Lambchops' Top 100 Alternative Albums Since 1990: # 40 - # 31 May 30 '07 (Updated Jun 13 '07)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music The Dirtchamber Sessions, Vol. 1 by The Prodigy From $11 Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 The Bottom Line Stay tuned for the 100 best alternative albums since 1990. This is the seventh entry and three more will follow. Here are numbers 40-31. We're nearing the finale... This being the seventh installment of Lambchops' Top 100 Alternative Albums Since 1990, you should understand the purpose of this series to be to educate, enlighten, and share the best music alternative music from an overall confusing era. Alternative is much more than a handful of examples and adjectives. It extends into the farthest reaches of rock and roll and goes places that may or may not be comfortable or familiar to you. If something sounds interesting, don't be afraid because I've used an unfamiliar word or description. This is alternative music--anything goes. Sometimes it's soft, sometimes it is loud. Sometimes there are guitars and sometimes there may be a harmonica. Heck--there are sometimes when there are no guitars or traditional percussion. Prepare yourself for the unexpected. Join me for the 100 most entertaining albums in alternative music from 1990 through today. Your favorite artist may not be listed, but there is something here for all listeners and every level of familiarity. Like it or not, these are recordings that are not willing to go away. The rules to qualify were simple--I must actually "like" the album, it must have had some effect on the industry, and it must have been after 1990. To narrow down bands I chose to not include industrial acts (though they do in many ways qualify as "alternative") and did not include bands that were mostly rock and roll (though "grunge" does appear). Finally, there are no greatest hits or best of compilations included despite my desire to include a few titles (Violent Femmes and James). Last but not least, these are all mainstream titles. You won't find indie titles--these are all widely available from whatever shopping outlet you choose. This isn't to say that there aren't excellent independent alternative albums from this era, it is just to say that I don't believe the ones I am familiar with to be as great as those listed. Sit back and enjoy and please feel free to comment. I would love to read comments about this topic especially considering that nobody should agree with me on every level. And without further ado, here are the # 40 - # 31 top alternative albums. 40. Funeral - Arcade Fire (2004) Considering Funeral was one of the best CDs to be released in 2004 it goes without saying it belongs somewhere toward the better half of this list. The only reason it isn't higher is because I have yet to see its impact on the music business. The experimental indie rock songs are refreshing. I also appreciate that Arcade Fire manages to cobble together a CD that is artsy without feeling in the least bit pretentious. The Quebecois band blends an unlikely and complex mix of classical, bossa nova, indie, and punk. The result is a complete, educated, and emotional release. Arcade Fire really shines on Rebellion (Lies), Crown Of Love, Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), and Wake Up but the real amazing thing is just how excellent Funeral is from start to finish. Time will tell whether the disc is just as impactful years from now. 39. Big Calm - Morcheeba (1998) http://www.epinions.com/content_56171138692 A personal favorite, Morcheeba's watershed 1998 release Big Calm is the kind of CD that sneaks up on you. On the surface this is trip-hop fused ever-so-smartly with pop. Skye Edwards along with the Godfrey brothers create a mature sound that walks the line between detached and emotional. There are songs to appeal to fans of both trip-hop and pop. The fact that it is so very successful on every level is why it appears. All twelve songs are pleasing, but I have my favorites...Shoulder Holster, Part of the Process, Blindfold, Over & Over, and Fear and Love. If you have been looking for a user friendly peek into the world of trip-hop look no further than this classic Morcheeba release. 38. Sublime - Sublime (1996) There's nothing more depressing than a band cut down even before they had a chance to shine. This is precisely what happened to ska-punk-rock-pop band Sublime. Lead singer Brad Nowell died just prior to this album's release. I'm positive that news item at least in part helped the CD to gain notoriety but the music is what really sucked listeners in. Sublime was everywhere in the mid and late 1990s and still gets plenty of air time. The time was right for Sublime to make an impact. Grunge was dead. Radio was dominated by sound-alike "rockers." Sublime's ska infused songs were refreshing and interesting. They proved to be the perfect soundtrack to parties everywhere. What I Got, Wrong Way, and Santeria were all rather big hits. Other lesser known songs including Pawn Shop, April 29, 1992, Doin' Time, and Garden Grove also are notable. 37. The Sophtware Slump - Grandaddy (2000) http://www.epinions.com/content_82854514308 My heart cries out in pain over the sorrow experienced by the main character in The Sophtware Slump. Jed is a robot and he not just has feelings, but he loves. If you have ever wondered about a robot's humanity then this is an album for you. Of course if such science fiction ideas are of little interest, that's fine too. Grandaddy's music is sweet, beautiful alt-pop with a cerebral slant that will appeal to a wide variety of listeners. Hewlett's Daughter, Jed the Humanoid, The Crystal Lake, Broken Household Appliance National Forest, and Underneath the Weeping Willow are fabulous examples from this remarkable album. This is a rare, rare band with a lot of talent. They thought about the words, but at the same time they made music that is also massively appealing. 