My Top 100 Favorite 90s Songs

There is very little reason for this blog post to exist. 

No one was requesting this list....certainly not the internet! However, some ideas weasel their way into my little brain and require creation. If I am being honest, I did not know what songs would make this list, so I had work to do if I wanted to know.  

My criteria for creating this list were completely unscientific. The method was disorganized. At the start, I tried to make a rubric to help disentangle my feelings, but I gave up in frustration.  

If there was a method to the madness, it was trying to unscramble nostalgia, joy, and love while admiring the song craft and balancing my love of catchy songs and the songs that were personally important to me. 

I started going through my 1,600+ '90s song playlist on Spotify. I went song by song, and I had an initial list of about 200. I didn't discriminate too much, if I thought there was a chance, it was added to the list. 

Then, I pared down the most obvious choices that would not make the list. At this point, it was in the 120-130 area, so I pared down songs again, all the way down to 98. 

Then I added two more songs back and started ordering them (and of course, re-ordering them over and over again). 

There are a few songs on this list that I don't listen to much anymore. They might pop on the radio or on my 90s playlist on Spotify, but I don't even particularly like them anymore. That said, they were so important to me as a teenager that it felt right to have them on this list.  

In the end, I just wanted to take a moment to think about some of my favorite songs of all time.

Please note these are not the BEST songs of the 90s, it's just my current list of my favorite '90s songs.

100. Dee-Lite - "Groove is in the Heart"

This song makes me happy. When I hear it, it makes me feel 12 again, watching the all-request 1-900 music video channel while lying on my bed. 

99. Frank Black - "Creature Crawling"

Can a song with a middling chorus but one of the greatest bridges ever force itself into my top 100 favorite '90s songs? Yeah, it just did. 

98. Smoking Popes - "Paul"

A well-crafted pop song that is sneakily good. 

97. The Cardigans - "Love Fool"

It's a huge hit, everyone knows the words, but so what? It's just love and warmth all the way to its core. One of those "perfect" songs. 

96. Foo Fighters - "X-Statix"

This song could be about nothing or everything, but its droney-dreamy vibe is compelling. 

95. Nirvana - "Heart Shaped Box"

There are a lot of big radio hits early on this list, but this song features my favorite Cobain imagery and lyrics. I love the sound of this song. Oh, and the music video is top-notch. 

94. Space Hog - "In the Meantime..."

This song just oozes 1995 to me. I would catch this song on the radio and beg the radio gods that the DJ would not fade the song out too soon or fade in the next song too early so I could hear that plaintive piano solo at the end. My god, I loved it. 

When you heard the complete song with that piano solo on the radio...you knew it was gonna be a good day.  

93. Fig Dish - "Seeds"

Great album, great song. 

I have to admit this song may be the first "reach" on the list. Maybe it's not actually in my top 100. The album is soooo good though, and I wanted to find a song that best represented its excellence. 

So, I might have cheated a little bit. What are you gonna do about it? 

92. Gin Blossoms - "Until I Fall Away"

This song is from the album New Miserable Experience that I bought on tape. I remember I was about to take my buddy Steve out to senior lunch, but I was embarrassed by this album because Steve was a music snob. So before he got in, I hid the tape under my seat. 

Well, Steve, I am out of the closet, that album is GREAT, and this song kicks ass, I don't even care what you think about my music taste anymore!!

P.S. If you are reading this and you know Steve, please don't tell him I like the Gin Blossoms.  

91. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Under the Bridge"

Alex, I'll take "Songs that I listened to on my Walkman on repeat while feeling very, very important and miserable for 100," please. 

90. Mazzy Star - "Fade Into You"

If you are feeling like you need to think about a few things, turn this song on and just revel in your feelings. Beautiful song. 

89. Ash - "Oh Yeah"

This is objectively the worst song on this entire list. So, why is it sitting pretty here at #89? 

It's a love song and the chorus states, "Oh yeah, she was taking me over, and oh yeah, it was the start of the summer."

I started dating a young woman in June of 1997. It was clear to me that we were falling in love. I put this song on a mixtape for her, and I went to visit her at the diner where she worked. I asked her what she thought of the tape, and she smiled and asked, "So, am I....taking you over?" 

An hour later, I left the diner, driving home as the sun was setting, feeling like I was on top of the world.  

88. Green Day - "J.A.R"

I don't know anything about Green Day fandom, but I have a hunch this little ditty is considered an underrated gem. It's a song about how to live life. A great song that has a neat closing. 

87. Porno for Pyros - "Pets"

Just a relaxing song about how fucked up human beings are, but that we would make good pets for aliens. It's clever.....and it will make you bob your head. 

86. Stone Temple Pilots - "Interstate Love Song"

Another album I had on tape (but I wasn't embarrassed by it). I loved this song before it was a hit, and if I close my eyes when I listen to it, I can smell my old 1986 Toyota pickup. 

85. Fountains of Wayne - "Sink to the Bottom"

Power pop that makes you feel like giving up, but you find yourself humming it for days after you've heard it. 

84. Frank Black - "Back to Rome"

To this day, I occasionally put this song on in the car and sing it with all my heart at the top of my lungs. Maybe if you do that, you'll like it too? 

83. Kim Deal & Robert Pollard  - "Love Hurts" (cover) 

I recently discovered this amazing little demo of a song. It's the cover of that terrible '80s song, but it's been transformed into a lo-fi masterpiece. It's good. It's real good. 

82. Lemonheads - "Hospital" 

Evan Dando's deadpan singing is perfect for this song in all ways possible. 

81. Jayhawks - "Blue"

I discovered this song a few years ago. If I had discovered it in the 90s, it would probably be in my top ten. It's that goddamn good and it's sheer existence should remind us that being alive is pretty neat. 

80. Superdrag - "I'm Expanding My Mind" 

It's good. I don't have much else to say other than it's a good song and I love the slide guitar outro. 

79. Wallflowers - "6th Avenue Heartache"

I listened to this song a few times this week while doing this little list, and this song just kept moving up the list. It's a solid rock song, and I have to admit, when I hear it out in public, I start singing it. 

One Week later update: this happened today at the grocery store, and I had forgotten I had even written that...and yes, I was quietly singing along. 

78. Matthew Sweet - "Time Capsule"

Not his masterpiece, but pretty damn close. Okay, okay, it's another one of his masterpieces. 

77. Beck - "Lord Only Knows" 

A song that still makes me laugh a little with its last line of "going down to Houston to the hot dog dance". I mean, how could you deny it?  When I heard this album in 1996,  I thought it was the future of music. Looking back, I know now I was one naive son of a gun. 

76. Tom Petty - "Free Fallin'"

It must have been the spring of 1993 or 1994. I attended a church retreat with my youth group on the Frio River. The camp had a 20-foot-high cliff where you could jump or dive into the water. It seemed like we jumped into that cold water hundreds of times.  It felt a little dangerous, and it made me feel alive. I found it exhilarating. 

My friend Doug and I started singing "Free Fallin'" that day. Now, all these decades later, when I hear this song, I still think of that weekend and the jumping into the cold Frio River, over and over again. I'm more than a little wistful.  I've never be that innocent again. 

75. Apples in Stereo - "Silver Chain"

This song feels like a classic that never existed, or it was written in a dream Brian Wilson had. 

74. The Grays - "Very Best Years"

I discovered this expertly crafted song a few years ago. You should discover it too. 

73. Travis - "Driftwood"

We all know people who are driftwood. All we can do is pray, hope, and wish upon a star. 

72. Dwight Yokam - "A Thousand Miles to Nowhere"

Beautiful, haunting song that is your first step to healing from your troubles. The song embraces the fact

that life is imbued with loneliness, and the song comes out the other side to acceptance.

71. Counting Crows - "A Murder of One"

I am NOT a Counting Crows fan, but I am a huge August and Everything After fan. I bought that album in 1995 and loved it. Then, sometime in the 2000s, I kinda forgot it. Then, a few years ago, I decided to listen to it again, and it's near perfection. This song ends the album, and it will slay you if you let it. 

70. Ben Folds Five - "Underground" (Live from Naked Baby Pictures)

Like most people, I have always felt different from most people. I have always felt a little odd, and maybe, just maybe, I was a little special too. Which is all the more odd, because most people feel this way too.  

"Underground" is one for the underdogs. Maybe we're not the weird ones after all. 

69. Lemonheads - "Outdoor Type"

It's a goofy, jokey song, and I like it because I am a goofy and jokey person. It's probably too high on the list.... but so what? 

68. Nirvana -"Aneurysm" (Live)

One of the single best openings to any rock song slowly builds you to....the poppiest song about heroin addiction. The album version is underrated, but I decided to go with the more raw version from The Muddy Banks of the Wishkah instead. 

