The first two albums by Oasis made them the biggest band in the world. The release of this third album has been referred to as the death of britpop. It is true that this album isn't as innovative and doesn't have as many hits as the previous albums, but it's still a pretty good piece of work. I guess it was just impossible to make an improvement after (What's the Story) Morning Glory. Stand by Me was the biggest hit from this album and I can see why. It's a catchy and well written piece of music. This album is only on the tenth place, since it doesn't have the wow factor that an amazing album is supposed to have. Nevertheless, the Gallagher brothers have managed to rock their way into the top 10 of 1997. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Spiritualized is often forgotten when talking about britpop. I can see why. They never made hit albums to attract massive audiences. Neither were their albums full of fantastic tracks. There's still something hauntingly beautiful in their music. It's a mixture of etherical slowness and rocking raw power. Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space is probably the best known album from the band. the album was critically acclaimed and one no. 1 place on NME's list of the best albums. I don't think it deserved to be on that place, but it's still an album that should not be forgotten. If you're into britpop, you don't want to overlook this album. it needs to be listened quite many times to reveal all of its secrets though. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Björk is obviously the most well known Icelandic artist in the world. i think she's managed that by making music that is truly original. It sounds like nothing else. Shamanic melodies and a weirdly compelling and yet not traditional singing voice are backed up by strings, electronic sounds and a wide array of different folk instruments. Homogenic is absolutely one of the best albums by Björk. Songs such as Hunter, Joga, Bachelorette and All Is Full of Love are among her best known songs. the album cover image gives an impression of much more electronic sound world than is the truth. These songs have a quite organic quality despite of electronics used. The voice of Björk is again absolutely beautiful. Listen to the album on Spotify.
As with Oasis, Blur had also made their best albums by 1997. They succeeded a bit better than Oasis though to keep the quality of their albums high. Their self titled album is not an amazing piece of work as a whole, but it contains some of the best songs from the band. Song 2 is probably one of the most recognisable tracks in the world. It's what made Blur known in US. US had probably overlooked the band's previous brilliant albums because of Damon Albarn's strong English accent. In addition to Song 2, Beetlebum and Strange News from Another Star are my favourites from this album. There are definitely some songs that could have been left out, but Blur hadn't lost all of its charm by this album. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Portishead is in my opinion the best trip-hop band in the world. Their scary and dark music is full of melancholy and despair. One of the interesting features of this album is the scratching noise resembling the noise of the needle on vinyl that is there even if you're listening to a CD or mp3. This music is definitely not for those, who are allergic to sadness and misery. For the likes of me, on the other hand, this album is perfect for those moments when you want to wallow in your own sadness. The album cover is extremely stylish. It looks to me like some sort of cult with it's symbol. The cover could as well be from some scary tv-show from Orwell's 1984. The music matches that haunty image perfectly. Listen to the album on Spotify.
The Verve is mainly known because of this album. Their other albums are not necessarily that different in the sounds, but those other albums lack hit material. Bittersweet Symphony, Sonnet and Drugs Don't Work were played everywhere and they even still are. The end part of the album is not quite as good, but still you might say that Urban Hymns deserves to be remembered as a classic brit-pop album. These pop-rock sounds define the 90's music scene. Richard Ashcroft's singing voice is super cool. The sound is mostly acoustic, but strings and electric guitars make these songs sound larger than life. The Verve might not be as good as the other brit-pop giants, but at least this album is amazing! Listen to the album on Spotify.
Kent is one of the biggest bands in the Nordic Countries, but since they made the choice to make music in Swedish, their music is not well known outside Swedish-speaking world. i have hard time understanding the lyrics of these songs, so them singing in Swedish should not be obstacle for anyone else. Isola is one of the best albums by Kent. All the songs are amazingly good. Still I think the gold medal is reserved for the ending song 747. The Kent album covers have always been really great. This is no exception. Joakim Berg's way of pronouncing Swedish is absolutely beautiful and dark and melancholic guitars seal the deal for one of the best albums of 1997. Absolutely brilliant album! Listen to the album on Spotify.
Teenage Fanclub is the master of harmonic singing and beautiful summer melodies. This is music for beaches, green leaves and countryside walks. The Scottish band has made excellent albums since the beginning of the 90's until this day, but this album is one of the best ones of the lot. You simply can't listen to this music and not smile. I'm usually a friend of melancholy and sorrow, but this music just makes me feel so happy, that I can't not like it. I have no idea what the lyrics are about though, since I usually don't focus on such things. This album might need a few times of listening before it sinks in. The songs sound really similar at first, but once you get to know the melodies, they have all the difference in the world. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Elliott Smith is one of my all time
favourite artists. Either/Or is usually regarded as his best album. In my
opinion it’s not as good as the following album XO, but it’s still one heck of
an album. The sounds on this one are still a lot more acoustic, which in some
way support Smith’s beautiful and delicate voice. Between the bars is one of the most beautiful songs ever, and it
has even been transformed into different versions by other artists. Elliott
Smith’s melancholic folk is at the same time crushingly sad and incredibly
beautiful. This is singer-songwriter music in its purest form. Just the guitar
and a voice expressing beauty through personal songs. Listen to the album on Spotify.
1. Radiohead - OK Computer
Radiohead is one of the biggest bands
in the world today. It’s not, however, played in radio. This reveals something
about the music industry today. Skills and great songs are wanted, but they
need to fill a certain criteria to be suitable for radio. Critics loved this
melancholic and innovative album full of weird sounds. It’s regarded as one of
the best albums of all times. I can see why. OK Computer’s every single song
sounds amazing! Thom Yorke’s whining voice is in the right place here. Paranoid Android, Exit Music (for a film) and Lucky are my favourites from this amazing album. This is one of the best albums ever! Listen to the album on Spotify.
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