Tag: The 1990’s
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The Suicide Machines ‘Destruction By Definition’ (1996)
Today we have somewhat of a deep cut with The Suicide Machines 1996 debut album Destruction by Definition, one of those mid-90’s records that perfectly nails the mix of piss and vinegar punk rock and sing-a-long hooks. It’s a damn hard line to walk consistently but this album has always stood out to me as…
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Voodoo Glow Skulls ‘Firme’ (1995)
Voodoo Glow Skulls mix the high energy of punk rock with the bounce and brass of ska, creating a sound that’s fast, loud, and full of attitude. Their music leans hard on driving guitar riffs, tight horn lines, and rapid-fire vocals, all coming together with the rawness that mid-90’s punk rock ska is known for.…
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Slowdive ‘Souvlaki’ (1994)
Souvlaki was marked by some pretty unfortunate circumstances from the outset. Recorded after the band scrapped an entire batch of recording sessions (40 full and completed songs that they simply discarded) it came out in 1993 right as the British press decided that they had enough of shoegaze. The label troubles didn’t make things easier…
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Sheryl Crow ‘Tuesday Night Music Club’ (1993)
Tuesday Night Music Club has a lot of simple charms to it. Take the music itself— it’s unpolished and throws a lot of different genres together, like alternative rock, country, pop, and more. This was Crow’s debut album and introduced her knack for blending pop hooks with a laidback country twang and a touch of…
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Queensrÿche ‘Empire’ (1990)
By the time Empire came out in 1990 Queensrÿche had already earned serious respect in the prog metal world for their precision, ambition, and sharp musicianship. What made this album stand out was how smoothly they blended those progressive roots with a more radio-friendly, melodic sound. Songs like “Jet City Woman” and “Silent Lucidity” showed…
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Rage Against The Machine ‘Rage Against The Machine’ (1992)
Rage Against the Machine is synonymous with my experience of becoming politically aware during my early teen years. I’ll never forget borrowing their album Evil Empire from my friend Ryan Polk in seventh grade, sneaking it into my house to avoid the peering eyes of my mom (who definitely wouldn’t be happy with the rabble…
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Propagandhi ‘How To Clean Everything’ (1993)
How to Clean Everything introduced Propagandhi as one of the sharpest and most self-aware voices in the early wave of skate punk. The band was signed to Fat Mike’s record label Fat Wreck Chords after playing a show with NOFX in the early 90’s. As dutiful readers know, that record label would soon define the…
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MxPx ‘Pokinatcha’ (1994)
I’ll be seeing MxPx live in a few months alongside The Ataris, which is basically gonna be me living out my 13-year old self’s dream show at the age of 38 years old. I’ve talked about my love for MxPx a few times in past (especially my personal history with their 1995 album Life In…
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Diamond Rio ‘Diamond Rio’ (1991)
Diamond Rio may sound like your typical run of the mill 90’s country band (all for good reasons mind you) but there’s a handful of things that set them apart in my opinion. The first is the fact that every single one the band members actually play every single lick on every single one of…
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Stone Temple Pilots ‘Core’ (1992)
Stone Temple Pilots came together in San Diego in the late 1980s when soon-to-be legendary rock vocalist Scott Weiland and bassist Robert DeLeo bonded over a shared love of bands like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, and Aerosmith. Along with Robert’s brother Dean and Eric Kretz they began refining a sound that combined heavy riff-driven rock…
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The Quireboys ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’ (1990)
Originally known as the “Queerboys” (a name the band abandoned when it led to challenges getting booked for shows), The Quireboys had a pretty fun take on 80’s inspired hair metal. As I’ve mentioned before I’ve been binging the HBO show Peacemaker a lot lately and listening to the corresponding soundtrack as a result. The…
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Capone-N-Noreaga ‘The War Report’ (1997)
The Queens rap duo of Kiam “Capone” Holley and Victor “Noreaga” Santiago first met in 1992 while serving time at Collins Correctional Facility and bonded over their shared backgrounds in Queensbridge and LeFrak City neighborhoods. After being released from prison they adopted stage names inspired by infamous gangsters and began recording together, signing with Penalty…
