These three albums have been praised here and there through the years since their 1993 releases. But do they hold up to today’s scrutiny? 33 years is a long time by music standards, so we’re taking a listen to determine how well these albums stand the test of time.
‘Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?’ by The Cranberries
The Cranberries debuted in March 1993 with the album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?. Undeniably, this album still holds up today, anchored by Dolores O’Riordan’s exceptional vocals. Arguably, O’Riordan was only matched by Sinéad O’Connor in both their lifetimes. Possibly also Björk, but her vocals are generally more aggressive than O’Riordan’s ever got.
Either way, The Cranberries’ debut album was a critical success in 1993, and it remains a triumph today. Personally, I consider it an effortless no-skip. “Linger”, “Dreams”, and “Sunday” are the obvious big hitters. But my own favorites have to be “I Still Do”, “Waltzing Back”, “Not Sorry”, and “Wanted”. And as much as I love “Linger”, I’d choose “Pretty” every time.
‘Souvlaki’ by Slowdive
Slowdive’s second album, Souvlaki, is a classic example of a cult favorite. Released in June 1993, this album didn’t move the mainstream needle much at the time. But for those who were already in the know, Souvlaki served as a foundational shoegaze album.
Retrospectively, it earned much more critical praise. Perhaps it was misunderstood in its time, and as tastes changed, it began to fit into the empty space where indie rock and shoegaze overlapped. Despite being heralded as an important shoegaze album, Souvlaki is often a lot heavier. There’s a taste of squealing feedback and distorted guitars, but it also thumps and reverberates and goes with the flow. Souvlaki has variety, which allows it to hold up under the scrutiny of several decades.
‘Atta Girl’ by Heavenly
Technically, Atta Girl by Heavenly is an EP, with only five tracks and an all-too-brief 14-minute runtime. But the twee pop pioneers used every one of those 14 minutes with extreme precision. By the end of this EP, you’ll want to curl into a ball on the floor for a while, guaranteed. Atta Girl is thematically timeless, but in a terribly unfortunate way.
Despite the shroud of twee pop and riot grrrl sound, Atta Girl is a lyrically dark EP. “Hearts and Crosses” details a date rape, in ironic counterpoint to a jaunty keyboard riff. The final track, “So?”, is the heavy hitter for its point-blank approach. Performed a cappella, it takes some adjusting to the newly bared vocals. But that perseverance pays off. Otherwise, you’d miss the last lines: “But nothing I did or could ever have done / Would justify what you did to me last night”.
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