Sweet Oblivion
The Screaming Trees should've had it all, andSweet Oblivionis the album that should've given it to them. The Ellensburg, Washington, band's second major-label disc is as expert a set of pounding grunge and shifting moods as anything this side ofNirvana. But despite a set of brilliant hooks, intriguing lyrics ("Shadow of the Season," "Julie Paradise"), andMark Lanegan's attention-getting vocals, it stopped short of going gold. Still, along with its belated follow-up,Dust, this is a masterwork of '90s hard rock.--Rickey Wright