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Outkast ‘ATLiens’ (1996)
When Outkast released ATLiens in 1996 hip-hop was locked in a coastal war. You had New York’s materialistic swagger on one side and Los Angeles’ gangsta theatrics on the other. André 3000 and Big Boi broke the binary almost immediately, expanding Southern rap beyond Cadillac anthems into something cosmic and weird AF (especially for the…
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Big D and the Kids Table ‘Good Luck’ (1999)
There was a record label in my hometown of Cupertino, CA called Springman Records that for the longest time was one my favorite record labels ever. There’s a few reasons for that– I was in middle school when I was first getting into punk rock, and Springman Records was a punk label so the synergy…
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Coolio ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ (1996)
“Gangsta’s Paradise” is an absolutely iconic hip hop song for about a million reasons. The stark social commentary. The cinematic production. The haunting orchestral sample from Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise.” The chorus hook delivered by singer LV (whose unforgettable, gospel-tinged hook gives the song a massive spiritual weight). All of the elements for greatness are…
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Soul Asylum ‘Grave Dancers Union’ (1992)
Soul Asylum released Grave Dancers Union in 1992 and went platinum based off their hit single “Runaway Train”. The ballad quickly became the band’s defining hit and eventually earned them a Grammy for Best Rock Song. But its cultural impact extended far beyond MTV rotation as the music video famously featured images of missing children…
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Save Ferris ‘It Means Everything’ (1997)
Orange County’s ska punk scene was a damn fertile oasis in the mid-’90s (it’s seriously insane how many bands came out of that scene) and Save Ferris was one of those bands who brought a burst of brass-driven energy and sharp pop hooks to genre that was hitting the mainstream consciousness. Fronted by the charismatic…
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Jill Sobule ‘Jill Sobule’ (1995)
Known for her contribution to the iconic 90’s comedy Clueless, Jill Sobule was a songwriter who focused on ironic story-driven character studies very much in line with the songwriting craft that dominated the 90’s. Quirky and irreverent. Bold and unique. It’s what defined her work until her unfortunate passing earlier this year. Standout Songs: “I…
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Buena Vista Social Club ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ (1997)
There’s been a ton of digital ink spilled about the landmark 1997 album from Buena Vista Social Club (especially recently since a musical themed version of the album just hit Broadway this year), but a brief history lesson is certainly helpful here. This album a living time capsule of Cuba’s rich musical past brought to…
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Custard ‘Wisenheimer’ (1995)
If you’re a parent of a kid under the age of 8 years old you are well aware of the Australian TV show Bluey. We covered the album a few years back, but the headline is that over a seven-minute episode the show will have you crying, laughing, and reflecting on how beautiful this time…
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Vanilla Ice ‘To The Extreme’ (1990)
Vanilla Ice’s debut album To The Extreme may be remembered more for its cultural spectacle than its musical legacy, but it undeniably left a permanent mark on pop history. Catapulted to fame in 1990 by the ubiquitous “Ice Ice Baby” (which most definitely lifted its bass line from Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure”) Vanilla…
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Bloodhound Gang ‘Hooray For Boobies’ (1999)
Bloodhound Gang is one of those bands that only could have really blown up in the late 90’s. I remember being in middle school and laughing my absolute ass off after hearing their hit single “The Bad Touch” on the radio. I think it was on 92.3 KSJO, which definitely had an edgier sound, but…
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Rancid ‘Rancid’ (1993)
Rancid is one of the best piss-and-vinegar pure punk rock bands still operating out there today, which is pretty incredible considering it has been over 30 years since their debut LP from 1993. I’ve waxed poetic about the band’s 1995 magnum opus …And Out Come The Wolves (still one of my favorite all-time albums hard…
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Extreme ‘Pornograffitti’ (1990)
