In what might be the vainest of my vanity projects, I decided to plunder the music of the 1990s, the decade of my birth, to “rank” my favorite albums. Why? It’s not like anything I list here is going to be a major breakthrough for a totally slept-on artist from the time period. These are albums you’ve seen time and time again in lists, in life, on the internet, in major music publications, etc. I bet that’s really selling you on scrolling. But I wanted to go through the 90s right now since 2020 is the perfect time for a surplus of escapist nostalgia. I also realized that I’m remarkably deficient when it comes to certain 90s classics. You’ll see the big collection of records I listened to for the first time below the big list. It’s also my damn blog so I can do whatever the hell I want. I also realized while listening to “classics” that I don’t really care about grunge or super rock-heavy records. You’ll also see I especially like certain bands, with lesser-liked records from Cocteau Twins, Beck and The Sundays taking spots over well-beloved potential inclusions.

If you’re reading this list and get mad that a certain record is in a certain position, or that something is not on there at all, consider stepping away from your computer or phone and look out a window, take a breath, and remind yourself that “this is just one person making a list of his favorite albums from the 1990s. This has no impact on my own personal views. There are really SO many records, more than 100 in fact, from that span of 10 years that are considered “classics” of many, many different genres. I can even make my own list if I want to”. It’s just that easy. Rage is not the answer anymore. Just read, delight in these classics, and slip away to not-2020 for maybe just a few minutes.

I even made a freakin’ Spotify playlist for you to listen along: HERE.

100. Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?
99. Madonna – Ray Of Light
98. Guided By Voices – Alien Lanes
97. Arto Lindsay – Noon Chill
96. Bowery Electric – Beat
95. Weezer – Blue Album
94. Dirty Three – Ocean Songs
93. The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land
92. Belle & Sebastian – Tigermilk
91. Duster – Stratosphere
90. Teenage Fanclub – Bandwagonesque
89. Spiritualized – Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
88. Primal Scream – Screamadelica
87. Fiona Apple – Tidal
86. American Football – American Football
85. Bark Psychosis – Hex
84. The Sundays – Blind
83. Beck – Midnite Vultures
82. Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch – Soundtrack From Twin Peaks
81. Silver Jews – American Water
80. Smog – Knock Knock
79. Prefab Sprout – Jordan: The Comeback
78. Digable Planets – Reachin’ (A New Refutation Of Time & Space)
77. Wilco – Summerteeth
76. Tortoise – Millions Now Living Will Never Die
75. Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral
74. Red House Painters – Red House Painters
73. Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball
72. Guided By Voices – Bee Thousand
71. Dismemberment Plant – Emergency & I
70. The Fugees – The Score
69. Insides – Euphoria
68. Built To Spill – Perfect From Now On
67. Sigur Rós – Ágætis Byrjun
66. Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
65. Portishead – Portishead
64. Weezer – Pinkerton
63. Boards of Canada – Music Has The Right To Children
62. Unwound – Repetition
61. Modest Mouse – The Lonesome Crowded West
60. Sleater-Kinney – Dig Me Out
59. Nirvana – Nevermind
58. The Breeders – Last Splash
57. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Murder Ballads
56. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – F#A# Infinity
55. Stereolab – Emperor Tomato Ketchup
54. Liz Phair – Exile In Guyville
53. D’Angelo – Brown Sugar
52. Tortoise – TNT
51. Jim O’Rourke – Eureka
— — — — —
50. Elliott Smith – Either/Or
49. Erykah Badu – Baduizm
48. PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love
47. Jeff Buckley – Grace
46. Mos Def – Black On Both Sides
45. Neurosis – Through Silver And Blood
44. Mazzy Star – So Tonight That I Might See
43. Cocteau Twins – Four-Calendar Café
42. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Let Love In
41. Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
40. DJ Shadow – Endtroducing…
39. Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club
38. Wu-Tang Clan – Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
37. Fiona Apple – When The Pawn…
36. The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin
35. Nas – Illmatic
34. PJ Harvey – Rid Of Me
33. Belle & Sebastian – If You’re Feeling Sinister
32. Silver Jews – The Natural Bridge
31. Sade – Love Deluxe
30. Ride – Nowhere
29. Everything But The Girl – Walking Wounded
28. Stereolab – Dots And Loops
27. Sonic Youth – Goo
26. Massive Attack – Mezzanine
25. GZA The Genius – Liquid Swords
24. Beck – Odelay
23. Mulatu Astatqé – Ethiopiques 4: Ethio Jazz & Musique Instrumentale 1969-1974
22. A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders
21. Yo La Tengo – I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
20. A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory
19. Talk Talk – Laughing Stock
18. Depeche Mode – Violator
17. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
16. Björk – Debut
15. Daft Punk – Homework
14. Built To Spill – Keep It Like A Secret
13. Slint – Spiderland
12. The Sundays – Reading, Writing and Arithmetic
11. Radiohead – OK Computer
10. Slowdive – Souvlaki
9. Outkast – Aquemini
8. Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85-92
7. Portishead – Dummy
6. Yo La Tengo – Painful
5. Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas
4. Björk – Post
3. Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
2. Björk – Homogenic
1. My Bloody Valentine – Loveless

Listened NEW:

• Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill
• Autechre – Incunabula
• Belle & Sebastian – If You’re Feeling Sinister
• Belle & Sebastian – The Boy With The Arab Strap
• Belle & Sebastian – Tigermilk
• The Beta Band – The Three E.P.’s
• Brainiac – Bonsai Superstar
• The Breeders – Last Splash
• The Breeders – Pod
• Broadcast – Work And Non Work
• Dinosaur Jr. – Where You Been
• Eggstone – Vive La Difference
• Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball
• Galaxie 500 – This Is Our Music
• Gang Starr – Moment Of Truth
• Gang Starr – Step In The Arena
• Global Communication – 76:14
• Heavenly – Heavenly Vs. Satan
• Insides – Euphoria
• Iury Lech – Musica Para El Fin De Los Cantos
• Janet Jackson – The Velvet Rope
• Jacques Dudon – Lumieres Audibles
• Jeff Buckley – Grace
• Jim O’Rourke – Eureka
• John Oswald – Plexure
• The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group – Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
• Lilys – Eccsame The Photon Band
• Liz Phair – Exile In Guyville
• Low – I Could Live In Hope
• Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
• Luna – Penthouse
• Madonna – Ray Of Light
• Mark Hollis – Mark Hollis
• Massive Attack – Protection
• Miyako Koda – Jupiter
• Mos Def – Black On Both Sides
• Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile
• Oasis – Definitely Maybe
• One Dove – Morning Dove White
• Pixies – Bossanova
• Pixies – Trompe Le Monde
• The Promise Ring – Nothing Feels Good
• Pulp – Common People
• Quigley – 1969 Till God Knows When
• Rocketship – A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness
• Sade – Love Deluxe
• Scarface – The Diary
• Seefeel – Quique
• Sinead O’Connor – I Don Not Want What I Haven’t Got
• Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger
• TLC – CrazySexyCool
• Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes
• Tricky – Maxinquaye
• Wilco – Summerteeth
• The 6ths – Wasps’ Nests