90s Album Reviews

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.

Benedictine monks, an 18-piece orchestra, and sampled vocal choirs mix with electronic drum loops and guitars on VAST's ambitious debut

On his fourth album Burn To Shine, Ben Harper swings the pendulum between darkly brooding 70s-inflected blues rock and radio-friendly pop

On their 2000 album King of the Road, all the elements come together for Fu Manchu in a blast of fuzzed-out guitars and high energy rawk

The 1993 album Crush by the Doughboys takes the Goo Goo Dolls pop-rock sound and backs it with guitar muscle and vocal harmonies

What happens when former members of KISS and Motley Crue make a hard rock record in 1998? We drop the needle on the self-titled debut.

Skeleton Key combined East Coast punk and indie rock with an unconventional rhythm section to give their 1997 debut a unique twist

On their sophomore album Dishwalla tried to break the 90s one-hit-wonder with a bigger studio sound and touches of industrial and Britpop

On the 1995 Derailer the scrappy pop-rock of Little John strikes an interesting chord between Dinosaur Jr. guitar riffs and TMBG quirkiness

Face To Face's 1999 stylistic shift from skate punk to alternative rock alienated some fans while others discovered a deep and layered gem

The debut album Picture of Health by Headstones makes us wonder why aren't there more straight-up rock bands like AC/DC or The Angels

Industrial supergroup C-Tec filled their debut album Darker with a variety of textures and sounds that criss cross the industrial genre

Sandpit's lone album from 1998 finds the right balance between downbeat slowcore and noisier Sonic Youth tendencies

After leaving Straightjacket Fits, Andrew Brough layered shimmering guitars and lilting melodies for Bike's lone album Take In The Sun

Infectious hooks mixed with dreamy and distorted guitars save the 1993 album Bring It Down by Madder Rose from a flat production

The jangly bedroom indie-pop of East River Pipe's 1994 compilation Shining Hours In A Can foretold a coming revolution in home recording

Karate's understated post-rock album In Place of Real Insight showcases subtle jazz and blues influences but suffered from sameness

New Radicals lone release spawned a timeless single in You Get What You Give, but the rest of the album isn't quite as sharp or catchy

Defryme's 1994 album faithfully recreates the funk metal sounds of Faith No More and Living Colour but misses the mark on originality

Fusing metal, pop, progressive rock, and new wave, Faith No More forged their own freakish alternative path on 1992's compelling Angel Dust

Powderfinger's 1996 album Double Allergic wove alternative rock tropes into a stellar sophomore effort brimming with confidence and skill

The laid back fuzz of Pure's Generation Six-Pack recalls finds a sweet spot between Pavement's slacker vibe and Hum's wall of noise