Albums in My Life: 1993

I turned 28 yesterday, making this selection of albums 25 years old. I feel ancient. This year is one of the first where I actually have memories of things being released, so these picks might be a little more informative of my childhood.


Danny Elfman- The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack
When I was a kid, I loved this movie. It may have been co-opted by the Hot Topic crowd, but it still holds a place in my childhood consciousness. The movie had incredible music, and introduced me to darker fare early on. My parents were a little worried this would creep me out, but I ate up every frame. This won't be the last time a soundtrack from a Tim Burton movie will be on this series, and it's because his work and aesthetic was very influential in my life.





Nirvana- In Utero
This is my favorite Nirvana album, and I think this is the album Kurt Cobain always wanted to make. I feel like some compromises were made for Nevermind, but In Utero is noisy, uncompromising, and raw. I also feel like this gave the mainstream a peek behind the curtain into the underground that their previous album didn't. If Nevermind grabbed you, but In Utero drove you off, pop is more your domain. But if you stuck around, you were much more likely to perform a deep dive into the underground music scene. Nirvana was probably a gateway band for a lot of people, and this is them at their most authentic and abrasive.


Phish- Rift
I'm not a huge fan of Phish, but this album is their best to me. They're a little more focused and they have a concept, which is at odds with their loose, jam band image. This is an argument for Phish inheriting the crown from the Grateful Dead as the premier jam band. It's psychedelic, jazzy, and even a little bit country in spots, and ups the ante for jam bands to be a little bit more progressive. I'm a huge sucker for concept albums, and to have one in this genre is very intriguing to me.




The Smashing Pumpkins- Siamese Dream
Siamese Dream goes back and forth with Mellon Collie as my favorite Smashing Pumpkins album. This album is a little bit more focused and less messy, and the songwriting is consistently great from start to finish. I think this album was absolutely essential in my teens and for every teen who discovers it. It really taps into the angst and feelings of being an outcast, and speaks volumes to every disaffected youth that comes across it. I love this album and with James Iha back in the band, I'm hoping the Smashing Pumpkins return to this sound and dig deep into their darkness.



The Wu-Tang Clan- Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers
Enter the Wu-Tang is most likely my favorite hip hop album of all time, and pulls off introducing the world to 9 distinct personalities, as well as delivering great rhymes, production, and a very interesting and unique aesthetic. I don't think there will ever be a hip hop crew as great or as relevant as the Wu-Tang Clan (although many have tried), and this album really does a lot to cement their status. It does a lot in a short amount of time to establish the group and their mythos. I didn't discover this album until I was into my late college years, and it quickly became one of my favorites not only because of what it was, but because of the effect it had on hip hop. There would be no Odd Future, a favorite of mine in college, without Wu-Tang.




That's it for now. Check in next week for my list of albums that profoundly shaped my existence: 1994 edition.


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