#785 - Garbage, Garbage

"Garbage's self-titled debut has all the trappings of alternative rock -- off-kilter arrangements, occasional bursts of noise, a female singer with a thin, airy voice -- but it comes off as pop, thanks to the glossy production courtesy of drummer Butch Vig. Not only is the sound of the record slick and professional, but all the songs are well-crafted pop songs." (allmusic guide)

#784 - Tusk, Fleetwood Mac

"No song captures the cocaine-fuelled roller coaster members of Fleetwood Mac rode during the recording of Tusk better than the erratic, heart-pounding title track, written by Lindsey Buckingham. Buckingham, the creative push behind this album, orchestrates an ambitious, mostly solid double album that was overshadowed by its predecessor, Rumours." (real music guide)

#783 - Heroes, David Bowie

"Featuring brilliant art rock, organic instrumentals and the best guitar work Robert Fripp has ever delivered, this belongs in every marooned alien's record collection. The title track, a timeless pop masterpiece, is heard more in the new millennium than in 1977, while "Blackout" catches Bowie's unique mix of wounded romanticism and mad isolation better than any other song." (real music guide)

#782 - Good Old Boys, Randy Newman

"Randy Newman's songwriting often walks a narrow line between intelligent satire and willful cruelty, and that line was never finer than on the album Good Old Boys...(it) is one of Newman's finest albums; it's also one of his most provocative and infuriating, and that's probably just the way he wanted it." (allmusic guide)


#781 - New Miserable Experience, Gin Blossoms

"New Miserable Experience remains the best and most representative document of the group's existence, a tight and lean collection of brilliant, edgy pop music. "Hey Jealousy" and "Until I Fall Away" are the two songs that leave the deepest impression, but the crunchy melodicism and lyrical desperation of "Hold Me Down" sticks with you as well." (allmusic guide) (Blogger's note: This is another of my favorite 90s albums. I still know every song by heart.)

#780 - Songs for Silverman, Ben Folds

"Ben Folds continues to produce highly-arranged music that sounds like pure Product on the surface, but a closer look reveals the workings of a songwriter who takes his craft very seriously. Here he incorporates more Brian Wilson than Elton John, although in the end there's more of Folds himself than anyone else." (real music guide)

#779 - I Feel Alright, Steve Earle

"This is the Steve Earle we've been waiting for, as unadorned, unashamed, and plain-faced honest about his roots, dreams, and dirty past lives as any of country music's most heralded singers." (allmusic guide)