The Jesus and Mary Chain returns poppier and cleaner than usual, Gorillaz fails in delivering an apocalyptic party, Audioslave begins as a band that had yet to free itself from the groups that originated it, and Incubus tries to move while standing still.
The XX run full speed towards indie electronic without losing sight of the intimacy of their sound, The Birthday Party stands on the verge of total insanity, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers play straightforward rock and roll, and Bob Dylan turns himself into one of the biggest interpreters of the American songbook.
The Rolling Stones drown in sex, drugs, and rock and roll to produce the genre’s greatest album, The Clash announces the ending of rock music by envisioning a future in which it is mixed with other styles, Tom Waits celebrates the darkest aspects of life by going primal and swimming in its sewage, and Pink Floyd writes a rock opera on human relations and the isolation that stems from their rupture.
Pavement throws its biggest curveball, the Arctic Monkeys combine hip-hop tendencies with Black Sabbath distortions, R.E.M. explores the darkest depths of the South, and The Kinks build a bridge between American and British rock music.
Weezer produces a masterpiece out of a total nervous breakdown, Pulp strips sex out of all its romance to reveal its awkwardness, Neil Young sinks to new lows due to his unedited prolificness, and The Stooges manage to put their ferocity on a record.
Metallica finds solid rehabilitation, The Rolling Stones locate the fountain of youth, Joy Division floats amidst a vacuum of sadness, and The Replacements give rebels and outcasts their greatest musical statement.
AC/DC mourns the loss of Bon Scott by releasing their best album, Green Day goes back to their leaner kind of pop punk, Suede amplifies the magnitude of their dramatic tendencies with a cinematic album, and Tom Waits paints nightlife with his music.
The Pixies reconnect with their punk aura without abandoning their newfound inclinations for straight pop-rock, The Kills exploit the darkest spectrum of their minimalism, CNSY conquer the folk rock world, and Grinderman shows Nick Cave going back to his wild brutal post-punk roots.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds turn to minimalistic instrumentation and find an overwhelming moving masterpiece in the aftermath of tragedy, Midnight Oil continue trying to find a center and come across a very good album on the way, Pearl Jam debuts with grunge grandiosity, and Haim displays its pop influences.
The Killers find a colorful kind of consistency, My Bloody Valentine drowns beauty in guitar noise, The Strypes struggle to move away from their great but derivative debut, and Hole produces one of rock’s landmarks of the 90s.
Nintendobound 