It may be a bit reductive to call the to 's -- not to mention easy, considering that recorded a song-long tribute to 's second album during the sessions -- but there's a certain truth in that statement all the same. is an enigmatic masterpiece, retaining its mystique after countless spins, but strips away the hiss and fog of , removing some of 's mystery yet retaining their fractured sound and spirit. It's filled with loose ends and ragged transitions, but compared to the fuzzy, dense , is direct and immediately engaging -- it puts the band's casual melodicism, sprawling squalls of feedback, disheveled , and ' deft wordplay in sharp relief. It's the sound of a band discovering its own voice as a band, which is only appropriate because up until was more of a recording project between and than a full-fledged group. During the supporting tour for recruited bassist and percussionist , and original drummer was replaced by early into the recording for this album, and the new blood gives the band a different feel, even if the aesthetic hasn't changed much. The full band gives the music a richer, warmer vibe that's as apparent on the rampaging, noise-ravaged as it is on the breezy, sun-kissed of or its weary, late-night counterpart, may still be messy, but it's a meaningful, musical messiness from the performance to the production: listen to how begins by falling into place with its layers of fuzz guitars, wah wahs, cowbells, thumping bass, and drum fills, how what initially seems random gives way into a lush Californian song. That's in a nutshell -- what initially seems chaotic has purpose, leading listeners into the bittersweet heart and impish humor at the core of the album. Many bands attempted to replicate the sound or the vibe of , but they never came close to the quicksilver shifts in music and emotion that give this album such lasting appeal. Here, follow the heartbroken with the wry, hooky hit without missing a beat. They throw out a jazzy tribute in as easily as they mimic and mock on By drawing on so many different influences, discovered its own distinctive voice as a band on , creating a vibrant, dynamic, emotionally resonant album that stands as a touchstone of underground in the '90s and one of the great albums of its decade. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine