The thing about new music junkies is that sometimes we forget about bands that we liked.  It's easy to do, especially in this day and age of digital file swapping.

There are so many new bands out there practically throwing their music at you that it's hard to keep up, much less revisit a group that had one or two good albums 10 - 15 years ago. 

Here are some, though, that definitely deserve to be given a little more air time on your mp3 player of choice.  There are many more out there, but since I only have five to work with, I'm going for the long forgotten nuggets of gold:

Buffalo Tom - Red Letter Day:  You can find this band's entire catalog in used bins across America, and with the exception of their final album Smitten, your money will be well spent in picking up a disc or two.  That last album saw themmellowing in a way that just sounded lifeless, but Red Letter Day is arguably their masterpiece.  A band that started out wanting to be Dinosaur Jr. found a perfect nichebetween that sound and the sound of mid-career Replacements.  Well arranged, well written indie songs with a rootsy sound and smart lyrics abound on this album.  If you are looking for a place to start, download "Soda Jerk" or "Dry Land".  Also, as a side note, my favorite album by this band is actually their next to last one called Sleepy-Eyed.  On that one, they hearkened back to their Dinosaur Jr. inspired days and ended up with an album full fun two to three minute punk songs.  Find and download "Tangerine" from that album.  Any band that can consciously write a chorus that is a haiku is a winner in my eyes.

Check this out if you like:  The Replacements’ Don’t Tell A Soul, faded jeans, beer with some flavor. 

Sugar - Copper Blue:  It is my belief that when I get to heaven, God will lead me to a room containing the most awesome celestial stereo equipment ever made.  He will then hand me ten albums with which I can spend eternity in blissful aural heaven.  Sugar's Copper Blue will be one of them.  Again, you can find this band's entire catalogue in used CD stores for a very low price.  Sugar is the band Bob Mould from Husker Du put together in the early '90s after putting out a few acclaimed solo albums.  Those albums had been well-written and thoughtful, but they really hadn't been much fun.  Mould found his sense of humor again when he teamed up with David Barbe (bass) and Malcolm Travis (drums).  Their debut is full of distortion-fueled pop songs that will put a big fat smile on my face every time I hear them.  One of the true marvels of this album is the order in which the tracks are sequenced.  This album flows better than almost any other album from that era of early '90s rock.  The subject matter is dark in places ("The Slim") and light in others ("Hoover Dam") creating a lyrical balance as well.  Check out "Helpless", "Hoover Dam" or the wonderfully twisted "A Good Idea" (a song about drowning a lover) if you're looking for a sample. 

Check this out if you like:  Snarling guitars, twisted pop hooks, singing along   

Superdrag - Head Trip In Every Key:  Here's a band that will have two albums in that stack of ten God hands me on judgement day.  These guys hailed from Knoxville, TN and had at their helm one of the best songwriters I have ever had the pleasure of hearing in John Davis.  This son-of-a-bitch could throw out a perfectly crafted pop tune in between cigarettes... and he was a chain-smoker.  Their big-label debut, Regretfully Yours, was much hyped, and spawned a single ("Sucked Out") that many people either loved or hated.  The problem is that the haters never waited around to hear what happened on the next release.  This band actually decided to craft "a headphone album" for their sophomore effort, rightly figuring that they may not get the funds or the chance to do something this grand again.  The result, Head Trip In Every Key is an amazing pop record.  The lead track "I'm Expanding My Mind" is so perfectly suited for holing up in your bedroom with a pair of headphones that you will marvel at Davis' writing genius.  Check out that track, "Sold You An Alibi" and "Bankrupt Vibration" for a taste.  Incidentally, the other album of theirs that God's got queued up on the stereo is In The Valley Of Dying Stars, the follow-up to Head Trip.

Check this out if you like:  Over the ear headphones, incredible arrangement and production, and still like the taste of coffee, cigarettes and whiskey. 

Jellyfish - Spilt Milk:  God how I HATED this band when I saw their video from their first album.  I immediately wrote them off as being some industry engineered shit-band designed to cash in on a psychedelic look and rape the indie-music scene.  Then a few years later I heard their song "The Ghost At Number One" on the radio and found that I could not get the goddamned thing out of my head.  Because of that song and that song alone, I went back and picked up their two albums.  Both are amazing slices of sugary pop that have little to do with industry types and everything to do with songwriter Andy Sturmer.  This guy is a huge fan of The Beach Boys and it comes through in the tight harmonies and well crafted arrangements found throughout both of their albums.  Spilt Milk is my favorite of the two simply because it's the one with "The Ghost At Number One" and it has a great masturbation song called "He's My Best Friend".  Check those two out if you want a sample, but seriously, you can't go wrong picking up either of these albums.  Beware though:  If you like dark music and take to wearing mostly black, you will hate these.  They will get in your brain and make you bob your head and smile at people on the street.  That could entirely ruin your image.  

Check this out if you like:  XTC, 10CC, LSD 

The Shitbirds - Famous Recording Artists: I have a friend who shares a theory with me that we both, through years of searching, have yet to disprove.  That theory is:  The only truly perfect rock/pop songs are those that come in under three minutes in length.  I’m not talking about bombastic classics a la Led Zepplin or The Who.  I’m talking about songs that grab hold of your cerebral cortex, dig their hooks in and bite at your brain for days on end.  The Shitbirds understood this simple rule of rock and mastered it on their only album.  This is just a fun surf-punk inspired band who are fronted by April March.  If you don't know who she is, look her up.  Most of her recorded output centers around her love of all things French, but this album came out before all that, back when she was working as an animator on The Ren and Stimpy Show.  There's not a song on here longer than three minutes, and most of them are completely juvenile, but goddamn you will love this.  Imagine a squeaky-voiced cheerleader fronting The Ramones playing at their absolute fastest and singing songs like "Oh Joy", "Scheissebird" and "Not of this Earth".  This album is nearly flawless for what it is.  I spin this thing weekly for a 30 minute pick-me-up.  I highly recommend it!  Check out those songs or the marvelously catchy "You Said That". 

** This one may be harder to find on CD but it is available via iTunes and eMusic for download.** 

Check this out if you like:  Fast music that is slightly '50s inspired, singers who smile, songs about Scheissebird treats