Lambchops' Top 100 Alternative Albums Since 1990: The Top 10Jun 13 '07 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line You've made it to the top ten alternative albums since 1990 according to me. The term "alternative music" means nothing and it means everything. Once upon a time, it referred to songs, albums, and artists that were clearly an alternative to the norm. It may have been punk, it may have been experimental, and it was probably weird. Some time around 1990 the definition changed. There was turmoil in music following the fall of hair metal and bubblegum pop. "Alternative music" then came to be known as something that may be rooted in a more familiar kind of sound but the instruments, topics, and pacing may be different. From then forward we got British pop, grunge, electronica influenced pop, folk-rock, alt-country, and various other subgenres. What I've come to understand is that alternative music encompasses a lot of different ideas. The line between normal, regular, radio and MTV ready tunes and these is incredibly fine. My ideas about alternative music have shifted at the same time the words used to describe the genre have. I'm certain that the Top 100 Alternative Albums Since 1990 is a personal list. I have a lot invested emotionally in some of the albums while others are classics regardless of genre or era. Music is a very individual experience. I hope that this fact has been communicated throughout this list. You may or may not agree with my selections, but none of that matters. What really matters to this writer is that my words have somehow touched you. I hope they have made you think and I hope they have made you consider artists and styles you may have otherwise ignored. It is my wish that because of these brief, snippet reviews you read up on things that sound interesting and maybe even buy a CD or MP3. Even if you disagree with my choices, speak up. If you love what I've said, check in to say "hi." If you have questions please, PLEASE ask them. Even if it is difficult to define alternative music, there is little question that it exists to make you think and feel. Since that is the case I do expect responses. If you are curious as to the reason I chose 1990 as my cut-off year, it is because I want to speak with some level of expertise. My musical journey begins a few years earlier but around that time I became interested in this particular genre. So there you go. And...without further ado...I give you the top 10 alternative albums since 1990. 10. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Smashing Pumpkins (1995) http://www.epinions.com/content_59359989380 There is a simple reason why the Smashing Pumpkins are making their second appearance on this list. They are an excellent, timeless, and emotionally transcendent band that created both intricate and hard rocking alternative songs. Siamese Dream was a really, really good album. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is perfect. Sure there are two discs and sure not every single moment is classic but the overall product is almost without parallel. Billy Corgan really is a musical master. Take for example Bullet With Butterfly Wings. It is probably my favorite song ever from the band--it is so emotional, so energetic, so wild, and so incredibly forceful I can't ignore it for a moment. Even more impressive is the list of hits, near hits, b-sides, and deep cuts that heavily pepper this impressive release. Zero, Thirty-Three, 1979, Tonight, Tonight, Porcelina of the Vast Oceans, Muzzle, Jellybelly...yeah, you get the point. 09. Ritual de lo Habitual - Jane's Addiction (1990) http://www.epinions.com/content_39571590788 Brief but deep, grating but somehow delicate; Jane's Addiction hits a grand slam with Ritual de lo Habitual. I admit that the sound may not be for everybody. It is definitely punk and it is definitely rock, but the combination makes the Los Angeles band something completely different than what would come to be known as "punk-pop" in the late 1990s. Perry Farrell is a strange, twitching front man. His magnetism is unlikely and his style is unusual. Despite all of the things working against them this 1990 release marks a career high point for the short-lived and explosive band. Check out Been Caught Stealing, Classic Girl, Stop and Three Days for some really great tunes. There are only nine tracks on Ritual de lo Habitual and Jane's Addiction made sure they counted. 08. Elephant - White Stripes (2003) http://www.epinions.com/content_103084756612 If I were to choose just one new band of the last 10 years who will be influential a generation from now, it would be Detroit rockers the White Stripes. Sure they do owe a debut of gratitude to Led Zeppelin and The Stooges to name a few, but the duo has almost single-handedly renewed my faith in rock and roll. The White Stripes are not only rock--they are pop and they are punk, they are folk and they are blues. There are so many words that can be used to describe Jack White and Meg White. One other that seems particularly appropriate is "genius." Elephant (2003) is the clearest example of this talent. From the bombastic Seven Nation Army through the coy It's True that We Love One Another it is incredibly entertaining and absolutely flawless. There's No Home for You Here, I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself, In the Cold, Cold Night, The Hardest Button to Button, and Black Math are also personal favorites though every last track is wonderful. 07. Girlfriend - Matthew Sweet (1991) http://www.epinions.com/content_54410382980 There is a soft corner in my heart dedicated to boyish singer-songwriters. Matthew Sweet began my vague infatuation with his 100% Fun release. Despite the goodness of that CD it is Girlfriend that really resonates. It is Girlfriend, in fact, that is also his most familiar work and most critically successful. There's a good reason why Girlfriend is so highly regarded--it is beautiful and cool, weird and fun. Sweet showed he had the musical chops with this breakthrough. My favorite song is Girlfriend. I like the singer-songwriter's boyish vocals and the arrangement's entertaining style not to mention uptempo pacing. There are other tracks I love too: Winona, I've Been Waiting, Divine Intervention, Evangeline, and Looking at the Sun really are just the beginning. As with all truly great CDs, this one is best experienced in whole rather than in bits. 06. Nevermind - Nirvana (1991) While I