January 1, 2025 by A.S. Van Dorston

The year of shoegaze, grunge and death metal, and the early seeds of post-rock, stoner rock and trip hop.

1991 was a pretty tough year for me, so I don’t look back on it fondly. Musically it wasn’t quite my favorite either, but as always it was music that helped me get through the rough times. I liked some of the hit albums, but not the ones from U2, Pearl Jam, Guns ‘n’ Roses, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers nor Michael Jackson, Genesis, Garth Brooks, Roxette, Michael Bolton, Boyz II Men and Enya, Actually I can take a bit of the latter two.

Genre

The mainstream didn’t really go gaga for Grunge until 1992, even though my excited had already started waning in 1989 after Mudhoney’s disappointing debut full-length. So let’s go with Shoegaze, with the iconic Loveless from My Bloody Valentine, as well as albums from Swervedriver and Slowdive. Who knew that 30 years later, there would be hundreds of shoegaze albums churned out every year.

Comeback

I honestly can’t think of one. I guess Sonny Sharrock, who had his most acclaimed album in 22 years.

Debut

Monster Magnet, Smashing Pumpkins, and Massive Attack all made the Lucky 13 with their debut full-length albums.

Memoriam

Serge Gainsbourgh (62), Steve Marriott (Small Faces, Humble Pie, 44), Johnny Thunders (New York Dolls, Heartbreakers, 38), Gene Clark (The Byrds, 46), David Ruffin (Temptations, 50), Stan Getz (64), Rob Tyner (MC5, 46), Eric Carr (KISS, 41).

Underrated

While every artist in the Lucky 13 seemed to get about as much acclaim and success that they earned, bubbling under, bands like Passion Fodder, The Bevis Frond and Eleventh Dream Day remained very much underground.

Disappointment

Disappointment was my specialty at that age. I was already sick of U2, so I didn’t care that I didn’t like anything on the new album. I guess R.E.M. because how the heck could they allow themselves to release such horrid songs as “Shiny Happy People”? That’s not the only cringeworthy track on Out of Time, which broke their run of great albums.

Surprise

That would have to be the album of the year, Talk Talk, a band that started out as poor imitators of Duran Duran. Sure, they started showing promise with “It’s My Life” in 1984, but who would have guessed the kind of artistic leaps and bounds they would take?

Fester’s Lucky 13 – The Best Albums of 1991

1. Talk Talk – Laughing Stock (Polydor)

As 22 year-old boy, I was still enamored by noise and velocity and things that went smash. I borrowed this from a co-worker and gave it some deep listening time, and knew it was something special, but didn’t quite click with it yet. I probably thought it was boring. Joke’s on me, because this album influenced a whole generation of musicians, so I’ve been listening to things like it ever since, whether it be post-rock or ambient pop. I had to backtrack and listen to The Colour of Spring (1986) and Spirit of Eden (1988) to fully appreciate the band’s remarkable progression, which can fairly be compared to Talking Heads, Wire and later, Radiohead, in their transformative artistic rebirth on each of their last three albums.

2. My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (Creation)

Before Talk Talk overtook it, Loveless was my top album of the year, the opposite of Laughing Stock in nearly every way, other than both ended up being massively influential. Where the former was airy and spare, the latter was overstuffed with sound, layered and compressed to the point where it seems to squirm, sounding like a warped cassette, threatening to collapse into a black hole. If not in the proper state of mind, it can actually be horrible, like having several shots of schnapps after consuming a large dose of potent cough syrup. But mostly it’s pretty fucking glorious. Live the band turned everything to 11 in an act of flat out hostility, and I’m glad I had started wearing earplugs, so that 30 plus years later I can still listen without a hearing aid.

3. Slint – Spiderland (Touch and Go)

I was onboard with Slint from the get go with Tweez (1989), as I keenly followed everything Steve Albini was involved with, and the noise rock scene, including Bitch Magnet and Bastro, bands that Slint seemed pretty aligned with. But man, Spiderland elevated them beyond their peers into new territory. Stories of members having a nervous breakdown don’t surprise me, as it actually soundtracked my own minor breakdown, after some relationship trauma-drama. That was probably ill advised, as I actually couldn’t listen to it again for a few years. I probably could have listened to John Coltrane’s Ascension for a similar effect. Once I’d returned to it, there were loads of bands influenced by the album. But the original is the real deal, and still delivers the tension and intensity with songs that break free of traditional structures.

4. Nirvana – Nevermind (Geffen)

So much has been said of this album, I won’t even try to make some grand statement, other than “Spank Thru” was a standout for me on the Sub Pop 200 comp in 1988, I was a fan of Bleach, and by the time they released the “Sliver” single in 1990, I was expecting they’d become huge. I thought the same for Buffalo Tom too, so what do I know. Also, the first time I heard it, I hated the production. I’d come around, then get sick of it, and honestly Nevermind has gone up and down my list like a yo-yo for decades. I also felt like some of the songs seemed incomplete, like Kurt couldn’t think of the right lines so he’d through in some “yeah yeah yeahs.” No one else complained, so I guess that’s good ’nuff for rock ‘n’ roll in ’91. For now it sits in it’s aqueous confidence at #4.

5. Melvins – Bullhead (Boner)

Nowadays Melvins’ third full-length is tagged with “stoner metal, sludge metal” and even “doom metal.” While the band was a significant influence on those subgenres, as well as drone, noise and even grunge, none of them seem appropriate, just like how Pink Floyd were never really a prog band, and Led Zeppelin never metal. All I know is that Bullhead, for me, was the perfect distillation of the band’s pioneering approach to slow pacing with explosive, percussive outbursts, thundering bass, and King Buzzo grunting like an irritated hog. Other albums in the band’s extensive catalog might be deemed more accomplished by some, but for me, this was their peak.

6. Monster Magnet – Spine of God (Glitterhouse/Caroline)

When Monster Magnet was releasing demo tapes in 1989, they drew on Black Sabbath, Detroit heavy rockers MC5 and Grand Funk, and Nuggets garage punk just as many of the early grunge bands were. What set Dave Wyndorf apart as a Lord High Priest of stoner rock was their heavy dose of psychedelic space rock via Hawkwind, and leather pants instead of flannel and blue jeans. The band poked fun at rock ‘n’ roll excess, but also full committed to it, at least as performers. Sleep and Kyuss also released albums that year, kicking off a movement, even if people love to whinge about the stoner tag. Heavy psych, fuzz, desert rock, whatever you want to call it, Monster Magnet were by far the most fully formed at this point, kicking things off with a bang and a boing on their debut album, released on their original German label, Glitterhouse, then in the U.S. early the next year.

7. Teenage Fanclub – Bandwagonesque (Geffen)

This album may be essentially a tribute to Big Star, but even though this Glasgow band strives to be more original on their scruffy, noisy debut A Catholic Education (1990) and their ten subsequent albums, they’ll never surpass this. The jangle, the harmonies, it’s easy to forget they ever wanted to follow a Sonic Youth/My Bloody Valentine model, except for the intro to “The Concept” and the entirety of “Satan.” But when those guitars chime and the vocal harmonies soar on that first track, it’s like they’re ascending from hell to heaven. From the sweet “December” to the rockin’ power pop of “What You Do to Me” and “Star Sign,” the band hits a killer to filler ratio like prime Cheap Trick.

