Best rock album of the 1990's
Nevermind by Nirvana
Perhaps the last great rock record. Tuneful,
rocking and hard enough to appeal to a wide range of listeners,
Nirvana's transition from the limited appeal punk rock of Bleach to
making music that sounded great on mainstream
radio was amazing. Kurt Cobain's songwriting showed incredible growth.
Cobain's death is the great loss of our time. His lyrics had personality and a
sense of humor. His guitar work could be melodic and assaultive at the
same time, like on Teen Spirit.
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Best Rock Album of 1998
Mermaid Avenue by
Billy Bragg & Wilco
You could imagine that an album of songs set to
previously unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyrics would be well made and
serious--but who would have thought it would be so much fun! Taken together
with 1996's Being There and 1999's Summerteeth, Mermaid Avenue makes
a good argument for Wilco being the best band around.
The music is always respectful and not jarringly anachronistic to the
40's traditionialism of Guthrie's words, yet the songs are still great 90's
folk pop.
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Recommended Lesser-Known CD
Fantasma by Cornelius
Cornelius steals his name from one of
the main characters in the "Planet of the Apes" and takes the
listener into one of the weirdest musical journeys. Guitar riffs,
melody, britpop vs. japanese pop ("Star Fruits Surf Rider"),
mic checks (?), burps (!) and bleeps, cartoon music
and breakbeats A breakbeat on "The Micro Disneycal World
Tour" seems to have been evolved from a classic Malcolm McLaren break;
the guy's a genius, 'nuff said.
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Highly Recommended Album
Summer Teeth by Wilco
 Wilco continue to grow as a band to the point
that Summerteeth recalls classic Beatles and Beach Boys in ambition and
tunefulness. Singer Jeff Tweedy's writing continues to grow. In
general, the tone is downbeat but Wilco is smart enough not to let things
drag too much. Slow songs are mixed with rockers. The simple, sad
We're Just Friends is followed by the goofy boast I'm Always In Love
and the infectious Nothing's ever gonna stand in my way.
The musical settings are consistently interesting. I Can't Stand It has
an undeniable groove. Summerteeth is interesting and listenable. The
band shows love for their rock forefathers and still sounds like a great 90's
band.
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