Best Album on OUR Favourite Albums of......1996 PART ONE

Will post part 2 later

Easily Low.

Thinking most of my favs will be in the other poll. Black Love it is

I love that Gastr del Sol album, although I should probably listen to more of these.

between dusk at cubist castle and black love

I hope Pt. 2 includes

Harry Pussy — Ride a Dove

Harvey Milk v Eyehategod, a good year for ultra-heavy depressive sludge metal!

I really love that Swirlies album. I only discovered that recently while searching through some '96 albums. Fucking hell, theyre incredible!

I prefer PMT to Maxinquaye (I know other people feel the same out there). Matching it with Nearly God (Tricky drilling right down into the core, the heart music) makes it a no-brainer.

"Harmacy" is my fave Sebadoh pick but they seem so linked to my teenage years now. I havent listened to them in ages. Same with that Cake album. I loved that at the time. Unfairly dismissed here as "wacky pants" because one guy had the temerity to wear wacky pants. No, the "I Will Survive" cover isnt some ironic smug-ass 90s shite, its done out of LOVE

I didnt come across it at the time but that Paperclip People album is joyous

Fell totally in love with that 16 Horsepower album upon hearing "I Seen What I Saw" on the radio one night in '96. Saw them live many times, but yeah, it's very linked to that specific period of time in my life. Same goes for Cake and the Screaming Trees albums.
Saw the Dead Man movie and loved the soundtrack but was only able to acquire it much later. Current favourites discovered (much) later: Technicolor, Mellow Out, The Secret Tapes of Dr. Eich.

Best Album on OUR Favourite Albums of......1996 PART TWO

of these, Swirlies. it's a brilliant record

It is nice to see the Swirlies there. This thread might already be the most concentrated burst of enthusiasm I've ever seen for that record. I listened to that a lot that year, and the Low and Squarepusher. Might opt for Lambchop though. I tend to underrate it between listens so it gets the benefit of my having listened to it just a few days ago.

Probably Afghan Whigs or Screaming Trees, although that Porter Ricks album is amazing.

the screaming trees album is brilliant and i voted for it and i hope its not the only vote. afghan whigs and LFO could easily have gotten my vote too

my picks kinda dominate this poll and mike's the other but I could vote for pretty much everything here and I must give that Swirlies album a listen

btw here's the just missed out bubbling under list. I posted it on the other poll as well

B12 - Time Tourist
Beth Orton - Trailer Park
Bowery Electric - Beat
Cat Power - What Would the Community Think/Myra Lee
Compulsion - The Future Is Medium
Cryptopsy - None So Vile
Dave Clarke - Archive 1
Ghost - Lami Rabi Rabi,
Gillian Welch - Revival
Grief - Miserably Ever After
Guided by Voices - Under the Bushes Under the Stars
HiM - Egg
Jessamine - The Long Arm of Coincidence
Lionrock - An Instinct for Detection
Marion- This World and Body
Melt-Banana - Scratch or Stitch
Mike & Rich - Expert Knob Twiddlers
Pearl Jam - No Code
Plug - Drum 'n' Bass for Papa
Porno for Pyros - Good God's Urge
Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
Roy Montgomery - Temple IV
Scald - Will Of Gods Is A Great Power
Social Distortion - White Light, White Heat, White Trash
Solitude Aeturnus - Downfall
Soundgarden - Down On The Upside
Swans - Soundtracks for the Blind
The Black Dog - Music for Adverts (And Short Films)
The Boo Radleys - C'mon Kids
The Cardigans - First Band in The Moon
The For Carnation - Marshmallows
The Halo Benders - Don't Tell Me Now
The Sonora Pine - The Sonora Pine
Two Lone Swordsmen - The Fifth Mission (Return to the Flightpath Estate)
Windy & Carl - Drawing of Sound
jeru The Damaja - Wrath Of The Math

Pretty good year all in all, despite the fact the UK press only covered a fraction of this stuff and concentrated on britpop mostly.

