Landmark Albums: 1993

Third in a series of influential albums.


I'm getting behind in posting these on the site, but oh well. Aired 1/24/2014

(in no particular order other than the order I'm played them on the radio)

Fugazi - In on the Kill Taker

Fugazi's high water mark.

 

 Nirvana - In Utero

Nirvana, meet Steve Albini. Galvanizing for the mainstream and the underground.

Radiohead - Pablo Honey

Mass-marketed one-hit wonder for the alternative nation. Deeper listening reveals a layered, nuanced album buried in layers of guitar noise. The first, and maybe even the best? Them's fightin' words.

Catherine Wheel - Chrome

Catherine Wheel's best album. Pop songs buried under vast guitar soundscapes. Plus, some rocking.

Hum - Electra 2000

Drop-D fuzz science pop. A glimpse of what's to come. Definitive version includes "Winder" as a bonus track.

Smashing Pumkins - Siamese Dream

Same approach as Pablo Honey, Chrome, and Electra 2000, but done on a grander scale.

Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen

Darkly cinematic. Grunge angst meets soul longing.

The Breeders - Last Splash

Technically, this is the guilty pleasure album for the day, but in 1993, the mainstream and the underground were so mixed up that this was a big hit. Certainly as deserving as anything else on the list.

Built to Spill - Ultimate Alternative Wavers

Indie rock takes its first shambling, irony-laden steps away from the Alternative Nation mainstream.

The Spinanes - Manos

Doing less with more. Shimmering, sexy sounds from guitar, vocals, drums.