Alright, here's part two of my 1994 album deep dive where picks 16-20 will be revealed. Overall, I was rather disappointed with the quality of Britpop albums in 1994, but I managed to get a handful in the top 25. Two of them are in this group.
20. Seal - Seal ( 4.5 Stars )
Back in the day, I listened to this CD all of the time. "Kiss From a Rose" was huge and it was one of my favorite songs. I hadn't listened to Seal in probably 20 years and wondered how it would hold up today. Well, it's still great. His voice is so distinctive. Smooth, but powerful. The vibe on all of these songs is laid back. "Bring It On" is a fantastic opener with slinky bass and Seal's unique vocal delivery. "People Asking Why" has some nice, jazzy piano and great lyrics. And really there is no denying "Kiss From a Rose". I love how it builds to that chorus.
19. Veruca Salt - American Thighs ( 4.5 Stars )
It was love at first listen when I heard "Seether". Veruca Salt was the whole package. The looks, the guitars, the lyrics. I'm a sucker for when Nina and Louise sing together. This whole album is excellent, as is their follow-up Eight Arms to Hold You, which featured "Volcano Girls". The Seether IS Louise!
18. Suede - Dog Man Star ( 4.5 Stars )
As promised, some Britpop. I wasn't familiar with this album going into the deep dive, but I really dug it. I was instantly struck by the track, "We Are the Pigs". It's a great guitar rocker, but they sneak in some "Theme From Peter Gunn" horns. "Heroine" starts with a Lord Byron quote while singer Brett Anderson sounds like lower-register Geoff Tate from Queensryche. The band seem to straddle hair metal and Britpop. It's an effective combination. The song "New Generation" is prototype Britpop. I'll have to check out the rest of their discography. This was one of my favorite discoveries from the dive.
17. David Kilgour - Sugar Mouth ( 4.5 Stars )
This is a phenomenal solo album by the Flying Nun label veteran, David Kilgour, of The Clean. It's a guitar pop masterpiece. He has moved on from the lo-fi of early The Clean records to a more polished, straight forward delivery. The guitar sound is Tommy Keene adjacent. The track "1987" is the standout in this set. I really need to get this album in my collection. I have some of his more recent CDs with his band The Heavy Eights and those are very good as well. New Zealand must have more brilliant musicians per capita than any other country in the world.
16. Blur - Parklife ( 4.5 Stars )
I should go back and reread my post on Oasis vs. Blur, because I have no recollection of what I wrote. I know that in 1994, I was Team Oasis and wasn't familiar with Blur at all until Song No. 2. Even a couple years ago I wouldn't have had Parklife on a top albums list. Over that time, I have been deep diving Blur and now this is one of my favorite albums. The title track is tremendous. It's insanely British, in a fantastic way. I love Damon Albarn's accent and Graham Coxon's guitar style. "Girls and Boys" and "End of a Century" are also standout tracks. I feel that for sheer British-ness, you can draw a line from The Kinks to XTC to Blur. As you have already guessed, I do have Definitely Maybe rated higher than Parklife. It's like how I rate The Beatles higher than The Kinks, even though I love them both. Blur's music is certainly artier and more interesting than Oasis, but Oasis is more visceral and direct. That's probably why "Jubilee" is one of my favorite songs on Parklife. Ask me again in another few years and I may have changed my mind. Peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment