I seem to be one of the few people who prefers the schizophrenic nature of Engine Takes to Water over June of 44's more cohesive and perhaps original recent material. As detached of an album as this is ("Mooch" exemplifies this with a build-up to "He'll never be moved"), I remember listening to "Sink is Busted" on repeat during a fight with a friend and being calmed by the lyrics which yearn for reconciliation. This album may be the most evident of their previous bands, but when your previous bands include Rodan, Codeine, and Hoover, is that a bad thing?       - Sebastian Stirling

99. Girls Against Boys - Venus Luxure #1, Baby (Touch and Go, 1994)

From the taut drumming of Alexis Fleisig that opens up "In Like Flynn" to the double-bass throb of "Learned It," Venus Luxure #1, Baby is the album where Girls Against Boys decided on a direction and went with it. After the jazzy leanings of Tropic of Scorpio, this is a blistering assertion of rhythmic ferocity. It is also more varied than later releases, mixing a few songs that might have "pop sensibilities" such as "Go Be Delighted" and "7 Seas" with slower numbers like "Bughouse" and "Get Down." Regardless of the variety, the album's centerpiece is "Bulletproof Cupid," urban chaos at its best.       - Sebastian Stirling

98. Grifters - Crappin' You Negative (Shangri-La, 1994)

This is the album where the songs and the sludge took equal weight in the mix. The lo-fi aesthetic of previous albums such as So Happy Together remains, but the production has cleared up enough so you can determine when the haunting "Dead Already" comes in and clears the path for the overdriven bass of "Black Fuel Incinerator." Equal parts indie rock, Stones-swagger, and noise, this is a record that I've used as the soundtrack for many accelerated late night drives down winding back roads. Till the final throbbing chorus of "Fe-Fe-Fi-Fi-Fo-Fum / I smell the blood of an Englishman," this record is going to swing your ass around to the dark side of the tracks.       - Sebastian Stirling

97. Archers Of Loaf - Icky Mettle (Alias Records, 1993)

The first time I heard "Web in Front," I didn't really pick up how damn catchy it is. I mean really, this is catchy to the point where there should be a law against it. If any record can sum up what 90's indie rock is, I'd really have to say that this is it. While not as angular and complex as their later works, this is the album to start with. With a good ratio of head-bobbers to outright rockers to noisier moments, it's listenable all the way through to the biting closer, "Slow Worm." "And nobody's counting, cause everybody's fine / And everybody's buying it cause everybody's blind." A more astute commentary of the post-Nirvana mess is hard to fathom.       - Sebastian Stirling

96. Flaming Lips - Zaireeka (Warner Brothers, 1997)

Even if Zaireeka didn't work that is, there was no actual transcendental effect to playing all of its multiple layers simultaneously it would still merit end-of-decade mention for sheer conceptual courageousness. Trying to explain this album to non-indie rock fans is like trying to explain the slot nickel defense to a soccer hooligan. Four discs, four separate CD players - it's not even the same rules, man. And even if Zaireeka's tracks - "The Big Ol' Bug Is The New Baby Now" excepted - don't resonate as much as songs as works of freakish performance art, this is the leap of faith that made The Soft Bulletin possible, and that alone is probably worth a top 100 placement.       - Western Homes

95. Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On (Warner Brothers, 1997)

When we were choosing albums to write about, I chose this one despite the fact I had not heard it in its entirety. I adore the pop exuberance of There's Nothing Wrong with Love, but after completing the arduous task of picking up a copy of Perfect from Now On, I understand why it made the list. It's an album that comes close to collapsing on itself from the sheer weight of all the guitar and cello and keyboard lines, but Doug Martsch's wavering vocals keep the ship afloat. Lengthy masterpieces like "Velvet Waltz," "Randy Described Eternity," and "Kicked it in the Sun" wouldn't be half as impressive if not for the human quality of Martsch's voice delivering lines like "We're special / in other ways / ways our mothers appreciate" over the swirl of sound.       - Sebastian Stirling

94. Jeff Buckley - Grace (Columbia Records, 1994)

Nobody sang like Jeff Buckley. Not even his famous father, Tim Buckley. This record was one of the most mold breaking things that came out in 1994, especially from a major label. Unfortunately, I gave my copy to a friend because I had fallen out of the habit of listening to it. That was a serious mistake. I'll have to go buy it again soon. If you have it and have fallen out of the habit of listening to it, you'd better pick it up again. You're missing out, friend.       - Roy Acorn

93. Tom Waits - Bone Machine (Island Records, 1992)

It's midnight in the junkyard. The sound starts out low, like a death rattle in reverse, or the engine of a faraway car struggling to turn over. But the sound grows closer, and louder, and the ground begins to shake a little, and soon the source of the noise becomes horrifyingly clear. The piles of junk are coming alive. Clanking together, clumsily forming itself into a gigantic monster made from the refuse and rejection of civilization, lurching around blindly, roaring with indecipherable rage and sorrow at the cosmic injustice of being unwanted and uncared for. That's the sound of Bone Machine: the sound of the dead returning to life for one final rage against the inevitable forces of entropy. And it's a beautiful sound.       - Nick Mirov

92. The Promise Ring - 30 Degrees Everywhere (Jade Tree Records, 1996)

Does anybody not like the Promise Ring? Can you not like the Promise Ring? How? They're so... lovable! They're bouncy, and they dance funny, and they lisp, and they're the only band on this whole bloody list with not even a smidgen of ironic smugness. They enjoy themselves thoroughly plying their trade, which is to rock you with songs like "Everywhere In Denver," move you with songs like "A Picture Postcard," and confuse the heck out of you with lyrics like "You came to two to two Cherry Cokes." Like, what?       - Western Homes

91. PJ Harvey- Rid Of Me (Island Records, 1993)

PJ Harvey is one of those performers you know people like, but you just don't know who they are. Not that people are hiding in shame of liking one of the '90's grittiest women, but she doesn't fit in too well alongside Mogwai and Hum in my personal collection. This is certainly another one of the albums that made this list due to the fact it is uncompromising towards the listener, and hell, Steve Albini even produced it.       - Sebastian Stirling