8. Swervedriver – Raise (Caroline)

Swervedriver’s first two EPs, Rave Down and Son of Mustang Ford, both released in 1990, were what I listened to the most. Of the batch of bands loosely associated with shoegaze like Ride and Catherine Wheel, I loved how these Brits paid pretty direct homage to Hüsker Dü and Dinosaur Jr.. The UK has a pretty good track record of repackaging American music, and this was extremely promising. I didn’t love the track selection and order of their official full length, as it left off essential tracks like “Juggernaut Rides” and “She’s Beside Herself.” Nevertheless, the band was on a roll, hitting all the right buttons of noise, sticky melodies and propulsive energy. The album would eventually be reissued with most of the EP tracks, which are essential, given that the band was never able to sustain the magic on later albums.

9. Smashing Pumpkins – Gish (Caroline)

My mate Glenn had Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tristessa/La Dolly Vita” single that was part of the Sub Pop singles club in 1990, and also picked up their first indie single release, ‘I Am One.” They definitely hit all the right buttons, mixing grunge, shoegaze and heavy psychedelic rock with just the right amount changes to gliding spacy passages. When I first overheard Gish being played in a cafe shortly after it’s release, I actually thought it was Walt Mink, who shared similar influences, with neither band having heard each other at that point. I figured both bands would be hugely popular, but was only half right. It seems this album is known partly because Butch Vig produced it shortly before working on Nevermind. It wasn’t until Siamese Dream that they went all in with a big budget, but Gish remains my favorite.

10. The Jesus Lizard – Goat (Touch and Go)

I followed The Jesus Lizard because of their connections with noise rock faves Scratch Acid, and when I first saw them live, possibly a $3 show at Minneapolis’ Uptown Bar, they quickly became an alltime favorite live band. I must have seen them a dozen times, but the details are a blur, because every time I would lose my mind and writhe in the sweaty, squirming human mass in the pit. Like Head (1990), Goat was recorded cleanly and precisely by Steve Albini, presenting a quite different, but still completely original facet of the band in comparison to their ferociously slavering live performances. The monster rhythm section of David Wm. Sims and Mac McNeilly were the perfect bedrock for Duane Denison’s eerie, Rowland S. Howard inspired guitar sounds, and David Yow’s classically unhinged vocals. And while outsiders might find it intimidatingly menacing and difficult, songs like “Nub” and “Mouth Breather” always felt joyous and funny.

11. The Obsessed – Lunar Womb (Hellhound/MeteorCity)

This was a great time for Wino, with the confidence of a solid three album run with Saint Vitus, and renewed interest in his original band The Obsessed with Hellhound finally putting out their 1985 recorded debut in 1990. Saint Vitus wasn’t fully or even half his band, and the time seemed right to give it a go with his own project The Obsessed again, this time with a new lineup of drummer Greg Rogers and bassist Scott Reeder. 1991 was a banner year for a lot of bands, and Wino was no exception, with his singing, guitar playing, lyrics and overall sound with some heavy lifting from Reeder (who would later go on to join Kyuss on their last two albums) better than ever. His experiences with proto-metal, doom, punk, psych rock all come together with his most consistent and definitive statement. Many of Wino’s most enduring classics are found here, including the stately “Hiding Mask,” the shredding “No Blame” the serpentine “Endless Circles” and pummeling “Kachina.” And “Jaded.” And “No Mas.” And the epic title track. And freakin’ all of them! This album didn’t sell like many others that year, and while it did lead to Wino’s first major record deal, it didn’t lead to any crossover success. However in the eyes of many, it sealed Wino’s status as a legendary icon. This is currently not available to stream or on Bandcamp and badly needs a reissue.

12. Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger (A&M)

The original Sub Pop band to sign to a major, it was always assumed that Soundgarden would be the first to cross over to mainstream success and fill stadiums. It was a pretty reasonable assumption, given how great the band was live by all accounts, and Chris Cornell’s good looks and a wail that can reach the cheap seats better than most of his contemporaries. Problem is, Ultramega OK (1988) was not okay. It mostly sucked. That of course was not always a barrier to success, and Louder Than Love (1989) was better, but at the time they were being eclipsed critically by Mudhoney, and eventually Nirvana. With their third album, everything clicked. It was the heavy slab of a righteous grunge metal hybrid that they were meant to make. As usual, they wouldn’t truly compete with grunge’s amiable dad rock superstars Pearl Jam until their next album, but I vastly prefer this one.

13. Massive Attack – Blue Lines (Wild Bunch)

This Bristol band started as a hip hop/street soul group called the Wild Bunch in 1983. After releasing just two singles in 1988-89, they started absorbing additional influences via the likes of Soul II Soul, and Mark Stewart and Neneh Cherry, both of whom were involved in the dubwise New Age Steppers. By the time they morphed into Massive Attack, they were set to blaze a new trail with their unique mix of post-industrial downtempo electronica, dub reggae, soul and hip hop, eventually tagged as Trip Hop, as popularized by sometime member Tricky and fellow Bristol band Portishead. In 1991, no one sounded like them. On top of being genre pioneers, they revived the career of underrated reggae singer Horace Andy, which was a worthy gift to the world in itself.

