1999 in music. • Page 5

I totally forgot about Californication. Count me as a casual fan, but doesn't that have a load of hits/good songs on it? Is it generally disliked around here?

 

I mean, it's my favorite album of their's

 

The “winner” of each of these yearly threads isn’t that important either in general, it’s the random recommendations or general discussion that’s the best bit of these threads.

 

1. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn…
3. Blink-182 - Enema of the State

 

I think just not a whole lot of Chili Peppers fans on the site really. Some of that probably attributed to Kiedis' past, and his 'less than savory' behavior so to speak.

They were def a big part of my teenage years, and the Californication tour (with Foo Fighters opening!) in summer '00 was my second concert ever.

 

1. Wilco - Summerteeth

The second of their three masterpieces. I am really hoping a summerteeth in full show is the solid sound gimmick this year. album is amazing and sadly feels like the amount of Jay Bennett in it has led to it being an underexplored part of their history, at least live where it doesn’t seem to get as much set time as any of the other good ones. The songs are amazing (and such a good introduction of more beach boys esque melodies to their sound, not to even mention how great the keyboards are).

2. múm - Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today is OK

I don’t really have a lot to say about this one, but it feels like a perfect album for 1999 and the trajectory of electronic music’s accessibility. I feel like it sits almost directly between my last year pick (BoC) and my next year pick on that scale. And on a more general note, just full of pretty mesmerizing songs.

3) The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About

Probably my favorite emo album ever. The songs are so good and it sounds just flawless.

I can see arguments for Emergency & I or Clarity in the third spot. They both swing for the fences in a way StWHA doesn't, really, and I generally am going to pick the albums that aim highest and succeed. But Something to Write Home about transcends that for me, it's an album I knew was going to be one of my favorites ever the first time I heard it and while my tastes have grown since freshman year of high school, I still think it rules.

Other honorable mentions: Keep it Like a Secret, The Decline, Enema, Blue Skies. Easily the best pop punk year of all time and a great argument against the genre being a joke, though 2005 has a couple heavy hitters as well.

 

i mean, i don’t want the picks to be the same as the consensus of every outlet, if this year's pick was the general consensus pick, it'd be blink or rhcp, two of my least favorite bands lol. i was just saying JEW’s stranglehold on this site in particular has never made much sense to me

also i would want is this it to win in 2001 because i like the album more than bleed american and think it’s better lol

 

I actually bought clarity because people liked it so much. I think the album peaks at track 1. I don’t remember anything else

 

I’m focusing this list exclusively on records that came out in 1999 that I actually listened to in the era (as opposed to stuff that I discovered later like Wilco, Imperial Teen, etc).



01) MATTHEW GOOD BAND – Beautiful Midnight

I’ve mentioned a few times in this list that, while I’m not from Canada, for some reason growing up in Southwestern CT and being part of the tri-state area we got MuchMusic as part of our cable. That allowed me to discover that some bands were bigger in Canada than in the US (Our Lady Peace, Finger Eleven, Moist) and some bands were big in Canada who had NO U.S presence (I Mother Earth, The Tea Party) and the Matthew Good Band. MGB’s 1999 album, similar to 3EB’s debut, would probably be a big touch point for many modern day emo bands who grew up during the last dominance of modern rock radio without having to sort out what was authentic and what wasn’t. As a songwriter, Matthew Good operates with the earnest musings of Springsteen, the snarkiness of Gen-x and the melodic chops of the best pop/rock bands. This album is a haunting trip through mental health issues, drug addiction and all other sorts of wonderful topics that most angsty 90’s albums deal with but with superb songwriting, dramatics and Good’s haunting voice. Definitely check this out if you haven’t.

02) INCUBUS – Make Yourself

Whenever I revisit this, I’m still amazed at how well it holds up. Perfect mix of nu metal focused riffs, DJ scratches and melodic touches with a number of radio hits that still sound great today. Incubus has been more ambitious on other records but I still think this showcases them at their best.

