VA - Music For Our Mother Ocean (1996)

A bizarre hodge-podge collection comprised of mid-'90s modern and alternative rockers, MOM: Music for Our Mother Ocean is a benefit album for the conservation society the Surfrider Foundation. Perhaps taking a cue from the organization it is intended to help, MOM isn't as sanctimonious or preachy as other benefit albums -- it's good intentions are an undercurrent on the album, not the overriding concern. Some bands -- particularly Pearl Jam, who tears through the surf/hot-rod obscurity, "Gremmie Out of Control" by the Silly Surfers -- play for fun and laughs, while others -- notably Helmet, who turn in a lunkheaded cover of Bjork's "Army of Me" -- take things a bit too seriously. Still, MOM: Music for Our Mother Ocean is a fun listen, even if it isn't a memorable one.