90s Album Reviews

We take a special trip back to the '80s Nardcore scene with the 1984 compilation It Came From Slimey Valley

Call it punk, call it metal, either way the 1999 album Black Visions of Crimson Wisdom by The Hookers is high energy shock to the system

The lone, obscure full-length by The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre is a rowdy, rollicking, and occasionally offensive cowpunk hidden gem

Jawbreaker's 1995 album Dear You blended raw emotion with melodic punk, but polarized fans with polished production and a cleaner sound

Indigo Girls' 1994 album Swamp Ophelia delivers poignant lyrics and earworm harmonies finding balance between folk and alternative rock

On their second and final record, Love Nut filter 70s glam power pop sounds through 90s alternative on the crunchy and hooky ¡Baltimucho!

The Verve tightened the songwriting on their 1995 sophomore album A Northern Soul while perfecting their brand of psychedelic Britpop

With the addition of guitarist Joey Porter, Fountains of Wayne added the power to their pop on their 1999 sophomore album Utopia Parkway

The Ben Folds Five debut album exposed a new generation to the piano rock of Billy Joel and Elton John with Gen X sarcasm and wit

On their third album Dog Eat Dog, Warrant expanded on their established hard rock sound with creative lyrical and musical departures

On our second Diamond episode, we revisit 1991's Ten by Pearl Jam, dive into both the album tracks and b-sides that dominated the early 90s

The second album Ágætis byrjun by Sigur Rós showcases an ethereal and otherworldly sound unlike any of their post-rock contemporaries

The 1993 debut album Copacetic by Velocity Girl has the shoegaze and noise rock pieces for something special but never quite gels together

We revisit Elastica's self-titled 1995 debut with help from music journalist Rob Harvilla, host of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s podcast

Dirty Three's 1996 release Horse Stories is a challenging post-rock album, alternating between lush beauty and maelstroms of noise

After scoring a hit on their debut, Superdrag returned with a headier, more diverse and expansive sound on 1998's Head Trip In Every Key

Breakneck industrial beats one minute, dreamy ambient the next, Course Of Empire's 1990 self-titled debut is a wild post-punk ride

The 1998 debut Stratosphere by Duster eschews traditional song structures for ambient noise experimentation and droning indie guitar rock

Samiam evolved from Bay Area skate punks to emo-tinged pop-punks on 1997's fan-dividing You Are Freaking Me Out

After helping define the Britpop sound, Blur turned to American indie rock to find inspiration for their challenging 1997 self-titled album

Tracy Bonham's 1996 debut album showcases her skill for crafting a radio earworm like "Mother Mother" but loses steam on the deeper cuts

Angular, dissonant guitars dominate Flu Thirteen's 1998 sophomore album in the post-hardcore territory of At The Drive-in, Cursive, and more

Moving to a major label for their eighth album, Stranger Than Fiction, Bad Religion kept the lyrical fire but upped the production quality

On their 1994 debut album downset. unleash a fury of rap-rock with lyrics that hit as hard as the down-tuned guitars and pounding rhythms

The lone full-length by UK band Milk is an attack of dissonant guitars and frantic rhythms that recall early grunge and Chicago noise rock

Idaho's 1996 album Three Sheets To The Wind isn't afraid to upend the slowcore sound with jazz flourishes and an occasional uptempo rocker

The 1992 self-titled album by T-Ride is a wild alternative rock ride with virtuoso guitar licks, layered vocals, and electro pop rhythms

On their third and final album, Pale Saints changed their lead singer and found a balance between expansive shoegaze and tight rock songs

Following his split from Depeche Mode, Alan Wilder returned to his Recoil side project and released the 1997 album Unsound Methods

Chris Whitley's 1995 sophomore album Din of Ecstasy is the sound of thrashing through musical boundaries and writing from the soul

On their lone self-titled album from 1995, Spot injects their brand of mid-90s alternative rock with metal riffage and Faith No More vibes

Jangly American and Australian indie rock meets UK shoegaze and dream pop on Glide's 1995 debut album Open Up and Croon

On her 1997 debut Stuff, Holly McNarland successfully finds the balance between Alanis Morissette angst and Sarah McLachlan adult pop

The well-crafted 1997 debut album Your Body Above Me by Black Lab is a post-grunge album that warrants and rewards repeated listens

On the 1993 sophomore album Chrome, Catherine Wheel cut back the shoegaze elements for a bolder, more dramatic sound

On their sophomore album, Something For Kate dial down the distortion in favor of a more nuanced post-grunge approach on Beautiful Sharks