The Best Albums of 1996
Metal had seen off grunge and found its feet again by the second half of the 1990s. Yet aside from big guns Metallica, who released the divisive Load, this was a time when a new generation were mapping out the genre’s future on both sides of the Atlantic, from Rage Against The Machine and Tool to In Flames and Cradle Of Filth. Here are all of the 1996 albums ranked.
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10. Everything Must Go (Manic Street Preachers)
“The album is often reckoned as one of the group’s best and the album is characterized by solid and dedicated songwriting which lyrically touch upon both political and personal themes. The group shows willingness and strength to move on after the loss of the distinctive personality Edwards who, however, actually contributes by having written lyrics to five of the album’s best songs such as ”Kevin Carter”, “Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky”, “The Girl Who Wanted to Be God” and “Removables”
9. Sublime (Sublime)
“This is one of those few albums that transcends all its influences to create something great. What I Got, Santeria, Wrong Way, but also a lot of the other songs have a soul like Pawn Shop & Doin’ Time. A perfect blend of genres. This album is the peak and I can’t name one weak track.”
8. Tigermilk (Belle And Sebastian)
“A very well-written record. Quite spare and simple musically speaking, it works because it gives the vocals more of a spotlight since it’s the lyrics that are the all-important factor here. the vocals are pretty as well in their own unique way.”
See more: Sublime Albums Ranked
7. Soundtracks For The Blind (Swans)
“This was powerful. It felt like all the music I have ever listened to had been in preparation for this arresting sonic experience, and I can’t wait to truly get to know this record, a feeling that doesn’t happen often when you’re always trying to listen to new stuff. A true contemporary epic!”
6. Long Season (フィッシュマンズ [Fishmans])
“A flawless masterpiece of progressive pop, dream pop, and neo-psychedelia. Fishmans released two beautiful albums in 1996, but the drastic stylistic change from Kuchu Camp to Long Season is mind-blowing. The album is basically one long continuous song but can be split into 5 distinct parts or movements. Part 3 is the most experimental featuring an extended drum solo, and various watery sounds mixed with windchimes.”
5. Ænima (Tool)
“Tool is just amazing and this was the album that first caught my attention back in the 90s while in high school. I’ve grown to understand it in many different ways, many different times, just depending on where I am in my life/mind. This album is a spiritual experience in and of itself. I get goosebumps while listening to it. The subject matter sent my young mind out to learn as much as I could about the details in the lyrics.”
4. Odelay (Beck)
“Listening to this back, I really enjoy the Dust Brothers’ intermezzos, after which I have to sit through verses and choruses of Beck’s mediocre, occasionally okay songwriting. It makes me wonder why they settled as producers and didn’t just go solo as their Chemical nephews.”
See more: Beck Albums Ranked
3. Endtroducing….. (DJ Shadow)
“Shadow did an absolutely masterful job and you really feel his love for music, the hours of listening spent studying each sample and then assemble them to make something totally new, something unique. The ability he has to apprehend the music he listens to is simply phenomenal.”
2. If You’re Feeling Sinister (Belle And Sebastian)
“This album is a good example of the kind of music Belle and Sebastian play, but it’s very loaded. I like to think an introduction should be simple. And in that sense, none of the music by this band is a good starting place. You sort of have to just dive in – much like love – a complicated mess that makes us happy to be alive, a melancholy masterpiece.”
1. Pinkerton (Weezer)
“Pinkerton continues Rivers’ string of composing some of the finest pop-rock songs of the time, with songs like ‘The Good Life’ and ‘El Scorcho’ being instantly catchy. I think this album is superior to the Blue Album because it has a thematic consistency that reflects Rivers’ early attempts at creating a full-fledged concept album, and a raw energy and looseness to the recordings that is hard to find outside of punk or other lo-fi records.”