best of the 1990's: 1996-1999

so here's part two of my big 90's list. comments are always appreciated!

aphex twin - richard d. james (1996)
I hate it when people refer to robert downey jr as RDJ, because every time I'm like "wtf are you talking about, aphex twin isn't in iron man!! what?!?"

read the rest!

burzum - filosofem (1996)
if "transilvanian hunger" isn't the best black metal album ever, then this definitely is. one or the other

daft punk - homework (1996)
who doesn't love daft punk?

harvey milk - my love is higher than your assessment of what my love could be (1996)
their debut album. these guys have never released a bad album, which is totally insane. one of the best metal bands of all time

lethargy - it's hard to write with a little hand (1996)
awesome pre-mastodon math metal

satyricon - nemesis divina (1996)
"mother north" was the song that convinced me that I liked black metal

built to spill - perfect from now on (1997)
one time I was super pissed-off and depressed and walking to my job that I hated, but I didn't have any metal on my ipod. so I listened to this instead, and it hit me really hard. this album bums me out in the best way.

emperor - anthems to the welkin at dusk (1997)
absurdly bombastic black metal

frederik thordenda's special defects - sol niger within (1997)
meshuggah's guitar player goes solo and goes crazy

mogwai - young team (1997)
this band had a big influence on my musical tastes, and are one of the best live shows i've ever seen

strapping young lad - city (1997)
while later albums would improve on SYL's sound, this is still an awesome weirdo industrial metal album

arab strap - philophobia (1998)
drunken, filthy, and kind of pretty in its own way

at the drive-in - in casino out (1998)
an album I can come back to again and again. my favorite at the drive-in album easily

gorguts - obscura (1998)
incredibly strange and technical death metal

autechre - ep7 (1999)
IDM. much more accessible than a lot of their later work

the black heart procession - 2 (1999)
I don't listen to it much anymore, but this album still has a soft spot for me

chessie - overnight (1999)
instrumental rock about trains. "daylight" used to be a favorite

deerhoof - holdy paws (1999)
although my favorite deerhoof releases didn't come out until the 2000's, this is still a great record

dillinger escape plan - calculating infinity (1999)
intensely complex math metal

kool keith - black elvis/lost in space (1999)
kool keith is a weird and awesome dude

the locust - self-titled (1999)
grindcore/hardcore/screamo. this band kind of blew my mind when I first heard them.

manes - under ein blodraud maane (1999)
psychedelic shoegazing black metal

maudlin of the well - my fruit psychobells a seed combustible (1999)
artsy prog-doom

mf doom - operation doomsday (1999)
it's mf doom! what else needs to be said?

mindless self indulgence - tight (1999)
not even the most embarassing thing I was listening to in 1999

mr. bungle - california (1999)
mike patton and mr. bungle sometimes get too wacky for their own good, but this album has some classics on it, including "goodbye sober day", one of the best album-closers ever

ten in the swear jar - my very private map (1999)
pre-xiu xiu weirdness from the peninsula