wouldn't go so far as to say Nirvana was the most important act of this era, they were still very influential. The Seattle-based grungy rock band reluctantly led a musical movement. Emotional front man Kurt Cobain is among the most tragic figures in rock music. He got the fame he thought he may have wanted. He didn't want it. Through various twists of fate (not to mention drugs and alcohol) he ended up dead from a self-inflicted gunshot in his own home. Despite all of the drama Nirvana created in their brief career, Nevermind is an important album of mythic proportions. The 1991 DGC release yielded a slew of hits--Smells Like Teen Spirit being the most popular and best known. In Bloom, Come As You Are, Polly, Lithium, On a Plain, and Something in the Way help flesh out the brief but powerful release. There are many people who doubt the influence of Nirvana. I do not. 05. Achtung Baby - U2 (1991) http://www.epinions.com/content_59929955972 While I do thinking Zooropa is also an excellent U2 album from the 1990s through today, it is Achtung Baby that resonates. The album saw the Dublin natives playing around with electronica but still deeply rooted in pop-rock. At the same time U2 is definitely great for radio, they play with elements in a refreshing and creative way. Bono is definitely a memorable front man while The edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen are also talented writers and musicians. Actung Baby (1991) was not my first exposure to the band, but it was the first time I really fully understood their direction. I have a definite soft spot for Who's Going to Ride Your Wild Horses and Even Better than the Real Thing. The twelve-track CD features a variety of other hits and excellent offerings. I always have to listen from beginning to end but can point to One, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World, Until the End of the World, and Zoo Station are also particularly notable. This is not the band's best release to date, but it is their best since 1990. 04. OK Computer - Radiohead (1997) I have hesitated to write a full review of this CD. It is difficult to express my admiration for Radiohead especially in light of OK Computer. I was with them from the start. I loved Pablo Honey and The Bends, but this third release is something else entirely. It is difficult to form words around the imagery provided by Thom Yorke and company. OK Computer borders on abstraction, but it also appeals to the lonely soul in most of us. Radiohead's theme, in fact, was just that--they spoke to the alienation that has become commonplace in this modern technological society. I'm blown away by how atmospheric and emotional the piece is. It is so gorgeous it hurts. I hate to even attempt to point to the best tracks, but I must. It is part of my woeful job. I consider Paranoid Android, Airbag, Karma Police, No Surprises, Lucky, and Exit Music (For a Film) to be standouts. I do however want to point out that every listener and fan should come to know OK Computer personally. 03. Post - Bjork (1995) http://www.epinions.com/content_101177462404 Weird only begins to describe the Icelandic pixie Bjork. She is also massively creative, fantastically talented, and an excellent performer. Her CDs even at their worst are intricate and well thought out. The songs might not always be on point but Bjork is. I have always been attracted to Debut and Homogenic, but it is Post that positively radiates genius and really proved her worth. Her sound undoubtedly grates on some listeners, but I love what she does and believe that she is one of the truly unique voices of this era. She certainly uses influences and does the occasional cover, but her interpretation is always unexpected. I adore Army of Me, Hyper-Ballad, It's Oh So Quiet, Isobel, and Possibly Maybe are most interesting for me but I am really fascinated with just how consistently excellent Bjork is on Post. I am amazed by this work. 02. Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991) http://www.epinions.com/content_60986003076 As with many of the albums on my top 100, I have a personal relationship with Blood Sugar Sex Magik. I was actually well aware of the funk-punk-rock Red Hot Chili Peppers prior to the album's release but it was with this outstanding 1991 CD that I really fell in love with the rather troubled California band. This, the band's fifth album, is focused primarily on Anthony Kiedis' multiple personal issues. What most impresses me, though, is that despite the heavy nature of the material the Red Hot Chili Peppers still manage to put together a cohesive, entertaining, and truly emotional album. The emotion is not just limited to the words, either. The emotion is rooted in the actual arrangements. Everybody knows Under the Bridge and Give It Away were hits and are great tracks. Breaking the Girl, Suck My Kiss, The Power of Equality, I Could Have Lied, and Sir Psycho Sexy also get under my skin in the best possible way. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the best RHCP release to date. 01. Violator - Depeche Mode (1990) http://www.epinions.com/content_241574776452 It should not be surprising that I thought a long time about what album deserved to be in the top slot of this list. It had to be appealing on every level, it needed to be creative in every way, and I had to really (really!) love the material. Depeche Mode had been making music for nearly a decade when they wowed the world with Violator. Led by Dave Gahan and supported by Andrew Fletcher, Martin Gore, and Alan Wilder the band had already proved their worth in mid and late eighties. It is however Violator that far surpasses every other thing they have ever done. The fact that no fewer than four hit singles (Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth, and World in My Eyes) came from this CD is intimidating. The fact that the other six songs are just as great as those is truly incredible. I also love Sweetest Perfection, Halo, Clean, and Waiting for the Night but there are no weak spots on Violator. Depeche Mode has provided the single best alternative album since 1990. _______________________________________________ I hope you have enjoyed this top 100 Alternative Albums list. It has taken a lot of thought and time and I definitely would appreciate feedback, even if you vehemently disagree. Thanks for reading. # 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  |
| Read all comments (42)|Write your own comment |
