Posted by
Marc Benoza
(t5!) Albums Of The 1990s
Homer Simpson once said to The Smashing Pumpkins' lead singer, Billy Corgan: "You know, my kids think you’re the greatest. And thanks to your gloomy music, they’ve stopped dreaming of a future that I can’t possibly provide." Here are 200 albums that successfully lowered my expectations and ruined plenty of my aspirations. And remember, don’t trust anyone over 30!
#200: The Chemical Brothers - Surrender
Released June 21, 1999
Virgin/Astralwerks
Let Forever Be | The Sunshine Underground | Asleep From Day
Full Album | Spotify
"Sure, the Chemical Brothers do this type of music very well; it's just that Surrender isn't quite the change of direction they'd been aiming for -- it's simply the same great album they'd made two years earlier."
#199: Mouse On Mars - Iaora Tahiti
Released October 3, 1995
Too Pure
Saturday Night Worldcup Fieber | Bib | Schlecktron
Full Album | Spotify
"More upbeat and with far greater detail than the debut, Iaora Tahiti proves Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma haven't stood still."
#198: Annie Lennox - Diva
Released April 6, 1992
RCA/Arista
Why | Walking On Broken Glass | Little Bird
Full Album | Spotify
"Those expecting Annie Lennox to come out full-guns-blazing for her solo debut, Diva, with the high energy electro-Europop-meets-American- R&B of her Eurythmics work may have to wind their pacemakers down a notch."
#197: PJ Harvey - Dry
Released March 30, 1992
Too Pure
Sheela-Na-Gig | Plants And Rags | Fountain
Full Album | Spotify
"Borrowing its primitive attack from post-punk guitar rock and its form from the blues, Dry is a forceful collection of brutally emotional songs, highlighted by Harvey's deft lyricism and startling voice, as well as her trio's muscular sound."
#196: R.E.M. - Out Of Time
Released March 12, 1991
Warner Bros.
Losing My Religion | Endgame | Shiny Happy People
Full Album | Spotify
"The scope of R.E.M.'s ambitions is impressive, and the record sounds impeccable, its sunny array of pop and folk songs as refreshing as Michael Stipe's decision to abandon explicitly political lyrics for the personal."
#195 The Flaming Lips - Transmissions From The Satellite Heart
Released June 22, 1993
Warner Bros.
She Don't Use Jelly | Chewin The Apple Of Your Eye | Superhumans
Full Album | Spotify
"The addition of guitarist Ronald Jones and drummer Steven Drozd recharges the Flaming Lips' batteries for the superb Transmissions From the Satellite Heart, another prismatic delicacy that continues the group's drift toward pop nirvana."
#194: Mos Def & Talib Kweli - Black Star
Released August 18, 1998
Rawkus/Priority/EMI/MCA/Universal
Astronomy (8th Light) | Definition | Respiration
Full Album | Spotify
"Their 13 rhyme fests on this superior, self-titled debut as Black Star show that old-school rap still sounds surprisingly fresh in the sea of overblown vanity productions."
#193: The Get Up Kids - Four Minute Mile
Released September 30, 1997
Doghouse
Lowercase West Thomas | Last Place You Look | Better Half
Full Album | Spotify
"The album that put this Kansas City, MO, band on the map as everyone's favorite emo-pop rockers, with catchy lyrics, fairly unique and powerful pop/rock composition, and an overall sense of energy."
#192: Rage Against The Machine - Evil Empire
Released April 16, 1996
Epic
Bulls On Parade | Roll Right | Year Of The Boomerang
Full Album | Spotify
"Lead vocalist Zack de la Rocha is caught halfway between the militant raps of Chuck D and the fanatical ravings of a street preacher, shouting out his simplistic, libertarian slogans over the sonically dense assault of the band."
#191: The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen
Released October 5, 1993
Elektra/Blast First
Gentlemen | Debonair | When We Two Parted
Full Album | Spotify
"Dulli's blend of utter abnegation and masculine swagger may be a crutch, but when everything connects, as it does more often than not on Gentlemen, both he and his band are unstoppable."
#190: Godspeed You Black Emperor! - F♯ A♯ ∞
Released August 14, 1997
Constellation/Kranky
The Cowboy... | Drugs In Tokyo | Untitled
Full Album | Spotify
"This music is inherently inexplicable, and this is its beauty."
#189: Sunny Day Real Estate - How It Feels To Be Something On
Released September 8, 1998
Sub Pop
Every Shining Time You Arrive | Guitar And Video Games | Days Were Golden
Full Album | Spotify
"Always somewhat arty and challenging to begin with, SDRE flirts with out-and-out prog rock here, cleaning up the production to reveal the contrasting layers in their ever more intricate arrangements."
#188: The The - Dusk
Released May 28, 1991
Caroline/Hut
Love Is Stronger Than Death | This Is The Night | Lonely Planet
Full Album | Spotify
"Dusk leaves behind the infected dance beats that served as the framework for many of his previous albums and replaces them with steamy acoustic-based rhythms that shimmer with red-orange warmth, while the guitar work of Johnny Marr adds a touch of otherworldliness, without which the record would have been left to stand alone on its strange blend of honky tonk gospel pop."
#187: Laika - Silver Apples Of The Moon
Released March 28, 1995
Too Pure
Let Me Sleep | Coming Down Glass | Red River
Full Album | Spotify
"Starting off with a clattering, noisy loop but soon settling down into calmer but no less fascinating waters, Silver Apples of the Moon makes for a great debut from the Laika collective, inventive, modern, and unafraid to take chances."
#186: Scarface - The Diary
Released October 18, 1994
Rap-A-Lot Records
No Tears | Hand Of The Dead Body | Mind Playin' Tricks '94
Full Album | Spotify
"It may make the album a short listen, yet it also makes The Diary one of Scarface's most solid efforts, one where you rarely, if ever, feel inclined to skip a song."
#185: The Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
Released May 28, 1991
Caroline/Hut
Rhinoceros | Snail | Daydream
Full Album | Spotify
"...the Smashing Pumpkins and guitarist/vocalist Billy Corgan are arena rockers, co-opting their metallic riffs and epic art rock song structures with self-absorbed lyrical confessions."
#184: Donna Lewis - Now In A Minute
Released October 7, 1995
Atlantic
I Love You Always Forever | Nothing Ever Changes | Fool's Paradise
Full Album | Spotify
"Lewis has a girlish voice that sounds like a less quirky Kate Bush."
#183: Autechre - Tri Repetae
Released November 6, 1995
Warp
Dael | Eutow | Rsdio
Full Album | Spotify
"...Tri Repetae expertly harnesses the need for a beat to perfectly balance out the resolutely fierce, crunching samples and busy arrangements, turning from being inspired by Aphex Twin to being equally inspiring in itself."
#182: Stereolab - Dots And Loops
Released September 23, 1997
Elektra/Duophonic
Miss Modular | Parsec | Ticker-Tape Of The Unconscious
Full Album | Spotify
"Heavily influenced by bossa nova and swinging '60s pop, Dots and Loops is a deceptively light, breezy album that floats by with effortless grace."
#181: Unkle - Psyence Fiction
Released September 28, 1998
Mo'Wax
Guns Blazing (Dreams of Death, Pt. 1) | Unreal | Rabbit In Your Headlights
Full Album | Spotify
"James Lavelle and DJ Shadow are unequal partners in UNKLE, with the former providing the concept and the latter providing music, which naturally overshadows the concept, since the only clear concept -- apart from futuristic sound effects, video-game samples, and merging trip-hop with rock -- is collaborating with a variety of musicians, from superstars to cult favorites Kool G Rap, Alice Temple, and Mark Hollis (who provides uncredited piano on "Chaos")."
#180: The Verve - A Storm In Heaven
Released September 28, 1998
Vernon Yard/Hut/Virgin
Slide Away | Already There | Blue
Full Album | Spotify
"Whereas future Verve masterpieces A Northern Soul and Urban Hymns would feature succinct song structures (for the most part) and instantly memorable verses and choruses, the group's 1993 full-length debut, A Storm in Heaven, was based on buoyant, extended psychedelic passages."
