2001 - Clive's Top Albums of Every Year Challenge

May 06, 2025 by Clive in Clive's Album Challenge, Music

Since 2020, I’ve been ranking and reviewing the top 5 albums - plus a fair few extras - according to users on rateyourmusic.com (think IMDB for music) from every year from 1960 to the present. If you want to know more, I wrote an introduction to the ‘challenge’ here. You can also read all the other entries I’ve written so far by heading to the lovely index page here.

Welcome to 2001, the year George W. Bush became president, 9/11 happened, John Prescott punched a protestor who threw an egg at him, and I entered year 9. We’re here for the music though right? Here’s what the nerds on rateyourmusic.com rated as the year’s top 5 albums:

#1 Björk - Vespertine
#2 The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2
#3 Daft punk - Discovery
#4 The Strokes - Is This It
#5 Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You

I’m also grabbing a bunch from further down the list:

#6 System of a Down - Toxicity
#7 Tool - Lateralus
#8 Converge - Jane Doe
#10 Aphex Twin - Druqks
#12 Radiohead - Amnesiac
#29 Aaliyah - Aaliyah
#35 Life Without Buildings - Any Other City

That’s plenty, off we go.

“Aaliyah is the third and final studio album by American singer Aaliyah. Aaliyah is described in critical commentaries as an album of R&B, neo soul, and dance-pop, while drawing on an array of other genres such as funk, hip-hop, alternative rock, electronica, and Latin music.” - Wikipedia

Aaliyah’s final album, before her tragic death in a plane accident the same year, is a solid, smooth and very listenable album that throws some interesting influences into its production. Lyrically I found it a little bland though.

Song Picks: We Need a Resolution, More than a Woman

6.5/10

“Discovery is the second studio album by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. It marked a shift from the Chicago house of their first album, Homework, to a house style more heavily inspired by disco, post-disco, garage house, and R&B. Discovery is credited with influencing pop production over subsequent decades. In 2020, Rolling Stone included it at number 236 in its updated list of ‘The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time’.” - Wikipedia

There’s no doubt that Discovery has a few iconic tracks on it, One More Time is surely one of the most influential pieces of dance music ever, and even plenty of the lesser known stuff is very fun. However, for me, there’s a bit too much fluff on here for it to be a great album. Brilliant in parts, but inconsistent. Shoot me.

Song Picks: One More Time, Aerodynamic, Digital Love

6.5/10

“Leaves Turn Inside You is the seventh and final studio album by the American post-hardcore band Unwound. The album received critical acclaim from several music publications, both contemporarily and after its original release.” - Wikipedia

Unwound were to break up in a fairly messy manner 10 months after the release of this album, and it serves as a spectacular goodbye. I haven’t listened to the band’s other releases, which I’m told are much more noisy, but this one is often soft and undoubtedly pretty. For me it doesn’t quite pay off its 1 hour 17 minute run length though, and feels like it could have done with a bit more focus.

Song Picks: Look a Ghost, December

7.5/10

“Jane Doe is the fourth studio album by American metalcore band Converge. Although Jane Doe did not chart, it was a commercial breakthrough for the band and received immediate acclaim, with critics praising its poetic lyrics, dynamics, ferocity and production. It has since been listed as one of the greatest albums of the metalcore genre by various publications, and has developed a cult following, with the cover art becoming an icon of the band.” - Wikipedia

A chaotic, ferocious break-up album that doesn’t quite fit into any of metal’s many buckets. It has an insatiable punk energy which refuses to be bound to that genre’s conventions too. Essentially, it’s singular.

Song Picks: Concubine, Homewrecker

8.5/10

“Morning View is the fourth studio album by American rock band Incubus. Continuing the move away from nu metal, the album ranges widely from soft to hard rock sounds in the style of alternative rock. Morning View generally achieved critical praise and went double-platinum, making it the band's highest selling album.” - Wikipedia

Incubus was my favourite band from year 10 until the end of school, and much of that was due to this album (though Make Yourself and SCIENCE were also on regular rotation in my bedroom). Returning to it now, I think it holds up - Einziger’s riffs are pulverising, but it’s the way the band flow from smooth world music inspired breakdowns to heavier nu-metal that sets them apart from the decade’s plethora of nu metal bands. Jose Pasillas was my inspiration as a drummer growing up, and I still think he’s very underrated, with a musical style that goes beyond others in the genre and really helps to make the more ethereal breakdown sections work. Brandon Boyd’s lyrics are definitely the band’s weakness, as he has a tendency to throw in the odd clunker. His vocals also divide opinion, but I feel like they fit the band well, cutting through and adding a certain unhinged quality to stop everything sounding too smooth.

Overall, this has been a very fun revisit, and though I think it perhaps repeats its party-trick one too many times by the end, it’s still a very good album, and one that feels fresh in a genre that was getting a little stale at this point.

Song Picks: Circles, Wish You Were Here, Are You In?

