March 27, 2025 by A.S. Van Dorston

While Britpop ruled the UK, there was a diverse underground of experimentalism that boiled over into the mainstream.

There’s something to the mid-decade blahs. 1975, 1985 and 1995 all were arguably the weakest years, relatively, of their respective decades. However I firmly believe there’s no such thing as a bad year in music. A lot of popular artists struggled with navigating the post-Nirvana/Metallica major label feeding frenzy and subsequent purges. And then there was Britpop. What is is about times of peace and prosperity that brings out the worst of people? Sure, I was okay with Pulp in general, bits of Suede and Blur. Oasis were dumb as rocks but still had a few decent tunes. But the scene as a whole, and the press coverage was some of the most embarrassingly douchiest cringeworthy stuff ever in music. As far as the mainstream goes, there was nothing to counteract it. In the charts Canada’s failed teen dance-pop artist Alanis Morissette grew up and for her third album, crushed everyone with 33 million in sales. And she didn’t even have to learn the proper meaning of “ironic.” Mariah, Carey, Shania Twain, Jewel, Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, Ace Of Base, yuckity yuck yuck. The only bright spots among the top 20 sellers were No Doubt and Smashing Pumpkins.

As always, most real music fans knew better than to look to the charts and the shelves at Walmart for good music. There was a lot of incredible music bubbling up from the underground. And in 1995, a lot of the newest developments in electronic music, dub, trip hop, post-rock and more were intersecting with borderline mainstream pop like Tricky, Björk, PJ Harvey and others. And The Wire magazine was documenting it better than any other publication at the time.

I had dabbled with the magazine since 1990, when it still specialized in avant-garde and free jazz, improvisation and modern classical. My attention perked up when Björk made the cover in August 1993, a deliberate sea change by editor Mark Sinker towards a more inclusive, expansive coverage. Sinker was fired after a controversial 18 months, but his influence remained, and Tony Herrington took over in March 1994, with Elvis Costello on the cover, followed by Nick Cave, David Byrne, John Cale, Laurie Anderson and Massive Attack. I was hooked, and was buying every issue and devouring it front to back, investigating anything I could get my hands on or sampling at the record store. In January 1995, they added the subtitle/strapline, “Adventures in Modern Music” in January 1995.

It was the perfect time at the age of 25-26, to be engaging in this adventure, exploring new musical territories, figuring out what kind of music would be part of my life when I grew up. All back issues of The Wire are available digitally for a reasonable price.

It’s worth mentioning that over 30% of the Lucky 13 were women artists, or bands lead by a woman, and just under 25% of the top 100, the highest ever so far in the 20th century.

October 1995 is also when a humble little webzine first went online on the World Wide Web, called Fast ‘n’ Bulbous.

Genre

Experimental can encompass a whole lot, including Simon Reynold’s term that picked up steam the previous year, Post-Rock, as well as music that incorporated elements of post-industrial, electronic, noise, and free improvisation. Tricky, Björk, PJ Harvey, Fugazi, Labradford, Tortoise, Swans, Scott Walker, The Mermen, Red Red Meat, Caspar Brötzmann Massaker, The Young Gods, Natacha Atlas all opened up many portals into ways any music from indie to pop can be exciting, adventurous and even subversive.

Comeback

The obvious pick for me is Scott Walker, who, after Climate of Hunter (1984) where he leaves his ornate baroque pop far behind and incorporates new wave, post-punk and darkwave into his art rock, disappeared for eleven years. That’s not all that uncommon in the 2020s, but back then, it was like an artist being raised from the dead, and in this case with his most challenging avant-garde work yet.

Debut

It’s fookin’ Tricky isn’t it? Remember Zorg’s (Gary Oldman) minion Right Arm in The Fifth Element (1997)? That’s Tricky! Lucky 13 also included Elastica and Sixteen Horsepower, with Team Dresch bubblin’ under.

Memoriam

In 1991 I lived in Minneapolis not far from a favorite record store called Garage D’or. Bob Stinson would often come by. He seemed to be doing alright, was playing now and then with a couple local bands, seemed sober when I’d run into him. Once I bought him The Jesus Lizard’s latest CD. He later said it was good but I think he was just being polite, and I told him they need to be experienced live. We lost him, and many other musicians too soon. May they rest in pieces and rock in excelsis DIO.

Ruby Starr (44, Black Oak Arkansas), Bob Stinson (35, The Replacements), Vivian Stanshell (51, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band), Delroy Wilson (46), Eazy-E (30, N.W.A.), Rory Gallagher (47, Taste), Jerry Garcia (53, Grateful Dead), Dwayne Goettel (31, Skinny Puppy), Don Cherry (58), Shannon Hoon (28, Blind Melon), Country Dick Montana (40, Beat Farmers), Peter Grant (60), Junior Walker (64), Dean Martin (78).

Underrated

Comsat Angels by far. They got some attention during their first run in 1980-83, then their great album in ’92 and ’95 were ignored even more.

Disappointment

There were so many! Maybe the biggest letdown was Swervedriver. On the strength of their early EPs I thought they could be a top tier favorite band. They didn’t quite get there, then there was a significant drop in quality on their third album.

Surprise

It took some time to warm up to them, but Radiohead. From what I heard of the first album, I thought they were pretty lame. The Bends seemed too ballad-y to me at first, but when I got the Jeff Buckley connection, I noticed all the other good things going on.

Fester’s Lucky 13 – The Best Albums of 1995

1. Tricky – Maxinquaye (Island)

What happens when a hip hop/soul artist gets into Kate Bush’s The Dreaming (1982), cross dressing and dub reggae. I pre-ordered the expensive import from Reckless without having heard a note based on the feature in The Wire. I was delighted to find that “Pumpkin” is based around a sample of “Suffer” from Chicago’s Smashing Pumpkins’ debut Gish (1991). It’s such an astoundingly original work, all hype was fulfilled as far as I was concerned, and I was obsessed. It remains one of the best albums of the decade.

My original review:
It’s easy to see why Tricky so despised the reductionist “Trip Hop” label. While it may have sufficiently defined the idea-deficient ambient wallpaper of misguided late-90s Tricky plagiarists, the shapeshifting Maxinquaye is an entirely different beast. During Tricky’s tenure in Massive Attack, he helped pioneer a new fusion of hip-hop, soul and dub reggae. Yet it did little to prepare for the shocking sense of new in Maxinquaye. It’s a complex dialogue between technological sensuality and human sexuality, one in which it’s ambiguous which side possesses more soul. On one hand, the music starts out at ground zero in the politically cynical, burned/spliffed-out, stripped-down electro-funk of Sly Stone’s There’s A Riot Goin’ On, layers in the astral dub of Augustus Pablo, and slows down Public Enemy’s Bomb Squad into a stop-motion sci-fi animation and techno voodoo.

It’s difficult to immediately peg the meaning of Tricky and Martina’s mumbo jumbo lyrics, and like Ishmael Reed, the improvised language forces the audience to reckon with the meaning on Tricky’s terms. In “Aftermath,” he samples both a replicant in Blade Runner and Japan’s “Ghosts” for a pinnacle future-shockingly sexy moment. Here the human element, the sexuality, is blurry and ambiguous — more My Bloody Valentine than Prince, more Kate Bush than hip hop. “Hell Is Round The Corner” offers glimpses of Tricky’s m.o. — his narrative voice ebbing and flowing in time, space and multiple identities — “Confused by different memories/Details of Asian remedies/Conversations, of what’s become of enemies/My brain thinks bomb-like/So I listen he’s a calm type/And as I grow, I grow collective” “Pumpkin” transcends any contextual meaning and simply floats ethereal more effectively than anything by the Cocteau Twins.

Hallucinatory (“Abbaon Fat Tracks”), woozy (“Feed Me”) and nearly exuberant (“Suffocated Love”), nearly every song is an original masterpiece. With his first solo album, Tricky has already earned himself a place in the pantheon of Afro-alien shaman alongside Sun Ra, Miles Davis, Exuma and George Clinton. And like the spells of any self-respecting trickster deity, no one has yet to crack and decipher Maxinquaye’s mysterious secrets, let alone Tricky himself. Which is why it still continues to unfold its erotic, frightening spell to new listeners, and remains the best album of the 90s.

Trip Hop, Hip Hop, Dub, Post-Industrial, UK Street Soul | RYM #65 | Acclaimed #4 | AOTY #29

2. PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love (Columbia)

I’d read an early interview with Polly Harvey in ’92 where she talked about growing up in a small town in Dorset listening to Captain Beefheart records. Born just a few weeks after me, I reckognized a sisterfromanothermister kindred spirit. I sensed the darkness she wrestled with early on too, and on my office wall I taped the full page photo from the magazine, along with a cutout of Nick Cave looking up at her, cigarette in hand. They look either like brother and sister, lovers or both. I was somewhat dismayed to hear, around the time her third album came out, that she had been in a relationship with Cave. What is this voodoo? Did I conjure this unholy union? After digging deep into indie noise rock and intensely personal songs with the assistance of Steve Albini on Rid of Me (1993), Harvey had a breakdown, recouped at home, then started work on this album without her core band, collaborating in the studio with John Parish and Flood. The result was her watershed moment, graduating from feral indie rocker to a global rock star, her rough edges polished but still blackened, channelling Beefheart (“Meet Ze Monsta” is a direct reference to “Tropical Hot Dog Night”), Patti Smith, Kate Bush, Grace Jones and the often terrifying Diamanda Galas, in a swampy gumbo of sinister blues and garage noir. Unlike any other album that broke into the UK top 20 and US top 40, there are inscrutably murky, unsettling tracks like “Working for the Man” which feels like you’re trapped in a closet with a heavy breathing sexual predator. Harvey morphs between characters and gender perspectives, all of them more or less creepy. And that’s why I love her so.

3. The Comsat Angels – The Glamour

One of the greatest overlooked post-punk bands never connected with the audience they deserved, though Sleep No More (1981) is technically their pinnacle, reaching #51 in the UK charts in the brief moment they were on the verge of being fashionable. Despite criticisms of their mid-80s stab at somewhat more commercial sounds with the Jive label, and the Robert Palmer assisted Chasing Shadows (1986) with Island, in hindsight their music still holds up well, with the exception of the album they made under the name Dream Command in 1990. My Mind’s Eye (1992) was seen as a comeback, dabbling in shoegaze, but they were back to being completely ignored for their eighth and last album. The album title The Glamour had intentions of deep irony, as their sound was very stripped down and stark, with a production sound even more basic sounding than their debut fifteen years ago. And yet they expertly conjure ethereal ambience and darkly moody atmospherics that most of their contemporaries needed recording budgets a hundred times larger to achieve. The shoegaze elements have receded, but the psychedelic post-punk remains, though evolved from the early days. The title track is a nod to grunge, but filtered through younger British contemporaries like Swervedriver. There’s not a dud track on either the original issue, or the expanded double album reissue where Renascent added five previously unissued tracks and rearranged the track order, but standouts include “Web of Sound,” possibly their heaviest song with a gripping chorus. A well done video might have made a big difference for them. “SS 100X” addresses JFK assassination conspiracies, with a standout arrangement, while “Valley of the Nile” uses keyboards to add alluring Middle Eastern scales to stunning effect. The album closes with the 8:44 long “Spaced,” which taps into Syd-era Pink Floyd atmospherics, then explodes into distorted fury. Thus ends the catalog of Comsat Angels, the best fuckin’ band hardly anyone has heard.