#179: Everything But The Girl - Temperamental
Released September 28, 1999
Atlantic/Virgin
Downhill Racer | Lullaby Of Clubland | The Future Of The Future (Stay Gold)
Full Album | Spotify
"Adding electronica, primarily drum'n'bass and trip-hop, to the equation broke their potential wide open, as the captivating, seductive Walking Wounded proved."
#178: Tha Alkaholiks - 21 & Over
Released August 24, 1993
Loud/RCA
Likwit | Bullshit | Soda Pop
Full Album | Spotify
"With the punch lines and comic timing of comedians and undeniable skills and killer delivery of topnotch MCs, rappers J-Ro and Tash have more than enough talent and energy to back up their endlessly clever boasting."
#177: Slowdive - Souvlaki
Released May 17, 1993
Creation/SBK/EMI
Alison | Machine Gun | Here She Comes
Full Album | Spotify
"They've found a way to be quiet, moving, and aggressive simultaneously, mixing trance-like beauty with the deepest delayed guitar sounds around, a sound at once relaxing, soothing, and exciting, and most of all harshly beautiful."
#176: Galaxie 500 - This Is Our Music
Released February 14, 1990
Rough Trade
Fourth Of July | Spook | Summertime
Full Album | Spotify
"Somehow, though, everyone aims higher, Wareham's singing among his finest and his guitar going for the truly epic more than once, Krukowski and Yang even more perfectly in sync than before, often being very bold without losing their intrinsic warmth."
#175: Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour
Released October 22, 1990
Parlophone
Being Boring | To Face the Truth | Only The Wind
Full Album
"In fact, Behavior functions as the Pet Shop Boys' bid for mainstream credibility, as much of the album relies more on popcraft than rhythmic variations. Although its a subtle maneuver, it would have been rather disastrous if the results weren't so captivating."
#174: Spice Girls - Spice
Released November 4, 1996
Virgin
Wannabe | Say You'll Be There | 2 Become 1
Full Album | Spotify
"Spice doesn't need to be original to be entertaining, nor do the Spice Girls need to be good singers. It just has to be executed well, and the innocuous dance-pop of Spice is infectious."
#173: Stereolab - Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements
Released August 24, 1993
Elektra/Duophonic
Pack Yr Romantic Mind | Jenny Ondioline | Crest
Full Album | Spotify
"If Switched On and Peng! defined the band's essential sound, Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements expanded it, reaffirming Stereolab's place as one of the most innovative and evolving groups of the '90s."
#172: Dinosaur Jr - Green Mind
Released February 19, 1991
Blanco y Negro/Sire
Blowing It | Water | Thumb
Full Album | Spotify
"Such a judgment may seem strange given Mascis' legendary image as the überslacker, but clearly the man knows how to balance how to convey himself with getting the job done."
#171: Mariah Carey - Emotions
Released September 17, 1991
Columbia
Emotions | And You Don't Remember | Make It Happen
Full Album | Spotify
"The same mix of dance/R&B/ballads that gave Carey's debut such tremendous auditory appeal can be found with equal strength on this release, indicating that placing firm belief in the notion of "Why fool with success?" may, in fact, have its merits."
#170: Saint Etienne - So Tough
Released March 9, 1993
Heavenly/Warners
Mario's Cafe | Avenue | Hobart Paving
Full Album | Spotify
"Not only are the pop melodies catchier than before, the group's mastery of swinging '60s arrangements and Eurodisco rhythms is positively infectious, and Sarah Cracknell's light, airy vocals are alluringly dreamy, giving the record a wonderful, floating quality."
#169: Fiona Apple - Tidal
Released July 23, 1996
Clean Slate/Work/Columbia
Sleep To Dream | Criminal | Never Is A Promise
Full Album | Spotify
"Her voice is surprisingly rich and supple for a teenager, and her jazzy, sophisticated piano playing also belies her age."
#168: Sunny Day Real Estate - LP2
Released November 7, 1995
Sub Pop
Friday | Waffle | Rodeo Jones
Full Album | Spotify
"From its first ringing guitar tone to its abrupt conclusion, LP2 is a masterpiece of emotion and evocation, a sprawling musical soundscape that moves effortlessly from tender, unsteady sonic explorations to raging assaults of guitars."
#167: Sade - Love Deluxe
Released October 26, 1992
Epic
No Ordinary Love | Kiss Of Life | Pearls
Full Album | Spotify
"Although Sade's style is more suggestive than hypnotic and her production and arrangements are in an urbane mode rather than a jazz one, she maintained her popularity among the fusion and urban contemporary audiences."
#166: Prince - Graffiti Bridge
Released October 26, 1992
Paisley Park/Warner Bros.
Spotify
"The movie was a disaster, causing the soundtrack to sell very poorly. Despite its poor showing, Graffiti Bridge is not a bad album; in fact, it's often very good. "
#165: Busta Rhymes - E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front
Released December 15, 1998
Flipmode/Elektra
Tear Da Roof Off | What's It Gonna Be?! | Hot Shit Makin' Ya Bounce
Full Album | Spotify
"Nobody else in his position had his wild sense of humor, reckless fashion sense, and, most importantly, willingness to take risks."
#164: The Boo Radleys - Giant Steps
Released August 31, 1998
Creation
Leaves And Sand | Butterfly McQueen | Lazarus
Full Album | Spotify
"The genius of the Boos definitely lies in their ability to adapt many a different touch and make it their own, taking what are often straightforward, hooky pop songs and turning them into something more, an ability Giant Steps shows in spades."
#163: Modest Mouse - This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About
Released April 16, 1996
Up
Dramamine | Custom Concern | Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset
Full Album | Spotify
"The general mood here is one of loneliness and desperation, eloquently expressed through both the lyrics and the rhythmic, sprawling instrumentation."
#162: Orbital - In Sides
Released April 29, 1996
Internal/FFRR
The Box (Part 1) | Dŵr Budr | Adnan's
Full Album | Spotify
"It pulses with the energy of the debut, the lush flow of the second, and the conceptual theme of Snivilisation."
#161: Sebadoh - Bakesale
Released August 23, 1994
Sub Pop/Domino/City Slang
Not A Friend | Not Too Amused | Dreams
Full Album | Spotify
"Bakesale confirmed that in both theory and execution, Sebadoh had matured into a great indie rock band, and if their obsession with doomed love and fractured self-worth still seemed adolescent, they had at very least grown from eighth graders to high school seniors"
#160: Redman - Dare Iz A Darkside
Released August 23, 1994
Sub Pop/Domino/City Slang
A Million And 1 Buddah Spots | Cosmic Slop | Slide And Rock On
Full Album | Spotify
"...nowhere else has Redman ever been this odd, to be quite frank."
#159: Wilco - Summerteeth
Released March 9, 1999
Reprise
We're Just Friends | Via Chicago | My Darling
Full Album | Spotify
"Summer Teeth is the most focused Wilco effort yet, honing the lessons of the last record [Being There] to forge a majestic pop sound almost completely devoid of alt-country elements."
#158: Elvis Costello - Brutal Youth
Released March 8, 1994
Warner Bros./Rhino
Kinder Murder | You Tripped At Every Step | Favourite Hour
Full Album | Spotify
"...Elvis Costello set out to make a straight-ahead rock & roll record with Brutal Youth, reuniting with the Attractions (though Bruce Thomas appears on only five tracks) and Nick Lowe (who plays bass on most of the rest)."
#157: Destiny's Child - The Writing's On The Wall
Released July 27, 1999
Columbia
Bills, Bills, Bills | Jumpin, Jumpin | Say My Name
Full Album | Spotify
"...it always sounds alluring, thanks to the perfect combination of vocalists and producers."
#156: Olivia Tremor Control - Music From The Unrealized Film Script: Dusk At Cubist Castle
Released August 6, 1996
Elephant 6
Jumping Fences | Courtyard | Green Typewriters I
Full Album | Spotify
"...Music From the Unrealized Film Script, Dusk at Cubist Castle, the Olivia Tremor Control manage to summon not only the sound of the White Album-era Fab Four, but also the unfettered creativity."
