That Wonderful Year in Music... 1993

Given  my hectic schedule and family issues of late, I've been neglecting a certain pet project of mine.  Of all the music blogs I wrote, 1993 was probably the one I felt least satisfied with; I wrote a measly top five of albums and the list of singles included songs released the year before. I intended to revise my look back at '93 in early-to-mid June, but real life happened.

If 1991 was the year Grunge broke out and 1992 was the year alternative rock divided and conquered, than 1993 was when it completely and unilaterally controlled the world. The Seattle rock scene had become their generation's equivalent of Liverpool, with new acts from the Pacific Northwest getting signed to record labels on a seemingly daily basis. Nirvana and Pearl Jam, the two bands that spearheaded the movement, released follow-up albums that met lofty expectations and than some. Even top 40 "pop" radio was a little more guitar-heavy than usual. That's not to say alt-rock was the only show in town, though; gangsta rap was in full swing, house and electronica were on the cusp of a breakthrough, and Brit-Pop (er, British alt-rock) was giving the Yanks a run for the money.

NOTE: numbers in parentheses note previous ranking

BEST ALBUMS
1. In Utero, Nirvana. (2) What I said in 2008: "Nirvana's third album bites the hand that feeds them, except their bile is aimed towards the music industry ("Serve the Servants"), the pitfalls of stardom ("Frances Fisher"), and Kurt Cobain's troubled marriage ("Heart-Shaped Box"). Bittersweet, though painfully autobiographical." I neglected to mention that Steve Albini's stark, uncompromising was a perfect match to Cobain's nihilistic, almost suicidal lyrics. All in all, a shattering epitaph.
2. Siamese Dream, Smashing Pumpkins. (3) Nudging themselves from "promising young band" to "promise fulfilled," Dream was made by a band barely keeping it together: frontman Billy Corgan was in the throes of depression, guitarist James Iha and bassist D'Arcy Wretzky had broken up, and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain had a serious drug problem. With all these demons in the air, they churned out essential tracks like "Cherub Rock," "Today," "Rocket," and "Disarm," mere ingredients in one of most influential albums of the decade.
3. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Wu-Tang Clan. (7) The year's most staggering debut didn't introduce us to one MC but eight. This group of colorful characters --led by Prince Rakeem (aka RZA) and Ol' Dirty Bastard-- invented more than just a sound, they nearly created a full-fledged lifestyle and mindset. No '90s rap album is alternately witty, cocky, and sociopathic, or as eclectic. To paraphrase track 7, the Wu-Tang Clan was nothing to f*** with.
4. Vs., Pearl Jam (4)
5. Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements, Stereolab
6. Exile in Guyville, Liz Phair (1)
7. Debut, Björk
8. Modern Life is Rubbish, Blur
9. Midnight Maurauders, A Tribe Called Quest
10. Rid of Me, PJ Harvey. (6) If Liz Phair was America's angry young feminist, than Polly Jean Harvey was her British equal. Both have a lot to say and aren't much for subtlety. However, where Phair was gleefully profane and visceral, Harvey is a more tortured soul. Where Phair teeters on insanity, Harvey isn't afraid to show her wounds. In the end, Harvey is the least compromising of the two.

Honorable Mentions: New Wave, The Auteurs; Songs of Faith and Devotion, Depeche Mode; So Tonight That I Might See, Mazzy Star; Republic, New Order; In On the Kill Taker, Fugazi; Souvlaki, Slowdive; Saturation, Urge Overkill; Suede, The (London) Suede.

BEST SINGLES
"Mr. Jones," Counting Crows
"Cannonball," The Breeders
"Laid," James
"Feed the Tree," Belly
"Linger," The Cranberries
"Creep," Radiohead
"Soul to Squeeze," Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Insane in the Brain," Cypress Hill
"Low," Cracker
"Backwater," Meat Puppets

BEST VIDEOS
1.  "Heart-Shaped Box," Nirvana. This is one of those clips that can be hard to describe without somehow ruining or trivializing the work. Too bad the collaboration of Anton Corbijn and Kurt Cobain never went beyond this haunting video.
2. "No Rain," Blind Melon. Let your freak flag fly, Bee Girl.
3. "Loser," Beck. "Soy... un perdedor..."
4. "Runaway Train," Soul Asylum. All those missing kids...
5. "Are You Gonna Go My Way?," Lenny Kravitz. No, he's not Jimi Hendrix, but it's a pretty solid imitation.

Honorable Mentions: "Man-Size," PJ Harvey; "Creep," Stone Temple Pilots.

