Trent Reznor has always been a one-trick-pony, but it's a damn good trick: sunny melodies filtered through ferocious electronics. Unfortunately, the trick's impact was often watered down by a tendency toward petulance and self-absorption. Still, almost six years after NIN's last release, The Fragile, the trick itself has lost none of its Teen-Beat-from-hell appeal. With Teeth blisters from the start with "All the Love in the World," and tracks like "The Collector" take full advantage of Dave Grohl's sledgehammer drumming. Reznor stretches occasionally, trying out different tactics, from crunchy, overtly commercial rave-ups ("The Hand That Feeds") to borderline New Wave ("Only"). But Teeth isn't about stretching. It's about doing the same trick, only better, with less clutter and more bite. By neatly distilling the sparseness of Pretty Hate Machine with Downward Spiral-style density, it ends up being the most focused record in the NIN catalogue. -Matthew Cooke.

Music from the OC Mix 1 is strangely unique for a TV soundtrack compilation. Often, US teen dramas don't put a great deal of thought into the show's music, relying heavily on bland, melodramatic MOR (think Paula Cole and Dawson's Creek). However, a glance through the track listing reveals a host of acclaimed indie guitar bands from around the world. Goodtime retro acts such as Jet ("Move On") and the Dandy Warhols ("We Used to be Friends") in addition to more downbeat artists such as Turin Brakes ("Rain City"), South ("Paint the Silence") and the Doves ("Caught By the Rain") make for an eclectic mix of new music. Music from the OC Mix 1 serves well as the soundtrack to a hit show but more importantly, it's a great introduction to good bands who many may not have been discovered without it. -David Trueman.

Over the last six years or so, Travis have produced some fine pop songs, bringing great tunes back to the UK Top 40. And though not an innovative band nor a radical rock outfit, they have become the kings of the soft-rock-tinged pop song. Middle of the road they may well be but, as these 17 ditties illustrate, they can sure get that toe tapping. With their sing-a-long melodies and their catchy hooks, it is little wonder that they have proved to be a refreshing alternative for the 25+ers to the bubble-gum pop of the kind that Robbie Williams makes. All the hits are here, from "Driftwood" (one of their first Top 40 successes) to the new offering (and new single) "Walking in the Sun". With this new recording, Travis have stuck to the same radio-friendly, laid-back, acoustic rock that has been extremely good to them over the years; and why not? The track is likely to become a summer festival favourite for the group, constantly being requested by crowds at Glastonbury or Reading. Such gems as "Flowers in the Window" and "Writing to Reach You" are also present, as a reminder of why the band have been so commercially successful. Long may Travis reign as kings of the soft-rock pop song. -Jamie Clark.

The Ultimate Collection is the first comprehensive retrospective of the Small Faces' recorded legacy. Crucially, this stunning 50-track, double-CD set is the first to feature both Decca (disc one) and Immediate (disc two) material and it's also the first to be fully sanctioned by the surviving members of the band. All 14 of the Small Faces UK singles are here, along with 12 B-sides and an astute selection of album tracks. The Decca disc, 1965-67, finds the sartorially sharp quartet majoring in amphetamine-fuelled R&B aimed directly at mod dance floors. Especially ace are the debut 45 "What'cha Gonna Do About It", its pivotal riff cheekily pilfered from the Solomon Burke soul shouter "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", and the organ-propelled instrumental, "Grow Your Own", which melds sonic savagery to a Booker T & The MGs groove. Disc two, 1967-69, highlights the band's unique brand of Cockney music-hall psych, best exemplified by proto Brit-pop anthem "Lazy Sunday" and various cuts culled from their brilliantly bonkers concept album Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. This is undoubtedly the ultimate Small Faces collection. -Chris King.

Considered by many to be the Material Girl's most mature effort of the 1980s, Like a Prayer upped the ante of controversy with its gospel-infused title track and the singer's emotional confessions throughout. It also unveiled the hit "Express Yourself", which ushered in the era of Madonna as a "stainless steel sexual icon". Musically, Prayer showcased her burgeoning songwriting prowess, with the beautiful "Oh Father" and the perky pop of "Cherish". Besides a throw-away collaboration with Prince ("This Is Not a Love Song"), the album stands as one of her strongest works, eschewing the strong dance beat influences from her past-she saved that for the remixes-and concentrating instead on melody and structure. Like a Prayer also gave a hint of things to come with the delightful "Dear Jessie" displaying a maternal side worthy of her name. -Steve Gdula.

The songs from this 1972 album perfectly illustrate the contrasting sides of Wonder's complex personality: "Superstition" is a strong rocker, a paranoid bit of wah-wah guitar funk that's as persistent as the best punk music; the opening track, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", is a pure love song that would sound corny coming from any other voice. A hint of bitterness, perhaps owing to Wonder's then-dissolving marriage, gives Talking Book its edge. But overall it's obsessed with love, and while "Sunshine" is still one of the singer/keyboardist's most beloved songs, the closing "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" is much deeper and more rewarding. -Steve Knopper.

