R.I.P, Kim Shattuck

The Muffs were a gritty garage pop band that came of age during the Heyday of the Planet of Sound, launched by Kim Shattuck and a pal in the early '90s. Kim, who died last week at age 56 of ALS, was a classic shouter, carrying Joan Jett's torch into the next generation as best as anyone. That voice complemented the crunch and jangle of the guitars.

The Muffs revived "Kids in America" for the "Clueless" soundtrack and put Kim Wilde's version to shame. They put out four albums in their first decade (all part of that '90s uplift) and capped it with a best-of, "Hamburger," in 2000, a good place to start.

The Muffs have a new album coming out next week, "No Holiday," which will include some old material.

BONUS TRACKS
Peak screech in "Lucky Guy": 



The Muffs' songs weren't the most original. The grinding hook of "I Need You" is irresistible nonetheless:



And then there's this fuzzbomb, a cover of the Zeros' "Beat Your Heart Out":