...Rocks Your Lame Ass＜Orange Vinyl＞

Hagfish's delicious debut, ...Rocks Your Lame Ass, is one of the '90s most overlooked pop-punk secrets. Filled to the brim with snappy riffs, hooky choruses, and a smart-ass attitude, just why it didn't propel the Dallas quartet into a rock mainstream made punk-friendly by the likes of Green Day and the Offspring is anyone's guess. Performed with impeccable chops and topped by singer George Reagan III's melancholy nasal croon, two-minute gems like "Flat," "Bullet," "Disappointed," and euphoric opener "Happiness" are simply outstanding pop songs by any definition. Yet, for whatever reason, they went largely unnoticed by the public at large -- despite the band's major-label backing, high-energy live act, and snappy, matching black suits. In fact, only leadoff single "Stamp," with its hilarious tale of gender-reversed office romance, achieved anything vaguely resembling radio support as a novelty number. Bummer! Worth seeking out, kids. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia