90s Music

Being born in '93, I was not able to really appreciate the music of the decade of my birth. By the time I was seven, it was already the new millennium and an entire decade of music had passed me by. Granted, I still had heard those cheesy pop songs and some great hits by rock bands, but I did not get to truly experience and appreciate some of the albums that had been released in the previous decade until much later. When I finally revisited the 90s, it was odd how strangely nostalgic each album felt despite having never heard its entirety before. Perhaps it is not just the songs that make me feel nostalgic, it's the feel behind them that sends me back to my days as a child.

Weezer: It's probably the nerd in me that's so attached to this band, but Weezer really is great even though they produce really simple music. I think that Weezer's real strength was just their plain honesty about everything. Their debut self-titled and Pinkerton are so blunt that I can't help but love their music. Weezer wasn't out there to try to impress anyone, they just made music they loved about the actual (if not sometimes petty) issues in their lives.
Significant Albums: Weezer (Blue Album), Pinkerton

Third Eye Blind: One-hit wonders are common, but one-album wonders doesn't seem to be much of term commonly thrown around. It's a shame that Third Eye Blind kind of ended up being known for their self-titled. There was a brief moment in the 90s where I remember Third Eye Blind being huge, spawning multiple hit singles on their debut record and then simply fading into relative obscurity. For that time though, Third Eye Blind was good at what they did: making ridiculously catchy songs that get stuck in your head just thinking about them.
Significant Albums: Third Eye Blind

Nirvana: Likely one of the most defining bands of the decade, Nirvana is hard to ignore in any discussion of 90s music. Filled to the tip with teenage angst, it's easy to see why they had such an appeal to Generation X. Kurt Cobain's lyricism is a little strange in retrospect, often combining phrases that seem to have no apparent connection, but the music is very solid. Personally, I have loyalties to other grunge band though.
Significant Albums: Nevermind, In Utero

Pearl Jam: Pearl Jam took an unorthodox look at the grunge scene. Though still riddled with flannel and emotion, Pearl Jam took a more mature route than some of their contemporaries. While Nirvana was very simplistic about its lyrical subjects and music, Pearl Jam attempted to be more intricate. Their songs were often very introspective about personal conflicts with the self and with society. (Though, they did often just rock out for the sake of rocking out.) Eddie Vader's vocals are a powerful contributor to Pearl Jam's mature sound.
Significant Albums: Ten

Alice in Chains: My favorite grunge band. Alice in Chains were a heavy band while still maintaining their alternative rock sound. Alice in Chains were focused on inner conflict more than anything. Singer Layne Staley dealt with a lot of personal issues through his life and expressed his turmoil clearly through Alice in Chain's songs. Like Vader, Staley improved the band greatly by adding the perfect vocals to compliment the instruments. Overall, I've been impressed by every Alice in Chains release I've heard.
Significant Albums: Facelift, Dirt