The 1990s were a time of technological upheaval, with the mass availability of the personal computer, the growing accessibility of the Internet — and the upending of the music model as we knew it. It was the shaping decade of a whole new type of generation: Millennials, and the polishing decade of their precursors: Gen-Xers. Globalization, climate change and Tamagotchis closed out the decade. In between, we celebrated a changing culture with a whole new crop of Blockbuster movies, PIXAR showed us a whole new way to animate, and the first big comic-to-screen adaptions changed the game for Marvel and DC.
Playing underneath it all was the soundtrack of the decade. It’s a soundtrack that shaped the future of music and plays beneath the generational divide of Millennials and Xers. It’s a soundtrack full of new sounds and band types. It's the sound of the turn of the millennium.
There were a lot of different styles being explored in the decade, and just like with my ‘80s list, we’re going to dig into my top 10 underrated songs of the '90s, in no particular order. Some may be well known, some are not. You may agree with me, you may not (and if you don't — then I want to hear what yours would be). And I still guarantee you’ll add a few to your playlist.
Massive Attack – “Unfinished Sympathy” - 1991
Massive Attack is the poster child for the “trip-hop” genre, a combination of psychedelic electronica and hip-hop. And they’d eventually become known for the eclectic nature of their featured vocalists.
In 1991 they released the album Blue Lines, along with the single “Unfinished Sympathy.” This track has everything that came to be associated with trip–hop: vocal and percussion samples, infectious beats and chill out moments of pure beauty. The vocals are supplied by Shara Nelson. At the time, this was a groundbreaking track. It still sounds fresh today.
UNKLE – “Rabbit in Your Headlights” (Feat. Thom Yorke) - 1998
UNKLE began in London in the early ‘90s. Led by James Lavelle and DJ Shadow, the band crafted some of the most eclectic electronic music of the decade. 1998’s Psyence Fiction is proof.
Enlisting help from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke for the lead single “Rabbit in Your Headlights,” the group created a truly alluring track. It starts off with a menacing piano, and quickly brings in Yorke’s vocals singing “I’m a rabbit in your headlights / Christian suburbanite / Washed down the toilet / Money to burn.” The track is a precursor to what Radiohead would be doing by the early ‘00s: leaning much more heavily on electronics. The music video for “Rabbit in Your Headlights” is reminiscent of the times, and drew comparisons to the Princess Diana tragedy.
Elastica – “Connection” - 1995
Elastica came out of the UK in the early ‘90s after a few of the members left the band Suede. The group only released two albums before breaking up in the early ‘00s, but “Connection” has stood the test of time.
“Connection” is one of those songs you’ve most likely heard but also probably forgot about, and then when you hear it again, you go “Oh yeah, this song!” “Connection” was the group's biggest hit and was a good precursor to what would become popular in mainstream rock with the Brit Pop explosion. Led by an instantly recognizable synth hook and followed by front woman Justine Frischmann’s attitude-fueled vocals, “Connection” is a fun song. If it opens the door to explore more of Elastica’s music I guarantee you’ll be happy you did.
A Tribe Called Quest – “Check the Rhime” - 1991
The 1990s were a golden age for hip-hop, and A Tribe Called Quest were one of the best kicking it at the time. Led by Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White and hailing from Brooklyn, New York, ATCQ were trailblazers for the genre. The use of jazz samples and Q-Tip’s effortless flow separated the group from the pack, and their sophomore album The Low End Theory was like nothing else coming out at the time. It’s impossible to deny their importance to the genre and what they did to elevate it past what many thought was gimmicky to pure art form.
“Check the Rhime” has everything that makes A Tribe Called Quest great. The back-and-forth between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg shows how strong their chemistry was. The use of horn samples creates a massive hook that’s sure to get stuck in your head.
Failure – “Another Space Song” - 1996
“Shoegaze” is a term that was coined in the late ‘80s to describe a new type of rock music that bands like early Smashing Pumpkins, My Bloody Valentine and Ride were exploring. It involved heavy use of many guitar effect pedals, highlighting “fuzz” distortion. The musicians seemingly staring at the pedals for the entirety of performances as they played the pedals is what birthed the name “Shoegaze.”
Failure is one of the less talked about groups from this period. They combined shoegaze with elements of grunge, which for the time was really unique. In 1996 they released their magnum opus, Fantastic Planet. The track “Another Space Song” is a great introduction to the band.
Failure (perhaps ironically) never found the success that similar groups like Smashing Pumpkins and Tool did, but their influence is heard in groups today like Silversun Pickups, TV on the Radio and Queens of the Stone Age.