03) NINE INCH NAILS – The Fragile

A daunting, haunting and large record that came out right around the time teenagers started to digest music as snippets and in mp3 form. Trent Reznor is a master soundscape creator and I still think The Fragile is his most accomplished work to date.

04) THIRD EYE BLIND – Blue

A commercial dud (at least compared to their debut) that spun off one measly radio hit that got Third Eye Blind banished from modern rock radio (seriously, imagine a radio programmer trying to play “Never Let You Go” next to the latest Korn single in 99). Outside that one (still great) hit, this record is a nice continuation of the first. If you split it in two halves, the first 6-7 songs are like the self-titled record on steroids with the back half being more experimental. This was the last with guitarist Kevin Cadogen and the band has not been able to even come close to this output since.

05) OUR LADY PEACE – Happiness…Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch

More alt-rock from the great white north! OLP at least had some presence in the US but, aside from a minor hit, this album pretty much killed their commercial prospects here which is a shame as it finds them extending past their grunge-influences and adding more sonic textures mixed with singer Raine Maida’s unique vocal delivery.

06) SILVERCHAIR – Neon Ballroom

Coming off a sophomore slump combined with Daniel John’s personal struggles pretty much freed Silverchair up to do whatever they wanted to on their 3rd album. I’ve read interviews where Daniel says this is what he actually considers to be Silverchair’s debut and I think he’s right. This is the first album that truly showcases his strengths as a composer, not just with the distorted guitars but for arranging strings, piano accompaniment and other styles that were never typically associated with Silverchair.

07) FOO FIGHTERS - There Is Nothing Left To Lose

Occupying an odd space in the Foo discography, this one seems to be Dave Grohl’s personal favorite as he often busts out “Aurora” live. There are a few raging riff-rockers on this album but the rest of it is the smoothest, cleaniest and most melodic the Foo Fighters have ever been.

08) BLINK 182 – Enema Of The State

This band annoyed me in 1999 since they were the kind of band my annoying little brother and his friends could get into and I found their “funny” antics a bit too try-hardy at the time. Blink 182 have always secretly taken their career very seriously even amidst all the dick jokes and there’s no denying this album found them leveling up. Also funny to note that Mark fought to keep “Adam’s Song” on the record which is ironic since the piano breakdown at the end of that song is something that Tom would have loved to put on an Angels and Airwaves record.

09) JIMMY EAT WORLD – Clarity
I don’t adore this as much as most on this site but it’s still a fantastic achievement by a middling emo band with, at the time, not much of a future. Bands have been trying to ape this album for more than 20 years but it definitely stands on it’s own.

10) MARVELOUS 3 – Hey! Album


Technically released independents in 1998 but I’m counting it since the Elektra version didn’t come out until 1999 (which is the one I bought). Glammy pop-rock with a grin put out by one of the future’s best co-writers/producers.

11) RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE – The Battle Of Los Angeles

RATM’s weakest album still deserves a mention. While there are some generic by-the-numbers songs on here, it also features Zach De La Rocha’s most ferocious delivery and Morello’s best riffs.

12) BECK – Midnite Vultures

No one could tell if Beck was being serious or not when he released this (and, like Third Eye Blind, this shit must have drove radio programmers nuts trying to see where it fit in with the latest rap-rock offerings). A cool, sleek, breezy nod to 70’s funk/disco/R&B with a smirk.

13) SHADES APART – Eyewitness

There are so many fledging bands who got major label contracts and couldn’t go anywhere that I imagine there are plenty of undiscovered gems that I’ve never heard. Shades Apart were a rough-and-tumble NJ punk band in the vein of Face To Face who got signed to Universal, smoothed out their sound, and made an excellent power-pop record. The furthest they ever got was a song on the American Pie soundtrack but I still love revisiting this.

14) RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS – Californication

Many people don’t realize that in 1998/early 99, most people thought the Chili Peppers were done. This was an extraordinary comeback almost to the likes of Green Day’s “American Idiot” as they tossed off one huge single after another. While this basically started their “Lite Rock” phase, this album is the perfect balance between mid-tempo and fast funk romps.