Would have voted for C'mon Kids, the best Boo Radleys album - from the list only dEUS was something I was actually listening to.

it was really hard leaving stuff out and that one was one of the very last to be cut. But mike wasnt a fan of it and we tried to pick stuff we both agree on although we did dig our heels in on a few albums. I hate cardiacs but mike was insistent they got in poll 2 for example. And there's other examples of my red lines. I think a lot of you can guess those!

Unwound. Not crazy about this list, though.

it is a more personal list rather than canon, which is the point of the lists

Squarepusher. His strategies quickly tired for me after this but it was exhilarating at the time. Otherwise Mellow Out even though I'm not sure when I'd next want to put myself through that.

Black Love

on avery island. been a companion for years. so much depth. if i could bear to listen to that low album without my heart breaking i'd vote that

this list has a lot of acts really refining their sound to its essence

in terms of which have given me the most moments of joy, including the bubbling under list, it goes:

1. B12
2. Fu Manchu
3. Porter Ricks

I missed Fu Manchu! Love that album.

me too

feel like these two polls were reversed - Part 2 has a bunch of bona fide classics, this one feels more like the runoff

I'm actually gonna vote Cake here, partially because I don't particularly like the other albums here, partially because it was incredibly important to me as a middle schooler. I get overloaded with nostalgia just thinking about it. I still think it sounds unique today, mainly because John McCrea either didn't really know what he was doing or intentionally tried to botch half the songs on here. Like "Frank Sinatra", which at its core is a fine folk ballad (you could picture Gordon Lightfoot singing it!), but it's got these droll synths & drum machine & McCrea randomly yelling at the end. You can practically hear 'em go "fuck it" on half the songs; there are a ton of random attention-grabbing moments that make no sense but they sorta work. A bunch of the lyrics sound like placeholders - either that or McCrea is trying (and failing) to channel the spirit of Mike Doughty. But whatever. It's still a fun listen, to me at least. "Italian Leather Sofa" rules.

a lot of people dislike Harmacy, but I really like that album. might help that it was the first Sebadoh album I heard/bought. I listened to that album a lot in 1997/8

my actual favourite album of 1996 isn't on here, although it might be Now It Got Worry which is on the other poll

alright I'm relistening to the Cake album now. suddenly I'm starting to get all the criticism levied at the band

Maxinquaye, Pre-Millenium Tension, and Nearly God are three of my favorite albums from the 90s, so I’m going to vote for a second time for Tricky

went for 16 horsepower here which really hit me hard at the time.

Stag

Porter Ricks, Squarepusher or Swirlies, with honourable mentions to Silver Jews and Unwound

it's a nice sunny day and the Swirlies is a nice sunny album so that might seal the deal

I think this is the first list where I've owned something by everyone on the list (though not necessarily the one listed) at one point

did any other Polvo albums make the lists for their respective years? I'd quite possibly have voted for any of their previous stuff if I'd seen it, but I've never been that sold on this one.

exploded drawing was in 1995 poll

no wait, thats this poll. looked at wrong spreadsheet

i thought todays active lifestyles was in the 93 poll but looks like it was cut from it

Voted Squarepusher over Tricky, mostly because it's a better album even though "Christiansands" and "Tricky Kid" are the best songs across either

feel like these two polls were reversed - Part 2 has a bunch of bona fide classics, this one feels more like the runoff

prefer this one as its more personal. Lots of good stuff ilxors unfamiliar with it might like if they check some of it out

a lot of it is stuff we listened to at the time but has been forgotten by the 'canon' and plenty of albums every year in most genres that can be better than 'canon' albums as found on acclaimed music or rym.

Would have voted Natural Bridge regardless, but definitely voting for it now.

If nobody is going to talk about the Lilys then I guess I will. So there.

Thrilled about all the Swirlies love. If that wasn't there I don't know I think I would have voted Chavez.

I hadn't heard the swirlies until mike chose it for the poll. Very in debt to MBV innit? I liked it though a lot.

Totally but with that album they really had a very unique take.

