10 Best Albums of the 1990s, Ranked

In the 1990s, there were lots of things found in all the other decades. It was the final decade of the 20th century, though the final year of the 20th century was 2000, which is part of the 2000s. And the 2000s had a lot of the stuff that the 1990s had, but there was probably a little more by way of paranoia globally, and also, hey, the internet was there, or at least a lot more accessible than it had been earlier.

The years keep going past the 2000s, as do all the things (paranoia included, you could argue), but let’s keep things focused on the 1990s for now, and specifically on music from that decade. The following albums were some of the absolute greatest to come out between 1990 and 1999, with the majority of these acts not being particularly prominent (if they existed at all) before the 1990s started, which can paint a picture of the decade being a strong one for new styles of music, and not necessarily just a recycling of stuff that had worked in the prior decades of the soon-to-be-over 20th century.

10

‘Music Has the Right to Children’ (1998)

Boards of Canada

It’s particularly difficult to try and explain what Boards of Canada sound like, beyond saying “eerie and nostalgic, somehow both at the same time.” Different releases from the electronic music duo lean a little closer to nostalgia or terror, and those releases are also notoriously infrequent, which is why the duo’s upcoming album, Inferno, is such a big deal (the fifth one overall, and the first new studio album in 13 years).

Going back a bit further in time, though, brings you to Music Has the Right to Children, which was the first full-length Boards of Canada album, and still likely the best. Samples are used throughout in interesting and sometimes frightening ways, while most of the music can be categorized as “electronica,” just a very different – and singular – sort of electronica. Sorry for the commentary being so vague, but it’s the kind of music that really is better felt than made the subject of discussion.

9

‘The Low End Theory’ (1991)

A Tribe Called Quest

There are things about The Low End Theory that make it sound more than a little out of step with the hip-hop that’s generally been popular in the last decade or so, but also, 1991 was a long time ago. And, if you compare The Low End Theory to a good number of other hip-hop albums popular in either the late 1980s or early 19990s, it stands up remarkably well, particularly as far as the lyrics go.

A Tribe Call Quest was known for their socially conscious lyrics, but rarely did they tackle big issues in ways that felt corny or on-the-nose. There’s still wit found throughout so much of The Low End Theory, which is probably the group’s single greatest album overall, and then the use of sampling and overall production is also remarkable for a release of its age. Of all the decades-old hip hop albums out there, this one might well be the easiest to listen to and appreciate with modern ears.

8

‘Heaven or Las Vegas’ (1990)

Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins are one of the dreamiest-sounding bands maybe ever, fittingly making music that can mostly be categorized as dream pop, though they also sound quite a bit different from most other dream pop bands. The lyrics are the first thing that jump out, because they’re nonsensical and might only feature a handful of sounds recognizable as words, like the line “Am I just in heaven or Las Vegas?” being audible in the title track of Heaven or Las Vegas.

This particular album came right at the start of the 1990s, so it still sounds a little bit 1980s at times, but still very much alternative and not really like ‘80s pop/rock or anything, even if much of Heaven or Las Vegas is approachable and immediate, once you get used to the vocals saying very few actual words. It’s an album that very much conjures up an atmosphere visually and emotionally comparable to the album cover, and it’s all very much worth getting lost in for just under 40 minutes.

7

‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ (1995)

The Smashing Pumpkins

Classic rock, in the traditional sense, might’ve stopped in the 1980s, but rock as a whole didn’t die with it. At the risk of doing too much of a cinema comparison or analogy, it’s a bit like how “classic” film noir movies are recognized as having stopped coming out post-1958, but the noir thing lives on, thanks to neo-noir movies. There were just different sorts of rock that really took off in the 1990s.

Take the music of The Smashing Pumpkins, for example, which is probably best defined as alternative rock, but also “hard” alternative rock, and with a little bit by way of grunge thrown in for good measure. There’s more to something like Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness genre-wise, too, just because of how long this album is (just over two hours) and how eclectic and theatrical it’s also willing to get. The first half is stronger, admittedly, but there are too many solid tracks in the second half to suggest you should bail before it’s over (and that second half does contain “1979,” which is probably the very best of the 28 songs found on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness).

6

‘Homogenic’ (1997)

Björk

It should be known that Björk is worth knowing for more reasons than just some of her outlandish fashion choices, since she’s one of the best artists of the past few decades. Well, she deserves to be known beyond her music and fashion too, you could argue, since she’s acted a few times and has honestly been phenomenal on those occasions.

