18 musicians on their favorite albums from the 90s

To commemorate the 1990s, Pitchfork has published our list of the best songs, albums and one-hit wonders of the decade. Now artists are weighing up their favorite album picks. Here are answers from Jewel, Maxwell, Damon & Naomi, Built to Spill and more.

For more information on Pitchfork’s coverage of the 1990s, see head here. And read our Editor-in-Chief Puja Patel’s note on our ’90s Pack here.

Beth Orton

Cocteau twins Heaven or Las Vegas (1990)

This record brought the ’90s into play and told us everything we needed to know about the best that was yet to come. Nothing could touch their sprawling beauty, the seamless splendor of their collective sound. Heaven or Las Vegas ushered in a new era of music that has been born ever since. I will forever feel the hope of being 19 when I hear this record.

Chrystia Cabral (SPELLING)

Portisheads Portishead (1997)

Portishead is easily one of my absolute favorite bands from the 90’s. They sound like an extraterrestrial telegram spewing back an amalgamation of all of Earth’s musical filth. The way they command the atmosphere is so raw and mystical. While I was working on it, I obsessively listened to their 1997 self-titled album Mazy fly. In true ’90s fashion, I still have the CD copy of it floating around in my car somewhere.

Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang (Galaxy 500)

ghosts Second time around (1992)

When we first heard Ghost from Tokyo we couldn’t believe they were a band in the present tense. Back then we were immersed in folk and psychedelic classics of the ’60s and ’70s – and here were new recordings that fitted right in, not in any awakening way, just in the shared spirit. Masaki Batoh sang in a strange English full of odd vocabulary and grammatical choices, more Shirley Collins than Shonen Knife. It was as if he had tapped into an earlier, more flexible version of our language. Taishi Takizawa’s arrangements were also wildly free, unabashedly mixing traditional acoustic instruments with acid rock and even—the last thing you’d expect in the ’90s—flute. The bass and drums moved with a fluidity and dynamic that we’ve always strived for in our own playing. We were smitten and listened to their first two albums over and over again. But that was pretty much before the internet, and Japan felt very, very far away. We never thought we could meet Ghost any more than we could meet the Incredible String Band… until lo and behold, a horde of Japanese hippies showed up at O’Hare Airport to tour with us and we became best friends forever .

Dawn Richard

Lives throw copper (1994)

This album had many levels for me. It was the lyrical journey that I loved the most. Also, the album cover was damn flawless. A sleeper album still played today.

Doug Martsch (Built to Spill)

Corrosive resins fly me to the moon (1995)

This is one of those rare occasions when your favorite band makes a new record that’s even better than anything they’ve done in the past. I’ve listened to Caustic Resin for years and loved all of their recordings, most of it 4 track stuff. Body love, body hate was her first studio album and it was amazing to hear what Brett [Netson] could do in a studio. but fly me to the moon was Brett, who teamed up with Phil Ek at Reciprocal Studios to take it to another level. By this time, Brett’s songwriting and vocals had also reached a new level, and this recording captures it all perfectly. Brett’s the best guitarist in the world – he’s kind of a less flashy Hendrix. Caustic Resin’s entire catalog is amazing, but this is the pinnacle and best album of the 90’s for me. Actually, The medicine is all gone is just as good.

Douglas McCombs (Turtle)

Tom Verlaines Warm and cool (1992)

Warm and cool is a 1992 instrumental guitar recording by Tom Verlaine. He had spent most of the ’80s pursuing the fundamentals of television, releasing a string of albums that showcased his talent for inventive guitar arrangements and poetic twists. Warm and cool seems to be something else. The song arrangements and guitar playing are casual at times, but not aloof or indifferent. They are sublime and occasionally border on virtuosity, but not for virtuosity’s sake. I think it’s the style of playing he’s known for, using tone and choice of notes to build a framework of expression rather than being a showcase of his skill. In any case, the description doesn’t do it justice, so I’ll stop, but I know that for sure Warm and cool has influenced everything I’ve done since 1992.

Gregg Gillis (Girl Talk)

The amplifiers pacemaker (1995)

Excellent noisy pop album, every song a hit! The production fits the songwriting style really well. I also love the 33 minutes and 15 seconds running time.

I saw the Breeders in Pittsburgh in 1997 and they played some of that album. Great show! I had to leave as soon as the concert was over because my father was waiting to pick me up. My friend Richard was able to be away from the venue for a while. Kim Deal eventually came out and he got her autograph on a t-shirt.

Haley Fohr (Circuit Des Yeux)

Do you speak mockery

mockery is an album that can soothe the darkest of hearts. It grounds and transforms in a whole-body way. It changed my life and I want everyone to hear it.

On Mockery, Hollis’s voice thumps like a mystery one wishes would not speak, while the post-rock accompaniment of feedback and clanging drums lends his message a towering grandeur. The arrangements on mockery Sum up what we all love so much about the ’90s. There was real bleeding of colors and edges. There was a hidden optimism to be found in the expressive expansion… a kind of foggy sprawl that alluded to the ability to explore, of course.