[rts] 1998, Part III
Nov. 11th, 2012 09:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jon_chaissonHere's the last wave of great tracks from one of my favorite years in alt.rock. Enjoy!
Local H, "All the Kids Are Right" from Pack Up the Cats, rel. 9/7/98
I really thought Local H was going to be a one-hit wonder after hearing "Bound for the Floor" so much, but they actually followed through with a string of decent albums, including this one. An amusing track about not being as good a musician as you thought you were!
Mansun, "Cancer" from Six, rel. 9/7/98 (UK)
(A few NSFW lyrics within--nothing harsh, just questionable) All of Mansun's albums are actually concept albums, but for some reason the US botched them by changing the track order, and they did a really bad job with this one. The UK version flows a hell of a lot better. This one's probably my favorite track off it.
Belle & Sebastian, "The Boy With the Arab Strap" from The Boy With the Arab Strap, rel. 9/7/98
The first B&S album I picked up, after reading many great reviews of it in CMJ. They were the kings of "twee" at the time (not quite lo-fi, very quiet and unassuming, very British, something you'd listen to while sipping tea), but their songwriting is infectious. One of my favorite tracks of theirs. This was another repeat player during writing sessions.
Baxter, "Television" from Baxter, rel. 9/15/98
I don't even remember how I ended up liking this album...I think it was just one of those where it was so left field, I'd heard absolutely nothing about it, and yet it was on a major label (Warner). By this time I'd made it a habit of listening to new releases as they came out (the store's shipments came in Monday afternoon), just so I'd be able to talk them up or down when out on the floor. I think we ended up getting like 2 copies of this, one of which I bought. Their sound is sort of a trip hop meets drum and bass, with interesting results.
Chris Cornell, "Can't Change Me" from Euphoria Morning, rel. 9/21/98
His official debut solo album. It's very much a stripped down affair, following up from his previous single from the Great Expectations soundtrack, very different from his grunge years in Soundgarden.
The Fireman, "Apple Cinnabar Amber" from Rushes, rel. 9/21/98
Paul McCartney's second foray with Youth into ambient dub, this time with completely new compositions instead of remixes of existing tracks. This lent itself to being a lot more laid back and atmospheric, and a great writing soundtrack.
Soul Coughing, "Circles" from El Oso, rel. 9/29/98
Soul Coughing is a wonderfully weird band of skewed music and Mike Doughty's odd poetry. Cartoon Network made a hilarious "Groovie" of this track, featuring a bunch of Hanna-Barbera characters stuck in one of those animation background loops H-B used so often, and another for "Rolling" (from the same album) that features an old Betty Boop cartoon.
Depeche Mode, "Only When I Lose Myself" from The Singles 86>98, rel. 9/29/98
DM's second compilation, a continuation of their mid-80s singles collection (which ended up being repackaged and released as a companion volume to this one), with this track as a new song. It's much in line with their Ultra album that came out in '97.
UNKLE, "Rabbit in Your Headlights" (feat. Thom Yorke), from Psyence Fiction, rel. 9/29/98
I will always buy albums by UNKLE, no question--producer James Lavelle consistently blows me away with this project of his. This first album heavily featured DJ Shadow, whose work is also excellent. This album also features vocals by Kool G Rap, Richard Ashcroft (Verve), Mike D (Beastie Boys), and Damon Gough (Badly Drawn Boy). Another Eden Cycle soundtrack.
The Wiseguys, "Start the Commotion" from The Antidote, rel. 10/6/98
I didn't pick this album up until a few years later when this song was used in a commercial, but I love the video for it. This is totally how I would make a video for a sample-heavy song.
Cake, "Never There" from Prolonging the Magic, rel. 10/6/98
Ah, Cake. Such a fun and goofy band. I love how they use a telephone keypad as an instrument here. :)
Placebo, "Pure Morning" from Without You I'm Nothing, rel. 10/13/98
I love this song...one of those you just have to play as loudly as possible in the car, which I of course did whenever WFNX played it. It's not often you can get a big hit out of a song that's entirely in one chord.