4. Björk – Post (Elektra)

While I wasn’t crazy about the Sugarcubes, I’d heard enough of Debut (1993) to decide I had to buy it, and have been a fan ever since. I don’t know if it was her roots as a post-punker in KUKL, but she’s always had a way of taking fairly mundane elements, like Nellee Hooper’s work with Bristol’s Soul II Soul and The Wild Bunch, and making them adventurous and exciting. Post documents her move to London and immersion into the club scene, processing industrial, ambient, trip hop and all kinds of electronic (IDM, house, techno) and for the most part making them better. Co-produced between herself and Hooper, Graham Massey and Tricky, this is the sound of Björk transcending her quirky elfen indie pop character and ascending into nothing less than the avatar of 90’s pop in the best way. And she was just getting started.

Art Pop, Electronic, Trip Hop, Alt-Dance, Tribal House | RYM #4 | Acclaimed #6 | AOTY #4

5. Pram – Sargasso Sea (Too Pure)

When I saw Pram at Lounge Ax, I loved how they came across as a less ferocious variant of Dutch post-hardcore band Dog Faced Hermans, with a more whimsical approach to unusual instruments, including melodica, homemade theramin, glockenspiels, glass hammers, triangles, and toys. Their carnival-in-fairyland sound is less rackety than their previous album and more lounge-via Stereolab, Future Days era Can, and Odyshape era Raincoats, but remains simultaneously macabre and inviting. One of the forgotten treasures of Too Pure’s golden days with Laika and Th’ Faith Healers.

Psych, Dream Pop, Ambient Pop, Post-Rock, Exotica, Art Pop, Kosmische, Dub, Space Rock | RYM #249

6. Radiohead – The Bends (Parlophone)

I was dismissive of Radiohead based on their first album, until I read that Thom Yorke was a fan of Jeff Buckley and his vocals on their second album were influenced by him. And when I skipped their show at the Metro that year, word spread how they killed it. So I dipped my toe in and was cautiously impressed. Yorke was no Buckley, but he did have power and range befitting their anthemic rock meant to fill stadiums. Phil Selway’s thwacking intro to “Planet Telex” and Jonny Greenwood’s inventive licks, yeah this band was gonna be big. In hindsight I respect them even more for never repeating that formula and always progressing. It didn’t hurt that their songs featured prominently in the movie Clueless. “Yuk! The maudlin music of the University station.” Little did Cher know she’d soon be making out to this “cry-baby complaint rock.” Dozens of bands took notice, essentially becoming tribute bands to The Bends.

Alt Rock, Post-Britpop | RYM #5 | Acclaimed #2 | AOTY #15

7. Fugazi – Red Medicine (Dischord)

While I appreciated everything Fugazi stood for — playing only all-ages shows and keeping ticket prices affordable, not signing with a major label despite huge offers, saying no to Lollapalooza — I still liked them most for their music, which on this album they leaned hard into more abstract art rock, dub and even psych. I gotta say though, with most artists never hesitating to use their music in commercial ads, this album does trigger some nostalgia. And fans rewarded their integrity and followed them on the gnarliest of musical paths, reaching even further up the Billboard album chart and even top 20 in the UK. They didn’t need to sell out, they were doing just fine as they were. The influence of this adventerous album was far reaching, from Pelican and Russian Circles to Sweden’s Refused and even Red Hot Chili Peppers were covering “Latest Disgrace.”

Post-Hardcore, Noise Rock, Art Punk | RYM #22

8. Seam – Are You Driving Me Crazy? (Touch and Go)

Seam had a kind of all-star pedigree, at least in the indie rock world. Coming off of a really influential run with Bitch Magnet, Sooyung Park formed the first lineup with Lexi Mitchell and Superchunk’s MacMcCaughan in Chapel Hill. After moving to Chicago he hooked up with Bastro & Gastr Del Sol’s John McEntire and Bundy K. Brown, shortly before they got involved with Tortoise. By the third album, he was on the fourth lineup, but the sound was consistently all Sooyoung’s vision. And it’s a magnificent one, a unique flavor of slowcore with melodic noise pop and a hint of muscle in the occasionally explosive sounds and rhythms, remnants of Park’s Bitch Magnet. It’s a pity this didn’t find a larger audience, but we were entering the peak of landfill indie with major labels releasing a couple albums from the avalanche of bands signed in the early 90s, and it was easy to get lost amidst the static. This deceptively low-key Touch and Go release slipped through the cracks, but can now be considered a lost classic.

Indie Rock, Slowcore, Emo, Noise Pop | RYM #356

9. Elastica – Elastica (Geffen)

The vast stupidity, pomposity and dick-waving of the UK Britpop scene was offputting, to say the least. While Justine Frischmann served time in early Suede in 1989-91, she managed to set her band of three women and a dude apart from all the ridiculousness, presenting as a way cooler post-punk band, taking thematic inspiration from The Slits and Raincoats, musically from Wire and The Stranglers, updated with the pop sensibility of the likes of The Breeders. Yes, there was some legal kerfuffle over a riff swiped from Wire on “Connection,” but if Led Zeppelin can emerged untarnished for their sins, then Elastica deserve a freakin break. The first six songs, from “Line Up” through “Hold Me Now” are banger after banger, and had they kept that up, this might have sat in the top spot, glaring imperiously at their inferiors. While there’s still great material like “Waking Up” and “Stutter,” the slightly faltering second half shows their brilliance could not be sustained, and with their disappointing follow-up, they were quickly forgotten. Such is the UK pop scene. I saw them on this tour, and I still return to this album decades later.

Britpop, Indie, Post-Punk, Punk | RYM #347

10. Monster Magnet – Dopes to Infinity (A&M)

Even six years after their first demo tape, stoner rock wasn’t really identified. Monster Magnet were simply an amazing heavy psychedelic/space rock band who were heavier than anything grunge could offer up besides, of course, the Melvins, and now on their third album, featured a contemporary production sheen that helped them cross over, somewhat, via their top 20 single and video “Negasonic Teenage Warhead.” The album is a bit top heavy with the title track, the aforementioned single and “Look to Your Orb for the Warning,” and at an hour (nearly an hour and a half with bonus CD tracks) feels a bit long compared to their more consistent first couple albums. But it was gratifying that the mainstream was being served up some Monster Magnet on the airwaves and MTV. They’d finally even make the album charts with their next album, Powertrip (1998).

Stoner Rock, Space Rock, Heavy Psych, Stoner Metal | RYM #121

11. Labradford – A Stable Reference (kranky)

The fact that Labradford was kind of a runaway hit for their Chicago based indie label might seem odd to probably 99% of people on this planet who never heard of them. Formed in 1992 in Richmond, VA, their debut album was the first album releasse for the kranky label, and it’s relative success was a huge boost. Their mix of ambient, drone, psych and space-rock wouldn’t be put into the post-rock territory until Simon Reynolds mentioned them in an article for The Wire a year later, in which he referred to them as “Krautrock, without the ‘rock’, dissolved into a delicate, drum-less chamber music, all serene expanses and distant drones.” At the time, the debut may not have had quite the impact as Slint’s Spiderland, but it was nearly as groundbreaking in different ways. Even Alternative Press magazine recognized their brilliance with a glowing feature review. By their second album, they had a built-in audience anticipating it, and they didn’t disappoint, as it’s one of their best firming up their distinct approach that incorporated ambient Eno, kosmische via F/i and Cluster, and the gentle guitar strumming of Durutti Column and Felt’s early instrumental tracks. And yes, it’s also pretty.

Post-Rock, Ambient, Drone, Dark Ambient | RYM #317

12. Sixteen Horsepower – Sackcloth ‘n’ Ashes (A&M)

What on first glance was a rootsy/folky Americana band has much more interesting pedigree. David Eugene Edwards is well versed in the post-punk/garage noir of The Birthday Party/Bad Seeds, The Cramps and The Gun Club. They even covered Joy Division’s “Day of the Lords” live. While Nick Cave used religion as a literary device, Edwards appears to sincerely take to heart the old testament fire and brimstone themes. His anguish is not fake, but nor is he any kind of bible banger, having a deep affinity for Native American culture and spirituality, for example. Judging from the modest crowd at a tiny bar the one time I saw Sixteen Horsepower before they dissolved, they were underappreciated at the time. Edwards continued his creative progression via Wovenhand and solo, and I have to believe this band will be revered as a groundbreaking American band someday.

Gothic Country, Americana, Progressive Bluegrass, Garage Noir | RYM #28

13. The Flaming Lips – Clouds Taste Metallic (WB)

The Lips constantly wobbled back and forth over the line between infuriatingly sloppy and inspired that I’d burned out on them, even when their fourth album, In a Priest Driven Ambulance (1990) was a vast improvement over the first three spotty Replacements on acid albums. Gradually they kept getting better, and I reluctantly dropped the cash for each new album. Transmissions From the Satellite Heart (1993), however, indicated the band just might be capable of greatness. They already had a devoted following for their live shows. They just needed a consistently great album. This is that album, a perfect balance of humor, intensity and existential anguish wrapped in some of the most joyously uplifiting music they’ve ever made. Song titles remain unwieldy, like “Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus With Needles,” but they contain more finely crafted harmonies and hooks than their entire catalog up to that point. The coherent songs disguise the fact that the tightly constructed instrumental arrangements are fairly dense, foreshadowing their future direction.

Noise Pop, Psychedelia, Psych Pop, Slacker Rock | RYM #106 | Acclaimed #81 | AOTY #115

