Lambchops' Top 100 Alternative Albums Since 1990: # 30 - # 21 May 31 '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 eighth entry and two more will follow. Here are numbers 30-21. We're nearing the finale... This being the eighth installment of the Top 100 Alternative Albums Since 1990, you should understand the purpose 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 is 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 is a wide variety of choices. 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. I'd love to hear what you have to say about this list. I want to read comments about this topic especially considering that nobody should agree with me on every level. And without further ado, here are the # 30 - # 21 top alternative albums. 30. Smash - The Offspring (1994) http://www.epinions.com/content_60201012868 Well before The Offspring recorded anything resembling a hit record, they were an underground punk act led by Dexter Holland. Long before they had become something bordering on a novelty act they released 1994's Smash. The album has now gone an impressive six times platinum. Few albums that are even vaguely related to punk have accomplished such a feat. Now, of course, Offspring aren't exactly hardcore. Their music is a healthy mix of punk, pop, and rock. It works well and as evidenced by hits Self Esteem, Come Out and Play, and Gotta Get Away they know how to make music that appeals to many people. Fortunately there is much more to smash than a handful of well known songs. Check out Time o Relax, Something to Believe, Bad Habit, and Killboy Powerhead for more reasons why you should love this disc. 29. The Daddy of Them All - Space Monkeys (1997) http://www.epinions.com/content_91189382788 Space Monkeys should have been incredibly famous. They should have been a huge hit in America. They should have released another CD. They did not accomplish any of these three things. What Space Monkeys did manage is to release a complete, entertaining, creative, and hip album. I'm impressed by the eclectic mix of sounds and the successful and confident combination that can only be described as alternative hip-pop. Yeah. I'm making up terminology, but Space Monkeys are awe inspiring on The Daddy of Them All. I was originally sucked in by Sugar Cane. The song is genuinely genius, and paired with the David LaChapelle video it was impossible to ignore. From there I discovered joy in Acid House Killed Rock & Roll, Inside My Soul, Dear Dhinus, Let It Shine and many others. 28. Angel Dust - Faith No More (1992) Faith No More pretty much invented funk-metal. Mike Patton's wild, kinetic voice was strange and perfect in this soundscape. The band broke through with the successful album The Real Thing, but it is Angel Dust that really solidified their place on the musical map. It is bizarre to a point where you wonder how anybody might come up with such a masterpiece. This riskiness is what makes it such a classic. Funk. Metal. Alternative. It doesn't matter what you call it. It is brilliant. The manic CD is defined by songs like A Small Victory, Everything's Ruined, Midlife Crisis, RV, Kindergarten, and a cover of Midnight Cowboy. If you loved Faith No More before, you'll respect them after hearing Angel Dust. 27. Vs. - Pearl Jam (1993) http://www.epinions.com/content_62165388932 While Vs. (originally known as Five Against One) is not my favorite Pearl Jam release it proves the band had staying power. After their outrageously powerful debut, the Seattle area band needed to demonstrate their worth. A lot of bands can have one great album, but two? Sophomore slumps in music are infamous. Vs. is no such tragedy. Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Jeff Ahment returned with something special that no longer quite qualified as mere "grunge." Daughter, Go, Animal, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town and Rearviewmirror are compelling alt-rock selections. 26. Urban Hymns - The Verve (1997) http://www.epinions.com/content_197680139908 The Verve's notoriety may have been boosted by the Rolling Stones suit against them for an obscure sample the band used in gigantic hit Bittersweet Symphony but based on Urban Hymns they deserve even more attention. Led by the swaggering Richard Ashcroft, The Verve is increasingly more impressive as the affair continues. I love (LOVE) songs including The Drugs Don't Work, Weeping Willow, Lucky Man, Catching the Butterfly, and the heartbreaking Sonnet. While I appreciate some bands when they are concise and rely on pop hooks, I also like them when they concentrate on music, melody, and creativity. The Verve is certainly one of the best British pop/space rock acts to come out of the nineties. 25. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine (1991) Unpredictable, intense, dark, and sensual My Bloody Valentine may have appeared late in the shoegaze scene but Loveless is certainly the most notable example of the era. The disc sold relatively well and found a large-ish audience both overseas and stateside. One would have assumed that after the critical and modest commercial success of Loveless the band would have done something really excellent. One would have assumed. Nothing actually transpired. Loveless remains one of the top CDs to have been released ever--alternative or otherwise. The Sire release yielded Soon, Only Shallow, To Here Knows When, Blown a Wish, When You Sleep, and Loomer are a few examples of why the CD is so excellent. With that says, I think the overall picture is much more remarkable than any one of the parts. 24. XO - Elliott Smith (1998) http://www.epinions.com/content_143931707012 Elliott Smith's story is among the most tragic in modern music history. He was on the cusp of widespread fame when he died. What he left was an impressive discography really highlighted by XO. There are other examples of his talent, but this is about as good as it gets--and it is perfect. I can say nothing negative about this release. It is emotionally rich, creatively free, and genuinely beautiful. They are also profoundly sad. Sweet Adeline, Baby Britain, Well, Okay, I Don't Understand, and Independence Day are impeccable tracks. I hesitate to say anything else--I don't want to spoil anything. Take a moment, pull up a chair, and open your heart to Elliott Smith. 23. A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay (2002) http://www.epinions.com/content_107595599492 I doubted Coldplay when I heard all the hype. The songs were nice enough on Parachutes but I didn't see that they would have any lasting impact. That all changed with A Rush of Blood to the Head in 2002. Of course I didn't pick it up until a few months later for fear that my assumptions would be right. I was so very, very wrong. Chris Martin's delicate, wavering vocals are the perfect accessory to the controlled and emotional arrangements. My favorite is definitely The Scientist. I love the story it tells. I also am drawn to Politik, Clocks, In My Place, Warning Sign, and God Put a Smile Upon Your Face. I'm pleased to say that A Rush of Blood to the Head is a complete vision, but it also has enough pop sensibility for each individual song to shine. 22. If You're Feeling Sinister - Belle and Sebastian (1996) http://www.epinions.com/content_106480045700 I didn't discover Belle and Sebastian until four or five years after If You're Feeling Sinister hit the streets. After the Scottish band debuted with Tigermilk expectations were very high that they could follow with something really special. They delivered a CD that is much, much more than even their biggest supporters could have hoped for. Guitarist and vocalist Stuart Murdoch leads Belle and Sebastian and a host of other talented singers and musicians round out the collective. His gentle, disaffected voice is immediately identify able. The Stars of Track and Field, Seeing Other People, Judy and the Dream of Horses, The Fox in the Snow and Like Dylan in the Movies are only a sampling. Listen to this one all the way through to experience the full effect. 21. Parklife - Blur (1994) http://www.epinions.com/content_63337565828 As one of the most recognizable and entertaining British pop bands of the nineties, Blur proved they could do much more than just write and perform a catchy hook. Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree are particularly interesting on Parklife which is widely recognized as the band's career-defining release. There is some question as to which is their best, but I think this is their most important. It helped set the stage for a musical movement. Girls & Boys, Badhead, Parklife, To The End, This is a Low, and Tracy Jacks do it for me but I bet there are other songs that do it better for you. ___________________________________ 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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