I returned to Emerson for my sophomore year in a much better frame of mind than the previous year, that’s for sure. I was rooming with a guy I’d met freshman year that came to be a good friend (and one I still occasionally speak with online — in fact, he and his wife helped on a bit of reference work for my Diwa & Kaffi project), and I was soon to meet several others I got to know and hung around with.

Jesus Jones, “Right Here Right Now” single, released 1 September 1990. The band’s most famous single dropped right about the same time the new college year started, and it was being played everywhere, and was on extremely heavy rotation on WFNX. Corny as the song may be, it really did capture the moment in time when a lot of extremely important world-changing events were taking place within an extremely short time period. Us Gen-Xers might be a bit embarrassed to admit it, but it’s definitely one of our theme songs.

Mixtape: Walk in Silence IV: The Singles, created 1 September 1990. The first mixtape made of the sophomore year was essentially a collection of nearly all current WFNX staples (Living Colour, Jane’s Addiction, Soup Dragons, that DNA/Suzanne Vega mix, etc) with a few deep cuts thrown in. It’s one I listened to quite a bit at the time, but I don’t think I listened to it all that much after the start of the new year.

The La’s, “Timeless Melody” single, released 3 September 1990. I didn’t hear this track on the radio until maybe a few more months in when their album dropped and WFNX picked it up, but I think it’s one of my favorite tracks from the record.

Queensryche, Empire, released 4 September 1990. I’d never been much of a metalhead or a prog fan (with a few exceptions) but I loved “Silent Lucidity”. It’s a lovely song that nails the ballad style that most metal bands could never quite hit.

The Rembrandts, The Rembrandts, released 4 September 1990. A few years before their ubiquitous Friends theme song, they slipped into the charts with “Just the Way It Is, Baby” and got some impressive play on Adult Alternative radio.

The Darling Buds, Crawdaddy, released 7 September 1990. The second album from this South Wales band expanded on their jangle-pop C86 sound and injected a bit of swirly Britpop to it, and it worked surprisingly well. This one’s probably my favorite of their three albums, as it’s full of fun and perky tracks.

Prefab Sprout, Jordan: The Comeback, released 7 September 1990. This band from northern England had always had a small but extremely loyal following of fans and critics. This particular album might not have been their biggest, but it was certainly their longest and most experimental.

George Michael, Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1, released 11 September 1990. A much-awaited follow up to Faith, it may not have been as hugely successful (or had nearly all its tracks as singles or radio hits for that matter) but it’s definitely his most personal and immersive. I’d always loved “Praying for Time” with its nod to George Harrison’s “Isn’t It a PIty”, but “Freedom ’90” was the huge hit that still gets played to this day.

Too Much Joy, Son of Sam I Am, released 12 September 1990. My friend Chris turned me onto this band of nerdy goofballs who leaned heavy on the dorky (and often clever) humor and the poppy punk. This album had actually been released on a minor label in 1988, but was rereleased to critical acclaim (even Robert Christgau liked it!) two years later. Singer Tim Quirk is quite active on Twitter, and the band released a new album just last year!

The Cure, “Never Enough” single, released 13 September 1990. Coming off of their long tour supporting 1989’s Disintegration, the band lay low for a bit, working on a few small projects (see below) and recording a few new songs — and remixing and/or rerecording several old ones — for an upcoming remix album.

An Emotional Fish, An Emotional Fish, released 14 September 1990. This Irish band had a minor US hit with the driving track “Celebrate”, a personal favorite and a bit of a theme song for myself to keep my moods lifted. I listened to this album quite a bit as it kept my spirits lifted when I really needed it at the time. Their discography might be small — just a few albums and singles — but they’re still around and still touring.

Redd Kross, Third Eye, released 14 September 1990. Jeff and Steve McDonald’s SoCal band had been around for years in one form or another, their sound always evolving (and their image staying a weird 60s-hippie-meets-80s-androgyny hybrid thing), but they’d always been a critical favorite. Third Eye was probably their most popular at the time, with the catchy “Annie’s Gone” getting significant airplay.