36. Electro-Shock Blues - The Eels (1998) http://www.epinions.com/content_85491814020 While the name of this "band" indicates otherwise, The Eels are actually a one-man show. Mark Oliver Everett (otherwise known as "E") released two solo albums and one under The Eels name prior to Electro-Shock Blues. This is my favorite CD he has ever created. The songs are depressing, but the actual sound of them is rousing. I am impressed at how E makes songs about cancer and suicide seem chipper. Still the overall impression is one of a strange, foreboding darkness. Electro-Shock Blues is a very imaginative album. My favorite songs change frequently, but I am always drawn to Cancer for the Cure, Going to Your Funeral, Pt. 1, Elizabeth on the Bathroom Floor, Last Stop: This Town, and My Descent into Madness. While I do gravitate in those directions this is a disc I can listen to from start to finish. It is indeed brilliant. 35. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (1992) http://www.epinions.com/content_214727036548 Rage Against the Machine always tended to make political statements. Front man Zach de la Rocha angrily raps/sings along side thumping percussion, grinding electric guitars, and distinctive bass lines. There is no mistaking the crazed and vengeful rock and roll. If album opener Bombtrack doesn't get you out of your seat and yelling I don't know what will. There are few albums that begin so strongly. Killing in the Name, Take the Power Back, Bullet in the Head, Know Your Enemy and Fistful of Steel continue in a similar vein. This is easily one of the best albums of this era--rock, alternative, political or otherwise. 34. Weezer - Weezer (1994) http://www.epinions.com/content_153922473604 This Weezer release was among my first five CDs. Despite my early association with it, I tend to think it isn't quite as important as some people would have you think. Despite my love-hate relationship, I cannot discount the fact that Weezer helped bring nerd-rock to a large audience. More than just nerds, Weezer makes quirky alt-rock. Multi-talented Rivers Cuomo leads the band. Songs Say It Ain't So, Buddy Holly and Undone-The Sweater Song were all hits. However In the Garage, The World Has Left Me, and Surf Wax America are also pretty great. 33. Slanted and Enchanted - Pavement (1992) The importance of a band is not dictated by how many hit singles they had. This is good because Pavement never made much of a splash despite the quality of their music. Falling neatly into the alternative-rock category the lo-fi California band led by Stephen Malkmus debuted in 1992 with the ridiculously perfect Slanted and Enchanted. The band's distinctive style helped carve out and name a kind of rock music. On CDs as well thought out and tightly assembled as this it is hard to to identify favorites but for the sake of this list I will. Check out In the Mouth a Desert, Here, Summer Babe, Trigger Cut/Wounded Kite at :17, and Loretta's Scars are all notably innovative but the whole effort is most remarkable. 32. Superunknown - Soundgarden (1994) http://www.epinions.com/content_49315286660 For a time when I was in high school, my world revolved around Soundgarden. I lived, ate, and breathed this CD. Superunknown was my life. Of course at the time it also was in heavy rotation on both MTV and rock radio. In retrospect I was right to be so in love with Chris Cornell's band. I mean, they really did put together one of the defining albums of the decade. This is rock and roll that owed a debt of gratitude to punk and pop. Thus, it is "alternative" (whatever the hell that word means). My Wave, Fell on Black Days, Spoonman, and The Day I Tried To Live represent my favorites. I prefer Soundgarden louder, faster, and harder. With that said, I also can't ignore the low, grinding power of Black Hole Sun. 31. Songs for the Deaf - Queens of the Stone Age (2002) http://www.epinions.com/content_79356661380 I'm reminded of the Reservoir Dogs soundtrack every time I hear Songs for the Deaf. Dialogue from fictitious radio stations envelope each track. It is a unique way of presenting what is actually a uniquely appealing alt-rock-metal CD. Songs for the Deaf is among but a handful of truly interesting rock CDs to be released since 2000. Queens of the Stone Age is actually an all-star effort that works. Some don't, but this one does. Listen to this one from start to finish but take note of some of the standout songs including No One Knows, Song for the Dead, Go With the Flow, You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar But I..., and First It Giveth. ___________________________________ Stay tuned for all the upcoming installments of Lambchops' Top 100 Alternative Albums Since 1990. # 100 - # 91: Top Alternative Albums Since 1990 # 90 - # 81: Top Alternative Albums Since 1990 # 80 - # 71: Top Alternative Albums Since 1990 # 70 - # 61: Top Alternative Albums Since 1990 # 60 - # 51: Top Alternative Albums Since 1990 # 50 - # 41: Top Alternative Albums Since 1990 # 40 - # 31: Top Alternative Albums Since 1990 # 30 - # 21: Top Alternative Albums Since 1990 # 20 - # 11: Top Alternative Albums Since 1990 # 10 - # 1: Top Alternative Albums Since 1990

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