8.5/10

“Vespertine is the fourth studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. Björk aspired to create an album with minimal and intricate electronic music to evoke an intimate and domestic feeling, in contrast with the louder styles of her previous studio album Homogenic. Lyrically, the album drew inspiration from Björk's new relationship with Matthew Barney, exploring themes related to sex, intimacy, eroticism, and love. Other lyrical sources include the poetry of E. E. Cummings and British playwright Sarah Kane's Crave. Vespertine received universal acclaim from music critics, with some considering it Björk's best album to date. The album appeared on several publications' lists of the best albums of 2001 and of the decade, and has been evaluated by many critics to be one of the best albums of all time.” - Wikipedia

The production on this is a gorgeous collage of softer, cloudy tones and sparkles. It feels like being transported to some sort of crystal palace (no, not that one) while a mysterious voice sings from some unreachable corner of it. Vocally, Bjork's style is as hypnotic and singular as always, but here it soars over much quieter arrangements, and the two feel somewhat juxtaposed. No bad thing, but to me her vocals work more when followed more closely by punchier arrangements.

Song Picks: Unison, Hidden Place, Undo

8.5/10

“Toxicity is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band System of a Down. Expanding on their 1998 eponymous debut album, Toxicity incorporates more melody, harmonies, and singing than the band's first album. Categorized primarily as alternative metal and nu metal, the album features elements of multiple genres, including folk, progressive rock, jazz, and Armenian and Greek music, including prominent use of instruments like the sitar, banjo, keyboards, and piano. It contains a wide array of political and non-political themes, such as mass incarceration, the CIA, the environment, police brutality, drug addiction, scientific reductionism, and groupies. Toxicity received highly positive ratings and reviews from critics, among them perfect ratings from AllMusic, Kerrang!, and Blabbermouth.net. Many critics praised the album's sound and innovation, and it ranked on multiple "best albums" lists.” - Wikipedia

I'm finally coming across an album I listened to when it came out. I loved this in Year 9 and I think it holds up now. Their ability to change a song's direction on a dime, and to pull huge roared crescendos out of parts that already sounded like crescendos is magical. The album’s eclectic influences help to give it a bunch of personality. Toxicity is unafraid to get political, it’s cerebral and technical, and it’s just so damn moshable. Pure adrenaline fuelled fun.

Song Picks: Chop Suey!, Toxicity, Forest, Science

8.5/10

“Amnesiac is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 30 May 2001 by EMI. It was recorded with the producer Nigel Godrich in the same sessions as Radiohead's previous album Kid A (2000). Radiohead split the work in two as they felt it was too dense for a double album. Amnesiac was named one of the year's best albums by numerous publications. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize and several Grammy Awards, winning for Best Recording Package for the special edition. "Pyramid Song" was named one of the best tracks of the decade by Rolling Stone, NME and Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone ranked Amnesiac number 320 in their 2012 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". - Wikipedia

I'm handing over this review to Stick Around co-host Michael Johnson. Here's his 2009 review of this on rateyourmusic.com, which I wholeheartedly agree with:

“This is a difficult record, to me. Took me a while to fully appreciate, then the glory of it came to the fore in the end. I seem to be in some sort of minority, at least generally, of people who adored Kid A from the first listen, but that didn't help me here. This album is way out there. I reject any suggestions that it sounds like a collection of rejected Kid A cuts though. It has its own appeal, and is only Kid A's poor little brother in the sense that any album juxtaposed with that triumph would be.”

SP (mine): Morning Bell / Amnesiac, Life In a Glasshouse, Pyramid Song

9/10

“Drukqs (stylised as drukQs) is the fifth studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James under the alias of Aphex Twin.It is a double album that includes a variety of contrasting styles, from meticulously programmed beats inspired by jungle and drum and bass, to classical-type piano and prepared piano, ambient, and electroacoustic pieces.

James released Drukqs to pre-empt a potential leak after he accidentally left an MP3 player containing his music on a plane. It received polarised reviews from critics: many dismissed it, focusing on its perceived lack of innovation and similarity to James's previous works, while some praised it as an accomplished work.” - Wikipedia

I love this. Maybe you need to be a hardcore Aphex Twin fan to feel like this doesn't push what he does forwards? To me, it's an insanely ambitious, calculated mess of an album that provides 1 hour and 40 minutes of edge of your seat entertainment. It sounds like every note and beat was laboured over with intent, yet it also feels like the spontaneous digital meltdown of a genius.

Song Picks: Avril 14th, Vordhosbn

9/10

“Is This It is the debut studio album by American rock band the Strokes. For their debut, the band strived to capture a simple sound that was not significantly enhanced in the studio. The album received widespread critical acclaim, with many critics praising it for its charisma and rhythm, which often referenced the works of 1970s garage rock bands. The release of the album is widely considered to be a watershed moment, and crucial in the reinvention of post-millennium guitar music. It has featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of the 2000s and of all time.’ - Wikipedia

The drums are rudimentary, the tempo is the same for most songs, and there's practically no dynamics; the quiet as fuzzy as the shouted. All these sound like criticisms, in reality though it means nothing distracts from the album's main strengths - which are Casablancas' ear for simple catchy melodies, the songwriting, and the catchy guitar interplay. The simple sound also creates a breezy vibe: one that doesn't rely on your emotional investment but is always a good time.

This is the album that most reminds me of school, but somehow makes me do it in a more objective and accepting way than other albums I liked at the time. The album feels wise somehow, Casablancas' shouts mature, the simple guitar riffs calculated. It's also packed with genuine bangers, though the last couple of tracks feel comparatively inconsequential, which perhaps holds me back from calling it a masterpiece.

