4. Fantasma (1997)

And finally we arrive at, what is quite arguably, Cornelius’ magnum opus, and in this man’s humble opinion, one of the greatest albums of the 90s. Fantasma would go on to break him in the western indie scene with distribution from Matador records, and score him reviews from numerous influential indie publications (including pitchfork), as well as earn him placement in many a best of list.

It’s an incredible album dedicated entirely to the joys of production as a musical artform, using it to build, from the bottom up, pop songs that sound like nothing else, then, or now. Heavily reliant on stereoscopic panning, and crystal clear instrumentation it boasts his strongest set of songs, and his strongest vocal performance to date. His voice had, since 69/96, become restrained, almost bordering on melancholic, but clear and much more effective at creating the kind of infectious hooks that make this album spin in your brain after you turn it off. Strange self-referential production, a set of incredibly diverse, yet cohesive, songs, and some of the most earnest songwriting ever laid to wax.

I can’t sing this albums praise enough, perhaps it would be best to just recommend you listen to this album in it’s entirety, multiple times. But let me provide you with a little best of to whet your appetite. I strongly recommend using headphones so that you can hear the stereo panning I mentioned earlier, not to mention the very layered and rewarding production featured on every song in the album.