Post dedicated to Sean B.
Beastie Boys – Check Your Head
Mixing rap with rock and/or funk can lead to disaster. In this case, however, it leads to fucking brilliance. Fuzzy bass that will melt your head, dirty loops that wouldn’t be made into sounds by anyone else, great instrumental work, and distorted raps with the typical beastie charm. This is alternative music.
Jane’s Addiction – Ritual De Lo Habitual
Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro before they turned into douche-bags. Where did all that creativity go? This album showcases astounding alt-rock songwriting and tight yet frenetic performances.
Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish
Better than ‘Parklife’. The best britpop album in my mind. Gritty and depressing pop music.
Weezer – Pinkerton
They got sledged by moving from the lovable pop-punk of their debut to more serious and emotional ground, but time has shown Pinkerton to be a mature and emotionally deep masterpiece (and with all the pop sensibilities that made them a name).
Beck – Odelay
The lyrics may be self-admittedly mostly nonsensical, but that odd-ball charm and left field production by The Dust Brothers (who also pulled off one of the 80s masterpieces, Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique) made him one of the anti-heroes of the 90s. And for good reason.
DJ Shadow – Endtroducing…
And what an endtroduction.. erm, introduction it was. You can get lost in this trip-hop epiphany forever. Proof sampling can be a deep and intricate musical artform.
Regurgitator – Tu-Plang
The greatest Australian alternative album of the 90s. This saved me from bad music.
Air – Moon Safari
Poppy yet ambient, cheesy yet endearing, electronic yet instrumental. Like any good moon safari should be.
The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin
Marks the point where The Flaming Lips went from being good to being untouchable. Brian Wilson would be proud of this. Dreamy and grandiose yet kitchen-sink in its recording and entirely unpretentious.
eels – Electro-Shock Blues
Last but definitely not least. Incredibly dark and haunting pop music dealing with his sisters suicide, diseased alcoholic father, cancerous mother, and much more. Startlingly honest, confrontingly cold, amazingly endearing, and still manages to finish on a positive note. An utter masterpiece.
