For fans of: Turn-of-the-Century Indie Rock / Essential Reissues

What they're saying: From Zachary Corsa’s profile of the record at 20 years on Rock n’ Roll Globe: “Working once more with longtime producer Guy Picciotto (Fugazi, Rites Of Spring), Melody outlines where the band was willing to go through interesting new wrinkles and sonic experiments. The increased attention towards accessible elements doesn’t obscure the noise here, only provides an interesting contrast and a sense of the band’s hidden capabilities waiting to be fully realized.” The album’s genre straddling and thematic adventurousness is in focus in this Stereogum retrospective as well: “Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons was Blonde Redhead's first real masquerade ball. The crossover album finds them tinkering with synths and minimalism, maintaining a stronghold on Picciotto's influence, and holding fast to their penchant for post-punk screamers.“

What we say: Arguably the high water mark for one of the coolest bands of their generation, a perfect balance of their early experimentation and later accessibility. The newly revamped vinyl reissue from Touch & Go is a welcome treat, as this record has been physically out-of-print for quite some time.