Song Picks: Last Nite, New York City Cops

9/10

“Lateralus is the third studio album by the American rock band Tool. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling more than 555,200 copies in its first week of release.” - Wikipedia

This is the cultured choice for favourite nu metal album isn't it? Good. It's my favourite. Full of the crushing riffs you'd expect in the genre; peppered with a sophisticated selection of time signatures you wouldn't. The band makes the album’s complexity feel completely effortless, and it never feels showy for the sake of it. Every twist and turn makes it hit harder. It feels like the ultimate, mature refinement of a genre that defined the decade,

Song Picks: Parabola, Ticks & Leeches, Lateralus

9.5/10

2. Any Other City

Life Without Buildings

The Glasgow band made one album and then split when they all felt what they’d started for fun had become too serious. That one album was a masterpiece. Sue Tompkins’ vocals sound like nothing else, a kind of energetic spoken word that is as likely to break into a shout as it is a catchy melody. They sound spontaneous, and as full of life as any vocal I’ve heard.

The band backs her performances perfectly, with mathy, but never overly complex, arrangements that seem to bloom and swell with Tompkins’ emotions. Nothing feels pre-rehearsed, it all feels like it’s happening right now, for the one and only time, and you’re a lucky bastard to get to listen to it. Any Other City is an album that feels as free as a spontaneous dance through deserted city streets after a particularly good night out. It could only have been written by the type of people who would amicably break-up to follow their own artistic pursuits despite rising success - because this was never meant to be a long term thing.

Song Picks: Let’s Get Out, Juno, The Leanover, New Town

9.5/10

“The Glow Pt. 2 is the third studio album by American indie folk and indie rock project the Microphones. The album takes influences from numerous music genres such as black metal, ambient and avant-garde, as well as non-musical sources like the American drama television show Twin Peaks and primary member Phil Elverum's relationship to Khaela Maricich. Elverum was responsible for the album's production in its entirety.

Musically, The Glow Pt. 2 diverts from the band's previous studio release It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water, and features experimental production, alongside musical techniques and lyrics that often reference nature and the Pacific Northwest. An immediate critical success, it has since appeared in multiple rankings of the best albums of the 2000s, and is considered by many music critics to be the Microphones' best work and an important release in the lo-fi genre.” - Wikipedia

Elverlum's lyrics are uncomplicated and pretty, while the production jumps from discordant, to messy, to gorgeously melodic with the ease of a passing breeze. The album breathes with the pain and beauty of being human, or as Elverum puts it on the title track: 'my blood flows harshly'.

Elverum's seemingly off the cuff vocals, along with the completely unpredictable production and arrangements add to a feeling that this whole thing was never written, and has somehow always existed. How can something so bloody beautiful and groundbreaking feel so effortless?

When an album is hard to describe, it's usually a good thing, and that's the case here. I'm not sure what box it belongs in other than the one labelled 'one of a kind masterpieces'.

Song Picks: I Want Wind to Blow, The Glow Pt 2, The Moon

10/10

1996 - Clive's Top Albums of Every Year Challenge

April 25, 2024 by Clive in Clive's Album Challenge, Music, Clive

Over what will likely be the next few years I’m going to be ranking and reviewing the top 5 albums - plus a fair few extras - according to users on rateyourmusic.com (think IMDB for music) from every year from 1960 to the present. If you want to know more, I wrote an introduction to the ‘challenge’ here. You can also read all the other entries I’ve written so far by heading to the lovely index page here.

Welcome to 1996 y’all, the year Britain was alarmed by an outbreak of mad cow disease, the world’s first sheep was cloned and named Dolly, Tupac Shakur was shot, and Clinton appointed the first female US secretary of state, Madeleine Albright.

Here’s rateyourmusic.com users’ top 5 albums of the year:

#1 Fishmans - Long Season
#2 DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
#3 Swans - Soundtracks for the Blind
#4 Outkast - ALiens
#5 Belle and Sebastian - If You’re Feeling Sinister

Obviously 5 isn’t enough now is it? So I’ve grabbed this lot from further down the list:

#6 Cryptopsy - None So Vile
#7 Burzum - Filosofem
#8 Unwound - Repetition
#9 Tool - Aenima
#10 Weezer - Pinkerton
#11 Aphex Twin - Richard D. James Album
#16 Ruyichi Sakamoto - 1996
#26 Modest Mouse - This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About
#17 Tori Amos - Boys for Pele

And finally, One in a Million by Aaliyah, the only album from the year on NPR’s best albums of all time by women list that I haven’t already got in the mix.

Right, let’s go.

As smooth as those secret agent sunglasses she’s wearing on the cover, One in a Million is a remarkably mature effort considering Aaliyah was only 15 at the time. At times this maturity is somewhat alarming, considering the topics she is singing about. Linked to that, I’ll not mention the producer of this album, who is thankfully now in prison, but I will mention Timbaland who’s simple and effective beats work a treat with Aaliyah’s great vocals. Looked at purely from a musical perspective, One in a Million is a real treat.

