The seven hundred twenty-seventh song: Painkiller - Judas Priest
We're kicking off the 90s with a fast running metal album, operatic vocals overlaying a mess of guitars. It's the large, chaotic atmosphere it creates that really helps out here, a bewildering mess of sounds that has a lot of structure to it still.
The seven hundred twenty-eighth song: Loaded - Primal Scream
Although my musical awareness only really started coming in in the mid-nineties, the patterns are already starting to show here. A remix - sort of - of a Primal Scream track, it has a heavy dance vibe, although not as focused on the beats per minute as some of that evolves to. Instead it retains some of the rock sounds, mixed with other samples that leads to a real mix of different influences.
The seven hundred twenty-ninth song: Iceblink Luck - Cocteau Twins
There's an ethereal pop sound to this track, from the light synthesizer to the soprano vocals. It's interesting, drawing you into something that feels more substantial than you'd otherwise expect it to be. For the most part, it just feels like a major success.
The seven hundred thirtieth song: Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might Be Giants
I've enjoyed They Might Be Giants since I first heard them - happy rock with some quite different lyrics that give you a chance to think, whether or not they have as much meaning. They always seem like a friendly and welcoming band to listen to, which is what works here - there's something encouraging in the affirmations of the lyrics, even if they were mostly meant to be nonsensical.
The seven hundred thirty-first song: Energy Flash - Joey Beltram
I think we have our first techno song, again bringing in the decade. It's the genre that I really was familiar with around this time (even though it never connected with me) and this feels like the core of it - a fast beat, sparse vocals, little variation, just the background to dance to or, I suppose if you're wired that way, to engage your brain with sound without overwhelming it, it becomes oddly equal to focus with. I don't personally feel a need to look for it, but I can feel it working.
The seven hundred thirty-second song: Bonita Applebum - A Tribe Called Quest
Putting aside the guitar riff - which I know more of the Fugees' cover of Killing Me Softly - there's something about the slow rap and relaxed music that does a lot of good work here. It's slow and lazy without sleazy, a contemporary love song that doesn't feel too saccharine or aggressive. Would it work? I don't know, but the sound is pretty good.
The seven hundred thirty-third song: Little Fluffy Clouds - The Orb
Another heavily remixed house track, the mix of samples is quite an eclectic combination. The sampled vocals are a bizarre, peaceful feeling that sets the tone for a slightly slower track (compared to what I think the standard would be?) while the music always feels a bit weird. Still, it's a surprisingly chill track for all that it brings.