15) 311 – Soundsystem

After Transistor failed to live up to the blue album’s potential, Soundsystem found 311 getting back to their roots and delivering their most melodic yet energetic set of songs to date. Bonus points for them not dipping into the typical rake/misogyny of the rap/rock genre that was big at the time.

16) TONIC – Sugar

Nothing special here except for 13 impeccably crafted modern rock ditties with a bit of heartland rock/soul injected. “You Wanted More” is a phenomenal song and a minor hit from American Pie but, otherwise, most people have forgotten this.

17) VERTICAL HORIZON – Everything You Want

And speaking of modern rock ditties, most people don’t realize Vertical Horizon was one of those hippy-dippy college rock (almost jam) bands before signing to a major label and smoothing out their rough edges. It’s easy to make fun of this kind of stuff for being played on the Lite FM stations that your bank plays but these songs hold up.

18) KORN – Issues

No question Korn was the biggest band in the rock world in 1999 and Issues was a bit of a daring move. Jonathan Davis was addressing his mental health in a new way, not so much dreding up teenage, um, issues but trying to work through the pains of confronting adultery. There are still plenty of sludgy riffs but this is the prettiest record Korn has ever made.

19) FILTER – Title Of Record

Written off as a one-hit 90’s wonder, Richard Patrick toned down the NIN industrial touches and embraced his melodic side. Title Of Record is a great front-to-back listen and doesn’t sound as dated as many of the similar bands in Filter’s company.

20) JIMMIE’S CHICKEN SHACK – Bring Your Own Stereo

Jimmie’s Chicken Shack was definitely the lesser Jim band of the year but they kind of split the difference between Incubus and 311. While there’s no rapping persay, they attracted the same skate-and-hacky sack crowd while blending a number of genres all meant to smoke pot to. “Do Right” is still a banger.

 

Everything You Want rules!

 

1. Incubus - Make Yourself
2. Muse - Showbiz
3. RHCP - Californication

 

This isn’t even the best B2S album! There’s Nothing Wrong With Love is better!


I’m baffled at the poor showing for American Football

 

Honestly?

 

i have never gotten the hype for that album. it's fine. one of the more boring kinsella projects.

 

Never Meant is probably my favourite song from the year, the rest is good but doesn't really hit the same heights for me.

 

1. Steve Vai - The Ultra Zone
2. JEW - Clarity
3. Coalesce - 0:12 Revolution in Just Listening
4. Botch - We Are the Romans
5. Limp Bizkit - Significant Other

 

Add Honestly and The One With the Wurlitzer and I pretty much agree. 3 amazing songs, (actually really 2 + 1 I just think sounds super cool), 6 good ones. Very solid album but not one I hold as dear as its biggest fans do.

 

What a year. When we did our top 50 of all time lists a while back, I had the first 3 albums here in my top 10 (didn’t realize till now they all were released the same year). Mule Variations is my 2nd favorite album ever and easily my favorite from Waits.

1. Tom Waits - Mule Variations
2. Bonnie Prince Billy - I See A Darkness
3. Smog - Knock Knock
4. Pharaoh Monch - Internal Affairs
5. Mos Def - Black On Both Sides
6. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
7. Guy Clark - Cold Dog Soup
8. Wilco - Summerteeth
9. Songs Ohia - Axes & Aces
10. The Roots - Things Fall Apart

 

That song is on the emo rushmore

 

I thought about including Significant Other and, while it has their best overall singles, it's really uneven. I like my LB to be crass and obnoxious whereas there are a number of songs on Significant Other that delve too much into Fred Durst self-pitying. "No Sex" is a great almost power-ballad on top of the hits though.

 

That Californication tour had some heavy hitter openers. On the B-market leg in April, along with the Foo Fighters, there was this new unknown UK band known as Muse as the opener-opener.

