The Breeders is an alternative rock band founded by Kim Deal of the Pixies. There are a lot of similarities with the Pixies, but this album lacks the proper amount of hooks to be as interesting as the Pixies. There are also some similarities with Mazzy Star's laconic singing style, although The Breeders are a lot more rock oriented. Pod was the band's first album and it remains the best one. Kurt Cobain has hailed this album as one of the most influential albums for him. There is much more potential in the sound and songs than what The Breeders managed to make out of this album. It could've been a lot better. Still, songs like Doe and Hellbound manage to be really interesting. There's also a great cover version of the old Beatles classic Happiness Is a Warm Gun. Listen to the album on Spotify.
9. Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour
Pet Shop Boys was one of the early synth pop bands. The English duo is known for their industrial sounding electronics, sad melodies and Neil Tennant's nasal singing voice. Behaviour is one of the band's best albums. In the 90's I simply couldn't listen to any electronic music and I didn't like 80's cold and mathematically played sounds. Later on, I have learned to appreciate these sounds, but even now I think most bands would be better with a bit more authentic sounding instrumentation. Pet Shop Boys is a great example of synth pop done right and even though this music is not something I would listen to a lot, I truly appreciate their take on music. Pet Shop Boys is a classic band. Listen to the album on Spotify.
8. Happy Mondays - Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
One of the leading music scenes in the 80's was called Madchester. This term refers to bands that emerged in the Manchester clubs in the 80's. The central place for this movement was Hacienda club in Manchester. People took ecstasy and partied all night long. This already tells you that rhythm was in the leading part in this music. Happy Mondays do have melodies, sometimes even really good ones, but still I struggle to be moved by their music. Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches is a great album of danceable songs and I appreciate it as a good representative of its style. I cannot however rate this album any higher on this list, because it stays distant for me personally. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Pixies has always been a bit distant for me. Some of their songs are amazingly good and some do not appeal to me at all. It's weird how a band with so much potential does not succeed in making excellent whole albums. With a bit more melodic approach, Bossanova could be an excellent album. Intro song Cecilia Ann is an example of a sound world that would get the band really far. I also like the sound of Ana. On any level, Bossanova is not a bad album. I'm just saying that I'm a bit disappointed in how an album with such good music manages to lack the final touch to make it phenomenal. Perhaps it's just my incapability to appreciate music that does not set great melodies as their first priority. Listen to the album on Spotify.
I like Nick Cave the most when he sings smooth and mellow ballads with beautiful melodies. His sixth album The Good Son is one of his most relaxed albums. The Weeping Song and The Ship Song are among his best tracks. The Good Son is probably not the most well-known albums by the Bad Seeds, but in my opinion it should be. I'm not a big fan of Cave's "scary" singing. I think he's at his best accompanied by just a piano. Lament is one of the classiest songs on this album with strings and a xylophone sounding instrument. I think this album is one of the best albums by Nick Cave, since not once listening to it I want to change the track. That is much more than many of his other albums can promise. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Depeche Mode is among the most well known electronic bands in the world. They've made music since the early 80's and their style is always unmistakable. Electronic and industrial backgrounds and a deep baritone voice. I have never liked Depeche Mode's music as whole albums. I think they succeed in making good single tracks, but they don't have enough great material for whole albums. Violator comes closest to being a jackpot. It has the band's two most well-known songs Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence. The album cover is among the most iconic album covers. Waiting for the Night is one of the less well-known great songs. The sound in this song is a bit different from the rest, but I like it. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Ride from Oxford was one of the most interesting bands of the early 90's. Their music is a mix of psychedelic guitar rock and shoe gazing. All the instruments are played really skilfully and the sounds are carefully chosen. Nowhere was the band's debut album and in my opinion it remains their best album to date. Their music sounds as if it would be best enjoyed live. Album gives an impression of a great gig with long solos and improvising touch. The album cover is actually a photo of a wave. Some of the songs sound a bit like The Stone Roses, but Ride has heavier guitar sounds and relies more on the noise aesthetics. With a little bit of more effort, Nowhere could have been among the classics of the 90's but now it remains just a good album. listen to the album on Spotify.
Dear 23 is the first major label album of The Posies. Album clears the way for their next album, Frosting on the Beater, which is their best album. Dear 23 has great alternative rock hits. The band succeeds in making better melodies than most of the bands in the same era. Golden Blunders is a great hit song resembling the golden years of Teenage Fanclub. Apology resembles The Stone Roses' hit songs and shows the skills of The Posies in singing harmonies. I only found this album recently. I've listened to other Posies albums quite a lot, but for some reason I had not gotten my hands on this one. It is absolutely one of the best albums from the band. It's a nice ray of light with it's great melodies in the middle of a time, when melody wasn't in fashion. Listen to the songs of the album on Youtube.
Mazzy Star's debut album She Hangs Brightly is probably their most pop-oriented album. It has clearer melodies than the following two albums. That is why this is a great album to start getting to know Mazzy Star, if for some reason you don't already know them. Laconic female singing, easy going guitars and simple drum rhythms have a feel of relaxed Sundays, when there is nothing to do, but that is just the way you want it to be. This band has definitely paved the way for shoe gazing bands of the 2000's. I get the feeling that not many people today are familiar with Mazzy Star, so I am thrilled to be able to introduce the band to new listeners. It's definitely something unique. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Sonic Youth's some songs are in my book among the best songs in the world. Some on the other hand are too noisy for my taste. Goo is one of the band's best albums because it's not too noisy. The songs have great melodies, but that is not an obstacle for a right kind of Sonic youth attitude. I generally have liked the more recent Sonic Youth albums more, but I must admit that Goo is a classic that should not stay in the shadows. From the opening track Dirty Boots it is clear that this is an amazing album and that is why it's my number one on this list. The album cover is outright ugly, but in some weird way it illustrates the cool art rock and it's weird sound world really well. This album has to be listened to with a great stereo system or good head phones. Listen to the album on Spotify.
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