CRITICAL CONDITION: After Pop Eye took Spin...

CRITICAL CONDITION: After Pop Eye took Spin magazine to task earlier this month for being so generous in its record reviews (16 out of 17 in its last issue were given the top rating), music editor Craig Marks pledged that next time the publication’s critics would be harsher.

He kept his promise, but just barely. In the new June issue, the coveted green square goes to “only” 14 of 17 reviewed releases, including new ones from the Jungle Brothers, Terence Trent D’Arby and the Posies, with just two getting the middling yellow and one (for Wendy James’ album) the dreaded red.

What does Marks have to say for himself this time? “Another good month for albums,” he says, promising, again, “Next month there are so many yellows that we’ll save our consumers lots of money.”

We’ll be watching.