90s Album Reviews

On their sophomore album, Something For Kate dial down the distortion in favor of a more nuanced post-grunge approach on Beautiful Sharks

On her 1997 album Impossible Princess, Kylie Minogue explores trip-hop, trance, Britpop, and unexpected experiments on this uneven release

On their 1999 major label debut February Son, Oleander ignored the nu-metal ruling rock radio and made a grunge throwback with needed energy

With Jets To Brazil's debut Orange Rhyming Dictionary, Blake Schwarzenbach expanded on the Jawbreaker sound with a heady post-hardcore twist

The Afghan Whigs ended the 1990s on a high note with their sleek and sexy nod to New Orleans and nightlife with 1998's timeless album 1965

On 1991's Fall, Boston's Moving Targets refined their post-punk/post-hardcore sound with catchier guitar riffs and emotive vocals

Though The 6ths are a side-project for Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields, the 1995 debut is just as engaging as his other work

On her third solo outing Only Everything, Juliana Hatfield cranked up the distortion and made one of best guitar rock albums of the 90s

On their fourth record Fight Songs, the Old 97s refined their alternative country rock sound with a cleaner, genre-hopping sound

On our first Diamond episode, we revisit 1995's Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt and dive into the album tracks of this ten million selling album

Four years in the making, Filter's 1999 sophomore release Title of Record is more rock than industrial and the album is better for it

Though the tragic story of Mia Zapata dominates their story, The Gits 1992 album Frenching The Bully is worthy of its own discussion

On their lone obscure release, Lowcraft dial up the 70s glam vibe with 90s production on 1999's Manticore

On their fifth and final album Blasting Off, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry made reverbed post-punk out of step for '91 but a hidden gem to discover

After scoring a top 10 single on their debut album, Letters To Cleo followed it up with more power pop rock that deserved a bigger audience

Hole's second album Live Through This is a lyrically fierce and musical high-point for not just the band but the entire 1990s

On their self-released and self-titled one and only album from 1997, Wünderband craft concise power pop that deserves to be on your radar

With 1991's breakthrough Badmotorfinger, Soundgarden made heady metal for the alternative rock crowd without sacrificing volume or riffage

Canadian alternative rockers Limblifter craft energetic guitar rock on their 1996 self-titled debut but are missing a few killer hooks

Carcass helped define the sound and styles of melodic death metal for decades to come with their 1993 album Heartwork

Lumped in with fellow grunge roster mates on Sub Pop, Love Battery delivered psychedelic-tinged guitar rock on their 1992 debut Dayglo

The debut Everything I Long For by Hayden showcases his deep voice, observational lyrics, and unique musicianship, but left us befuddled

Layers of guitars make Swervedriver's 1991 debut Raise a shoegaze must listen with a more aggressive sound than most of their contemporaries

On the third album Swagger by Gun, the Scottish rockers successfully combine American influenced 80s AOR rock and 90s hard rock

Chris Cornell used his 1999 debut solo album Morning Euphoria to showcase his songwriting talent and superior vocal to mixed results

The sophomore album Scenery and Fish by I Mother Earth combines progressive rock, funk, and alternative rock with superior craftsmanship

On their third and final album, Bedhead refine their spacious slowcore sound with thoughtful guitar arrangements and haunting melodies

The one and only album by 4 Non Blondes is a showcase for Linda Perry's powerhouse vocals over pedestrian rockabilly, blues, funk, and rock.

Before becoming one of the hot remix artists of the 2000s, Soulwax combined crunchy guitars and pop melodies on their 1998 sophomore album

With Le Tigre, Kathleen Hanna ditched roaring punk guitars for drum machines and vintage keyboards on their self-titled 1999 debut album

On their lone self-titled release, Salmonblaster make good on half their name as they dial up the volume and energy, recalling early Nirvana

Adorable pairs their brand of UK shoegaze with touches of 80s alternative and post-punk on their 1993 debut album Against Perfection

Menthol pairs Chicago-flavored alternative guitar rock with dense lyrical content for a fascinating self-titled 1995 major label release

The Sharp is the perfect name for a band that executes precision new wave dynamics with rockabilly and power-pop twists on their 1993 debut

On their 1993 sophomore and final album Hideout, Antenna crafted a drowsy but melodic guitar rock album made for 1990s college radio

Is there such a thing as progressive post-hardcore? If not, Into Another might have invented it on their ambitious 1994 album Ignaurus.