Spice Girls - Spice

Label: Virgin
Genre: Pop
Year: 1996
Recommended By: Lauren Weidner

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE! Wait, that is from the follow up album. The debut of the Spice Girls brought girl power across the world. Weirdly, when listening to the album there wasn't all that much girl power happening. I guess at the time Women having a say in a relationship was revolutionary.

There are some creepy songs on the record too. The song "2 become 1" is some next level R. Kelly weirdness. It's weird. "Love Thing" takes a line from the sisters act in White Christmas. It's a rather sexual album, I'm surprised it was such a hit in my elementary school sock hops. I'm waiting for them to release a Spice Women album. It needs to happen.

Weezer - Pinkerton

Label: DGC
Genre: Emo
Year: 1996
Recommended by: Abe Martinez

Wikipedia has constructed the most Weezer sentence in history. Let me cite it here, "After abandoning plans for a rock opera titled Songs from the Black Hole, Weezer recorded Pinkerton between songwriter Rivers Cuomo's terms at Harvard University, where he wrote much of the album." 

I always go back and forth between Pinkerton and The Blue Album as my favorite Weezer record. I think the Blue Album is a better introduction into Weezer, but Pinkerton has the stronger songs overall. 

I'm unsure how people can hate Weezer when they released two amazing albums right off the bat. In March I reviewed their latest offering and it is also awesome. Love Weezer, it's okay to admit it.

Phish - Billy Breathes

Label: Elektra
Year: 1996
Genre: Alternative Rock
Recommending Person: Sarah Sherry

So this is the first big Phish album. Before they were a band with a cult following, but this album actually made it's way on to the charts and has been on rotation for college kids everywhere. Except for me. I got into jam bands for a little bit in my college life, but it was mostly just an extension and deeper dives into bands I already enjoyed like O.A.R. and Dispatch. 

This album is an enjoyable listen. I probably listened to incorrectly, as I did it over an americano, which is probably not the roast that Trey Anastasio had in mind when they were in the studio. I only recognized the song "Talk" which seems straight out of a Zach Braff film. The whole record was nice for a slow day, but it isn't an anytime type of record.

Rent - The Original Broadway Cast Recording

Label: DreamWorks
Genre: Showtunes
Year: 1996
Recommending Person: Kirsten Turnquist

First, I would suggest you listen to the best of Rent rather than the entirety of the music, without any acting context, the Voicemails and small vignettes that are used lose pretty much anything that you would deem enjoyable. However, many 90s and 2000s albums had terrible interludes that almost everyone skipped over after their first listen. It would be the same with Rent. I have never seen Rent live, I have not seen the movie with actors that they try to make sing, and I have not seen any taping of a live performance.

However, Rent is part of the cultural conscious and I have heard many jokes about the merits of the protagonists arguments, and of course the song Seasons of Love (Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes). The songs don't really catch you until Tango: Maureen, and then it fades out until Sante Fe. From there on out the songs are catchy and get you emotionally attached. I never participated in any stage or Drama anything as I was always trying to not be a loser, but I was always jealous of those who did.