Albums in My Life: 1997

For the majority of 1997, I was six years old. I was in first and second grade during this time, and honestly can't remember much. A lot of these albums are still from discovering them later, but musical memories are starting to enter my experience.


Chumbawamba- Tubthumper
As a kid, 'Tubthumping' was pretty much inescapable. For people that weren't there, I can assure you, it happened. I really gained an appreciation for the album as a whole, as well as the entire anarcho punk Chumbawamba oeuvre, much later, but 'Tubthumping' was immediate and catchy as hell. It's such a weird hit to have, and the fact that I see it on a lot of worst songs ever lists is baffling to me. I am surprised it got popular in the US though; with the weird soccer chants, 'Danny Boy' diversion, and subject of getting pissed at the pub, it's a quintessentially British song. Maybe that's why it never confused me, having a English grandmother.



Modest Mouse- The Lonesome Crowded West
I first heard Modest Mouse around 2004, when 'Float On' came out. I had only heard that song, and thought that's what they were. Only later did I look back and discover this album. This record really sparks a wanderlust in me, and I really want to take a road trip every time I hear it. There's also something about this album that makes me a little sad too, almost like nostalgia for something I lost. 'Bankrupt on Selling' really gets me feeling that way. I like other Modest Mouse albums, but this one is the only one that instills that feeling in me.




of Montreal- Cherry Peel
One of my favorite bands' humble beginnings. I really enjoy the super lo fi aesthetic, whimsical tone and obvious Beatles homage. Also, the song topics are super weird. Plus, for 1997, the material for a pop record was pretty forward thinking. For evidence of that, just take a listen to 'Tim, I Wish You Were Born a Girl'.  Kevin Barnes would definitely explore more sexually charged topics later in his career, but for the next few records, of Montreal is a little more twee and chasted than they would be in the late 2000s.




Radiohead- Ok Computer


As I might have stated previously, I was a hold out with Radiohead, and still don't enjoy much Radiohead beyond this record. But, this record to me was probably their pinnacle; their most cohesive statement, and, about 22 years later as of this writing, as relevant as ever, if not more so. Technology really does rule everything we do, and in exchange for convenience, we really have sacrificed a lot of our personal freedoms. It has a lot of my favorite Radiohead songs as well. Both 'Exit Music (for a Film)' and 'Fitter, Happier' are beautiful, in their own way, even though the latter manages to make sad and creeped out in equal measure.





Sleater Kinney- Dig Me Out
I was a little bit too young to hear Sleater Kinney when they were first around, but having discovered them later, it's interesting that there's still not a band quite like them. The closest comparisons I can make is if Lush's Lovelife were way more intense and the guitar interplay were dialed up to eleven. This is probably their most accessible release, but it's still pretty raw and chaotic. I find myself getting lost in the intensity, but if you focus, you can really hear how the guitar lines weave in and out and compliment each other, in a more ferocious Moby Grape kind of way.



So, those are my picks for 1997. Check back in later for the albums from 1998 that really affected my life.

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