Top 100

Tricky – Maxinquaye (Island) | UK | 10
PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love (Island) | UK | 10-
The Comsat Angels – The Glamour (Thunderbird/Renascent) | UK | 10-
Björk – Post (Elektra) | Iceland | Bandcamp | 10-
Pram – Sargasso Sea (Too Pure) | UK | 10-
Radiohead – The Bends (Capitol) | UK | Bandcamp | 10-
Fugazi – Red Medicine (Dischord) | USA | Bandcamp | 10-
Seam – Are You Driving Me Crazy? (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp | 10-
Elastica – Elastica (Geffen) | UK | 10-
Monster Magnet – Dopes To Infinity (A&M) | USA | 10-
Labradford – A Stable Reference (kranky) | USA | Bandcamp | 10-
The Flaming Lips – Clouds Taste Metallic (WB) | USA | 10-
Team Dresch – Personal Best (Chainsaw) | USA | Buy | 10-
Helium – The Dirt of Luck (Matador) | USA | 10-
Death – Symbolic (Roadrunner) | USA | 10-
Tortoise – Gamera EP (Duophonic) | USA | Bandcamp | 10-
Teenage Fanclub – Grand Prix (DGC) | UK | 10-
Magic Dirt – Magic Dirt (Dirt) | Australia | 10-
Swans – The Great Annihilator (Young God) | USA | Bandcamp | 10-
Scott Walker – Tilt (Fontana) | UK | 10-
Unwound – The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars) | USA | Bandcamp | 10-
The Sea And Cake – Nassau (Thrill Jockey) | USA | Bandcamp | 10-
Throwing Muses – University (4AD) | USA | 9+
No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom (Interscope) | USA | 9+
Low – Long Division (Vernon Yard) | USA | 9+
Cosmic Psychos – Self Totaled (Amphetamine Reptile) | Australia | Bandcamp | 9+
Long Fin Killie – Houdini (Too Pure) | UK | 9+
The Mermen – A Glorious Lethal Euphoria (Mesa) | USA | 9+
Royal Trux – Thank You (Geffen) | USA | 9+
Red Red Meat – Bunny Gets Paid (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Caspar Brötzmann Massaker – Home (Thirsty Ear) | Germany | 9+
The Young Gods – Only Heaven (Interscope) | Switzerland | 9+
Deadguy – Fixation on a Coworker (Victory) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Telstar Ponies – In The Space Of A Few Minutes (Fire ) | UK | 9+
Sleater-Kinney – Sleater-Kinney (Chainsaw) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Mojave 3 – Ask Me Tomorrow (4AD) | UK | 9+
Peter Murphy – Cascade (Beggars Banquet) | UK | 9+
Sunny Day Real Estate – Sunny Day Real Estate [LP2] (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
King Crimson – THRAK (DGM) | UK | 9+
Natacha Atlas – Diaspora (Nation) | Belgium/Egypt | 9+
Son Volt – Trace (WB) | USA | 9+
Buffalo Tom – Sleepy Eyed (EastWest) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Hazel – Are You Going To Eat That? (Sub Pop) | USA | 9+
Trouble – Plastic Green Head (Bullet Proof) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Fu Manchu – Daredevil (Bong Load) | USA | 9+
Drugstore – Drugstore (Go!) | UK | 9+
Bowery Electric – Bowery Electric (kranky) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Acetone – If You Only Knew (Vernon Yard) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Asian Dub Foundation – Facts And Fictions (Nation) | UK/India | Bandcamp | 9+
Caustic Resin – Fly Me To The Moon (Up) | USA | 9+
Hum – You’d Prefer An Astronaut (RCA) | USA | 9+
Spiritualized – Pure Phase (Dedicated/Arista) | UK | Bandcamp | 9+
Guided By Voices – Alien Lanes (Matador) | USA | 9+
Saint Vitus – Die Healing (Hellhound) | USA | 9+
Belly – King (Sire) | USA | 9+
Sonic Youth – Washing Machine (Geffen) | USA | 9+
Rancid – …And Out Come The Wolves (Epitaph) | USA | 9+
Pavement – Wowie Zowie (Matador) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
The Jayhawks – Tomorrow The Green Grass (American) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Luna – Penthouse (Elektra) | USA | 9+
Superchunk – Here’s Where the Strings Come In (Merge) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Pulp – Different Class (Island) | UK | 9+
D’Angelo – Brown Sugar (EMI) | USA | 9+
Rocket From the Crypt – Scream, Dracula Scream! (Interscope) | USA | 9+
Bruce Hornsby – Hot House (RCA) | USA | 9+
The Blackeyed Susans – Mouth to Mouth (Hi-Gloss) | Australia | 9+
Truly – Fast Stories From Kid Coma (Capitol) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Yo La Tengo – Electr-O-Pura (Matador) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Dissection – Storm Of The Light’s Bane (Nuclear Blast) | Sweden | Bandcamp | 9+
Swervedriver – Ejector Seat Reservation (Creation) | UK | Bandcamp | 9+
You Am I – Hi Fi Way (Ra/WB) | Australia | 9+
Cap’n Jazz – Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards in the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We’ve Slipped On and Egg Shells We’ve Tippy Toed Over (Man With Gun) | USA | 9+
Evil Stig – Evil Stig (WB) | USA | 9+
Paradise Lost – Draconian Times (Relativity) | UK | 9+
Acid King – Zoroaster (Sympathyfor the Record Industry) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Blind Guardian – Imaginations from the Other Side (EMI) | Germany | Bandcamp | 9+
Starflyer 59 – Gold (Tooth & Nail) | USA | 9+
Flying Saucer Attack – Further (Drag City) | UK | Bandcamp | 9+
Unsane – Scattered, Smothered & Covered (Amphetamine Reptile) | USA | 9+
The Sea And Cake – The Biz (Thrill Jockey ) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Mudhoney – My Brother The Cow (Reprise) | USA | 9+
The Magnetic Fields – Get Lost (Merge) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Blood Farmers – Blood Farmers (Hellhound/Leaf Hound) | USA | 9+
Slant 6 – Inzombia (Dischord) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
Wilco – A.M. (Reprise) | USA | 9+
Slowdive – Pygmalion (4AD) | UK | 9+
Ed Kuepper – I Was a Mail-Order Bridegroom (Hot) | Australia | 9+
Cathedral – The Carnival Bizarre (Earache) | UK | Bandcamp | 9+
Elliott Smith – Elliott Smith (Kill Rock Stars) | USA | Bandcamp | 9+
NoMeansNo – The Worldhood Of The World (As Such) (Alternative Tentacles) | Canada | Bandcamp | 9+
S.F. Seals – Truth Walks in Sleepy Shadows (Matador) | USA | 9+
Goldie – Timeless (ffrr ) | UK | 9+
Stereolab – Switched On Volume 2: Refried Ectoplasm (Duophonic) | UK | Bandcamp | 9+
Paul Weller – Stanley Road (Go!) | UK | 9+
Paul Schütze – Apart (Virgin) | Australia | Bandcamp | 9+
Rocket From the Crypt – Hot Charity (Swami) | USA | 9+
Chris & Carla – Life Full of Holes (Glitterhouse) | USA | 9+
Oval – 94 Diskont (Mille Plateaux) | Germany | Bandcamp | 9+
Autechre – Tri Repetae (Warp) | UK | 9+
Sparklehorse – Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot (Capitol) | USA | 9+

See full list here.

Breakdown: Genre Lists

As always, you can deep dive any of these these genres with the list search. While previously I had limited an album to one genre list, it didn’t accurately reflect the multi-genre nature of many of these albums. So this year an album will show up in multiple lists. I have a widget that automatically pulls from the database, so as albums are added and moved around in the future, this will reflect it.

Psych

While there is literally landfills full of post-rock and instrumental stoner/desert jams, one subgenre bandwagon jumpers missed out on was experimental surf/psych. For a couple decade, San Francisco’s The Mermen, formed in 1988, were the sole practitioners. On their third album, the band still has some ties to classic rock along the lines of Neil Young’s Crazy Horse, with passion-packed instrumental rock on par with contemporaries The Dirty Three. Jim Thomas achieves some of the most tasty guitar tones you’ll hear from anyone until Germany’s Colour Haze got their sound down by their third album in 1999. And here I thought I didn’t like jam bands.

Surf Rock, Psych, Post-Rock, Jam | RYM #650

The Comsat Angels – The Glamour (Thunderbird/Renascent) | UK
The Flaming Lips – Clouds Taste Metallic (WB) | USA
The Mermen – A Glorious Lethal Euphoria (Mesa) | USA
Royal Trux – Thank You (Geffen) | USA
Caustic Resin – Fly Me To The Moon (Up) | USA
Spiritualized – Pure Phase (Dedicated/Arista) | UK | Bandcamp
Pavement – Wowie Zowie (Matador) | USA | Bandcamp
Truly – Fast Stories From Kid Coma (Capitol) | USA | Bandcamp
Swervedriver – Ejector Seat Reservation (Creation) | UK | Bandcamp
Starflyer 59 – Gold (Tooth & Nail) | USA
Mudhoney – My Brother The Cow (Reprise) | USA
S.F. Seals – Truth Walks in Sleepy Shadows (Matador) | USA
Sparklehorse – Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot (Capitol) | USA

Psych Pop & Prog Pop

Shibuya-kei’s scene emerged from the Shibuya district of Tokyo in the late 80s. It’s hard to pinpoint common elements among the diverse artists, other than borrowing kitschy aesthetics from 60s pop, easy listening and jazz pop, mixing with more modern indie pop and electronic. Cornelius made a big splash, at least in Japan, with The First Question Award (1994), and his second album is more dense and challenging an impressive collage project a year ahead of Beck’s Odelay (1996). He would become more known in North America with his third and best album, Fantasma (1997).

Shibuya-kei, Psych, Alt, Prog Pop, Baggy | RYM #406

The Flaming Lips – Clouds Taste Metallic (WB) | USA
Cornelius – 69/96 (Trattoria) | Japan
Lilys – Eccsame the Photon Band (spinART/Frontier) | USA | Bandcamp
Mercury Rev – See You On The Other Side (Work) | USA | Bandcamp
The Resonars – Tripping in Your Coffin (Hiss Or Miss) | USA | Bandcamp
Susumu Hirasawa – Sim City (Polydor) | Japan
The Steppes – Gods, Men & Ghosts (Voxx) | USA
The Apples In Stereo – Fun Trick Noisemaker (spinART) | USA
Wondermints – Wondermints (Castle) | USA
Tears For Fears – Raoul and the Kings of Spain (Epic) | UK
Caravan – The Battle of Hastings (HTD) | UK
Witch Hazel – Landlocked (Flydaddy ) | USA

Kosmische & Space Rock

While I bought both CDs of Glasgow’s Telstar Ponies, not a lot was written about them at the time. I think I got the first album blind solely for being mentioned on the Wire year-end list. They seemed to incorporate a wide range of influences, from U.S. noise rock (Sonic Youth), dream pop (Galaxy 500) and post-rock (Slint, Codeine) and space rock. It was a pretty brilliant sound, simultaneously dark and sinister, but more colorful and multifaceted than Mogwai, who came out of the same scene and went on to more longevity and acclaim. I honestly had kind of forgotten about them for close to 20 years, until I started revisiting for this series, and it really holds up as a forgotten masterpiece.

Indie Rock, Shoegaze, Post-Rock, Space Rock Revival, Slowcore, Experimental Rock | RYM #579

Pram – Sargasso Sea (Too Pure) | UK
Monster Magnet – Dopes To Infinity (A&M) | USA
Labradford – A Stable Reference (kranky) | USA | Bandcamp
Tortoise – Gamera EP (Duophonic) | USA | Bandcamp
Telstar Ponies – In The Space Of A Few Minutes (Fire ) | UK
Bowery Electric – Bowery Electric (kranky) | USA | Bandcamp
Hum – You’d Prefer An Astronaut (RCA) | USA
Spiritualized – Pure Phase (Dedicated/Arista) | UK | Bandcamp
Truly – Fast Stories From Kid Coma (Capitol) | USA | Bandcamp
Starflyer 59 – Gold (Tooth & Nail) | USA
Flying Saucer Attack – Further (Drag City) | UK | Bandcamp
Stereolab – Switched On Volume 2: Refried Ectoplasm (Duophonic) | UK | Bandcamp
Magic Hour – Will They Turn You On Or Will They Turn On You (Twisted Village ) | USA | Bandcamp

Noir (Folk, Garage, Psych, Punk, Surf)

Like Sixteen Horsepower, The Blackeyed Susans dive into the dark underbelly of folk and roots rock, though, formed in Perth and relocated to Melbourne, they show a bit more influence from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. With strings and steel guitar, they take a more romantic, lush journey to the dark side. It’s a pity this wasn’t properly marketed, because everyone from goths to Americana fans and even moms who bought chamber folk CDs from Starbucks would devour this album.

Folk Rock, Gothic Country, Punk Blues, Chamber Pop, Pop Rock, Garage Noir | RYM #1,785

The Blackeyed Susans – Mouth to Mouth (Hi-Gloss) | Australia
Blood Farmers – Blood Farmers (Hellhound/Leaf Hound) | USA
Dirty Three – Sad & Dangerous (Poon Village) | Australia
Dead Moon – Nervous Sooner Changes (Music Maniac) | USA | Bandcamp
Mick Harvey – Intoxicated Man (Mute) | Australia
The New Christs – These Rags (Citadel) | Australia
Ed Kuepper – A King in the Kindness Room (Hot) | Australia
The Cruel Sea – Three Legged Dog (Red Eye) | Australia
Jonathan Fire*Eater – Jonathan Fire Eater (Deceptive) | USA
Chris D. – Love Cannot Die (SympathyFor The Record Industry) | USA

Prog

A return to the 80s lineup of King Crimson, responsible for one of my favorite albums, Discipline (1981). This is not that, but it is better than the two follow-ups, reflecting some newer influences they’ve absorbed in the 11 years between albums. Reading fan reviews on RYM made me realize that King Crimson fans are some of the most persnickety little bitches ever. Holy crap do they whinge endlessly. How about just be fucking grateful that Robert Fripp gifted us with another cool iteration of King Crimson.