Eels, "Last Stop: This Town" from Electro-Shock Blues, rel. 10/20/98
Mark Everett's album about dealing with familial loss isn't so much stark and heartbreaking as it is a soulsearcher quite deep into psyche. Great track, this.
Phish, "Birds of a Feather" from The Story of the Ghost, rel. 10/27/98
I knew about Phish early on (my roommate freshman year in college had their firs two cds), but I never got around to picking up most of their stuff until just recently. I did have Billy Breathes and this one. I love the speed of this track.
Beck, "Nobody's Fault But My Own" from Mutations, rel. 11/3/98
This album is almost the exact opposite of the previous one (Odelay), in that it's quiet, introspective, beautifully orchestrated, and completely lacks his extremely weird lyrics. This track in particular is a favorite of mine, and it also hints at the sound he'd employ with Sea Change a few years later.
Alanis Morissette, "Thank U" from Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, rel. 11/3/98
Oh man...I remember the backlash when this album came out! Everyone was expecting another angry "You Oughta Know" or a catchy "Ironic", but instead they got a seventeen-track album of spiritual introspection and peaceful lyrics. Not to mention the first single featuring a seemingly nekkid Alanis in the video...! It's actually a pretty good (if overly long) album, listening to it now.
Seal, "Human Beings" from Human Being, rel. 11/17/98
This was another album where the expectations were way too high, and it suffered in the process. True, the album's a lot darker than the first two albums and didn't have the Big Hit that the 1994 album had, but it's actually quite a lovely release worth listening to.
The Offspring, "She's Got Issues" from Americana, rel. 11/17/98
This is my favorite Offspring album...it's probably their strongest and most cohesive one, come to think of it. Let's just say this track has a personal meaning for me, as it pretty much sums up an ex I probably should not have gone out with...
Belle & Sebastian, "This Is Just a Modern Rock Song", single rel. 12/7/98
B&S released quite a few singles early on, including this three-chord gem that plays with the quiet-to-loud dynamic I love so much.
Local H, "All the Kids Are Right" from Pack Up the Cats, rel. 9/7/98
I really thought Local H was going to be a one-hit wonder after hearing "Bound for the Floor" so much, but they actually followed through with a string of decent albums, including this one. An amusing track about not being as good a musician as you thought you were!
Mansun, "Cancer" from Six, rel. 9/7/98 (UK)
(A few NSFW lyrics within--nothing harsh, just questionable) All of Mansun's albums are actually concept albums, but for some reason the US botched them by changing the track order, and they did a really bad job with this one. The UK version flows a hell of a lot better. This one's probably my favorite track off it.
Belle & Sebastian, "The Boy With the Arab Strap" from The Boy With the Arab Strap, rel. 9/7/98
The first B&S album I picked up, after reading many great reviews of it in CMJ. They were the kings of "twee" at the time (not quite lo-fi, very quiet and unassuming, very British, something you'd listen to while sipping tea), but their songwriting is infectious. One of my favorite tracks of theirs. This was another repeat player during writing sessions.
Baxter, "Television" from Baxter, rel. 9/15/98
I don't even remember how I ended up liking this album...I think it was just one of those where it was so left field, I'd heard absolutely nothing about it, and yet it was on a major label (Warner). By this time I'd made it a habit of listening to new releases as they came out (the store's shipments came in Monday afternoon), just so I'd be able to talk them up or down when out on the floor. I think we ended up getting like 2 copies of this, one of which I bought. Their sound is sort of a trip hop meets drum and bass, with interesting results.
Chris Cornell, "Can't Change Me" from Euphoria Morning, rel. 9/21/98
His official debut solo album. It's very much a stripped down affair, following up from his previous single from the Great Expectations soundtrack, very different from his grunge years in Soundgarden.
