For many insiders on the Dallas music scene, this debut album, along with the band's virtuoso live performances, redefined “power trio.” This album blends crisp syncopated rock grooves with more introspective Radiohead-style arrangements, plus three instrumentals that give a taste of the band's live jams. (One of these, “Luna's Waltz,” was featured on MTV's The Real World.) Brian and Michael's intricate rhythmic work on bass and drums come across as a palpable exchange of energy between the performers.

Graham's vocals tell a love story haunted by need and fear... “When we so desperately want what we can only imagine/we are sure to disappoint..” the chorus to “Castles” bitterly declares. The gothic-romantic visions of love in songs like “Saltwatershipdown” and “Addiction” clash with disarming real-world confessions on songs like “Norette” and “Skies of Blue:” “If there was something in this kiss/to break all the walls inside you...” The title of this record became the name of the new incarnation of the band, Radiophonic, but 3 Shot West is where it all started.