You could pick 5 albums and still exclude 50 great albums. Based on what little I know about you I suspect 97 is your year because spice girls released wannabe. Depeche Mode was the other artist that made me think of you. I think Foo Fighters might be a bit too commercial for you. Or I may be totally wrong and you like a little Janet Jackson?
Without derailing the thread, Foos back then were not the commercial beast they are now, and that was a good album. I preferred Samiam's You Are Freaking Me Out, which was very similar. Wrote out a few albums that were the first to pop into my head, but then thought best leaving it till the time is right and leaving it to the album at hand.