Best Albums of 1999

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1.

Ágætis Byrjun 

 Sigur Rós

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"Every song is magical. This is album you really have to lose your mind to, it's euphoria, close your eyes, slow your heart beat and the 10 minute songs will pass over you like seconds. Surrender yourself and you will find a new world of music that hasn't been repeated by anyone, even Sigur Ros. S...""Every song is magical. This is album you really have to lose your mind to, it's euphoria, close your eyes, slow your heart beat and the 10 minute songs will pass over you like seconds. Surrender yourself and you will find a new world of music that hasn't been repeated by anyone, even Sigur Ros. Sweeping melodies and touching vocals - this is the entire post-rock package. God-damn, I can't even describe this album with words. Poignant, unparalleled perfection."  [+]  Reply

- | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +13 votes (13 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

1,422 charts

Rank Score:

14,738

Rank in 1999:

1

Rank in 1990s:

14

Overall Rank:

80

Average Rating:

 86 (1,727 votes)

Comments:

139

2.

The Soft Bulletin 

 The Flaming Lips

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"Wow. Masterpiece. Flowed very smoothly, and there really weren't any tracks I disliked.I think this was better than Yoshimi, and definitely think this album has a spot in my top ten, if not my top 5 of all time. Great album, but it took me three listens to really absorb all of the beauty, and it ...""Wow. Masterpiece. Flowed very smoothly, and there really weren't any tracks I disliked.I think this was better than Yoshimi, and definitely think this album has a spot in my top ten, if not my top 5 of all time. Great album, but it took me three listens to really absorb all of the beauty, and it was worth it. Amazing. Update: I was really high when I wrote this review but I stick by it."  [+]  Reply

- akanter14 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +14 votes (14 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

1,284 charts

Rank Score:

10,510

Rank in 1999:

2

Rank in 1990s:

25

Overall Rank:

122

Average Rating:

 83 (1,537 votes)

Comments:

119

3.

Californication 

 Red Hot Chili Peppers

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"It's hard to rate this album as it is so closely related to my teenage years. It's like the soundtrack of my youth. However, this is one the few albums I was into as a teen that I still like as of today. That's the Red Hot Chili Peppers, one of the few bands that stand the test of time for me. As...""It's hard to rate this album as it is so closely related to my teenage years. It's like the soundtrack of my youth. However, this is one the few albums I was into as a teen that I still like as of today. That's the Red Hot Chili Peppers, one of the few bands that stand the test of time for me. As for this particular album, I don't think it's their best (that would be Blood Sugar Sex Magic or By The Way), but it is still a very strong one that helped cement the RHCP legacy. The first half of the album has been played over and over on the radio and heard a million times, so it's kind of hard to be impartial to it. The second half however, is full of hidden gems like "I Like Dirt", "Purple Stain" and "This Velvet Glove"."  [+]  Reply

- bonnequestion | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

1,023 charts

Rank Score:

7,324

Rank in 1999:

3

Rank in 1990s:

43

Overall Rank:

210

Average Rating:

 79 (1,659 votes)

Comments:

83

4.

98.12.28 男達の別れ [98.12.28 Otokotachi No Wakare] 
Live

 フィッシュマンズ [Fishmans]