Song Picks: Choosey Lover

8/10

“Filosofem (Norwegian for "Philosopheme") is the fourth studio album by Norwegian black metal solo project Burzum. It was recorded in March 1993 and was the last recording before Varg Vikernes was sentenced to prison in 1994; the album was not released until January 1996, however. It was released through Misanthropy Records and Vikernes's own record label, Cymophane Productions. The album is noted for its experimental sound when compared to most other second wave black metal. Vikernes considers Filosofem an "anti-trend album." - Wikipedia

Imprisoned for stabbing another leading guitarist in the Norwegian black metal scene and burning down three churches, and notorious for his controversial views and a period of neo-Nazism, Varg Vikernes is hardly someone you want to model yourself on. All that aside though, and knowing close to nothing about the Norwegian black metal movement (other than it seems a bit mad), this is an album of pulverising riffs and screams, all seemingly routed through a distortion pedal with the drive knob on max. It’s a fuzzy sandstorm, where Vikernes’ screams are indecipherable above the din, which is probably for the best. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this, it’s fuzziness seemingly the equivalent of drinking a pint through a straw, it goes to your head that much quicker.

It will also now forever remind me of a time at Rock Im Park festival when a Norwegian bloke was brought back to our campsite after a Rage Against the Machine gig. He spent the next morning charging around the campsite naked screaming ‘let’s burn churches!!’ while throwing peoples’ tents around before being arrested.

Song Picks: Jesus’ Tod, Erblicket die Tochter des Firmaments

8/10

13. This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About

Modest Mouse

“This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About is the debut studio album by American rock band Modest Mouse. Many of the album's tracks focus on traveling by automobile and the loneliness associated with rural life.” - Wikipedia

Modest Mouse’s debut is long, simple and repetitive musically. But it’s also full of Isaac Brock’s unique vocals, and lyrics of loneliness and long journeys. It rumbles along like a rusty car along a long, empty American highway. Reflections of the past and visions of the future like alternating magnets to the mind.

Song Picks: Dramamine, Tundra/Desert

8/10

“Ænima is the second studio album by the American rock band Tool. It is the first album by Tool to feature bassist Justin Chancellor, who replaced original bassist Paul D'Amour the year prior. In 2003, Ænima was ranked the sixth most influential album of all time by Kerrang!, Rolling Stone listed the album at No. 18 on its list of The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.” - Wikipedia

Weird time signatures, pulverising riffs and drum beats that pound like a blue whale’s heart. This is a powerful album from a band on the way up. The album is clearly hugely influential, so much so that listening now it all sounds a bit generic. Effective, head bangingly enjoyable, and with a satisfying ‘mathiness’ to it, Ænima is a little too repetitive to blow my socks off completely, but they have been slightly dislodged.

Song Picks: Stinkfist, Forty Six & 2

8/10

“None So Vile is the second studio album by Canadian death metal band Cryptopsy, None So Vile is the first album to feature bassist Eric Langlois, and the last to feature vocalist Lord Worm, until his return on 2005's Once Was Not. The art featured on the cover of the album is a painting by Italian Baroque painter Elisabetta Sirani titled Herodias with the Head of John the Baptist, reversed. None So Vile is critically acclaimed as one of the most influential death metal albums of the 1990s, influencing many later acts and musicians in both technical death and brutal death metal subgenres.” - Wikipedia

I think I’ve called albums a barrage of noise before, but forget I ever said that, this album makes those feel like your ear being tickled. The bass drum barely stops bashing out 16th notes, there’s roaring, guitars churning hyperactive riffs and general ordered chaos. A slice of relentless brutality.

Song Picks: Crown of Horns, Slit Your Guts, Orgiastic Disembolwment

8.5/10

“1996 is a 1996 album by Japanese composer and pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto. It contains a selection of Sakamoto's most popular compositions plus two new compositions, all arranged for a standard piano trio. The arrangement of "Bibo no Aozora" that appears on this album has appeared in several film and television projects; one notable example is the film Babel, whose soundtrack features both the 1996 version and the /04 version of the song.” - Wikipedia

Where this could have been in danger of sounding like a greatest hits collection, the re-arrangement of songs for a standard piano trio means there is a real cohesiveness in the sound throughout the album, which helps to reign in some of the thematic inconsistencies. This is a wonderful collection of evocative and yet understated soundtrack pieces.

Song Picks: Bibo No Aozora, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence

8.5/10

“ATLiens is the second studio album by the American hip hop duo Outkast. The record features outer space-inspired production sounds, with Outkast and producers Organized Noize incorporating elements of dub and gospel into the compositions. Several songs feature the duo's first attempts at producing music by themselves. Lyrically, the group discusses a wide range of topics including urban life as hustlers, existential introspection, and extraterrestrial life. The album's title is a portmanteau of "ATL" (an abbreviation of Atlanta, Georgia, the duo’s hometown) and "aliens", which has been interpreted by critics as a commentary about the feeling of being isolated from American culture. Since its release, ATLiens has been listed by several magazines and critics as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.” - Wikipedia

I bloody love 90s hip-hop, and this album encapsulates why. Smooth beats, slick rhymes, not taking itself to seriously - and space noises. Okay the last one is specific to this album. It’s a bit long, and front loaded - though more in a first half is magical, second half just great kind of a way. I didn’t think I’d ever rate an album with the lines ‘put your hands in the air and wave them like you just don’t care’ this highly, but it’s delivered with a knowing wink and the larger-than-life personality that’s spread thick throughout this odyssey.

