Tag: 90s music

June albums: 20th anniversary

It’s hard to believe it’s 2015 and the majority of us have been buying CDs for over 20 years. This month marks the 20th anniversary of a few famous albums that were released in 1995. Remember these?

Take That Nobody ElseTake That
Nobody Else
June 8th, 1995

The third album by British boy band Take That, this was the last recording before original band members like Robbie Williams disbanded. It contains their most successful song “Back For Good”.

 

Bjork PostBjörk
Post
June 13th, 1995

This is the third album by Icelandic singer- songwriter Björk, in which she brought an electronic-pop sound with teasers of trip-hop and other styles. The album was met with critical success and was certified platinum in the US, UK, Canada, Europe and Australia.

 

Alanis Morissette Jagged Little PillAlanis Morissette
Jagged Little Pill
June 13th, 1995

One of the most memorable albums of the 90s, Jagged Little Pill put Alanis on the map as an alternative rock goddess. The album was written after a breakup, with singles like “Ironic” and “You Oughta Know”.

 

Selena Dreaming of YouSelena
Dreaming of You
June 18th, 1995

This album made Selena the first Hispanic singer to have an album debut at No.1 on the US Billboard charts. The release was a historic event in terms of album sales from a female singer as well.

 

Michael Jackson HIStoryMichael Jackson
HIStory: Past, Present and Future
June 20th, 1995

This was the first album released on Michael Jackson’s own label, MJJ Productions. Disc 1 is a compilation of greatest hits, and Disc 2 was completely new material at the time.

90s music gems, Vol. 1

When you think of 90s music, what pops up in your mind? Hootie & the Blowfish? Nirvana? Dare I say… Sugar Ray? :)

Back in the day I hosted a radio show called Freaks in Flannel. Despite the name, I tried to stay away from flannel and pop, and instead played a mix of 90s music that I acquired from my dad’s CD collection and the radio station’s library.

Here are some 90s music gems that I highly recommend, if you’re feeling like jumping back in time.

Portishead – Dummy (1994)

Portishead DummyIf you haven’t listened to Portishead yet, do it now—right now! Dummy is the debut album from this England-based trip hop group. In a nutshell, Portishead’s music contains slower tempos, hip hop samples, and bluesy introspective lyrics sung by Beth Gibbons. Dummy contains some of their signature tracks, including “Sour Times”, “Wandering Star”, “Roads”, and one of my favorite gal anthems, “Glory Box”.

 

Beck – Odelay (1996)

Beck Odelay

I’d confidently say that Odelay is one of the greatest albums of all time. Beck is pure musical genius, and this entire album lays it all out for you. His vocals are somewhat more spoken than sung, dense with rhymes reminiscent of old school hip hop. Odelay has a hip hop vibe, mixed with southern-sounding rock and plenty of samples and distortions. Amazing tracks on here are “Devil’s Haircut”, “Hotwax”, “The New Pollution”, “Novacane” and “Where It’s At”. This is a must-have in your collection—check out the full review here.

Fatboy Slim – You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby (1998)

Fatboy Slim

Whether you know it or not, you’ve probably heard tracks from You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby played on radio stations and in clubs throughout the 90s. Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook,  is an English musician and DJ who masterfully uses samples and beats to create highly danceable tunes. Great tracks on this album include “Right Here, Right Now”, “The Rockafeller Skank”, and “Praise You”.

 

The Flaming Lips – Transmissions from the Satellite Heart (1993)

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips are a bunch of weirdos. When they’re not tripping on acid, they’re writing quirky songs that range from super simple rock tunes to all-encompassing soundscapes. Transmissions is actually their 6th album, and it brought us the unforgettable tune “She Don’t Use Jelly”. “Turn It On” is another great track, very raw-and-gritty-sounding like the majority of their early work. This album is lovably odd. There’s a chance you’ll hate it, but maybe not!

Kayla Liederbach
@djkaylakush

Kayla manages social media and customer support at Murfie. You can hear her on the radio hosting U DUB, the reggae show, Wednesdays on WSUM. She enjoys hosting the Murfie podcast, cooking, traveling, going to concerts, and snuggling with kittycats.

Album Preview: “I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss” by Sinéad O’Connor

I'm Not Bossy, I'm the BossAlbum
I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss

Artist
Sinéad O’Connor

Release Date
August 12, 2014

Label
Nettwerk Records

Pre-order Link
Pre-order Album

Preview
We will soon see the release of Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor‘s tenth studio album. I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss will be released on August 12th and has been produced by O’Connor’s longtime producer and once-husband John Reynolds. I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss promises to deliver on the artist’s characteristic style and lyricism on the topic of all things love, sex, and pop music.

I Do Not Want What I Haven't GotSinéad O’Connor was launched into worldwide fame in the early 1990s after her release of I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. The album contained a cover of Prince‘s 1985 “Nothing Compares 2 U.” The song existed in obscurity before Sinéad O’Connor’s cover, and it soon The Lion and the Cobrabecame a worldwide hit. In the following decade, O’Connor would release several more albums and become an icon of critical acclaim and cultural controversy.

I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss appears to be an example of Sinéad O’Connor doing what she does best. In a first listen review,So Far ... The Best Of NPR spoke on the album: “O’Connor works in mostly familiar musical territory on I’m Not Bossy: multi-tracked vocals, folk flourishes, danceable beats amped up with rock attitude. Newly prominent in her mix is a strong blues element.” Watch the official music video for “Take Me To Church,” the first single from I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss below and discover the hype for yourself.

Pre-order your copy of I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss at Murfie today! Each CD comes with unlimited streaming (Web, iOS, Android, Sonos) and downloads in mp3, aac, FLAC and ALAC.

Get to Know a Murfie Staffer!

Here’s another chance to show off our great co-workers at Murfie! Ask anyone here, and they’ll tell you one of the best things about Murfie is the people.

This gal is not only great to work with, but she does a heck of a lotta important things that are essential to the daily functions of Murfie Operations—

GAO VANG

a765be64-d395-11e2-9dc3-de256bd96523Where are you from? > My parents are Hmong immigrants from Laos and I was born and raised in Eau Claire, WI.

How long have you been working at Murfie? What is your role? > It’ll be 2 years in August! I assist in customer support and managing operations. I handle everything about downloads.

What do you like about working at Murfie? > First, the people–I’ve made best friends working here. Second, the challenge of working in a startup–not everything has been done before. We have to create our own programs and our own standards. It’s fascinating and exciting to see what we can come up with.

What kind of music can be found in your Murfie collection? > Mostly Pop/Rock.

2066-largeWho are your favorite artists/bands of all time? > I’m a 90’s girl. I love Nirvana and Sublime. I will always sing along to Backstreet Boys and Mariah Carey.

If you could have coffee with any musician, from any time, who would it be and why? > Marilyn Manson. He’s incredibly intelligent and down-to-earth. I feel like we would have great conversations. The only topic I would avoid is my taste in music.

Are you a Beyoncé fan? > And a Destiny’s Child fan? Yes. Yes.

What album are you really digging right now? > I have Paramore on repeat at the moment. It’s fun to dance and sing with it.
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Do you have any pets? > Yes! Charlie, my dog, turned three last month. She’s still sassy as ever.

What is your favorite food? > Ian’s pizza. I’m trying everything on their menu.

What can people find you doing when you’re not at Murfie? > Chilling at the dog park with Charlie and DJ, my boyfriend.

Now you know more about Gao, our download expert extraordinare! We hope you enjoy seeing some behind-the-scenes stuff about us Murfieans, because some real cool peeps run this site!