Some under appreciated bands and albums of the '90's.
Morphine - Their entire discography but Cure for Pain (1993) is an absolute must for anyone who claims to love music of the '90's. Alternative jazzy blues rock without a guitar or distortion, yet just as relevant and important as any other alternative rock albums of that decade.
Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting (1990) and Mexican Moon (1993)
This is another band that I don't think gets talked about nearly enough whenever someone brings up how awesome the '90's were. The fact that they're still going strong to this day indicates how strong they are as musicians. Some may blame them for the rise of female fronted hard rock/ goth rock acts, but they shouldn't pay the price just because some hack musicians heard them, and decided they wanted to be like them. Bloodletting is my personal favourite, but Mexican Moon has a strong follow too. Their 1986 self-titled album is something also worth looking into.
Killing Joke - Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions (1990) - Pandemonium (1994) - Democracy (1996)
While they were in the same group as many of the other late '70's/ early '80's post-punk groups, Killing Joke have been going strong, and the '90's saw them transform into something wholly unto themselves. They still kept much of their post-punk/ goth rock stylings from their '80's material, but they updated it to keep up with the times, but not in a way that sounded like a sellout, but rather a way that allowed them to keep their integrity. They're really a band that deserves more than just the odd shout out every now and then, and their 3 albums that came out in the '90's really do a good job at encompassing the sound and mentality, but from an older, wiser perspective.
Jeru the Damaja - Wrath of the Math (1996) & The Sun Rises in the East (1994)
I think Jeru mostly gets overshadowed because his '94 debut came out the same year as Nas' Illmatic. It's a shame because I could see a lot of people who enjoy Nas also enjoy Jeru, and he does a good job of having something to say, while saying it in a manner that speaks to the widest possible audience. I wish he'd put out something new, to prove that he's not just some old burning star, but one still fresh and vibrant. You can really try either album, I haven't really ventured out to anything outside of these two, but I still think they're albums that need to be listened to.
The next few recommendations are going to be some Canadian stuff that never really broke out in the US.
NoMeansNo - Pretty much anything from the '90's
NoMeansNo are one of those infuriating bands that decided to put out a slew of amazing material with only a year or two between the releases, which means you're pretty much constantly playing catch up. I'd pretty much say start off with their '89 album Wrong and work your way up from there going in chronological order. When you're caught up, go back and check out their pre-Wrong material.
The Smalls - To Each a Zone (1992)
Easily one of Canada's hardest working bands that toured relentlessly and were renowned for putting on high energetic shows with a minimum of talking. I think all four of their albums are worth your time, but To Each a Zone is my personal favourite. It's heavy, fast, and unrelenting, yet it's thoughtful and well crafted that really helps me escape the trappings of so many other bands that were a little too heavy for alternative rock, but not heavy enough for metal. Think of them as doing what Queens of the Stone Age were doing a decade later.
The Gandharvas - Kicking in the Water (1995)
If my memory serves me correctly, they did actually have a music video for the song "Masochistic Minstrel" and it was filmed using claymation (like with Tool's "Sober"). The Gandharvas were another sad example of Canadian music failing to make it in the US market, and thus damning them to cult status in the US, but were relatively well known in Canada, much like The Tragically Hip. Good alternative rock, but they did kind of go out on a sour note with their 1997 album Sold For a Smile. Kicking in the Water is really the only album by them you need.
Barstool Prophets - Crank (1995) & Last of the Big Game Hunters (1997)
A lot like The Tragically Hip, with the more bluesy based song structure and lyrical content. Still the album Crank knows how to tell a story and write a straight forward rock song. I've heard Last of the Big Game Hunters is the better album, though I've never been able to find a copy of it.
Esthero - Breath From Another (1998)
The only album from her that's worth a damn. Decent trip hop laced with jazz aesthetics and some really relaxing vocals. It's just a shame her 2005 follow-up Wikked Lil' Grrls was complete crap.
Delerium - Karma (1997)
My personal favourite from the Vancouver based electronic/ world/ downtempo duo. Definitely their most accessible album, but don't go into expecting something like Aphex Twins or some other popular '90's electronic act.
Well I think that's enough for now.
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