It's About Time: The 90s

As I mentioned in the last piece in the series, the music landscape at this point has broadened to the point that these top ten albums are no longer all that representative of the decades themselves, so drawing conclusions about the music of the decade from the ten that make this post would be silly. That being said, the top ten has seemingly become a little bit more homogenous. Maybe not in the genres necessarily, but it feels like a much clearer music taste. Like there is a type of person that likes most of these albums. It's interesting to note because, looking ahead, I don't think that's really true of the next few decades and hasn't really been the case for the last few either. That being said, quality albums are quality albums, and there are a few here that I haven't heard before, so it should still be very worthwhile.

Death - Symbolic

Genre: Metal Songs to try: Symbolic, Zero Tolerance

I hate that I hate metal so much. I have tried to approach the genre's most acclaimed albums with an open mind, but it often just doesn't appeal to me. And worse yet, I struggle to even understand much of the appeal on an academic, objective level. I often don't feel nor understand the appeal, which is weird for me. And that makes it really difficult to talk about music from the genre without just talking about what I don't like about it, which just seems unproductive. I have more to say on the rest of the music from this decade, but unfortunately we're kicking things off with a massive miss that I'm just going to have to tank. This is on me, I just don't know how to engage with this.

A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

Kind of like: Wu-Tang Clan, Illmatic Songs to try: Check the Rhime, Show Business

This is far more my speed. A 90s hip-hop classic with incredible basslines and prototypical but effective and charming rapping. It's very clearly dated and would almost certainly be outdated if not for the fact that it is one of the best executed versions of this early hip-hop sound. Stylistically emulated even by people who barely know hip-hop exists, but never replicated even by extremely skilled rappers of the time, this solidifies itself as a crucial listen for rap fans.

It is definitely worth stressing that it is very much a 90s rap album. It isn't conceptual, it's simple compared to a lot of the stuff you hear nowadays, it is purely focused on technical skill and fun grooves, but if you're willing to engage it on that level, you will be rewarded with something that excels in both those areas. It's another album that is hard to talk about, but that's just because it's no nonsense. It's just a straightforward, good album, and a very fun time.

Sade - Love Deluxe

Kind of like: Isaac Hayes, George Michael, SZA Songs to try: Like a Tattoo, No Ordinary Love

On the previous entry in this series I described Sade's last album's sound as essentially glitzy-yet-yearning. Like someone who has seen what wealth can bring but also sees very clearly what it costs and what it could never bring. Here, a lot of that glitz has been removed in favour of something a little darker and more grounded. The elements of rock, especially in the opener, No Ordinary Love, really brought an interesting twist to Sade's formula that hooked me immediately.

That darker side makes it's way into the lyrics at times too. While there were quite a few pessimistic songs on Diamond Life -- most notably When Am I Going to Make a Living?, which this album reminds me of quite a bit -- nothing quite gets as dark as Like a Tattoo, which describes the guilt of a war veteran as he reckons with what he has done now that he's returned to normal life, away from the environment that justifies his violence.

It's possible for darkness to turn into a childish edginess if approached without maturity, but if you're familiar with Sade, you won't be surprised to hear her writing is very mature here. Not only is there nuance in the album, with more happy subject matters being touched on as well, but even in Like a Tattoo the war criminal is treated with some empathy, which takes a great deal of emotional maturity. To balance a condemnation with empathy towards someone who acknowledges what they have done is no easy feat. Many struggle with it even in cases of much lesser sins, but Sade proved capable of seeing such an emotionally charged situation with clarity. It is very impressively handled and was ambitious to even attempt.

So there's no surprise here, I recommend this album to anyone interested in soul. It's one of my favourites in the early stages of exploring the genre, and it would be an excellent bridge into it if you typically enjoy slightly more rock-leaning stuff.

Fiona Apple - When the Pawn...

Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws The Blows When He Goes to the Fight And He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body To Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand And Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights And If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where To Land And If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right

Kind of like: Regina Spektor, Mitski, Jeff Buckley Songs to try: Paper Bag, Get Gone, Limp

I've really loved this album for a little while now, and it's one of those albums where I never really thought about exactly what it is that I like about it. I've always just thought it is good, it's a thing that is whole and that I've never really thought to dissect outside of appreciating certain lines from the lyrics. What better reason to consider that though, than for a write-up on a music blog?

