Gin Blossoms - Congratulations I'm Sorry

Gin Blossoms followed a blockbuster with Congratulations I'm Sorry, a 1996 album full of jangling guitars and bittersweet hooks.

Their third studio album arrived after the huge success of New Miserable Experience, and its title reflects the strange mix of reactions the band faced: praise for their success alongside condolences for former guitarist Doug Hopkins, who died in 1993. Produced with John Hampton and recorded partly at Ardent Studios in Memphis, it kept the band's sunny sound while letting a little more shadow in.

"Follow You Down" became one of the band's biggest hits, all chiming riffs and restless energy, while "As Long as It Matters" slows into a tender, Grammy-nominated ballad. "Day Job" opens the record with a punchy, upbeat swing, and "Virginia" shows off the band's gift for a melody that sticks.

Robin Wilson's warm voice and the twin guitars of Jesse Valenzuela and Scott Johnson keep everything bright, with Bill Leen and Phillip Rhodes holding down a sturdy, easygoing groove. It is classic nineties guitar pop, earnest without being heavy.

For anyone who grew up with these songs on the radio, it is a warm hit of nostalgia, and it holds up as one of the decade's most quietly accomplished power pop records.