Best of 1994 (so far)

Domingo 1 Jul 2012, 21h:23

Best year of the decade.

1. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain http://cdn.zmemusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/crooked-rain-crooked-rain-by-pavement_mll1cgkoq7sx_full.jpg
Pavement may still be messy, but it's a meaningful, musical messiness from the performance to the production: listen to how "Silence Kit" begins by falling into place with its layers of fuzz guitars, wah wahs, cowbells, thumping bass, and drum fills, how what initially seems random gives way into a lush Californian pop song. That's Crooked Rain a nutshell – what initially seems chaotic has purpose, leading listeners into the bittersweet heart and impish humor at the core of the album. Many bands attempted to replicate the sound or the vibe of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, but they never came close to the quicksilver shifts in music and emotion that give this album such lasting appeal. Here, Pavement follow the heartbroken ballad "Stop Breathin'" with the wry, hooky alt-rock hit "Cut Your Hair" without missing a beat. They throw out a jazzy Dave Brubeck tribute in "5-4=Unity" as easily as they mimic the Fall and mock the Happy Mondays on "Hit the Plane Down." By drawing on so many different influences, Pavement discovered its own distinctive voice as a band on Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, creating a vibrant, dynamic, emotionally resonant album that stands as a touchstone of underground rock in the '90s and one of the great albums of its decade.

2. Ween - Chocolate & Cheese
http://www.mralancooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ween-chocolate-cheese1.jpg
What Smeargle is to Pokémon, Ween are to contemporary rock music. They Sketch everything. The problem is they're weird, which means that it's pretty easy to ignore them, or to not listen to them properly.
That being said, one listen to Chocolate and Cheese should convince anyone who has reservations, that these guys have the goods. One amazing song after another, each completely self-contained and unique, make this is a kaleidoscopically rich and rewarding experience. "Spinal Meningitis" may be the creepiest song ever commited to tape, "A Tear for Eddie" is unexpectedly sublime, "Baby Bitch" sounds like a polished psychedelic nugget from 1967, "Voodoo Lady" is pure 70's funk astonishing in its mastery of style, and "Buenas Tardes Amigo" is a rolling outlaw ballad, complete with tex-mex accents and an outstadingly engrossing story of revenge and guilt, with a twist ending. Every single fucking song on this damn album is in its own way a wonderful, hilarious homage to a style of music. That they do it while retaining a sense of humour and satire (which can somewhat be seen as something rude or insulting) is the cherry on the top.

3. The Divine Comedy - Promenade
http://cdn.7static.com/static/img/sleeveart/00/000/376/0000037626_350.jpg

4. Pulp - His 'n' Hers
http://www.live4ever.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/PULP.jpg

5. Stereolab - Mars Audiac Quintet
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f6/Marsaudiacquintet.jpg/220px-Marsaudiacquintet.jpg

6. Blumfeld - L'etat et moi
http://img3.imagebanana.com/img/0nxvioyg/BinaryCacheServletalbumid1154091879502da

7. Blur - Parklife
http://www.stolliclothing.co.uk/prodimages/Blur%20-%20Parklife.jpg

8. Nas - Illmatic
http://www.soundstagedirect.com/media/nas_illmatic_pv.jpg

9. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r0ndHEnI32o/TWfRO1oACbI/AAAAAAAAAJU/WvOdHVyP0PY/s1600/weezer.jpg

10. Portishead - Dummy
http://www.benjaminrolfe.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Dummy-portishead.jpg

11. Beck - Mellow Gold
http://thesunbehindmyback.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/beck_-_mellow_gold_-_front.jpg

12. Oasis - Definitely Maybe
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/zanelowe/album-definitely-maybe.jpg

13. Sonic Youth - Experimental Jet Set, Trash & No Star
http://img.noiset.com/images/album/sonic-youth-experimental-jet-set-trash-and-no-star-album-cover-577.jpeg

14. Jeff Buckley - Grace
http://cornellsun.com/files/images/Pg%2017%20Arts%20grace_2.jpg