Mixes: Spotify | Tidal

Favorite Albums of 1991

Talk Talk – Laughing Stock (Polydor) | UK
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (Sire) | Ireland
Slint – Spiderland (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp
Nirvana – Nevermind (Geffen) | USA
Melvins – Bullhead (Boner) | USA
Monster Magnet – Spine Of God (Caroline) | USA | Bandcamp
Teenage Fanclub – Bandwagonesque (Geffen) | UK
Swervedriver – Raise (A&M) | UK
Smashing Pumpkins – Gish (Caroline) | USA
The Jesus Lizard – Goat (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp
The Obsessed – Lunar Womb (Hellhound/MeteorCity) | USA
Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger (A&M) | USA
Massive Attack – Blue Lines (Wild Bunch) | UK
The Feelies – Time For A Witness (A&M) | USA
Passion Fodder – What Fresh Hell is This? (Beggars Banquet) | France
Death – Human (Combat) | USA | Bandcamp
The Bevis Frond – New River Head (Reckless/Fire) | UK | Bandcamp
A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory (Jive) | USA
Eleventh Dream Day – Lived To Tell (Atlantic) | USA
Swans – White Light From the Mouth of Infinity (Young God) | USA | Bandcamp
Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend (Zoo) | USA
Lydia Lunch & Rowland S. Howard – Shotgun Wedding (Triple X) | USA/Australia | Bandcamp
Fugazi – Steady Diet Of Nothing (Dischord) | USA | Bandcamp
The Wedding Present – Seamonsters (BMG ) | UK
Mercury Rev – Yerself Is Steam (Columbia) | USA | Bandcamp
Coroner – Mental Vortex (Noise ) | Switzerland
Solitude Aeturnus – Into The Depths Of Sorrow (Roadrunner) | USA
Throwing Muses – The Real Ramona (4AD) | USA
Slowdive – Just For A Day (Creation) | UK
The Essence – Nothing Lasts Forever (Midnight) | Netherlands
Cosmic Psychos – Blokes You Can Trust (Amphetamine Reptile) | Australia | Bandcamp
Metallica – Metallica (Elektra) | USA
Dinosaur Jr. – Green Mind (Sire) | USA
Strange Boutique – The Loved One (Bedazzled) | USA | Bandcamp
Dwarves – Thank Heaven For Little Girls (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
Heavenly – Heavenly vs. Satan (Sarah) | UK | Bandcamp
Into Paradise – Churchtown (Ensign) | Ireland
Ed Kuepper – Honey Steel’s Gold (Hot) | Australia | Bandcamp
The Charlottes – Things Come Apart (Cherry Red) | UK
Uncle Tupelo – Still Feel Gone (Rockville) | USA
Pixies – Trompe Le Monde (Elektra) | USA
Sort Sol – Flow My Firetear (Columbia) | Denmark
Sad Lovers and Giants – Treehouse Poetry (Voight-Kampff) | UK
Breathless – Between Happiness and Heartache (Tenor Vossa) | UK
Public Enemy – Apocalypse ’91…The Enemy Strikes Black (Columbia) | USA
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – Shahbaaz (Real World) | Pakistan | Bandcamp
Dog Faced Hermans – Mental Blocks For All Ages (Project A- Bomb) | Netherlands | Bandcamp
Monster Magnet – Tab…25 (Glitterhouse/Caroline) | USA | Bandcamp
Cathedral – Forest Of Equilibrium (Earache) | USA | Bandcamp
Pegboy – Strong Reaction (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp
NoMeansNo – 0+1=2 (Alternative Tentacles) | Canada
Barbara Manning – One Perfect Green Blanket (Heyday) | USA
Flipper’s Guitar – Doctor Head’s World Tower (Polystar) | Japan
Mudhoney – Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
World Of Twist – Quality Street (Circa) | UK
Sonny Sharrock – Ask The Ages (Axiom) | USA | Bandcamp
Bored! – Feed the Dog (Survival/FMR) | Australia | Bandcamp
Swervedriver – Sandblasted EP (Creation) | UK
Entombed – Clandestine (Earache) | Sweden
Ozric Tentacles – Strangeitude (Dovetail/Kscope) | UK | Bandcamp
Superchunk – Tossing Seeds: Singles (Merge) | USA
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – The Sky is Crying (Epic) | USA
The Ex + Tom Cora – Scrabbling at the Lock (Ex) | Netherlands | Bandcamp
This Mortal Coil – Blood (4AD) | UK
R.E.M. – Out Of Time (WB) | USA
Drive Like Jehu – Drive Like Jehu (Headhunter) | USA
The Aints – Ascension (Hot) | Australia
Moonshake – First EP (Creation) | UK
Paul K – The Big Nowhere (Cool Tunes) | USA | Bandcamp
Cranes – Wings Of Joy (Dedicated ) | UK
Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra – Blu Blu Blu (Black Saint) | USA
Halo Of Flies – Music For Insect Minds (Amphetamine Reptile) | USA
The Reivers – Pop Beloved (DB) | USA
Morbid Angel – Blessed Are The Sick (Combat) | USA | Bandcamp
Swervedriver – Reel to Real EP (Creation) | UK
Kitchens Of Distinction – Strange Free World (One Little Indian) | UK
Spacemen 3 – Recurring (Fire) | UK | Bandcamp
Lowlife – San Antoreum (LTM) | UK | Bandcamp
Paradise Lost – Gothic (Peaceville) | UK | Bandcamp
De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead (Tommy Boy) | USA
Lida Husik – Bozoo (Shimmy Disc) | USA
Fishbone – The Reality of My Surroundings (Columbia) | USA
The Telescopes – Celeste EP (Creation) | UK | Bandcamp
Rosetta Stone – An Eye for the Main Chance (Expression) | UK | Bandcamp
Devastation – Idolatry (Combat) | USA
Speed The Plough – Wonder Wheel (East Side Digital) | USA
L7 – Smell the Magic (Sub Pop) | USA
The Moles – Untune the Sky (Seaside) | Australia
Superchunk – No Pocky For Kitty (Matador) | USA | Bandcamp
Trenchmouth – Construction of New Action! Volume One: First There Was Movement (Skene!) | USA
Master’s Hammer – Ritual. (Monitor) | Czechia | Bandcamp
Tad – 8-Way Santa (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
The Fuzztones – Braindrops (Music Maniac) | USA
Overkill – Horrorscope (Megaforce) | USA
Helios Creed – Lactating Purple (Amphetamine Reptile) | USA
Treepeople – Guilt Regret Embarrassment (Toxic Shock/K) | USA
The Young Gods – Play Kurt Weill (Play It Again Sam) | Switzerland
Lycia – Ionia (Projekt) | USA | Bandcamp
Papa Sprain – Flying to Vegas EP (H.ark!) | UK
Copyright – Circle C (DGC) | Canada

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

London’s Nick Saloman started out releasing several albums recorded in his bedroom as The Bevis Frond, an early influence on many bedroom psych artists to come. On Any Gas Faster (1990), he upped his game with higher fidelity recording and more concise songwriting. His seventh (or so) album, New River Head, tosses the concise factor out with a sprawling double album (the reissue was inflated to over two and a half hours), but the quality remains high. Sixties psychedelic rock is of course a touchstone, but the guitar playing and tone is also reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis. Or is it the other way around? Either way, it’s one of his best, and highly recommended for fans of guitar-heavy psych rock.

Bubbling under: More Experience, Goat, Papir, The Babe Rainbow, Hooveriii, Electric Orange, Trees Speak. | More

Smashing Pumpkins – Gish (Caroline) | USA
The Bevis Frond – New River Head (Reckless/Fire) | UK | Bandcamp
Mercury Rev – Yerself Is Steam (Columbia) | USA | Bandcamp
Flipper’s Guitar – Doctor Head’s World Tower (Polystar) | Japan
World Of Twist – Quality Street (Circa) | UK
The Aints – Ascension (Hot) | Australia
Kitchens Of Distinction – Strange Free World (One Little Indian) | UK
Spacemen 3 – Recurring (Fire) | UK | Bandcamp
Lowlife – San Antoreum (LTM) | UK | Bandcamp
Lida Husik – Bozoo (Shimmy Disc) | USA
The Telescopes – Celeste EP (Creation) | UK | Bandcamp
The Moles – Untune the Sky (Seaside) | Australia
The Fuzztones – Braindrops (Music Maniac) | USA

Psych Pop & Prog Pop

The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, that’s quite a mouthful. It sounds like an insane right-wing Christian cult, but even better, it’s a gothy post-industrial dark/psych folk project along the lines of Current 93 and Sol Invictus. While digging back into them, I learned they got back together after a 24 year hiatus and started releasing music again in 2015, and even had a new album in 2024.

Lida Husik – Bozoo (Shimmy Disc) | USA
The Fuzztones – Braindrops (Music Maniac) | USA
The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus – Mirror (Occultation) | UK | Bandcamp
3Ds – Fish Tales / Swarthy Songs for Swabs (Flying Nun) | New Zealand
Bongwater – The Power of Pussy (Shimmy Disc ) | USA
Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – Perspex Island (A&M) | UK
Sol Invictus – The Killing Tide (Tursa) | UK | Bandcamp
Dogbowl – Cyclops Nuclear Submarine Captain (Shimmy) | USA | Bandcamp
Paul Roland – Roaring Boys (New Rose) | UK | Bandcamp
Ruth’s Refrigerator – A Lizard Is a Submarine on Grass (Madagascar) | UK
The Crystal Set – Almost Pure (Red Eye) | Australia
Mooseheart Faith Stellar Groove Band – The Magic Square of the Sun (September Gurls) | USA
Magic Mushroom Band – Spaced Out (Mystic Stones) | UK

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

After randomly coming across their debut Prairie School Freakout (1988) in the new promo pile at my college radio station, I fell hard for Eleventh Dream Day’s garage noir combo of Television, X, The Gun Club and Neil Young with Crazy Horse. As a hype sticker once read at Northern Lights music, “Guitars, guitars, guitars”! While it was before the post-Nirvana feeding frenzy days, there were plenty of indie bands signing on to major labels, and Eleventh Dream Day signed with the devil, I mean, Atlantic, releasing their second album Beet (1989). The label did little to promote them so they stuck it out for two more albums, then went back to being an indie band, releasing great albums every now and then, playing one-off shows and residencies, mostly in their hometown of Chicago. Every city with a music scene always has some hidden gem bands that never reached mainstream success, and yet are one of the best around.

