Well, I guess “Destination Unknown” was the song the Smashing Pumpkins remembered for no good reason, because when the band released the “limited edition” The Aeroplane Flies High box set to capitalize on the success of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, they picked this song to cover along with a number of other retro hits. With songs from Alice Cooper, the Cars, Blondie and the Cure making up the bulk of the covers jammed onto the Bullet With Butterfly Wings single, it’s obvious that Missing Persons are the odd man out. This was a pretty big coup for Missing Persons, who went from being a semi-obscure new wave band with a sorta-kinda radio hit to… a semi-obscure new wave band with a sorta-kinda radio hit that eventually turned into a fairly famous band’s semi-obscure cover material.

Here’s to you, Missing Persons. Perhaps one day, your true genius will be revealed alongside that of A Flock Of Seagulls and Culture Club.

Shortly after Throwing Muses dissolved for the second time—this time after a suitable farewell album—Kristin Hersh decided she wasn’t quite done busting windows and blowing out amps. In fact, if anything, she seemed to want more; Hersh formed 50 Foot Wave with some of her Muses compatriots and embarked on a new agenda: play hard, play fast, and scream until every vocal cord is raw.

Originally the plan was to release an EP roughly every six months, and tour like crazy. Golden Ocean comes after 50 Foot Wave’s self-titled debut EP, and contains a couple of songs from that first release; does this mean the band has abandoned the strategy of shorter, more frequent releases? In any case, it’s obvious Kristin Hersh had no intention of simply returning to the quiet existence of her solo career after the Throwing Muses reunion. Indeed, after hearing Golden Ocean, you might find it hard to believe she still plays solo acoustic gigs at all.

107.7 The End, a Seattle radio station, recently put out a compilation album of live performances taken from their Morning Alternative show. Among the exclusive tracks is this previously unreleased Pretty Girls Make Graves track, which could possibly see the light of day on their next album (they’ve been introducing it at shows as a new song, in any case). It’s not the best recording, and the live radio setting isn’t the greatest venue for a loud, punkish band like Pretty Girls Make Graves, but it’s a taste of things to come from the Seattle band.

I can’t say I’m all that impressed by the song, though; it sounds as though the band’s throwing away most of the things that make them interesting, like the usually outstanding guitar work and the aggressive rhythm section. Even Andrea Zollo sounds subdued on the track, a shame given her usually propulsive vocals. This, combined with the revelation that maybe Zollo just can’t sing very loudly in concert (and has to make it up in post-production on record), has me worried about PGMG’s next album. I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.

Maybe it wasn’t the most anticipated dual album release ever—I think Guns N’ Roses have a lock on that—but the simultaneous release of Kristin Hersh’s most recent solo album, The Grotto, and the Throwing Muses reunion album was cause for celebration. Of course, whenever any artist releases two albums on the same day, they should expect everyone to draw comparisons between the two. As someone who came to the Muses through Hersh’s solo material, I was looking forward to The Grotto more so than the Throwing Muses album, but in the end it’s the rougher, harder-edged album that won me over. For a lot of critics, the opposite occured, which may speak to their higher expectations for Throwing Muses than The Grotto.

It’s unlikely that the Muses will ever release another album; despite the self-titled album’s creative successes, Hersh and company have always characterized Throwing Muses as a proper send-off for the band, unceremoniously dissolved in the mid-90s because they ran out of money. They certainly succeeded; Throwing Muses was louder, faster and more visceral than their back catalog, as if the band had somehow gotten younger in the intervening decade. It’s unfortunate that because of the time gap between the band’s last two albums, Throwing Muses is likely to become one of those overlooked classics years from now, as future critics highlight The Real Ramona and University instead.

Anyone who was disappointed by the dirge-like turn of Mary Timony’s last two records might have found some solace when the first news of Timony’s latest album surfaced. Joining her for the recording sessions was Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty, who’s also worked closely with Lois Maffeo. The album the two of them recorded and released in 2000, The Union Themes, was light years beyond Maffeo’s previous work under the name of Lois, signalling a break with her K records bedroom pop days. So not only was Canty an interesting addition in his own right, but it also seemed like an omen of change.

“Friend To J.C.” isn’t exactly a Helium throwback, although a lot of people would gladly buy a new Helium album if it ever surfaces. But it’s not the Mary Timony of The Golden Dove, either. Timony exhibits a newfound confidence and a liveliness mostly absent from her past two albums. It’s a surprisingly catchy song, a breath of fresh air and another hopeful sign; maybe 2005 is the year the Mary Timony of old returns. Ex Hex is tentatively scheduled for an April 19th release on Lookout.

One of the second-string bands to come out of the Halifax pop explosion in the mid-90s, Jale are often remembered—if they’re remembered at all—as a distant cousin of Sloan. “G Turns To D” was inspired by Jennifer Pierce, the J in Jale, or so the story goes. But it’s probably better to think of Jale as Canada’s answer to the Breeders: mix two parts female vocal harmonies with one part raw guitars, add a dash of pop sensibility, and voila—a great little indie band primed for college rock success. And while Jale’s trajectory didn’t take them quite as high as the Breeders, it also means we don’t have to worry about the unfortunate 10-year reunion album.

Jale was eventually picked up by Sub Pop in the mid-90s, and the result was So Wound, a much more polished record than the homespun grit of Dreamcake. It wasn’t just the additional production money, though, but also the fact that the surviving members of Jale (the A in Jale, Alyson MacLeod, eventually left) learned how to play their instruments properly.

Alas, as with most things that were popular in the mid-90s, Jale’s day in the sun had to end. Guitarist Eve Hartling left the band to raise a child, and the remaining members reformed as the Vees; after releasing a single three-track EP, the Vees also dissolved. In case you’re playing a round of “Where Are They Now?”, there are a couple of Jale refugees in Toronto band Chappaquiddick Skyline, a side project attached to the Pernice Brothers.