Category: The 1990’s
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A Tribe Called Quest ‘Midnight Marauders’ (1993)
A Tribe Called Quest is one of the most influential hip-hop groups of all time, contributing an absolutely epic run of three all-time albums in the 90’s. Midnight Marauders is the second album of that run, book-ended by 1991’s Low End Theory and 1996’s Beats, Rhymes and Life. Tribe’s use of jazz, funk, soul, and…
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John Williams ‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)
I was reminded recently of a moment in college that directly inspired listening to this album. I was living in Isla Vista at the time and on a big John Williams kick. Just binging like a fiend on the stuff. I lived with a group of friends who played in a band called Givers &…
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Céline Dion ‘Falling Into You’ (1996)
Let’s not belabor the point– Céline Dion is a powerhouse. Her four octave range is the stuff of legend. She’s sold over 200 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling artists of all time. She’s locked down five Grammy’s, four AMA’s, and 20 Juno Awards. In other words, she’s an absolute legend. Falling…
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Sepultura ‘Chaos A.D.’ (1993)
Chaos A.D. is a brutally heavy mash of thrash, hardcore, and death metal that hits like a gut punch straight to the solar plexus. Sepultura was one of the more influential heavy metal acts in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and along with Pantera helped to develop a more groove-oriented form of death-metal that…
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Alanis Morissette ‘Jagged Little Pill’ (1995)
Earlier this year we listened to Everclear’s So Much For The Afterglow and I talked your ear off about what makes the lyrics of 90’s alternative rock so great and enduring. As I said at the time: Peek under the hood of a lot of [the] songs and you’ll find some pretty depressing stories that…
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Sting ‘Mercury Falling’ (1996)
Sting is an absolute treasure to the world of music. I love nearly everything about him. His vocal talent is undeniable, rich with character. His bass playing is sublime and incredibly emotive. His storytelling chops are world renowned. But what I love most about his approach as a songwriter is his unabashed desire to take…
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Suicidal Tendencies ‘Lights…Camera…Revolution’ (1990)
We’ve established that we love a good album opener here at Music of Matthew dot com, and Suicidal Tendencies kicks off Lights…Camera…Revolution with one helluva opener in “You Can’t Bring Me Down”. It has all of the elements that make thrash metal great– moody delay guitars, huge fuzzy melodic guitar solos, an absolutely ripping rhythm…
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Everclear ‘So Much For The Afterglow’ (1997)
90’s alternative rock holds a special place in my heart for a variety of reasons— it’s the almost comically distorted guitars, the undeniable influence of pop music, and the punk-like aggressiveness of the drums that make everything sound big and heavy, and lyrical themes that frankly pull no punches in the story they’re trying to…
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Sugar Ray ’14:59′ (1998)
Maybe it’s Mark McGrath’s frosted tips. Maybe it’s the tight and boxy drum production. Maybe it’s the smooth acoustic guitar. Hell, maybe it’s just simply the album cover art. But no matter what it is, there is no escaping that Sugar Ray’s 14:59 sounds exactly like a wet hot summer afternoon in the late 90’s.…
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Limp Bizkit ‘Significant Other’ (1999)
Limp Bizkit may be the band that best represents the culmination of the 90’s hard rock excess, the proverbial “jumping of the shark” moment for guitar-driven music that went too far and eventually pushed mainstream listeners into the arms of pop and hip hop, elevating those genres to achieve commercial domination. That’s a helluva legacy…
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The Mighty Mighty Bosstones ‘Let’s Face It’ (1997)
When I first heard Let’s Face It I was 9 years old, living in a two-bed two-bath apartment with my brother and parents. For my birthday that year I received the first three albums I would ever own. Those albums were the Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ Let’s Face It, Third Eye Blind’s self-titled debut Third Eye…
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The Bouncing Souls ‘Maniacal Laughter’ (1995)