Eleventh Dream Day – Lived To Tell (Atlantic) | USA
Lydia Lunch & Rowland S. Howard – Shotgun Wedding (Triple X) | USA/Australia | Bandcamp
Ed Kuepper – Honey Steel’s Gold (Hot) | Australia | Bandcamp
The Cruel Sea – This Is Not The Way Home (Red Eye) | Australia
Dead Moon – Stranded In The Mystery Zone (Tombstone/Music Maniac) | USA | Bandcamp
Blood Farmers – Permanent Brain Damage (Leaf Hound) | USA
Beasts Of Bourbon – The Low Road (Red Eye) | Australia
Legal Weapon – Take Out The Trash (Triple X) | USA
The Gun Club – Divinity EP (Buddha) | USA
The Cramps – Look Mom, No Head! (Big Beat) | USA

Prog

Coroner – Mental Vortex (Noise ) | Switzerland
Voivod – Angel Rat (Mechanic) | Canada
Dark Angel – Time Does Not Heal (Combat) | USA
Confessor – Condemned (Earache) | USA | Bandcamp
Savatage – Streets: A Rock Opera (Atlantic) | USA
Fates Warning – Parallels (Metal Blade) | USA | Bandcamp
Atheist – Unquestionable Presence (Metal Blade) | USA | Bandcamp
Anacrusis – Manic Impressions (Metal Blade) | USA
Naked City – Torture Garden (Shimmy Disc ) | USA
PainKiller – Guts of a Virgin (Earache) | USA | Bandcamp
Motoi Sakuraba – Gikyokuonsou (Musea) | Japan
Pendragon – The World (Toff) | UK
Robert Fripp & The League of Crafty Guitarists – Show of Hands (EG) | UK

Punk & Post-Punk

Passion Fodder is a new discovery. I learned about the Paris based Orchestre Rouge, a post-punk band that released two albums in 1982-83, lead by American ex-pat Theo Hakola. He then took a parallel path as Nick Cave & Bad Seeds of literate garage noir with Passion Fodder in 1984-91. What Fresh Hell is This? is the band’s fifth and last album, in dire need of a reissue. Hakola continued putting out nine solo albums since then, and are recommended for fans of the likes of Sixteen Horsepower/Wovenhand.

The Jesus Lizard – Goat (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp
Passion Fodder – What Fresh Hell is This? (Beggars Banquet) | France
Lydia Lunch & Rowland S. Howard – Shotgun Wedding (Triple X) | USA/Australia | Bandcamp
Fugazi – Steady Diet Of Nothing (Dischord) | USA | Bandcamp
The Essence – Nothing Lasts Forever (Midnight) | Netherlands
Cosmic Psychos – Blokes You Can Trust (Amphetamine Reptile) | Australia | Bandcamp
Dwarves – Thank Heaven For Little Girls (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
Into Paradise – Churchtown (Ensign) | Ireland
Sort Sol – Flow My Firetear (Columbia) | Denmark
Sad Lovers and Giants – Treehouse Poetry (Voight-Kampff) | UK
Breathless – Between Happiness and Heartache (Tenor Vossa) | UK
Dog Faced Hermans – Mental Blocks For All Ages (Project A- Bomb) | Netherlands | Bandcamp
Pegboy – Strong Reaction (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp

Garage Rock

Shotgun Wedding was a great collaboration for both parties — easily the best thing Lydia Lunch ever did, and Rowland S. Howard is creatively inspired. His guitar playing with The Birthday Party is legendary, making him one of my all-time favorites, and despite his struggles with drugs and health, he maintained a high quality, most recently with Crime & the City Solution’s Paradise Discotheque (1990), and soon, I’m Never Gonna Die Again (1992) with These Immortal Souls. The album kicks off with the epic 6:17 death march of “Burning Skulls” and ends with a fantastic cover of Alice Cooper’s epic “Black Juju.”

Eleventh Dream Day – Lived To Tell (Atlantic) | USA
Lydia Lunch & Rowland S. Howard – Shotgun Wedding (Triple X) | USA/Australia | Bandcamp
Cosmic Psychos – Blokes You Can Trust (Amphetamine Reptile) | Australia | Bandcamp
Dwarves – Thank Heaven For Little Girls (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
Ed Kuepper – Honey Steel’s Gold (Hot) | Australia | Bandcamp
Mudhoney – Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
Bored! – Feed the Dog (Survival/FMR) | Australia | Bandcamp
The Aints – Ascension (Hot) | Australia
Halo Of Flies – Music For Insect Minds (Amphetamine Reptile) | USA
The Fuzztones – Braindrops (Music Maniac) | USA
The Cruel Sea – This Is Not The Way Home (Red Eye) | Australia
Dead Moon – Stranded In The Mystery Zone (Tombstone/Music Maniac) | USA | Bandcamp
The Original Sins – Move (Psonik) | USA

Hard Rock & Post-Hardcore

After the relatively catchy tracks like “Waiting Room” and “Repeater,” Steady Diet of Nothing might have seemed a bit grim and monochromatic at first. The band themselves felt the production was flat and conservative. But it’s Fugazi and it’s powerful as fuck, such as “Reclamation,” which addresses reproductive rights and is sadly more relevant than ever. For the most part the lyrics are like impressionist haikus that remain fresh and timely. Due to their hard touring, they had 160,000 pre-orders lined up before the release date, and it even entered the UK album charts, a testament to what a band can accomplish with a DIY approach if they work at it.

Slint – Spiderland (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp
Monster Magnet – Spine Of God (Caroline) | USA | Bandcamp
Swervedriver – Raise (A&M) | UK
The Jesus Lizard – Goat (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp
Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger (A&M) | USA
The Bevis Frond – New River Head (Reckless/Fire) | UK | Bandcamp
Fugazi – Steady Diet Of Nothing (Dischord) | USA | Bandcamp
Metallica – Metallica (Elektra) | USA
Pegboy – Strong Reaction (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp
NoMeansNo – 0+1=2 (Alternative Tentacles) | Canada
Swervedriver – Sandblasted EP (Creation) | UK
Superchunk – Tossing Seeds: Singles (Merge) | USA
Drive Like Jehu – Drive Like Jehu (Headhunter) | USA

Stoner/Desert/Fuzz

Released with little fanfare as an EP, Tab…25 is actually nearly and hour long, so yeah, lots of space rockin’ bang for your buck if you got this cheap. Just another reason to concede the stoner rock throne to Monster Magnet, at least for 1991.