Prog, Industrial Rock, Experimental, Prog Metal | RYM #408

Bubbling Under: Pink Floy, The Siamese Stepbrothers, The Flying Luttenbachers, Echolyn, Doctor Nerve, Dream Theater, Biota, Ruins, Marillion, The Flower Kings, U Totem, Shadow Gallery, Spock’s Beard, Jethro Tull. | More.

King Crimson – THRAK (DGM) | UK
NoMeansNo – The Worldhood Of The World (As Such) (Alternative Tentacles) | Canada | Bandcamp
Don Caballero 2 – Don Caballero 2 (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp
Porcupine Tree – The Sky Moves Sideways (Delerium) | UK | Bandcamp
The Tea Party – The Edges of Twilight (EMI) | Canada
Musica Transonic – Musica Transonic (PSF) | Japan | Bandcamp
Happy Family – Happy Family (Cuneiform) | Japan | Bandcamp
Anekdoten – Nucleus (Virta) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Echolyn – As The World (Velveteen) | USA
Echolyn – As The World (Velveteen) | USA
Screaming Headless Torsos – Screaming Headless Torsos (Discovery) | USA
Pendragon – The Masquerade Overture (Toff) | UK
Kava Kava – You Can Live Here (Delerium) | UK | Bandcamp

Punk & Post-Punk

While the band was named after Riot Grrrl scene godmother and founder of Chainsaw Records Donna Dresch, the band really was a team effort, with equal contributions on bass, guitar and vocals from Jody Bleyle (Hazel, and founder of Candy-Ass Records), Kaia (Adickdid and founder of Mr. Lady Records) and a variety of drummers. Not just an angry queercore band, they really put in the work to build up the scene with the three record labels. But most importantly, for those who never got to see the live shows in the Olympia and Portland scenes, they made two of the best albums to come out of that era. While Sleater-Kinney were still finding their sound, Team Dresch were made up of relatively seasoned veterans, and it shows in the explosive power of their music and well crafted songs. Jody and Donna’s vocal harmonies and often soaring melodies make this album uplifting and fun.

Punk, Post-Hardcore, Emo, Queercore, Riot Grrrl | RYM #85

Bubbling Under: NoMeansNo, Morphine, Superchunk, Jawbreaker, Whipping Boy, Powder Monkeys, Blacktop, Dead Moon, Scenic, Lunachicks, Six Finger Satellite.

The Comsat Angels – The Glamour (Thunderbird/Renascent) | UK
Fugazi – Red Medicine (Dischord) | USA | Bandcamp
Elastica – Elastica (Geffen) | UK
Team Dresch – Personal Best (Chainsaw) | USA | Buy
Swans – The Great Annihilator (Young God) | USA | Bandcamp
Cosmic Psychos – Self Totaled (Amphetamine Reptile) | Australia | Bandcamp
Royal Trux – Thank You (Geffen) | USA
Rancid – …And Out Come The Wolves (Epitaph) | USA
Rocket From the Crypt – Scream, Dracula Scream! (Interscope) | USA
The Blackeyed Susans – Mouth to Mouth (Hi-Gloss) | Australia
Evil Stig – Evil Stig (WB) | USA
The Sea And Cake – The Biz (Thrill Jockey ) | USA | Bandcamp
Mudhoney – My Brother The Cow (Reprise) | USA

Garage Rock

These gnarly blokes from Melbourne have been bashing out grubby garage punk in pubs and dives since 1982. Their second full-length Go the Hack (1989) was issued in North America on Sub Pop, marketing them as grunge pioneers along with fellow Aussies The Scientists. They claimed they blew their advance on farm equipment and grog. Not a prolific band, this is just their fourth album, this time released on Minneapolis noise rock label Amphetamine Reptile. It’s one of their strongest, nearly as great as Hack, full of simple, brutal songs with some of the wit and humor fans of Motörhead can appreciate. Note, those yobs aren’t quite as ugly as their cover indicates, as they used primitive digital technology to artificially age them by about 30 years. They played only a few handful of dates in the U.S. last year, so I didn’t get to see how they actually look and sound these days. Their catalog is very hit and miss, but this one is essential.

Garage Punk, Grunge, Hardcore Punk | RYM #1,366

Bubbling Under: Poweder Monkeys, Blacktop, Dead Moon, Scenic, Deadbolt, Red Aunts, The Amps, Mick Harvey, Supergrass, The New Christs, Boss Hog, Gaunt.

Elastica – Elastica (Geffen) | UK
Magic Dirt – Magic Dirt (Dirt) | Australia
Cosmic Psychos – Self Totaled (Amphetamine Reptile) | Australia | Bandcamp
The Mermen – A Glorious Lethal Euphoria (Mesa) | USA
Sleater-Kinney – Sleater-Kinney (Chainsaw) | USA | Bandcamp
Rocket From the Crypt – Scream, Dracula Scream! (Interscope) | USA
The Blackeyed Susans – Mouth to Mouth (Hi-Gloss) | Australia
Mudhoney – My Brother The Cow (Reprise) | USA
Rocket From the Crypt – Hot Charity (Swami) | USA
Dirty Three – Sad & Dangerous (Poon Village) | Australia
Rocket From the Crypt – The State of Art Is On Fire EP (Sympathyfor the Record Industry) | USA
The Lazy Cowgirls – Ragged Soul (Crypt) | USA
Powder Monkeys – Time Wounds All Heels (Au-Go-Go) | Australia

Hard Rock

If a Fugazi fan were to ask for a recommendation of another 90s band that even remotely approached the passion, fearless experimentation, chiaroscuro dynamics and a consistently great six album run, Unwound are the band. Formed in Tumwater, Washington in 1988 (originally as Giant Henry), their mix of post-hardcore, noise rock and emo was fiery and enervating. Their third album may not surpass the memorable bluster of New Plastic Ideas (1994), but it’s an important transition to the more arty post-punk direction on Repetition (1996), and also a consolidation of their strengths up to that point. “Demolished” recalls Dinosaur Jr., while “Here Come the Dogs” evokes the rage of early Nirvana. Bits of shoegaze, Sonic Youth noise and even post-metal swirl throughout the album like fragments of images you might experience in the midst of a car crash. So not remotely commercial, but stands the test of time as enduring art.

Post-Hardcore, Noise Rock, Emo, Drone | RYM #62

Bubbling Under: The Tea Party, Engine Kid, Jawbreaker, Slant 6, Urge Overkill, June of 44, Faith No More, Lunachicks, Chavez, Six Finger Satellite, U.S. Maple, Tad.

Fugazi – Red Medicine (Dischord) | USA | Bandcamp
Monster Magnet – Dopes To Infinity (A&M) | USA
Team Dresch – Personal Best (Chainsaw) | USA | Buy
Unwound – The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars) | USA | Bandcamp
Deadguy – Fixation on a Coworker (Victory) | USA | Bandcamp
Sleater-Kinney – Sleater-Kinney (Chainsaw) | USA | Bandcamp
Sunny Day Real Estate – Sunny Day Real Estate [LP2] (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
Hum – You’d Prefer An Astronaut (RCA) | USA
Cap’n Jazz – Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards in the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We’ve Slipped On and Egg Shells We’ve Tippy Toed Over (Man With Gun) | USA
Unsane – Scattered, Smothered & Covered (Amphetamine Reptile) | USA
Slant 6 – Inzombia (Dischord) | USA | Bandcamp
NoMeansNo – The Worldhood Of The World (As Such) (Alternative Tentacles) | Canada | Bandcamp
Rocket From the Crypt – Hot Charity (Swami) | USA

Stoner/Desert/Fuzz

In 1995, the post-grunge landscape was pretty bleak, with few bands finding a satisfying path forward. One rare exception was Geelong’s Magic Dirt, who released two Australian only EPs in 1994 which were collected here. They manage to combine well worn elements of raw power Stooges, chonky grunge riffs and Sonic Youth influenced noise into something fiery enough to feel hot from the oven, if not a pioneering new recipe. Vocalist Adalita Srsen’s vocals achieve a fine balance of grit and grace. As things go, lightning strikes only once, and they were unable to maintain that excitement for their subsequent eight albums. That can happen to the best of ’em (lookin’ at you Mudhoney). It just makes this singular document all the more rare and valuable.

Grunge, Noise Rock, Stoner, Alt | RYM #700

Monster Magnet – Dopes To Infinity (A&M) | USA
Magic Dirt – Magic Dirt (Dirt) | Australia
Caspar Brötzmann Massaker – Home (Thirsty Ear) | Germany
Trouble – Plastic Green Head (Bullet Proof) | USA | Bandcamp
Fu Manchu – Daredevil (Bong Load) | USA
Caustic Resin – Fly Me To The Moon (Up) | USA
Truly – Fast Stories From Kid Coma (Capitol) | USA | Bandcamp
Kyuss – …And The Circus Leaves Town (Elektra) | USA
On Trial – Seventy Kilometers of Underwater Nothingness, Kaptain! (On Trial) | Denmark
Clutch – Clutch (East West) | USA
Acrimony – The Acid Elephant EP (Flying/Godhead) | UK
Red Giant – Psychoblaster and the Misuse of Power (Red Giant) | USA
Tumbleweed – Galactaphonic (Polydor) | Australia

Heavy Metal

Doom metal pioneers Trouble took their shot at crossing over to a larger audience with the help of Rick Rubin on their fourth and fifth albums Trouble (1990) and Manic Frustration (1992). It was certainly worth trying. They’re one of the more uptempo rock ‘n’ doom units, and Axl Rose often sounded quite a bit like Eric Wagner, which could have counted for something, but didn’t. There’s no shame in that, The Obsessed also recently failed their attempt at commercial success. Doom was still such an underdog genre at the time. It was some of their best work, and a highly recommended entry point for all fans of metal and hard rock, as well as fans of Rubin’s work with The Cult and Danzig. This album is inevitably a step down from those albums, but not a drastic decline. They reached such heights that this is still my favorite doom-tinged heavy metal album of the year.

Stoner Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal | RYM #481
Themes: Christianity, Society, Death, Misery, Drugs, Psychedelia, Politics

Bubbling Under: Savatage, Saxon, Running Wild, Revelation, Motörhead, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Pretty Maids, Virgin Steele, Stratovarius, Nevermore, Riot, Iron Maiden.

Trouble – Plastic Green Head (Bullet Proof) | USA | Bandcamp
Saint Vitus – Die Healing (Hellhound) | USA
Blind Guardian – Imaginations from the Other Side (EMI) | Germany | Bandcamp
Blood Farmers – Blood Farmers (Hellhound/Leaf Hound) | USA
Paul Chain – Alkahest (Godhead/Minotauro) | Italy | Bandcamp
Gamma Ray – Land Of The Free (Noise) | Germany
Lordian Guard – Lordian Guard (Hellion) | USA
UFO – Walk on Water (UFO) | UK | Bandcamp
Iced Earth – Burnt Offerings (Century Media) | USA
Veni Domine – Material Sanctuary (Thunderload) | Sweden
Lost Breed – Save Yourself (Hellhound) | USA
Conception – In Your Multitude (Noise) | Norway
Rage – Black in Mind (GUN) | Germany

Doom & Goth Metal

There was some common ground between goth and doom metal, and inevitably there was some interbreeding in the 90s. The most prominent of them this year was UK band Paradise Lost, who were at their peak with their influential fifth album.

