To celebrate our 30th anniversary and all the great music that made the past three decades special, MAGNET contributors past and present chose their 30 favorite albums released between 1993 and 2022. The only rules were that each record has to be a full-length and that no artist could be represented more than once in the same incarnation. We’re posting these lists throughout the rest of the year.
Ryan Burleson, contributing writer
1) Karate Unsolved (Southern), 2000
2) Boyz II Men II (Motown), 1994
3) Bing & Ruth Tomorrow Was The Golden Age (RVNG), 2014
4) Pedro The Lion Winners Never Quit (Jade Tree), 2000
5) Strongarm The Advent Of A Miracle (Solid State), 1997
6) Dustin O’Halloran Piano Solos Vol. 2 (Filter/Splinter), 2006
7) Hum You’d Prefer An Astronaut (RCA), 1995
8) Elliott Smith Figure 8 (DreamWorks), 2000
9) Pinback Blue Screen Life (Ace Fu), 2001
10) Radiohead In Rainbows (XL), 2007
11) Weezer Weezer (Blue Album) (Geffen), 1994
12) The Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (Virgin), 1995
13) Tortoise TNT (Thrill Jockey), 1998
14) Deerhunter Cryptograms (Kranky), 2007
15) Björk Homogenic (Elektra), 1997
16) Angel Olsen Burn Your Fire For No Witness (Jagjaguwar), 2014
17) Mariah Carey Daydream (Columbia), 1995
18) Converge Jane Doe (Equal Vision), 2001
19) Burial Untrue (Hyperdub), 2007
20) The Caretaker Persistent Repetition Of Memories (History Always Favours The Winners), 2008
21) Grizzly Bear Yellow House (Warp), 2006
22) Foo Fighters Foo Fighters (Roswell/Capitol), 1995
23) Fugazi The Argument (Dischord), 2001
24) MxPx The Ever Passing Moment (A&M), 2000
25) Rage Against The Machine Evil Empire (Epic), 1996
26) Starflyer 59 Gold (Tooth & Nail), 1995
27) Refused The Shape Of Punk To Come (Burning Heart), 1998
28) Green Day Dookie (Reprise), 1994
29) Stars Of The Lid And Their Refinement Of The Decline (Kranky), 2007
30) Andy Shauf The Party (Anti-), 2016
