''Star Maps'' is the second studio album by American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Possum Dixon Possum Dixon was an American rock band, which existed between 1989 and 1999. Fronted by singer-songwriter and bassist Rob Zabrecky, the group's neo- new wave pop and post punk style first appeared among a string of early independently released 7&nb ...

. It was released in 1996 on

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

Critical reception

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'' called the album a "more mature effort hatlacks some of its predecessor’s raw energy," writing that "though the stylistic expansion is admirable, Possum Dixon can’t disguise the fact that its basic strength remains stripped-down art-punk." The '' Houston Press'' wrote that the album "tears down the Southern California myth with a finality reminiscent of L.A.-bashing works such as X's ''Los Angeles'' and the Eagles' ''Hotel California'' -- though in a context and style more akin to the tense intellect of the Velvet Underground and early Talking Heads." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' wrote that the band "garnishes its unassuming rockers with vibes, electric piano and mellotron to generate some unfashionably fun, tuneful bashing." ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' included the album on its list of "The 10 Best Albums You Didn't Hear in '96," its annual review of relatively below-the-radar releases.

Track listing

# "Go West" (Zabrecky) - 3:04 # "In Her Disco" (Zabrecky) - 2:43 # "Radio Comets" (Zabrecky, O'Sullivan, Chavez) - 4:19 # "Party Tonight" (Zabrecky) - 3:52 # "Emergency's About to End" (Zabrecky) - 2:36 # "General Electric" (Zabrecky, O'Sullivan) - 2:39 # "Crashing Your Planet" (Zabrecky) - 3:01 # "Personals" (Zabrecky) - 4:40 # "Reds" (Zabrecky) - 2:07 # "Skid Marks" (Zabrecky, O'Sullivan) - 2:18 # "Artificial Sunlight" (Zabrecky, O'Sullivan, Chavez) - 3:15 # "Apartment Song" (Zabrecky, O'Sullivan, Chavez) - 7:51

Personnel

;Possum Dixon *

Rob Zabrecky Robert Zabrecky (born June 2, 1968, in Burbank, California) is an American actor, author, magician, and songwriter. His career began as a musician while being the front man for the band Possum Dixon. In the later years of his career, he has fo ...

*Robert O'Sullivan *Celso Chavez with: *Byron Reynolds - drums *Rich Treuel - drums *

Josh Freese Joshua Ryan Freese (born December 25, 1972) is an American session drummer. He is the son of tuba soloist Stan Freese and the older brother of musician Jason Freese. He is a member of the Vandals (since 1989) and Devo (since 1996), having forme ...

- drums *"Sneaky" Peter Tomlinson - additional percussion

References

{{Authority control Possum Dixon albums 1996 albums Interscope Records albums