Goth Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal | RYM #62
Themes: Introspection, Allegory, Death, Fear, Religion, Life, Suffering

Bubbling Under: Lost Breed, Lake of Tears, Revelation, My Dying Bride, Therion.

Trouble – Plastic Green Head (Bullet Proof) | USA | Bandcamp
Saint Vitus – Die Healing (Hellhound) | USA
Paradise Lost – Draconian Times (Relativity) | UK
Blood Farmers – Blood Farmers (Hellhound/Leaf Hound) | USA
Cathedral – The Carnival Bizarre (Earache) | UK | Bandcamp
Paul Chain – Alkahest (Godhead/Minotauro) | Italy | Bandcamp
Sentenced – Amok (Century Media) | Finland | Bandcamp
Abstrakt Algebra – Abstrakt Algebra (Megarock) | Sweden
Darkthrone – Panzerfaust (Peaceville) | Norway | Bandcamp
The Gathering – Mandylion (Century Media) | Netherlands
Moonspell – Wolfheart (Century Media) | Portugal | Bandcamp
Veni Domine – Material Sanctuary (Thunderload) | Sweden
Anathema – The Silent Enigma (Peaceville) | UK

Power Metal, Epic Adventure & Symphonic/Dark Romance Metal

Blind Guardian had been around since 1984, originally releasing a couple speed metal EPs as Lucifer’s Heritage. Releasing albums since 1988, they soon became the cream of the crop of Germany’s extensive power metal scene. Their fifth album is one of their most highly rated, though I go back and forth between this and Nightfall in Middle Earth (1998) as my favorite. Others have made a case for Somewhere Far Beyond (1992). It’s basically the premier power metal band at their majestic peak.

Power Metal | RYM #26
Themes: Epic tales, Legends, Myths, Fantasy, Literature

Blind Guardian – Imaginations from the Other Side (EMI) | Germany | Bandcamp
Faith No More – King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime (Slash/Reprise) | USA
Gamma Ray – Land Of The Free (Noise) | Germany
Lordian Guard – Lordian Guard (Hellion) | USA
Iced Earth – Burnt Offerings (Century Media) | USA
Screaming Headless Torsos – Screaming Headless Torsos (Discovery) | USA
Conception – In Your Multitude (Noise) | Norway
Rage – Black in Mind (GUN) | Germany
Savatage – Dead Winter Dead (Atlantic) | USA
Primus – Tales From The Punchbowl (Interscope) | USA
Running Wild – Masquerade (Noise) | Germany
Symphony X – The Damnation Game (InsideOut) | USA
Therion – Lepaca Kliffoth (Nuclear Blast) | Sweden

Metal

I had a much-loved tape of Death’s Leprosy (1988) that got a lot of play. But after that initial love affair with death metal, I was not drawn in to Spiritual Healing (1990) or offerings from other bands beyond Entombed, and lost track of the scene for a few years. Their sixth album however, was like being slapped awake with a snapping wet towel. After the initial shock, the unstoppable run of perfect songs is overwhelming. The band remained brutally savage, and yet those virtuoso licks and cerebral lyrics bring them to another level. Who knew that Chuck Schuldiner was a closet intellectual? Hardcore fans who had been paying attention with Human (1991) and Individual Thought Patterns (1993), apparently. I was properly chastened and circled back to those albums. After just one more album, we lost Chuck way too soon in 2001, leaving behind a perfect catalog and many what-ifs.

Technical Death Metal, Prog Metal, Death Metal | RYM #1 | AOTY #1
Themes: Society, Enlightenment

Bubbling Under: Deicide, Unanimated, Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Dismember, Meshuggah, Deadguy, Moonspell, Anathema, Varathron, Vader, Deceased, Incantation, Sinister, Skepticism, Dark Tranquilityt, Morbid Angel.

Death – Symbolic (Roadrunner) | USA
Deadguy – Fixation on a Coworker (Victory) | USA | Bandcamp
Dissection – Storm Of The Light’s Bane (Nuclear Blast) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Paradise Lost – Draconian Times (Relativity) | UK
Coroner – Coroner (Noise) | Switzerland
At The Gates – Slaughter Of The Soul (Earache) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Sentenced – Amok (Century Media) | Finland | Bandcamp
Opeth – Orchid (Century Media) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Suffocation – Pierced from Within (Roadrunner) | USA
Darkthrone – Panzerfaust (Peaceville) | Norway | Bandcamp
Ritual – The Summoning (Wild Rags) | USA | Bandcamp
Ulver – Bergtatt: Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (Head Not Found) | Norway | Bandcamp
The Gathering – Mandylion (Century Media) | Netherlands

Avant, Experimental, Post-Rock, Modern Classical, Drone

There’s a sizeable cult following of Scott Walker, who started out in the sixties baroque pop/soul group The Walker Brothers. Though American, they achieved good chart success in the UK and relocated there. Scott’s solo albums weren’t a huge departure, other than his buttery crooning focusing on a more Jaques Brel style melancholy vibe. And though the quality dipped in the 70s as he messed with country pop, Scott 3 and Scott 4, both from 1969, grew in stature with collector geeks. I preferred his first comeback after a decade, Climate of Hunter (1984), where he delves in art rock and even post-punk and darkwave, influenced by the intensity of Peter Hammill’s solo work. Though it somewhat foreshadows his next album eleven years later, little can prepare one for the shock of just how extremely Walker dove into uncharted avant-garde territories. I read The Wire’s enticing review in issue 135 and I was game. Let’s do this. Reviews still couldn’t prepare me for this harrowing, funereal, incredibly strange album. I certainly couldn’t put it at #3 on my year-end list like The Wire did, but it stayed with my collection, haunting and taunting me, daring me to crack it’s code. I’ve learned much about it over the years, but will never feel like I’ve fully grokked it. It was Bowie’s favorite album that year, and it took him twenty years to come up with a worthy answer in ★ Blackstar (2016). Hence, with respect, it looms at the edge of my top 20.

Experimental, Singer-Songwriter, Post-Industrial, Dark Ambient, Darkwave, Baroque Pop | RYM #27 | Acclaimed #20 | AOTY #31

Bubbling Under: The Young Gods, Telstar Ponies, King Crimson, Spiritualized, Sonic Youth, Flying Saucer Attack, Slowdife, Paul Schütze, Don Caballero 2.

Tricky – Maxinquaye (Island) | UK
Björk – Post (Elektra) | Iceland | Bandcamp
Pram – Sargasso Sea (Too Pure) | UK
Labradford – A Stable Reference (kranky) | USA | Bandcamp
Tortoise – Gamera EP (Duophonic) | USA | Bandcamp
Swans – The Great Annihilator (Young God) | USA | Bandcamp
Scott Walker – Tilt (Fontana) | UK
Unwound – The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars) | USA | Bandcamp
The Sea And Cake – Nassau (Thrill Jockey) | USA | Bandcamp
Long Fin Killie – Houdini (Too Pure) | UK
The Mermen – A Glorious Lethal Euphoria (Mesa) | USA
Red Red Meat – Bunny Gets Paid (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
Caspar Brötzmann Massaker – Home (Thirsty Ear) | Germany

Industrial & Noise

Formed during the dying wheezes of NYC’s No Wave scene in 1981, Swans seethed with more hateful misanthropy than any black metal band would muster in the subsequent decade. For a while their extremity was their main attraction. But gradually, with Children of God (1987) and White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (1991), they became more thoughtful and ambitious. Their ninth album, a typical 1:07:08 long in the era of CD bloat, actually makes good use of it’s length as they approach the peak of Swans Mk. I with their best album yet. The infinity symbol on the album art can give an indication as to how endless it can feel, and yes, it can be a soundtrack to despair and crushed dreams, but Michael Gira, Jarbo and band have much more to offer here. Gira apparently lived in a tent in the mosquito-infested studio in Cabrini Green, Chicago for three months while recording this and his solo album Drainland, suffering for his art so that we may suffer even more.

Post-Punk, Experimental Rock, Goth, Industrial Rock, Neofolk, Noise, Ethereal Wave, Art Rock | RYM #10 | AOTY #13

Even more so than Red Red Meat, Royal Trux deconstructed blues rock until each element is left struggling for air as Neil Michael Hagerty (Pussy Galore) and Jennifer Herrema dispassionately observe it with glassy-eyed thousand yard stares. The chaotic messes of their first few albums from 1988-92 were admittedly impossible to enjoy. But then after the significantly more lucid Cats and Dogs (1993) on Drag City, they went in an even more absurd direction, attempting to become a classic rock band on a major label. While there is a more expensive studio polish, it’s still an apallingly nasty slab of sleazy rock ‘n’ roll that would never in a million years get mainstream airplay. Which is why it still sounds startlingly fresh three decades later.

Alt, Indie, Noise Rock, Punk Blues, Psych | RYM #593

Magic Dirt – Magic Dirt (Dirt) | Australia
Swans – The Great Annihilator (Young God) | USA | Bandcamp
Unwound – The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars) | USA | Bandcamp
Royal Trux – Thank You (Geffen) | USA
Caspar Brötzmann Massaker – Home (Thirsty Ear) | Germany
The Young Gods – Only Heaven (Interscope) | Switzerland
Deadguy – Fixation on a Coworker (Victory) | USA | Bandcamp
King Crimson – THRAK (DGM) | UK
Sonic Youth – Washing Machine (Geffen) | USA
Pavement – Wowie Zowie (Matador) | USA | Bandcamp
Unsane – Scattered, Smothered & Covered (Amphetamine Reptile) | USA
Rocket From the Crypt – Hot Charity (Swami) | USA
Don Caballero 2 – Don Caballero 2 (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp

Dream Pop & Shoegaze

I was highly skeptical of the slowcore subgenre of indie pop. Bands that essentially took the gentler songs from the third Velvet Underground album and cut their tempos at least in half. Being in my early 20s, I was occupied by more frenetic noise rock and such. I could take or leave the likes of Galaxie 500, Red House Painters, Acetone, and Codeine. But when Low came along with their debut the previous year, I didn’t know I would feel compelled into repeated listens. Something about the band had much more powerful emotional undercurrents than their peers. I also didn’t know I would need more, with their second album. Is this how narcotic addiction starts?

Slowcore, Dream Pop | RYM #205 | Acclaimed #95 | AOTY #111

Low – Long Division (Vernon Yard) | USA
Telstar Ponies – In The Space Of A Few Minutes (Fire ) | UK
Mojave 3 – Ask Me Tomorrow (4AD) | UK
Drugstore – Drugstore (Go!) | UK
Bowery Electric – Bowery Electric (kranky) | USA | Bandcamp
Acetone – If You Only Knew (Vernon Yard) | USA | Bandcamp
Hum – You’d Prefer An Astronaut (RCA) | USA
Spiritualized – Pure Phase (Dedicated/Arista) | UK | Bandcamp
Belly – King (Sire) | USA
Luna – Penthouse (Elektra) | USA
Yo La Tengo – Electr-O-Pura (Matador) | USA | Bandcamp
Swervedriver – Ejector Seat Reservation (Creation) | UK | Bandcamp
Starflyer 59 – Gold (Tooth & Nail) | USA

Ambient, Art Pop, Dream Pop, New Age & Sophisti-Pop

I had an endless supply of contempt for the industrial rock scene in it’s heyday. Not because I didn’t appreciate crossover stars MInistry and NIne Inch Nails, but because the fans were too stupid to make Swiss industrialists The Young Gods global superstars like that shoulda been. In hindsight, it didn’t help that much of their first four albums were sung in French, and they rarely toured North America. But man, what a run from their self-titled debut in 1987, and album of Kurt Weill songs, and TV Sky (1992) which should have been huge. While they expertly blended heavy metal and neoclassical elements in the past, their fifth album artfully adds ambient, trip hop to their experimental style. It’s too bad most Yanks slept on this band at their all-time peak.

