Can you believe 1996 was 30 years ago? If you forgot, I’m sorry. If you didn’t, you probably recall these three albums that came out that year. Do they still hold up three decades later? Let’s listen and find out how well they aged.
‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’ by Belle and Sebastian
Indie-pop band Belle and Sebastian released their second album, If You’re Feeling Sinister, several months after their 1996 debut, Tigermilk, in the U.K. and the following year in the U.S. This album really started the band on their upward trajectory in the realm of jangly indie-pop, with later releases continuing to cement their icon status. Their highly praised second album set much of that in motion.
Retrospectively, If You’re Feeling Sinister definitely holds up 30 years later. Its retro-melancholy sound never falls into despair, keeping a light touch on heavy themes. Overall, the album and band are fundamental to the later development of twee pop. Its uncomplicated indie-pop sound aged perfectly into itself even as the musical landscape drastically changed.
‘Tidal’ by Fiona Apple
If we’re being totally real, Fiona Apple has never missed. She’s forever been plagued by all the worst aspects of celebrity culture and the music industry, but she consistently puts out complex, personal, and relatable albums. The depth of her writing is timelessly vulnerable, which allows her work to still hold up even after decades.
Apple wrote many tracks on her debut album, Tidal, between the ages of 14 and 17. At 18, she was not only thrust into the spotlight, but she was met with as much ridicule and doubt as she was with praise. But Tidal is still just as crucial today as it was in 1996. And that’s because Apple has an uncanny knack for touching on themes and sentiments that are everlastingly universal.
‘Among My Swan’ by Mazzy Star
While Mazzy Star’s previous album, So Tonight That I Might See, featured the band’s more lasting hit “Fade Into You”, their third album, Among My Swan, still holds up decades later. It’s a testament to the power of Hope Sandoval’s hushed, ethereal vocals, combined with often tender, vulnerable lyrics, that Mazzy Star is still prominent today.
Among My Swan has a similar sound to their previous two albums. But that was really their core strength. Their work kept that dreamy alt-rock/shoegaze tone even as they were dealing with a suffocating record contract. The band’s first three releases before their 1997 hiatus are still strong today. Much of that is owed to their embrace of sentimentality, but they never let things get overly mushy.
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