90s "pop" music

Cristi wrote: ^ isn't avant-pop an oxymoron?

I don't think so, most certainly not necessarily.   Avant means forward-thinking, innovative, advancing, progressive, and pop can be all of those things. There is a category of pop called experimental pop, as well as progressive pop. Now unpopular popular music is an oxymoron, but not all music that is considered to be pop under a wider usage is actually popular. It can be funny when retro bands get called Progressive Rock (i.e. regressive progressive rock), but we don't always take the progressive literally anymore, or treat the progressive in an adjectival sense. It's much the same with pop music. It can describe styles of music, certain mainstream qualities to the music, and can be described by what it is not. Described against other types of music.... Pop can encompass a huge amount of music depending upon one's usage.

A lot of Avant-Prog isn't truly avant-garde, a lot of progressive rock isn't truly progressive, and a lot of what can be considered to be pop isn't truly popular.

Edited by Logan - April 18 2020 at 07:52

^ isn't avant-pop an oxymoron? 

Edited by The Anders - April 18 2020 at 08:13

Some of the choices here I do not see as "pop".

Edited by Cristi - April 18 2020 at 05:32

Sorry, a few more. Turning into a very reminsicent thing for me (I loved the 90s -- the most exciting decade of my life):








Edited by Logan - April 18 2020 at 04:43

this song is quite nicehttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rM--0MqS60k

One of the more interesting and eclectic artists of 90s is Moby, fron alternative rock to house music and a myriad of experiments in-between. Moby is part of the "90s sound"

Motorpsycho was quite "pop" in the 90s with radio charting hits and songs that were played on radio, stil proggy but also a big dose of pop.

I also like the early the Verve albums, psychadelic and trippy rock before Silly Symphony

Wasn’t that big on pop during the 90s but have since acquainted myself with quite a few artists and albums that really connect with me. A good portion has already been mentioned above actually.

I had a listen to Kula Shaker’s sophomore album a little while back and took a little trip down memory lane. I vividly remember spinning that sucker during high school - digging the hell out of the Indian instrumentation with tablas and sitars ornamenting their sound...which really is a nifty combo of the late 60s and the more psychedelic quarters of the “Brit-pop scene”. Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts. Very much recommended if you dig the above description.

How about the Japanese band Fishmans? I only own the album Long Season, but it is a stellar dream-pop excursion with these beautiful almost sensuous swaying synths and guitar glissandi. There’s also psychedelic element to it that I really dig.

One of my favourite XTC albums is from the 90s as well...which is rare with me. I tend to prefer artist’s earlier material rather than an album made 20 years down the line. This one though is one of the exceptions. Really playful and melodically dense. Maybe it’s also the cover, but I feel like being transported into this warm and humid jungleland of sorts every time I spin it. Apple Venus Volume 1

Straight from the 60s...it’s...The Olivia Tremor Control!!! Both Music From An Unrealised Movie Script, Dusk At Cubist Castle and Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume 1 are brilliant albums. The latter I have Steve (HolyMoly) to thank for. Baroque pop with a twist of the experimental..and that oh so elusive warmth of the hippie days.

Supergrass’ In It For The Money was one of the only popular albums I picked up on at the time of it’s release. Alright it did not experience the same kind of success as the rivalling albums from Blur and Oasis, but I think the songwriting and playing here trumps what either of those bands were capable of...maybe except for Blur’s 13...but they obviously needed vast amounts of drugs in order to make that album and almost snuffed it as a consequence. I am however very grateful for 13, which is one of my faves from the decade. Blur’s finest hour imo. Experimental, Krautrock-like in it’s motorik beats as well as in the manner it plays around with odd effects and electronics.

Lately I’ve been getting into The The. Started out with their 1980s high water mark Soul Mining and then dived further into their albums from around the same era. It’s only very recently that I started paying attention to some of their later work from the 90s, like fx Dusk. Basically art pop but with a smokey and nighttime-like aura about it that really works.

Robin Hitchcock’s Eye from 90 is also a cracker of an album. Highly recommended to fans of psychedelic folk from slightly left-field.

There are more...but my sausages need a rest.