Monster Magnet – Spine Of God (Caroline) | USA | Bandcamp
Monster Magnet – Tab…25 (Glitterhouse/Caroline) | USA | Bandcamp
Big Chief – Drive It Off (Get Hip) | USA | Bandcamp
Sleep – Volume One (Tupelo) | USA
Motorpsycho – Lobotomizer (Voices Of Wonder) | Norway
Kyuss – Wretch (Dali/Chameleon ) | USA
The Mike Gunn – Hemp for Victory (Anomie) | USA
Dali’s Llama – Creative Space (Dali’s Llama) | USA

Heavy Metal

It’s been a minute since I read about the story behind the album, but I think Metallica were noticing a lot of their audience were getting bored with some of the more meandering proggy material from …And Justice For All (1988). While they could have done just fine as a prog metal band, they were destined to go for a simplified hard rock sound and a big, expensive production, for better and worse.

Bubbling Under: Armored Saint, Corrosion of Conformity, Vicious Rumors, Titan Force, Cirith Ungol, Saigon Kick. | More.

The Obsessed – Lunar Womb (Hellhound/MeteorCity) | USA
Solitude Aeturnus – Into The Depths Of Sorrow (Roadrunner) | USA
Metallica – Metallica (Elektra) | USA
Overkill – Horrorscope (Megaforce) | USA
Voivod – Angel Rat (Mechanic) | Canada
Dark Angel – Time Does Not Heal (Combat) | USA
Heavens Gate – Livin’ in Hysteria (Steamhammer) | Germany | Bandcamp
Savatage – Streets: A Rock Opera (Atlantic) | USA
Anacrusis – Manic Impressions (Metal Blade) | USA
Running Wild – Blazon Stone (Noise) | Germany
Skid Row – Slave to the Grind (Atlantic) | USA
Motörhead – 1916 (Sony ) | UK
Armored Saint – Symbol of Salvation (Metal Blade) | USA | Bandcamp

Doom

Doom

It’s unclear when exactly bands started identifying with the doom metal tag, but by the 1991, several doom bands were starting up, the best of which was Solitude Aeturnus, formed in Arlington, TX in 1987, with their debut Into the Depths of Sorrow (1991) nearly beating out legends The Obsessed. They would go on to surpass major players like Candlemass, Saint Vitus, and even Black Sabbath (at least during their 90s wilderness years). I saw them play Hell’s Heroes in 2024, and were the best in fest, including Candlemass and Queensryche.

The Obsessed – Lunar Womb (Hellhound/MeteorCity) | USA
Solitude Aeturnus – Into The Depths Of Sorrow (Roadrunner) | USA
Cathedral – Forest Of Equilibrium (Earache) | USA | Bandcamp
Paradise Lost – Gothic (Peaceville) | UK | Bandcamp
Confessor – Condemned (Earache) | USA | Bandcamp
Type O Negative – Slow, Deep And Hard (Roadrunner) | USA
Sleep – Volume One (Tupelo) | USA
Blood Farmers – Permanent Brain Damage (Leaf Hound) | USA
Revelation – Salvation’s Answer (Rise Above) | USA | Bandcamp
Crowbar – Obedience Thru Suffering (Bullet Proof) | USA

Power Metal, Epic Adventure & Symphonic/Dark Romance Metal

In the tradition of Helloween and Blind Guardian, of course the best power metal album of the year would be another German band, Heavens Gate, though the Yanks were nipping at their heels with Savatage, Metal Church and Iced Earth.

Heavens Gate – Livin’ in Hysteria (Steamhammer) | Germany | Bandcamp
Savatage – Streets: A Rock Opera (Atlantic) | USA
Running Wild – Blazon Stone (Noise) | Germany
Armored Saint – Symbol of Salvation (Metal Blade) | USA | Bandcamp
Metal Church – The Human Factor (Epic) | USA
Iced Earth – Night Of The Stormrider (Century Media) | USA
Vicious Rumors – Welcome to the Ball (Atlantic) | USA
Titan Force – Winner/Loser (Shark) | USA
Cirith Ungol – Paradise Lost (Restless) | USA | Bandcamp
Running Wild – The First Years Of Piracy (Noise) | Germany
Crows – The Dying Race (Century Media) | Germany
Gamma Ray – Sigh No More (Noise) | Germany

Metal

Florida’s Death towered above all on their fourth and possibly best album, or at least most balanced between their old school death metal sound, prog metal and technical death metal. The band would continue to get more technical over three more albums until Chuck Schuldiner’s untimely death. While the mainstream attention to metal faded in the 90s, it allowed more adventurous extreme metal bands to develop without worrying about trying to “make it.” Also burbling from the depths of Hell is black metal. Only Master’s Hammer qualifies as such in this list, but more is to come.

Death – Human (Combat) | USA | Bandcamp
Coroner – Mental Vortex (Noise ) | Switzerland
Entombed – Clandestine (Earache) | Sweden
Morbid Angel – Blessed Are The Sick (Combat) | USA | Bandcamp
Devastation – Idolatry (Combat) | USA
Master’s Hammer – Ritual. (Monitor) | Czechia | Bandcamp
Cannibal Corpse – Butchered at Birth (Metal Blade) | USA | Bandcamp
Confessor – Condemned (Earache) | USA | Bandcamp
Slayer – Decade of Aggression: Live (American) | USA
Autopsy – Mental Funeral (Peaceville) | USA | Bandcamp
Suffocation – Effigy of the Forgotten (Roadrunner) | USA
Dismember – Like An Everflowing Stream (Nuclear Blast) | Sweden
Immolation – Dawn of Possession (Metal Blade) | USA

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

Swans had progressed quite a ways since their early days as a bludgeoning industrial noise band heavily influenced by the New York no wave scene. On their seventh album they perfect the mix of goth and dark folk they’d been dabbling in since Children of God (1987), achieving a stately sheen that would later be tagged ethereal wave. Clearly their best album so far, they would incredibly go on to top it several times, all the way through the 2010s.

Talk Talk – Laughing Stock (Polydor) | UK
Slint – Spiderland (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp
Swans – White Light From the Mouth of Infinity (Young God) | USA | Bandcamp
Dog Faced Hermans – Mental Blocks For All Ages (Project A- Bomb) | Netherlands | Bandcamp
The Ex + Tom Cora – Scrabbling at the Lock (Ex) | Netherlands | Bandcamp
Moonshake – First EP (Creation) | UK
The Young Gods – Play Kurt Weill (Play It Again Sam) | Switzerland
Papa Sprain – Flying to Vegas EP (H.ark!) | UK
Primus – Sailing The Sees Of Cheese (Interscope) | USA
Mr. Bungle – Mr. Bungle (WB) | USA
Disco Inferno – Open Doors, Closed Windows (Che) | UK
Butch Morris – Dust to Dust (New World) | USA | Bandcamp
Franz Koglmann – The Use of Memory (Hat Hut) | Austria

Industrial & Noise

Canadian post-hardcore and art punk band NoMeansNo dabbles a bit in noise, so here we are with their fifth album of challenging, prickly music. They hit an all-time peak with the somewhat more accessible Wrong (1989), but fans admirably came along for the ride, from what I can tell from reading Jason Lamb’s book, NoMeansNo: From Obscurity to Oblivion: An Oral History (2024).

