Counting Crows’ 1993 album, August and Everything After is a phenomenal album. I grew up hearing “Mr. Jones” and “Accidentally in Love” (thanks to Shrek), but I had taken the time to listen to neither entire albums nor other songs. That was a mistake, because this really is a good record.

It is interesting to conceptualize August and Everything After within the larger music ecosystem. It was released in the same era as Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Radiohead’s early years. Yet, Counting Crows does something a bit different. Rather than relying on punk as an influence (grunge, too, is a descendant of punk), Counting Crows synthesizes rock melodies, instruments, and rhythms with a disposition oriented towards pop music. Counting Crows certainly paved the way for musicians like Train, Snow Patrol, and other pop rock bands that peaked in the late oughties.

While the pop rock bands that I named above are good, Counting Crows is better. My favorite song here is the inaugural “Round Here,” but the whole album is so pleasant.