A transitional year. Just as I graduated from high school and began my first semester at Marquette, for me, new music felt stuck between 1992’s discoveries and, as we’ll see, 1994’s eventual, inevitable mainstreaming of modern rock. Truthfully, I spent more time in ’93 listening to classic rock and jazz, cultivating an appreciation for older music than actively seeking out new stuff; thus, many of the selections here are obscurities I stumbled upon: Mekons’ irony-drenched, Sally Timms-sung ode to sugar daddies, Teenage Fanclub’s drone-pop with its genius dumb outro repeating the same four measures sixteen times, Terence Trent D’Arby’s unclassifiable stab at Beatles-esque psych pop, Gutterball’s jaunty little comic noir. I first heard that last one via a friend who also introduced me to “Ugly On The Outside”, perhaps the most ebullient, non-sappy, queer-leaning (!) love song of its era–it should have been as big as “Linger” (which itself holds up rather nicely, by the way.)

My hometown’s first “alternative” radio station appeared this year, the automated (i.e. no-DJ) WARP-AM. It would be defunct not even midway through ’94, but it was a lifeline among the more idiosyncratic offerings left of the dial (including the freeform WMSE, still on the air today!) In addition to the Teenage Fanclub song referenced above, it’s also where I first heard songs below by The Posies, Juliana Hatfield, Deacon Blue, Concrete Blonde, Matthew Sweet and Crowded House—all stuff that might’ve aired on MTV’s 120 Minutes but not in rotation anytime else on that channel (WARP was also where I first (!) heard The Smiths’ nearly decade-old “How Soon Is Now”.) The Cranberries, The Breeders and Belly were notable crossover exceptions at the time.

Elsewhere, a mix of the usual suspects (latest singles by Kate Bush and Pet Shop Boys), 80s artists reinventing themselves (Aimee Mann’s look-back-in-wonder gem from her solo debut; Nick Heyward older/wiser/years-removed from Haircut 100) and clarion calls from what would become some of my favorite artists of the decade (Saint Etienne, Bjork, Liz Phair.) Combing over this playlist now, one never knows then what will endure decades later. Still fresh today: Mazzy Star’s pillow-soft shoegaze (and prom-friendly) balladry, James’ eccentric-but-catchy jangle pop, and an eerie, rich-in-texture track from Sarah McLachlan’s breakthrough album that shows she possessed a considerable edge pre-Lilith Fair.

1993: Something Hidden, Something Free

1. Belly, “Feed The Tree”
2. The Juliana Hatfield Three, “My Sister”
3. The Posies, “Dream All Day”
4. Nick Heyward, “Kite”
5. Mazzy Star, “Fade Into You”
6. Digable Planets, “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)”
7. Chris Isaak, “Can’t Do A Thing (To Stop Me)”
8. Jellyfish, “The Glutton of Sympathy”
9. The Breeders, “Cannonball”
10. Aimee Mann, “I’ve Had It”
11. Kate Bush, “Moments of Pleasure”
12. Mekons, “Millionaire”
13. Saint Etienne, “Mario’s Cafe”
14. Depeche Mode, “Walking In My Shoes”
15. Teenage Fanclub, “Hang On”
16. Gutterball, “One By One”
17. New Order, “Regret”
18. Liz Phair, “Divorce Song”
19. Terence Trent D’Arby, “Penelope Please”
20. Lenny Kravitz, “Heaven Help”
21. The Judybats, “Ugly On The Outside”
22. Suede, “Metal Mickey”
23. Urge Overkill, “Positive Bleeding”
24. Pet Shop Boys, “Can You Forgive Her”
25. Bjork, “Big Time Sensuality”
26. Concrete Blonde, “Heal It Up”
27. Deacon Blue, “Your Town”
28. The Cranberries, “Linger”
29. James, “Laid”
30. Morphine, “Cure For Pain”
31. Crowded House, “Locked Out”
32. Tasmin Archer, “Lords Of The New Church”
33. Blur, “For Tomorrow”
34. P.M. Dawn, “I’d Die Without You”
35. Sarah McLachlan, “Fear”
36. Matthew Sweet, “Time Capsule”