The Best Rock Albums of 1998

TM, ®, Copyright © 1998 Piero Scaruffi.
Reviews of 1998 albums | Best albums of all time | Bands (USA) | Bands (non-US) | Back to music
Recensioni del 1998 | Migliori album di sempre | Musicisti (USA) | Musicisti (altri) | Torna alla musica
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Best of the 1960's Best of the 1970's Best of the 1980's Best of the 1990's Best of the 2000's
(Compiled by Mauro Bondoni based on my ratings)
  1. Dirty Three: Ocean Songs (Touch & Go) (8.5)
  2. Maquiladora: Lost Works of Eunice Phelps (Tectonic) (8)
  3. Calexico: The Black Light (Touch And Go) (8)
  4. Peter Jefferies: Substatic (Trance Syndicate) (8)
  5. Tortoise: TNT (Thrill Jockey) (8)
  6. June Of 44: Four Great Points (Quarterstick) (8)
  7. Edith Frost: Telescopic (Drag City) (8)
  8. Add N To (X): On the Wires of Our Nerves (Mute) (8)
  9. Roy Montgomery: And Now The Rain Sounds Like Life Is Falling Down Through It (Drunken Fish) (8)
  10. Dave Grubbs: The Thicket (Drag City) (8)
  11. Eels: Electro-Shock Blues (Dreamworks) (8)
  12. Flying Luttenbachers: Gods Of Chaos (Skin Graft) (8)
  13. Sleep: Jerusalem/ Dopesmoker (Music Cartel) (8)
  14. Supersilent: 1-3 (Rune Grammofon) (7.5)
  15. Hannah Marcus: Faith Burns (Normal) (7.5)
  16. Unwound: Challenge For A Civilized Society (Kill Rock Stars) (7.5)
  17. Alio Die: Password for Entheogenic Experience () (7.5)
  18. Bran Van 3000: Glee (Capitol) (7.5)
  19. Firewater: The Ponzi Scheme (Jetset) (7.5)
  20. Tribes Of Neurot & Walking Time Bombs: Static Migration (Release) (7.5)
  21. Six Organs of Admittance: Six Organs of Admittance (Holy Mountain) (7.5)
  22. Subarachnoid Space: Endless Renovation (Release) (7.5)
  23. Yume Bitsu: Giant Surface Music Falling (Ba Da Bing) (7.5)
  24. Liz Phair: Whitechocolatespaceegg (Capitol) (7.5)
  25. Lisa Germano: Slide (4AD) (7.5)
  26. Mercury Rev: Deserter's Songs (V2) (7.5)
  27. Shark Quest: Battle Of The Loons (Merge) (7.5)
  28. Sulfur: Delirium Tremens (Goldenfly) (7.5)
  29. Don Caballero: What Burns Never Returns (Touch & Go) (7.5)
  30. Meshuggah: Chaosphere (Nuclear Blast) (7.5)
  31. Soul Coughing: El Oso (Slash) (7.5)
  32. For Carnation: Promised Works (Runt) (7.5)
  33. Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation (Columbia) (7.5)
  34. Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over The Sea (Merge) (7)
  35. Dalek: Negro Necro Nekros (Gern Blandsten) (7)
  36. Gorguts: Obscura (Olympic) (7)
  37. Hovercraft: Experiment Below (Blast First) (7)
  38. Trans Am: The Surveillance (Thrill Jockey) (7)
  39. Cat Power: Moon Pix (Matador, 1998) (7)
  40. Refused: The Shape of Punk to Come (Victory) (7)
  41. Windy And Carl: Depths (Kranky) (7)
  42. Mark Lanegan: Scraps At Midnight (SubPop) (7)
  43. Gate: The Lavender Head (Precious Metal) (7)
  44. Massive Attack: Mezzanine (Virgin) (7)
  45. Vocokesh: Paradise Revisited (Drag City) (7)
  46. Tied & Tickled Trio: Tied & Tickled Trio (Bingo) (7)
  47. New Bomb Turks: At Rope End (Epitaph) (7)
  48. Air: Moon Safari (Source) (7)
  49. Tone Rec: Pholcus (Sub Rosa) (7)
  50. 4 Hero: Two Pages (Talkin' Loud) (7)
  51. Robert Rich: Seven Veils (Hearts Of Space) (7)
  52. Boris: Amplifier Worship (Mangrove) (7)
