Is 1995-2000 the Best 5 Year Period of Music in History?
Saturday, February 13, 2010
I proposed this question to a friend a couple weeks ago, and he proposed I write about it on the blog. I don't think there's any question that a strong argument can be made. The amount of great albums that were released is staggering. Countless great bands got their start during this half-decade, and several great ones released the entirety of their output (or close to it). Thing is, this question is doomed to suffer the same fate as almost every argument I've ever gotten into with my friends concerning music. No matter how good of a case I present, it's all going to be for naught because it's all subjective anyway (although I don't think I'd get much of an argument from those guys on this one). Everyone is going to have different tastes and opinions when it comes to any kind of media based on their own backgrounds and experiences. Case in point: Why is it that hearing the Jonas Brothers makes me want to torture animals, but every time I hear Ace of Base I just wanna dance? You'd be better off spending your time figuring out why McDonald's doesn't serve hotdogs. Nonetheless, I've decided to offer 50 reasons why I think the years 1995-2000 are in actuality the 5 greatest years music has ever seen. I do this fully realizing that some will see the light, and many will run from it. But that's ok. Music has seen several other runs that have produced ridiculous amounts of great music that have influenced future generations of more great music. I have tremendous respect for what the catalogue of the more distant past has to offer, so you're encouraged to leave your own thoughts behind, whether they concern the evidence or the overall proposal. The evidence itself will be presented chronologically (by year only); these are in no way ranked. Also, it does not include EPs or live albums. Just because. Those are all arguments for another day:
1995
Ben Folds Five Ben Folds Five
Foo Fighters Foo Fighters
Less Than Jake Pez Core
Radiohead The Bends
Sunny Day Real Estate Sunny Day Real Estate (The Pink Album)
1996
Beck Odelay
Braid The Age of Octeen
Jeremy Enigk Return of the Frog Queen
Hot Water Music Fuel For the Hate Game
Jawbox Jawbox
Less Than Jake Losing Streak
Texas is the Reason Do You Know Who You Are?
Weezer Pinkerton
The Wrens Secaucus
1997
Ben Folds Five Whatever & Ever Amen
Foo Fighters The Colour and the Shape
Modest Mouse The Lonesome Crowded West
The Notorious B.I.G. Life After Death
The Promise Ring Nothing Feels Good
Radiohead Ok Computer
The Sea and Cake Fawn
Elliott Smith Either/Or
1998
Braid Frame & Canvas
Elliott U.S. Songs
Fugazi End Hits
Heroic Doses Heroic Doses
Karate The Bed is in the Ocean
Mock Orange Nines & Sixes
The Notwist Shrink
Outkast Aquemini
Spoon Series of Sneaks
Sunny Day Real Estate How It Feels to Be Something On
1999
American Football American Football
Blur 13
Built to Spill Keep It Like a Secret
Burning Airlines Mission: Control!
The Dismemberment Plan Emergency & I
The Get Up Kids Something to Write Home About
No Knife Fire In The City of Automatons
Pinback Pinback
Sharks Keep Moving Sharks Keep Moving
Sigur Rós Ágætis Byrjun
Wheat Hope and Adams
2000
Coldplay Parachutes
Euphone Hashin' It Out
Faraquet The View From This Tower
The Firebird Band The Setting Sun and It's Satellites
Modest Mouse The Moon & Antarctica
Radiohead Kid A
Spoon Girls Can Tell
Posts
7 comments:
nice one!
Great picks! I would agree with the whole notion that these years was a great time for music (especially 98-00).
Here are some albums that I would have included together with your list...
1998
Cap'n Jazz - Analphabetapolothology
Jets To Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary
Local H - Pack Up The Cats
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
Superdrag - Head Trip In Every Key
1999
The Anniversary - Designing A Nervous Breakdown
Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
The Stereo - 300
2000
The Jazz June - The Medicine
The Microphones - It Was Hot, We Stayed In The Water
Sunny Day Real Estate - The Rising Tide
Weston - The Mass Albert Sounds
I'm going to have to go ahead and agree on this, though I would like to ad a few albums to the list:
1995: Mineral - The Power of failing.
1995: Jawbreaker - Dear You
1998: The Gloria Record EP
1998: Bright Eyes - Letting off the Happiness
2000: Cursive - Domestica
All great additions to the list!
All of my favorite albums are from that era so I would have to agree. I'm still not sure if I am just getting old and set in my ways or there just hasn't been any music equal to that time.
You did forget the most important album, though:
The Weakerthans - Left and Leaving (2000)
I totally agree with this article, but I think it's impossible to objectively say that this was the best period in music. I'm going to guess that we all think this was the best period in music because they were very formative years for us. I was 15-20 during this time span, playing in bands for the first time, going to shows regularly for the first time, and living in the midwest where I could see bands like Braid and the Promise Ring regularly.
Your music choices are outstanding and I couldn't agree more! I grew up in Wheeling, IL with the members of Cap n Jazz, later American Football, Owen etc. and Chris Broach from Braid. It was such an amazing experience to be part of, and I'm lucky to still call some of these guys friends today. Thanks for bringing back such memories.
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