I briefly touched the lyrics on this album, and that is absolutely where it excels for me, but Fiona Apple doesn't just settle for interesting lyrics, but also made the instrumentals incredibly rich and exciting too, with a warm, slightly hostile-feeling production to tie it all together, which suits a lot of the themes of the album, especially with songs like Get Gone where Fiona sings about finally accepting that a relationship is bad for her and gaining the self-respect to just leave and stay gone.

She does a similar thing on Tidal too: not content to just let you hear the words and hoping you take them in and be affected by them alone, she makes full use of her sonic palette to make you feel the words on a deeper level no matter how much attention you pay them.

In that way this is a case of an artist pushing their medium to it's emotional limits. making use of everything they possibly can to achieve the desired effect on their audience. Truly combining poetry and music to make both more impactful as opposed to having one simply accompany the other. It is truly one of those albums that is so good in so many ways that it is harder to think of someone who won't get anything out of it than someone who will. Definitely one of my favourites of the decade.

Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Genre: Neo-soul, Contemporary R&B Songs to try: Doo Wop (That Thing); Every Ghetto, Every City

I honestly got to this album a little later than I would have liked. In the end it took being the only part of the Apple Music top 100 albums list that pretty much everyone I saw agreed deserved its place for me to actually take it out of the purgatory of my "to-listen" list and into my actual library. I didn't quite feel that level of reverence for it on a personal level, but I could absolutely see the appeal and still was able to enjoy it despite the album not living up to my expectations.

One thing that I really appreciate with this album is the commitment to the classroom aesthetic, with not just the skits (which are brilliant), but with the simplicity of the percussion and the constant adlibs you might see from kids in a classroom combatting boredom with an improvised beat made from hands and pencils hitting tables and chairs while freestyling with whatever comes to mind.

That doesn't mean it feels underbaked or amateurish though. Beneath the simple aesthetics of the album is a tight groove and a smorgasbord of vocal tricks and dynamic melodies that seem improvised but always professionally, never clashing with the other instruments or coming unglued from the rhthym of the song.

It seems to be a pretty common trend in this series, but the appeal here seems to be very straightforward: it is an exceptionally talented artist keeping it simple and excelling at all the basics. Only adding flair in the production or instrumental when necessary, but otherwise just having fun with a few basic elements, enjoying professionally recorded music in it's rawest form. It gives it a broad appeal without dumbing anything down.

Björk - Homogenic

Kind of like: Portishead, Kid A, FKA twigs Songs to try: Bachelorette, All Is Full of Love, Alarm Call

There are many ways talking about an album can be difficult. I could be tasked with finding something positive to say about an album I don't like, I can find it hard to discuss an album that just doesn't seem particularly noteworthy at all, I can struggle to understand a genre that I haven't been able to grasp yet. This type of challenge is definitely my favourite to come across though: resisting the urge to simply run through every single track because I love it so much.

There is one song that I absolutely have to single out here though is Bachelorette. This is easily one of my favourite songs of the decade, if not my decisive favourite. I don't know where to even begin to tackle the individual limbs of this sonic leviathan, but the whole beast is almost a hyper-anthem. Everything is so massive, and the blend of the digital with the orchestral is really naturally done and it really helps to elevate the song. I think the sound that sticks out most is an upright bass? I'm honestly not sure, but whatever the sound is, it serves two purposes extremely well: 1. It propels the instrumental magnificently and 2. feeds into the songs vibe of sinister inevitability. It's the Jurassic Park T-Rex footsteps. Rhythmic and foreboding.

There's plenty more to pick out but I've already spent a lot of words on this song, so I'll keep it brief. That being said though, I need to touch on the vocals and the lyrics too. If you don't get chills at lines like "I'm a fountain of blood // In the shape of a girl" and "If you forget my name // You will go astray", you might need to see a doctor. Björk puts all of her heart and soul into this vocal performance, and the lyrics seem equally self-sacrificial, following on from the fountain of blood line there's "Drink me, make me feel real // Wet your beak in the stream", and later "I'm a tree that grows hearts // One for each that you take // You're the intruder's hand // I'm the branch that you break". I don't know if I can do these vocals justice in words, but you should absolutely give the song a listen so you see what I mean. They are absolutely awe-inspiring. Possibly my favourite vocal performance in music ever.