Finally, some interesting news: effective last week, I am now writing original comedy material (i.e. jokes) for iO Watercooler, the web site for Improv Olympic fans and alumni. Be on the lookout for "Stu's News" about five days a week. :)

Your thoughts?

That Wonderful Year in Music... 1995

It doesn't seem like 1995 was fifteen years ago. In a way, the sights and sounds of that year --with heightened emphasis on the sounds, of course-- are just a fresh in my memory then as they are now. The death of Kurt Cobain and the fadeout of the Seattle scene a year earlier threw American alternative rock into its post-grunge period; meanwhile, the Smiths-influenced "Britpop" stylings of Oasis, Blur, and Pulp threw the UK and the US into a tizzy. The punk revival was still going strong on college radio (thanks to Rancid) and the mainstream (a tip of the hat to Green Day). Gangsta rap had reached its pinnacle as 2Pac and Biggie hit it big, while the Wu-Tang Clan, two years removed from "Protect Ya Neck," sowed the seeds of their respective solo careers. The implosion of alt-country pioneers Uncle Tupelo led to the creation of two new bands, Sun Volt and Wilco, that would eventually eclipse their predecessor's influence and decidedly modest record sales. Suffice to say, that's a lot of territory to cover for one year, though if I had to honor the absolute best albums of '95, it would look something like this:

1. The Bends, Radiohead. The album that put Thom Yorke and company on the map. Sure, their debut Pablo Honey garnered some notoriety, but name a song off the disc besides the crossover hit "Creep." This sophomore effort set the blueprint for the Radiohead we know today: cerebral anthemic rock paired with tortured lyrics and a hint of social commentary. At worst, The Bends is a filling appetizer for their 1997 masterpiece OK Computer; at best, it's a memorizing companion piece and a defining album of the decade.

2. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Smashing Pumpkins. Initially conceived as a mid-90s answer to Pink Floyd's The Wall, the Pumpkins' third album is a two-disc tour de force. As much a concept album as it is a sonic exploration, Mellon Collie finds frontman/primary songwriter Billy Corgan saying goodbye to his youth, forcing himself to grow up while looking back wistfully at his jaded teenage years. All in all, an enjoyably challenging listen that comfortably steers clear of "double-album syndrome."

3. Different Class, Pulp. Oasis might've received more hype, but Pulp was arguably the most consistent --and cheekiest-- of all the Britpop groups. Pulp's third album blows their previous two efforts out of the water; the formula of meshing alt-pop with new wave and disco flavors didn't change much, but years of trial and error led to a more perfected product. Jarvis Cocker's songwriting has never been more catchy, nuanced or immediate.

4. 6Teen Stone, Bush

5. Wowie Zowie, Pavement

6. ...And Out Come The Wolves, Rancid

7. (What's The Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis

8. To Bring You My Love, P.J. Harvey

9. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Raekwon feat. Ghostface Killah

10. Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt. Another breakthrough album in a year that was quite gracious to new(ish) acts. If this ska-pop album plays like a hits compilation, you're not far off; seven of the 14 tracks were released as singles, as Top 40 and CHR radio stations squeezed 2 1/2 years of airplay out of Kingdom. Written as the band was on the cusp of imploding, the pure energy and versatility of Kingdom eclipses the departure of founding keyboardist Eric Stefani, a major creative force in the band's early days. The breakup of bassist Tony Kanal and vocalist Gwen Stefani inspired the hit "Don't Speak," one of the best kiss-off songs of the past 20 years.

Honorable Mentions: The Great Escape, Blur; Elastica, Elastica; Return to the 36 Chambers, Ol' Dirty Bastard; Washing Machine, Sonic Youth.

BEST SINGLES

"Lump," The Presidents of the United States of America

"Mother Mother," Tracy Bonham

"Only Happy When It Rains," Garbage

"Aeroplane," Red Hot Chili Peppers

"I'll Stick Around," Foo Fighters

"Brain Stew/Jaded," Green Day

"Need You Around," Smoking Popes

"In The Meantime," Spacehog

"Gangsta's Paradise," Coolio

"More Human Than Human," White Zombie

BEST VIDEOS

1. "It's Oh So Quiet," Bjork.
2. "California," Wax. Spike Jonze' mid-90s winning streak was still rolling with these top two picks. "Quiet" is a modernized interpretation of Betty Hutton's '40s hit "Blow a Fuse," while "California" is probably the most intense slo-mo clip even shown on MTV.

3. "Just," Radiohead. Wait, what did he say?

4. "I'll Be There For You," Method Man feat. Mary J. Blige.

5. "Waterfalls," TLC.

Honorable Mention: "Ironic," Alanis Morrissette.

Your thoughts?