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"On December 28th, 1998, enigmatic frontman Shinji Sato gazed upon a vigilant crowd gathered lovingly at the Akasaka Blitz in Minato, Tokyo. It was here that his band, Fishmans, was prepared to bid adieu to their bassist, Yuzuru Kashiwabara, who was set upon leaving the group. Little did anyone kn...""On December 28th, 1998, enigmatic frontman Shinji Sato gazed upon a vigilant crowd gathered lovingly at the Akasaka Blitz in Minato, Tokyo. It was here that his band, Fishmans, was prepared to bid adieu to their bassist, Yuzuru Kashiwabara, who was set upon leaving the group. Little did anyone know, the amount of finality and reverence this performance would carry would forever bathe the band in a balmy luster of posthumous praise. As the first reverberations of guitar are heard, a docility seems to rain over the multitude, almost entranced in a spiritual, reverent manner. Such things happen without warning, yet, when they do, they have the tendency to stifle the passing of time and render the present moment motionless. What happened on that December evening in Tokyo is exalted for the transcendent-nature of the musicality and Sato's passing in the months that would follow. What many don't perceive, is that it wasn't just Sato's passage that galvanized those proceedings. Every single soul on stage and in attendance would take part in the ascension to a higher state of musical consciousness, now permanent, invisible residents of both the Akasaka Blitz and another heavenly dimension. Sato and company begin with the pleasantries and with 'Oh! Slime', which bestows respective introductions to each of the band's players. This preamble progressively evolves from a spacey, serene whirring into a bouncy declaration of jubilee. It's clear that the forthcoming ceremony isn't going to be colored by solemnity, despite it being Kashiwabara's swan song. The chants of "Are you feel good?" further blur the collective reality and affix the qualities of a fragmented dream. The band slips back into serenity with the arrival of their legendary cut, 'ナイトクルージング (Night Cruising)'. This 'Night Cruise' is more tranquil than its studio album doppelganger, exercising more force and dramatic heft. Sato's presence seems to emanate like vapor through the bright, twinkly guitar chords. The track unfurls at a measured tempo, conjuring images of summer-swept, evening car rides with the windows at half mast. Distorted guitar clangs charge into Sato's banshee wail which fuels the burgeoning sense of grandiosity as the track fades from view. Next in queue, is a revisitation of the band's sophomore effort, 1992's King Master George. The cosmic, percussive 'なんてったの (What Was It)', materializes in a form seemingly untethered and which could fly away at a moment's notice. It's Honzi's work at the keys that colors and elevates the track, as her exploits attach a perceptible sense of melancholy to the song. The bittersweet sensations persist as Fishmans slip into 'Thank You', a explicit championing of life and an unbridled expression of gratitude for its peaks and valleys. The track's somber essence is one of hindsight, as Sato's screeches of life pre-date the ending of his own just months thereafter. It, at times, seems like a conscious goodbye, adding to the mystical gravitas of the band's live farewell. The band ceases to drag their feet as they decide to live within the present with 'Shiawase-mono (A Happy Person)', a bassy, simmering concoction of placid guitar tones which are ushered away gracefully by Honzi's egressing, endearing keys. The pace lounges more evidently with 'Tayorinai Tenshi (Unreliable Angel)', which shimmers like a calm before a storm, despite its aesthetic allure. Carrying distinct reggae and ska sheens, Fishmans re-enliven their dub roots with pastoral, matured sensibilities. The velocity does resurface, however, the piquancy remains with 'Hikōki (ひこうき; Airplane)', a noticeably more rosy affair fit with phosphorescent guitar and jovial vocals. The infectious guitar solo marks a triumphant break within the track, providing a raucous, screeching wall which firmly divides the two melodic sections. After a brief exchange, the mood swells, the crowd loosens and the stage at the Blitz is now shrouded. The band recrudesces with a signature composition, 'In the Flight', off of 1997's 'Uchū Nippon Setagaya (Space Japan Setagaya)'. The track is rife with gradual escalation, with a dream pop alpha flowing into a brief but elastic, omega. Often cooing as gently as a dove, Sato's vocals on the track are befittingly avian, fragile and susceptible to a soft breeze. Honzi's violin passage weeps softly and elegantly acting as the perfect placeholder and compliment to Sato's own delicate offerings. An arresting symbiotic relationship carries 'In the Flight' into the ether. With a pivot from one legacy-defining track to another, 'Walking in the Rhythm' manifests. This 'Rhythm' is not as melodramatic as it dutifully chugs along before cascading overtop of itself with an assortment of varying guitar sections. The eponymous chants have never sounded so weighty as the track spirals into a cosmic cauldron of intergalactic synth and dueling guitar before crescendoing with labored exaltations from all parties. It's an incredible, stream-of-consciousness adaptation of the band's original masterpiece. Another trans-dimensional odyssey takes place with the subsequent, 'Smilin' Days, Summer Holiday'. This voyage is powered by guitars that swirl and circulate like maelstroms, but without carrying a semblance of menace or ill-will. They gleam brightly from portion to portion as a cluster of voices flow out, tucked in snugly beneath the ever-advancing strings. After a particularly upbeat, punchy rendition of 'Melody' off of 1994's 'Orange', the stage darkens once more and the disposition becomes one of voiceless consideration. Fishmans begin to perform 'Yurameki in the Air (Flickering in the Air)', a composition that brandishes the same genetic makeup of slow-developing staples such as 'Night Cruising' and 'In the Flight', but stretched out to infinity. It's here that they return to music so gauzy and ethereal that, if you adjust your gaze or shift too brashly, it may flee from view, like innocent fauna of the forest. This intimate mind-meld between artist and audience for 16 unbroken minutes is pure bliss. Penultimate effort, "Ikareta Baby (いかれた Baby; Crazy Baby)", uncoils in a very disparate fashion than its studio counterpart. Here, the piece prefers to wander amidst the expanded acoustics of the Blitz and ride a persistent tempo into the final act of Fishmans' final hour. So, Fishmans and Shinji Sato offered their parting gift to the world and it began with a cosmic whirl which bleeds into the unforgettable keyboard centerpiece. 'Long Season' was now in full swing, and experiencing it in its fully-realized form makes it easy to forget that the project was once a microscopic idea. This idea continued to propagate from the original six-minute version to the now towering, 41-minute monolith of musical perfection. Albeit tragic, it seems utterly apt that this composition would be the last thing the first iteration of the band would perform. Sato's guitar solo creates the proverbial shriek of a imploding star, a ball of gas which burns so bright that it collapses in on itself by way of its own brilliance. This final 'season' is one which seemingly endures the changing of the leaves, the shifting of tectonic plates and causes the earth, for a brief moment, to cease its rotation and stand still. The Akasaka Blitz was closed in 2020, now a musical tomb, further painting a picture of a night more reminiscent of a mirage than a historical event. Its memory remains eternally imprinted upon the site and in the hearts and minds of those who witnessed this performance. Until recently, few outside Japan knew of the majesty Fishmans could conjure, but their creative tree fell in the woods in December 1998. Few heard it's alluring reverberation then, but now, finally, all can take part in its auditory luster. You see, as the tree collided with the Earth below, its descent and demise fertilized a beautiful garden which blooms more vividly each day and remains an idyllic place to sit, listen and ponder the radiance of life itself. "I hope you don't fade away today" - ゆらめき in the Air Standout Tracks: 1. Long Season 2. ゆらめき in the Air 3. ナイトクルージング (Nightcruising)"  [+]  Reply

