As We Remember 1999: Playlist Sans Pareil
As We Remember is a monthly series devoted to taking a look back at specific years in music. Who doesn't like to get nostalgic?
Posted by Tarin Fasano
No, not ‘nonpareil’ (thank you for this “Nonpareil Universe,” Dan Wetmore) but ‘san pareil,’ meaning ‘without paralell.’
1999 was truly a momentous year in terms of music. The futurist tendencies back then provide us with what is currently retro-futurism. Recursion and nostalgia fold into themselves, poignant in the fragmented and recurring music video imagery. Tension was present as every musician wondered if the future was solely computer noises, bleepy-bloops and industrial clanging. Do vintage sweaters come in digital? Whatever shall we do?!?!
To be fair, this series has nothing to do with 1999 as I remember it. I wasn’t old enough to be conscientious of cultural trends. So it lacks the actual context of those songs at that time. Instead, it is the result of sifting through lists and lists with lots of listening. That being said, here is a personal compilation of the most lovely, mind-blowing, super-chill, simply-iconic songs I discovered to have come out in this year of a single one and three nines.
In absolutely no particular order:
“Praise You” by Fatboy Slim
“Still D.R.E.” ft. Snoop Dogg by Dr. Dre
“Alphabet Aerobics” by Blackalicious
“Fast As You Can” by Fiona Apple
“The Cactus Where Your Heart Should Be” by The Magnetic Fields
“Love Is Like Jazz” by The Magnetic Fields
“A Spoonful Weighs a Ton” by The Flaming Lips
“Testify” by Rage Against the Machine
“Loco en el Coco” by Cypress Hill
“Guilty Conscience “ ft. Dr. Dre by Eminem
“Road Trippin’” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers
“The Next Movement” by The Roots
“St. James Infirmary” by The White Stripes
“How to Fight Loneliness” by Wilco
“Come and Play in the Milky Night” by Stereolab
“The Butterfly Effect” by Four Tet
“Strawberryfire” by The Apples in Stereo