67. Of Montreal -"Don't Ask Me to Explain"

Of Montreal's album Cherry Peel is lo-fi perfection. This song makes me feel like I live in a dingy old house full of hippies and a bunch of weirdos. 

66. Olivia Tremor Control - "Jumping Fences"

This song is like the sweetest candy wrapped in a brightly colored cellphone. Go ahead and listen to it back to back....I always do! 

65. Smashing Pumpkins - "1979"

In the mid-90s, you could not escape this song. It seemed like it was part of our life, a soundtrack for our times. It was a part of our lives, as much as going out late for tacos, ditching class to play pool at the bowling alley, or driving around late at night with friends, looking for something to do. 

It's a great song that gets me thinking about driving around in my friend Philip's car on Friday nights. 

64. Teenage Fanclub - "Mad Dog 20/20"

I think Teenage Fanclub is overrated. They always seemed like a band I was just supposed to like. But for me, something was missing (or maybe I was missing it, I dunno).  

This song was a throwaway B-side on DGC Rarities Vol. 1. It just fills in the missing pieces for me. "Oh this is why people love Teenage Fanclub!!" I love this song.  

63. Pearl Jam - "Better Man"

I think Pearl Jam is overrated. They always seemed like a band I was just supposed to like. But for me, something was missing (or maybe I was missing it, I dunno). 

Tee hee. 

That's not completely true, I do like PJ okay, and if anything, I respect them more than I did in the '90s. There were a few PJ songs that were contenders to make this list, but "Better Man" was the first Pearl Jam song I fell in love with. It's a five-star song and if you don't think so, then go suck a lemon. 

62. Old 97's - "Busted Afternoon"

There is something about this song that just screams summer to me. The first time I heard this country-western swing, I knew I was hooked. 

61. Duncan Sheik - "Barely Breathing" 

Yeah, this one is embarrassing, even by my standards. 

I heard this song in college and immediately downloaded it on Napster. Sure, it sounded like Adult Contemporary, but my God, I related to the lyrics. To this day, I don't know another Duncan Sheik song. I feel at this point that's the best option for me, it's just meant to be that I only know this one song by Duncan. 

60. Green Day - "She"

Green Day's album Dookie changed my life. No, I'm not kidding. 

I had dabbled in becoming a music fan in high school. I tried listening to my older sister's favorite music early on (Erasure, New Order, Nitzer Ebb,  NIN, etc.), but that didn't quite stick. Then, in 10th grade, I started listening to country (it's shameful, I know, but I went to the district's "Ag School"). I never really lost my love of rock music, and in '94 my musical tastes changed for good. 

The first album I purchased in my musical re-birth was Dookie. I never became a huge Green Day fan, but the band and Dookie hold a special place in my heart. Not all of it holds up for me, but "She" has never failed me. I love this song. 

59. Ween - "What Deaner Was Talkin' About"

There are a few songs on here that are short and sweet. This song leaves you wanting to hear more. To be honest, I don't know what Deaner was talking about, and I have no idea what this song is about...but it's good! 

58. Smashing Pumpkins - "To Forgive"

This is one of those strange songs I don't think about all that often, and then when I hear it, I am blown away by how awesome it is. Also, it's a strange fact that I don't really like Billy Corgan's voice, and yet they have a few songs on this list. 

57. that dog - "Minneapolis" 

Sometimes, a near-perfect pop song just floats to the middle of a list of favorite songs. Don't mistake my lack of comments for a lack of love. Insert chef's kiss here.  

56. Built to Spill - "Liar"

Built to Spill is like pizza. Most of the time, you are happy to eat pizza. Sometimes you get cheap pizza at a kid's party, sometimes you're feeling lazy, and you pop a frozen pizza in the oven. No matter how you get it, it's STILL pizza.  

I love Built to Spill, and even bad Built to Spill is pretty okay. "Liar" is like really good pizza when you haven't had good pizza in a long time. 

55. Sloan - "Loosens"

I would wait for my dorm roommate to leave for the evening, and I would put the Twice Removed CD in my stereo and crank up the volume. I didn't mind the dorm hearing this amazing album, but I didn't need them to hear me singing my heart out, especially to this song. This was my cathartic go-to song in the '90s. If you just experienced a break-up, listen to it at high volume for maximum impact. 

54. The La's - "There She Goes"

This was another one of those songs you just couldn't escape in the '90s. It's nearly perfect, and if I hadn't heard it 1.3 million times, it would have at least cracked the top 20. 

53. Superdrag - "Pine Away"

A hopeful ode to possibly, maybe, imagining yourself actually talking to your crush. 

52. Jellyfish - "The Glutton of Sympathy" 

Jellyfish should have been one of the biggest bands of the '90s. That didn't happen, so instead they proudly serve the public by serving as a symbol for cool indie musical taste. If someone likes them, you should look into whether they need a new friend, or if you haven't heard this song, it's not too late! Listen to this song and become that cool person. 

51. Apples in Stereo - "You Said That Last Night"

This was the first Apples song I ever heard. We played it on a lark on our radio show on the college radio station. This song and this album just made me see the world in a much brighter way. There was good music everywhere. 

50. Ramones - "Life's a Gas"

I saw the Ramones on their last tour ('96 Lollapalooza tour).  I didn't know them as well as I now know their catalog, but I came away impressed. I want this song played at my funeral. 

49. Everclear - "Santa Monica" 

When I hear this song, I think about the strange and bewildering time my friend Adam and I, in a hysterical mood from studying, made up hand signals that went along to this song's chorus in my kitchen at 2:00 AM. I still remember them and occasionally do the hand signs when no one is looking. I wish I could show them to you, they're really cool.

48. John Mellencamp & Me'Shell Ndegeocello -"Wild Night"

Joy. Pure rock joy. Also, I looked up this song on YT while writing this list, and holy cow, I remembered all at once why that video held my attention all those years ago lol. 

47. Sloan - The Lines You Amend

Mid-90s Sloan was a perfect merging of '60s pop rock and '90s alt/indie rock. I don't think anyone else has come close to this beautiful melding. This song was great enough, but then the bridge comes in, and it just leaves you wanting to rewind and listen to it again. 

46. Toad the Wet Sprocket - "Walk on the Ocean"

There are moments when you forget about yourself and the world's troubles, and all feels right. I have these moments listening to classic jazz live while having a drink with my wife, or getting caught up in a good book or TV show. For whatever reason, this song makes me feel innocent and new. The spring shower is over, and the sun is peeking out. 

45. Squirrel Nut Zippers -"Hell"

As I kid, I found the idea of hell terrifying. We didn't talk about hell much at my church or at my house, but it was there, lingering in the back of my mind. In college, I had a dream that it was Judgement Day, and I was being flown up into the clouds with a bunch of strangers around me. I just knew I was going to hell.  When I first heard this song, it felt a bit scandalous....but I knew it was catchy. 

Today, I don't believe in hell, and for me, this song acts in some small measure as a way to laugh at my old self and the odd and terrifying idea of eternal torment. 

44. Weezer - "Devotion" 

In October of 1996, my friend and I drove up to Austin to purchase tickets for Weezer's show at Liberty Lunch (that would occur later in December that year). There was no other way to get tickets, and I was NOT going to miss it. I left early in the afternoon so I could be back to SA by dinnertime, without my parents knowing. 

Tickets were on sale at the legendary Waterloo Records. Once we bought tickets, I did a little shopping, and to my shock, they had the "El Scorcho" single. Singles were a big deal in the '90s. As I was a Weezer super fan, this was a big deal. I had managed to hunt down all the Blue album singles so I could get my hands on any extra Weezer songs. 

In order to hear two measly extra songs (one of which was a re-recording of "You Gave Your Love to Me Softly", which I had already heard). I was going to have to shell out 15 bucks. This amounted to over three hours of work. 

Of course, I was a sicko, so I bought it and the single had "Devotion" on it. I didn't have a CD player in my car, so I had to wait until I  got home to listen to it...and I wasn't disappointed. This waltz (yes, it's the only waltz in the top 100) spoke directly to my little 19-year-old soul. It's still one of my favorite Weezer songs all these years later. 

43. World Party - "Put the Message in the Box"

Rock music is usually about romantic love. After a quick scan, about 40% of this list is songs about romance or break-ups. This song is NOT about love, it's about the world and not giving up or giving in to hopelessness. It might be cheesy, but my God, I need to hear more messages like this. 

42. Built to Spill - "Cleo"

"Cleo" is written from an unborn child's perspective (no, it's not about abortion). It's one of those few songs about children or parenting, and it's not terrible....in fact, it's amazing! 

