Golden Smog

Though their debut was a relative hit with alt-country zealots, the 1998 sophomore release by Golden Smog -- now a proper "supergroup" due to the success of Wilco and the Jayhawks -- earned a truly mainstream following. Graduating from the flippant rockers that introduced the schlocky bar-band triumph of Down by the Mainstream, their desperation in songs "Jane" and "Jennifer Save Me" was stone serious. Jeff Tweedy and Gary Louris complement each other well, though Louris' heartbreakers, such as "Fear of Falling" and "If I Only Had a Car," are the record's best.