The Jesus Lizard – Goat (Touch And Go) | USA | Bandcamp
Lydia Lunch & Rowland S. Howard – Shotgun Wedding (Triple X) | USA/Australia | Bandcamp
NoMeansNo – 0+1=2 (Alternative Tentacles) | Canada
Drive Like Jehu – Drive Like Jehu (Headhunter) | USA
The Aints – Ascension (Hot) | Australia
Halo Of Flies – Music For Insect Minds (Amphetamine Reptile) | USA
Rosetta Stone – An Eye for the Main Chance (Expression) | UK | Bandcamp
Helios Creed – Lactating Purple (Amphetamine Reptile) | USA
Coil – Love’s Secret Domain (Torso) | UK
Hole – Pretty On the Inside (Caroline) | USA
Unsane – Unsane (Matador) | USA | Bandcamp
Melvins – Eggnog EP (Boner) | USA
Front 242 – Tyranny For You (Epic) | Belgium

Dream Pop & Shoegaze

After briefly serving with The Flaming Lips, Jonathan Donahue joined forces with Grasshopper in Mercury Rev, with vocalist David Baker sounding somewhat similar to Wayne Coyne. The band is a bit more space rockin’, drawing on elements of Spiritualized, shoegaze and dream pop. They’d achieve a cinematic peak with that approach on Deserter’s Songs (1998), but this was an extremely promising debut.

My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (Sire) | Ireland
Swervedriver – Raise (A&M) | UK
Mercury Rev – Yerself Is Steam (Columbia) | USA | Bandcamp
Slowdive – Just For A Day (Creation) | UK
The Essence – Nothing Lasts Forever (Midnight) | Netherlands
Strange Boutique – The Loved One (Bedazzled) | USA | Bandcamp
Into Paradise – Churchtown (Ensign) | Ireland
The Charlottes – Things Come Apart (Cherry Red) | UK
Sad Lovers and Giants – Treehouse Poetry (Voight-Kampff) | UK
Breathless – Between Happiness and Heartache (Tenor Vossa) | UK
Swervedriver – Sandblasted EP (Creation) | UK
This Mortal Coil – Blood (4AD) | UK
Cranes – Wings Of Joy (Dedicated ) | UK

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

I was a little dismissive of Slowdive at first, because there were a lot of shoegaze bands popping up that paled in comparison to My Bloody Valentine, However, there was certainly room for different flavors, and this band offered a more ethereal approach that would become an essential ingredient in what was later referred to as dream pop. It’s a lovely, floaty experience that grows on you if you let it, and they would go on to get much more challenging with Souvlaki (1993).

Swans – White Light From the Mouth of Infinity (Young God) | USA | Bandcamp
Lydia Lunch & Rowland S. Howard – Shotgun Wedding (Triple X) | USA/Australia | Bandcamp
Slowdive – Just For A Day (Creation) | UK
The Essence – Nothing Lasts Forever (Midnight) | Netherlands
Strange Boutique – The Loved One (Bedazzled) | USA | Bandcamp
Sad Lovers and Giants – Treehouse Poetry (Voight-Kampff) | UK
This Mortal Coil – Blood (4AD) | UK
Cranes – Wings Of Joy (Dedicated ) | UK
Lowlife – San Antoreum (LTM) | UK | Bandcamp
Rosetta Stone – An Eye for the Main Chance (Expression) | UK | Bandcamp
Lycia – Ionia (Projekt) | USA | Bandcamp
The Ocean Blue – Cerulean (Sire) | USA
A House – I Am the Greatest (Setanta) | UK

Indie & Alt Rock

It’s hard to believe now, but I took one of my all-time favorite bands The Feelies for granted for a bit, as my attentions were drawn from Only Life (1988) toward metal and noise rock and such. Their fourth album did not break any new ground, but it became all the more precious when it seemed like it would be their last ever. Fortunately they got back together for a couple more albums, and I continue to hope for more. Janglepop4life!

Nirvana – Nevermind (Geffen) | USA
Teenage Fanclub – Bandwagonesque (Geffen) | UK
Swervedriver – Raise (A&M) | UK
Smashing Pumpkins – Gish (Caroline) | USA
The Feelies – Time For A Witness (A&M) | USA
Eleventh Dream Day – Lived To Tell (Atlantic) | USA
Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend (Zoo) | USA
Fugazi – Steady Diet Of Nothing (Dischord) | USA | Bandcamp
The Wedding Present – Seamonsters (BMG ) | UK
Mercury Rev – Yerself Is Steam (Columbia) | USA | Bandcamp
Throwing Muses – The Real Ramona (4AD) | USA
Dinosaur Jr. – Green Mind (Sire) | USA
Ed Kuepper – Honey Steel’s Gold (Hot) | Australia | Bandcamp

Indie Pop & Jangle Pop

I reckon in the UK The Wedding Present were plenty well known, but Bizarro (1989) passed me by at the time, and I would only circle back to it after hearing the Steve Albini produced Seamonsters (1991) which achieved just what they were looking for, adding a post-hardcore/noise pop edge to their jangly psychedelic post-punk brand of British indie rock.

Teenage Fanclub – Bandwagonesque (Geffen) | UK
The Feelies – Time For A Witness (A&M) | USA
Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend (Zoo) | USA
The Wedding Present – Seamonsters (BMG ) | UK
Heavenly – Heavenly vs. Satan (Sarah) | UK | Bandcamp
Into Paradise – Churchtown (Ensign) | Ireland
Ed Kuepper – Honey Steel’s Gold (Hot) | Australia | Bandcamp
The Charlottes – Things Come Apart (Cherry Red) | UK
Barbara Manning – One Perfect Green Blanket (Heyday) | USA
R.E.M. – Out Of Time (WB) | USA
The Reivers – Pop Beloved (DB) | USA
Kitchens Of Distinction – Strange Free World (One Little Indian) | UK
Lida Husik – Bozoo (Shimmy Disc) | USA

Power Pop

Power Pop

After two unassuming power pop albums from Lincoln, NE native Matthew Sweet, he must have negotiated a sweet-ass deal with the devil to employ the services of all-star guitar army Robert Quine (Voidoids, Lou Reed), Richard Lloyd (Television) and Lloyd Cole (the Commotions), not to mention Fred Maher on drums. In a way I felt like it was a waste, as the guitar duels are reigned in. But the handful of times they let it rip, it’s exquisite, and Sweet rises to the occasion with his best songs. Best wishes to his recovery from a stroke last year.

Teenage Fanclub – Bandwagonesque (Geffen) | UK
Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend (Zoo) | USA
Dramarama – Vinyl (Chameleon) | USA
Screamfeeder – Flour (Hypnotized/Poison City) | Australia | Bandcamp
Nova Mob – The Last Days of Pompeii (Rough Trade) | USA
Barracudas – Wait For Everything (Shake) | UK
Material Issue – International Pop Overthrow (Mercury) | USA
Letters To Cleo – Sister (Wicked) | USA
Poster Children – Daisy Chain Reaction (Twin/Tone) | USA | Bandcamp
The Smithereens – Blow Up (Capitol) | USA
Velvet Crush – In the Presence of Greatness (World Service) | USA
Happy Hate Me Nots – A Place To Live EP (Waterfront) | Australia
Odds – Neopolitan (Zoo) | Canada

Global, Reggae, Dub & Afrobeat

Peter Gabriel’s Real World label was wise to take on Pakistan’s king of Qawwali, a form of Sufi music with ecstatic, trance-inducing properties that was popular at weddings in the culture. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan effectively communicated his messages of love and devotion beyond language barriers to become one of the biggest global stars since Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade.