41. Counting Crows - "Rain King"

If you're feeling defeated, down, and depressed, pop this little ditty on and maybe it will help. Everyone needs a few songs like this to get that pep in their step. 

40. Coward - "I'm Alright"

From a band no one knows, here's a song even fewer people know. It's a song about moving on after a break-up. I needed this song to survive for a long time. Power pop packaged for the people. 

39. Grant Lee Buffalo - "Truly, Truly"  

This is one of those "late bloomers" on the list. I never knew it even existed in the 90s. I discovered it last year, and I thought of my wife the first time I heard it. I am a lucky man. 

38. Matthew Sweet - "Sick of Myself"

This is a song I wish I could sing and play with my band at one of our concerts.  

But I don't have a band, and I don't play guitar. 

Still, if I DID, I would cover this song. 

37. Nirvana - "Man Who Sold the World" (Unplugged) 

Sometime in the late '90s, I had all four of my wisdom teeth pulled. The dentist told me he would give me "laughing gas" and suggested I bring my own music. I selected the Nirvana: Unplugged album, and it was a great choice. Within a few notes of the first song ("About a Girl"), I was whisked away to Wonderland. 

At first, I had to concentrate to determine what I was listening to. I would forget what song I was listening to, and I had to concentrate to figure out how long I was into the album. It felt as though I was between a dream and reality (the constant drilling sound did remind me of what was really going on). Otherwise, it was a hell of a trip, and Kurt and Co. were there to hold my hand.  

Anyway, I know this is one of two cover songs by Nirvana on the list, but they knock it out of the park.  It's a great performance. 

36. Pulsars - "Tunnel Song"

The Pulsars are my favorite band that no one I have met in real life has heard of. This song should be the first song you put on a road trip playlist. 

35. Breeders- "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)"

This B-side will make you fall in love with the Deal sisters. Is that enough for you to listen to it? Because it should be! 

34. Smashing Pumpkins - "Muzzle"

It's as if their hit song "Today" grew up, got jaded, and then realized it will all be okay because the human experience is terrible, wonderful, and most of all, shared with each other. 

33. Old 97's - "What We Talk About" 

Clever, poppy, catchy, country/rocky, with harmonies and a dash of spice on the side. You will drum on the nearest surface, and you will sing or hum along with this song, even the first time you hear it. 

All this, and they make you wait one full minute to hear that glorious chorus. 

32. Breeders - "Do You Love Me Now?" 

In 1998, I would go to the gym and get on the stationary bike and then run a bit more.  You could listen to the radio or the TV's but you could also bring a CD to the front desk, and they would tell you what channel to tune to. I had liked Last Splash alright, but I had never really given it a proper chance. Out of boredom, I took the CD to the gym one day...and I kept bringing it. Eventually, it all sank in and made sense. 

In one of these biking sessions to nowhere, this song broke my heart. I love this song. 

31. Cocteau Twins - "Bluebeard" 

I had heard about the Cocteau Twins here and there for decades, they seemed like a big deal in indie circles, but as there is so much music to hear.... I never got around to checking them out. In fact, my daughters introduced this '90s band to ME.... a self-appointed '90s music prince. 

Suddenly, I felt old and humbled all at once....but by golly, this is a hell of a song. 

30. Fountains of Wayne - "Sick Day"

When Fountains of Wayne were at their best, their songs about suburbia and modern life painted a picture that you wanted to go back to over and over again (RIP Adam Schlesinger).  Your brain will be almost forced into creating a music video for the people the lyrics describe. 

29. No Doubt - "Sunday Morning"

The last time I heard this song, it was on a Sunday morning. I was on my way to pick up my daughter's car from being towed. It had been a while, but when the song came on, it seemed like life was full of joy and beauty. A classic. 

28.  Pulsars - "Suffocation"

Is love like suffocation? Maybe a little, and this song might be too high on this list, but this album just makes you believe anything is possible in the world. This album is like if Power Pop and New Wave got together and had a baby. You should check out this album, it's self-titled and I believe only on YouTube. 

27. Sloan - "Can't Face Up"

Sloan is all over this list for a reason, and that's because for a few years in the '90s, they were the best band in the world and barely anyone outside of Canada even knew it. If you don't like this song, there's a good chance I don't like you. That's a little dramatic, but you get the point. 

26. Weezer - "The World Has Turned And Left Me Here"

Pathetic song for pathetic people. Highly recommended for teenagers. Of course, I don't relate to it anymore, but the Beach Boys-like conclusion still gives me "the feels" like I am 17 again. 

25. Nick Heyward - "Kite"

Short, lovely Brit-pop song that will stick in your head for days. 

24. Beck - "Brother"

I have never really been able to decipher the meaning in this mysterious Beck B-side...and I don't need to because I have felt its meaning in my bones, if you know what I mean. The haunting guitars, the out-of-tune piano, and Beck's ghost-like delivery combine to make an all-time personal favorite.

This song is about loss and regret, and when the song ends, it feels like I've had a good cry and I'm ready to go about my day, changed.... but not the same. 

23. For Squirrels  - "Under Smithville"

The story of For Squirrels is tragic, but if this song is any indication, they had a bright future ahead of them. This song is like the best of jangly REM, and it will make you wonder what could have been. This is a song about heartbreak about being ghosted and feeling like shit and yet, you'll be bouncing around like a happy little boy as you jam out to this ditty. 

22. Nirvana - "Turnaround"

Yup, another cover song!! But this song never fails to get me pumped up. It's angry, it's pop-punk, and Kurt is nailing his performance. Channel your disgust with the world and sing along. 

21. Jellyfish - "New Mistake"

Truly a song that deserved better than its reception. It's not hyperbole to say this is one of the best-crafted pop songs I have ever heard. It's amazing.

20. R.E.M. - "Near Wild Heaven"

In high school, my friend Adam convinced me R.E.M. was a terrible band and "gay". He was constantly bashing R.E.M. and I think he brainwashed me...even though I had loved "Stand" and "Losing My Religion" before I knew R.E.M. was considered uncool by one of my best friends. 

Sometime in adulthood I realized as much as I love Adam, he was being a dickhead and he was wrong. R.E.M. is pretty amazing, and this is my favorite R.E.M. song. I love it and it makes me feel good. 

19. Radiohead - "High and Dry"

You have to sing along with this song. It doesn't matter if you can sing or not; you just have to. 

18. Breeders - "Divine Hammer"

This song about evangelical Christians is ultimately about wanting to be spiritual, but realizing not everyone can be spiritual or believe.

There is a simplicity to the way some people believe that I find all at once puzzling and yet, well, lovely. If I am being honest, I'm jealous. Beyond the lyrical content, it's a great pop song that is catchy, but of course, you knew that. 

17. Fountains of Wayne - "Kid Gloves"

Fountains of Wayne is one of my favorite bands of all time, so it feels a bit weird to have a B-side listed as my favorite FoW song on this list (for those scoring at home, "Valley Winter Song" is my favorite Fountains of Wayne song). 

This song seemed to be written specifically for me and my on-again, off-again relationship. When I hear it, I remember the long drive from College Station to San Antonio and back again. Just outside of Bastrop, the highway would become a winding road through the shadow of Lost Pines Forest. It was as if I was being welcomed into a new topography and climate, and it was always something I looked forward to driving through.  

I would think about life, love, and the ever-present future. Often, I would make new mix-tapes just for the trip home or the trip back to school. It was something like healing. 

About fifteen years ago, a fire burned down a large portion of the Lost Pines, especially the area by the highway.  Oh, and that relationship never worked out either. 

The beauty of the Lost Pines is gone, but my memories of this song and that drive survive in my heart. 

16. Apples in Stereo - "Ruby" 

It may be recency bias that this song is so high, but I've been obsessed with this song for the last year or so. This jaunty number reminds me of the Muppets for some reason. "Ruby" will make you wonder if it's too late to start a band of your own and travel around the country in a van, giving concerts for free drinks. 

15. Big Head Todd and the Monsters - "Bittersweet"

This is one of those songs I heard as a youngster a few times. I liked it back then, but it wasn't on our macho rock radio station, and I don't remember it on MTV, so it was just off my radar in short order. Then, about two years ago, I heard it at the movie theater as I was playing a few arcade games with my son before the movie started. It all came back to me now. This has a little adult-contemporary vibe, but I am an adult after all. It's a song you could listen to three times in a row and still be ready for more. 

14. Spoon - "The Agony of Laffitte"

This acoustic song was originally on a little-known EP....it's soulful, sad, angry, reflective, and undeniable in its ability to crack into the recesses of your brain and take root. When the xylophone solo hit me, I knew I was hooked for life. 