Song Picks: "Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)", “ATLiens“

8.5/10

“Repetition is the fifth studio album by the American post-hardcore band Unwound, the album has been hailed as a masterpiece among those in the punk rock scene.” - Wikipedia

Taking a more studio-orientated approach than is perhaps common in punk, Repetition goes far beyond the usual ‘three chords and the truth’, live oriented sound of the genre, with sleek production and intricately thought out arrangements. The title is apt, as songs often feature repetitive, rumbling bass which create a foundation for the album’s more experimental guitar screeches, synth drones, gongs and bells. Repetition can be as emotional (Lady Elect) as it is energetic (Corpse Pose), and it’s easily one of the most interesting and varied punk albums I’ve heard.

Song Picks: Corpse Pose, Lady Elect, For Your Entertainment

8.5/10

“Pinkerton is the second studio album by the American rock band Weezer. The guitarist and vocalist Rivers Cuomo wrote most of Pinkerton while studying at Harvard University, after abandoning plans for a rock opera, Songs from the Black Hole. It was the last Weezer album to feature bassist Matt Sharp, who left the group in 1998.

To better capture their live sound, Weezer self-produced Pinkerton, creating a darker, more abrasive album than their self-titled 1994 debut. Cuomo's lyrics express loneliness and disillusionment with the rock lifestyle; the album is named after the character BF Pinkerton from Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera Madama Butterfly, whom Cuomo described as an ‘asshole American sailor similar to a touring rock star’”. - Wikipedia

Voted the third worst album of the year by Rolling Stone readers at the time, it has since become known as a masterpiece, and a huge influence on the emo scene. Pinkerton’s lyrics are simple, at times cringeworthy in content (sniffing an 18 year old fan’s knickers anyone?), but I feel like that’s the point. It’s written from the perspective of the asshole touring rockstar Cuomo is referring to, which is of course him. Matt Sharp’s bass rumbles throughout, determined to make his last album with the band count. The guitars saw, and the drums sound massive. It’s an album that sounds raw, but that hits hard, a perfect backdrop to Cuomo’s self-pitying, immature musings, which are sung to an endless selection of catchy melodies.

I have no desire to be friends with the Cuomo who wrote Pinkerton, he sounds insufferable. But I do appreciate how honest he is about it, and how his and the band’s energy practically explodes off the disc, or cloud streaming service - whatever the case may be.

Song Picks: Why Bother?, Butterfly, El Scorcho

8.9/10

“Richard D. James Album is the eponymous fourth studio album by Irish-British electronic musician Richard D. James, under his pseudonym Aphex Twin. Richard D. James Album was composed by James on his Macintosh computer, and took longer to complete than his previous efforts. The album features faster breakbeats and intricate drum programming which draw influence from jungle and drum and bass, combined with lush string arrangements, unstable time signatures, and slow ambient melodies reminiscent of James' earlier work, as well as modulated vocals by James.” - Wikipedia

32 minutes of electronic madness. The beats sound like a drum machine becoming sentient and expressing a complex bewilderment with the world. The instrumentation goes from ambient (though with notes not quite starting or finishing when you’d expect) to completely off the wall (Carn Marth). The cover would have you believe this is somehow sinister. It isn’t, it’s just completely unpredictable and glorious fun, and the final salvo of tracks are some of the most life-affirming I’ve heard for a while.

Song Picks: To Cure a Weakling Child, ‘4’, Goon Gumpas, Girl/Boy Song

9/10

“Boys for Pele is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Tori Amos. P Despite the album being Amos's least radio friendly material to date, Boys for Pele debuted at number two on both the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart, making it her biggest simultaneous transatlantic debut, her first Billboard top 10 debut, and the highest-charting US debut of her career to date.

Boys for Pele was recorded in rural Ireland and Louisiana and features 18 songs that incorporate harpsichord, clavichord, harmonium, gospel choirs, brass bands and full orchestras. Amos wrote all of the tracks, and for the first time, she served as sole producer for her own album. For Amos, the album was a step into a different direction, in terms of singing, songwriting, and recording, and is experimental in comparison to her previous work.” - Wikipedia

70 minutes of varied instrumentation, wonderful songwriting, and vocals that are constantly engaging, with melodies seemingly falling to Tori like raindrops in a British drizzle. Boys for Pele captivates for its full, significant running length.

Song Picks: Beauty Queen/Horses, Father Lucifer

9/10

4. If You’re Feeling Sinister

Belle and Sebastian

“If You're Feeling Sinister is the second album by the Scottish indie pop band Belle and Sebastian. It is often ranked among the best albums of the 1990s, including being ranked #14 in Pitchfork's list of Top 100 Albums of the 1990s. Band leader Stuart Murdoch said If You're Feeling Sinister is probably his best collection of songs in 2005.” - Wikipedia

Murdoch’s vocals are understated, sung shyly, and atop gorgeous arrangements that bounce along like a more relaxed Blonde on Blonde. All that considered. it’s pretty remarkable that his vocals demand your attention, and that is a testament to his great lyricism, story telling, and subtle expression. I hadn’t realised how far ahead they were (in terms of timeline) of obvious bands they’ve influenced like the Shins, Death Cab for Cutie, and pretty much any indie-pop band that followed them. They set a template here, but they also made an album that more than stands the test of time almost 30 years on.