The album in general is really interesting and difficult to sum up without falling into the cliché of just pointing out contrasts. Doing my best to stay as far away from that "its-X-but-Y" line, I would describe it as being in a coccoon within a desolate environment. There is a danger and a threat to the sound of the environment, but you are also protected from the worst of it. As if Björk's nurturing wisdom is keeping you from recognizing that there's an apocalypse outside. She's a warm fireplace in the midst of the harshest of winters. She can't change the weather, but she can protect you from it. I think that probably still counts as an X-but-Y line, but it's the best I've got.

If you aren't put off by beeps and boops (and in the year of our lord 2025, who is?) then this is an absolute must-listen. It's influence on alternative and electronic music is matched by very few, and it is one of those fantastic albums that manages to find that perfect spot of experimentalism where it isn't particularly difficult to listen, but still manages to feel fresh decades later. It's my favourite album of the decade hands down, and with the number of fantastic albums from the 90s, that is very high praise.

Jeff Buckley - Grace

Kind of like: Radiohead, Fiona Apple, Elliott Smith Songs to try: Hallelujah; Lover, You Should Have Come Over; Grace

Jeff Buckley only got to make one album before his untimely death, and it just so happens to be one of the best albums of all time. It would be very easy too spend too much time on what could have been in this write-up given that context, but I would much rather spend my time talking about what was and leaving the hypotheticals to your imaginations.

If you have never heard of Grace, you have almost certainly heard a song off it. Jeff Buckley's rendition of Leonard Cohen's classic Hallelujah is held in the highest regard as one of the best covers of a song that probably has thousands of musicians with their own renditions. It is, in my opinion, the absolute best respresentation of the song and Jeff Buckley's unique qualities at the same time. It is tender, simple, and beautiful. In true Leonard Cohen fashion, it is perfect in part because of it's flaws (I always love to hear that harsh note he plays after one of the refrains that sounds like he nearly hit the wrong string but adjusted at the last microsecond, resulting in a short, sharp twang). The song does so much with nothing but a guitar and a single voice, its almost mesmerizing.

But there is so much more to this album than Hallelujah. Lover You Should Have Come Over is similar, but this time being an original song; then there are rockers like Eternal Life and So Real; and songs that blend the two styles beautifully like the title track, Grace. It's unfortunate that we lost an artist like this so soon, but we are beyond lucky to have something as beautiful as the album he left behind.

If you've ever listened to the melancholic alternative artists of the 90s and appreciated their lyricism but wished the sound got more aggressive at times, this album is for you. It's poetic and tender, but not passive. A rock album of sorts, but one that subverts all expectations of what rock music stands for. Every music fan should listen to it eventually, so I highly recommend you add it to your list if you haven't listened already. And if you're a soft rock fan, make sure it's right at the top.

Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Kind of like: Nas, Madvillain, Lupe Fiasco Songs to try: C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me), Tearz, Protect Ya Neck

Most of the time I find that hip-hop albums take a little while for me to fully appreciate (probably because I only really heard the less poppy stuff for the first time a few years ago) but this was very clearly special from the very first listen for me. Of course most albums tend to grow on you over time, at least that's my experience, so it's not like this is my favourite album or anything having not had much time with it, but its an album I felt like I instantly "got". Like I immediately understood why it was held in such high regard, even if I didn't feel it yet.

I think the thing I appreciated most about this album is the most obviously unique thing about it: the lineup. Each of these guys are some of the best the genre has to offer at what they do, and the fact they all came together to create such an aggressively dogged and single-minded album is truly special. It really helps to create the vibe of a musical militia. A force of nature bursting through your headphones and speakers.

It took me way too long to get around to this album. If you're getting into hip-hop (or have otherwise somehow managed to miss this), don't make the mistake I did. This album is worthy of every bit of hype it gets. It should be in the first ten or so hip-hop albums you listen to. If you've already listened to ten, make it your next.

Nas - Illmatic

Kind of like: MF DOOM, Wu-Tang Clan Songs to try: NY State of Mind, It Ain't Hard to Tell, Life's a Bitch

I'm not sure if it's worse that I only heard Enter The Wu-Tang this year or that I only got around to this album for this post. I couldn't for the life of me tell you why though. I had heard a song from this album a while back (NY State of Mind, I believe) and remember being blown away by Nas' ability to paint a full picture, to set a scene in my imagination, while somehow still maintaining a pleasing rhyme scheme and flow.