13. Of Montreal  - "When You're Loved Like You Are"

At this point on the list, every song is good. Why is #12 better than #13? Why is #21 better than #38? Or #53 over #59? This is why it seemed like such a fool's errand to attempt to quantify these songs onto a spreadsheet....almost an obscenity. And yet, ranking this short song that sounds like a Beatles demo from 1964 at #13 just feels right.  

12. Sloan  - "Autobiography"

This song was a reminder of what was happening in college.....it reminded me that I was actually growing up.  I was learning to grapple with the limits of my childhood dreams and what it meant to finally pick a major and maybe settle in for the fact that my life now was less wide open than it was before. 

 I had transferred to Texas A&M almost on a lark, but at times, this made me feel like an adult, yet empty and alone.  As the song says, "I know I'm a conformer, but I'm sure it doesn't matter. My new friends are all adults, and my old friends all have scattered," resonated with me.

11. Spoon - "Loss Leaders"

I once saw Spoon live in a College Station bar with like 20 people actually watching Spoon. It seemed like there were more people there for Sixteen Deluxe (a band from Dallas). After Spoon played, Britt Daniels went to the bar to have a drink. I approached to tell him I loved Spoon and thought they played a great show....and I chickened out. I didn't want to bother him. Star-struck by Britt as if he were already the indie rock king/music critic darling. 

"Loss Leaders" is on the Mountain of Sound EP, and I  borrowed it from the radio station I DJ'ed at so I could record the whole thing at home. It is a deeply mysterious and captivating song. It was made all the more interesting to me when I read an interview with Daniels, in which he refused to explain the song's meaning. 

That doesn't mean it has some deep, special meaning, but it intrigued me. The song is somber and yet full of expectation.  Whatever its meaning or lack thereof, it works for me. 

10. Ben Folds Five  - "Evaporated"

This song takes me back to my last semester as an undergraduate. It was a lonely time in my life. Most of my buddies had graduated, and I lived alone. I had plenty of time to reflect on my choices, where I had been, and what was next.  I had grown up a lot in my five years of college. I encountered great joys, accomplishments, and new experiences, but they were followed by tragedy and heartbreak. 

I would paint, listen to music, and write a ton of poetry. I knew I was at a crossroads. This song feels like the end of a journey, weary and bleary-eyed. The central question facing me was how much of the past me remained. What had died, and what was I keeping moving forward?  

9. Jimmy Eat World - "Table for Glasses"

I had heard the acclaim about Clarity, and I just had to pick it up. It was a classic '90s purchase, I bought it without having heard a single song....and I wasn't disappointed. The first track is "Table for Glasses," which I found instantly moving, and yet I couldn't tell you why. 

Once again, it's another song that I don't have a clue what the topic is. See also Spoon's "Loss Leaders" below and Beck's "Brother" above. I guess I have a penchant for the unknown. That said, this mystery is the driving force behind my love of this song. The song hints at faith, "Lead my skeptic sight," but what kind of faith are we talking about? 

I would rather not even know the rest of the lyrics or what the song is "really" about. Any explanation would pale in comparison to what it means to me. 

8. Beulah  - "Emma Blowgun's Last Stand"

This song takes you on a journey that stays with you long after the song is over. Contrary to most of my top ten, I don't connect this song to my life or in a deep and personal way. It's this high on the list because it's one of the best songs I have ever heard.  In fact, I hope you've never heard of it, and I urge you to stop what you're doing and seek it out. Right now. Just keep this tab open and come back. I won't go anywhere. 

See? I told you it's good.

7. Weezer - "Across the Sea" 

I wrote a whole blog post about this song, so if you're bored, you should read it. Some critics have claimed this song and Pinkerton in general are "problematic". I have some sympathy for that position, but I disagree. When you really boil this song down to its core, it's about the fundamental human feeling of yearning. I can't tell you how many times I have belted out the zenith of this song with all my heart, and sometimes I sing with a little tear in my eye. 

6. Tom Petty - "Wildflowers" 

I liked this song in the '90s just fine, but it was just another cool Tom Petty song until somehow, this song became associated with my oldest daughter, which means I love it with my heart. I often get teary-eyed when I hear it.  For those tracking at home, our other daughter is connected to Cass Elliot's "Make Your Own Kind of Music," and my son's song is still to be announced....but, give me a break, he's only 13, so I still have a little time. 

Until I had kids, I never knew how you could want something so much for someone else. It's an ineffable feeling of protection, hope, and love. It's similar to the feeling I get when I dropped her off at kindergarten. They have to leave sometime, leaving the parents in a sea of loss, love, and pride. This song captures that feeling for me. 

It's the cycle of life, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

5. Ben Folds Five - "Emaline"

The most surprising aspect of the compilation of this list has to be the fact that Ben Folds Five has three songs in the top ten and two songs in my top five. It doesn't seem possible or fair, but the placement of these two songs seems to fit for me. "Emaline" is a song about holding on too long and hoping against hope that your love will last another few months. At least that's what it meant to me.  

There's no way to track how many times I have never skipped a song that I know well, but instead choose to listen to....but "Emaline" probably takes the cake for me as it's the song I just never skip. 

4. Radiohead - "Black Star"

Sometimes, there is no one to blame for why things fall apart. I just found out that supposedly this song is about being in a relationship with someone with a mental illness, but I never knew that back in the '90s, and I don't think it matters. To me, this song represented the very human need for a purpose (or even a scapegoat), our minds impose meaning when often there is no meaning at all. The bright North star isn't special; it just happens to be special from our perspective here on Earth (and it will change at some point, too).  

The human heart is fragile and prone to irrationality. There is no reason why, there is no need to blame anyone, for the cliche is true, "the heart wants what the heart wants". Might as well blame it on the Black Star. 

3. Ben Folds Five - "Smoke"

In February of 1999, one of my best friends, Mikey, died in a car accident. A few months later, I was randomly listening to Whatever and Ever Amen, and when "Smoke" came on, it felt like I had never heard it before. I fell apart crying. 

Mikey was my best friend's little sister, but as things worked out, we became friends too. There were moments of pure joy and a sibling-like intensity between us, but there was also jealousy. 

In between our varying relationships, we both wondered, is there something here?

One night, we had traveled to visit her brother in Abeline. There was only a hammock in her brother's girlfriend's spare room. Yeah, I know, who has a hammock in a spare room? 

We looked at each other like, "Are we going to do this?" We had talked about possibly exploring dating, and here we were....alone, in a room with just a hammock. We slept in the hammock, nestled tightly. I didn't seriously consider "making a move". It felt comfy, it felt right. Anything more would have felt like a violation. 

The morning came, and I never remember ever talking about "us" again.  It seemed like the moment had been there, and yet we didn't know quite what to do with it. 

A few months before she died, she emailed me, still with questions lingering, but she was optimistic. We were at separate universities, and we were separated by several hundred miles. Maybe God, fate, or the universe would bring us together, or maybe not. Time would tell.  

Life is only understood looking backwards. I don't think we would have ended up together. There was something there, but I don't think it was enough for a long-term relationship. Even still,  I know we would still be friends. 

Mikey's death was not just a nightmare. I understand that moment as the first and inevitable step in wrestling with mortality and meaning. 

In the aftermath of her passing, I realized that night in the hammock was only a memory. I was the only one who would know how close we came to being something more. All the times we worked on a jigsaw puzzle or watched an old movie late at night, the silly conversations, the time she begged me to pick up fried burritos from Dairy Queen.....all that was left of Mikey and me were my memories. 

I knew even back then that memories can fade with time....and all that was left was the smell of smoke.

I still cry when I hear this song. I cry for Mikey and the forgotten memories. I cry for her family. I cry for a life that she never had. This song will stay with me until the day I die. I still miss Mikey, and I still smell the smoke. 

2. Weezer - "Say it Ain't So"

"Say it Ain't So" might be one of the greatest rock songs ever written. I know that's quite a bold statement, but it's my blog and my list...what are you going to do about it?  It all starts with that iconic opening riff, building from the bouncy verses to the crescendo of the glorious chorus, only to be topped by the bridge that spills into this massive, dueling guitar solo. If you haven't heard this song in a long time, give it a listen, but it can feel like you're being seduced....it takes the listener on a heck of a journey. 

It almost seems too perfect to have been written by a human. It's as if the Rock Gods had dictated the song directly into Rivers Cuomo's head to be shared with the masses. 

This song symbolizes 1995. I was graduating from high school and beginning college. I had hated high school until suddenly I had loved it. My senior year had been the best year of my life.  I had a few friends, and now suddenly I had a ton of friends. This was a time of possibility and hope. The world seemed to be unfolding in front of me. The soundtrack of my life in 1995 was Weezer's Blue Album. 