#155: The Sabres Of Paradise - Haunted Dancehall
Released November 28, 1994
Warp
Wilmot | Ballad Of Nicky McGuire | Haunted Dancehall
Full Album | Spotify
"Lots of thin, bubbly, minimalist ambient and mid-tempo breakbeat, with quirky, occasionally half-thought-out tracks aided by production assistance from Geoff Barrow (Portishead) and A. Carthy (Mr. Scruff)."
#154: Digable Planets - Reachin' (A New Refutation Of Time And Space)
Released February 9, 1993
Pendulum/Elektra
Where I'm From | Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat) | Jimmi Diggin' Cats
Full Album | Spotify
"...under the hood of inventive beats and well-placed layered samples are the ideas and attitudes of universal and cosmic spirituality combined with personal-consciousness expansion that crosses geographical and ethnic boundaries."
#153: Nits - Ting
Released September 29, 1992
Columbia
Ting | Soap Bubble Box | Fire In My Head
Spotify
"On paper, the idea of foregrounding the piano to the exclusion of virtually all other instruments might sound less than radical. But if that leads you to expect something in a similar orbit to artists like Ben Folds or Bruce Hornsby, forget it."
#152: A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Released September 24, 1991
Jive/RCA
Buggin' Out | Check The Rhime | Scenario
Full Album | Spotify
"While most of the players in the jazz-rap movement never quite escaped the pasted-on qualities of their vintage samples, with The Low End Theory, A Tribe Called Quest created one of the closest and most brilliant fusions of jazz atmosphere and hip-hop attitude ever recorded."
#151: Gang Starr - Hard To Earn
Released March 8, 1994
Chrysalis/EMI
DWYCK | Mass Appeal | Suckas Need Bodyguards
Full Album | Spotify
"You can sense the duo's frustration with the rap scene circa 1994."
#150: Mobb Deep - Hell On Earth
Released November 19, 1996
Loud/RCA
Drop A Gem On 'Em | Extortion | Hell On Earth (Front Lines)
Full Album | Spotify
"The first words on the record announce 'You know how we did on the Infamous album, right? All right, well, we gon' do it again,' and that's exactly what they do."
#149: The Wedding Present - Seamonsters
Released May 1991
RCA
Suck | Blonde | Rotterdam
Full Album | Spotify
"...a long look into the abyss that feels like a knife twisting deep into the heart, and sounds like a glimpse into the bare souls of the band."
#148: The Future Sound Of London - Dead Cities
Released October 18, 1996
Astralwerks/Virgin
Max | Antique Toy | Vit Drowning/Through Your Gills I Breathe
Full Album | Spotify
"The theme of the album, thoroughly explored in the art (as always, created by the group itself), seems to be one of futuristic urban decay, almost as if reacting against the perceived otherwordliness of Lifeforms, calmer moments like the acoustic guitar shimmer of "Her Face Forms in Summertime" aside."
#147: The Magnetic Fields - Get Lost
Released October 24, 1995
Merge
Smoke And Mirrors | All The Umbrellas In Lodon | The Dreaming Moon
Full Album | Spotify
"The most electro-oriented of their releases to date"
#146: Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Released March 18, 1996
Duophonic/Elektra
Cybele's Reverie | Emperor Tomato Ketchup | Anonymous Collective
Full Album | Spotify
"The group certainly hasn't backed away from pop melodies on Emperor Tomato Ketchup, but just as their hooks are becoming catchier, they bring in more avant-garde and experimental influences, as well."
#145: The Flaming Lips - Clouds Taste Metallic
Released September 19, 1995
Warner Bros.
When You Smile | Kim's Watermelon Gun | Lightning Strikes The Postman
Full Album | Spotify
"The same extraordinary madness that infected the best work of Brian Wilson rears its head on the shimmering and melodic Clouds Taste Metallic, a masterful collection which completes the Flaming Lips' odyssey into the pop stratosphere."
#144: Digable Planets - Blowout Comb
Released October 18, 1994
Pendulum/EMI
Black Ego | Jettin' | 9th Wonder (Blackitolism)
Full Album | Spotify
"...Blowout Comb excelled at pushing great grooves over sunny-day party jams, even when the crew was providing deft social commentary..."
#143: Public Enemy - Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black
Released October 1, 1991
Def Jam/Columbia
Lost At Birth | Nighttrain | Shut 'Em Down
Full Album | Spotify
"Arriving after two records where the words and music were equally labyrinthine, folding back on each other in dizzying, intoxicating ways, it is a bit of a letdown to have Apocalypse be so direct, but there is no denying that the end result is still thrilling and satisfying, and remains one of the great records of the golden age of hip-hop."
#142: Omni Trio - The Deepest Cut Vol. 1
Released May 25, 1995
Sm:)e
Renegade Snares [Foul Play VIP Mix] | Living For The Future | Mainline [95 Lick]
Full Album
"A perfect combination of soulful melody and tearing drum'n'bass percussion."
#141: Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot
Released August 5, 1995
Capitol
Homecoming Queen | Saturday | Most Beautiful Widow In Town
Full Album | Spotify
"Sparklehorse's 1996 full-length debut, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, has even more sad, beautiful, weird moments of spacy, rural folk-rock than it does letters in its name."
#140: Prince And The New Power Generation - Diamonds And Pearls
Released October 1, 1991
Paisley Park/Warner Bros
Spotify
"...he manages to skillfully reinvent himself as an urban soulman without sacrificing his musical innovation."
#139: Gravediggaz - 6 Feet Deep
Released August 9, 1994
Gee Street/Island/PolyGram
Constant Elevation | 1-800 Suicide | Diary Of A Madman
Full Album | Spotify
"6 Feet Deep is a sick joke. A lethally great and a ghoulishly comical one, but a deranged and sadistic prank nonetheless."
#138: Matthew Good Band - Underdogs
Released October 7, 1997
Mercury/Darktown/PolyGram
Everything Is Automatic | Apparitions | Prime Time Deliverance
Full Album | Spotify
"Underdog's proved that the band was one to be reckoned with, adding grinding, staticky guitar riffs to rutted vocals on the rockier pieces and fluent but perceptive lyrics to the ballads."
#137: Sleater-Kinney - Call The Doctor
Released March 25, 1996
Chainsaw
Anonymous | Good Things | I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone
Full Album | Spotify
"...forging taut melodicism and jaw-dropping sonic complexity out of barbed-wire emotional potency."
#136: Neutral Milk Hotel - On Avery Island
Released March 26, 1996
Merge
Someone Is Waiting | Three Peaches | Naomi
Full Album | Spotify
"A fuzzy masterpiece of experimental lo-fi recording, the album wraps its ragged pop songs in ribbons of loops, marching-band squawks, and Casio noodling..."
#135: Big L - Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous
Released March 28, 1995
Columbia
Put It On | MVP | Fed Up Wit The Bullshit
Full Album | Spotify
"This album captures the dynamic potential of a street legend, a legend who would later be gunned down in his prime."
#134: Lisa Germano - Geek The Girl
Released October 25, 1994
4AD
Geek The Girl | Cry Wolf | A Guy Like You
Full Album | Spotify
"Geek the Girl's brave whispers hit on more emotional truths than the self-important screams of Germano's mid-'90s, women-in-rock contemporaries."
#133: Eels - Beautiful Freak
Released August 13, 1996
DreamWorks
Not Ready Yet | My Beloved Monster | Guest List
Full Album | Spotify
"Concise pop tunes form the backbone of the album, yet tinges of despair and downright meanness surface just when you've been lulled into thinking this is another pop group"
#132: Cypress Hill - Black Sunday
Released August 13, 1996
DreamWorks
I Ain't Goin' Out Like That | Insane In The Brain | Hits From The Bong
Full Album | Spotify
"It's a slightly darker affair than its groundbreaking predecessor, with the threats of violence more urgent and the pot obsession played to the hilt"
#131: Paperclip People - The Secret Tapes Of Dr. Eich
Released December 2, 1996
Planet E
Oscillator | The Climax | My Neighborhood
Full Album | Spotify
"The Secret Tapes of Dr. Eich possesses a clean, technical, utterly scientific approach to the dynamic, sometimes dirty world of dance music, and [Carl Craig aka Paperclip People] blends the dual aesthetics excellently, pitting raw samples against precise beats and studio effects."
#130: PJ Harvey - Is This Desire?
