triplew.me Best of the 90's - Rasha Omer

Now it's Rasha Omer's turn to take stock, boil up Will's suggestions and turn her attention to the film and musical highlights in the 1990's - following on from Will Nixon's take on the 90's and last week's take on the 1980's (Rasha, Paul and Mick D) look at the decade of decay in the 1980's.

So this week, I have to sum up the 90’s in moments of music and film, which is proving to be a really, really tough task – what with it being an awesome decade for both mediums and all.

After lurching out of the shadows of the eighties, everyone seemed to be waiting to 'break free' of what was apparently a calculated, almost meticulously designed, type of artistry to something a lot more spontaneous and, seemingly, a revolution of sorts.

The earlier part of the decade has been signified by a youthful resentment of tradition – this could be heard in many of the records back then, there was the grunge “revolution” and in parallel the Britpop explosion…then there was a slew of indie rockers setting trends, singer-songwriters plucking their hearts out, hip hop sounded fresh and genuine, there was more great than bad regardless of how many times Vanilla Ice was all the rage, or how many boy bands ruled the airwaves.

As for movies, it was definitely a blooming time for iconic moments in a variety of genres but notably in comedy and teen/highschool flicks – as well as a thriving indie movie scene.

What I love most about the 90’s is the sense that there was something for everyone, that anyone could make it (coolest one hit wonders ever, if you ask me!), the dreadful but hilarious concoctions (nu-metal, anyone?). In hindsight, it was bizarre yet-not-quite out there – but it had enough momentum to carry on an almost frivolous creativity beneath all the “slacking” and the apathy.

To break this list down, I thought of listing these moments in a correlated manner along time intervals…which sounds a bit mathematical, but it is just fancy speak for: I can’t edit myself!

1990 – 1993: A Time for Misfits

So much of the music that came out at that time was underlined by a certain desire to change and to stop the domination of one or two trends in music – Tori Amos’ Little Earthquakes to me was/is one of the most inspiring recordings to date, her earnestness wasn’t simply worded yet it was not complex or pretentious – but rather direct; and I think that is the prime quality which kept her as an inspiration to many singer-songwriters to this day. Nirvana’s In Utero – released after their sudden stardom, contains some of Cobain’s best and most heart-wrenching work. Sonic Youth’s Goo is another favorite, as well as the quintessential Siamese Dream by the Smashing Pumpkins.  Movies which struck a note include Edward Scissorhands (only the posterboy for outcasts!), Dazed and Confused and Boyz ‘N the Hood. (continues below...)

1994 – 1996: Who Really Cares?

By the year 1994, grunge had exploded and by the end of 1996 alternative rock and pop punk were both in – yet there didn’t seem to be the same drive which fueled the earlier years. But hey, that was alright because the music was still great; calling out Nas’ debut album, Illmatic, setting the bar really high for many hip-hop records to come and defining a turning point for the genre. Stereolab released many full length records and EP’s, but Mars Audiac Quintet was the culmination of their experimental, poppy, sweet and rather accessible sound. Chixdiggit! was also a great debut album from the Canadian pop-punk band. As for films; Fargo by the Coen brothers is a classic as was Friday, the Ice-Cube/Chris Tucker hilarious monotone comedy and the cheesy, over-the -top Mars Attacks! were other light-hearted movies I’ve enjoyed immensely from those years. (continues below...)

1997 – 1999: On the Edge of the Millennia

Before the end of the decade, we had full-blown 'Spicemania' and fluffy pop music was starting to stage an enormous comeback. Beyond all that, some of the most brilliant music was conceived and recorded, Fiona Apple’s When the Pawn... was her follow-up to a critically acclaimed debut and was gorgeously rich and vulnerable. Erykah Badu came on to the scene with Baduizm, evoking a sound of yesteryear through her take on neo-soul. Neutral Milk Hotel released their fantastic record In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and Air released Moon Safari. The Big Lebowski was the other absolutely awesome Coen brothers movie of the decade. Wes Anderson’s Rushmore presented a different kind of highschool comedy/drama while Paul Anderson’s Magnolia was a maze of a plot, but it hit all the right notes.