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Top 10 Albums of the 90's

Since I did one on the 2000's, I figured I'd continue and do one on the 90's.  I don't know nearly as much about 90's music so this list could definitely change in the coming months/years. 
  1. Radiohead - The Bends: This is album that got me into indie music.  It's also my favorite album by my favorite band of all time.  Thom Yorke's songs have never been as good, and Johnny Greenwood's guitar work has never been as melodic.  A whole generation of British bands tried to copy this sound (Keane, Travis, Coldplay, Muse), but none have even come close to matching The Bends' tragic beauty.  Nearly every track gives me chills.  Best tracks: Fake Plastic Trees, High & Dry, Street Spirit, Planet Telex
  2. Oasis - Be Here Now: My favorite album by the best band of the 90's.  More filler than their first two albums, but also plenty of great songs.  The B-sides are some of the best in the history of music.  Admittedly, the original was really bloated, but that's what modern editing software is for. The arrangements are the most complex and nuanced of their career, and there is a unique warmth to the songs. Best tracks: I Hope I Think I Know, D'You Know What I Mean, All Around the World
  3. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People: The one truly great R.E.M. album. The epic, sweeping, string-laden sound is very uncharacteristic, yet it perfectly complements Stipe's melancholy set of songs.  The entire set has a pervasive sense of loss that and nostalgia is incredibly affecting.  Best Tracks: Nightswimming, Everybody Hurts, Man on the Moon
  4. Radiohead - OK Computer: It articulate the alienation of the modern, technological age with such despondent beauty.  Prescient and fitting even today, it's hard to see this album ever becoming dated.  The songs are not nearly as good as those on The Bends, but the band compensates with a far more interesting sonic palette.  Best tracks: Let Down, Paranoid Android, Karma Police
  5. U2 - Achtung Baby: Not nearly as enjoyable as their other two great albums (The Joshua Tree, All That You Can't Leave Behind), but certainly more interesting.  They integrated electronic influences and wrote the most personal music of their career, and they did it without sacrificing song quality or their stadium-filling sound. Best tracks: One, Mysterious Ways, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
  6. (Oasis - Definitely Maybe)
  7. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication: Easily the best album the Peppers have ever managed.  The first six tracks are especially stunning.  Keidis' songwriting is at its peak here and Frusciante plays as if God himself was singing through that guitar.  Best tracks: Otherside, Scar Tissue, All Around the World, Californication
  8. Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory: The album that made Oasis the biggest band in the world, if only for a few short years.  It's far more varied and nuanced than their debut, and, though it does have some filler, it also contains three strokes of absolute genius.  Best tracks: Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernoova
  9. (Sigur Rós - Ágætis byrjun)
  10. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic: It's not the best, but it's certainly the funkiest of RHCP's good albums.  Flea is a phenomenal bassist, and this is the one time he really gets to let loose.  The rest of the band acquit themselves admirably as well. Best tracks: Under the Bridge, Suck My Kiss, Give It Away
  11. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing.....: One of the best hip hop albums of all time, and it doesn't even have any rapping.  Completely built on samples, it nevertheless sounds incredibly organic.  Everything fits perfectly and the beauty of it all is stunning.  The perfect soundtrack for, well, just about anything. Best tracks: Building Steam With a Grain of Salt, Stem/Long Stem, Midnight in a Perfect World
  12. (Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill)
  13. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted: Sure, Steven Malkmus doesn't know how to sing in tune, but, when you write songs like the ones he wrote for S&E, you can sing however you want.  The lyrics are inscrutable yet emotive, and brilliant melodies pop up constantly in the most unexpected places.  Pavement's reputation as the best band of the 90's is built upon the greatness of this album.  Best tracks: Here, Trigger Cut

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