Bikini Kill – “Rebel Girl” - 1993
Formed in the early ‘90s in Olympia, Washington, Bikini Kill, led by larger-than-life front woman Kathleen Hanna, were forebears of the “Riot Grrrl” movement. Feminist punks with a lot to say, Bikini Kill gave a voice to lesbians and feminists everywhere with “Rebel Girl.”
Classic punk rock instrumentation and Hanna’s signature primal screams truly propelled “Rebel Girl” to legend status. In the years since its release the song has become an anthem, and Bikini Kill are still touring now performing “Rebel Girl” for the masses. Bands such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Chvrches, and Metric all sight Bikini Kill as an influence. When you hear "punk" you probably think The Ramones, Green Day, Sex Pistols, etc., but Bikini Kill should be right up there on your list of punk innovators.
Neutral Milk Hotel – “Two Headed Boy” - 1998
Neutral Milk Hotel is usually regarded as one of the ultra-mega hipster bands. Led by elusive front man Jeff Mangum, it was a group that wouldn’t shy away from bringing full brass, whirligigs, saws and other strange assortments of instrumentation. But where the group really shines is in Mangum’s lyrics. Their sophomore release In the Aeroplane Over the Sea became one of the quintessential cult classic albums of the 1990s.
Now, if you read that and think it sounds like hipster mumbo jumbo and blindly choose to write the band off as just some group with an album cover you’ve probably seen on a t–shirt worn by your local barista, you're selling yourself and the band short.
“Two Headed Boy” is a song that can be interpreted many ways - Is it about Anne Frank? Is it about an actual two-headed boy? Is it simpler than that? Nobody knows except Magnum, but with lines like this, you have to admit that it’s almost impossible not to feel something:
"Two-headed boy / With pulleys and weights / Creating a radio play just for two
In the parlor with a moon across her face / And through the music he sweetly displays
Silver speakers that sparkle all day / Made for his lover who's floating / And choking with her hands across her face"
Soul Coughing – “Super Bon Bon” – 1996
Soul Coughing is actually a band I recently discovered due to a friend wearing the band's t-shirt. So I’ve been exploring their discography, and I have to say — this is a group that was way ahead of its time. They blend so many genres into so many of their songs that it’s pretty much impossible to categorize them. The group broke up in 2000, but reunited in 2024 and even performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“Super Bon Bon” is a track that’s sort of reminiscent of groups like Toadies or Presidents of the United States of America, while incorporating elements of Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's got a standup bass line that’s super infectious and almost lands in jazz territory, and over that is frontman M. Doughty’s lyrics which are... weird, to say the least. Doughty sounds angry about “taking an elevator to the mezzanine” and then boppy to “SUPER BON BON SUPER BON SUPER BON BON.”
This is a weird fun song that transports me back to the ‘90s. Personally, I'm hanging out with the Taco Bell Chihuahua after I just rented a few VHS tapes from Blockbuster.
Sunny Day Real Estate – “Seven” - 1994
It’s crazy that Sunny Day Real Estate’s debut album Diary came out in 1994. The band was one of the first groups to be called “Emo,” which is a term that later blew up thanks to groups like Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance — who really came to their own in the 2000s. Emo usually has sad lyrics, sometimes whiney delivery and for a while was associated with lo-fi production. Nowadays it's sometimes laughed at or pigeonholed as something for sad teenagers, but in 1994 Emo was unique stuff. Oh, and many of the 2000s Emo bands are now resurgent, thanks to all you Millennials' nostalgia cravings.
Hailing from Seattle and signing to Sub Pop records, the band saw critical acclaim with Diary, but broke up shortly thereafter. This record, along with the first track “Seven,” have been incredibly influential to so many bands. The guitars cut like knives, the production is perfectly lo-fi and the tender yet aggressive delivery of frontman Jeremy Enigk’s lyrics became the Emo playbook.
Captain Hollywood Project – “More and More” - 1993
Dance music had a big moment in the ‘90s. The clubs in Europe and the US were exploding with tracks by CeCe Peniston, Deee-Lite, Haddaway and, of course, Cher (Believe!!). Captain Hollywood Project began in Germany and is usually associated with the genre “eurodance,” which was a whole thing that I won’t get into right now, but let’s just say it was a different time.
Captain Hollywood’s “More and More” is classic ‘90s dance music, with a pumping synth riff, iconic dance beat, high register female vocals and grooving hip-hop verses. This song stands out from its contemporaries for its oddly deep lyrics. It's talking about taking more and more from society and from ourselves until we’re left with nothing but despair. That's heavy subject matter when you're getting down at the club.