Industrial Rock, Ambient, Electro-Industrial, Art Rock, Psych, Trip Hop, Experimental Rock | RYM #200

Pram – Sargasso Sea (Too Pure) | UK
Labradford – A Stable Reference (kranky) | USA | Bandcamp
Low – Long Division (Vernon Yard) | USA
The Young Gods – Only Heaven (Interscope) | Switzerland
Mojave 3 – Ask Me Tomorrow (4AD) | UK
Peter Murphy – Cascade (Beggars Banquet) | UK
Drugstore – Drugstore (Go!) | UK
Bowery Electric – Bowery Electric (kranky) | USA | Bandcamp
Acetone – If You Only Knew (Vernon Yard) | USA | Bandcamp
Spiritualized – Pure Phase (Dedicated/Arista) | UK | Bandcamp
Belly – King (Sire) | USA
Luna – Penthouse (Elektra) | USA
Yo La Tengo – Electr-O-Pura (Matador) | USA | Bandcamp

Indie Pop & Jangle Pop

While stylistically different, in my mind I group together Teenage Fanclub with Swervedriver, Ride and Catherine Wheel, because they all hit similar emotional buttons when I first got into them in the early 90s. While they all experienced growing pains Teenage Fanclub were the most successful at maintaining consistently high quality albums throughout their career. While power pop and jangle pop via Beatles and Big Star remain essential food groups, they include some Byrdsian country rock and other subtle distinctions that make it a clear progression from Bandwagonesque (1991) and Thirteen (1993). There’s a lot of sleepers here that, with longtime repeated listens, have become career highlights like “Don’t Look Back.” With a nearly perfect heroes to zeros ratio of great songs, this is arguably their second best album in their catalog.

Power Pop, Jangle Pop, Americana | RYM #72 | Acclaimed #26 | AOTY #129

Chicago’s avant pop supergroup followed up their enchanting self-titled debut with two albums, this one and The Biz, both on Thrill Jockey. While the latter is rated higher by the crowdsourced community site RYM, Nassau got the most mileage in my 90s-era Sony five-disc changer. It brims with energy and packs in impressive chops and details that could keep Steely Dan fans occupied, yet it flows so smoothly it can just as easily soundtrack a summer BBQ, which is exactly what I did with it. This is the band at their peak before the rest of their catalog offered slightly diminishing returns for each subsequent album.

Indie, Jazz-Rock, Post-Rock, Chamber Pop | RYM #235

Bubbling Under: Butterfly Child, Able Tasmans, The Apples In Stereo, Sleeper, For Against, The Softies, Wondermints, Poverty Stinks, Odds, Gene, Cast, Ron Sexsmith.

Teenage Fanclub – Grand Prix (DGC) | UK
The Sea And Cake – Nassau (Thrill Jockey) | USA | Bandcamp
Buffalo Tom – Sleepy Eyed (EastWest) | USA | Bandcamp
Belly – King (Sire) | USA
Luna – Penthouse (Elektra) | USA
You Am I – Hi Fi Way (Ra/WB) | Australia
The Magnetic Fields – Get Lost (Merge) | USA | Bandcamp
S.F. Seals – Truth Walks in Sleepy Shadows (Matador) | USA
Bettie Serveert – Lamprey (Beggars Banquet) | Netherlands
Action Painting! – Trial Cuts (Emotional Response) | UK | Bandcamp
Kendra Smith – Five Ways of Disappearing (4AD) | USA
The Apartments – A Life Full Of Farewells (Hot) | Australia | Bandcamp
Lloyd Cole – Love Story (Fontana) | UK

Power Pop

Throwing Muses was an example of the tension between two alpha songwriters that did not bring out their best. After Tanya Donnelly left to form Belly, Kristin Hersh seemed unleased and unfettered, if not quite as unhinged as the band’s wildly unique 1986 debut, where Hersh originally dominated. After the success of the stark but complex solo album Hips and Makers (1994), the sixth album with her band is one of their best. While Hersh reverts to a more simple indie rock approach, her songwriting remained at an all-time peak, resulting in some of her most effective tunes.

Alt, Indie, Power Pop | RYM #324

Bubbling Under: Supergrass, That Dog., Aimee Mann, Knapsack, Matthew Sweet, Sybil Vane, Letters to Cleo, The Resonars, The Apples In Stereo, Salad, Riverdales, Flop.

Teenage Fanclub – Grand Prix (DGC) | UK
Throwing Muses – University (4AD) | USA
No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom (Interscope) | USA
Buffalo Tom – Sleepy Eyed (EastWest) | USA | Bandcamp
Guided By Voices – Alien Lanes (Matador) | USA
Superchunk – Here’s Where the Strings Come In (Merge) | USA | Bandcamp
You Am I – Hi Fi Way (Ra/WB) | Australia
Bettie Serveert – Lamprey (Beggars Banquet) | Netherlands
Helium – Superball + EP (Matador) | USA
P. Hux – Deluxe (Wagram) | USA
Screamfeeder – Fill Yourself With Music (Hypnotized/Poison City) | Australia | Bandcamp
Juliana Hatfield – Only Everything (Mammoth) | USA
The Amps – Pacer (4AD) | USA

Indie & Alt Rock

The question of whether women can shred on guitar was answered way back in 1939 with Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The lack of women playing guitars between then and the 90s probably had more to do with women avoiding the indignity of appearing to copy boys and their phallic toys. One undersung pioneer who helped reclaim guitars for women was Mary Timony, born 55 years after Tharpe, who cut her teeth with the short-lived Autoclave in 1990-91 before leading her own band, Helium. Her approach to chord shapes was breathtakingly original, and her soft-spoken vocal style sounded just a bit eerie and witchy. They would have fit well on the British Too Pure label roster alongside Pram and Th’ Faith Healers. Perhaps they should have, as I think Helium would have been much more successful had they toured the UK first. No slouch on guitar himself, Polvo’s Ash Bowie served on bass here, showing Timony’s confidence as a lead guitarist. The band was short-lived, with just two gorgeous, enigmatic albums and a few EPs. Timony went on to solo albums, teaching guitar, and more band projects like supergroups Wild Flag and Ex Hex. I’m really hoping for another round of Ex Hex music.

Indie Rock, Slacker Rock, Noise Pop, Shoegaze | RYM #234

Bubbling Under: Long Fin Killie, Royal Trux, Red Red Meat, Telstar Ponies, Mojave 3, Son Volt, Buffalo Tom, Hazel, Drugstore, Acetone, Hum, Guided By Voices, Belly.

PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love (Island) | UK
The Comsat Angels – The Glamour (Thunderbird/Renascent) | UK
Radiohead – The Bends (Capitol) | UK | Bandcamp
Fugazi – Red Medicine (Dischord) | USA | Bandcamp
Seam – Are You Driving Me Crazy? (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp
Elastica – Elastica (Geffen) | UK
The Flaming Lips – Clouds Taste Metallic (WB) | USA
Helium – The Dirt of Luck (Matador) | USA
Unwound – The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars) | USA | Bandcamp
Throwing Muses – University (4AD) | USA
No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom (Interscope) | USA
Long Fin Killie – Houdini (Too Pure) | UK
Royal Trux – Thank You (Geffen) | USA

Britpop

Aside from a couple songs from the first Oasis album, some Blur, Pulp and Elastica, I didn’t bother with Britpop much at the time. Heck, I was even skeptical about Radiohead, though it was mainly because I thought “Creep” was pretty lame. Time has dissolved much of the disdain, and since I barely listened to a lot of it, it’s kind of sounds fresh now in a strange way. Even Pulp, who were always a cut above most of their peers, I didn’t really return to that much over the years. But it’s pretty great stuff.

Bubbling Under: Blur, Tears For Fears, Gene, Cast, Spacehog, Menswear. | More.

Radiohead – The Bends (Capitol) | UK | Bandcamp
Elastica – Elastica (Geffen) | UK
Pulp – Different Class (Island) | UK
Paul Weller – Stanley Road (Go!) | UK
Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (Epic) | UK
Supergrass – I Should Coco (Parlophone) | UK
The Boo Radleys – Wake Up! (Creation) | UK
The Verve – A Northern Soul (Virgin) | UK
The Charlatans – The Charlatans (Beggars Banquet) | UK
Sleeper – Smart (Indolent) | UK
Marillion – Afraid Of Sunlight (EMI) | UK
Salad – Drink Me (Island Red) | UK
Echobelly – On (Fauve) | UK

Global, Reggae, Dub & Afrobeat

While Tortoise’s self-titled debut in 1994 was a pretty exciting event in Chicago’s fertile experimental music scene at the time, it was a little hit and miss. I don’t normally rank EPs up with the “big boys,” but at 27:39, this distills everything that was great about the band into a more succinct document, while also serving as a bridge to the band’s celebrated sophomore album Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996). The title track starts with some John Fahey-esque acoustic finger picking, then Bundy K. Brown (his final recording with them) softly plays his bass, acoustic guitar is paired with Douglas McCombs’ electric, then the band begins to hum. I can’t tell if it’s an analog keyboard or some other gadget, but as it approaches three minutes, John Herndon’s drums come in, and the bass switches to rub-a-dub dub mode, and they get crazy in a fever dream of some of the most glorious cut-up tape/collage effects since The Faust Tapes. It then bleeds over into side two, the 15:45 colossal majesty that is “Cliff Dweller Society.” We’ve gone through the rabbithole into Wonderland, with plucked strings coming from some subterranean fairie orchestra, and a variety of samples foreshadowing hauntology in the next decade. At five minutes, my favorite music Tortoise ever made begins, with a simple one chord but heart smashingly melancholy guitar lick leading to a brass orchestral piece that sounds like the saddest ever sequel to Charles Mingus’ The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963). It just fuckin’ slays.

Post-Rock, Experimental Rock, Kosmische, Dub, Sound Collage, Electronic, American Primitivism, Chamber Music | RYM #3

Bubbling Under: Arto Lindsay, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Leftfield, Cesaria Evora, Apache Indian, Dr. Didg.