  53. Mocean Worker: Home Movies From the Brain Forest (Conscience) (7)
  54. Home: Netherregions (1998) (7)
  55. Vidna Obmana: Crossing The Trail (Projekt) (7)
  56. Death In Vegas: Dead Elvis (Concrete) (7)
  57. Jeff Greinke: Cities In Fog (Projekt) (7)
  58. Body Lovers: Number One Of Three (Young God) (7)
  59. God Lives Underwater: Life In The So-Called Space Age (A&M) (7)
  60. Zen Guerrilla: Positronic Raygun (Alternative Tentacles) (7)
  61. Macha: Macha (Jetset) (7)
  62. Photon Band: All Young In The Soul (Darla) (7)
  63. Amp: Stenorette (Kranky) (7)
  64. Quintron: Satan Is Dead (Bulb) (7)
  65. Simon Joyner: Yesterday Tomorrow and In Between (Sing Eunuchs) (7)
  66. Bassholes: When My Blue Moon Turns Red Again (In The Red) (7)
  67. Blonde Redhead: In An Expression Of The Inexpressible: (Touch & Go) (7)
  68. Escapade: Citrus Cloud Cover (Mother West) (7)
  69. Phylr: Contra La Puerta (Invisible) (7)
  70. Ulver: Themes From William Blake's The Marriage Of Heaven & Hell (Jester)
  71. Uzeda: Different Section Wires (Touch and Go) (7)
  72. EAR: Millennium Music (Atavistic) (7)
  73. Tombstone Valentine: Hidden World (Aether) (7)
  74. Cornelius: Fantasma (Matador) (7)
  75. Scott Weiland: 12 Bar Blues (Atlantic) (7)
  76. Alec Empire: The Curse of the Golden Vampire (Digital Hardcore)
  77. Fantastic Plastic Machine (Emperor Norton) (7)
  78. Gastr Del Sol: Camoufleur (Drag City) (7)
  79. Richard Davies: Telegraph (Flydaddy) (7)
  80. Buffalo Daughter: New Rock (Grand Royal) (7)
  81. Meat Beat Manifesto: Actual Sounds And Voices (Nothing) (7)
  82. Kristin Hersh: Strange Angels (Rykodisc) (7)
  83. Linus Pauling Quartet: Killing You With Rock (September Girls) (7)
  84. Godspeed You Black Emperor: f#a# Infinity (Constellation, 1998) (7)
  85. Modest Mouse: Lonesome Crowded West (Up) (7)
  86. Mouse On Mars: Instrumentals (Sonig) (7)
  87. Plastikman: Consumed (Novamute) (7)
  88. Joan Of Arc: How Memory Works (Jade Tree) (7)
  89. Queens Of The Stone Age: self-titled (Loosegroove) (7)
  90. Rufus Wainwright: Rufus Wainwright (Dreamworks) (7)
  91. Ex: Starters Alternators (Touch & Go) (7)
  92. Make-Up: In Mass Mind (Dischord, 1998) (7)
  93. Melt-Banana: Charlie (A-Zap)
  94. Gorge Trio: Dead Chicken Fear No Knife (Free Land) (7)
  95. Do Make Say Think: Do Make Say Think (1998)
  96. Third Eye Foundation: You Guys Kill Me (Domino) (7)
  97. DJ Spooky: Riddim Warfare (Outpost) (7)
  98. Dead C: Tusk (Siltbreeze) (7)
  99. Jim Steinman: Tanz der Vampire (Polydor) (7)
  100. Theo Parrish: First Floor (Peacefrog) (7)
  101. Sweet Trip: Halica (Darla) (7)
  102. Fatboy Slim: You've Come a Long Way Baby (Astralwerks) (7)
  103. Joe Jackson: Heaven And Hell (Sony) (7)
  104. DJ Q-Bert: Wave Twisters (1998) (7)
  105. Icarus: Fijaka (Hydrogen Dukebox) (7)
  106. Sunny Day Real Estate: How It Feels To Be Something On (Subpop) (7)
  107. DJ Faust: Man Or Myth (Bomb) (7)
  108. Motion Picture: Every Last Romance (Words on Music) (7)
  109. Nightstick: Ultimatum (Relapse) (7)
  110. DJ? Acucrack: Mutants Of Sound (Lost In Bass) (7)
  111. Beyond Dawn: Revelry (Misanthropy) (7)
  112. Town And Country: Town And Country (BOXmedia)
EPs and minis:
  1. Califone: Califone (Flydaddy) (7)
  2. Beta Band: The Patty Patty Sound (EMI, 1998) 7

