Albums in My Life: 1990

As promised, I have begun to talk about my favorite records of each year of my life, beginning with the year I was born, 1990. Now, obviously, I didn't have much of a musical taste as an infant, so the first few lists will be more informed by my current favorites, but later years will have albums that I have more of an attachment to since I grew up with them and they were very important in shaping the person I am today. Without further ado, lets dive in:

Alice in Chains: Facelift

Alice in Chains, to me, is probably the best of grunge's big four. Nirvana may have had more popular appeal, but I think Alice in Chains really capture a darkness that the other bands can't, and their songwriting seems to have so much more depth and variety. This is the album that started it all, and I think gets overlooked in favor of Dirt because it arrived before the Seattle scene really blew up in the mainstream, but I think its fantastic, and you can really hear the transition of the band from heavy metal and hard rock to the sound they'd be known for later in the decade. Plus, 'Man in the Box' is a killer single that you can't help but sing along to, even though its so dark.

Richard Bellis: Soundtrack to Stephen King's IT

I was probably around 7 or 8 when I saw the IT miniseries for the first time, and it pretty much scarred me for life. Now, it seems pretty harmless, but as a kid, it made me super paranoid, and I felt like I couldn't trust anyone. This soundtrack, though showing some age, still evokes some of those memories. I ended up watching it again in middle of high school, and I soon found there was nothing to be scared of, and now I thoroughly enjoy the movie and the score.

I probably have a controversial opinion, but I find this to be better than the recent remake. Fight me in the comments.

Lush: Gala

Lush is probably my favorite shoegaze band next to, of course, My Bloody Valentine, and this compilation has a lot to do with that. When I was in college, I had this annoying habit of digging for more obscure bands in a genre, and while Lush are hardly underground, I feel like they get overlooked a lot of the time while, in my opinion, inferior bands get much more shine in shoegaze. Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson are such interesting songwriters, and very different as well, so the blend of their two styles throughout Lush albums always keeps things interesting, and they create shimmering soundscapes that one can get lost in.

Primus: Frizzle Fry

On the opposite side of the spectrum entirely, Primus is a band that is so musically proficient, with amazing instrumental passages, but never takes itself seriously. Their blend of funk, metal, and experimental music is already great, but then add an almost Zappa-esque sneer to it, and it becomes undeniable. I think Les Claypool gets tons of praise for his bass skills, which are definitely worthy of it, but I feel like Larry Lalonde's extremely free form and forward thinking guitar playing and Tim Alexander's energetic and technically precise drumming often get underappreciated. I think they're all great players, and to me, they're almost up there with Rush, Cream, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience for the title of best power trio.

Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass: Passages

As stated in previous posts, I am a fan of Ravi Shankar's work, and of Indian music in general. Much of his work falls into the traditional raga category, but this collaboration with experimental classical composer Philip Glass, along with his work with Zubin Mehta and the London Philharmonic, expertly blend Eastern sounds with Western classical composition for a brilliant and universal hybrid. It's so good to know that even almost 40 years into his recording career, Shankar was willing to so boldly experiment. Given the differences in scales and tuning between Indian and traditional Western music, the elements should not sound as complimentary as they do, but they coalesce into a beautiful experience for fans of classical and raga alike.


So, those are my favorite albums from my birth year. Next week, I'll attempt to pick my top 5 for 1991. What's your take? Any favorites from 1990 you think I should have included? Let me know. Until next time.

"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

Albums in My Life Announcement

After another almost year long absence from writing, I am once again trying to return to the fold. I'm pretty much going to be abandoning new music reviews as I write and process music much too slowly to keep up with the constant stream of new material. Instead, I have decided to take this in a more personal direction. In addition to my year end lists, I'm playing around with some concepts for other lists, in depth analyses, and ventures into other topics.

My first foray back into the music blogging world will be an attempt to list some of my favorite albums that have come out in my lifetime. So for each year I have been alive, I'll be sharing my top 5 albums of that year, and attempting to get these out once a week (but given my upload schedule, that seems rather ambitious). These albums will be a mixture of current favorites, formative childhood albums and possibly records I have written about previously, though with more time with albums, my opinions often change, so don't think my top 50 albums post or my previous year ends will remain intact.

I hope doing something a little more personal will make writing a little easier, and will help me break out of this long hiatus and perhaps give me the emotional boost I've been needing.  It may even start a conversation, who knows.

Year End 2017: Top 10 Favorite Albums of the Year

Here I am to finish up my year end lists with my favorite albums of 2017. This is my list, so obviously it will be different from your list, but feel free to share yours as well. This year was pretty metal heavy for me, and not a whole lot of hip-hop really stuck out to me (besides the ones on the list, and maybe Cyhi's debut full length). Anyway, let's get into it.

