1999 Survey Mix

This is the conclusion of the 1990s survey mix series, which I have been presenting monthly in chronological order through this year. You can find the previous mixes here. I’ve made a Spotify version of this survey, though it is missing 27 tracks and has no sound editing for smooth listening.

One of the major lessons of having done so many of these year survey sets is that there’s always a lot of good music made, so even in fallow years or when the zeitgeist is particularly dire, it’s not a total wash. 1999 is, in zeitgeist terms, a pretty grim year. The amount of stuff in this set that I would personally consider to be “not good” or “incredibly boring” is about on par with 1985, which I’d say is the nadir of the previous decade. I’d also say it’s about even with the year we’re in right now, which I feel is among the most uninspiring years for music in my lifetime.

When I say that this is a grim time for music, I assume most of you think I’m talking about the dominance of nu-metal, and that’s…part of it, but by no means all of it. This set opens with two major nu-metal anthems, and while I’m not a fan of either Kid Rock or Limp Bizkit, these particular songs are good and the high points of their careers. “Bawitdiba” may be dumb and belligerent, but it’s a magnificent symphony of idiocy and aggression. That’s true of a lot of the ultra-macho tunes I’ve sequenced near the start of this survey – it’s easy to see how this stuff blew up. It’s all very seductive, and there’s just as much joy in this bratty anger and contempt as in the glossy teen pop that is the yin to nu-metal and rap’s yang in this period.

It’s easy to look back on this now and be like “ewww, so much toxic masculinity,” but really, is the pop music of 2016 and 2017 so different? The nihilistic yet entitled spite of Limp Bizkit, Korn, Kid Rock, Eminem, et al is all around on us on the internet and in politics, and though there’s nothing so aggro in pop music now, the charts are dominated by a different millennial strain of toxic masculinity in the form of preening, self-absorbed fuckboys like Drake, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, The Chainsmokers, and Ed Sheeran. It’s not the same situation, but it’s not that different either. It certainly seems like we’re due for another Woodstock 99.

So what else is going on? A lot of bland pop-punk and emo, and a bunch of meandering post-rock (though I ride for the Godspeed and Mogwai songs featured here.) A lot of folksy sad-boy indie music I never cared about. A boom in electronic music, with an emphasis on IDM and trance. Lots of goofy one-hit wonders who sold millions of albums because the record industry was deliberately snuffing out the singles market in a scheme that took advantage of the economic prosperity of the late ‘90s but set the industry up for a fall as file sharing was just beginning to emerge. A clear division between mainstream and “backpacker” hip-hop that would carry through most of the next decade. A trend towards refined, mannered, and occasionally twee music in the indie realm which in retrospect seems as much like counter programming to the nu-metal thing as it was a deliberate move away from the noisy, shambling indie aesthetics through much of the decade. There’s a lot, I mean a LOT, of terrible midi guitar/harpsichord tones in mainstream pop – see “No Scrubs” and “Bills, Bills, Bills” – and I haaaaaate it. Some of the songs are OK in spite of it, but the sound triggers revulsion in me.

Some personal favorites and notable underdogs: Belle & Sebastian’s “Slow Graffiti” and Sleater-Kinney’s “Hot Rock” were my go-to misery tunes at the time, and I can still feel echoes of my late-teens anguish any time I hear them. Fiona Apple’s “Paper Bag” and Aimee Mann’s “Save Me” are high water marks for two major talents, and signal the arrival of Jon Brion as a significant producer. Similarly, the tracks by Mercury Rev, The Flaming Lips, and Home represent the breakthrough of Dave Fridmann as one of the most distinctive producers in psychedelic rock. Beck’s Midnite Vultures and Nine Inch Nails’ The Fragile are two of my favorite records ever made, and while I think the songs featured here are very special, I urge you to experience them in full if you’re not familiar with them. Method Man and Redman’s “Cheka” has a playful bounce to it that was described to me at the time as being like ‘50s rock, and that’s always felt very true to me.

I wish more people knew about April March’s hyper-romantic “Sugar” and Sloan’s extraordinarily smooth “Don’t You Believe A Word.” Joan of Arc’s “Me (Plural)” is the highlight of their finest record, and features one of my favorite lines ever: “I’m left confusing me with who you think I am.” If you ever want to make cool girls dance, put on Le Tigre’s “Deceptacon.” The Rock*A*Teens’ “Across the Piedmont” is the song I didn’t know at the time, but now wish I had. GusGus’s “Bambi” makes me want to be in love. Tori Amos’ “Glory of the ‘80s” makes me wish I could cruise around Los Angeles with a young Tori in 1985. I didn’t care for Smash Mouth’s “All Star” at the time, but absolutely adore it now with zero irony. It makes me so happy.