I would listen to "Say it Ain't So" on my stereo at home, singing and belting it out as loud as I could. It was a cathartic release. I couldn't relate to the song's focus on having a stepdad who I was worried was becoming an alcoholic, but the song channeled what anxieties I did have into pure rock release. 

Upon reflection, this song may be too high on the list. I tried to be as objective as possible in the creation of this list, but this song (and album) meant too much to me. It was always going to be in the top five, and I knew it. This song and album helped me navigate the waters of 1995. When I hear it, I still hear the exuberance and hope of my lost youth. 

Occasionally, the song will pop up on my massive '90s playlist on Spotify. If the mood and timing are right, I will indulge myself and begin to belt it out, as loud as I can. Being old can suck but at least I can still get some catherisis out of an old favorite.  

 As much as I hate Weezer (and love them), I still owe them one. 

Thanks, Rivers.  

1. Sloan - "I Can Feel It"

At the end of the list of songs full of forlorn love, mystery, and angst, is the song that this list had to end with, because this is the song that was playing when I proposed to my wife.

Both K and I had already experienced plenty of heartache ("She came runnin', I hate everything that came before me"). K was my best friend, so I think there was a feeling that maybe this new relationship was a little "too good to be true". Could a relationship feel this good, devoid of drama, agendas, time tables, and games? To feel surety for the first time was, ironically, a bit disconcerting.  Everything that had come before couldn't match what we were feeling. We chose to trust it, and despite the tragedies, setbacks, fights, and struggles, we continue to trust that first feeling we had in the late winter of 2001.  

This duet isn't just about falling in love; it's about trusting that feeling, despite "breaking under the crush". 

At some point, when we were dating, this became one of "our songs". In October 2002, I drove eight hours to Baton Rouge. I snuck into her house (with her roommate's permission, of course). I littered the ground with rose petals all the way to her room, and I had "I Can Feel It" playing on the stereo. 

When "I Can Feel It" comes on and we're both in the car, we both sing together in harmony. She still has a thing for me, and I have a thing for her too. Thank God.  

3 More Underrated 90's Albums

We live in the first quarter of the 21st century and as a consumer of pop culture, it's a little overwhelming with all the choices that we face. There are simply too many great books, films and albums that you will be bound to miss given the sheer amount of stuff out there and the limits of a human being. 

So on this little blog, I've created a little series about some of my favorite alt/indie albums that were underrated, or little-known 90's albums. Maybe I can introduce you to a gem you will enjoy. 

Old 97's - Fight Songs (1999) 

I didn't discover this album until well after 1999.....more like in the summer of 2022. After an 8 week obsession this summer,  I can easily state this is a stone-cold indie classic from the 90s and I know I will be coming back to it in the future. 

2001's Satellite Rides was the first Old 97's album I listened to and it was probably my favorite album of 2001, so why I didn't check out the back half of the Old 97's discography is beyond me. I chalk it up to just being overwhelmed with so much music to listen to. I have been exploring and discovering 90's music for decades and there's always one more indie song or band I haven't heard of (or forgotten about) and it blows me away!   

The Old 97's are considered alt-country and I guess that's a good description but if you enjoy quality pop songwriting, this is for you. They have a unique sound that straddles power-pop and alt-country. Most songs are about being lovesick, heartbroken and a fatalistic acceptance of what has been and what will be. Despite the lyrics, the album will just make you feel happy and most songs on this album are ear-worms. Whatever song your listening session ended on in your head for the next hour. It's great song after great song.  

I could see a listener thinking this album is a little too "samey". But honestly, you could say that about 98.5% of albums in creation. This is a perfect album to wistfully sing along to in the car or happily sing along with as you run errands, fold the laundry, etc. This album would also be great background music to listen to as you talk with some friends at a picnic table with a few beers on a summer evening. I don't know, just listen to it and you decide what it's perfect for. 

Standout Tracks: "Jagged", "Lonely Holiday", "Indefinitely", "What We Talk About", "Murder (Or a Heart Attack)", "Busted Afternoon", "19". 

Matthew Sweet - 100% Fun (1995)

100% Fun is one of those albums I had read about in music magazines, saw in the discount bins but just never picked it up in the 90s...and for that,  I am sorry. I should have spread the Matthew Sweet gospel in the 90s. 100% Fun feels like the 90s distilled in a bottle of fizzy, sweet soda pop. 

Like Fight Songs,  I just discovered this album quite late, in fact this past fall and I fell in love with it. If you're looking for another stroll towards the goodness of power pop from the 90s, you'll find a lot to like here. You might want to check your pulse if you aren't bobbing your head up and down to this album. Of course this album features the alt-classic, "Sick of Myself", the Beach Boy harmonies at the end of "Not When I Need It" to the R.E.M.-like verses of "We're the Same".....and that's all in the first three tracks!! 

If you're looking for a rock and roll album that will make you want to forget about your problems and make you feel good about life, check this album out. 

Standout Tracks: "Sick of Myself", "Not When I Need It", "We're the Same", "Everything Changes", "Come to Love", "Walk Out" 

Travis - The Man Who (1999) 

Unlike the other two albums, I discovered this album, somewhat near it's original release date.  I had discovered 2001's Invisible Band in 2001, so I picked up The Man Who shortly thereafter. 

The Man Who is a Brit-pop album and you'll know what I mean as soon as you hear the first track. A lot of people think Travis is a lesser version of the 90s incarnations of Oasis & Radiohead and yeah, well....that pretty much nails it. They are less talented, less sophisticated and less ambitious but is that necessarily a bad thing? It's catchy Brit pop, so what, can't I just enjoy a simple cheese burger sometimes? 

This album is great for cloudy, cold days.  Sure, maybe the album cover is hinting at this but there's something definitely something sad and wistful on this album that makes you feel like staying inside all day, away from the cold. It's not the best album you'll ever hear, but these posts are all about under-rated albums, check it out if you need a dose of Brit-pop.  

Standout Tracks: "Writing to Reach You", "Driftwood", "Turn" "Why Does it Always Rain on Me?

Chillin' & Vibin' Fragments

It's been a while, amigos. Here are the latest and greatest fragments. 

I am back on campus after a year and a half of being away. Weird feelings but I am glad to be back. Most students are masking up and the positivity rate is on the downward trend where I am at. Good to see people. I am still doing a Zoom class, and I am doing two more in the spring. I think they will be a fixture from here on out. 

I started writing my fantasy/YA novel again, I had to stop as I am working on an important project at work that involved writing but I was really going at it for about six weeks. Tons of progress and I feel good about starting up again. It's a solid idea, the question is the execution and my talent (which, I wouldn't bet on). I am hopeless it will ever be published but I am ready to fight the good fight to try to finish it and see how I feel about it once I am done. 

The weather is finally changing and I am so happy about it. Even if the afternoons are a little warm (sometimes not even hot), the mornings and evenings have been so nice. At the football game last week, it was downright perfect. 

I think I said I was going to post some pics from our vakay but I dunno, man, too much effort. 

I made a list, but this time it was a playlist

Long-time readers (um, just kidding)...I love lists so when my daughter got Spotify it was only a matter of time, when I would craft the mother-of-all 90's playlists. 

So far it's well over 1,200 songs. I like it, so maybe you will too. My taste would be described as indie/college/alternative rock. With some mainstream rock and pop hits thrown in with some weird stuff because you just can't do a 90's list without "Waterfalls" from TLC,  nor the Kids in the Hall theme song nor a cover of the Moon theme from the DuckTales NES game. 

Ya just can't I tell ya. 

It was fun to build, I would add songs that pop in my head, album by album or by searching through the recommended list and unearthing treasures that I would have played on our Paba Free radio show on our college radio station had I known they existed. 

It was quite a nostalgic trip, I recommend it for any and all old people to do for the particular era they grew up in.  I would spend just an hour scrolling through the 90's. It was lovely. 

I don't think I am completely done with the list...it will likely top out over 1,300 when it's all said and done. Although my guess is, new discoveries await....

 I was blown away by including The Grays (their entire output), Velocity Girl (a bunch of songs) and "Drown" by Sonvolt. 

 

Really surprised how much I love the first Counting Crows album and how many good songs the Gin Blossoms had. 

Yeah, I really am getting lame in my old age. 

FAM Fragments 

C is playing every week in the marching band. It feels like she's burning the candle from both ends but the season can't last forever. She took to the Tuba because they needed Tuba players (she's usually a flute player)...what a leader. She's bringing over the boy she's been talking to this Friday to dinner. Oh boy, yeah, it's happening. I hope he's nervous. 

