Album of the Day

Formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the end of the 1980s, Morphine turned the concept of power trio on its head. Bassist/vocalist Mark Sandman, saxophonist Dana Colley, and drummer Jerome Deupree mixed blues, jazz, and alternative styles to fashion what they called “low rock,” heard to fine effect on their 1992 debut, GOOD. Released independently before being picked up by Rykodisc, the collection features 13 originals (virtually all penned by Sandman), ranging from the moody title track to the salsa-infused “You Speak My Language” to the manic “Test-Tube Baby/Shoot'm Down.” For a band some called minimalist, the appropriately named GOOD showed Morphine capable of endless twists to its distinctive sound.