Songs
(Mostly selected by Austin Krentz, based on my album reviews)
( Click here to play them on Spotify (thank you Luke!))
  1. Hannah Marcus: Face in the Moon
  2. June of 44: Doomsday
  3. Fatboy Slim: Praise You
  4. Dalek: Swollen Tongue Burns
  5. Dirty Three: Distant Shore
  6. Eels: Last Stop This Town
  7. Edith Frost: Tender Kiss
  8. Califone: On The Steeple
  9. Neutral Milk Hotel: Ghost
  10. Tortoise: The Suspension Bridge at Iguazu Falls
  11. Meshuggah: New Millenium Cyanide Christ
  12. Calexico: Minas De Cobre
  13. Hannah Marcus: The Hanged Man
  14. Blonde Redhead: 10
  15. Liz Phair: Shitloads of Money
  16. Soul Coughing: St. Louise is Listening
  17. Flying Luttenbachers: The Pointed Stick Variations
  18. David Grubbs: Orange Disaster
  19. Piano Magic: I Am The Sub-Librarian
  20. Unwound: Lifetime Achievement Award
  21. God Lives Underwater: Happy
  22. Add N to (X): Hit Me
  23. Beastie Boys: Intergalactic
  24. Lisa Germano: Reptile
  25. Cornelius: Count Five or Six
  26. Nomeansno: Disappear
  27. Sunny Day Real Estate: Every Shining Time You Arrive
  28. Lauryn Hill: To Zion
  29. Modest Mouse: Long Distance Drunk
  30. Firewater: Knock `Em Down
  31. Zen Guerrilla: Trouble Shake
  32. Shark Quest: Blake Carrington
  33. Jack Drag: Debutante
  34. Cake: Satan Is My Motor
  35. Buffalo Daughter: New Rock
  36. New Bomb Turks: Veronica Lake
  37. Roy Montgomery: A Little Soundtrack
  38. Outkast: Rosa Parks
  39. Cat Power: Cross Bones Style
  40. Scott Weiland: Barbarella
  41. Circle: Karhun Kansaa
  42. Furry Things: Downswing Dub
  43. Massive Attack: Teardrop
  44. 4 Hero: Planetaria
  45. Bran Van 300: Couch Surfer
  46. DJ Spooky: Quilombo Ex Optico
  47. Fastball: The Way
  48. Mercury Rev: Hudson Line
  49. Bonnie Prince Billy: Nomadic Revery
  50. Mark Lanegan: Bell Black Ocean
  51. Damien Jurado: Honey Baby
  52. Gastr Del Sol: Blues Subtitled No Sense of Wonder
  53. Bassholes: Born to Die
  54. Air: All I Need
  55. Alkaline Trio: San Francisco
  56. Neutral Milk Hotel: Holland 1945
  57. Sulfur: Nova Sangre
  58. System of a Down: Sugar
  59. Donnas: Rock'n'Roll Machine
  60. Melt Banana: Cannot
  61. Maquiladora: Mercury Sounds
  62. DJ Krush: Mu-Chu
  63. Madonna: Ray of Light
  64. Phylr: I Was Born...
  65. 4 Hero: Pegasus 51
  66. Joan of Arc: To've Had Two Of
  67. Amon Tobin: Switch
  68. The Ex: Two Struck by the Moon
  69. Marcy Playground: Sex and Candy
  70. Korn: Freak on a Leash
  71. Trans Am: Extreme Measures
  72. Fatboy Slim: Rockafeller Skank
  73. Queens of the Stone Age: If Only Everything
  74. New Pornographers: Letter From An Occupant
  75. Marah: Formula Cola Dollar Draft
  76. Amp: Outlier
  77. Autechre: 777
  78. Kid Rock: Bawitdaba
  79. Nightwish: Sleeping Sun
  80. Songs Ohia: An Ace Unable To Change
  81. Arab on Radar: Molar System
  82. Melt Banana: Introduction for Charlie,
  83. Appleseed Cast: Stars
 Extended tracks
(Mostly selected by Austin Krentz, based on my album reviews)
  1. Sleep: Jerusalem/ Dopesmoker
  2. Dirty Three: Deep Waters
  3. Flying Luttenbachers: The Sun is Bleeding
  4. Hovercraft: Anthropod
  5. Alio Die: Password for Entheogenic Experience
  6. Peter Jefferies: Three Movements
  7. Yume Bitsu: Of Freedom and Flight
  8. Subarachnoid Space: Safety in Numbers
  9. Supersilent: 1.3
  10. Windy and Carl: Depths
  11. Bob Ostertag: Like A Melody No Bitterness
  12. Six Organs of Admittance: Sum of All Heaven
  13. Four Tet: Thirtysix Twentyfive
  14. Gas: Eins
  15. Godspeed You! Black Emperor: East Hastings
  16. Pere Ubu: My Name Is
  17. Namanax: Monstrous
  18. Tribes of Neurot: March to the Sun
  19. Him: A Verdict Of Science
  20. Boris: Huge
  21. Supersilent: 3.3
  22. Tombstone Valentine: Elastic Reality
  23. Do Make Say Think: 1978
  24. Talvin Singh: Traveller
  25. Nightstick: 4 More Years
  26. EAR: Delysid
  27. Plastikman: Consumed
  28. Escapade: The Sunlight
  29. Sweet Trip: Fish
  30. Supersilent: 2.5
  31. Asha Vida: Sic Itur Ad Astra
  32. Don Caballero: 3
  33. Out Of Worship: Meta Stigmata
  34. Ulan Bator: Let Go Ego
  35. Alec Empire: Caucasian Deathmask
  36. Theo Parrish: Electric Alleycat
  37. Vocokesh: One Brief Glimpse at the Face of Oblivion
  38. Abunai: 77 Gaza Strip
  39. Pelt: Mu Mesons
  40. Icarus: Fijaka
  41. Dalek: Praise Be The Man
  42. Linus Pauling Quartet: The Colour Out of Space
  43. Four Tet: Fume
  44. Body Lovers: 3
  45. Circle: Porin Jazzjuhlat -65
  46. Sweet Trip: Traces
  47. Unwound: Side Effects of Being Tired
  48. Richard Bishop: Al-Darazi
  49. Boredoms: Super Shine
  50. Autechre: Under BOAC
  51. Theo Parrish: Dan Ryan
  52. Ulver: A Memorable Fancy - Plates 17-20
  53. Simon Joyner: Eight Verses
  54. Merzbow: Degradation Of Tapes
  55. Town And Country: And See
  56. Rafael Toral: Cyclorama Lift 2