10. Mount Eerie- A Crow Looked at Me

This album has enough emotional weight to break even the most hardened people. Phil Elverum's reflections on his wife's passing are emotionally raw and plainspoken, and that's what gives it a lot of its power. It will truly resonate with anyone who has lost a loved one, and though not one I return to a lot, the experience is definitely a powerful one.

9. Dizzee Rascal- Raskit

2017 was a big year for the grime scene. I heard a lot of hype for Skepta, Wiley, and Stormzy, however not that much for one of the scene's most important artists, Dizzee Rascal. He followed up The Fifth with a collection that really goes back to that Boy in Da Corner sound, and I feel like this really got overlooked this year by grime listeners. If you're one of them, you should make an effort to change that.

8. Code Orange- Forever

This album satisfied my Nails itch, but also gave me so much more. Code Orange's new record blends breakdown heavy, punishing metal-core with some truly intriguing sonic detours that even play with some tonal areas. It's definitely still infused with all the rage and bile that a metal-core listener could ask for, yet has enough variation to keep it from being a standard cut and paste affair, with a lot more complex song structures than your typical chug to a breakdown metal-core.

7. Integrity- Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume

Integrity kills it on their new record, making metal-core magic that mixes punk, Slayer and even some black metal riffage in a way only they can. Every time I listen to it, I pick something new out of the claustrophobic and chaotic mix. This is the sound of absolute insanity, and I love every second of the madness.

6. Open Mike Eagle- Brick Body Kids Still Daydream

One of the few hip-hop albums that grabbed my attention in 2017, and probably Open Mike Eagle's most serious work to date. The humor is still there, but not to the extent of Dark Comedy, and here he is documenting his time in the Chicago projects. The building in which he lived as a kid was demolished shortly before recording, and this record is kind of showing how the people that come out of these living situations are shaped by the experience, and how this environment can negatively affect a community and its families. Unfortunately, still an all too relevant subject in America, but a great album.

5. Prurient- Rainbow Mirror

Dominick Fernow, main brain of Prurient, changed up his sonic palette for the follow up to 2015's Frozen Niagara Falls. While some of the noise elements are present, the new 3 1/2 hour monster favors more subtle soundscapes, albeit those of a still rough and unsettling nature. I get a lot of Aphex Twin's Ambient 2 and Nine Inch Nails Ghosts I-IV if a little more spacey and run through a fuzz pedal. Equally satisfying as background ambient music and music to critically listen to.

4. Converge- The Dusk in Us

Converge has returned with its first full length in 5 years with just as much ferocity. All you have come to know and love with the band is on full display: the razor sharp guitar, dizzying drums, chaotic breakneck pace, all wrapped up in complexly structured yet equally moshable songs. Many years into their career, Jacob Bannon, Kurt Ballou and company prove that as some of the forefathers of metal-core, it's better to leave it to them.

3. Sun Kil Moon- Common As Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood

Mark Kozelek had a very busy 2017, with his numerous collaborations (notably his second with Jesu) and his proper follow up to 2015's Universal Themes. Kozelek's meandering story telling felt even more expansive and impenetrable than on that record, but here the stories seem to share more thematic purpose. At a behemoth 130 minutes, this album definitely takes some patience, but at its peaks, it rivals Benji for some of Kozelek's most captivating yarns.

2. Fleet Foxes- Crack-Up

Robin Pecknold and company have followed up one of the best albums of 2011 with another superb effort. At first, I was hesitant about being too excited about a new album; records after this long sometimes suffer from the hype that has been thrown on them. This record definitely delivers. Crack-Up manages to be even more progressive than Helplessness Blues, yet still stay true to the Fleet Foxes identity, creating an excellent album for a world that has left indie folk behind. Fleet Foxes has arguably outlived the scene they helped create in the late 2000s, and can hopefully take less time to follow this one up.

1. Xiu Xiu- Forget

Jamie Stewart and his rotating band of weirdos have created another portrait of a diseased world. This record is probably Xiu Xiu's most straightforward effort, but direct for Xiu Xiu is still everyone else's far left. Though catchy to the ear of Xiu Xiu fans, Jamie Stewart's paranoid and freakish falsetto will still be enough to make you uncomfortable, and the song topics are as dark and twisted as ever. I have to give additional praise to the spoken word piece at the end of the record, recited by Black Fag vocalist, Vaginal Davis. Truly powerful stuff, and this record will have you confused at whether to dance or be thoroughly disturbed.

So, that's my list. Hope to be posting a bit more regularly than last year, but we'll see how it goes. Happy New Year.


"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."