Song Picks: Get Me Away from Here I’m Dying, The Stars of Track and Field, Seeing Other People. Me and the Major, If You’re Feeling Sinister

9.5/10

“Endtroducing..... is the debut studio album by American music producer DJ Shadow. It is an instrumental hip hop work composed almost entirely of samples from vinyl records. DJ Shadow produced Endtroducing over two years, using an Akai MPC60 sampler and little other equipment. He edited and layered samples to create new tracks of varying moods and tempos.

Endtroducing was ranked highly on various lists of the best albums of 1996, and has been acclaimed by critics as one of the greatest albums of the 1990s. It is considered a landmark recording in instrumental hip hop, with DJ Shadow's sampling techniques and arrangements leaving a lasting influence. In 2020, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Endtroducing 329th on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.” - Wikipedia

There’s not much left to say about DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing that hasn’t already been said. A masterpiece of sampling, clearly ahead of its time, and put together with a level of research akin to a PhD thesis. It continues to influence music across the spectrum today, while maintaining an alluring individuality that hums under its atmospheric beats and instrumental lines.

Song Picks: Building Steam With a Grain of Salt, The Number Song, Mutual Slump, Midnight in a Perfect World

9.5/10

“Long Season is the sixth studio album by Japanese musical group Fishmans. It consists of a single 35-minute composition based on the band's earlier song "Season". The album was released to modest success in the Japanese alternative scene, but was scarcely known outside Japan until the 2010s, and has since garnered critical acclaim and online media attention. Fishmans performed the entire Long Season album as one piece during their final live shows in December 1998, a recording of which was included on the album 98.12.28 男達の別れ.” - Wikipedia

Long Season feels like a 3 part symphony to me (though it is split into 5 sections on certain issues). It starts as a meditative walk through the park with your favourite album playing; reliably comforting. The middle section feels like a frantic distraction - you check your phone and the state of the world shatters your peace; Motegi’s drums are quiet but chaotic like the background hum of everything happening out of sight and earshot. Finally, you catch yourself, put the phone away, and look at the path winding off into the distance. There’s a feeling of elation as your favourite song comes on, but now you let the birds in as well as the shuffling stream. It’s all too much, you start running for no reason other than you feel too elated to stand still. There’s no one else around, you laugh, you collapse on a patch of grass, you feel about as happy as you ever have, maybe as happy as you ever will. You thank your fellow humans for the music, for without it you’re not sure you’d feel very much at all.

9.5/10

“Soundtracks for the Blind is the tenth studio album by Swans. It was intended, as suggested by the title, to function as a "soundtrack for a non-existent film." Upon its release, it received critical acclaim, but was the last studio album released by the band until 2010's My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky.” - Wikipedia

Regularly listed among the 90s’ best albums, Soundtracks for the Blind’s Brian Eno influence is obvious. This is more in the ambient category than previous crushing efforts of theirs. In its over two hour running length it builds a whole new world around you through its numerous samples, grainy conversations and the occasional cathartic release. It sounds huge, but without stacking instrument upon instrument to create a wall of sound. Rather it creates these grinding, industrial soundscapes that are surprisingly tuneful. If the film this thing soundtracked did exist, I’d be very keen to see it. I imagine it as a tale of isolation, a factory worker taking the floor day by day with thousands of others, trying to restrain his soul from bursting through his enforced mechanical exterior. The machines rattle around him, he turns their noise pollution into melodies, and imagines talking over the top, or the odd scream.

Soundtracks for the Blind is completely unique, and completely unforgettable. Its not the kind of album you’ll be recommending to everyone necessarily, but for those among us seeking inventive, atmospheric music that goes beyond an idea of songs to focus more on creating an atmosphere than a set of hits, then you’ll be hard pressed to find another album that does that better than this.

1992 - Clive's Top Albums of Every Year Challenge

July 31, 2023 by Clive in Clive's Album Challenge, Music

Here’s a bit of news round-up for 1992. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was broken up, Bush and Yeltsin proclaimed a formal end to the Cold War, Bill Clinton was elected president and Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to go into space, on board Endeavour STS-47.

Onto the music, here’s what our trusty rateyourmusic.com members rate as the year’s top 5 albums:

#1 Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92
#2 Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
#3 Alice in Chains - Dirt
#4 Sade - Love Deluxe
#5 Tom Waits - Bone Machine

And here’s a few more I’m grabbing from further down the list:

#7 R.E.M - Automatic for the People
#8 The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde
#18 Dr Dre - The Chronic
#23 Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun

Finally, here’s some others, voted onto NPR’s all-time best albums by women list:

k.d lang - Ingenue
Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
Annie Lennox - Diva

“Dirt is the second studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on September 29, 1992, through Columbia Records. Peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, the album received critical acclaim. It has since been certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA, making Dirt the band's highest selling album to date. The album features dark subject matter, focusing primarily on depression, pain, anger, anti-social behavior, relationships, drug addiction (primarily heroin), war, death, and other emotionally charged topics.” - Wikipedia

Dirt features battering guitar riffs aplenty, which are thoroughly enjoyable, particularly when they explode into action on tracks like Rooster. Unfortunately Layne Thomas Staley’s vocals are a bit too heavy metal for my tastes (I think it’s the warble), which holds it back a little. That’s on me though.