As I wrote about yesterday I’ve been binge-watching the hell out of sets from “Back To The Beginning” which was Ozzy Osbourne’s final live performance of his career. It’s been a helluva ride and an incredible celebration of heavy metal music. One guitarist that really stuck out to me through the day was Nuno Bettencourt,…
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Ozzy Osbourne ‘No More Tears’ (1991)
If you’re like me this weekend you’ve been binging clips from “Back To The Beginning”, the all-day heavy metal festival in Birmingham England that served as the final show of Ozzy Osbourne and his original band Black Sabbath’s career. The fact that all members of that band have made it into their mid-70’s is nothing…
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Social Distortion ‘Social Distortion’ (1990)
Social Distortion carved out a sound as raw and restless as the Southern California streets they came from, fusing the sneer of punk with the swagger of rockabilly into a sound that sounds like the flick of switchblade in some biker bar in Nowhereville, USA. When lead singer (and primary songwriter) Mike Ness howls through…
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Moby ‘Play’ (1999)
Play is one of those album that remains a cultural touchstone considering how it redefined how musicians made money through their music. Up until the spring of 1999 it was a pretty straightforward math problem– artists recorded music, sold music, and toured on that music. But Play was different in that it was the first…
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Dr. Dre ‘2001’ (1999)
Everyone (and I mean everyone) in my age group got a massive hit of nostalgia as soon as they saw this album cover come across their internet browser. To say 2001 was a formative album for anyone in their mid-30’s to their late-40’s is an understatement. This was the album that served as a soundtrack…
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Pantera ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ (1992)
I’ll be seeing Metallica live at Levi’s Stadium tonight with 55,000 other people (stoked) and one of the openers will be heavy metal legends Pantera. The band’s current incarnation is unfortunately without the services of Dimebag Darrell after he was shot and killed onstage in 2004 by a mentally ill fan during a live show…
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Foo Fighters ‘Foo Fighters’ (1995)
Dave Grohl was at a personal and career crossroads when he went into record Foo Fighters debut album all by himself. Six days later, the foundation for one of rock’s most enduring bands was born.
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Faith Hill ‘Faith’ (1998)
I had the opportunity to catch Faith Hill perform live alongside Tim McGraw a few years back during their 2017 Soul2Soul tour. And with all due respect to Tim (whom I absolutely adore) the term “better half” could never have been more appropriate during that show. Faith absolutely crushed every single song she sang that…
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Vitamin C ‘Vitamin C’ (1999)
Vitamin C’s “Graduation (Friends Forever)” is one of those songs that has stuck with me ever since I heard it. I think the first time I heard it must have been my 8th grade graduation (of course!) and I’ve played it at numerous events since as sort of a sentimental tongue in cheek nod to…
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The Offspring ‘Smash’ (1994)
From the road rage glorifying “Bad Habit” to the sloppy vocal intro and self depreciation of “Self Esteem”, The Offspring always had a great sense of bringing dark humor to the seedier parts of life and turning them into massive anthems. I’ll always appreciate them for that.
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They Might Be Giants ‘Flood’ (1990)
They Might Be Giants’s Flood is sort of this mad scientist pop rock experiment, one that’s equal parts absurdist theater, brainy satire, and manic energy. The album is most certainly a complete nerdfest, but it’s rewarding in its relative absurdity.
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Snoop Dogg ‘Doggystyle’ (1993)
Snoop Dogg’s transition from gangsta rap icon to mainstream celebrity is remarkable. Originating as Calvin Broadus, his partnership with longtime friend Dr. Dre, culminated in the success of his debut album Doggystyle in 1993.
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Leatherface ‘Mush’ (1991)
One of my favorite part of writing about an album every single day for the past two and a half years (this is #844 for the record) is when you stumble upon a band that you’ve never heard of before but one that still sounds so incredibly familiar. And about halfway into the second song…
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