Thanks to Dan Kois, Rob Sheffield, Sean T. Collins, and Paul Cox for their help in putting this together.

DOWNLOAD PART 1

Kid Rock “Bawitdaba” / Limp Bizkit “Nookie” / Rage Against the Machine “Sleep Now in the Fire” / DMX “Party Up” / Jay-Z feat. UGK “Big Pimpin’” / Ol Dirty Bastard feat. Kelis “Got Your Money” / Eminem “My Name Is” / Smash Mouth “All Star” / LEN “Steal My Sunshine” / Fatboy Slim “Praise You” / Beck “Debra” / Macy Gray “I Try” / Basement Jaxx “Red Alert” / The Chemical Brothers feat. Noel Gallagher “Let Forever Be” / Ben Folds Five “Army” / The Flaming Lips “The Gash” / The Magnetic Fields “The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure” / Aimee Mann “Save Me” / Fiona Apple “Paper Bag” / Sleater-Kinney “Hot Rock” / Belle & Sebastian “Slow Graffiti” / Royal Trux “Stop” / Sloan “Don’t You Believe A Word” / The Roots “The Next Movement” / Method Man & Redman “Cheka” / Mos Def “Ms. Fat Booty” / Lauryn Hill “Ex-Factor” / Le Tigre “Deceptacon” / Clinic “The Second Line” / Nine Inch Nails “Into the Void” / Joan of Arc “Me (Plural)” / Mogwai “Year 2000 Non-Compliant Cardia” / Pavement “The Hexx” / Blur “No Distance Left to Run”

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Christina Aguilera “What A Girl Wants” / Mariah Carey feat. Jay-Z “Heartbreaker” / Britney Spears (You Drive Me) Crazy” / Shania Twain “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” / Guided by Voices “Teenage FBI” / The Dismemberment Plan “A Life of Possibilities” / April March “Sugar” / The Make Up “Born on the Floor” / Stereolab “The Free Design” / The Rock*A*Teens “Across the Piedmont” / The Rentals “Big Daddy C” / Wilco “A Shot in the Arm” / Bonnie “Prince” Billy “A Minor Place” / Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way” / Sixpence None the Richer “Kiss Me” / Red Hot Chili Peppers “Scar Tissue” / Pharoahe Monch “Simon Says” / Common feat. Sadat X “1999” / Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg “Still D.R.E.” / Memphis Bleek “Memphis Bleek Is…” / The High & Mighty feat. Mos Def and Mad Skillz “B-Boy Document 99” / Handsome Boy Modeling School “Rock n’ Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)” / Bloodhound Gang “The Bad Touch” / TLC “No Scrubs” / Destiny’s Child “Bills, Bills, Bills” / Chris Gaines “Lost In You” / Vitamin C “Smile” / Sugar Ray “Every Morning” / Fountains of Wayne “Utopia Parkway” / Home “Truly Judy” / Tricky “For Real” / Tori Amos “Glory of the ‘80s” / GusGus “Bambi” / Sigur Rós “Svefn-G-Englar” / Mercury Rev “Holes” / Shelby Lynne “Dreamsome” / Luna “Superfreaky Memories” / Kool Keith “Livin’ Astro” / MF Doom “Rhymes Like Dimes” / Tom Green “Lonely Swedish (The Bum Bum Song)”