Tortoise – Gamera EP (Duophonic) | USA | Bandcamp
Natacha Atlas – Diaspora (Nation) | Belgium/Egypt
Asian Dub Foundation – Facts And Fictions (Nation) | UK/India | Bandcamp
Massive Attack v. Mad Professor – No Protection (Circa) | UK
Seefeel – Succour (Warp) | UK
Various – Macro Dub Infection (Virgin) | UK
Buju Banton – Til Shiloh (Island) | Jamaica
Mansour Seck – N’der Fouta Tooro Vols 1&2 (Sterns) | Senegal
Cornershop – Woman’s Gotta Have It (Luaka Bop/WB) | UK
Habib Koité & Bamada – Muso Ko (World Village) | Mali
Tom Jobim – Inédito (Jobim) | Brazil
Luciano – Where There Is Life (Island) | Jamaica
Soda Stereo – Sueño Stereo (Ariola) | Argentina

Electronic

A member of Transglobal Underground, who’s International Times was the top electronic pick last year, Natacha Atlas‘s solo debut is a brilliant treatise on blending cultures and shifting identities. Her music is based on a darabouka (tabla-like drum) and dubby bass, with help from her Transglobal Underground colleague Count Dubulah on bass and production duties. Just as the Belgium born, London based Atlas has Moroccan, Egyptian and Jewish genes, she combines a range of cultures into her music, finding commonality between the tonalities of Arab, Turkish, Jewish music. Her blending of seemingly disparate instrumentation like didgeridoo with samples of Grandmaster Flash and Iron Butterfly can in a way keep traditional Middle Eastern alive into the next century. She co-wrote “Feres” with Egyptian oud virtuoso Essam Rachad, augmented with an Egyptian string and piano arrangement that has a Tango-like romantic fervor. True to it’s name this album represents the continued growth of multiculturalism.

Electronic, Arabic Pop, Trip Hop, Dub, Asian Classical Music | RYM #496

Special mentions to Goldie for the best Drum ‘n’ Bass album, though that subgenre’s relevance was brief as there was an avalanche of substandard tripe. Paul Schütze for Ambient, Oval for Glitch, and Autechre for IDM (or as I call it, armchair dance music) and ambient techno. There are so, so many subgenres of electronic music, as there should be, and it was a good year to sample some of the varieties, though my interest quickly waned over the following years, with just a few exceptions like Boards of Canada, Four Tet, Amon Tobin and Burial.

Bubbling Under: Wagon Christ, Cornershop, Susumu Hirasawa, A Guy Called Gerald, Passengers, Panasonic, Aphex Twin, Chemical Brothers, The Orb, Blaine L. Reininger, David Toop, Banco de Gaia.

Natacha Atlas – Diaspora (Nation) | Belgium/Egypt
Asian Dub Foundation – Facts And Fictions (Nation) | UK/India | Bandcamp
Goldie – Timeless (ffrr ) | UK
Paul Schütze – Apart (Virgin) | Australia | Bandcamp
Oval – 94 Diskont (Mille Plateaux) | Germany | Bandcamp
Autechre – Tri Repetae (Warp) | UK
Hector Zazou – Songs From the Cold Seas (Columbia) | France
Mouse On Mars – Iaora Tahiti (Too Pure) | Germany
Massive Attack v. Mad Professor – No Protection (Circa) | UK
Techno Animal – Re-Entry (Virgin) | UK | Bandcamp
Seefeel – Succour (Warp) | UK
Nightmares On Wax – Smokers Delight (Warp) | UK | Bandcamp
Various – Macro Dub Infection (Virgin) | UK

R&B, Soul & Funk

One of the best soul albums of the 90s. Only 20 when D’Angelo wrote, sang, played all the instruments and produced this debut, it seemed like we had the new Prince. Alas, he is decidedly not a prolific songwriter, as 30 years later he’s only done three albums. All the more reason to cherish this.

Soul, Smooth Soul, R&B, Hip Hop Soul, Trip Hop | RYM #18 | Acclaimed #13 | AOTY #8

D’Angelo – Brown Sugar (EMI) | USA
Paul Weller – Stanley Road (Go!) | UK
Massive Attack v. Mad Professor – No Protection (Circa) | UK
Ornette Coleman & Prime Time – Tone Dialling (Verve) | USA
Bobby Charles – Wish You Were Here Right Now (Pioneer) | USA
Earthling – Radar (Cooltempo) | UK
5ive Style – 5ive Style (Sub Pop) | USA
Screaming Headless Torsos – Screaming Headless Torsos (Discovery) | USA
Third Rail – South Delta Space Age (Antilles ) | USA | Bandcamp
Medeski, Martin & Wood – Friday Afternoon in the Universe (Gramavision) | USA
Axiom Funk – Funkcronomicon (Axiom) | USA
Prince – The Gold Experience (WB) | USA
Money Mark – Mark’s Keyboard Repair (Mo Wax) | USA

Hip Hop & Rap

US hip hop heads will have a fit over this choice, but fuckit, Asian Dub Foundation rule, and were vastly underrated. If they were American, they’d likely have been vastly more popular. The fusion of electronic, dub, ragga and Asian classical music found in the Asian Underground scene in the UK would have gone a long ways in injecting more diverse sounds into hip hop.

Breakbeat, Hip Hop, Dub, Ragga, South Asian Music | RYM #839

Bubbling Under: Naughty by Nature, 2Pac, Apache Indian, Redman, JSBX, L.L. Cool J, Cypress Hill, Das EFX.

Asian Dub Foundation – Facts And Fictions (Nation) | UK/India | Bandcamp
Genius/GZA – Liquid Swords (Geffen) | USA
DJ Krush – Meiso (Mo Wax ) | Japan
Earthling – Radar (Cooltempo) | UK
The Roots – Do You Want More?!!!??! (DGC) | USA | Bandcamp
The Pharcyde – LabCabInCalifornia (WB) | USA
Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (Loud) | USA
Goodie Mob – Soul Food (WB) | USA
Guru – Jazzmatazz: Vol. 2: The New Reality (Chrysalis) | USA
Ol’ Dirty Bastard – Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version (Elektra) | USA
Big L – Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous (Columbia) | USA
Mobb Deep – The Infamous (Loud) | USA
Kool G Rap – 4, 5, 6 (Epic Street) | USA | Bandcamp

Folk & Americana

When I first arrived in Chicago in 1992, I was gifted with a demo tape of local band Red Red Meat. They took the sleaze of Exile on Mainstreet, grubbed it up and slowed it down along the lines of another forgotten local band from my previous home of Minneapolis, Run Westy Run, or a lugubrious Grifters. A more recognizeable comparison is early Pavement hindered by bourbon and cough syrup (probably the recipe followed on “Robo Sleep”). By far the highlight of their third album, second on Sub Pop, is “Gauze,” an absolutely heartwrenching, soulful tune. The rest of the album is like the ascent to the summit then descent, but with some haunting atmosphere and ambience, ending with an almost comically doleful cover of “There’s Always Tomorrow” from the Rankin/Bass Rudolph episode. The band may have remained underground, but Tim Rutili had a lot of mileage to go, getting even more moody and experimental with Califone.

Psych Folk, Indie, Alt, Blues Rock, Country, Experimental | RYM #361

Bubbling Under: The Spacious Mind, Kendra Smith, Freakwater, Red House Painters, Sol Invictus, Charlambides, Bobby Charles, Lloyd Cole, The Roches, Palace Music, Chris Cacavas & Junkyard Love, X, Tom Russell.

Red Red Meat – Bunny Gets Paid (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
Son Volt – Trace (WB) | USA
Acetone – If You Only Knew (Vernon Yard) | USA | Bandcamp
The Jayhawks – Tomorrow The Green Grass (American) | USA | Bandcamp
The Blackeyed Susans – Mouth to Mouth (Hi-Gloss) | Australia
Flying Saucer Attack – Further (Drag City) | UK | Bandcamp
Wilco – A.M. (Reprise) | USA
Ed Kuepper – I Was a Mail-Order Bridegroom (Hot) | Australia
Whiskeytown – Faithless Street (MoodFood) | USA
The Tea Party – The Edges of Twilight (EMI) | Canada
Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball (Elektra) | USA
The Spacious Mind – Sleepy Eyes & Butterflies (Gates of Dawn) | Sweden
Flying Saucer Attack – Chorus (Drag City) | UK | Bandcamp

Country, Country Blues/Psych/Rock/Soul

After Slowdive’s fairly radical doubling down into ambient scoundscapes on Pygmalion, essentially a Neal Halstead solo effort, their label dropped them. Halstead, Rachel Goswell and drummer Ian McCutcheon bounced back very quickly with a new band, Mojave 3, that follows the Mazzy Star template of softly crooned dream pop, but with a more pronounced country flavor. Of their five albums this remains their best. I recall seeing them in a cozy setting and their soft dynamics were as gorgeous as Low at their best. I requested “Ace of Spades” and they laughed, but I truly think they could nail it in their own style.

Dream Pop, Slowcore, Country, Indie Folk | RYM #131

Bubbling Under: Lambchop, John Prine, Steve Earle, The Renderers, Henry Kaiser, Elvis Costello, Scud Mountain Boys, Sally Timms, Waco Bros., Buddy Miller, Paul K. & the Weathermen.

Mojave 3 – Ask Me Tomorrow (4AD) | UK
Son Volt – Trace (WB) | USA
The Jayhawks – Tomorrow The Green Grass (American) | USA | Bandcamp
Wilco – A.M. (Reprise) | USA
Chris & Carla – Life Full of Holes (Glitterhouse) | USA
Sparklehorse – Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot (Capitol) | USA
Whiskeytown – Faithless Street (MoodFood) | USA
Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball (Elektra) | USA
Freakwater – Old Paint (Thrill Jockey ) | USA
Jason & The Scorchers – A Blazing Grace (Mammoth) | USA
Palace Music – Viva Last Blues (Drag City) | USA | Bandcamp
Tom Russell – The Rose of the San Joaquin (Hightone) | USA
Vic Chestnutt – Is the Actor Happy? (Texas Hotel) | USA | Bandcamp

Blues & Blues Rock

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Bubbling Under: Gov’t Mule, Tony Joe White, Robert Cray, Kid Jonny Lang, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Joe Satriani, The Susan Tedeschi Band, Y&T, Elvis Costello.

PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love (Island) | UK
Red Red Meat – Bunny Gets Paid (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
Morphine – Yes (Rykodisc) | USA
Sherman Robertson – Here & Now (Code Blue) | USA
The Cruel Sea – Three Legged Dog (Red Eye) | Australia
John Lee Hooker – Chill Out (Pointblank) | USA
Clutch – Clutch (East West) | USA
Spain – The Blue Moods of Spain (Restless) | USA
Sonny Landreth – South of I-10 (Praxis) | USA
AC/DC – Ballbreaker (EastWest) | Australia
Luther Allison – Blue Streak (Alligator) | USA
Carey Bell – Deep Down (Alligator) | USA
Mad Season – Above (Columbia) | USA

Jazz & Jazz Fusion

John Zorn’s ten album Masada project from 1994-98 was impressive both conceptually (Klezmer music reimagined as avant-garde jazz in tribute to Asher Ginzberg (1856-1927), founding father of cultural Zionism), as a band, and the scope of their catalog in just five years. Third in the series, Gimel, is rated the highest by fans, so it can be a place to start, or to start and end, depending on how much you’re willing and able to binge. It didn’t stop there, as Zorn kept making Masada music, see his Masada World site.

Klezmer, Avant-Garde Jazz, Post-Bop | RYM #98

I don’t remember who they were opening for, but I was blown away one night in ’95 at the Lounge Ax by 5ive Style’s fusion of The Meters, The Upsetters and Tortoise (who had a few members contribute at various times, most consistently drummer John Herndon).

Funk Rock, Math Rock, Indie, Post-Rock, Jazz-Funk, Dub, Jazz Fusion | RYM #1,376

Bubbling Under: Tomasz Stańko Quartet, Third Rail, Medeski, Martin & Wood, The Flying Luttenbachers, Doctor Nerve, Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, Cassandra Wilson, Pat Methany Group, Etage 34, Nels Cline Trio, Simon Phillips.