Released September 28, 1996
Island
Angelene | A Perfect Day Elise | No Girl So Sweet
Full Album | Spotify
"Is This Desire? has all the hallmarks of a record written in isolation; subtle, cerebral, insular, difficult to assimilate..."
#129: Ben Folds Five - Whatever And Ever Amen
Released March 18, 1997
550
Brick | Smoke | Missing The War
Full Album | Spotify
"Whatever and Ever Amen has a snazzy sense of popcraft...which makes the record enjoyable ear candy."
#128: Aphex Twin - ...I Care Because You Do
Released April 24, 1995
Warp/Sire/Elektra
Start As You Mean To Go On | Mookid | Alberto Balsalm
Full Album | Spotify
"...I Care Because You Do fuses his earlier hardcore techno days with the smooth rhythm and atmosphere of his ambient work, often on the same song."
#127: The Get Up Kids - Something To Write Home About
Released September 21, 1999
Vagrant
Red Letter Day | Out Of Reach | The Company Dime
Full Album | Spotify
"...I Care Because You Do fuses his earlier hardcore techno days with the smooth rhythm and atmosphere of his ambient work, often on the same song."
#126: Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Released June 16, 1997
Dedicated
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space | Broken Heart | Cool Waves
Full Album | Spotify
"Spiritualized's third collection of hypnotic headphone symphonies is their most brilliant and accessible to date."
#125: Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Released February 14, 1994
Matador/Big Cat/Domino/Rough Trade/Fellaheen/Flying Nun
Elevate Me Later | Cut Your Hair | Gold Soundz
Full Album | Spotify
"By drawing on so many different influences, Pavement discovered its own distinctive voice as a band on Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, creating a vibrant, dynamic, emotionally resonant album that stands as a touchstone of underground rock in the '90s and one of the great albums of its decade."
#124: The Jesus & Mary Chain - Stoned & Dethroned
Released August 15, 1994
Blanco y Negro/American Recordings
Sometimes Always | Hole | Wish I Could
Full Album | Spotify
"The Reids turned the emphasis toward much calmer, acoustic folk/country-tinged songs and, for the first time since Psychocandy, recorded with an actual full band..."
#123: Bettie Serveert - Palomine
Released January 7, 1992
Guernica/Matador
Leg | Palomine | Palomine (Small)
Full Album | Spotify
"Everything from third album Velvet Underground and Neil Young's furious electric heights to the Wedding Present's bruised romanticism has an echo here."
#122: Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind
Released September 30, 1997
Columbia
Trying To Get To Heaven | Till I Fell In Love With You | Make You Feel My Love
Full Album | Spotify
"...Time Out of Mind is carefully considered, from the densely detailed songs to the dark, atmospheric production."
#121: Primal Scream - Vanishing Point
Released July 7, 1997
Creation/Reprise/Warner Bros.
Kowalski | If They Move, Kill 'Em | Trainspotting
Full Album | Spotify
"Vanishing Point is a dark, trippy album, filled with mind-bending rhythms and cinematic flourishes."
#120: Maxwell - Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
Released April 2, 1996
Columbia
Sumthin' Sumthin' | Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder) | Whenever Wherever Whatever
Full Album | Spotify
"Maxwell's debut offers up a sophisticated and stylized take on late-'60s and early-'70 soul."
#119: Cat Power - Moon Pix
Released September 22, 1998
Matador
Metal Heart | Back Of Your Head | You May Know Him
Full Album | Spotify
"Where her previous works were an urgent, aching mix of punk, folk, and blues, Moon Pix is truly soul(ful) music: warm, reflective, complex, and cohesive."
#118: Mariah Carey - Daydream
Released October 3, 1995
Columbia
Fantasy | One Sweet Day | Always Be My Baby
Full Album | Spotify
"...Daydream demonstrates that Carey continues to perfect her craft and that she has earned her status as an R&B/pop diva."
#117: Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
Released November 4, 1991
Creation Records
The Concept | Alcoholiday | Is This Music?
Full Album | Spotify
"The gold standard of the early-'90s power pop revival, in its own way Bandwagoneque was as much a benchmark as contemporary records like Nevermind and Loveless"
#116: TLC - CrazySexyCool
Released November 15, 1994
LaFace/Arista
Creep | Red Light Special | Waterfalls
Full Album | Spotify
"On their second album, TLC downplay their overt rap connections, recording a smooth, seductive collection of contemporary soul reminiscent of both Philly soul and Prince, powered by new jack and hip-hop beats."
#115: Fatboy Slim - You've Come A Long Way, Baby
Released October 19, 1998
Skint/Astralwerks/Sony
Right Here, Right Now | The Rockafeller Skank | Praise You
Full Album | Spotify
"You've Come a Long Way, Baby is a seamless record, filled with great imagination, unexpected twists and turns, huge hooks, and great beats."
#114: Madonna - Bedtime Stories
Released October 25, 1994
Maverick/Sire/Warner Bros
Secret | Human Nature | Take A Bow
Full Album | Spotify
"The entire production of Bedtime Stories suggests that she wants listeners to acknowledge that her music isn't one-dimensional. She has succeeded with that goal, since Bedtime Stories offers her most humane and open music; it's even seductive."
#113: Underworld - Beaucoup Fish
Released March 1, 1999
Junior Boy's Own
Cups | Jumbo | Shudder/King Of Snake
Full Album | Spotify
"the trio is still the best at welding obtuse songcraft onto an uncompromising techno framework and making both sound great."
#112: Mariah Carey - Rainbow
Released November 2, 1999
Columbia
Heartbreaker | Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme) | Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)
Full Album | Spotify
"Rainbow is the first Carey album where she's written personal lyrics, and allusions to her separation from Mottola are evident throughout the album"
#111: The Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One
Released March 20, 1999
Flydaddy/Cloud
Hideaway | I Have Been Floated | Hilltop Procession Momentum Gaining
Full Album | Spotify
"...Daydream demonstrates that Carey continues to perfect her craft and that she has earned her status as an R&B/pop diva."
#110: Ghostface Killah - Ironman
Released October 29, 1996
Razor Sharp/Epic
Winter Warz | Box In Hand | Daytona 500
Full Album | Spotify
"Ironman is unlike any other record in RZA's catalog of productions, particularly because it's significantly lighter in tone."
#109: Mary J. Blige - What's The 411?
Released July 28, 1992
Uptown/MCA
Real Love | You Remind Me | My Love
Full Album | Spotify
"The eloquence and evocativeness that comes through in her voice, could be neither borrowed nor fabricated, making What's the 411? one of the decade's most explosive, coming-out displays of pure singing prowess"
#108: Neil Young - Harvest Moon
Released October 27, 1992
Reprise
Unknown Legend | Harvest Moon | Natural Beauty
Full Album | Spotify
"Harvest Moon manages to be sentimental without being sappy, wistful without being nostalgic."
#107: Suede - Coming Up
Released September 2, 1996
Nude
Trash | Filmstar | Beautiful Ones
Full Album | Spotify
"The most striking thing about Coming Up is the simplicity. Gone are the grand, sweeping gestures of both Suede and Dog Man Star, leaving behind the glam, which is now spiked with an invigorating sense of self-belief..."
#106: Nada Surf - High/Low
Released June 18, 1996
Elektra
Popular | Hollywood | Zen Brain
Full Album | Spotify
"High/Low is a nicely frazzled and fun release that actually bears a little similarity at points to prime Cheap Trick."
#105: Pixies - Trompe Le Monde
Released Semptember 23, 1991
4AD
Alec Eiffel | U-mass | Bird Dream Of The Olympus Mons
Full Album | Spotify
"The title might be French for "fool the world," but with Trompe le Monde, the Pixies weren't fooling anyone"
#104: Herbert - Around The House
Released July 27, 1998
Phonography
So Now... | Close To Me | Never Give Up
Full Album | Spotify
"The deep liquid basslines and staccato kitchen-sink percussion (reminiscent of a more skeletal Chic) are working in support of something -- namely, Siciliano's languorous vocals -- and Herbert proves quite adept at backing a singer."
#103: Camp Lo - Uptown Saturday Night
Released January 28, 1997
Profile/Arista
Luchini AKA This Is It | Sparkle | Black Nostaljack AKA Come On
Full Album | Spotify
"Camp Lo's debut album is a refreshing fusion of hip-hop, soul, and jazz that manages to avoid most jazz-rap clichés while retaining street credibility."
