1995

I turned ten years old this year. The big event I remember from this year was performing a Tim McGraw song in the elementary school talent show with my friend.




Albums

I was still listening to country music for a few years after, but this is the last time a country album is likely to show up on these lists.

Rank Album Artist Title Label Impression
1 Rancid …And Out Come the Wolves Epitaph

Easily the best Rancid album, and one of the best punk albums of all time. So many classics from this album.

Wikipedia
2 Slapstick Lookit! Dill Records

Classic Chicago ska punk band with members of Alkaline Trio and The Lawrence Arms.

Wikipedia
3 Less Than Jake Pezcore Dill Records

Less Than Jake's first album is not their best, but still has some songs I like to revist.

Wikipedia
4 Lifetime Hello Basterds Jade Tree

Clasic Jade Tree melodic hardcore album from Jersey's best dancers, Lifetime.

Wikipedia
5 Great Big Sea Up Warner Music Canada

Newfoundland's biggest musical exports with songs everyone from the Maritimes knows.

Wikipedia
6 MxPx Teenage Politics Tooth & Nail

Teenage politics still too confusing.

Wikipedia
7 The Rankin Family Endless Season EMI

Sorry Stan Rogers and Barrett's Privateers but for me You Feel the Same Way Too is the anthem of Nova Scotia.

Wikipedia
8 Garth Brooks Fresh Horses Capitol Nashville

The second to last album of Garth Brooks's phenomenal 90's country album streak, before he did that weird Chris Gaines thing and I stopped listening. This one has The Beaches of Cheyenne which still gets me.

Wikipedia
9 The Gone Jackals Bone to Pick Blue/Black Records

The soundtrack to Full Throttle with Legacy featured in one of the most epic game intros of all time.

Wikipedia
10 Tim McGraw All I Want Curb

I Like it, I Love itis the song I performed in the talent show and I don't think it holds up outside of nostalgia.

Wikipedia



Books


Rank Book Title Author Impression
1 Sam & Max: Surfin' the Highway Steve Purcell

A collection of all the original Sam & Max comics, that captures all the humor of the games and TV show.

Wikipedia



Movies

Rank Movie Title Impression
1 Before Sunrise

The first film in the Before Trilogy spanning 18 years and following a day in the life of one couple Jesse and Céline.

Wikipedia
2 12 Monkeys

a great post-apolacyptic time travel movie based on a french short film La Jetée.

Wikipedia
3 Seven

A great year for Brad Pitt between this move and 12 Monkeys.

Wikipedia
4 Ghost in the Shell

Anime cyberpunk classic, watch this instead of the Scarlett Johansson version.

Wikipedia
5 Heat

Now we're getting into where the 90's shined with serious, but still compelling thrilers like this.

Wikipedia



Video Games

Rank Game Title Developer Impression
1 Full Throttle LucasArts

A short, but sweet adventure game with one of my favorite settings and soundtracks.

Wikipedia
2 The Dig LucasArts

More serious than other LucasArts adventure games, but exploring the alien asteroid made for a great science-fiction story.

Wikipedia
3 Chrono Trigger Squaresoft

Widely considered one of the greatest JRPGs with a great time-travel mechanic, soundtrack, setting and battle system that still holds up.

Wikipedia
4 Earthbound Nintendo

This game stinks, just kidding, it's awesome.

Wikipedia
5 Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within Sierra On-Line

More mid90's FMV that's actually good, with Gariel's adventures in Germany. Bavaria, King Luwig II, the lost opera of Wagner and werewolves, Jane Jensen is a master of supernatural historical fiction.

Wikipedia
6 Star Wars: Dark Forces LucasArts

LucasArts Star Wars games are the best Star Wars media of the 90's and way better than the prequels.

Wikipedia
7 Descent Parallax Software

The first first person shooter featuring six degrees of freedom movement with great level design.

Wikipedia