Top 40 '90s albums, #22: Elliott Smith — XO
A showcase from one of a generation's best songwriters
Top 40 '90s albums, #23: Guided by Voices — Bee Thousand
Guided By Voices at their lo-fi peak
Top 40 '90s albums, #24: Dream Theater — Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory
An all-time great progressive metal album
Top 40 '90s albums, #25: Goldfinger — Hang-Ups
A brilliant ska punk album with a few notable flaws
Top 40 '90s albums, #26: Smog — Knock Knock
Bill Callahan's voice is as captivating as ever
Top 40 '90s albums, #27: Of Montreal — The Gay Parade
A triumph of Of Montreal's sparse indie pop sound
Top 40 '90s albums, #28: Slint — Spiderland
A foundational album in the post-rock and math-rock spheres
Top 40 '90s albums, #29: The Dismemberment Plan — Emergency & I
Anxiety-ridden indie rock that speaks to universal experiences
Top 40 '90s albums, #30: American Football — American Football
Heralds of midwest emo
Top 40 '90s albums, #31: Belle and Sebastian — The Boy With The Arab Strap
Belle and Sebastian at the peak of their early-career songwriting
Top 40 '90s albums, #32: The High Llamas — Gideon Gaye
'90s chamber pop at its finest
Top 40 '90s albums, #33: Low — Secret Name
A triumphant, contemplative masterpiece
Top 40 '90s albums, #34: Cornelius — Fantasma
A landmark Shibuya-kei album
Top 40 '90s albums, #35: Ben Folds Five — Ben Folds Five
It's a great debut album with truly infectious energy
Top 40 '90s albums, #36: Bright Eyes — Letting off the Happiness (1998)
Dreary or not, this spoke to teenage me
Top 40 '90s albums, #37: Karate — The Bed is in the Ocean (1998)
Jazz chords, slowcore, post-rock — whatever it is, I love it
Top 40 '90s albums, #38: Heavenly — Le Jardin de Heavenly (1992)
A foundational twee album
Top 40 '90s albums, #39: Mogwai — Come On Die Young (1999)
An excellent post-rock album
Top 40 '90s albums, #40: Silver Jews — American Water (1998)
A classic from one of his generation's greatest lyricist