Song Picks: Them Bones, Rain When I Die, Rooster

7/10

11. Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Aphex Twin

“Selected Ambient Works 85–92 is the debut studio album by Aphex Twin, the pseudonym of British electronic musician Richard D. James. In 2012, Selected Ambient Works 85–92 was named the greatest album of the 1990s by Fact. It re-entered the dance chart just after the release of Aphex Twin's 2014 album Syro.” - Wikipedia

Regularly touted as one of the best electronic albums of all time, Selected Ambient Works 85–92 is an infinitely listenable set of tracks that are ambient in their simplicity and repetition, but also more energetic than one would expect from the genre. James didn’t have today’s digital audio workstations which make creating more glitchy, skittery, and cerebral dance music possible, and what results is an album that sounds like a template for other albums to jump off of. A kind of ‘here’s the fundamentals guys, now go write’. I don’t find these fundamentals all that exciting to listen to necessarily, but James does nail an atmosphere here, and it’s an album I can see myself putting on when in a specific mood, but more in the background than to listen to attentively.

Song Picks: Green Calx, Xtal

7.5

“Little Earthquakes is the debut solo album by the American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, featuring the singles Silent All These Years, China, Winter and Crucify. After Atlantic Records rejected the first version of the album, Amos began working on a second version with her then-boyfriend Eric Rosse. The album was first released in the UK on January 6, 1992, where it peaked at number 14 in the charts. It is frequently regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time; it was voted number 73 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000) and ranked number 233 on Rolling Stone's 500 greatest albums of all time.” - Wikipedia

Feels like some sort of 90s prog-pop, which I mean entirely as a compliment. Instrumental skill, powerful vocals, and songs that are unpredictable while never turning inaccessible.

Song Picks: Precious Things, Mother, Crucify

8/10

“Diva is the debut solo studio album by Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released on 6 April 1992 by RCA Records. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one and has since sold over 1.2 million copies in the UK alone, being certified quadruple platinum.” - Wikipedia

You’d do well to find a better opening salvo to a pop album than the transcendent Why?, the disco hit Broken Glass, and the spanky bass driven Precious. Indeed much of the first half of Diva continues in a similarly brilliant vein. The second half takes a bit of a dip, but still stays around the ‘good’ mark on the x-axis.

Song Picks: Why, Walking on Broken Glass, Precious

8/10

“Ingénue is the second solo album by Canadian singer k.d. lang, released in 1992. It is Lang's most successful album on the pop charts, both in her native Canada and internationally, and has more of a cabaret flavour than her earlier more country-influenced work.” - Wikipedia

A lovely country album sprinkled with some ABBA-like pop-melodies. It’s got soul and heart and all that good stuff in expertly measure spades.

Song Picks: Save Me, Season of Hollow Soul

8/10

“Blues for the Red Sun is the second studio album by American rock band Kyuss, released in 1992. While the album received mainly favorable reviews, it fared poorly commercially, selling only 39,000 units. It has since become a very influential album within the stoner rock genre.” - Wikipedia

This album is all about the fuzzed out serpentine riffs by Josh Homme, who of course went on to front Queens of the Stone Age. John Garcia's vocals tip a little too far into the howling vocals from the 70s and 80s that I'm less keen on, but there's a gruffness there, and a lesser tendency for theatrics which makes them work.

Song Picks: Molten Universe, Caterpillar March, Green Machine

8.5/10

“Love Deluxe is the fourth studio album by English band Sade, released by Epic Records in the United Kingdom on 26 October 1992 and in the United States on 3 November 1992. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album 247th on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In September 2022, Pitchfork ranked Love Deluxe as the 52nd best album of the 1990s.” - Wikipedia

Sade are back with an album that is as lush as an un-touched field of grass after a rainy day. Sade Adu’s vocals are the definiton of smooth, though maintaining a lot more soul than that would suggest, while the production is as irresistible as Lindt milk chocolate. Although certainly not at the forefront, I think Stuart Matthewman’s understated guitar playing deserves specific mention, adding so much texture to tracks, and lifting them - along with Adu’s voice - above other well produced, more generic music in the genre.

Song Picks: No Ordinary Love, Like a Tattoo, Feel No Pain

8.5/10

**5. Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde**

The Pharcyde

“Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde is the debut album by American hip hop collective The Pharcyde, released on November 24, 1992, through the Delicious Vinyl and EastWest labels. Released during the dominant Gangsta rap era of West Coast hip hop, Bizarre Ride was described as "refreshing" due to its playful, light-hearted humor and lush, jazzy production.” - Wikipedia

On initial listen, I thought the lyrics were far too misogynistic for my tastes, but on further listening it’s clear they’re satirising a lot of the Gangsta rap of the time, and that I can appreciate more. This lot can rap, they’re self-depricating and they’re unafraid to make songs that are completely childish (one of them involves them all insulting each others’ mums like some sort of playground argument) in the services of making fun of Gangsta rap song topics of the time. Couple this with some of my favourite hip-hop beats on tracks like Soul Flower and Passing Me By, and you’ve got an album that is just a lot of fun.

