10 Perfect Indie Albums Of The 1990s

Not every band is looking to be the next Beatles of the world. There's something respectable about a band without a gimmick playing the best rock music that you know how to create. Whether you like it or not though, some of the more underground artists can find themselves in the world of rock legends every now and again.

Despite being on the independent side of things, these bands were able to transcend the label of indie rock and become some of the biggest stars that the rock world had ever known. So how did they manage to get such a mass appeal? Well, when you're working in the era birthed by grunge, some of the most obscure bands tended to have a shot, with everyone from the Meat Puppets to the Butthole Surfers getting a deal out of everything.

Compared to bands that were just weird for the sake of being weird, these are the records that actually managed to go toe to toe with some of the greatest rock albums of all time. That way, indie became more than just a fun name to put on the more obscure bands in your vinyl collection. This was a real form of rock music that was going to become a force to be reckoned with.

Part of the beauty behind the '90s alternative scene was that there were no rules anymore. After being defined by the neon colored craziness for the past decade, the idea of having just people making music that was from the heart that appealed to you was a breath of fresh air on its own. Hell, sometimes you'd find the albums that would even get a little too close for comfort.

In the era when riot grrl was about to dominate the culture, Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville was something a little different, bringing together pop friendly hooks with a sort of snide cynicism towards romance. Although there are a lot of great moments on here like Never Said which could cross over to a larger audience, that wasn't what Liz was really going for. Going through the track listing, this is a woman trying desperately to hold on to any of her sanity through her interactions.

Even though the title of something like "F*ck and Run" might seem a little ridiculous, the story that you have to go with it has the potential to casually break your heart if you're not careful. While Liz's career would go through a lot more ill advised directions after this, it's pretty excusable when you make a record that's this good on your first try. Move over heartthrobs...indie had found its new goddess.