The six hundred and ninety-eighth album: #698 Pearl Jam - Ten
I'm not sure Pearl Jam's music is in any way groundbreaking for this period, but the grunge sound feels perfected on their debut album, an artistic expression of a sound that can often feel loose and simpler. There's a lot of longing and pain in the album, but it's expressed in such an exquisite way that it's incredibly listenable.