listing of links to related newsgroups, mail lists, related Web pages, sites with lyrics, song files, and even guitar tab for the budding musician! You can even add links to material yourself. This isn¹t publicity-inspired hype, but a real tool. The only problem I encountered was that many promising links turned out to be dead ends.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Mazzy Star Spectacle
URL: http://www.unc.edu/~hondo/mazzy.html
Category: Music
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
At first, the Mazzy Star Spectacle isn¹t much to behold. The colorful design is dominated by a huge, washed-out image map of singer Hope Sandoval. If half the size, Hope¹s image would still take forever to download. Then there¹s song lyrics, a discography, a reprinted interview from *Rolling Stone*, and audio clips. The best area, by far, is the photo page. These expandable .GIF thumbnails feature Hope in all her attractive glory. The site¹s creator even posted a photo of her with him ‹ and I¹m not jealous at all.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Welcome to the Rykoverse
URL: http://www.rykodisc.com/
Category: Music
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
If it¹s rock, reggae, rap, funk, folk, jazz or world music, Rykodisc releases it. Rykodisc is a specialty label known for its Zappa and Bowie reissues, and even a few new acts, like Sugar and Morphine. Each artist has an area with the usual corporate info and links to other resources. You¹ll also find cool stuff like Zappa screensavers and special CD offers. It¹s surprising, though, that a technologically adept company that supports CDLink and CD Plus has such a lame site. Other than nifty screensaver files, content and design is plain ‹ and this gives me great pain.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

The Punk Page
URL: http://www.exclamation.com/webtrax/punk/
Category: Music
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
The Punk Page is a simple, easy-to-use resource cataloging punk stuff on the Internet. It¹s not much to look at, but it organizes a gaggle of content : old-school bands, new-school bands, punk record labels¹ home pages, skater stuff, and punk-themed links. It¹s a good tool to find your fave bands and zines, and maybe to discover new ones. Makes you feel like piercing your nether regions with a snowboard.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 5