1. Laughing Stock
Okay, *Laughing Stock* isn't obscure, but its influence runs deeper than its plays. In '91, Talk Talk was already pulling the rug out from under rock. This isn't just "post-rock"; it's the sound of a band intentionally disassembling and reassembling sound with surgical precision. The space, the sudden bursts of noise, the aching quiet – it’s a masterclass in tension, captured with a clarity that still feels unnervingly intimate, like being an accidental witness to something profound and fragile. It truly feels timeless.
2. Tri Repetae
Autechre in '95 hit different. *Tri Repetae* isn't background music; it's a cold, metallic, beautiful puzzle. This was IDM before it got comfortable, before it became 'chill'. It’s an exercise in digital sculpture, all those complex rhythms and alien textures building a world that felt utterly new. Listening now, it still sounds like the future we never quite got, a stark, intricate landscape crafted from pure data. It demanded attention, and it still earns it, every fractured beat.
3. Exploded Drawing
Polvo’s *Exploded Drawing* from '95 is just… gnarly. It’s math rock, but not the clean, academic kind. This is the messy, feedback-laden, almost unhinged version. The guitars weave and clash, sounding like they’re constantly on the verge of collapsing into glorious chaos, but they never quite do. It’s got this incredible tension, a raw, intellectual energy that makes other indie rock of the era feel a bit too polite. It’s a beautifully complex, unpolished gem.
4. Hard Normal Daddy
Squarepusher's *Hard Normal Daddy* in '97 was like a shock to the system. It wasn't just drum and bass; it was jazz fusion, IDM, and a frantic digital breakdown all at once. The beats are so impossibly fast, so surgically cut and pasted, that it felt like the machines were finally taking over, but in the most exhilarating way possible. It's frenetic, brilliant, and still sounds like it's challenging the very limits of what electronic music could be. A true Warp Records landmark.
5. Emergency & I
The Dismemberment Plan truly nailed something with *Emergency & I* in '99. It’s that perfect blend of jittery post-punk energy and genuine, heartfelt vulnerability. Travis Morrison's lyrics are incredibly sharp, detailing anxiety and awkwardness with a wit that keeps it from being a total downer. The music is intricate, playful, yet emotionally resonant, predicting a lot of the indie rock that would follow. It’s an album that understands the weirdness of being a person.
6. Ants From Up There
Black Country, New Road's *Ants From Up There* (2022) arrived with this incredible, almost crushing, emotional weight. Even though it's recent, it channels a post-rock sensibility that feels spiritually akin to the grand, ambitious projects of the late 90s, but filtered through a contemporary lens. Isaac Wood’s intensely personal lyrics, combined with those soaring, often chaotic instrumental passages, create something truly epic and profoundly melancholic. It's a modern masterpiece, aching with an old soul.
7. It's A Wonderful Life
Sparklehorse's *It's A Wonderful Life* from 2001 is a quiet, haunting masterpiece. Mark Linkous had this way of crafting these beautifully fractured songs, full of lo-fi charm and a deep, wistful sadness. The collaborations here, especially with PJ Harvey and Tom Waits, just add to its otherworldly feel. It’s an album that breathes, full of fragile beauty and a sense of gentle melancholy that stays with you long after the final notes fade. A genuine, understated classic.