#102: D'Angelo - Brown Sugar
Released July 3, 1995
EMI
Brown Sugar | Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine | Cruisin'
Full Album | Spotify
"With his debut album, Brown Sugar, the 21-year-old D'Angelo crashed down some of those barriers. D'Angelo concentrates on classic versions of soul and R&B, but unlike most of his contemporaries, he doesn't cut and paste older songs with hip-hop beats; instead, he attacks the forms with a hip-hop attitude, breathing new life into traditional forms."
#101: Mazzy Star - So Tonight I Might See
Released October 5, 1993
Capitol
Fade Into You | Blue Light | Into Dust
Full Album | Spotify
"So Tonight That I Might See remains the group's undisputed high point, mixing in plenty of variety among its tracks without losing sight of what made the group so special to begin with."
#100: Mineral - The Power Of Failing
Released January 28, 1997
Crank!
Gloria | If I Could | Parking Lot
Full Album | Spotify
"Mineral were known for their beautiful, driving melodies, heart-penetrating lyrics, incredible vocals, and an overall sense of power that emanated from their music."
#099: Fiona Apple - When The Pawn...
Released November 9, 1999
Clean Slate/Epic
On The Bound | Love Ridden | I Know
Full Album | Spotify
"It's evident that not only have Apple's ambitions grown, so has her confidence -- few artists would open themselves up to the ridicule that comes with having a 90-word poem function as the full title, but that captures the fearless feeling of the record."
#098: Nightmares On Wax - Carboot Soul
Released April 12, 1999
Warp
Les Nuits | Morse | Ethnic Majority
Full Album | Spotify
"All in all, Carboot Soul is one of the best arguments yet for the continuing development of trip-hop beyond mere coffee table fare."
#097: Puff Daddy & The Family - No Way Out
Released July 1, 1997
Bad Boy
Victory | It's All About The Benjamins | Can't Nobody Hold Me Down
Full Album | Spotify
"That sense of loss makes No Way Out a more substantial album than most mid-'90s hip-hop releases"
#096: Jay-Z - Vol. 3... Life And Times Of S. Carter
Released December 28, 1999
Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
So Ghetto | Snoopy Track | Big Pimpin'
Full Album | Spotify
"A set of hard-hitting tracks with some of the best rhymes of Jay-Z's career..."
#095: Heltah Skeltah - Nocturnal
Released June 18, 1996
Duck Down/Priority/EMI
Letha Brainz Blo | Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka | Prowl
Full Album | Spotify
"The first words on the record announce 'You know how we did on the Infamous album, right? All right, well, we gon' do it again,' and that's exactly what they do."
#094: Pixies - Bossanova
Released August 13, 1990
4AD/Elektra
Velouria | Ana | Havalina
Full Album | Spotify
"But on Bossanova's strongest moments, the Pixies explored their softer side and found different uses for their extreme dynamics."
#093: Matthew Good Band - Beautiful Midnight
Released September 14, 1999
Universal/Atlantic
Hello Time Bomb | A Boy And His Machine Gun | Running For Home
Full Album | Spotify
"With this bold and distinct album Matthew Good Band have established their calling cards. They include lyrics that openly ravage society's current focus of materialism, dead end spirituality and other immoral but obvious societal ills, a tight hard rocking sound, and pained vocals."
#092: Soul For Real - Candy Rain
Released March 28, 1995
Uptown/MCA
Candy Rain | Every Little Thing I Do | Thinking Of You
Full Album | Spotify
"...the vocal group sounds sultry and seductive, and the production is smooth."
#091: Usher - My Way
Released September 16, 1997
LaFace/Arista
You Make Me Wanna... | Nice & Slow | My Way
Full Album | Spotify
"What makes Usher distinctive from his urban loverman peers is the fact that he doesn't oversing; he simply delivers his songs soulfully."
#090: The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
Released October 24, 1995
Virgin
Tonight, Tonight | Zero | Cupid De Locke
Full Album | Spotify
"With Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the band turns in one of the most ambitious and indulgent albums in rock history."
#089: The Afghan Whigs - 1965
Released October 27, 1998
Columbia
66 | Cito Soleil | Omerta
Full Album | Spotify
"...the music simmers with raw energy, its deep, dark grooves not so much white-boy as simply white-hot. "
#088: Wilco - A.M.
Released March 28, 1995
Sire/Reprise
I Must Be High | Shouldn't Be Ashamed | Should've Been In Love
Full Album | Spotify
"Wilco's music rocks in a more conventional way than Uncle Tupelo, rolling along with a loping beat that swings more than it rocks."
#087: MF Doom - Operation: Doomsday
Released April 20, 1999
Fondle 'Em
Doomsday | Red And Gold | Dead Bent
Full Album | Spotify
"The out-of-left-field edge of Doom's production -- which features '80s soul and smooth jazz mixed with classic drum breaks -- is indeed abstract at times, but his off-kilter rhymes are palatable and absent any pretentiousness."
#086: Amon Tobin - Permutation
Released November 19, 1996
Loud/RCA
Reanimator | Sordid | Nightlife
Full Album | Spotify
"While the great majority of jazz-junglists look no farther back than the mid-'60s for inspiration (and samples), Tobin took his bag of tricks back into the swing era to come up with more (and more interesting) variations on the form than most anyone else."
#085: Saint Etienne - Tiger Bay
Released June 28, 1994
Heavenly
Urban Clearway | Like A Motorway | Marble Lions
Full Album | Spotify
"Saint Etienne's disco-llision of '60s pop, '70s dance, and '90s club reached the peak by which they still are judged, with an album that is alternately heartwarming, heartbreaking, electrifying, and impossibly captivating."
#084: Suede - Dog Man Star
Released October 10, 1994
Nude
We Are The Pigs | The Power | New Generation
Full Album | Spotify
"Instead of following through on the Bowie-esque glam stomps of their debut, Suede concentrated on their darker, more melodramatic tendencies on their ambitious second album, Dog Man Star."
#083: Destroyer - City Of Daughters
Released June 1, 1998
Triple Crown Audio/Endearing
No Cease Fires! (Crimes Against The State Of Our Love, Baby) | Loves A Gnostic | School, And The Girls Who Go There
Full Album | Spotify
"...it provides a wide open window to the artist’s metamorphosis from bedroom bard to Dadaist-indie poet laureate."
#082: The Jayhawks - Sound Of Lies
Released April 22, 1997
American
The Man Who Loved Life | Think About It | Trouble
Full Album | Spotify
"Sound of Lies uses country-rock as a foundation and wanders off into a variety of different sonic territories, including surf rock and Beatlesque pop, bringing the music closer to the sound of adult alternative pop/rock. "
#081: Meshell Ndegéocello - Bitter
Released August 24, 1999
Maverick
Fool Of Me | Bitter | Beautiful
Full Album | Spotify
"Inspired by a torturous romantic relationship, Bitter surges with emotions, and most of them are shaded with regret, remorse, or bitterness."
#080: Goodie Mob - Soul Food
Released November 7, 1995
LaFace
Dirty South | Cell Therapy | The Day After
Full Album | Spotify
"If soul food was aptly named for its spiritual nourishment, the same is true of this underappreciated gem.."
#079: Beck - Odelay
Released June 18, 1996
DGC/Bong Load Custom
Devil's Haircut | The New Pollution | Where It's At
Full Album | Spotify
"Odelay shared a similar collage structure to [Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique] 1989 masterpiece, relying on a blend of found sounds and samples, but instead of lending the album its primary colors, the Dust Brothers provided the accents, highlighting Beck's ever-changing sounds"
#078: Ice Cube - The Predator
Released November 17, 1992
Priority/EMI
When Will They Shoot? | Wicked | It Was A Good Day
Full Album | Spotify
"Released in the aftermath of the 1991 L.A. riots, The Predator radiates tension. Ice Cube infuses nearly every song, and certainly every interlude, with the hostile mood of the era."
#077: Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On
Released January 28, 1997
Warner Bros.
