My Favorite Albums Evar: 90-81
Episode 90- 81
I still appear to be hopelessly devoted to the 90’s, which is sort of a surprise to me, but keep in mind we’re only at 90-81! As always, I look forward to your comments on your favorite hits or misses.
90 Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)
Merge darlings Neutral Milk Hotel crafted the most complex lo-fi album ever, layering drum-line marches with ethereal, wispy moments of sheer psychedelia (is that a word? whatever) through what plays as one really long statement of an album. The only thing I’ll never know is what the fuck he was talking about through all that.
89 Smog - Red Apple Falls (1997)
Bill Callahan’s moody, self-reflective and dark-but-lovely brand of singer/songwriter compositions haven’t ever been this beautiful, and might not ever be again. Moving past a simple lo-fi home recording crap-fest, Callahan included strings, horns, drum machines and lap steels to show off his talent (finally). You either love him or hate him, but when you love him, you’ve got to love this one the most. “To Be of Use” shows off his always brilliant lyrics (”Most of my fanatasies are of making someone else come/ To be of use/ To be of some hard, simple, undeniable use / Like a spindle, like a candle, like a horseshoe, like a corkscrew”), and “Ex-Con” wraps his talent as a story-teller with his gift as a songwriter, marrying a trumpet with a drum machine in the most perfect way possible. Definitely my favorite Smog, but also definitely one of the strongest albums of the 90’s.
88 Heart - Little Queen (1977)
This isn’t just here because “Baraccuda” appears on this album, though I would argue that the aforementioned song is one of the greatest in rock history. No, Little Queen is a stunning rock album as a whole, displaying incredible guitar work, heavy, Jimmy Page-ish blasts of near-metal, and folk-inspired ballads like “Treat Me Well” that feature Wilson’s voice beautifully.
87 Prince - Purple Rain (1984)
What can you say about Purple Rain? Every song is amazing, each more admirable than the last. I haven’t ever been too into a lot of his other albums as wholes, this one just deserves a place on anyone’s list. A must-have and a true classic.
86 Unrest - Imperial f.f.r.r. (1992)
Mark Robinson is just as brilliant as Abraham Fucking Lincoln, mkay? Unrest’s debut combines darkly humorous lyrics with straight-ahead pop (”Isabel” is still one of the greatest pop songs ever written) to make up this practically perfect album. If you’ve never listened to Unrest, this is the place to start, and it’s probably ok to finish here, too.
85 Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand (1994)
Dayton, Ohio’s favorite ex-school teacher turned uber-prolific recording artist, Robert Pollard, churned out plenty of albums that sounded a bit like this one before this one appeared, but Bee Thousand actually caught the attention of other music geeks, not just the ones in Pollard’s basement. “Hot Freaks” aside, I’ll always argue that Bee is the most cohesive and worthwhile GBV effort, worthy of all the attention, and well worth the attention it takes to appreciate their sound.
84 Spoon - Girls Can Tell (2001)
This album, in between sharp jabs and sparing bounce, features Daniels’ broad scope of influences while chiseling away at the Spoon sound we started to grasp with Series of Sneaks. I know the popular vote is for Kill the Moonlight (also great), but the combined strength of all the songs on Girls Can Tell make this one my favorite of the bunch.
Unless you want to drive around listening to “Sister Jack”.
83 Spacemen 3 - Playing With Fire (1989)
I can only handle a very little bit of acid rock in my catalog, so I might as well enjoy the best, right? And here is Jason Pierce’s second appearance on my countdown, this time for Spiritualized’s papa bear, Spacemen 3. If you love flange, let’s get it on. Great make-out album, btw.
82 Nick Drake - Bryter Layter / Pink Moon (1970, 1972)
His legend probably does outweigh his talent, but Nick Drake’s gorgeous Donovan / Morrison-ish vocals and songwriting skills are without a doubt amazing displays of brilliance. With accompanying bits by John Cale, Richard Thompson and the production of John Boyd, Drake’s collections of songs between these two albums are incredibly simple yet dense, glowing yet subtle, rich and sparse.
81 Minor Threat - Out of Step (1984)
I love that MacKaye et al were putting this out the same year we were all listening to “I Would Die 4 U”. Fucking love it. Did I ever tell you the story about antique shopping with Jeff Nelson? No? Well I will someday, it’s pretty hilarious.
14 Comments