1996 NME Albums

1. Beck - Odelay
2. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go
3. Orbital - In Sides
4. Super Furry Animals - Fuzzy Logic
5. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
6. Screaming Trees - Dust
7. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads
8. Tricky - Pre-Millennium Tension
9. Rocket From The Crypt - Scream, Draculs, Scream!
10. Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot
11. The Bluetones - Expecting To Fly
12. Suede - Coming Up
13. Placebo - Placebo
14. Kula Shaker - K
15. The Boo Radleys - C'mon Kids
16. R.E.M. - New Adventures In Hi Fi
17. Babybird - Ugly/Beautiful
18. Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup
19. The Divine Comedy - Casanova
20. Aphex Twin - Richard D James
21. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself
22. Fugees - The Score
23. The Lemonheads - Car, Button, Cloth
24. Beth Orton - Trailer Park
25. Ash - 1977
26. New Kingdom - Paradise Don't Come Cheap
27. Nicolette - Let No One Live Rent Free In Your Head
28. Alex Reece - So Far
29. Ghostface Killah - Ironman
30. Gallon Drunk - In The Long Still Night
31. The Afghan Whigs - Black Love
32. Tiger - We Are Puppets
33. Plug - Drum 'N' Bass For Papa
34. Baby Fox - A Normal Family
35. Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die
36. The Black Crows - Three Snakes And One Charm
37. Underworld - Second Toughest In The Infants
38. Sebadoh - Harmacy
39. Animals That Swim - I Was The King, I Relay Was The King
40. Lilys - Better Can't Make Your Life Better
41. Nas - It Was Written
42. The Olivia Tremor Control - Dusk At Cubist Castle
43. The Cardigans - The First Band On The Moon
44. John Parish/Polly Harvey - Dance Hall At Louse House
45. Red Snapper - Prince Blimey
46. Radar Brothers - Radar Brothers
47. The Future Sound Of London - Dead Cities
48. Dodgy - Free Peace Sweet
49. Urusei Yatsura - We Are Urusei Yatsura
50. Spice Girls - Spice

Melody Maker End Of Year Critic Lists - 1996

Albums

1. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go
2. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
3. Super Furry Animals - Fuzzy Logic
4. Tricky - Pre-Millennium Tension
5. Underworld - Second Toughest In The Infants
6. Beck - Odalay
7. Suede - Coming Up
8. Afghan Whigs - Black Love
9. Babybird - Ugly/Beautiful
10. The Boo Radleys - C’mon Kids
11. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Now I Got Worry
12. The Make-Up - Destination: Love: Live! At Cold Rice
13. Screaming Trees - Dust
14. Then Aloof - Sinking
15. New Kingdom - Paradise Don’t Come Cheap
16. Nick Cave - Murder Ballads
17. Black Star Liner - Yemen Cutta Connection
18. Silver Jaws - The Natural Bridge
19. The Bluetones - Expecting To Fly
20. Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarine...
21. Placebo - Placebo
22. Catatonia - Way Beyond Blue
23. Trembling Blue Trees - Her Handwriting
24. Telstar Ponies - Voices From The New Music
25. Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die
26. His Name Is Alive - Stars On Esp
27. Lambchop - How I Quit Smoking
28. Jack - Pioneer Soundtracks
29. The Dirty Three - Horse Stories
30. The Cardigans - First Band On The Moon
31. Orbital - In Sides
32. Longpigs - The Sun Is Often Out
33. Barry Adamson - Oedipus Schmoedipus
34. Ash - 1977
35. 60ft Dolls - The Big Three
36. Lamb - Lamb
37. Sterolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup
38. Rachel’s - Music For Egon Schiele
39. Rocket From The Crypt - Scream, Dracula, Scream!
40. The Divine Comedy - Casanova
41. The Yummy Fur - Nightclub
42. Subcircus - Carousel
43. Jeru The Damaja - Wrath Of Then Math
44. Fila Brazillia - Black Market Gardening
45. Spring Heel Jack - 68 Million Shades
46. Dodgy - Free Peace Sweet
47. Red Snapper - Prince Blimey
48. Throwing Muses - Limbo
49. Snoop Doggy Dogg - The Doggfather
50. Cul De Sac - China Gate

