Local H -- Pack Up the Cats (Island, 1998)

This is the sound of two guys who know they're never gonna have a recording budget this big again. After scoring some serious radio play for their track "Bound for the Floor" from their second record As Good as Dead, this Chicago duo went for broke crafting this massive and sprawling 15 track opus with just guitar and drums (and plenty of overdubs).

The songs bleed into one another in a sea of guitar riffs and pounding drums, anchored by Scott Lucas' knack for writing incredible hooks and a howl that rivals Dave Grohl's. There have been dozens of riffs on The Who's declaration "The Kids are Alright" over the years, but few proved as prescient as "All the Kids are Right," buried deep at track 13. This self-effacing track, and the album's only single to make any kind of impact, expertly tears down bands emphasizing style over substance in a single line: "All your cred won't save you from the kids."

In an era rife with ham-fisted hard rock, Local H were the unheralded masters.