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Built to Spill “The Plan” / Sebadoh “Flame” / Madonna “Beautiful Stranger” / Bis “Making People Normal” / Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci “Poodle Rockin’” / The Auteurs “How I Learned to Love the Bootboys” / Prince Paul feat. Kool Keith “Weapon World” / D’Angelo feat. Method Man and Redman “Left and Right” / The Beta Band “It’s Not Too Beautiful” / Roots Manuva “Juggle Tings Proper” / Aphex Twin “Windowlicker” / Clinton “People Power in the Disco Hour” / Missy Elliott “She’s A Bitch” / Cassius “Cassius 1999” / Moby “Bodyrock” / Q-Tip “Vivrant Thing” / Master P “Step to Dis” / Goodie Mob feat. TLC “What It Ain’t (Ghetto Enuff) / E-40 “Big Ballin’ with My Homies” / Aaliyah “I Don’t Wanna” / Ladytron “He Took Her To A Movie” / Apples in Stereo “Strawberryfire” / U.S. Maple “Breeze, It’s Your High School” / Jim O’Rourke “Ghost Ship In A Storm” / R.E.M. “The Great Beyond” / Songs: Ohia “Love Leaves Its Abusers” / Dixie Chicks “You Were Mine” / Martina McBride “I Love You” / American Football “Never Meant” / Blink-182 “What’s My Age Again” / Jimmy Eat World “For Me This Is Heaven” / Rainer Maria “Rise” / Ani DiFranco “Angry Anymore” / Faith Hill “Breathe” / Smog “Teenage Spaceship” / Godspeed You Black Emperor “Moya” / Björk “All Is Full of Love (Video Version)”

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Baz Luhrmann “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” / Chris Rock “No Sex in the Champagne Room” / Eve “Gotta Man” / Terror Squad feat. Big Pun “Whatcha Gon Do” / Project Pat feat. Noreaga and Tear Da Club Up Thugs “Represent It” / Lil Wayne “Tha Block Is Hot” / Dr. Dooom “Apartment 223” / Peanut Butter Wolf feat. Planet Asia “Definition of Ill” / Raekwon “Live from New York” / Whitney Houston “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay (Thunderpuss Mix)” / Foxy Brown feat. Total “I Can’t” / Mary J. Blige feat. Lauryn Hill “All That I Can Say” / Kim English “Unspeakable Joy” / Vengaboys “We Like to Party!” / Lou Bega “Mambo No. 5” / Ricky Martin “Livin’ La Vida Loca” / Paul Johnson “Get Get Down” / Pete Heller “Big Love (Original Club Mix)” / Mr. Oizo “Flat Beat” / Armand Van Helden & Duane Harden “U Don’t Know Me” / Pet Shop Boys “New York City Boy” / Cibo Matto “Working for Vacation” / LFO “Summer Girls” / Papa M “Roadrunner” / The Folk Implosion “Free to Go” / At the Drive-In “198d” / Foo Fighters “Breakout” / The Get Up Kids “Holiday” / Modest Mouse “You’re the Good Things” / Beulah “Score from Augusta” / Rilo Kiley “The Frug” / Pearl Jam “Last Kiss” / Kenny Chesney “How Forever Feels” / Jo Dee Messina “Stand Beside Me” / Lonestar “Amazed” / Beth Orton “Central Reservation”

DOWNLOAD PART 5

Darude “Sandstorm” / Eiffel 65 “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” / Azzido Da Bass “Dooms Night (Timo Maas Mix)” / Mouse on Mars “Diskdusk” / Leftfield feat. Roots Manuva “Dusted” / Orbital “Style” / Underworld “Push Upstairs” / Primal Scream “Swastika Eyes” / Gramm “Legends/Nugroove™” / Plone “Plock” / Aspen “Are You That Retail Snob?” / Susumu Yokota “Tobiume” / Drexciya “Drifting Into A Time of No Future” / Arovane “pInt” / D’Arcangelo “Shipwreck” / To Rococo Rot “Prado” / CiM “Comfort Control” / Peter Bench “Part IX” / Sturm “Untitled 3” / Rank 1 “Airwave” / GAS “Königsforst 1” / Gouryella “Gouryella (Extended)” / Everything But the Girl “Five Fathoms” / B. Fleischmann “Le Matin” / Proem “Drool Master” / Fantômas “Book 1: Page 4” / Monolake “Ginza” / Phonem “Bitstream”

