Albums in My Life: 1994

In 1994, I was still in preschool, so it's no shock that none of the albums on this list were introduced to me in that year.


Alice in Chains: Jar of Flies
I feel like this is Alice in Chains' best record, and as far as I know, it's one of the top selling EPs of all time. Its also Alice in Chains at their most restrained, as a lot of the instrumentation and arrangements are acoustic. I feel like this is the record with some of the band's strongest songwriting, and some of my favorite Alice in Chains songs, like 'Nutshell' and 'No Excuses', are on this EP.






Beck: Mellow Gold
This was the album that put Beck on the map, but also the record that had people calling him a one hit wonder. Apart from 'Loser', most people didn't really give this album a chance, but if you actually give it a fair shake, this project has some great moments. 'Soul Suckin Jerk' and 'Beercan' are just as poppy and quirky, and 'Pay No Mind' and 'Blackhole' indicate some of the folkier directions to come. I feel like pop music audiences weren't quite ready for the genre blending and the slightly dirty, unpolished nature of Mellow Gold. Two years and some hip hop infused Dust Brothers production later, people couldn't get enough of Beck.


Manic Street Preachers: The Holy Bible
This is the Manics masterpiece, in my opinion. The music is strong, and the writing even stronger. This was their last album before the disappearance of lyricist and rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards, who is vastly underappreciated in the world of rock lyricists. The album has such a pessimistic and pitch black world view, and covers a lot of pretty dark subject matter for a mainstream rock record. Let's just say, in the 90's, you didn't see Blur or Oasis singing about prostitution, the holocaust, eating disorders, or serial killers. It also has the best bass tone ever: the disgustingly sludgy opening of 'Archives of Pain'.


Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral
This was the sound of many a disaffected teenagers angst at the time, and for the generations to come. It was also my entry point into Nine Inch Nails, and industrial music in general. The record is so angry and nihilistic and spoke to me to a pretty large degree in my teens and early 20s. I was that kind of kid, I guess. I feel like this album has been discussed and analyzed to death, and yet I can't help but noticed new layers of instrumentation even after listening to it for years. I got the remastered vinyl last year, and it was like becoming reacquainted with an old friend, and yet finding out deep personal secrets from them you never knew.


Weezer: Weezer (The Blue Album)
People see a lot of Weezer material as a bit of a joke, but one listen to this album reminds you that when they're good, that outdoes all the bad. The only weak song on here in my opinion is 'No One Else', and that has more to do with the subject matter than anything else. I love their mix of pop and heavy guitars. Somehow the guitars are mixed to be super fuzzy and heavy, but the melody of the riffs and the rest of the music isn't completely lost, which is a problem I feel occurs all too often. A crowning achievement in '90s pop rock and emo(ish) music, for sure.



Sorry for running a little behind. Holiday stuff has kept me pretty busy. Next time I'll be looking at some formative records from the year I started school (albeit near the end of it): 1995.


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