E is going to ballet what feels like every night but it's only three nights a week. She's growing up more and more each day and it kinda makes me sad. 7th grade is the time you really see them change. She's still a unique person but I am interested to see her in a few more years when she cares less about what people think (having a weird dad will help). 

H is doing great in the 4th grade and we just went camping a few weeks ago with the scouts. The other day he told me he had to write about three people he admired and he picked MLK, Abraham Lincoln and me. 

Wow. just wow. I was honored and it made my day. 

K (the wife) is keeping busy as usual but she was able to go out for a ladies' weekend and I was happy we didn't burn the house down and she had a great time.  

I have enjoyed cooking again, trying my hand at some grilling...trying out some delicious Penang Pork Satay (success) and the even better Ping Gai chicken. I tried out a Toad in a Hole and that also turned out pretty great too (at least the wife was impressed with my bread). I can't recommend Food Wishes channel on YT enough. Chef John, you make me so happy. 

I just have to say I love life. It's not always hearts and flowers, E and H fight or I worry about the van breaking down but I have so much to be thankful for and it feels great to just be here for the ride. Whomever you are and wherever you find yourself, I hope you're doing okay and hanging there too. 

Until next time folks, don't forget to take the trash out and take that extra umbrella with you in the car, just in case. 

Breakfast Taco Fragments

Holy smokes, it's almost my birthday and I haven't posted in a while. I live in South-Central Texas and it's a shame that it's isn't known as the Taco Mecca of the world...because it is. 

There are many reasons to despise living in Texas. The heat, the stupid and pointless Texas "pride", the politics, etc., etc. but one of the wonderful things about living in this neck of the woods of Texas is the ubiquitous nature of tacos; and the star of the taco show, to me, must be breakfast tacos. (that's a lot of commas in a sentence....I might have broken a record).  I think in the past 20 years or so, the rest of the nation is starting to catch on to the fact that beakfast tacos really are one of the best things on earth.

If I am trying a new place, I gotta try a bean and cheese, it's how I judge a taco place. It's how I roll. It's also my favorite taco. 

Here are my favorite breakfast tacos: 

1. Bean & Cheese (this is a little like saying the Beatles are your favorite band so shut your filthy mouth). 

2. Bacon & Egg 

3. Potato, Egg & Cheese

4. Papas Ranchera

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My wife is a pico girl but I can be a little all over the place, I am very flexible when it comes to salsa. If a roasted salsa is available, I'll usually go for that but a fresh red salsa is fine too and a hot green salsa can never do me wrong either.  I have been absolutely obsessed with Cholula sauce of late....but I'll use anything in a pinch and it's a cardinal sin to judge someone's salsa or hot sauce preference in my estimation. It's very personal. 

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The pandemic made me miss a ton of things from work, but one of the small pleasures of work was coming into the office kitchen and catching free donuts or tacos that someone had been nice enough to bring in.  You knew your day was off to the right start, especially if I had been in too big of a rush to eat anything before leaving for work. Ahhh...the old days....

Here are TWO taco stories (two for one).  

It was the late 90's and it was late at night. I was at a place called Chacho's. It has always been overrated but the late 90's was their heyday. Somewhere, my wife has a photo of me with a tortilla on my face (with holes cut out for my eyes) at Chacho's (this was before we were dating, so it's pretty incredible she ever wanted to date me after this happened). Anyway, this was a different time from that, and  I was hanging with my buddies. I don't remember who was all there but it was likely the usual suspects. We might have been drinking or coming from a bar. Chacho's had a jukebox and one of us got an idea. An awful, evil idea. (hat tip to the Grinch). 

This was also the heyday of the "Macarena". It was everywhere. I mean freaking everywhere. It was at the point where it was almost a joke when it came on and most people were "over" the song. Well, our idea was to purchase the song at least 10 times and just leave the restaurant, leaving the other patrons to suffer. I honestly don't remember how many times we bought the song but it was a lot. Some could say it was cruel, it still makes me laugh, imagining how people reacted. 

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This story was sometime post-2000....I believe it was my friend Phillip, Toby and Jeff. We all went out to a dancing club. I remember making eyes at a  girl but we didn't dance, I was too chicken to ask.  It was one of those fancy clubs, where I always feel out of place and they made you have your shirt tucked in.  Anyway, Phil said we JUST HAD TO TRY this incredible hole-in-the-wall restaurant for tacos afterward. 

You see, here in South Texas, if you're out late at night dancing and/or drinking, the proper way to close out the evening is with tacos (many of which will be breakfast tacos). It's not required but it's pretty much standard procedure, an expectation to be sure. So, we get to this tiny little place called Los Brazos. It must have been at least 1:00 or 1:30 AM when we arrived. The restaurant was indeed tiny, it had room for maybe, five or six tables. Easily, the smallest restaurant I have ever been to. I was impressed but then again, I was also probably drunk. Anyway, we were all perusing the menu when something terrifying occurred. I looked down to find that a cockroach had crawled from my leg into my lap. I panicked. I immediately jumped up and I used the menu to hit the roach off my lap while yelling, "Oh, Shit!" The roach scurried off in the direction of the kitchen. We should have definitely left the restaurant as we hadn't ordered but we were kinda drunk so we all laughed and ordered our tacos anyway. 

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Anyway, I am set to get some tacos for my birthday in the morning. It will hit just right. So, go on, go get some breakfast tacos or at least go make some and text an old friend you haven't talked to in a long time, you probably won't regret it. 

K-Mart Radio Network Mix CD

A few years ago, I discovered a tracklist of a mixtape I had made back in the '90s. It inspired me to wax nostalgic on the value of mix-tapes but it also inspired me to go back and find more tracklists in scattered notebooks or on the tapes or CDs themselves (here and another CD here).

This summer I realized I had forgotten about an important mix CD I had made in the late '90s My K-Mart Radio Network Mix CD!

This image just screams 90's to me. You have to admire the effort here, go on, admire it with me. By the way, although a second volume was planned I never got around to it.

This CD demands a little more explanation. My first job was at the neighborhood K-Mart because my friend Philip worked there.  I worked there from December 1994 through January 1995. I had to briefly quit as I was planning on being in the school musical and wanted to enjoy the last of my senior year. One of the mangers was nice enough to hire me back in June 1995, I kept the job until June 1997.  It was a long two years. 

The pay and management were horrible but my friends made it worthwhile (as Philip got most of our friend's there a job at some point).  At any given point while working there, there was a good chance I had a friend clocked in when I was there. Soon enough, I got to know more people and it was its own little community. Although we had much to complain about at the time, it really was a perfect "first job". I have many great memories of those days.  I can still smell the place in my head. I'm surprised I have never written "K-Mart Fragments" but it's due to happen one of these days....

I started as a checker and ended up working at almost every department, at least a few times. I spent some time at Service Desk (which was stressful and overall awful) but mainly I spent my time in Lay-A-Way. That was the sweetest gig at K-Mart because it was in the back of the store, surrounded by hardware and auto accessories. Basically, you could hide back there. We might get busy on Saturdays or for an hour or so, but otherwise, there was plenty of time to relax. I could grab a video game magazine and read it in the back or study for an exam and no one would be the wiser. 

No matter where you worked though you could not escape the "K-Mart Radio Network" that played while the store was open (I always found the store to be eerily quiet once we closed). 

In between store promos and announcements, the "network" played classic '60s tunes including rock and Mo-Town. There was also a heavy dash of '70s R-n-B and pop-folk with good dose of '70s and '80's adult contemporary songs.

In the beginning, my friends and I complained about the "lame" music....but after being forced to hear these songs over and over AND over again, our attitude began to change.  I don't want to dramatize this but the K-Mart Radio network forced me to re-evaluate my snotty 19-year-old attitude towards music that wasn't '90's alt-rock. It got me to admit that maybe I didn't know it all, it challenged me to have more of an open mind to music than I did before. 

This was in the infancy of the internet, it wasn't that easy to figure out the artists or song titles. Googling song lyrics didn't even occur to us because Google didn't exist yet. Over the next two years, my old buddy Philip and I would track down the songs and purchase entire CD's often to get to just one song. 

Honestly, I think Philip picked up the vast majority of them, he would usually surprise me by playing a new CD in his car when we were out cruising around town. Once we had compiled numerous CD's it was just a matter of time before this puppy came along. 

Here was my mix CD of the K-Mart Radio Network, Vol. I. 