The music, though! It’s hard to find a generally agreed-upon album of Björk’s to call the best, as there are several she’s put out that are amazing, and then the ones that aren’t amazing are either close to it, or super interesting/unique in ways where the quality barely even seems important. Anyway, Homogenic is a contender for the crown of “best Björk album.” It’s neither the best nor the worst starting point if you’re new to her music, since it’s got a good mix of immediately appealing and experimental songs. It all flows incredibly well, though, and tracks like “Hunter,” “Jóga,” and “Bachelorette” are among the best she’s ever done.

5

‘F♯A♯∞’ (1997)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

F♯A♯∞ is potentially one of the most frightening albums of all time, since it feels a bit like the album equivalent of an apocalypse, with some of it feeling like the end of a dystopian era (like, pre-apocalyptic), and other parts sounding distinctly post-apocalyptic. It does for music what Threads (1984) did for cinema, or you could also compare stretches of F♯A♯∞ to something like The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.

And saying all that might not make it sound very appealing, but it’s an engrossing listen, and perhaps the most consistent from the interestingly-named Godspeed You! Black Emperor. If you’re new to post-rock, as a genre, or Godspeed You! Black Emperor, as a band, then the 2000 album Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven might be a better gateway one (it’s dark and eerie at times as well, but those miserable moments are contrasted with pieces of music that sound more triumphant and cathartic, too).

4

‘Ágætis byrjun’ (1999)

Sigur Rós

If you’ve watched The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Skins, or Game of Thrones, then congratulations: you’ve been exposed to the music of Sigur Rós. Much of the band’s music is very cinematic, but also not overwhelmingly so, which makes plenty of tracks quite appropriate for use in media, though an album like Ágætis byrjun is more than enthralling enough just on its own, without visuals.

Unless you speak Icelandic, you won’t really know what’s being sung about, and even then, certain Sigur Rós lyrics aren’t recognizable as any particular language, but what is or isn’t understood doesn’t matter so much when lead singer Jónsi Birgisson’s voice sounds the way it does. The music is also beautiful and easy to get immersed or even lost in, especially on Ágætis byrjun, which is a lengthy album with only 10 tracks (the average length being a bit over seven minutes).

3

‘OK Computer’ (1997)

Radiohead

Concept albums were becoming pretty well understood and appreciated right around the time they started becoming popular, as a way to put forth a message and/or story through a collection of tracks. The 1970s might well have been when that sort of album really flourished, but then you’ve also got more recent albums like OK Computer to show the concept album never really went away.

Okay, comparatively more recent, since this Radiohead album is, at the time of writing, almost three decades old. But what it has to say about life (mostly, its absurdities and miseries) still rings true when you listen to this one in the 2020s, and then, lyrics aside, it’s also phenomenal just because of how varied and bold it all sounds instrumentally. Maybe you’re tired of hearing about how good this one is, but it just really is that good.

2

‘In the Aeroplane Over the Sea’ (1998)

Neutral Milk Hotel

You could summarize OK Computer as an album about life and late 20th-century anxieties, as far as the concept goes, but In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is a tougher nut to crack when it comes to summaries, even though it’s also very much a concept album. It’s about… hmm. It’s about things. It’s about a traumatic past, has an unusual outlook on life, explores mortality quite a bit, and then also much of it’s about Anne Frank.

Laying it all out like that might make it sound a bit weird, and yes, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is a bit weird, though it’s been referenced in more mainstream things, like the novel Will Grayson, Will Grayson and the sitcom Parks and Recreation. It’s an album that strikes a nerve, thanks to the subject matter, the surrealism of the lyrics, and the distinctiveness of how all the music sounds here (is it rock, indie, folk, something more psychedelic, all of the above, or none of the above?). It’s a bit of a nightmare of an album, but equal parts troubling and beautiful, so ultimately worth taking the plunge into.

1

‘Violator’ (1990)

Depeche Mode

For all that talk earlier about the 1990s being a good decade for new sounds and genres, the #1 spot here is going to go to something that sounds like an auditory funeral for the 1980s: Violator, by Depeche Mode. Depeche Mode certainly sounded very 1980s in the 1980s, and then they still sound pretty ‘80s on Violator (some slack can be cut when it was largely recorded at the very end of the ‘80s), but there’s also something sinister about it.

It’s synth-pop gone goth, or just turned dark, or feeling edgier than usual, but not in a tacky way. It’s got all the immediacy of 1980s pop with a certain edge to it that makes it all more interesting, and so much more atmospheric. Depeche Mode had certainly come close to making something Violator-esque earlier (see 1986’s Black Celebration, which was like a proof-of-concept for Violator), but this is still far and away the band’s best album. It is perfect, and not just because it houses two of the best songs of all time (“Enjoy the Silence” and “Personal Jesus”)… though that helps.

Depeche Mode: Devotional

Release Date

September 30, 1993

Runtime

84 minutes

Director

Anton Corbijn

Producers

Richard Bell