My discoveries per year

[dihansse]

These are the two albums of 1991 I listened to:

First an album I already own/know

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Tin Machine II by Tin Machine
I like this side project by David Bowie and my general observation is that none of the tracks, apart from the indeed heavy Big Hurt and a couple of tracks not sung by Bowie, all these tracks could have fit perfectly on one of the Bowie albums. The highlights for me are the Roxy Music Cover If There Is Something and Goodbye Mr. Ed. A really good album which goes from the 81st to the 34th rank. Btw: I'm sure I once owned the first album but I can't find it any more so I have put it back on my wishlist.

Then an album from my wishlist:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Fireworks by Chris Stamey
And for me another very nice discovery. The sound here is very strange but with all kinds of weird sounds and twists and turns but at the same time it sounds very melodic. And most of the times this works so for me an album that immediately enters my top chart at the 47th rank.

[dihansse]

And two albums of 1992 I listened to:

First an album I already own/know:

The Pop Tarts by Green
After the grand Elaine MacKenzie and the grandiose White Soul (I can't repeat enough that this is a true classic) this follow-up album was a bit of a letdown. Of course the main elements were still there which showed itself especially on the soft but gritty voiced Broken Promises while the equally soft Marga-Marguerite was just a shadow of what they were able to do. The same goes from the shrill voiced hard B.I.T.C.H. which just echoed its title and sounded great while the similar Tough Cram Judy sounded like nothing at all. So a bit of a mixed bag but still showing the greatness Green was capable of and the album moves from the 50th to the 42nd rank.

And then an album from my wishlist:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Flipped Out In Singapore by Chainsaw Kittens
The story goes that when Billy Corgan heard this band he told Butch Vig he absolutely had to produce it and so he did. And the album really sounds as a cross between Smashing Pumpkins (the guitars and the drama) and New York Dolls (the glamrock sound and the transvestite persona of the singer Tyson Meade). Not as good as both bands but still worth a listen and even more. The songs are actually quite good and the album deserves its place in my 1992 personal chart of 1992 at the 32nd rank.

[Repo]

[dihansse]

These are the two albums of 1993 I listened to:

First an album I already know:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

The First Tindersticks Album by Tindersticks
What a great album. It's very long and besides a number of fillers there is so many great songs sung with that wonderful Baritone timbre of Stuart Staples where also the violin plays an important role. The beautiful melancholic sound on tracks like Whiskey and Water, Jism, Tie-Dye, Patchwork, Marbles and especially Raindrops is for me beyond words. I suppose this is their best album but I can't really tell because I only know their first two. And that's why I'm gonna go through them all in this round. But this one is one of the most important movers I already had in these rounds and going from the 58th to the 15th rank.

Then an album from my wishlist:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Love Tara by Eric's Trip
Going from the best song, the soft Behind The Garage, to many harder ones which sound good but nothing special. Sonic Youth it ain't but I'm curious enough to add a number of their following albums on my wishlist and this one enters my year chart at the 38th rank.

[dihansse]

These are two albums of 1994 I listened to:

First an album I already own/know:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Dulcinea by Toad The Wet Sprocket (US)
Not the best album in the world and sometimes a bit too much pop but still ok and good enough to remain in year chart and even rising from the 85th to the 69th rank.

And an album from my wishlist:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Crack In The System by Dead Moon
The production quality of their albums is awful and the voice of the singer Fred Cole is (was) not the nicest in the world but I do have a soft spot for this band and this album is also a good reason to continue to like him with ex a great version of The Times They Are A-Changing. They rattle away in their own special way and they are good at it so why would you need more and the album enters my year chart at the 62nd rank.

[dihansse]

These are the two albums of 1995 I listened to:

First and album I already own/know and I promised to cover the main album catalogue of Tindersticks:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Tindersticks 2 by Tindersticks
And in fact I already discussed this album in this thread in a post of 22/6/2017 and had the following comment:
The first album of The Tindersticks was a must-listen and must-have and at some point in my life I really liked them but in hindsight it's a bit underwhelming just because of the fairly sparse instrumentation in combination with that dry and low voice of Stuart Staples. So I must admit I lost a bit sight of them as far as their other albums were concerned. And boy was I surprised by this gem of a second album. In contradiction to the first album the instrumentation (mostly violin and piano) on this one is lush and inventive and sometimes even close to bombastic (Talk To Me) but it's absolutely beautiful and also makes the singing of Stuart Staples more dramatic and haunting. It's a long album but not boring at all and in other words a real discovery!
But now in hindsight I don't agree any more: after also relistening to the first album my verdict is clear: that first album is by far the best of their two first. Not that this one is bad but it does feel like a long album (whereas the first with 5 songs more didn't) and not everything is very good. But tracks like Tiny Tears, Traveling Light (co-sung with Carla Torgerson from that other great band The Walkabouts) and especially Mistakes are still fantastic. But the album only goes from the 36th to the 33rd rank.

And an album from my wishlist:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Here Comes Success by Band Of Susans
A bit of an ironic title for the last album of a band that never really broke through. But they have released one of my all-time favorite albums: The Word And The Flesh. Even more than on that album this one is focused on ( long guitar songs with still enough quality to make this a very fine one. Especially the first part is terrific with especially the slow build-up of Elisabeth Stride 1843-1888 and Hell Bent. With only one Susan left this band just had to break up but they exited in the nicest way possible: with this album which enters my year chart at the 20th rank.

[dihansse]

And two albums of 1996:

One I already own/know:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Set The Twilight Reeling by Lou Reed
Fairly rocking album and to me also a bit underrated because it features some very good songs of which the title track is the best. This album moves up from the 69th to the 37th rank of the year.

And an album from my wishlist:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

All The Nations Airports by Archers Of Loaf
After a number of classics this album is maybe a bit less good. It contains a few instrumental fillers and the album is maybe a bit too long (although only 47 minutes) but it still deserves its place in my year chart at the 58th rank.

[dihansse]

These are the two albums of 1997 I listened to:

First an album I already own/know:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

A Short Album About Love by The Divine Comedy
I like this album more than a number of their others because of one and only one track: Everybody Knows (Except You) which has all the same features as their other tracks: romantic and a bit overblown but what a fantastic track it is. The other tracks are just romantic and overblown but are certainly not bad. I would never add an album to my top chart for only one tracks but the package as a whole is sufficiently appealing to do just that and the album goes from the 61st to the 44th rank.

And then an album from my wishlist:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Curtains by Tindersticks
and as promised their third album on which I can say it is just as good as their second but not as good as their first album with again the same critic as the second album: just a bit too long with a bit too much filler. But the first two tracks certainly are not and there's enough other good tracks to make this again an enjoyable dark album. Good for the 23rd rank.