Apropos of nothing, to the person who once said to me that the 1990s had no good music, I offer a list of 40 albums worth owning. This list has a good drubbing of obvious Alternative Rock and Brit Pop picks, but banks and dips into Shoe Gaze, Noise Pop, Trip Hop, and Electronica, which are more recent musical interests of mine. I own other albums from the nineties that are Canadian Rock-weighted (Tragically Hip, Tea Party, Odds):
- Heaven or Las Vegas by The Cocteau Twins, 1990
- Gala by Lush, 1990
- Achtung Baby! by U2, 1991
- Ten by Pearl Jam, 1991
- Nevermind by Nirvana, 1991
- Loveless by My Bloody Valentine, 1991
- Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1991
- Screamadelica by Primal Scream, 1991
- Peng! by Stereolab, 1992
- Lazer-Guided Melodies by Spiritualized, 1992
- So Tonight That I Might See by Mazzy Star, 1993
- Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins, 1993
- Debut by Björk, 1993
- G-Stoned by Kruder & Dorfmeister, 1993
- Zooropa by U2, 1993
- Dummy by Portishead, 1994
- Superunknown by Soundgarden, 1994
- Weezer by Weezer, 1994
- Post by Björk, 1995
- (What's the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis, 1995
- Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins, 1995
- The Bends by Radiohead, 1995
- Exit Planet Dust by The Chemical Brothers, 1995
- Electr-O-Pura by Yo La Tengo, 1995
- Odelay by Beck, 1996
- Emperor Tomato Ketchup by Stereolab, 1996
- Among My Swan by Mazzy Star, 1996
- Ok, Computer by Radiohead, 1997
- Urban Hymns by The Verve, 1997
- Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space by Spiritualized, 1997
- Homogenic by Björk, 1997
- Opera by Tosca, 1997
- I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One by Yo La Tengo, 1997
- Northern Star by Groove Armada, 1998
- Mezzanine by Massive Attack, 1998
- Moon Safari by Air, 1998
- Music Has the Right to Children by Boards of Canada, 1998
- Glee by Bran Van 3000, 1998
- Vertigo by Groove Armada, 1999
- Surrender by The Chemical Brothers, 1999
That 1997 tho.
And since I want to keep the party going, here's an extension of this list into the first half of the 2000's, 20 more albums too good to leave off:
- Since I Left You by The Avalanches, 2000
- Felt Mountain by Goldfrapp, 2000
- Kid A by Radiohead, 2000
- And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out by Yo La Tengo, 2000
- Simple Things by Zero 7, 2001
- Amnesiac by Radiohead, 2001
- Comfort Eagle by Cake, 2001
- Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) by Groove Armada, 2001
- Charango by Morcheeba, 2002
- Machine Says Yes by FC Kahuna, 2002
- Lost Horizons by Lemon Jelly, 2002
- Details by Frou Frou, 2002
- Elephant by The White Stripes, 2003
- Black Cherry by Goldfrapp, 2003
- Talkie Walkie by Air, 2004
- When It Falls by Zero 7, 2004
- Lemon Jelly.ky by Lemon Jelly, 2004
- The Campfire Headphase by Boards of Canada, 2005
- Haughty Melodic by Mike Doughty, 2005
- The Cosmic Game by Thievery Corporation, 2005
I guess it's kind of easy to look back twenty years into the past and peer at "the best of" with the rosy hue of critical acclaim and record sales, but man, do I enjoy the music. Please drop me notes on what I've missed or what I should pick up from the next twenty years!