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Psalm 69 (1992)
Released
Ministry, 1992. Start with N.W.O.
Short vocal samples and a hard repeating riff turn the studio itself into a rhythm instrument. Start here for the point where industrial rock cuts closest to metal.
More about Psalm 6923
Dummy (1994)
Released
Portishead, 1994. Start with Glory Box
A repeating sample gives Beth Gibbons room to press against the rhythm. Start here for trip-hop that works through material borrowed from soul and the way voice sits over a loop.
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You'd Prefer an Astronaut (1995)
Released
Hum, 1995. Start with Stars
The almost weightless opening gives the heavy section real force. This is a useful midpoint between the big guitar textures of shoegaze and the louder side of US alternative rock.
More about You'd Prefer an Astronaut25
Angel Dust (1992)
Released
Faith No More, 1992. Start with Midlife Crisis
The repeating percussion gives the song its center while Mike Patton’s delivery snaps between approaches. Choose it if you want a band that changes style without breaking the beat.
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Mezzanine (1998)
Released
Massive Attack, 1998. Start with Angel
The bass starts almost alone, and instruments add weight gradually. Pick it for the darker side of Bristol’s trip-hop, where sound builds with the patience of a long guitar record.
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Post (1995)
Released
Björk, 1995. Start with Hyperballad
Small electronic sounds and a steady beat make room for the exposed part of the vocal. Start here for Björk’s habit of putting intimate detail inside an oversized arrangement.
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Buhloone Mindstate (1993)
Released
De La Soul, 1993. Start with Breakadawn
A buoyant bass and familiar soul fragments leave room for unhurried verses. This is a useful hip-hop branch for listeners who want to hear how sample choice changes the feel of a group.
More about Buhloone Mindstate29
Homogenic (1997)
Released
Björk, 1997. Start with Jóga
A string tune and an electronic beat move on different tracks until they fold together. Choose it when you want to hear the album’s large dynamic contrasts in one song.
More about Homogenic30
Midnight Marauders (1993)
Released
A Tribe Called Quest, 1993. Start with Electric Relaxation
The guitar sample has enough motion to anchor the entire song. Start here if the understated side of alternative hip-hop is what you want to hear next.
More about Midnight Marauders31
Check Your Head (1992)
Released
Beastie Boys, 1992. Start with So What'cha Want
A heavy keyboard and drum sound give shouted rhymes the texture of a band in a room. Try it for the Beastie Boys’ shift between sampled tracks and playing instruments.
More about Check Your Head32
Pussy Whipped (1993)
Released
Bikini Kill, 1993. Start with Rebel Girl
A firmly repeated guitar part makes space for a direct declaration. Use it as a starting point for riot grrrl when you want to hear how a single chorus can change the sense of a room.
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Ill Communication (1994)
Released
Beastie Boys, 1994. Start with Sabotage
Guitar and bass have the blunt force of punk while the vocal pushes in a different direction. Choose it for one of the decade’s easiest points of entry into rap and live-band crossover.
More about Ill Communication34
Rage Against the Machine (1992)
Released
Rage Against the Machine, 1992. Start with Know Your Enemy
A repeated electric riff leaves room for syncopated vocals, then opens into passages that sound like hard rock. It is a quick way to hear what the debut does with the tension between rap and metal.
More about Rage Against the Machine35
Call the Doctor (1996)
Released
Sleater-Kinney, 1996. Start with I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone
The plain title and simple guitar part give the performance room to be impatient and funny. This album shows how much can happen in a few quick band takes.
More about Call the Doctor36
Pottymouth (1993)
Released
Bratmobile, 1993. Start with Cool Schmool
The guitar and rhythm are bare enough for every little push to count. Choose it for a riot grrrl record where a short song can sound like a quick conversation and a dismissal.
More about Pottymouth37
Personal Best (2019)
Released
Team Dresch, 1995. Start with Fagetarian and Dyke
The guitar cracks open around the vocal while a firm rhythm holds the song together. Start here for queer punk that puts directness and melody in the same few minutes.
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Exile in Guyville (1993)
Released
Liz Phair, 1993. Start with Never Said
A plain vocal and a small, repeating guitar gesture turn into a hook. Put it on for an album where closely observed words do as much work as the electric arrangements.
More about Exile in Guyville39
To Bring You My Love (1995)
Released
PJ Harvey, 1995. Start with Down by the Water
The beat and low sound create an uneasy enclosure around a voice that moves forward word by word. This is a route into a more controlled, theatrical kind of alternative rock.
More about To Bring You My Love40
Rid of Me (1993)
Released
PJ Harvey, 1993. Start with Rid of Me
A low voice and guitar leave so much space that the later loud entrance changes the whole room. It is a good first track for a record that makes dynamics part of its writing.
More about Rid of Me41
Automatic for the People (1992)
Released
R.E.M., 1992. Start with Nightswimming
Piano and a string arrangement make the song’s nostalgia more specific than its simple pace suggests. It is a way into the more restrained direction an influential college-rock group took in the 1990s.
More about Automatic for the People42
Siamese Dream (1993)
Released
The Smashing Pumpkins, 1993. Start with Mayonaise
Soft and loud guitars give a long melody several different shapes. Choose it for a Chicago album whose studio layers link heavy alternative rock to shoegaze.
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