Join us for some musical time-travel as we as celebrate World Album Day 2023 with a throwback to the '90s...
Here at Folklore HQ, we're big advocates for sticking a record on and listening to an album start to finish: the way it was meant to be heard. With this year's theme being an ode to the era of flannel shirts, Walkmans, and dial-up internet, we're turning back the clock and shining a spotlight on five of our favourite and most influential albums that have effortlessly withstood the test of time.
Dust off your cassette tapes kids - we're heading to the '90s.
Either/Or - Elliott Smith (1997)
Release date: 25 February 1997
Runtime: 36:52
Standout tracks: "Say Yes," "Angeles," "Between The Bars," "Ballad Of Big Nothing"
Exceptional lyrics:
"Picking up the ticket shows there's
Money to be made
Go on, lose the gamble that's the
History of the trade
Did you add up all the cards left to play
To zero?
And sign up with evil, Angeles?" - Angeles
For fans of: Nick Drake, Mazzy Star, Bright Eyes, Neutral Milk Hotel, Big Thief, The National
Heaven or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins (1990)
Release date: 17 September 1990
Runtime: 37:42
Standout tracks: "Cherry-Coloured Funk," "Iceblink Luck," "Heaven or Las Vegas," "Wolf in the Breast"
Exceptional lyrics:
"You're the maraschino cherry coal (the match of Jerico)?
That will burn this whole madhouse down
And I'll throw open like a walnut safe
You will seem more like being
That same bottle of exquisite stuff" - Iceblink Luck
For fans of: The Cure, David Bowie, Thyla, Wolf Alice, RóisÃn Murphy, Boards of Canada
Grace - Jeff Buckley (1994)
Release date: 23 August 1994
Runtime: 51:48
Standout tracks: "Lilac Wine," "Dream Brother," "Hallelujah," "Lover, You Should've Come Over"
Exceptional lyrics:
"It's never over
All my blood for the sweetness of her laughter It's never over She is the tear that hangs inside my soul forever
Oh, but maybe I'm just too young To keep good love from going wrong
Oh, lover, you should've come over" - Lover, You Should've Come Over
For fans of: James Blake, Portishead, Anna Calvi, Lana Del Rey, Scott Matthews, The Frames
When the Pawn... - Fiona Apple (1996)
Release date: 9 November 1999
Runtime: 42:39
Standout tracks: "Limp," "Love Ridden," "Paper Bag," "I Know"
Exceptional lyrics:
"No, not 'baby' anymore
If I need you, I'll just use your simple name
Only kisses on the cheek from now on
And in a little while, we'll only have to wave" - Love Ridden
For fans of: Kate Bush, Bob Dylan, Bat For Lashes, Surfjan Stevens, Nina Simone, Feist
OK Computer - Radiohead (1999)
Release date: 21 May 1997
Runtime: 53:21
Standout tracks: "Paranoid Android," "Karma Police," "No Surprises," "Tourist," "Frightened Rabbit"
Exceptional lyrics:
"A heart that's full up like a landfill
A job that slowly kills you
Bruises that won't heal
You look so tired, unhappy
Bring down the government
They don't, they don't speak for us
I'll take a quiet life
A handshake of carbon monoxide
And no alarms and no surprises" - No Surprises
For fans of: Pink Floyd, Aphex Twin, Broken Social Scene, Elbow, The XX, Frightened Rabbit
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Ms. Lauryn Hill (1998)
Release date: 25 August 1998
Runtime: 77:39
Standout tracks: "Ex-Factor," "To Zion," "Doo Wop (That Thing)," "I Used to Love Him"
Exceptional lyrics:
"As I look at what I've done
The type of life that I've lived
How many things I pray Father will forgive
One situation involved a young man
He was the ocean and I was the sand
He stole my heart like a thief in the night
Dulled my senses and blurred my sight
And I used to love him" - I Used to Love Him
For fans of: Etta James, Seinabo Sey, Lianne La Havis, Amy Winehouse, Mac Miller, Corinne Bailey Rae
To be honest, we could go on forever... The '90s birthed some of the most iconic and influential music for today's up and coming artists, and we love the fact that the inspiration of the era continues to echo around us. Let us know some of the gems we missed in the comments and here's to the '90s!
Folklore Sessions returns on the 17th October at The Folklore Rooms for the monthly showcase.
Doors: 19h30 Free Entry