Randy Described Eternity | Made-Up Dreams | Kicked It In The Sun
Full Album | Spotify
"For that listeners can thank their stars that Built to Spill isn't like many groups and Doug Martsch not like many artists. Perfect from Now On manages the amazing trick of being the band's best album to this point, Martsch and company using the opportunities for larger budgets and distribution to create an album at once inspiring and quietly emotional, not the easiest combination to pull off."
#076: Nirvana - In Utero
Released September 13, 1993
DGC
Scentless Apprentice | Heart-Shaped Box | All Apologies
Full Album | Spotify
"Even if the album wasn't a literal suicide note, it was certainly a conscious attempt to shed their audience"
#075: Dinosaur Jr. - Where You Been
Released February 9, 1993
Loud/RCA
Out There | Start Choppin' | Get Me
Full Album | Spotify
"Where You Been is occasionally moody and dark but otherwise is more rough fun."
#074: The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
Released April 7, 1997
Virgin/Freestyle Dust
Block Rockin' Beats | Elektrobank | Setting Sun
Full Album | Spotify
"Taking the swirling eclecticism of their post-techno debut, Exit Planet Dust, to the extreme, the Chemical Brothers blow all stylistic boundaries down with their second album, Dig Your Own Hole. "
#073: R.E.M. - Automatic For The People
Released October 5, 1992
Warner Bros.
Drive | Everybody Hurts | Man On The Moon
Full Album | Spotify
"At its core, the album is a collection of folk songs about aging, death, and loss, but the music has a grand, epic sweep provided by layers of lush strings, interweaving acoustic instruments, and shimmering keyboards."
#072: Jellyfish - Spilt Milk
Released February 9, 1993
Charisma
New Mistake | The Glutton Of Sympathy | Brighter Day
Full Album | Spotify
"But Spilt Milk is a massive balancing act that Jellyfish miraculously pull off; it might seem like a power pop Spruce Goose, but in this case it not only takes off, it flies high as a remarkable experiment in pop-minded rock on the grandest scale."
#071: Pulp - His 'n' Hers
Released April 18, 1994
Island
Babies | Do You Remember The First Time? | Pink Glove
Full Album | Spotify
"And those years of struggle pay off in other ways too, particularly in Cocker's carefully rendered observations of life on the fringes of Sheffield, where desperation, sex, and crime are always just a kiss away, and Pulp vividly evokes this world with a startling lack of romanticism but an appropriate amount of drama and a surplus of flair."
#070: Outkast - Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
Released April 26, 1994
LaFace
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik | Player's Ball | Crumblin' Erb
Full Album | Spotify
"It is on OutKast's debut album that the fledgling production team Organized Noize began forging one of the most distinctive production sounds in popular music in the '90s: part hip-hop; part live, Southern-fried guitar licks and booty-thick bass runs; and part lazy, early-'70s soul."
#069: LFO - Frequencies
Released July 22, 1991
Warp/Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.
LFO [Leeds Warehouse Mix] | Groovy Distortion | Track 14
Full Album | Spotify
"Definitive collection of the new style electro-techno, with composition and dynamics taking equal play with groove and DJ-friendliness."
#068: Tom Waits - Bone Machine
Released September 8, 1992
Island
Jesus Gonna Be Here | Goin' Out West | I Don't Wanna Grow Up
Full Album | Spotify
"Perhaps Tom Waits' most cohesive album, Bone Machine is a morbid, sinister nightmare, one that applied the quirks of his experimental '80s classics to stunningly evocative -- and often harrowing -- effect."
#067: The Roots - Things Fall Apart
Released November 19, 1996
Loud/RCA
The Next Movement | Ain't Sayin' Nothin' New | You Got Me
Full Album | Spotify
"One of the cornerstone albums of alternative rap's second wave, Things Fall Apart was the point where the Roots' tremendous potential finally coalesced into a structured album that maintained its focus from top to bottom."
#066: Method Man & Redman - Blackout!
Released September 28, 1999
Def Jam
Cereal Killer | Da Rockwilder | Tear It Off
Full Album | Spotify
"Hip-hop fans have known for years that Method Man and Redman are two of the top MCs in the field, and their tour together not only proved the fact, but also showed they rap incredibly well together."
#065: Happy Mondays - Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
Released November 27, 1990
Factory
Kinky Afro | Step On | Holiday
Full Album
"At their peak, the Happy Mondays were hedonism in perpetual motion, a party with no beginning and no end, a party where Pills 'N' Thrills and Bellyaches was continually pumping."
#064: Primal Scream - Screamadelica
Released September 23, 1991
Creation/Sire/Warner Bros.
Movin' On Up | Higher Than The Sun | Come Together
Full Album | Spotify
"There's no overestimating the importance of Screamadelica, the record that brought acid house, techno, and rave culture crashing into the British mainstream"
#063: The Sundays - Reading, Writing And Arithmetic
Released January 15, 1990
Rough Trade
Skin & Bones | Here's Where The Story Ends | You're Not The Only One I Know
Full Album | Spotify
"The Sundays' debut album builds on the layered, ringing guitar hooks and unconventional pop melodies of the Smiths, adding more ethereal vocals and a stronger backbeat."
#062: The Sea And Cake - The Biz
Released October 10, 1995
Thrill Jockey
Station In The Valley | Sending | For Minor Sky
Full Album | Spotify
"The resulting sprawl brings the group closer to jazz than ever before, with the songs' extended instrumental passages and shifting rhythms shining new light on the telepathic interplay between Eric Claridge's bass and John McEntire's drums."
#061: Built To Spill - Keep It Like A Secret
Released February 2, 1999
Up/Warner Bros.
The Plan | Carry The Zero | Else
Full Album | Spotify
"The first words on the record announce 'You know how we did on the Infamous album, right? All right, well, we gon' do it again,' and that's exactly what they do."
#060: Weezer - Pinkerton
Released September 24, 1996
DGC
No Other One | El Scorcho | Butterfly
Full Album | Spotify
"The first noticeable difference is the darker, messier sound -- the guitars rage and squeal, the beats are brutal and visceral, the vocals are mixed to the front, filled with overlapping, off-the-cuff backing vocals. "
#059: Nas - It Was Written
Released July 2, 1996
Columbia
Affirmative Action | Suspect | If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)
Full Album | Spotify
"Although that rhyme style isn't as startling on It Was Written as it was on his debut, Illmatic, Nas has deepened his talents, creating a complex series of rhymes that not only flow, but manage to tell coherent stories as well."
#058: A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
Released November 9, 1993
Jive
Award Tour | Electric Relaxation | The Chase, Part II
Full Album | Spotify
"Though the abstract rappers finally betrayed a few commercial ambitions for Midnight Marauders, the happy result was a smart, hooky record that may not have furthered the jazz-rap fusions of The Low End Theory, but did merge Tribe-style intelligence and reflection with some of the most inviting grooves heard on any early-'90s rap record."
#057: Genius/GZA - Liquid Swords
Released November 7, 1995
Geffen/MCA
Liquid Swords | 4th Chamber | Shadowboxin'
Full Album | Spotify
"Rich in allusions and images, his cerebral, easy-flowing rhymes are perhaps the subtlest and most nuanced of any Wu MC, as underscored by his smooth, low-key delivery."
#056: Aphex Twin - Richard D. James Album
Released November 4, 1996
Jungle
4 | Goon Gumpas | Girl/Boy Song
Full Album | Spotify
"The beats are jackhammer quick and even more jarring considering what is -- for the most part -- laid over the top: the same fragile, slow-moving melodies that characterized Aphex Twin's earlier ambient works."
#055: Mobb Deep - The Infamous
Released April 25, 1995
Loud/RCA
Survival Of The Fittest | Give Up The Goods (Just Step) | Shook Ones, Pt. II
Full Album | Spotify
"Given Mobb Deep's youthful age and art-school background, it's highly unlikely that The Infamous is drawn strictly from real-life experience, yet it's utterly convincing, because it has all the foreboding atmosphere and thematic sweep of an epic crime drama. "
#054: Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle
Released November 23, 1993
Death Row/Interscope
Gin And Juice | Who Am I (What's My Name)? | Ain't No Fun
Full Album | Spotify
"...it nevertheless is the best showcase for Snoop's prodigious talents, not just because he's given the room to run wild, but because he knows what to do with that freedom and Dre presents it all with imagination and a narrative thrust."
