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Song of the Day #1,368: ‘Circle’ – Sarah McLachlan

Best Albums of the 90s – #8
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy – Sarah McLachlan (1994)

I’m contemplating a theory that excellent albums within a genre I don’t normally like receive an extra boost due to the odds they’ve overcome.

Last week’s example was Garbage’s Version 2.0. That album, and the band in general, features a heavy, borderline electronica sound that generally turns me off. But their particular execution of it works like gangbusters. I believe if I were a techno fan, that album might strike me as very good but not worlds better than my other favorite albums in the genre.

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Song of the Day #1,367: ‘Mr. Jones’ – Counting Crows

Best Albums of the 90s – #9
August & Everything After – Counting Crows (1993)

Last week I mentioned the large number of sophomore albums on this list and hinted at another list of great second albums.

Today’s featured album is something more traditional — a fabulous debut. Great first albums are special because not only do they contain memorable music in their own right, they are invested with the promise of what’s to come. When discovering a new artist who instantly clicks, it’s hard not to imagine how that career might develop over future decades.

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Song of the Day #1,366: ‘Crowing’ – Toad the Wet Sprocket

Best Albums of the 90s – #10
Dulcinea – Toad the Wet Sprocket (1994)

I recently named Toad the Wet Sprocket as my favorite 90s band so it should come as no surprise that their best album shows up on this list.

Dulcinea, released in 1994, is so good that today’s SOTD marks the sixth song I’ve featured from it, and I featured one of those twice.

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Song of the Day #1,365: ‘Your Fault’ – Plain White T’s

This is the second Random Weekend selection that I’d never heard before it popped up in my iTunes account.

So why do I own a Plain White T’s album I’ve never listened to, you ask? Well, like most people, I know and love the song ‘Hey There Delilah,’ which appears on another Plain White T’s album (All That We Needed). And when I saw both that album and its predecessor (Stop) on sale for a couple of dollars apiece at a company book and record sale, I figured I’d give them a shot.

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Song of the Day #1,364: ‘Sparks’ – Coldplay

When Coldplay debuted in 2000, I had a far different image of them than I would several years later.

My first exposure was through the video for the band’s first U.S. single, ‘Yellow.’ In that clip, lead singer Chris Martin walks around on a dreary beach looking like a cross between a heroin addict and Gollum from The Lord of the Rings. At least that’s how I remember it.

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