Cocteau Twins, Heaven or Las Vegas, released 17 September 1990. This band already had a significant following and an impressive discography by the time this record came out, so it was highly anticipated by both critics and fans alike. There’s a brightness to this record that’s different from their previous releases, though…perhaps some of the songs feel more uplifting and less meandering (not that that was ever a problem), and that Elizabeth Fraser’s lyrics had become more understandable and less oblique. Either way, it’s another wonderful record by one of my favorite bands.

The Waterboys, Room to Roam, released 17 September 1990. The follow-up to their critical success of Fisherman’s Blues, this too feels like a much more joyous record than their previous work. A lot of the songs sound like they’re having loads of fun playing, everyone’s in a great mood. “A Life of Sundays” is definitely one of my favorite tracks of the year.

Information Society, “Think” single, released 19 September 1990. InSoc’s first album was on heavy rotation on my cassette players, so I was looking forward to hearing what they’d follow up with. “Think” was actually a big hit for them, showing up not only with the alt-rock kids but on the dance floor as well!

Phish, Lawn Boy, released 20 September 1990. These Vermonters had been around for a few years by the time this first major-label record came out, so it was only a matter of time before their success grew even more. A lot of people saw them as the Gen-X answer to the Grateful Dead with their incessant jamming and epic live shows, but Phish always prided themselves on just being four nerdy music-loving guys that wrote surprisingly catchy jam-band tunes. I knew several people in my dorm who owned this.

Indigo Girls, Nomads Indians Saints, released 21 September 1990. The follow-up to their highly popular ’89 self-titled record sounds much more polished yet somehow less coffeehouse-folk, but they never lose their amazing songwriting chops. I loved this album as well, and “Watershed” is one of my favorites.

Various Artists, Rubáiyát: Elektra’s 40th Anniversary, released 24 September 1990. This is a bit of a weird compilation, as while it might celebrate four decades of a great rock label, it’s a tribute to past Elektra artists its current ones. Some songs work wonderfully, like The Sugarcubes covering Sailcat’s hippie-dippie “Motorcycle Mama” or Metallica doing Queen’s badass “Stone Cold Crazy”, but there’s also the weirdness of The Cure doing the Doors’ “Hello I Love You” and the unexpected loveliness of the Gipsy Kings covering the Eagles’ “Hotel California” (yes, that song from The Big Lebowski originated here). It’s not for everyone, but there are some really great gems here.

The Replacements, All Shook Down, released 25 September 1990. The last album from the Mats in their original run is unique in that it’s their most polished and professional yet also maintains their classic alcohol-infused style. Both Paul Westerberg and Chris Mars would return in a year or so with solo albums that became critical favorites.

Various Artists, Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter, released 25 September 1990. This compilation/tribute created as a benefit to AIDS research, was a smashing success due to the stellar lineup (U2, Aztec Camera, Erasure, Neneh Cherry, The Pogues, kd lang, and more) as well as the genius songwriting of Porter himself. I highly recommend giving this one a listen.

Hex, Vast Halos, released 25 September 1990. The side project of The Church’s Steve Kilbey and Game Theory’s Donnette Thayer was more of a curiosity than anything else, but it also features some really great songwriting that blends both their bands’ styles.

INXS, X, released 25 September 1990. Following up from their mega-selling Kick might have been a bit tough, and this album didn’t quite hit the same peaks, but that wasn’t on their agenda in the first place. This record is a bit more rough in places (like the jangly single “Suicide Blonde” and glossy in others (the lovely single “Disappear”) but it shows a band not afraid to continue evolving.

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Things seemed to be going so much better, now that I was back in Boston and focusing on what I needed to focus on: my (hopefully) burgeoning film and writing career, better grades, and a healthier lifestyle. The latter would of course venture a bit off course when one of my new buddies helped kickstart a smoking habit, but other than that I’d like to think that I did my best given the situations.

Mind you, I’d still fall into that moody-bastard hole of depression now and again, and sometimes I’d stay there for days, but I think — I’d hoped — that this would be the year that I’d finally figure myself out and start to live a little.

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Next Up: in which I meet a great friend/worst enemy.