Back in Everclear's hit-making days, Art Alexakis's lyrics focused on parenthood, divorce, moving west to find normality: Unusually adult preoccupations for alt-rock. Now he's 50, with fresh backing musicians recently accumulated, but he still sounds stuck to the analyst's couch, explaining away failure and co-dependency. That's tolerable when songs stay short and fast; more often, meandering melodies make you wish he'd stop whining. 

Listen to 'Invisible Stars': 

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“Is It True”

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."