Four extremely underrated 1990s albums by American bands

The 1990s were known for Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Celine Dion, among others. Each of those artists has some merit, more so than others maybe. But while the music of the 1990s was not quite as excellent as the 1980s, there was still plenty of goodness.

Like every decade, some wonderful albums get forgotten. This can even be the case for popular bands who continue to make great music. One example of an underrated album by a well-known musical artist follows, for example.

Because of the above, it's important to keep reminding ourselves of the bits of greatness that might be close to being lost for good. Great music remains so eternally. Some of that excellent music lies in the four albums that follow.

Four albums from the 1990s that deserve more love

Grant Lee Buffalo - Mighty Joe Moon (1994)

Los Angeles-based Grant Lee Buffalo was always a difficult band to pigeonhole. They borrowed from so many genres and subgenres that calling them rock or folk rock or anything else was just a falsehood. After frontman Grant Lee Phillips went solo years ago, he might have fallen into more of a folk-pop routine, but Grant Lee Buffalo made anything from heavier rock to alt-country. Those sounds are all explored on Might Joe Moon.

The first track, "Lone Star Song," is a banger about the federal government's siege on the Branch Davidians in 1993. That sounds like a bad idea for a song that might easily go awry if turned into a tune, but the band manages to become observers of the aftermath in the narrative and you still want to rock.

But what separates this album from most anything else you will ever listen to are the final four tracks, "Happiness," "Honey Don't Think," "Side by Side," and "Rock of Ages." Three are mid-tempo tracks that ring every once of emotion out of you possible. The fourth, "Side by Side," is more bombastic but with a coda that leaves you slightly uneasy and ready for the sweet release of album closer, "Rock of Ages."