The Bouncing Souls lead singer Greg Attonito has one of the most recognizable voices in the world of punk rock. On 1995’s Maniacal Laughter Attonito is the star, his vocal approach elevating the relatively straightforward punk arrangements into something more interesting than the sum of their collective parts. This 23-minute ripper, which features only a…
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Alice in Chains ‘Dirt’ (1992)
Alice in Chains’ Dirt is a grim and grimey trek through pain and anger, an autobiographical account of lead vocalist Layne Staley’s crippling heroin addiction that eventually killed him a decade after this release at the age of 34 years old. Listening to this record you can’t help but feel a sense of hopelessness and…
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The Prodigy ‘The Fat of the Land’ (1997)
I remember walking into Tower Records as a kid during the late 90’s, seeing this album on the shelf, and thinking it was the coolest damn album cover I’d ever seen. Still feel that way. Much like the epic imagery of The Bronx’s 2003 debut, Prodigy’s pissed-off crab tells you all you need to know…
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Oasis ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ (1995)
The 1995 release of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? transformed Oasis from a popular band in the UK into a literal worldwide phenomenon. Their ascent to superstardom checked all the boxes– punk rock attitude, Beatles-esque melodies, and a lead singer with a distinctly British accent that harkened back to the golden-age of rock. All of…
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Michael Bolton ‘Time, Love & Tenderness’ (1991)
It’s not necessarily en vogue to love the music of Michael Bolton but I seriously can’t get enough of the guy. Every other vocal line he delivers is completely over the top and it’s absolutely great. The dude has tone for days and a gritty high end to his voice that makes every song he…
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The Ataris ‘Blue Skies, Broken Hearts…Next 12 Exits’ (1999)
In 8th grade The Ataris were my favorite band. No band was even close. They had a mainstream breakthrough moment with 2003’s So Long Astoria based off their cover of Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer”, but Blue Skies, Broken Hearts…Next 12 Exits will always and forever be my favorite record by them. It is…
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David Gray ‘White Ladder’ (1998)
White Ladder was self-financed and self-recorded in David Gray’s London flat. Considering the album went triple platinum, earned a Grammy nomination, and remains to this day the 28th highest selling album in the United Kingdom, it’s an incredible accomplishment. That intimate approach to the writing and recording process can be felt in every corner of…
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Nas ‘Illmatic’ (1994)
Let’s not bury the lead here. Nas’ 1994 debut Illmatic is one of the most honestly authentic albums I have ever listened to. It is strikingly personal. There isn’t a single track, let alone a single bar, that feels out of place or begrudgingly coerced to fit into a specific theme. It’s as raw and…
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Cocteau Twins ‘Heaven or Las Vegas’ (1990)
Soaring synths. Pulsing bass. Lucious landscapes. Tom’s and snares pitched for maximum reverb. This is dreampop at its finest, delivered in a way only true pioneers of the genre Cocteau Twins could deliver. Elizabeth Fraser’s vocals in particular stand out on this record, her mysterious Scottish-tinged soprano floating above dense arrangements like a ray of…
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NOFX ‘So Long & Thanks For All The Shoes’ (1997)
NOFX has been at it for 40 years now, which is frankly incredible for a punk band. They are one of the most commercially successful independent bands of all-time, has never been signed to a major label, and has stayed unwavering in their dedication to their DIY roots. 1997’s So Long & Thanks For All…
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Bone Thugs-N-Harmony ‘E. 1999 Eternal’ (1995)
There’s a handful of artists that when you hear a song come on you immediately know who it is. Louis Armstrong’s gravelly croon, the wistful falsetto of Alt-J’s Joe Newman, the punch of Angus Young’s guitar, and Bob Dylan’s nasal pitch are all distinct calling cards. And in the world of hip hop, there’s nothing…
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Misfits ‘Famous Monsters’ (1999)
Late 90’s Misfits may not have had the star power of Glenn Danzig, but Michale Graves’ performance (especially on the sublime ballad “Saturday Night”) is touchingly haunting. These songs don’t tread into any new sonic territory outside of incorporating some thrash elements, but that’s sort of the point– Misfits always sound like a barroom brawl…
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