1. Doobie Brothers - "Without Love"
2. BJ Thomas - "Hooked on a Feeling"

3. The Buckinghams - "Kind of a Drag"

4. Paul McCartney - "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey"

 5. The Spinners - "I'll be around"
6. Eric Clapton - "Layla"
7. The Chi-Lites - "Have You Seen Her?"
8. Madonna - "Borderline"
9. Beatles -"Lonely People"
10. Peaches & Herb - "Reunited" 
11. Neil Diamond - "Sweet Caroline"
12. Chicago - "Saturday in the Park"
13. Stylistics - "Betcha By Golly Wow" 

14. Chi-Lites - "I'm gonna make you love me"
15. Simon & Garfunkel - "El Condor Pasa" 
16. Roy Orbison - "Pretty Woman"
17. Prince - "Raspberry Beret"
18. Peter Frampton - "Baby I Love Your Way"
19. Buffalo Springfield - "For What It's Worth"

I would be happy to make a playlist for you but I know the odds of someone listening to it is between slim and none. So, get YT or Spotify and look up some of these oldies. They won't let ya down. 

It's true you can never really go back home again.  The old K-Mart shut down in the '00s and I've lost contact with most everyone that was at the store. I found one of our friends back in the early days of FB but I don't think he posts much and besides, I deactivated my account awhile back too. 

To be honest,  I haven't really talked with Phil in over four years (Phil, are you there, man? I miss ya).  I'll never see that K-Mart community together again and that makes me a bit sad. I know annoying Chris passed away in a car accident in the early '00s and I am sure some of those older folks have passed away too (old Marvin in gardening and the ancient German lady who smoked like a chimney, Heidi). I would pay good money to go back to re-live a few hours working at K-Mart. Time is like that, your brain can take you back in a flash. Geez, I'm getting old.  

At least I still have the music to help me reminisce and remember...and now you do too. 

4 More Underrated 90's Albums

Last summer I wrote a post about six underrated albums from the 90's and I'm back with four more underrated 90's gems.  I suppose this is a series now, so look for another few of these underrated 90's album blog posts in the future. 

The point is, I love 90's music and so should you. 

Sloan - Twice Removed (1994)

Sloan made my list of underrated albums last summer with its masterpiece, One Chord To Another. While Twice Removed is less well-known than OCTA, it should be considered an indie classic. If you enjoy 90's rock n' roll with beautiful melodies that will stay stuck in your head for the rest of your life, then I recommend this album.  There's a neat degree of diversity on this album, from fun rockers, "Penpals", "I Hate My Generation" and "Deeper than your Beauty", to mid-tempo rockers, "People of the Sky" and "Worried Now"; along with forlorn love songs that still take me back to my own heartaches and longings ("Bells On" and "Loosens"). For many years, this album was my therapy. The song I proposed to my wife is no other than "I Can Feel It". This album is so underrated, even I underrate it when I haven't listened to it in a while. From back to front, it's a great album. I love it, please give this album a shot. 

Standout Tracks for the Lazy: "I Can Feel It", "I Hate My Generation", "Loosens", "Bells On" 

Frank Black & The Catholics - S/T (1998)

 

There's something wonderfully weird when Frank Black isn't writing with the Pixies. It doesn't always mean success either, for every gem on Teenager of the Year, there are two more clunkers (although I do love "Speedy Marie" more than I can put into words). In my next "Underrated 90's Albums" blog series, I may get into The Cult of Ray, which is also good...but this self-titled album of Frank Black and the Catholics is just the bee's knees. It's rollicking and rolling and you will be sure to have your head bopping to every track. It's an all-time great cathartic sing-along album in the car on a warm summer night.

Famously, the band had sent a demo tape to a producer and the producer said, "you're already done...there's no need to record this in the studio"...and boom, just like that the album came into existence. There's is definitely a live feel for this album, it's a little messy but it makes for an endearing experience. It's one rocker after another (with "Dog Gone" being the exception) often the lyrics blend mythical creatures, biblical imagery and a mishmash of world geography and history. For all the uptempo rockers here, there's an underlying sadness and quiet anger in the songs. 

Standout Tracks for the Lazy: "All My Ghosts", "Do You Feel Bad About It", "Dog Gone" "I Gotta Move"

For Squirrels - Example (1995)

 

 

If you're not familiar with the story of For Squirrels, it's a sad tale of tragedy and unfulfilled promise.  Two of the four band members died in an accident while on tour for their first major-label debut album. I just can't divorce my mind from this tragedy when I listen to this album. Ironically, their single "Mighty K.C." exemplifies the album. The song was about the death of Kurt Cobain. It's got this classic 90's alt-rock verse (that are frankly nothing to write home about), builds to an okay pre-chorus and then....it hits you will this sugary pop chorus that is amazing. Given what happened to the band, I think it's best you listen to the chorus for yourself, but it might very well bring tears to your eyes.  The album has a classic (one might say "typical") 90's alternative rock album sound and I don't mean that in a bad way. Some songs haven't aged as well ("Superstar" and "Stark Pretty") but many songs have only gotten better with age, especially the more REM-influenced tracks like "Smithville" and "Orangeworker". It's a solid all-around album. This album won't crack your top 30 albums of all-time but it's a solid album. If you like 90's rock with a dash of REM, go for it. 

Standout Tracks for the Lazy: "Smithville", "Mighty K.C.", "8:02 AM", "Orangeworker"

Fig Dish - That's What Love Songs Often Do (1995)

   

 Just search for the full YT playlist, this is only "Lemonader".

 If you're looking for that classic, loud-soft-loud 90's power-pop sound, then I've got an album for you. I was first introduced to this album from my radio show in college. We regularly played "Seeds" and "Chew Toy" off the album but in the years that followed, I admit I forgot this band existed. Sometime in the mid-aughts I was reflecting on the old show and I remembered this album and purchased it online. It's a bit like if Jawbreaker and Fountains of Wayne had a baby - it's heavy, catchy and an all-around great rock album that delivers sardonic delivery and romantic lyrics. The Chicago-based band only released two albums but I found the other album didn't capture my attention quite like this one. If you're a fan of "power pop" in the truest sense of the term, check it out. 

Standout Tracks: "Weak and Mean", "Seeds", "Chew Toy" "Quiet Storm King", "Lemonader" 

I'll be back in a few months with EVEN MORE underrated albums from the 90's. Until then, stay safe, stay cool and next time you're at the store get yourself an ice cream treat.

Nirvana: Best/Worst/Favorite/Overrated/Underrated - Album by Album

 Hello All,

I started a new series reviewing some of my favorite artist's discography. Last time I did the Beatles and that was really fun, so I'm back to revel in my own self-righteous opinions. This time I'm covering another big favorite of mine...Nirvana.

 As always, here's my overly-detailed definitions of terms:

Best - this is obvious, what I think is the best track on the album in terms of composition and what it sets out to do.

Worst - also obvious, although, this definitely has more bias in it than "Best".

Overrated/Underrated - As I typically don't talk to people about the Nirvana nor am I reading much about them these days...so, this is just a general, what I think others think. Also, the Underrated category acts as another way for me to shoe horn one my favorites into the list.  Finally, if I place a song in the overrated category, it doesn't mean it's a bad song, it just means it's overrated. No more, no less.

Favorite - My personal favorite, not always the best track but the one I connected with the most or have a special memory associated with.

Bleach

Best: "About a Girl"
Worst: "Paper Cuts" 
Favorite: "About a Girl"/"Love Buzz"
Overrated: "About a Girl"
Underrated: "Love Buzz"/"Blew"

Nevermind

Best: "In Bloom"/"Drain You" (this was tough, this album has so many near perfect gems)
Worst: "Stay Away"
Favorite: "In Bloom"
Overrated: There's the obvious choice, and that that would be correct but I'm going to go with every beginning guitar player's go-to "Come As You Are" (and for the record I love this song)
Underrated: "On a Plain"

Hormoaning

Included because, hey, why not? Let's do an unnecessary deep dive on a EP that was only regionally released and consists of mainly cover songs?