Songwriters
  1. Liz Phair: Whitechocolatespaceegg (Capitol)
  2. Edith Frost: Telescopic (Drag City)
  3. David Grubbs: The Thicket (Drag City)
  4. Roy Montgomery: And Now The Rain Sounds Like Life Is Falling Down Through It (Drunken Fish)
  5. Mark Lanegan: Scraps At Midnight (SubPop)
  6. Lisa Germano: Slide (4AD)
  7. Julie Ruin: self-titled (Kill Rock Stars)
  8. Tori Amos: From The Choirgirl Hotel (Atlantic)
  9. Ani DiFranco: Little Plastic Castle (Righteous Babe)
  10. Jeff Buckley: Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk (Columbia)
  11. Mark Hollis (1998)
  12. Madonna: Ray Of Light (Maverick)
  13. Kristin Hersh: Strange Angels (Rykodisc)
  14. Simon Joyner: Yesterday Tomorrow and In Between (Sing Eunuchs)
  15. Rufus Wainwright: Rufus Wainwright (Dreamworks)
  16. Bob Mould: The Last Dog And Pony Show (Rykodisc)
  17. Scott Weiland: 12 Bar Blues (Atlantic)
  18. Robert Wyatt: Shleep (Thirsty Ear)
  19. DollsHead: Frozen Charlotte (MCA)
  20. Beck: Mutations (DGC)
  21. P.J. Harvey: Is This Desire (Island)

