With 2020 now upon us, we can look forward to a fresh wave of anniversaries to celebrate throughout the year! Here’s a shortlist of killer blasts from the past, released in 1995 that are set to mark their quarter-century anniversary this year.
1. Belly | King
The second studio album by American alt-rockers, Belly was released on February 13, 1995. Following on from their highly acclaimed 1993 debut album, Star, with a more polished finish on their lusciously hook-laden tunes. In the grunge-heavy atmosphere of 1995 the album received a somewhat lukewarm response upon its initial release; however, in the two decades since, many – critics and fans alike – have revisited the record with fresh ears and now consider the collection of poppy, sweet and delicately psychedelic songs to be up there with the band’s best.
Belly | “Seal My Fate”
In 2012, King was listed at No.7 on PopMatters' "Top 15 Overlooked Albums of the 1990s" list.
2. Radiohead | The Bends
The second studio album by the UK alt-rock luminaries, Radiohead, was released on 13 March 1995. It was produced by John Leckie, and engineered by Nigel Godrich, who has produced all of Radiohead's studio albums since. With The Bends, Radiohead moved away from their grunge-driven debut, Pablo Honey (1993), and saw the band exploring their progressive alt-stylings with cryptic lyrics, atmospheric keyboards and emotive guitars. It produced five charting singles: "My Iron Lung", "High and Dry", "Fake Plastic Trees", "Just", and Radiohead's first top-five UK single, "Street Spirit (Fade Out)".
Radiohead | “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”
NME hailed the album as a "classic" and declared it "the consummate, all-encompassing, continent-straddling '90s rock record".
3. Faith No More | King For A Day … Fool For A Lifetime
The fifth studio album by Californian genre-benders, Faith No More was released on March 28, 1995. It was the band’s first album to be recorded without longtime guitarist Jim Martin and showcased a wider scope that transformed their heavy metal leanings into a wild ride of jazz-funk fusion that Rolling Stone described as a "genre shuffle".
Faith No More | “Digging the Grave”
New York Magazine described the album as "baroquely, nightmarishly weird", and lead single "Digging the Grave" as a "power pop masterpiece".
4. Aphex Twin | …I Care Because You Do
The third studio album by electronic pioneer Richard D. James (under the alias Aphex Twin), was released on 24 April 1995. Interweaving material recorded between 1990 and 1994, the album saw James return to his percussive origins, incorporating abrasive rhythms and symphonic and ambient elements to somehow make the avant-garde sound pop.
Aphex Twin | “Icct Hedral”
Rolling Stone described the album as "classical music for a generation raised on samplers".
5. Babes In Toyland | Nemesisters
The third and final studio album by riot grrrls, Babes In Toyland was released May 9, 1995. The record captures a more ‘live’ sound compared to 1992’s Fontanelle. With their thrillingly alive sound at the forefront, the tight and solid three-piece hit like a masterclass in combative rock; a lesson that 25 years on has lost none of its potency, shock or thrill.
Babes In Toyland | "Sweet 69"
In 1995, Babes in Toyland’s Kat Bjelland was asked to describe the band on stage, she summed up the experience as “full-frontal, assault-type action”.
6. Bjork | Post
The second studio album by Icelandic art-pop superstar, Björk, was released on 13 June 1995. Post followed on from her previous album, Debut (1993) and was produced with a killer list of collaborators, including Hooper, 808 State's Graham Massey, and former Massive Attack member, Tricky. Björk wrote most of the songs after moving to London, incorporating a tasty mixture of techno, trip-hop, IDM, and house, with ambient, jazz, industrial, and experimental music to illustrate the city's urban pace and underground culture.
The album’s accompanying music videos fuse nature and technology in what now plays like a surrealist premonition of the cyber age, twenty-five years on.
Björk | “Hyperballad”
Rolling Stone praised the album for providing a "much-needed escape route" from alt-rock's domination in the early 1990s, stating: "When Post comes to an end, it feels like getting back from a good vacation."
7. The Flaming Lips | Clouds Taste Metallic
The seventh studio album by American art-rockers, The Flaming Lips was released on September 19, 1995. It was the last album to feature guitarist Ronald Jones and featured heavily in the Bradley Beesley's 2005 Fearless Freaks documentary that goes deep into the world of the of the radical avant-garde outfit.
The Flaming Lips | “This Here Giraffe”
Despite the fact the album it didn’t quite reach the commercial peaks of its predecessor, Transmissions From The Satellite Heart (1993), in recent years, it has graduated to cult status. The power of retrospect now sees critics and fans alike rank Clouds Taste Metallic among the Flaming Lips' best albums.
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers | One Hot Minute
The sixth studio album by funk-rock fusers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, was released on September 12, 1995. The whirlwind of newfound fame that came with 1991’s instant hit, Blood Sugar Sex Magik led to the departure of guitarist John Frusciante, who was uncomfortable with all the attention the album’s success generated. After a series of short-term replacements, the band settled on Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro as the band's lead guitarist to record One Hot Minute. John Frusciante would return to the fold in 1998 and remain in the lead guitarist spot until 2009, before taking another 10-year hiatus that was just broken with last years news he will rejoin the lineup once again.
Red Hot Chili Peppers | “Aeroplane”
Rolling Stone described One Hot Minute as a: "ferociously eclectic and imaginative disc that also presents the band members as more thoughtful, spiritual…even grown-up. After a 10 plus-year career, they're realizing their potential at last."
9. Deftones | Adrenaline
The debut studio album by American alt-metal heads, Deftones, was released on October 3, 1995. Adrenaline was praised for its new, innovative sound that wore the influence of a diverse range of acts such as Helmet, Nine Inch Nails, the Cure, Korn, Pantera, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and the Smashing Pumpkins on its metaphoric sleeve; evident in the gloom-saturated melodies and explosive riffs that effectively set the nu-metal genre in motion.
Deftones | “7 Words”
The Los Angeles Times praised the album's blend of musical extremes, stating: "On the outside, Sacramento's Deftones are all pummeling rhythms and high anxiety, but delving further into the music turns up some surprising nuances: traces of post-punk pop, tinges of rap, a pinch of industrial grit. Chino Moreno rants, sobs, croons and even works some Middle Eastern overtones into his vocals.”
10. The Amps | Pacer
The debut (and only) release from grungey, Kim Deal fronted, The Amps was released in October 1995. Recorded as a side project to her group the Breeders, and Pixies before that, the album was a remarkably collaborative effort that was recorded at several studios in the US and Ireland, with different engineers, including Steve Albini, Bryce Goggin, and John Agnello. The Amps toured in 1995 and 1996 with Sonic Youth, Guided by Voices, and Foo Fighters.
The Amps | “Tipp City”
Village Voice praised the album, stating that: "speedy or dreamy, Kim Deal sounds so sane, so unpretentious, so goddamn nice that you want to take her home and give her a shampoo."