Without doubt, The Eagles are one of the all-time biggest acts in popular music since the dawn of the rock'n'roll era. The band's roots go back to their role as defining artists in the phenomenally popular Southern California rock scene of the 70s, a decade in which they delivered four consecutive No. 1 albums. Their momentous 2004 farewell tour filled stadiums around the world, and this 2-DVD set captures one of the most stellar events from that now-historic global sweep. Track Listings: Disc 1: Long Run New Kid in Town Wasted Time Peaceful Easy Feeling I Can't Tell You Why One of These Nights One Day At A Time (New Track) Lyin' Eyes Boys of Summer In The City Already Gone Tequila Sunrise Love Will Keep Us Alive No More Cloudy Days (New Track) Hole In the World Take It To the Limit Disc 2: You Belong to the City Walk Away Sunset Grill Life's Been Good Dirty Laundry Funk #49 Heartache Tonight Life in the Fast Lane Hotel California Rocky Mountain Way All She Wants To Do Is Dance Take It Easy Desperado.

Some are calling it a Tom Waits career retrospective, but Orphans, the new triple CD opus from rock'n'roll's most enduring and enigmatic adventurer, is so much more. For a start it contains over 30 new songs - everything from versions of tracks previously given out to other artists, to music recorded in the garage with his kids and covers of everyone from The Ramones to Leadbelly. For another, it's split up into three separate CDs - Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards - and as such not only spans a huge selection of music but also presents it in a much more coherent way than usual. Where Brawlers focuses on Waits' grittier, upbeat side with a procession of roadhouse rock and diner blues, Bawlers profiles his way with a waltz and his love of ballads, highlighting his capacity for truly poignant songwriting. Bastards, meanwhile, is perhaps the most interesting set: a stream of experimental output that features covers, Bukowski poems, horror stories and gags. Ambitious and sprawling yet well selected and carefully executed, Orphans is so much more than the sum of its parts and a beautifully frank portrait of a true musical legend. -Paul Sullivan With these astounding 54 songs, Tom Waits has added a vital new work to his catalog. The title, Orphans, refers to the songs either being from a range of outside projects, various impulses, and whims, or simply not having found a place on the albums for which they were intended. While that scenario has constituted a stopgap measure for lesser artists, this set stands alongside Waits's finest work. He has shaped it into three separate discs, each one separately titled after the prevailing character of its tracks and playing with its own mood and dramatic arc. [+]

From the first strains of the opening track "Sisters", it's clear that Betcha Bottom Dollar is not a typical debut album. But then the Puppini Sisters are not a typical pop act, at least not in the 21st Century. Their close, three-part harmonies are reminiscent of the vocal groups of the 1930s and 1940s, and particularly the Andrews Sisters. But rather than sounding like an anachronism, the Puppini Sisters merely demonstrate the timelessness of some of these songs. Betcha Bottom Dollar is fresh, fun and vibrant, blowing the dust off of cobwebby classics like "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Mr Sandman". Elsewhere, they also put their own unique stamp on more recent hits, with varying results. While Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" and Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" fail to get things swinging, Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and The Smiths' "Panic" are both injected with a fresh new (old?) sound. Much credit must also be given to producer Benoit Charest, who manages to employ a whole host of instrumentation and orchestration, whilst never forgetting to put the voices of the Puppini Sisters front and centre. It might be easy to dismiss the Puppini Sisters' debut as another novelty album, but their intentions and love for the style-like their voices themselves-are crystal clear. -Robert Burrow.

You might expect the debut album from a woman who has collaborated extensively with Tricky and Orbital to be both wondrous and strange-and you'd be right to. What you might not expect is quite the depth of Alison Goldfrapp's beguiling, distracting 21st-Century noir visions on Felt Mountain. She and her fellow composer Will Gregory can mix in Brechtian cabaret, classical instrumentation, left-of-field electronics, decadent Gainsbourg-style French pop and the odd piece of whistling on just one track ("Felt Mountain"). "Oompa Radar" almost reaches Tom Waits heights of infamy, the way familiar instruments come together in such a simultaneously comforting and alienating style. The baroque "Paper Bag", meanwhile, uncannily recalls Joe Meek's toytown visions of 1960's grandeur. All this, and a seductive vocal to die for. -Everett True.

With 1970's The Man Who Sold the World, David Bowie set aside his pop and singer-songwriter aspirations and headed in a harder-rocking direction. Producer Tony Visconti provided a thick, dense setting with guitarist Mick Ronson playing the role of guitar hero to Bowie's megalomaniac frontman; think Keith Richards and Mick Jagger sprinkled with fairy dust. The new approach flowered on Hunky Dory, but the outline for the master plan is here. The title track, "The Width of a Circle," and "All the Madmen" are essential Bowie, as he slips from cryptic to straightforward, celebratory wordplay. -Rob O'Connor.

Time was the last truly great album from the Electric Light Orchestra, released as their world-conquering fame was starting to ebb. A concept album (in itself a brave undertaking by 1981), Time is set at the end of the 21st century and is populated by a host of space-age themes and characters. What's most remarkable about the album is how all this science fiction silliness is salvaged by the overall exuberance of the playing. "Yours Truly, 2095" uses a number of ELO hallmarks-a catchy synth riff, sweeping strings and over-the-top-production-to tell it's tale, of a man in love with a robot, and become the album's highlight (and what should have been a hit single). Other tracks such as the epic "Twilight" and "Hold On Tight"-which practically bounces along like an overexcited puppy-also stand amongst ELO's finest works. Moreover, critical darlings Grandaddy have frequently stated the album's influence on the recording of their excellent The Sophtware Slump, proof that this futuristic concept album was itself years ahead of its time. -Robert Burrow.