Kerrang! Albums Of The Year 1996

1. Screaming Trees - Dust
2. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go
3. Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar
4. Sepultura - Roots
5. Ash - 1977
6. Metallica - Load
7. Social Distortion - White Light, White Heat, White Trash
8. Soundgarden - Down On The Upside
9. Nirvana - From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah
10. The Black Crowes - Three Snakes And One Charm
11. Korn - Life Is Peachy
12. Joyrider - Be Special
13. Rocket From The Crypt - Scream, Dracula, Scream
14. Pearl Jam - No Code
15. Terrorvision - Regular Urban Survivors
16. Tool - Aenima
17. NY Loose - Year Of The Rat
18. Imperial Drag - Imperial Drag
19. Rage Against The Machine - Evil Empire
20. Girls Against Boys - House Of GVSB

some terrible typos on those lists from rocklist.net

18. Silver Jaws
23. Trembling Blue Trees

pity, its a good way to see what artists they covered.

they did have a monthly CD though:
https://www.discogs.com/Various-CMJ-New-Music-Monthly-Volume-40-December-1996/release/1402554

but I don't know how representative that was of the mag, the CDs would occasionally end up in the £1 bin here but I never saw the magazine

I remember the monthly CD and CMJ, I was mostly reading Rolling Stone and Spin back then. But heavily into Matador records in '96.

Maybe I did see it in Tower Records but it was too expensive if it came with a CD

I rarely read magazines that covered mostly indie stuff back in the day like Magnet, and NME, but was really into the whole underground/diy scene. I get most of my music recommendations from forums and friends and sometimes The Wire nowadays.

did you read fanzines?

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

did anyone read fanzines in the 90s/

I read several zines and created one myself and had a blast doing that. Is that what you mean by fanzines? ;0

which ones did you read?
I used to read a manic street preachers fanzine but most of the fanzines I read were football ones.

btw any volunteers to do the 00s?

I think Brad would be a good choice but whoever wants to do it can do it as I dont fancy it as my tastes really dont align with ILM in that period I hate stuff like Avalanches, LCD Soundsystem, The Knife/Fever Ray and Mike doesn't want to do it either.

alright I'm relistening to the Cake album now. suddenly I'm starting to get all the criticism levied at the band

― frogbs, Wednesday, August 7, 2019 11:08 PM (six days ago) bookmarkflaglink

Haha, I still think I'm voting Cake. Their odd song structures and slacker sarcasm always reminded me of an updated Wall of Voodoo.

xp I would volunteer to work on the 00s, but I don't like those bands either, lol

I'd do a poptimist-free 00s.

not a shot at anyone but i'd like for there to be at least some rap listed each year, so

I'd do a poptimist-free 00s.

― pomenitul, Tuesday, August 13, 2019 3:59 PM (three minutes ago)

that might be interesting, im sure id find a lot of new stuff

50 classical records.

2/3 of them will consist of contemporary music.

Let's do this.

Alternately: we can just poll RYM's top 50 for each year, minus the video game soundtracks, maybe.

tbf I could do a poptimist free 00s quite easily but I dunno if I could face another 10 weeks of "you forgot my fave albums"

If anyone thinks they could do a list of a nice mix that includes hip hop, dance music, metal, underground stuff along with everything else then please give it a go!

Completely on board with polling pomenitul's contemporary classical take on the 00s.

I can do it for each year, but it would take a while, not least because there's no exhaustive database to draw upon. I could also limit each poll to 20-30 releases.

Might be a good idea since most of us would probably have to do a lot of listening to vote.

Me too tbh.

Another option would be to start with the CD era, i.e. in 1983. I'd likely include reissues as well, since the chronology of recorded classical music feels less immediately linear for a whole slew of reasons.