#053: Boards OF Canada - Music Has The Right To Children
Released April 20, 1998
Warp/Skam/Matador
Telephasic Workshop | Turquoise Hexagon Sun | Roygbiv
Full Album | Spotify
"This is pure machine soul, reminiscent of some forgotten Japanese animation soundtrack or a rusting Commodore 64 just about to give up the ghost."
#052: Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
Released August 1, 1995
Loud/RCA
Incarcerated Scarfaces | Ice Cream | Wu-Gambinos
Full Album | Spotify
" If the Genius is the Wu's best overall lyricist, Raekwon is arguably their best storyteller, and here he translates the epic themes and narratives of a Mafia movie into a startlingly accomplished hip-hop album."
#051: Tortoise - TNT
Released March 10, 1998
Thrill Jockey
TNT | Almost Always Is Nearly Enough | Jetty
Full Album | Spotify
"Adding guitarist Jeff Parker to cement their musicianship as well as their connections to Chicago's fertile jazz/avant-garde scene, the band returned with a record of post-modern cool jazz, only slightly informed by the dub, Krautrock, and electronics of Millions Now Living Will Never Die."
#050: Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope
Released October 7, 1997
Virgin
Got 'Til It's Gone | Go Deep | I Get Lonely
Full Album | Spotify
"...The Velvet Rope, is sexually explicit, offering tales of bondage, body piercing, and bisexuality."
#049: Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
Released November 18, 1997
Up
Lounge (Closing Time) | Trailer Trash | Polar Opposites
Full Album | Spotify
"Give this album a listen and you can be sure that you will be singing the rambling, catchy, almost whiny vocals in no time."
#048: Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun
Released June 12, 1999
Fat Cat/Smekkeleysa
Svefn-g-englar | Starálfur | Ný batterí
Full Album | Spotify
" Rarely has a sophomore effort sounded this thick and surprising. Which means that [Ágætis Byrjun] might as well become of the most charming understatements to come out of a band in years."
#047: Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
Released September 16, 1991
Verve/Polydor
Myrrhman | Ascension Day | New Grass
Full Album | Spotify
"...the album operates outside of the accepted sphere of rock to create music which is both delicate and intense; recorded with a large classical ensemble, it defies easy categorization, conforming to very few structural precedents..."
#046: Foo Fighters - The Colour And The Shape
Released May 20, 1997
Roswell/Capitol
Monkey Wrench | Everlong | Walking After You
Full Album | Spotify
"...it’s all polished thunder, rock & roll that’s about precision not abandon."
#045: The Prodigy - Music For The Jilted Generation
Released July 4, 1994
XL/Mute
Voodoo People | No Good (Start The Dance) | One Love [Edit]
Full Album | Spotify
"The Prodigy's response to the sweeping legislation and crackdown on raves contained in 1994's Criminal Justice Bill is an effective statement of intent."
#044: Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92
Released February 12, 1982
Apollo
Xtal | Green Calx | Actium
Full Album | Spotify
"Reputedly created on homemade equipment deconstructed from standard synthesizers, the music within takes its cue from club beats and the techno rhythms of rave and acid-house culture. Upon these foundations, however, Aphex Twin weaves melodic tapestries of great subtlety, beauty, and atmospheric texture."
#043: Built to Spill - There's Nothing Wrong With Love
Released September 13, 1994
Up
Reasons | Car | Twin Falls
Full Album | Spotify
"Beneath the wacky guitar fooling and somewhat nasal vocals, Built to Spill write great love songs, whether its bouncy pop or fragile melodies."
#042: Depeche Mode - Violator
Released March 19, 1990
Mute
Halo | Enjoy The Silence | Policy Of Truth
Full Album | Spotify
"In a word, stunning."
#041: Green Day - Dookie
Released February 1, 1994
Reprise
Longview | Basket Case | When I Come Around
Full Album | Spotify
"...the sound of a promising underground group suddenly hitting its stride just as they got their first professional, big-budget, big-label production."
#040: De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead
Released May 14, 1991
Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.
A Rollerskating Jam Named "Saturdays" | Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa | Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)
Full Album
"On their notorious second album, De La Soul went to great lengths to debunk the daisy-age hippie image they'd been pigeonholed with, titling the record De La Soul Is Dead and putting a picture of wilting daisies in a broken flowerpot on the cover."
#039: Ma$e - Harlem World
Released October 28, 1997
Bad Boy
Lookin' At Me | Feel So Good | 24 Hrs. To Live
Full Album | Spotify
"...Harlem World has a dense, funky sound that is up-tempo party rap at its best"
#038: Outkast - Aquemini
Released September 29, 1998
LaFace/RCA
Rosa Parks | Skew It On The Bar-B | Spottieottiedopalicious
Full Album | Spotify
"The chilled-out space-funk of ATLiens had already thrown some fans for a loop, and Aquemini made it clear that its predecessor was no detour, but a stepping stone for even greater ambitions."
#037: Daft Punk - Homework
Released January 20, 1997
Virgin
Revolution 909 | Da Funk | Around The World
Full Album | Spotify
"Daft Punk's full-length debut is a funk-house hailstorm, giving real form to a style of straight-ahead dance music not attempted since the early fusion days of on-the-one funk and dance-party disco."
#036: The Prodigy - Experience
Released September 28, 1992
XL/Elektra
Hyperspeed (g-force Part 2) | Charly | Out Of Space
Full Album | Spotify
"Experience balances a supply of top-this siren whistles and chipmunk divas with Liam Howlett's surprising flair for constructing track after track of intense breakbeat techno."
#035: Björk - Debut
Released July 5, 1993
One Little Indian
Human Behaviour | Venus As A Boy | Big Time Sensuality
Full Album | Spotify
"Debut not only announced Björk's remarkable talent; it suggested she had even more to offer."
#034: The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
Released September 7, 1999
Merge
All My Little Words | A Pretty Girl Is Like... | Nothing Matters When We're Dancing
Full Album | Spotify
"...a three-disc epic of classically chiseled pop songs that explore both the promise and pitfalls of modern romance through the jaundiced eye of an irredeemable misanthrope."
#033: Orbital - Orbital 2
Released May 24, 1993
Internal/FFRR
Lush 3-1 | Lush 3-2 | Halcyon And On And On
Full Album | Spotify
"Opening with a looped Star Trek sample, Orbital's second album progresses through eight tracks of warm, unrepetitive techno in what sounds more like a DJ mix album than an LP, with no bows to mainstream sensibilities."
#032: Pavement - Slanted And Enchanted
Released April 20, 1992
Matador
Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17 | In The Mouth A Desert | Here
Full Album | Spotify
"...it offers an embarrassment of riches, with each new song proving that the band really was not just the best of its kind, but the best of its time."
#031: Outkast - ATLiens
Released August 27, 1996
LaFace
ATLiens | Jazzy Belle | Elevators (Me & You)
Full Album | Spotify
"Mineral were known for their beautiful, driving melodies, heart-penetrating lyrics, incredible vocals, and an overall sense of power that emanated from their music."
#030: Jeff Buckley - Grace
Released August 23, 1994
Columbia
Last Goodbye | Hallelujah | Lover, You Should've Come Over
Full Album | Spotify
"Grace is an audacious debut album, filled with sweeping choruses, bombastic arrangements, searching lyrics, and above all, the richly textured voice of Buckley himself, which resembled a cross between Robert Plant, Van Morrison, and his father Tim."
#029: DJ Shadow - Endtroducing...
Released November 19, 1996
Mo' Wax
Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt | Midnight In A Perfect World | What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1 - Blue Sky Revisit)/Transmission 3
Full Album | Spotify
"...DJ Shadow tended to treat hip-hop as a musical innovation, not as an explicit social protest, which goes a long way toward explaining why his debut album Endtroducing... sounded like nothing else at the time of its release."
#028: Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
Released May 10, 1994
DGC
My Name Is Jonas | Buddy Holly | Say It Ain't So
Full Album | Spotify
"That makes for a great record, but more than that, it's a great record emblematic of its time, standing as one of the defining albums of the '90s."
#027: Saint Etienne - Foxbase Alpha
Released September 1991
Heavenly/Warner Bros.
