Some people say that the world has lost its sympathy for self-destructive individuals. Then why are there still so many Kid Dakota fans out there listening to this EP? They contemplate Darren Jackson's stark guitar chord changes, sing along to his songs about battling heroin addiction, listen to Christopher McGuire batter the life out of his drum set, and feel good about feeling bad. And when they look at the cover of this EP--which sports a particularly gruesome photo of Jackson with a bloody face like a steamrolled pepperoni pizza--they don't wonder what happened to him on this particular endeavor. They know: He became a rock star.

--Melissa Maerz