Industrial
  1. Tribes Of Neurot & Walking Time Bombs: Static Migration (Release)
  2. Subarachnoid Space: Endless Renovation (Release)
  3. Phylr: Contra La Puerta (Invisible)
  4. God Lives Underwater: Life In The So-Called Space Age (A&M)

Electronica
  1. Robert Rich: Seven Veils (Hearts Of Space)
  2. Steve Roach & Roger King: Dust To Dust (Projekt)
  3. Vidna Obmana: Crossing The Trail (Projekt)
  4. Jeff Greinke: Cities In Fog (Projekt)
  5. TUU & Nick Parkin: Terma (Hearts Of Space)

Gothic
  1. Body Lovers: Number One Of Three (Young God)

Heavy rock
  1. Queens Of The Stone Age: self-titled (Loosegroove)
  2. Korn: Follow The Leader (Epic)
  3. Pearl Jam: Yield (Epic)

Psychedelia
  1. Tribes Of Neurot & Walking Time Bombs: Static Migration (Release)
  2. Subarachnoid Space: Endless Renovation (Release)
  3. Vocokesh: Paradise Revisited (Drag City)
  4. Yume Bitsu: Giant Surface Music Falling (Ba Da Bing)

Instrumental
  1. Hovercraft: Experiment Below (Blast First)
  2. Peter Jefferies: Substatic (Trance Syndicate)
  3. Subarachnoid Space: Endless Renovation (Release)
  4. Phylr: Contra La Puerta (Invisible)

Progressive

Dance
  1. Add N To (X): On the Wires of Our Nerves (Mute)
  2. Massive Attack: Mezzanine (Virgin)

Britain
  1. TUU & Nick Parkin: Terma (Hearts Of Space)
  2. Stereolab: Aluminum Tunes (Warp)
  3. Belle And Sebastian: The Boy With The Arab Strap (Virgin)
  4. Prolapse: The Italian Flag (Jetset)
  5. Ganger: Mammoth Style (Merge)
  6. Main: Firmament III/ IV (Beggars Banquet)
  7. Death In June: Take Care And Control (NER)
  8. Robert Wyatt: Shleep (Thirsty Ear)
  9. Stone Roses: self-titled (Silvertone)
  10. Massive Attack: Mezzanine (Virgin)
  11. Charlatans: Melting Pot (Beggars Banquet)
  12. Jesus & Mary Chain: Munki (Sub Pop)
  13. Echobelly: Lustra (Epic)
  14. Manic Street Preachers: This Is My Truth (Epic)
  15. Meat Beat Manifesto: Actual Sounds And Voices (Nothing)
  16. Rapoon: Just Say The Faith (Soleilmoon)
  17. P.J. Harvey: Is This Desire (Island)

Europe
  1. Ex: Starters Alternators (Touch & Go)

Japan
  1. Merzbow: 1930 (Tzadik)
  2. Shonen Knife: Happy Hour (Big Deal)
  3. Fantastic Plastic Machine (Emperor Norton)

France & Belgium
  1. Vidna Obmana: Crossing The Trail (Projekt)

Australia
  1. Dirty Three: Ocean Songs (Touch & Go)
  2. Roy Montgomery: And Now The Rain Sounds Like Life Is Falling Down Through It (Drunken Fish)
  3. Peter Jefferies: Substatic (Trance Syndicate)
  4. Dead C: Tusk (Siltbreeze)

Canada
  1. Bran Van 3000: Glee (Capitol)
  2. Cevin Key: Involution (Tone Casualties)

TM, ®, Copyright © 1998 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved.
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Best of the 1960's Best of the 1970's Best of the 1980's Best of the 1990's Best of the 2000's