Only Love Can Break Your Heart | Spring | People Get Real
Full Album | Spotify
"Despite a handful of classic pop singles, Saint Etienne's debut album Foxbase Alpha is a tentative fusion of club culture and swinging '60s pop."
#026: Fugees - The Score
Released February 13, 1996
Ruffhouse/Columbia
Ready Or Not | Fu-Gee-La | Killing Me Softly With His song
Full Album | Spotify
"A breath of fresh air in the gangsta-dominated mid-'90s, the Fugees' breakthrough album, The Score, marked the beginning of a resurgence in alternative hip-hop."
#025: The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
Released May 17, 1999
Warner Bros.
Race For The Prize | Waitin' For A Superman | Suddenly Everything Has Changed
Full Album | Spotify
"...in many ways their most daring work yet, a plaintively emotional, lushly symphonic pop masterpiece eons removed from the mind-warping noise of their past efforts."
#024: Elliott Smith - Either/Or
Released February 25, 1997
Kill Rock Stars
Angeles | 2:45 AM | Say Yes
Full Album | Spotify
"Elliott Smith's third album sees his one-man show getting a little more ambitious."
#023: Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Released February 23, 1999
Aftermath/Interscope/Web
My Name Is | Guilty Conscience | Role Model
Full Album | Spotify
"The Slim Shady LP bristles with this tension, since it's never always clear when Marshall Mathers is joking and when he's dead serious."
#022: Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand
Released June 21, 1994
Scat
Tractor Rape Chain | Smothered In Hugs | Gold Star For Robot Boy
Full Album | Spotify
"The cult of indie rock thrives on the unexpected discovery, and in 1994 Guided by Voices were just the sort of musical phenomenon no one figured was still out there -- 30-something rock obsessives cranking out fractured guitar-driven pop tunes in a laundry room."
#021: Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Released April 20, 1998
Circa/Virgin
Angel | Teardrop | Black Milk
Full Album | Spotify
"...a record immediately announcing not only that the group was back, but that they'd recorded a set of songs just as singular and revelatory as on their debut..."
#020: Morrissey - Vauxhall And I
Released March 14, 1994
Parlophone/Sire/Reprise
Now My Heart Is Full | The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get | The Lazy Sunbathers
Full Album | Spotify
"Filled with carefully constructed guitar pop gems, the album contains some of Morrissey's best material since the Smiths."
#019: Basement Jaxx - Remedy
Released May 10, 1999
XL
Remedy | Jump N' Shout | Red Alert
Full Album
"...Buxton and Ratcliffe chew up and spit out mutated versions of hip-hop, ragga, Latin, R&B, soul, and garage -- the varied sound that defined the worldwide house scene of the late '90s."
#018: The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Released July 27, 1993
Virgin
Today | Disarm | Mayonaise
Full Album | Spotify
"Siamese Dream stands alongside Nevermind and Superunknown as one of the decade's finest (and most influential) rock albums."
#017: Public Enemy - Fear Of A Black Planet
Released April 10, 1990
Def Jam/Columbia
Brothers Gonna Work It Out | Welcome To The Terrordome | Fight The Power
Full Album | Spotify
"Where Millions was all about aggression -- layered aggression, but aggression nonetheless -- Fear of a Black Planet encompasses everything, touching on seductive grooves, relentless beats, hard funk, and dub reggae without blinking an eye."
#016: The Cocteau Twins - Heaven Or Las Vegas
Released September 17, 1990
4AD
Cherry-coloured Funk | Heaven Or Las Vegas | Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires
Full Album | Spotify
"From the start, Heaven... is simply fantastic"
#015: Radiohead - The Bends
Released March 13, 1995
Parlophone/Capitol
High And Dry | Just | Bullet Proof... I Wish I Was
Full Album | Spotify
"...Radiohead create a grand and forceful sound that nevertheless resonates with anguish and despair -- it's cerebral anthemic rock."
#014: Nirvana - Nevermind
Released September 24, 1991
DGC
Smells Like Teen Spirit | In Bloom | Lithium
Full Album | Spotify
"Nevermind was never meant to change the world, but you can never predict when the Zeitgeist will hit, and Nirvana's second album turned out to be the place where alternative rock crashed into the mainstream. "
#013: The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die
Released September 13, 1994
Bad boy
Gimme The Loot | Juicy | Big Poppa
Full Album | Spotify
"The album that reinvented East Coast rap for the gangsta age..."
#012: Björk - Post
Released June 13, 1995
One Little Indian/Elektra
Army Of Me | Hyperballad | It's Oh So Quiet
Full Album | Spotify
"The work of a constantly changing artist, Post proves that as Björk moves toward more ambitious, complex music, she always surpasses herself."
#011: Portishead - Dummy
Released August 22, 1994
Go! Beat
Sour Times | Roads | Glory Box
Full Album | Spotify
"Portishead's album debut is a brilliant, surprisingly natural synthesis of claustrophobic spy soundtracks, dark breakbeats inspired by frontman Geoff Barrow's love of hip-hop, and a vocalist (Beth Gibbons) in the classic confessional singer/songwriter mold."
#010: Pulp - Different Class
Released October 30, 1995
Island
Common People | Disco 2000 | Bar Italia
Full Album | Spotify
"Pulp don't stray from their signature formula at all -- it's still grandly theatrical, synth-spiked pop with new wave and disco flourishes, but they have mastered it here."
#009: Belle And Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
Released November 18, 1996
Jeepster/Matador
Like Dylan In The Movies | The Fox In The Snow | Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying
Full Album | Spotify
"Whimsy and preciousness are an integral part of If You're Feeling Sinister, along with clever wit and gentle, intricate arrangements -- a wonderful blend of the Smiths and Simon & Garfunkel, to be reductive."
#008: Air - Moon Safari
Released January 16, 1998
Virgin
La Femme D'argent | All I Need | You Make It Easy
Full Album | Spotify
"They were musicians in a producer's world, and while no one could ever accuse their music of being danceable, it delivered the emotional power of great dance music even while pushing the barriers of what "electronica" could or should sound like."
#007: Björk - Homogenic
Released September 22, 1997
One Little Indian
Joga | Unravel | All Is Full Of Love
Full Album | Spotify
"With its surprising starkness and darkness, 1997's Homogenic shatters her "Icelandic pixie" image."
#006: Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
Released August 22, 1997
Matador
Moby Octopad | Deeper Into Movies | Center Of Gravity
Full Album | Spotify
"The 16 tracks that made up the ambitious and epic I Can Hear the Heart found the group stretching out their whispery vocals and deceptively straightforward pop approach to encompass a variety of unexpected styles."
#005: Nas - Illmatic
Released April 19, 1994
Columbia
N.Y. State Of Mind | The World Is Yours | It Ain't Hard To Tell
Full Album | Spotify
"It helped spearhead the artistic renaissance of New York hip-hop in the post-Chronic era, leading a return to street aesthetics."
#004: Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Released November 9, 1993
Loud
C.R.E.A.M. | Method Man | Protect Ya Neck
Full Album | Spotify
"Its spare yet atmospheric production -- courtesy of RZA -- mapped out the sonic blueprint that countless other hardcore rappers would follow for years to come."
#003: Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
Released February 10, 1998
Merge/Domino
In The Aeroplane Over the Sea | Two-Headed Boy | Holland, 1945
Full Album | Spotify
"Perhaps best likened to a marching band on an acid trip, Neutral Milk Hotel's second album is another quixotic sonic parade; lo-fi yet lush, impenetrable yet wholly accessible, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is either the work of a genius or an utter crackpot, with the truth probably falling somewhere in between."
#002: Radiohead - OK Computer
Released May 21, 1997
Parlophone/Capitol
Paranoid Android | Exit Music (For A Film) | No Surprises
Full Album | Spotify
"Radiohead have stripped away many of the obvious elements of guitar rock, creating music that is subtle and textured yet still has the feeling of rock & roll."
#001: My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Released November 4, 1991
Creation
When You Sleep | Sometimes | Soon
Full Album | Spotify
"Isn't Anything was good enough to inspire an entire scene of My Bloody Valentine soundalikes, but Loveless' greatness proved that the band was inimitable."
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