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1
Copper Blue (1992)
Released
“A Good Idea” starts with a bass figure that could carry the song on its own. By the time the guitars crowd in, there’s still a clear shape to follow. “If I Can’t Change Your Mind” shows what Sugar can do with a lighter touch. Start here if you like the way a pop tune can survive a roomful of guitar noise.
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One in a Million (1996)
Released
Listen to the title track for the way Aaliyah draws out a phrase while Timbaland’s beat keeps changing where it seems to land. “If Your Girl Only Knew” uses that same space for something slyer. It’s an album to try if the decade’s big R&B ballads leave you wanting a singer who can draw you in at a lower volume.
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Re (1994)
Released
Put “La Ingrata” next to “Madrugal.” Café Tacvba can go from the clipped momentum of norteño to a slow bolero without losing the sense of a band enjoying its choices. This is the album for anyone who misses the pleasure of finding a sound on the next track that they weren’t expecting.
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Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1996)
Released
“Metronomic Underground” finds a groove early and keeps shifting the layers around it. “Cybele’s Reverie” offers a brighter point of entry. Try it if you like the textures of guitar records but want the rhythm to have as much say in where a song goes as the melody does.
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Star (1993)
Released
“Feed the Tree” will get you in, but “Gepetto” makes the better case for staying. Tanya Donelly can carry a bright melody while the guitars around it make the song feel less settled. Choose this when you want a guitar record that leaves room for a strange turn inside a familiar hook.
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A Toda Cuba Le Gusta (1997)
Released
If Buena Vista Social Club is where you usually go for Cuban music from the 1990s, try the Afro-Cuban All Stars’ companion recording. “Amor Verdadero” gives you an easy way in. Listen for the way the voices answer one another as the arrangement fills out around them. The pleasure here is hearing what happens when a song has that many people to carry it.
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Gentlemen (1993)
Released
The little delay before “Debonair” leans into its groove makes the record feel charged from the first bars. On “What Jail Is Like,” that tension turns into a more direct rush. The Afghan Whigs are the pick if you want a 1990s guitar album where the rhythm section is as good a reason to stay as the guitars.
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Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (1990)
Released
Harriet Wheeler makes the melody on “Here’s Where the Story Ends” seem to drift over the guitar part. The song can sound light until you notice how firmly the rhythm keeps it moving. Put this on when you want a guitar record with enough detail for a close listen and enough air to let it go by.
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Painful (1993)
Released
There are two versions of “Big Day Coming,” one at the start and one near the end. The distance between the patient opener and the louder return tells you how much Yo La Tengo can do with the same song. Listen for that contrast if you want a record whose changes in volume do some of its storytelling.
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In on the Kill Taker (1993)
Released
“Facet Squared” takes its time finding its footing, then makes the opening tension pay off. Put on “Smallpox Champion” next to hear how much a band can change the feel of a song by rearranging where the accents fall. Fugazi makes a good detour if you want 1990s guitar music that keeps you guessing even when it gets loud.
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Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) (1993)
Released
Try “Where I’m From” for the way the voices hand lines to one another over the loop. They sound as if they could keep the conversation going after the song ends. Digable Planets are a good route into the decade’s rap records if you like grooves that leave room for small differences in how each voice rides the beat.
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Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde (1992)
Released
“Passin’ Me By” gives each rapper room to make a different kind of joke about the same bad feeling. The sample keeps returning while the voices stretch and crowd the beat in their own ways. Start there for a rap album that can make an awkward story feel as musical as its chorus.
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Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996)
Released
“The Urban Theme” lets the band settle into a groove before the first sung track. Carry on into “Welcome” and “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)” to hear what Maxwell does with the room the instruments have made for him. This is a good choice for hearing an R&B album let its players set the mood.
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Trace (1995)
Released
“Windfall” has the pace of a song you could drive to for miles, then “Drown” puts a sharper edge on Jay Farrar’s voice. The two tracks make a useful pair for hearing how Son Volt carries the same plainspoken approach from a country arrangement into a harder guitar sound.
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Maxinquaye (1995)
Released
“Overcome” makes a good starting point because Martina Topley-Bird’s voice stays clear even when the arrangement feels as if it’s closing in. The beat gives you something to hold while the voices pull in different directions. Try Tricky when you want a dance-derived record that gets stranger the closer you listen.
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Walking Wounded (1996)
Released
On “Before Today,” Tracey Thorn sounds patient over a rhythm that has no intention of waiting. The title track pushes that contrast further. This is the record to play if you like the intimacy of Everything but the Girl’s earlier songs and want to hear what faster electronic rhythms do to the space around her voice.
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Dynamo (1992)
Released
“Primavera 0” is a good way to hear the tune through the layers of guitars. Give “En Remolinos” a try next for a more enveloping version of the same approach. Soda Stereo makes a strong companion to the era’s guitar records if you like hearing a melody stay distinct while the sounds around it blur.
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