The Fireman, "Apple Cinnabar Amber" from Rushes, rel. 9/21/98
Paul McCartney's second foray with Youth into ambient dub, this time with completely new compositions instead of remixes of existing tracks. This lent itself to being a lot more laid back and atmospheric, and a great writing soundtrack.
Soul Coughing, "Circles" from El Oso, rel. 9/29/98
Soul Coughing is a wonderfully weird band of skewed music and Mike Doughty's odd poetry. Cartoon Network made a hilarious "Groovie" of this track, featuring a bunch of Hanna-Barbera characters stuck in one of those animation background loops H-B used so often, and another for "Rolling" (from the same album) that features an old Betty Boop cartoon.
Depeche Mode, "Only When I Lose Myself" from The Singles 86>98, rel. 9/29/98
DM's second compilation, a continuation of their mid-80s singles collection (which ended up being repackaged and released as a companion volume to this one), with this track as a new song. It's much in line with their Ultra album that came out in '97.
UNKLE, "Rabbit in Your Headlights" (feat. Thom Yorke), from Psyence Fiction, rel. 9/29/98
I will always buy albums by UNKLE, no question--producer James Lavelle consistently blows me away with this project of his. This first album heavily featured DJ Shadow, whose work is also excellent. This album also features vocals by Kool G Rap, Richard Ashcroft (Verve), Mike D (Beastie Boys), and Damon Gough (Badly Drawn Boy). Another Eden Cycle soundtrack.
The Wiseguys, "Start the Commotion" from The Antidote, rel. 10/6/98
I didn't pick this album up until a few years later when this song was used in a commercial, but I love the video for it. This is totally how I would make a video for a sample-heavy song.
Cake, "Never There" from Prolonging the Magic, rel. 10/6/98
Ah, Cake. Such a fun and goofy band. I love how they use a telephone keypad as an instrument here. :)
Placebo, "Pure Morning" from Without You I'm Nothing, rel. 10/13/98
I love this song...one of those you just have to play as loudly as possible in the car, which I of course did whenever WFNX played it. It's not often you can get a big hit out of a song that's entirely in one chord.
Eels, "Last Stop: This Town" from Electro-Shock Blues, rel. 10/20/98
Mark Everett's album about dealing with familial loss isn't so much stark and heartbreaking as it is a soulsearcher quite deep into psyche. Great track, this.
Phish, "Birds of a Feather" from The Story of the Ghost, rel. 10/27/98
I knew about Phish early on (my roommate freshman year in college had their firs two cds), but I never got around to picking up most of their stuff until just recently. I did have Billy Breathes and this one. I love the speed of this track.
Beck, "Nobody's Fault But My Own" from Mutations, rel. 11/3/98
This album is almost the exact opposite of the previous one (Odelay), in that it's quiet, introspective, beautifully orchestrated, and completely lacks his extremely weird lyrics. This track in particular is a favorite of mine, and it also hints at the sound he'd employ with Sea Change a few years later.
Alanis Morissette, "Thank U" from Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, rel. 11/3/98
Oh man...I remember the backlash when this album came out! Everyone was expecting another angry "You Oughta Know" or a catchy "Ironic", but instead they got a seventeen-track album of spiritual introspection and peaceful lyrics. Not to mention the first single featuring a seemingly nekkid Alanis in the video...! It's actually a pretty good (if overly long) album, listening to it now.
Seal, "Human Beings" from Human Being, rel. 11/17/98
This was another album where the expectations were way too high, and it suffered in the process. True, the album's a lot darker than the first two albums and didn't have the Big Hit that the 1994 album had, but it's actually quite a lovely release worth listening to.
The Offspring, "She's Got Issues" from Americana, rel. 11/17/98
This is my favorite Offspring album...it's probably their strongest and most cohesive one, come to think of it. Let's just say this track has a personal meaning for me, as it pretty much sums up an ex I probably should not have gone out with...
Belle & Sebastian, "This Is Just a Modern Rock Song", single rel. 12/7/98
B&S released quite a few singles early on, including this three-chord gem that plays with the quiet-to-loud dynamic I love so much.
