released Automatic For The People, nearly 50 minutes of battling with intention versus outcome that paradoxically comes to form one of their strongest efforts, earning its place among the best 90s albums. Be it the agonisingly eerie build-ups on Don, Aman, the perfect balance of inclusion and omission of silence on For Dinner…, or the menacing plods of Good Morning, Captain, Slint know no bounds, and it becomes impossible for even the most cynical to consider this a mere accident.ĥ: R.E.M.: ‘Automatic For The People’ (1992)Īfter some of R.E.M.’s most unwavering tracks appeared on Out Of Time (Country Feedback, Losing My Religion, Low), the Athens, Georgia, giants set out to release a proper rock’n’roll record, full of pent-up aggression and distortion. It’s one of the best 90s album, alright, but Spiderland exists entirely outside time, genre and categorisation. Spiderland appears to linger on the frayed ends of sanity for uncomfortably long periods, like the outbursts of the nightmarish carnival depicted on Breadcrumb Trail. Did the vocalist really check himself into a psychiatric ward after the album’s release? Or was it a car accident blown out of proportion? We will likely never know, but one thing’s for certain: Slint’s final album is unlike anything else, darting across amateurish structures and exploring unclaimed indie-rock territory in the process. Spiderland: the post-rock obelisk enveloped in mystery. Featuring work from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and an abundance of post-grunge production, Alanis’ magnum opus is perhaps the most “90s” album on this list of the best albums of that decade, but that’s not to say it’s merely entry-level her a cappella performance of Your House is one of the most forthright portrayals of adultery and its impact on confident young women. Huge singles, such as the bitter yet empowering You Oughta Know and Ironic (which, ironically, doesn’t involve true examples of the concept) drew plenty of attention to a singer who at the time was just taking her first steps into stardom. Jagged Little Pillmarked Alanis’ jump from small-time Canadian starlet to international phenomenon. 20: Alanis Morissette: ‘Jagged Little Pill’ (1995) Here, then, are 20 of the best 90s albums. But trying to piece the puzzle together through the best 90s albums is a frustrating task – and one that usually sees the same culprits demanding attention: Radiohead, Lauryn Hill, U2… Narrowing it down to just 20 albums is even harder, but we believe these records sum up one of popular music’s most fondly-remembered eras.

The 90s was a turbulent and exciting decade for pop culture.

Portishead dummy tracklist