 

I've been riding hard for Canada in these threads even though I'm not from there due to being able to get MuchMusic as a kid. I'm not quite sure this counts as a boy band but I'd submit this to your playlist (oddly enough they're NOT on Spotify):

 

1. Jimmy Eat World – Clarity
2. Counting Crows – This Desert Life
3. Third Eye Blind – Blue

Clarity is the following things: 1) one of 5-10 greatest “quantum leap forward” albums, where a band levels up so significantly from one album to the next that it’s almost hard to believe they’re the same band; 2) an amazing “Hail Mary” album, where an artist on the brink of being dropped just completely goes for it; 3) one of the greatest and most foundational emo albums ever, something really underlined to me by reading the Static Prevails chapter of Dan Ozzi’s Sellout last week; 4) the start of a ludicrously great run of albums; 5) a masterclass of mood, emotion, melody, catharsis, and dynamic, ambitious musical arrangements that sets the template for so much of the music I love; 6) a masterpiece. It’s not even my favorite Jimmy Eat World album, but it’s still a record that means the world to me, and my runaway winner even in a dynamite year.

The first four Counting Crows were as important to my musical development as any other music. Of that initial four-album run, This Desert Life was my least favorite back in the day, and it probably still is now. That said, I still adore it. It’s got probably my favorite Counting Crows song (“Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby”), plus a few classics everyone knows (“Hanginaround” and “Colorblind”) and then a weatherworn set of deep cuts that sounds immaculate on a road trip (“All My Friends,” “Four Days,” “Speedway”). On the surface, it’s a bit of a retreat from the more rock-driven sound of Satellites back toward the folkier aspects of August. But it also subverts that description with some weird, out-of-left-field approaches to songwriting and sonics that aren’t quite like anything else in the band's catalog (“I Wish I Was a Girl,” “High Life”). Re-press it on vinyl, please.

Tough call on what’s third, but Blue felt right. I remember not thinking very much of this album for a long time. The second half is a little out there, and that was kind of a turn-off when I was looking for something more like self-titled or Out of the Vein. But these days, Blue is probably the Third Eye Blind album I reach for the most. The more experimental approach on the back half is fascinating (can’t think of a song quite like “Camouflage”) and the front half is as stacked with great earworm melodies as self-titled is.

SO CLOSE

Marvelous 3 – Hey! Album
The album where Butch Walker becomes Butch Walker. A huge level-up from the first LP in terms of writing, production, and attitude. No wonder this record yielded Marvelous 3 their one and only hit (with “Freak of the Week”), but it’s the mid-album trio of “Let Me Go,” “Every Monday,” and “Indie Queen” that showcases the effortless pop writer Butch would become. (Also, I’ll forever think it was a missed opportunity that no one tucked “Vampires in Love” into the closing credits of a Twilight movie).

Guster – Lost and Gone Forever
I go back and forth between Lost and Gone Forever and Keep It Together as Guster’s best record, but I tend to lean toward this one. “Either Way” and “Two Points for Honesty” are two of the most gorgeous ballads of the ‘90s.

Foo Fighters – There Is Nothing Left to Lose
Most days, my favorite Foo Fighters record. A lot of great late-night summer songs on this record (“Aurora,” “Next Year,” “Ain’t It the Life”) that hit right where I like the Foos best. And then you’ve still got the dynamite single (“Learn to Fly”) that everybody knows.

A few other honorable mentions:

Dixie Chicks – Fly: Some absolutely prototypical modern country songs on here. “Cowboy Take Me Away” and “Goodbye Earl” are both foundational to the genre, and have informed so much of what’s happened in it over the past 23 years.

Tom Petty – Echo: Goddamn, Tom; “Room at the Top”? “Lonesome Sundown”? “Echo”? Some profoundly sad shit on this album.

Travis – The Man Who: Coldplay one year before Coldplay. “Writing to Reach You” and “Driftwood” are just as good as “Yellow.”

Vertical Horizon – Everything You Want: The big one for these guys, even though I strongly prefer the follow-up (called Go, from 2003). Still, some bulletproof radio singles here, and a few album tracks (“Miracle” and “Give You Back”) that I really love.

 

travis is so good, damn

 

I really love this album, but it's their only album I ever got into that much. I like Keep It Together enough, but don't ever really come back to it