Massive Attack – Blue Lines (Wild Bunch) | UK
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – Shahbaaz (Real World) | Pakistan | Bandcamp
Moonshake – First EP (Creation) | UK
Trenchmouth – Construction of New Action! Volume One: First There Was Movement (Skene!) | USA
Baaba Maal – Baayo (Mango) | Senegal
Abdel Gadir Salim All-Stars – The Merdoum Kings Play Songs of Love (World Circuit) | Sudan
Angélique Kidjo – Logozo (Mango) | Mali
Salif Keita – Amen (Mango) | Mali
Marina Lima – Marina Lima (EMI) | Brazil
Oumou Sangare – Moussolou (World Circuit) | Mali
Hassan Hakmoun & Adam Rudolph – Gift of the Gnawa (Flying Fish) | Morocco
Cesaria Evora – Mar Azul (Lusafrica) | Ivory Coast
Värtinä – Oi dai (Spirit) | Finland

Electronic

I’d gone to a couple warehouse dance parties, or so-called raves around 1989-91, and it wasn’t my thing. Electronic dance music was still primarily 12″ singles, but some interesting progressive armchair electronic music (IDM) would soon come, mon.

The Orb – Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld (Mercury) | UK
Orbital – Orbital [Green Album] (FFRR) | UK | Bandcamp
Lisa Stansfield – Real Love (Arista) | UK

R&B, Soul & Funk

Around this time the best live bands in the world were Bad Brains and Fishbone. Fishbone were not the most consistent songwriters, but their third album was probably their best, and certainly had more great tracks compared to much bigger names like Lenny Kravitz, Prince and Seal. Highlights “Fight the Youth” and “Sunless Saturday” were perhaps too heavy to cross over, but come on, man. “Everyday Sunshine” is like Sly & the Family Stone updated for the 90s! It’s one of our biggest cultural crimes to let Fishbone languish in obscurity.

Massive Attack – Blue Lines (Wild Bunch) | UK
Fishbone – The Reality of My Surroundings (Columbia) | USA
The Commitments – The Commitments (MCA) | Ireland
MC 900 Ft. Jesus – Welcome to My Dream (Nettwerk) | USA
Lenny Kravitz – Mama Said (Virgin) | USA
Ambitious Lovers – Lust (Elektra/Strange Fruit) | USA
Del tha Funkeé Homosapien – I Wish My Brother George Was Here (Elektra) | USA | Bandcamp
Digital Underground – Sons of the P (Tommy Boy) | USA
Prince – Diamonds And Pearls (Paisley Park) | USA
Young Disciples – Road To Freedom (Talkin’ Loud) | UK
Seal – Seal (ZTT) | UK
Lisa Stansfield – Real Love (Arista) | UK
Simply Red – Stars (EastWest) | UK

Hip Hop & Rap

1991 may have been the year that hip hop grew up, when Public Enemy and members of N.W.A. now have masterpieces from A Tribe Called Quest to contend with. This Queens, NY group’s second album is their towering peak, and remarkably they’d come back in 2016 with an album that holds up pretty well in comparison, We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service.

A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory (Jive) | USA
Public Enemy – Apocalypse ’91…The Enemy Strikes Black (Columbia) | USA
De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead (Tommy Boy) | USA
Organized Konfusion – Organized Konfusion (Hollywood Basic) | USA
Gang Starr – Step In The Arena (Chrysalis) | USA
Son Of Bazerk – Bazerk Bazerk Bazerk (Soul/MCA) | USA
Ice-T – O.G. Original Gangster (Sire/WB) | USA
Cypress Hill – Cypress Hill (Ruffhouse) | USA
Naughty by Nature – Naughty by Nature (Tommy Boy) | USA
Del tha Funkeé Homosapien – I Wish My Brother George Was Here (Elektra) | USA | Bandcamp
UMC’s – Fruits of Nature (Wild Pitch) | USA
Digital Underground – Sons of the P (Tommy Boy) | USA
Paris – The Devil Made Me Do It (Tommy Boy) | USA

Folk & Americana

Along with the Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo would kick off the alt country movement dubbed, for a while, No Depression, after the name of their first album. It’s interesting in retrospect to see Jeff Tweedy grow as an artist (his song “Gun” is the album’s highlight), from a supportive role to eventually eclipsing his old bandmate Jay Farrar’s Son Volt with Wilco.

Uncle Tupelo – Still Feel Gone (Rockville) | USA
Paul K – The Big Nowhere (Cool Tunes) | USA | Bandcamp
Lida Husik – Bozoo (Shimmy Disc) | USA
The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus – Mirror (Occultation) | UK | Bandcamp
Bongwater – The Power of Pussy (Shimmy Disc ) | USA
Green On Red – Scapegoats (China) | USA
Levellers – Levelling the Land (China) | UK
John Prine – The Missing Years (Oh Boy) | USA | Bandcamp
Tom Russell – Cowboy Real (Philo) | USA
Thin White Rope – The Ruby Sea (Frontier) | USA | Bandcamp
Sol Invictus – The Killing Tide (Tursa) | UK | Bandcamp
Shrimp Boat – Duende (Bar None/Rough Trade ) | USA
Mekons – The Curse Of The Mekons (Blast First) | USA

Country, Country Blues/Psych/Rock/Soul

It’s remarkable how Meat Puppets grew their audience from such prickly hardcore punk/cowpunk origins to a unique brand of hazy, psychedelic desert rock and beyond. In the late 80s they tweaked their formula, incorporating a chooglin’ ZZ Top swagger, which came to fruition on their seventh album, Forbidden Places. Kurt Cobain’s fandom would push their next album to a new level of success, but this one is just as good.

Eleventh Dream Day – Lived To Tell (Atlantic) | USA
Uncle Tupelo – Still Feel Gone (Rockville) | USA
R.E.M. – Out Of Time (WB) | USA
Meat Puppets – Forbidden Places (London) | USA
Green On Red – Scapegoats (China) | USA
John Prine – The Missing Years (Oh Boy) | USA | Bandcamp
Tom Russell – Cowboy Real (Philo) | USA
Thin White Rope – The Ruby Sea (Frontier) | USA | Bandcamp
The Tom Russell Band – Hurricane Season (Philo) | USA
Giant Sand – Ramp (Rough Trade) | USA | Bandcamp
The Renderers – Trail Of Tears (Flying Nun) | New Zealand
Butthole Surfers – Piouhgd (Rough Trade) | USA | Bandcamp
Chris Whitley – Living With the Law (Columbia) | USA

Jazz, Jazz Fusion

Sonny Sharrock was a towering presence in the New York avant-garde jazz scene, and for a long time, Black Woman (1969) was considered his best recording. That is, until Ask the Ages, which features the great Pharoah Sanders on tenor sax, Elvin Jones on drums, Charles Moffett on bass, and Sonny on electric guitar. Produced by Bill Laswell, it’s a defining avant-jazz album for the, um, ages, and would foreshadow the kind of adventures jazz fusion that would become more and more popular two decades later. It’s good to see challenging music get recognition.