I'd love it if someone (Siegbran?) could do an all-metal poll series too.

lol I've been kicked out of the metal union?

If we're doing each year individually by genre I bagsy indie since I lost my metal membership card

math rock and post rock must be represented!

I'd do a poptimist-free 00s.

― pomenitul, Tuesday, August 13, 2019 8:59 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

sounds boring

At least you didn't get your metal bonafides questioned lol

lol sorry ON, that's not what I meant. It's more that I assumed you're worn out by the current poll series.

It's hard to cut down stuff to fit in enough to please people that's for sure.

A genre poll for each year would be much easier but might piss off a lot of ilxors, otoh ilm is dead anyway so at least there might be new threads created and ilmers find out about new to them music.

it's no different to the balkanised rolling threads really

I'm alright with separate genre polls/threads as long as it doesn't devolve into gatekeeping. Which it hasn't so far, save perhaps for the tongue-in-cheek ambient police and the less amusing (to me, at least) offbeat drip beefs.

I mean, I kind of like the way these polls have not been broken down by genre and have just been lists of someone's faves.

So much music came out in the 00s plus P2P meant everyone heard a lot more albums it would be impossible to only have 1 poll that would please everyone, which is why I don't want to do it.

I'd love it if someone (Siegbran?) could do an all-metal poll series too.

― pomenitul
Could do that but I don't think there's enough metal fans left on ILM? It's a bit pointless if the winner has like 2-3 votes.

I kind of like the way these polls have not been broken down by genre and have just been lists of someone's faves.

otm, and also not "canon" or a big averaged-out list of agreed "classics" so a RYM list wouldn't be quite the same either, though I'd read and vote on some RYM 2000s polls (er, if there haven't already been some, kind of feel like there may have been)

sorry ON (& Michael) that you feel people have been getting at you abt fave albums missing - I've know I've mentioned some unlisted favourites and grumbled about my favourite albums by bands not being listed while lesser favourites did but I didn't mean it as a complaint, just everyone here, well, loves music and doesn't get much chance to talk about specific 90s albums outside genre or artist threads, so it's nice to throw a few overlooked favourites into the discussion too

I've groused about missing albums but it was all in good fun. It's been a great series, frankly.

Siegbran, you're right, but it would be entertaining anyway and may result in a few heads coming out of the woodwork. If I were to do a classical poll based on the same yearly model, I'd be amazed if more than five people voted at all, but eh, if it can get a discussion going, it's good enough for me.

I've groused about missing albums but it was all in good fun. It's been a great series, frankly.

Just ftr, I have too, but I don't think anyone who's done this did it in bad faith? Loved seeing Frogbs for instance listing his fave albums from a particular year, obviously missing because they are outlier than these. You can bet your life I'll throw in TWO Fushitsusha albums you won't list in '97 because they are in my all time top 20, but that's part of the fun! I think of it as nice additions to the discussion of a particular year, and in no way as criticism towards the esteemed poll starters.

nah, those posting lists of their own slightly obscure music is good.
Somebody moaning a lack of nu metal or Z grade britpop like the divine comedy or something would be really lame :)

I actually think someone like frogbs or rushomancy would be great choices to do the 00s

we seem to have 97 ready so will post part one tonight and part 2 tomorrow (weds)

actually i'll just post both tonight once the results for these are in

the bubbling under list that hasnt made either poll is numbering 44 btw.

Getting ridiculous here and the 00s will only be worse

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

i still intend to run a full ballot poll for the 00's. i'll do it when 1999 is done maybe

heh, i've been rinsing the mazzy star album after uncovering it this week (not via this thread) and it's just so dreamy. i love everything about it. nice to see a few votes... but i guess i still stand by avery island. never heard afghan whigs either so maybe they're next.

afghan whigs were brilliant

Best Album on OUR Favourite Albums of......1999 PART ONE

Proper working links

Best Album on OUR Favourite Albums of......1997 PART ONE

Best Album on OUR Favourite Albums of......1997 Part Two