Song Picks: Soul Flower. Passing Me By

9/10

“Bone Machine is the eleventh studio album by American singer and musician Tom Waits, released by Island Records on September 8, 1992. It won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and features guest appearances by David Hidalgo, Les Claypool, Brain, and Keith Richards. The album marked Waits' return to studio albums, coming five years after his previous effort Franks Wild Years (1987). Recorded in a room in the cellar area of Prairie Sun Recording studios, described by Waits as "just a cement floor and a hot water heater", the album is often noted for its rough, stripped-down, percussion-heavy style, as well as its dark lyrical themes revolving around death and chaos.” - Wikipedia

Having had a 5 year breather, Tom Waits returns with another rough and ready effort, this time even more percussion focused than his famous trilogy. Very cohesive, despite the splattered and varied instrumentation, and maintaining an acoustic and busky, basement feel, likely helped by the fact it was actually recorded in a basement. Waits continues to sound unlike anything else out there, and particularly unlike anything else coming out in the 90s. It maybe lacks the drop dead brilliant tracks of some of the aforementioned trilogy, but it's still consistently superb.

Song Picks: Whistle Down the Wind,

9/10

“The Chronic was Dr. Dre's first solo album after he departed the West Coast hip hop group N.W.A and its label Ruthless Records over a financial dispute. It includes insults towards Ruthless and its owner, former N.W.A member and assembler Eazy-E. It features many appearances by then-emerging American rapper Snoop Dogg, who used the album as a launch pad for his own solo career. Dr. Dre's production popularized the G-funk subgenre within gangsta rap. The Chronic has been widely regarded as one of the most important and influential albums of the 1990s and one of the best-produced hip hop albums.” - Wikipedia

Undoubtedly lyrically problematic and offensive - there was no way to diss your mates in the 90s but to insult an entire (already downtrodden) group of people while doing it was there? Misogynistic, homophobic, it’s all there. Look past the dated nature of the lyrics however, and you’ve got an undoubted masterpiece on your hands. Dre’s production here is easily among my very favourite in the hip-hop canon, with beats that have me looking like a seated bobblehead. I’d highly recommend Pitchfork’s excellent review of the album for more intelligent thoughts on it. But it’s safe to say it’s dope, man. No, really, the chronic is literally a type of dope.

Song Picks: Fuck Wit Dre Day, A N***a With a Gun, Nuthing But a “G” Thanng

9/10

R.E.M - Automatic for the People

“Automatic for the People is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released by Warner Bros. Records. R.E.M. began production on the album while their previous album, Out of Time (1991), was still ascending top albums charts and achieving global success. Aided by string arrangements from John Paul Jones, Automatic for the People features ruminations on mortality, loss, mourning, and nostalgia.” - Wikipedia

Automatic for the People is the perfect example of a band maturing in a way where they don’t become boring and uninspired, but instead create a masterpiece of self-awareness. It doesn’t hide from the fact the band are aging, and instead embraces it, it knows they aren’t the same R.E.M. as the one in the 80s, and it owns it. Gone are Stipe’s more poetic, abstract and difficult to decipher mumbles, replaced with vocals slightly easier to understand audibly and much easier to understand literally. There’s a simplicity to Automatic for the People, but it’s a simplicity that is also completely its own. Part of that is Stipe’s unique vocals, but it’s also in the melodic bass parts, the jangly and yet sad chords and the overriding sense of melancholy that everything has. Automatic for the People sounds sad, but it’s also beautifully reassuring.

Song Picks: Drive, Man on the Moon, Ignoreland

9.5/10

1. Rage Against the Machine

Rage Against the Machine

“Rage Against the Machine is the debut studio album by American rock band Rage Against the Machine, released by Epic Records. With politically themed, revolutionary lyrical content, the album artwork was notable for featuring a graphic photograph of Thích Quảng Đức performing self-immolation. Rage Against the Machine was a critical success upon release with several critics noting the album's politically motivated agenda and praising Zack de la Rocha's strong vocal delivery.” - Wikipedia

RATM is one of my favourite albums of all time. It soundtracked hundreds of my gym sessions while at university, and Tom Morello continues to be my favourite riff-wizard. His guitar lines on tracks like Wake Up (no, not the Kashmir bit), Killing in the Name of and Bombtrack are the epitome of how powerful a distorted guitar can be in the right hands. They make you want to bounce around with your fist in the air screaming ‘fuck the system!’ at the top of your voice, without a care in the world about how much of a cliché you’ve become. De la Rocha’s vocals are about as angry as it gets, and you can practically hear the spit exiting his mouth after every word. Brad Wilk’s drumming is unspectacular but solid and Tim Commerford’s bass much the same. Instrumentally the band complements each other so well you’d swear they’d been playing together since primary school, and I can’t think of a better vocalist to match their energy and power than Zach (something proven by the fact Audioslave were just not as good). The album does have a few tracks that don’t hit as hard as the rest, but that’s only because the rest hit like a rocket-boosted version of that boat that blocked up the Suez canal.

Lyrically, Zach isn’t saying anything that Public Enemy hadn’t already dissected, but he brought that brand of sharp, political lyricism to a whole new audience. RATM is both incredibly angry and incredibly catchy, and I’m not sure that’s ever been achieved in a similar way since.

Song Picks: Killing in the Name Of, Bombtrack, Wake Up

10/10