Sonny Sharrock – Ask The Ages (Axiom) | USA | Bandcamp
Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra – Blu Blu Blu (Black Saint) | USA
Rabih Abou-Khalil – Al-Jadida (Enja) | Lebanon
The Bill Frisell Band – Where in the World? (Nonesuch) | USA
Tribal Tech – Tribal Tech (Relativity) | USA
Atheist – Unquestionable Presence (Metal Blade) | USA | Bandcamp
Lars Danielsson – Fresh Enough (L+R) | Sweden
Anouar Brahem – Barzakh (ECM) | Tunisia
PainKiller – Guts of a Virgin (Earache) | USA | Bandcamp
X-Legged Sally – Slow-Up (Sub Rosa) | Belgium | Bandcamp
Aziza Mustafa Zadeh – Aziza Mustafa Zadeh (Columbia) | Azerbaijan
Horii Katsumi Project – Sky Cruisin’ (Air) | Japan
Motoi Sakuraba – Gikyokuonsou (Musea) | Japan

Non-Metal For Metalheads

Cellist Tom Cora, who once worked with John Zorn, did two albums with Dutch anarcho-post-punk band The Ex, and the fusion is highly recommended for fans of the later work by Aussies The Dirty Three.

Talk Talk – Laughing Stock (Polydor) | UK
Dog Faced Hermans – Mental Blocks For All Ages (Project A- Bomb) | Netherlands | Bandcamp
The Ex + Tom Cora – Scrabbling at the Lock (Ex) | Netherlands | Bandcamp
Moonshake – First EP (Creation) | UK
Rosetta Stone – An Eye for the Main Chance (Expression) | UK | Bandcamp
Helios Creed – Lactating Purple (Amphetamine Reptile) | USA
The Young Gods – Play Kurt Weill (Play It Again Sam) | Switzerland
Coil – Love’s Secret Domain (Torso) | UK
Primus – Sailing The Sees Of Cheese (Interscope) | USA
Front 242 – Tyranny For You (Epic) | Belgium
Naked City – Torture Garden (Shimmy Disc ) | USA
PainKiller – Guts of a Virgin (Earache) | USA | Bandcamp
Clock DVA – Man-Amplified (Contempo) | UK

Late Discoveries

Passion Fodder – What Fresh Hell is This? (Beggars Banquet) | France
Into Paradise – Churchtown (Ensign) | Ireland
Sort Sol – Flow My Firetear (Columbia) | Denmark
Sad Lovers and Giants – Treehouse Poetry (Voight-Kampff) | UK
Breathless – Between Happiness and Heartache (Tenor Vossa) | UK
The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus – Mirror (Occultation) | UK
Sol Invictus – The Killing Tide (Tursa) | UK
Strange Boutique – The Loved One (Bedazzled) | USA
Rosetta Stone – An Eye for the Main Chance (Expression) | UK
Lycia – Ionia (Projekt) | USA
Motoi Sakuraba – Gikyokuonsou (Musea) | Japan
Flipper’s Guitar – Doctor Head’s World Tower (Polystar) | Japan
Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra – Blu Blu Blu (Black Saint) | USA

Bubbling Under:
Rabih Abou-Khalil – Al-Jadida (Enja) | Lebanon
Anouar Brahem – Barzakh (ECM) | Tunisia
Bored! – Feed the Dog (Survival/FMR) | Australia
The Cruel Sea – This Is Not The Way Home (Red Eye) | Australia
Ruth’s Refrigerator – A Lizard Is a Submarine on Grass (Madagascar) | UK
The Crystal Set – Almost Pure (Red Eye) | Australia
Mooseheart Faith Stellar Groove Band – The Magic Square of the Sun (September Gurls) | USA
Magic Mushroom Band – Spaced Out (Mystic Stones) | UK
Horii Katsumi Project – Sky Cruisin’ (Air) | Japan
Motoi Sakuraba – Gikyokuonsou (Musea) | Japan

Labels

Elektra (10)
Sub Pop (9)
Caroline (8)
Virgin (8)
WB (7)
American (6)
Columbia (6)
4AD (5)
Dischord (5)
Matador (5)

Videos

Shows

Fishbone & Primus, First Ave, Nov 3
Bad Brains, First Ave, Aug 13
The Jesus Lizard, Uptown Bar, Jun 29
Walt Mink, First Ave, Jun 5
Nirvana & Urge Overkill, First Ave, Oct 14
Kyuss & Dwarves, Uptown Bar, Oct 21
Dinosaur Jr, First Ave, May 28
Mudhoney & Pegboy, First Ave, Sep 4
Melvins, First Ave, Sep 1
Killing Joke, First Ave, Mar 1
L7, Uptown Bar, Aug 30
Run Westy Run, First Ave, Nov 23
The Cows & Babes in Toyland, Speedboat Gallery

Gneissmaker, Helmet, Arcwelder, Ride.

Movies

I loved Delicatessen so much I bought it on DVD when it became available later in the decade. A hilarious black comedy, and incredible world building with unique set designs and color palates. It’s no surprise that Jeunet and Caro would go on to make the even more acclaimed City of Lost Children and Amelie.

Delicatessan – Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet (sci fi/black comedy)
Highway 61- Bruce McDonald (comedy)
Flirting – John Duigan (drama)
Young Soul Rebels – Isaac Julien (drama)
Surviving Desire – Hal Hartley (drama)
Naked Lunch – David Cronenenberg (drama)
La Femme Nikita – Luc Besson (thriller)
The Double Life Of Veronique – Krzysztof Kieslowski (drama)
Night On Earth – Jim Jarmusch (comedy)
The Fisher King – Terry Gilliam (drama)
The Silence Of The Lambs – Jonathan Demme (thriller)
The Commitments – Alan Parker (musical)
Kafka – Steven Soderbergh (drama)

Bubbling under: Total Recall, My Own Private Idaho, Europa, The Addams Family, Dead Again, Bodies, Rest & Motion, Shakes the Clown, Barton Fink, Thelma & Louise, Poison.

Television

I still didn’t really watch TV then, as I didn’t have cable. I rented a lot of VHS movies from the video store.

Books

“You like Huey Lewis and the News?” — Patrick Bateman, American Psycho. I love how Easton Ellis’ serial killer is obsessed with Huey Lewis, asking people that question repeatedly in an attempt to simulate friendly small talk, but also to judge their tastes and social status. I always figured only psychopaths would like Huey Lewis. Then again, three decades later, I sometimes feel some fuzzy nostalgia when I hear certain Lewis songs now, rather than blind rage. Am I becoming a psycho killer?

I have very little recollection of Generation X, but it’s the first book I read by Coupland, and I read his later books, so I must have liked it. Aside from Faludi, I kept my reading light as I was just recovering graduating from college with a triple major, which involved reading several books every week.

Brett Easton Ellis – American Psycho
Douglas Coupland – Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture
Susan Faludi – Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women
Stephen King – Needful Things
Iain M. Banks – The State of the Art (Culture #3)
L.J. Smith – The Awakening (The Vampire Diaries)
Terry Pratchett – Reaper Man (Discworld #11)
Orson Scott Card – Xenocide (Ender’s Saga #3)
Henning Mankell – Faceless Killers (Kurt Wallander #1)
Frank Miller – Sin City #1: The Hard Goodbye
R.A. Salvatore – Sojourn (Forgotten Realms: Legend of Drizzt #3)
Dan Simmons – Summer of Night (Seasons of Horror #1)
Peter Hedges – What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

Bubbling Under: Terry Brooks, Andre Norton, Arthur C. Clarke, Martin Amis, David Eddings, Clive Barker, Koji Suzuki.

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

Other

Stuff

April 13, 2026

Spirit Adrift – Infinite Illumination (20 Buck Spin)

Truckfighters – Masterflow (Fuzzorama)

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