I think that is what makes this album truly special: Nas' storytelling is, in my experience, unmatched in the genre, and he manages to accomplish that without sacrificing the surface level enjoyability of the album. His flow is good, the beats are fun, and the rhyme scheme is incredibly pleasing, but I don't think I've ever seen a rappers lyrics as much as I heard or read them before, and that was very much the case on even my first listen of this album.

It's held in extremely high regard by hip-hop fans and artists as one of the best albums of all time, and while I don't personally see that, I absolutely agree that it's special. It's a very impressive album.

Radiohead - OK Computer

Note: since writing this, I found out that a portion of Radiohead's tour proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders. This is obviously great, and I felt it was worth mentioning, given the substance of the write-up, but my broader point remains much the same, so I don't think a rewrite is necessary.

Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke have been cowardly and complicit in the genocide of the Palestinian people, which has allowed Israel to use them to whitewash that genocide.

Jonny Greenwood broke the PACBI boycott of the Israeli cultural sector by collaborating with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa, who has performed for, and given out guitars to IDF soldiers. That cultural sector often refuses to criticize the genocide (at best calling for peace, but never making any hint at reparations or consequences), acts as a distraction for Israelis as it happens, and implicitly strengthens the reputation and soft power of Israel on the global stage while not offset by explicit criticism.

Thom Yorke has been extremely defensive in his passive position for years, and only made a statement of any substance this summer, where he sat on the fence, denouncing the current government in Israel, and in doing so failing to recognize (or at least communicate) the genocidal mission that is inherent to the founding of a religious ethno-state. Later in that statement, he also criticizes Hamas for the October 7th attacks and for keeping hostages, which while fair in a vaccuum, when taken in the context in which it actually exists it only serves to downplay the harm Israel have caused. The October 7th attacks should not be defended, but to bring it up as he did makes it sound like an equally harmful operation to the systematic murder of Palestinians, if not a downright justification for a genocide. Those two evils are not remotely close to equal in motive, action, or consequence.

And regarding the hostages, in an ideal world they would be returned, but in the messy world we live in those hostages may be the only reason Palestinians get any reprieve from the relentless attacks on their lives and their dignities. Hostages are held as a bargaining chip to end the attacks. A bargain that Israel are unwilling to entertain. Israel have often decided they would rather continue to kill innocents in Palestine than receive their hostages. That's why those hostages are being held.

If there is any doubt about how useful their statements were in combatting the genocide, you only need to look at how Israeli media outlets have covered the story. The media apparatus of the genocidal state paint Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood as heroes pushing back against "radical" opposition. There is little chance of my voice ever reaching them, but if it did I would want them to reflect on that. I would want them to think more about how that made them feel, and less about how awful it is that people expect them to make sacrifices to support the movement against these atrocities.

If you're reading this and are at all frustrated that I'm not talking about the music, I am too. I used to love Radiohead, but having tried to listen to this album for this post, I found myself unable to focus on the music given the abysmal non-stances made by the band's two most prominent members in light of the clearest, most objectionable widely-reported moment in post-WW2 politics.

I started this blog because I believe music is powerful. And so it stands to reason that that power can be used in harmful ways, and while I don't believe those Radiohead members joining the boycott would single-handedly end the genocide (no single action can, short of the dissolution of the Israeli state or the completion of that genocide), every action helps. Putting a Palestine flag in your usernames online won't save Palestinians, but it helps. Getting out and protesting your government's role in the genocide won't end it, but it helps. And using this opportunity to talk about the genocide instead of music by a band complicit in that genocide won't do much, but it helps.

Final thoughts on the 90s

Although I came into this feeling underwhelmed by the variety of the albums on this list (and still am underwhelmed by it, really), the quality of these albums might be the highest yet for me. With the exception of the Death album, I absolutely love every one of these albums. It is probably the group of ten that included most albums that I already knew I loved going in, and I also came away with two new favourites in Love Deluxe and Illmatic. It's especially interesting because if you asked me a few months ago I would have told you I thought the 90s were "just okay", but this has given me something to think about there, not just because of what's here but because of what didn't make it too.