DOWNLOAD PART 6

Bardo Pond “Walking Stick Man” / Sam Prekop “Showrooms” / Four Tet “The Space of Two Weeks” / Nightmares on Wax “Finer” / Puff Daddy feat R. Kelly “Satisfy You” / Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” / Buckcherry “Lit Up” / Stone Temple Pilots “Sour Girl” / Brad Paisley “He Didn’t Have to Be” / Clint Black “When I Said I Do” / Archer Prewitt “Raise on High” / Pedro the Lion “Be Thou My Vision” / Sonic Youth “Six for New Time” / Fly Pan Am “Bibi A Nice, 1921” / Tarentel “Steede Bonnet” / Terri Clark “You’re Easy on the Eyes” / Counting Crows “Hanginaround” / Santana feat. Rob Thomas “Smooth” / Chely Wright “Single White Female” / Olivia Tremor Control “Hideway” / Death In Vegas “Aisha” / Terrance and Phillip “Uncle Fucka” / Nas feat. Puff Daddy “Hate Me Now” / Silkk the Shocker feat. Master P “Ghetto Rain” / Dido “Here With Me” / R. Kelly feat. Celine Dion “I’m Your Angel” / Enrique Iglesias “Bailamos” / M2M “Don’t Say You Love Me” / Pocket Size “Walking” / Supergrass “Pumping On Your Stereo” / Super Furry Animals “Northern Lights” / And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead “Mistakes and Regrets” / Robbie Williams “Strong” / Sara Evans “No Place That Far” / Scharpling & Wurster “Rock, Rot, and Rule (excerpt)”

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The Faint “Worked Up So Sexual” / The White Stripes “The Big Three Killed My Baby” / Saves the Day “Shoulder to the Wheel” / New Found Glory “Hit or Miss” / Planes Mistaken for Stars “Copper and Stars” / The Promise Ring “Become One Anything One” / Low “Starfire” / The American Analog Set “Weather Report” / µ-Ziq “The Fear” / Blaque “808” / 702 “Where My Girls At” / Busta Rhymes feat. Janet Jackson “What’s It Gonna Be” / Black Eyed Peas “Joints and Jam” / Will Smith “Miami” / Monica “Angel of Mine” / The Divine Comedy “Gin Soaked Boy” / Randy Newman “Shame” / Kahimi Karie “Elastic Girl” / Khan “Body Dump” / Hot Boys “We On Fire” / Korea Girl “Under the Sun” / Citizen King “Better Days” / Deborah Cox “It’s Over Now” / Sisqo “Got to Get It” / Amber “Sexual (Li Da Li)” / Guitar Wolf “Jet Generation” / Further Seems Forever “New Year’s Project” / Piebald “Grace Kelly with Wings” / Superchunk “Hello Hawk” / Chris Cornell “Can’t Change Me” / Blondie “Maria” / Badly Drawn Boy “It Came from the Ground” / Ataris “I Won’t Spend Another Night Alone” / AFI “The Prayer Position” / Burning Airlines “Pacific 231” / The Casket Lottery “Midway” / Tristeza “A Little Distance” / Mark Wills “Wish You Were Here” / Mark Chesnutt “I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing”

DOWNLOAD PART 8

NSYNC “Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)” / Silverchair “Ana’s Song” / Bright Eyes “A Perfect Sonnet” / Creed “Higher” / Live “The Dolphin’s Cry” / No Doubt “New” / Bush “The Chemicals Between Us” / Korn “Freak On A Leash” / Powerman 5000 “When Worlds Collide” / Orgy “Blue Monday” / Linkin Park “High Voltage” / The Offspring “Why Don’t You Get A Job” / Faith Evans and Puff Daddy “All Night Long” / Jennifer Lopez “If You Had My Love” / Marc Anthony “I Need to Know” / Chante Moore “Chante’s Got A Man” / Stroke 9 “Little Black Backpack” / The Dillinger Escape Plan “Sugar Coated Sour” / Slipknot “Spit It Out” / Ministry “Bad Blood” / Filter “Take A Picture” / Tal Bachman “She’s So High” / 98 Degrees “I Do (Cherish You)” / Brandy “Have You Ever” / Eric Benet “Spend My Life With You” / JT Money “Who Dat” / Groove Armada “I See You Baby” / Ja Rule “Holla Holla” / Tyrese “Sweet Lady” / GZA “Beneath the Surface” / Jamiroquai “Canned Heat” / Moloko “Sing It Back (Tee’s Radio Mix)” / Geri Halliwell “Lift Me Up” / Ronan Keating “When You Say Nothing At All” / Martine McCutcheon “Perfect Moment” / Westlife “Swear It Again” / Pop Unknown “Half of Ninety” / The Smashing Pumpkins “The Everlasting Gaze” / Fu Manchu “Eatin’ Dust” / Turbonegro “Get It On” / XTC “Easter Theater” / David Bowie “The Dreamers” / Fugazi “I’m So Tired”