Ornette Coleman & Prime Time – Tone Dialling (Verve) | USA
Masada – Gimel (DIW) | USA
5ive Style – 5ive Style (Sub Pop) | USA
Tribal Tech – Reality Check (Bluemoon) | USA
Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola & Jean-Luc Ponty – The Rite of Strings (Gai Saber) | USA
David S. Ware Quartet – Cryptology (Homestead) | USA
Screaming Headless Torsos – Screaming Headless Torsos (Discovery) | USA
Iceburn – Poetry of Fire (Revelation) | USA
Lars Danielsson – European Voices (Dragon) | Sweden
Henry Threadgill – Makin’ a Move (Columbia) | USA
Myra Melford Extended Ensemble – Even the Sounds Shine (Hat Hut) | USA
X-Legged Sally – The Land of the Giant Dwarfs (Bang!) | Belgium
Masada – Beit (DIW) |

AOR, Pop Rock

No doubt I was doubtful about this band and pop rock in general at the time. But time has gradually proven this to be nearly as timeless a pop album as anything by Blondie, The Cars, Madness or, for something more contemporary, Weezer. The band was really tight, banging out one memorable song and hooks after another. I was a huge fan of both original Jamaican ska and UK 2-Tone, but paid little attention to most third wave ska. While this band may have come up in that scene, this a straight up pop rock album, and it’s gotten more playtime around the house than most anything else from that year.

Alt, Pop Rock, Ska Punk, Power Pop, New Wave | RYM #398 | Acclaimed #33 | AOTY #146

Bubbling Under: Siouxsie & the Banshees, Natalie Merchant, Tony Joe White, Poverty Stinks, Alanis Morissette, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, the Storm, Mylene Farmer, Tears For Fears, Queen, Toto, Sun 60.

No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom (Interscope) | USA
Peter Murphy – Cascade (Beggars Banquet) | UK
Bruce Hornsby – Hot House (RCA) | USA
Paul Weller – Stanley Road (Go!) | UK
Urge Overkill – Exit The Dragon (DGC) | USA
Lloyd Cole – Love Story (Fontana) | UK
No Doubt – The Beacon Street Collection (Sea Creature ) | USA
Aimee Mann – I’m With Stupid (Geffen) | USA
Chris Isaak – Forever Blue (Reprise) | USA
Prince – The Gold Experience (WB) | USA
Marillion – Afraid Of Sunlight (EMI) | UK
Annie Lennox – Medusa (BMG) | UK
Kevin Gilbert – Thud (PRA) | USA

Non-Metal For Metalheads

Glasgow’s Long Fin Killie was the latest in the brilliant run of releases on the Too Pure label. They were one of those fearless bands who perhaps were too unique for their own good, becoming a lost treasure, leaving behind three breathtaking albums from their short run that have been largely forgotten. My first impression was they married the flamboyance of early James with post-punk experimentalism of Dog Faced Hermans and The Ex. Their songs were anchored on rhythms that expanded and contracted in unpredictable, but hypnotic patterns. Thus The Fall’s Mark E. Smith’s guest vocals on “The Heads of Dead Surfers” makes complete sense, as his own band has done a thing or two with hypnotic rhythms. Luke Sutherland’s deeply personal lyrics are some of the most profound LGBT content you’ll hear from that year. Houdini is one of those albums you discover in your collection after not hearing it for years and it sounds better than ever.

Post-Rock, Experimental, Indie, Art Rock, Math Rock, Post-Punk, Ambient Pop | RYM #116 | AOTY #105

Bubbling Under: Happy Family, Faith No More, Sol Invictus, U.S. Maple, Scorn, Screaming Headless Torsos, Stereolab, Iceburn, David Bowie, Mr. Bungle, The Flying Luttenbachers.

Pram – Sargasso Sea (Too Pure) | UK
Tortoise – Gamera EP (Duophonic) | USA | Bandcamp
Swans – The Great Annihilator (Young God) | USA | Bandcamp
Long Fin Killie – Houdini (Too Pure) | UK
Red Red Meat – Bunny Gets Paid (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
Caspar Brötzmann Massaker – Home (Thirsty Ear) | Germany
The Young Gods – Only Heaven (Interscope) | Switzerland
King Crimson – THRAK (DGM) | UK
Sonic Youth – Washing Machine (Geffen) | USA
Stereolab – Switched On Volume 2: Refried Ectoplasm (Duophonic) | UK | Bandcamp
Paul Schütze – Apart (Virgin) | Australia | Bandcamp
Don Caballero 2 – Don Caballero 2 (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp
Techno Animal – Re-Entry (Virgin) | UK | Bandcamp

Labels

Clearly the result of major labels hoovering up all the artists that showed, well, that they can breathe and might sell some CDs. Matador and Century Media were the only indies in the top ten. Note that this isn’t ALL their releases, just ones that made my rankings.

Virgin (15)
WB (14)
Columbia (13)
Island (12)
Matador (11)
Elektra (10)
Geffen (10)
Reprise (10)
Century Media (8)
EastWest (8)
Sub Pop (8)
4AD (7)
Epic & Interscope (7)

Playlist

Tidal | Spotify

Videos

Over 120 videos. Chunky boots, leopard prints, choker necklaces, colored sunglasses, velvet suits, horizontal striped shirts, very few people looked cool in hindsight, except for the best of the most innovative artists working with video like Tricky, Björk and PJ Harvey.

Shows

I saw a lot of shows that year, but like 1994, Jeff Buckley topped the list. Star power, charisma, vocal chops, tunes, great band, he had it all. It’s heartwrenching in hindsight that he would be gone in another two years. PJ Harvey was completely badass, glammed out in a sparkly red dress on the tour behind her third album.

Jeff Buckley – Metro
PJ Harvey – The Vic
Elastica – Double Door
Shellac – Fallout Comedy Club
Tortoise, Sea & Cake – Lounge Ax
Massive Attack – Metro
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – The Vic
Toots & the Maytals – Cubby Bear
Africa Fete: Baaba Maal, Boukman Eksperyans, Femi Kuti, Oumou Sangare
Seam – Ida Noyes Hall
Portishead – The Vic
Stereolab – Lounge Ax
The Young Gods – Double Door

Also: Adjustable Boy, Afghan Whigs, Archers of Loaf, Band of Susans, Boss Hog, Caspar Brotzmann Massaker, John Cale, Eleventh Dream Day, Engine Kid, Fugazi, Gastr Del Sol, Gaunt, The Grifters, Guided by Voices, Gwar, Hawkwind, Helium, Killdozer, Medicine, Mercury Rev, Monster Magnet, Morphine, Polara, Tito Puente, Red Red Meat, Jonathan Richman, The Roots, Royal Trux, Sabalon Glitz, Scissor Girls, Silkworm, Sonic Youth, The Swans, Unwound, U.S. Maple, Vandermark Quartet, Weezer, Wilco, Yo La Tengo.

Movies

Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney, Peter MFin’ Dinklage! A black comedy about a whole cast of self-absorbed and neurotic assholes, an indie film about indie filmmaking, is quintessential 1995. Sure, Living in Oblivion is not timeless like Toy Story or Clueless, but it was apparently my fave at the time, so I’m leaving it sitting right there for you, just in case.

Living In Oblivion – Tom DiCillo (black comedy)
Toy Story (animated)
Clueless (comedy)
Usual Suspects – Brian Singer (mystery/thriller)
Léon (The Professional) – Luc Besson (drama/thriller)
Before Sunrise – Richard Linklater (romance)
Nadja – Michael Almereyda (drama)
Exotica – Atom Egoyan (drama)
Crumb – Terry Zwigoff (documentary)
When Night Is Falling – Patricia Rozema (drama)
Hackers – Iain Softley (sci fi)
The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls In Love – Maria Maggenti (romance)
Don Juan Demarco – Jeremy Leven (comedy)

Bubbling under: A Walk In The Clouds, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Tank Girl, Seven, Party Girl, Kicking and Screaming, Bandit Queen, Clean Shaven, The Doom Generation, Journey of August King, Les Miserables, Live Nude Girls, The Postman (Il Postino), The White Balloon.

Television

Here’s an indication of my TV viewing habits in 1995 — my favorite show The X-Files, I didn’t even make it through the whole season. I got bored with it. I did have free cable that was there in my apartment when I moved in, but I didn’t get much use from it.

The X-Files
Babylon 5
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Mr. Show with Bob and David

Bubbling Under: VR.5, Highlander, Frasier, The Drew Carey Show, Friends, The Dana Carvey Show, Sliders.

Books

Cryptonomicon (2000) might be Neal Stephenson’s best book, but The Diamond Age is strong competition for my favorite, more so than Snow Crash (1992). The post-cyberpunk novel has a really unique coming-of-age premise, in which a nanotechnology book that’s designed to educate a princess, encouraging her to be a rule-breaking free thinker, and ultimately a strong leader, ends up in the hands of a girl from a poor area named Nell. It covers issues of education, social class, ethnicity, and the nature of artificial intelligence. I’ve been recommending this to friends for 30 years.

Our most famous astronomer Carl Sagan was one of my childhood heroes. His 13 part TV series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980-81) and it’s accompanying book expanded my mind as much as any album or book. He even had Vangelis do the soundtrack! Sadly, this would be one of his last books before his untimely death at age 62 in 1996. Despite some fools predicting he would backtrack on his staunch atheism on his deathbed, he did not.

He left us with some concerns that unfortunately turned out to become all-too real threats to our democracy and ultimately the survival of humanity, 30 years later. How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? He argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions. Yet here we are, allowing democracy to collapse around us as voters have developed a deep distrust in science, threatening to plunge us into a new dark age.

Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in the 90s’ so-called information age, pseudoscience was burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms.

Side note, he planted the seed for the next generation when, while on the faculty at Cornell, he invited a 17 year-old Neil deGrasse Tyson to spend the day with him in attempt to recruit him to the school. Tyson ended up going to Harvard on his path to becoming an astrophysicist, but learned from Sagan what kind of person he wanted to become.

Neal Stephenson – The Diamond Age: or A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer (sf, post-cyberpunk)
Christopher Priest – The Prestige (sf, fantasy, slipstream)
Carl Sagan – The Demon – Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (science, philosophy)
Nick Hornby – High Fidelity (literary fiction, music nerdom)
Philip Pullman – The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) (fantasy)
Douglas Coupland – Microserfs (literary fiction, satire)
Michael Chabon – Wonder Boys (literary fiction)
Terry Pratchett – Masquerade (Discworld #18) (fantasy, comedy)
Douglas Adams – The Salmon of Doubt (Dirk Gently #2) (sf, comedy)
Anne Rice – Memnoch the Devil (The Vampire Chronicles #5)
Gregory Maguire – Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (fantasy)
Amy Tan – The Hundred Secret Senses (historical fiction)
J.D. Robb – Glory in Death (In Death #2) (mystery, sci fi, suspense)

Bubbling under: Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Douglas Adams, Laurie R. King, Paul Di Filippo, Martin Amis, Stephen Baxter, William H. Gass, Robin Hobb, Kazuo Ishiguro, K.W. Jeter, Guy Gavriel Kay, Yoko Ogawa.

Fester’s Lucky 13 Year-End Summaries

Posted in: Bandcamp, Books, Features, Film, Listicles, Lucky 13, News, Rants, Reissues, Reviews, TV, Videos/Singles

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Stuff

April 13, 2026

Spirit Adrift – Infinite Illumination (20 Buck Spin)

Truckfighters – Masterflow (Fuzzorama)

April 6, 2026

The Big Wave: Brigitte Calls Me Baby, Cardinals, The Twilight Sad, Bad//Dreems

Winter Rundown

The Jangle Heard Round the World

Fester’s Lucky 13: 1995