Best: "Aneurysm" (such a cool tune)
Worst: "Even in His Youth" (and this is a decent track too)
Favorite: "Turnaround" (maybe my favorite cover of any song by any band)
Overrated: "Aneurysm" (just here because it has to be the only song the general public knows about) but this was
Underrated:Everything except "Aneurysm" but I guess "D-7"

Incesticide

Best: "Aneurysm" (well, this is awkward but yeah, it fits the bill again)
Worst: "Big Long Now" (yawn)
Favorite: "Turnaround" (again, it's here but it's that good) & "Son of a Gun"
Overrated: "Sliver" (I still love it)
Underrated:"Beeswax"

In Utero

Best: "Heart Shaped Box"
Worst: "tourette's" (it ain't that bad either)
Favorite: "All Apologies"/"Dumb"/the first 30 seconds of"Scentless Apprentice"
Overrated:"Rape Me"
Underrated: "Very Ape" and "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter"


Unplugged in NYC

Best:"Where Did You Sleep Last Night?"
Worst: "Pennyroyal Tea" (ok sorry, it's not the greatest but if you've heard the rehearsal footage with Pat Smear trying to sing backup vocals, this is X1000 better...it's like they were too afraid to tell him he was off key).
Favorite:"Man Who Sold the World"
Overrated: "Pennyroyal Tea"(gotta pick something)
Underrated: "Oh Me"

From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah

I don't wanna do this album. It's a fine compilation of live tracks, I mean it's good but I don't listen to it much anymore. Off the top of my head, my personal faves are "School", "Spank Thru" and of course, you guessed it, "Aneurysm"

With the Lights Out - Box Set 
After pining after a box for almost a decade, the box set finally came out and by then, I was not the hardcore Nirvana fan I used to be. I couldn't really justify spending hundreds of dollars on the set and the "Best of" set I had already heard 90% of it on bootlegs. So, suffice to say, I don't have a list of either. I'm tired and can't list anymore Nirvana songs this late either!

Six Underrated Albums From the Late 1990's

I was going to write an intro about how awesome the 90's were but then I realized all I want to do is write about some underrated late 90's albums. I don't need write a pointless introduction on a blog post maybe no one will ever read!

So, in no particular order, here's six underrated (or unknown) late 90's albums. There are more out there...so maybe one day a sequel is in order (you know the drill, don't hold your breath).


The Pulsars - S/T - 1997




Have you ever wondered what would happen if someone dropped an near perfect pop album in a time when the style just didn't fit the times?  This album fits the bill.

Because The Pulsars didn't sound like anything at the time, it was probably doomed to fail.  And fail it did, as hardly anyone knew this album existed at the time of its release but it's something of a cult hit among indie rock/alt rock fans today (or cool people like me, I have no idea how to label this music anymore).

The song writing is timeless but the sound is time bound (and that's a good thing), you'll know what I mean when you listen to it.  The Pulsars album is all about the future - electric beeps and bops, countdowns and songs that usually feature synths and keyboards. Most songs are focused on the future as well; technology, pet robots, silicon teens, and of course, love. The lyrics are are charming and fun with a dash of paranoia and melancholia. The album reminds me of a darker and weirder  Fountains of Wayne and just like a Fountains of Wayne album, you'll be singing along with the songs before they finish. When I first heard this album about 5 years ago I couldn't believe I hadn't discovered it by now.

Now, it's your turn. You're welcome.

Standout tracks for the lazy: Tunnel Song, Suffocation, My Pet Robot, Submission Song 



Sloan - One Chord To Another (1996) 




If there's any band that did the Beatles better than the Beatles, it's Sloan on One Chord To Another. I am not writing that lightly....it's that good.

It might be the most self-aware rock album that I know of (from the faux-live concert track to various song titles and themes including "G Turns to D" and "A Side Wins") this is the equivalent of breaking the fourth wall during a movie. It can be off-putting if not done well, but it works here.

Just because it's self-aware doesn't mean it doesn't have heart. It's got that in spades.  It's a perfect album for the college years or for times of figuring things out. I am a little biased because this album was there for me during college.  I discovered the album as a DJ at my college station and I loved it so much, I stole it. Yeah, I stole it and I am not that sorry about it (okay, so I do actually feel a little bad about it).  I just couldn't imagine my life without it and this is before I felt safe buying anything on the internet yet and this album wasn't at any store I had seen.

Many songs are about figuring out who you are, figuring out who other people who you love are and about experiencing the forlorn nature of love and life. This is easily the album on this list I am most personally connected to. Most songs on this album draw me back to particular people, times or feelings. One of my favorite albums of all time.

If you're bored of Beatles albums you've heard a million times and want to hear a band at their peak, check it out. 

Standout tracks for the lazy: The Good In Everyone, Autobiography, Everything You've Done Wrong, The Lines You Amend


of Montreal - Cherry Peel (1997)




I am embarrassed to say I only discovered this album for the first time last year. I can say I would have pretty much worshiped this album in the 90's if I had only know it existed. Even all these years later (and me being an old man) it's rocketed into maybe, just maybe into my top ten albums of all time.

Cherry Peel is a lo-fi rock masterpiece that's all about unrequited love....if you're in love with someone and they don't know it, you need to pick this up ASAP.   It's weird, catchy, acoustic-indie pop with clever, sometimes bizarre lyrics and songs. It will charm you and make you feel young again.

Standout Tracks for the Lazy: Tracks 2-6: Baby, I Can't Stop Your Memory, When You're Loved Like You Are, Don't Ask Me To Explain, In Dreams I Dance With You

 Superdrag - Head Trip in Every Key (1998) 

No full album link is available, but this is the first track and it's outstanding. 

John Davis might be a genius and I think Head Trip in Every Key might be his peak achievement. Maybe I just love this album and I'm not sure I can be objective about it. It's not a perfect album by any means, but it more than makes up for its middling middle-act. This album feels like a realization of what "alternative rock" could achieve; "Mr. Underground" is a welcome re-hashing of classic rock riffs while "Shuck & Jive" blends punk with a Beach Boys' bridge. "Shuck & Jive" uses a similar (the same?)  riff to Nirvana's "Stain" and crafts a much better song than Cobain did with that riff.

With it's pulsating, driving songs, you'll be pounding on a desk or whatever else is nearby playing the drums along with songs like "Hellbent"  and "Sold You An Alibi". This album is about a relationship falling apart that hasn't yet met it's end. How do you end something you don't know how to end?  If you like your rock a little more straight ahead, check it out.

Standout Tracks for the Lazy: I'm Expanding My Mind, Hellbent. Pine Away (a personal favorite that is objectively not as strong as the other tracks listed here), Shuck & Jive


The Apples in Stereo - Tone Soul Evolution (1997)



My second Elephant Six Collective offering on this list (the other is of Montreal). This album was my introduction to the AIS in 1997. I was taken aback and didn't quite know what to make of them at first but I loved "You Said That Last Night" and played it on our radio show, The Paba Free Show.  Tone Soul Evolution is a perfect balance between AIS' early work (Fun Trick Noisemaker) and later, somewhat over-the-top pop work (which I still like). If you're unfamiliar with the AIS, it's like if the Beach Boys were blended with indie rock from the 90's.

It's a perfect album for summer night drives or listening by the pool side. It's light,fun and you'll be bobbing your head. Beautiful back-up vocals, melodies and guitar work are abound. A rare album that just makes you feel good for being alive just to hear it.

If you want to listen to something fun with beautiful melodies....give it a spin.

Standout Tracks for the Lazy: Heard About Your Fame, Silver Chain, Tin Pan Alley, You Said That Last Night

Spoon - A Series of Sneaks (1997)

 There is no full-album link of Youtube, but you'll find the playlist if you search for it. Instead, here's the best song (which is technically on the deluxe version). 

Not Spoon's first album, but their first minor splash in the big music world. If you love modern Spoon, let me warn you, this is baby Spoon, taking it's first steps. It's more straight-ahead, punk and rock than the later, angular, more mature Spoon. A Series of Sneaks is one banger after another (four songs are under 3:05 and two are under one minute). That said, many songs show the promise of Britt Daniels finding himself as an artist and songwriter. I am partial to the punk-infused "Execution" (with a whistling bridge, no less) and later my personal favorite on the standard album, the lo-fi, chill, gem-of-a-song, "Metal Detektor".

Honestly, this album is a little all over the place. Yes, there are some good songs but there's some clunkers as well. Your mileage may vary...but if you're a Spoon fan or a 90's music fan, it's worth a listen. As with any Spoon album, much of the songs brilliance come from the lyrics. There's an obvious mystery and vagueness to each song that makes the album fun for the listener to find their own connections and meanings with. Not to say there's not some obvious references to the music industry...which brings me to the real reason you should listen to this album (on the deluxe album) the beautiful and amazing bonus tracks, "Laffitte Don't Fail Me Now" and "The Agony of Laffitee". Both songs were recorded in response to the failure of the label to support the band...and both are acoustic-based, beautiful pop creations ("Agony" is a masterpiece) if you listen to these songs, you'll know what kind of music I love.

Standout Tracks for the Lazy: Execution, Metal Detektor, Car Radio, Advance Cassette, Laffitte Don't Fail Me Know, The Agony of Laffitee

The idea that maybe, just maybe, by the tiniest of chances, someone might discover one of these albums because of me makes me happy. What can I say? This freaking blog has "hopeful" in it's title! Happy listening folks!