I probably don't need to go too in depth on the top 5, since I already did a Mt. Rushmore for 1994. However, there is a new album on the Mt. Rushmore. I even considered jumping it to #1. The next year deep dive is 1974, but I haven't even started yet, so it will be a while for that. I might try to slip in a 2004 before that. That is the year of Modest Mouse and Franz Ferdinand. Crazy it's been twenty years. I may post again today depending how Record Store Day goes. Okay, on to the 1994 top 5.
5. Stone Temple Pilots - Purple ( 5 Stars )
What a great band! I haven't done this exercise, but Scott Weiland would certainly be on the Mt. Rushmore of '90's frontmen. Purple has so many classic tracks; "Vaseline", "Interstate Love Song", "Big Empty", "Meatplow" and "Unglued". "Still Remains" is a great sleeper song. I love the line, "If you should die before me ask if you can bring a friend". It's a testament to STP that this is my second favorite album by them, behind Tiny Music. The first three are all 5 stars. As I'm typing, "Silvergun Superman" is playing and it's also phenomenal. The guitar solo is amazing.
4. Sloan - Twice Removed ( 5 Stars )
How the hell did I forget Twice Removed during the Mt. Rushmores? I have listened to Sloan more than any other artist over the past two years. I saw them about a year ago on their most recent tour and they were so fun. Twice Removed starts with the bonkers Chris Murphy track "Penpals". According to the internet, the lyrics are actual quotes from fan letters to Nirvana. My favorite is "I worship all your handsome words. To me you seem giant". Then Chris and Jay Ferguson trade off lines on "I Hate My Generation". It's a fanstastic, jangly pop gem. "People of the Sky" is one of Andy Scott's best songs. I consider him the "Stephen Malkmus" of Sloan. His songs are usually off-kilter and slacker-y. "Coax Me" is another great Chris Murphy track. It's about the death of Kurt Cobain. It has a line that Kurt probably would have endorsed; "It's not the band I hate, it's their fans". If I had to pick a favorite songwriter in the band it would be Patrick Pentland and he only has three songs on this album; "Loosens", "Worried Now" and "I Can Feel It". "Snowsuit Sound" is another standout track by Jay Ferguson that features prodigious hand clapping and an exquisite chorus. I love these guys.
3. Oasis - Definitely Maybe ( 5 Stars )
Widely regarded (mostly in the U.K.) as the greatest debut album of all time. The opening track, "Rock 'N' Roll Star", is the set up. "I live my life in the city and there's no easy way out". And on the track "Bring it on Down" it's the mission statement. "You're the outcast, you're the under class. But you don't care, because you're living fast". This record is a punch in the face and a middle finger to 90's Britain. And it had it coming. "Live Forever" and "Up in the Sky" are fantastic songs. "Cigarettes and Alcohol" starts with that homage to T Rex's "Bang a Gong". But the outstanding track, by far, is "Supersonic". It starts with that amazing Noel Gallagher guitar riff and pick scrape, Then Liam comes in with that beginning section: "You need to be yourself. You can't be no one else. I'm feeling supersonic, give me gin and tonic. You can have it all, but how much do you want it?" I realize there are countless Oasis haters out there, but in 1994 they were the band the world needed.
2. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain ( 5 Stars )
I've posted about this album before and nothing has changed. I love it and it's tremendous. Go listen to it now!
1. Guided by Voices - Bee Thousand ( 5 Stars )
Is every song on Bee Thousand (stick out your tongue, hold it and try to say Pete Townshend) a 5 star song. Probably not. Is Bee Thousand a 5 stars album. Fuck yeah! If there were a Mt. Rushmore for Lo-Fi albums, this would be the George Washington. Pollard's lyrics are in top form, whether they be word collage or straight forward poetry. "Are you amplified to rock? Are you hoping for a contact?" "Count the days that we have wasted from the start. Speak the words and build a playground in your head." And that's just from the opener "Hardcore UFO's". I've posted about GbV quite a bit on Sound Mind, so I won't go on and on about Bee Thousand. In the future, I may write some posts about the run of Pollard's current lineup of the band, who I just bought tickets to see in July. Rock will never die as long as Robert Pollard is still alive. Peace.
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