- DriftingOrpheus | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

285 charts

Rank Score:

4,520

Rank in 1999:

4

Rank in 1990s:

68

Overall Rank:

368

Average Rating:

 86 (369 votes)

Comments:

32

5.

When The Pawn... 

 Fiona Apple

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"When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might so When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the ...""When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might so When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right."  [+]  Reply

- ctowner34 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

417 charts

Rank Score:

3,935

Rank in 1999:

5

Rank in 1990s:

74

Overall Rank:

427

Average Rating:

 82 (536 votes)

Comments:

25

6.

13 

 Blur

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"This album was nearly as mind bending for me as Kid A the first time I heard it. I had never heard anything like it before. The perfect mix of excellent straightforward songs and brash experiments still resonates with me in a big way."  Reply

- chriskarman | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (12 helpful | 2 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

608 charts

Rank Score:

3,830

Rank in 1999:

6

Rank in 1990s:

77

Overall Rank:

439

Average Rating:

 79 (846 votes)

Comments:

63

7.

Keep It Like A Secret 

 Built To Spill

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"Some years ago a friend and I spent several summers climbing all seventeen county highpoints in Nevada. To reach all these, we had to do a lot of driving on bumpy dirt roads through the desert. Fortunately for us, we had two artists we both liked listening to: Neil Young and Built to Spill. Ridin...""Some years ago a friend and I spent several summers climbing all seventeen county highpoints in Nevada. To reach all these, we had to do a lot of driving on bumpy dirt roads through the desert. Fortunately for us, we had two artists we both liked listening to: Neil Young and Built to Spill. Riding in my old Nissan Pathfinder, this was the album we listened to more than any other. These tight, intensity-building songs, which never seem to end up anywhere near the place they started, were the perfect soundtrack to hikes that followed a similar trajectory. Opening tracks, and the opening to opening tracks, don't get much better than "The Plan.""  [+]  Reply

- buzzdainer | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

472 charts

Rank Score:

3,820

Rank in 1999:

7

Rank in 1990s:

78

Overall Rank:

441

Average Rating:

 82 (522 votes)

Comments:

37

8.

Summerteeth 

 Wilco

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"I love this album. This was my first wilco record and I remember as a 14 year old St Louis music fan this album was a revelation! I was hooked! Yeah, just about every song is great! And the varied stylistic range of the tracks is super impressive. "How To Fight Loneliness" still gets me every tim...""I love this album. This was my first wilco record and I remember as a 14 year old St Louis music fan this album was a revelation! I was hooked! Yeah, just about every song is great! And the varied stylistic range of the tracks is super impressive. "How To Fight Loneliness" still gets me every time. The opener "Can't Stand It" while not a stand out track is a good energetic starter. "She's a Jar", "Via Chicago", "I'm Always In Love", "Shot In The Arm" and of course the Title track, and soooo much more on here are just downright masterful. It's hard to imagine how a band could too this... But they did with YHF, just barely. "  [+]  Reply

- Mercury | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

556 charts

Rank Score:

3,726

Rank in 1999:

8

Rank in 1990s:

79

Overall Rank:

453

Average Rating:

 82 (689 votes)

Comments:

38

9.

Emergency & I 

 The Dismemberment Plan

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"How does this only have an 80?? the lowest rated track is an 84 the average track rating is a fucking 88, higher than every single beatles album, and higher than most albums on this website cmon guys"  Reply

- | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

464 charts

Rank Score:

3,437

Rank in 1999:

9

Rank in 1990s:

86

Overall Rank:

500

Average Rating:

 81 (528 votes)

Comments:

33

10.

69 Love Songs 

 The Magnetic Fields

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"So many amazing songs and not a few irritating experiments. You can't help but pick through, revisit your favorites and overlook all the terrible moments. Sorta like love?"  Reply

- jeraffe | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +16 votes (16 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

529 charts

Rank Score:

3,420

Rank in 1999:

10

Rank in 1990s:

87

Overall Rank:

502

Average Rating:

 80 (625 votes)

Comments:

51

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of 1999 composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Artist	Albums	%
Various Artists	10	1%
Elvis Presley	3	0%
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band	3	0%
Rammstein	2	0%
The Flaming Lips	2	0%
Sloan	2	0%
Coil	2	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	448	45%
	203	20%
	37	4%
	33	3%
	31	3%
	30	3%
	23	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	924	92%
Yes	76	8%

Live?	Albums	%
No	961	96%
Yes	39	4%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	976	98%
Yes	24	2%