I Become Small & Go

Creeper Lagoon are just a few guys in a band. Their story is basically the same as those of most indie-rock bands. They dress the same, play the same types of instruments, have no physically striking members. So why is this album one of the best of 1998? It's not because their sound is radically different, and it's not because it's avant-garde or experimental. It's simply because their songs are just that much more. The tracks are eerie but not weird, lovely and sad but not sappy, highly produced yet stark and simplistic. Broad musical influences shine through on the Eastern-tinged song "Prison Mix." "Empty Ships" bathes in silky guitars. I Become Small and Go's success is in its contradictions. It's a morose album that will remind you of the best times of your life. --Beth Bessmer