Rage Against the Machine, Rage
Against the Machine
Why it’s the best: Because
despite what Limp Bizkit showed us, rap and metal don’t always have to combine
to be awful. The trouble was that none of those late '90s nu metal groups went about it the same way as RATM, who combined technical mastery with driven anger, and relied heavily on Tom Morello's brilliant guitar riffs.
Other candidates: REM's Automatic for the People, Neil Young's Harvest Moon
Quality of year: 4
Quality of year: 4
Pearl Jam, Vs.
Why it’s the best: Because Pearl
Jam is the best. But seriously, for me there are two reasons why Vs. beats out In Utero: first, because musically In Utero is a bit of a step down from Nevermind, while Vs. is an improvement over Ten-- it's less grim and overdramatic; and second, In Utero was clearly Nirvana trying to make a statement, bringing in Steve Albini to record a rougher, less radio-friendly album, while Pearl Jam was simply making an album with little regard to how it would be perceived (or at least, not nearly as much overt regard as Nirvana), and that tends to hold up better over time.
Other candidates: Nirvana’s In
Utero, Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream
Quality of year: 6
Quality of year: 6
Pearl Jam, Vitalogy
Why it’s the best: Because it's the best album of one of the best and most influential bands of the '90s. Vitalogy features one classic song after another; from "Corduroy" to "Last Exit" to "Better Man," if you're looking for the best Pearl Jam songs, nearly this entire album qualifies.
Other candidates: Weezer's Blue Album, Alice In Chains' Jar of Flies
Quality of year: 7
Quality of year: 7
Radiohead, The Bends
Why it’s the best: Because it takes the concept of Britpop to another level. Maybe it's because I'm not British, but I don't "get" Britpop; to me, It just seems like unending lesser incarnations of the Beatles. But I wouldn't have and problems with Oasis or Blur if they sounded like Radiohead does on The Bends. The amazing thing is, this album only hinted at Radiohead's potential.
Other candidates: Pulp’s
Different Class, Neil Young's Mirror Ball
Quality of year: 1
Pearl Jam, No Code
Why it’s the best: Because there weren't a lot of candidates for '96, and because I am a bit biased when it comes to Pearl Jam. But in all seriousness, No Code does make an excellent case as the best album of 1996; it's another step in the direction they started taking with Vitalogy, a more risk-taking and diverse approached that took them from the African drumbeats of "Who You Are" to the rock harmonica-driven "Smile" while still sounding entirely cohesive--no small feat.
Other candidates: Soundgarden's Down on the Upside, Rage Against the Machine's Evil Empire
Quality of year: 3
Quality of year: 3
Radiohead, OK Computer
Why it’s the best: Because it's hard to find a year when this wouldn't win. That being said, it does feel especially suited to the late '90s in its themes, which deal with the rapid rise in technology, alien abductions, and
Other candidates: Daft Punk’s
Homework, Yo La Tengo's I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One
Quality of year: 4
Quality of year: 4
Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Why it’s the best: Because this melancholy album ushered in the indie movement of the 2000s. It may not be for everyone, but there's no denying that Jeff Mangum's songwriting is top-notch, even if his voice can be... difficult... to listen to.
Other candidates: System of a Down's self-titled debut, Spoon's A Series of Sneaks
Quality of year: 4
Quality of year: 4
Rage Against the Machine, The
Battle of Los Angeles
Why it’s the best: 1999 was a strange time for the music industry; sales were through the roof, but quality was at a low point. Maybe Rage Against the Machine was just the band for that year, a band that didn't cash in on industry trends, but instead invented their own. Evil Empire was a slight step back from their debut, but this one is every bit as good.
Other candidates: Wilco's Summerteeth, AFI's Black Sails in the Sunset
Quality of year: 4
Radiohead, Kid A
Why it’s the best: Because no one
else could have-or would have-followed up OK Computer quite like this. Radiohead responded to the pressure of following up their masterpiece by creating another masterpiece, one that is completely different and yet still unmistakably Radiohead.
Other candidates: Queens of the Stone Age's Rated R, Outkast's Stankonia
Quality of year: 7
The Strokes, Is This It
Why it’s the best: Because the only way to deliver on the hype that the Strokes were getting in 2001 was for the music to be this good. The word always used to describe the Strokes is "effortless," and rightly so: they seemed effortlessly cool, both in appearance and in sound. But don't be fooled: these songs are meticulously crafted and expertly carried out by brilliant musicians.
Other candidates: The White
Stripes’ White Blood Cells, Muse's Origin of Symmetry
Quality of year: 10
2002
Queens of the Stone Age, Songs
for the Deaf
Why it’s the best: Because it's metal that appeals even to non-metal fans. It's a very diverse album, encompassing everything from good pop-rock music "Go with the Flow" to screaming metal "Six Shooter," and handles each genre it tackles as well as any band I've heard.
Other candidates: Spoon’s Kill
the Moonlight, The Decemberists' Castaways and Cutouts
Quality of year: 8
Quality of year: 8
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