Episodes
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When Muse released their debut album Showbiz in 1999, the Radiohead and Jeff Buckley comparison were unavoidable. Lumped in with Coldplay, Paloalto, Ours, and other bands whose male vocalists utilized a falsetto, the band never actually quite fit in, and their trajectory in the 2000s is evidence they were thinking bigger. While so many music critics were happy to cast aspersions of Matthew Bellamy for his vocal approach, the actual music got less attention than it deserved. Only a three piece, the rhythm section of bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard were largely overlooked, which is a shame. Plenty has been written about Bellamy's vocals, but combined with the melodic bass lines often harmonizing with the vocal, or the variety in Howard's playing, that slyly incorporates non-rock rhythms like on the tango-influenced "Uno," the band is much more adventurous than any of its contemporaries.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Sunburn
16:11 - Muscle Museum
23:39 - Falling Down
30:20 - Uno
Outro - Sober
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In 1992, INXS released Welcome to Wherever You Are and instead of touring, headed back into the studio for a quick follow-up. 1993's Full Moon, Dirty Hearts was the result, a mixed bag of innovation incorporating bass grooves on tracks like "The Gift" and "Cut Your Roses Down" while still writing anthemic choruses on tracks like "Days of Rust" and "Time." In the midst of the grunge takeover of America, it's not surprising the album didn't fare well with radio or the charts. While guest vocalists Ray Charles and Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders are welcome, their inclusion didn't push the needle. Revisiting the album, it's an interesting crossroads of what the band was and the sounds of the decade to come, with electronic elements sneaking in that wouldn't sound out of place later in the decade.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - The Gift
21:17 - Time
25:13 - Cut Your Roses Down
32:16 - Kill The Pain
41:12 - Please (You Got That...)
Outro - Days of Rust
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Missing episodes?
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All the way back in season seven, we reviewed Save Ferrisâs 1997 release It Means Everything, the first ska album discussed on a deep dive for the podcast. Seven years later, we catch up with Save Ferris lead singer Monique Powell who discusses how she joined the ska-punk band, the highs and lows of signing to a major label, what it was like being on the road with artists like Sugar Ray and The Offspring in the late â90s and the current status of the band. During the interview, we briefly discussed the legal fight Powell was engaged in with former members which led to Powell taking ownership of the group and retroactively being given co-songwriting credits for songs that appeared on It Means Everything and 1999âs Modified. To read more about the case, read the 2019 Forbes magazine feature.
Songs in this Episode:
Intro - The World Is New
30:47 - Come On Eileen
Outro - The World Is New
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Rock music genres often get reduced to a "Big Four." For Grunge, it was Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. For Thrash, Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, and Slayer made the grade. In 90s Britpop, Oasis, Blur, Pulp and Suede got the nod. But as if often the case, the bands on the cusp are often as interesting or even more-so thanks to being just outside the spotlight. In the case of Supergrass, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones creep in as influences like their Britpop contemporaries, but the energetic attitude and willingness to embrace the chaos of The Who's rhythm section and the concise songwriting perfection of The Kinks helps their second album, 1997's In It for the Money, exceed not just their debut, but most of the Britpop catalog. Looking at the charts, it's not hard to see why killer singles like "Richard III," "Cheapskate," "Sun Hits The Sky" and "Late in the Day" failed to impact American radio and pop culture consciousness. While Blur had "woo-hoos" and Third Eye Blind had "do do do's," Supergrass ditched guitar solos for theremins and vintage synthesizers, constructing layered pop gems that deserve revisiting.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - In It for the Money
27:40 - Sun Hits the Sky
31:42 - You Can See Me
35:45 - Going Out
40:08 - Tonight
Outro - Richard III
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You're forgiven if you tried to search for Pollen on the internet and struggled to find this band. Besides the numerous bands named Pollen, there is also the issue of their debut 1998 album The Glorious Couch Life not appearing on streaming services, rendering it hard to find for the average music listener. That's a shame, because throughout the record, Pollen finds the combination of indie rock energy tinged with a little garage and some danceable rhythms, topped with catchy melodies and smart lyrics. Shades of American bands like Superchunk, Guided By Voices, Beck, Death Cab For Cutie, and Sebadoh peak through, as well as Australian contemporaries like Screamfeeder, Ratcat, Ammonia, and Moler, permeate the sound, from the propulsive "Greater Than" and "Sin as Fast as You Can" to the angular "Walruses to Whales" and quirky "Settle the Score on the Dancefloor."
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Million Destinations
12:25 - Sin as Fast as You Can
16:18 - Brighter Day
21:28 - Settle the Score on the Dancefloor
25:08 - Soma and Nerves of Steel
27:56 - Special Features
Outro - Not Rocket Science
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Formed in a city best known for either Motown Soul or Garage Rock, shoegazers Majesty Crush were an anomaly in the early â90s Detroit music scene. Inspired by the music coming out of the UK, Majesty Crushâs sound employed swirling guitars, hazy vocals, and captivating dreaminess while incorporating elements of soul and R&B. After their song âNo. 1 Fanâ received significant airplay during prime hours on the Windsor radio station 89X, Majesty Crush - David Stroughter (vocals), Mike Segal (guitars), Hobey Echlin (bass) and Odell Nails (drums) - signed with Dali Records, a subsidiary of Warner/Elektra and released their debut full-length, Love 15, in 1993. However, just a month after the album came out, Dali Records folded bringing Majesty Crushâs momentum to a halt and, ultimately, to an end just a few years later. Though their time was short, the band amassed a small but loyal following in the shoegaze scene of the early â90s and have been cited as an influence for everything from indie guitar groups to metal bands. And curators of this style of music have sought out Majesty Crushâs music to include on compilations like Third Man Recordsâ Southeast of Saturn which features 19 tracks from Detroit shoegaze and dream pop artists. In March 2024, Numero Group released Butterflies Donât Go Away, a 2 LP set featuring the Love 15 album as well as singles, EPs, and rarities, all remastered from the original tapes. The package is completed by a 24-page booklet. Majesty Crush bassist Hobey Echlin joins us on this episode for a deep dive into not only his bandâs career but the â90s independent music world. As a music journalist, Echlin has amassed a number of stories over the years and this conversation - at times - goes to places youâd never expect.
Songs in this Episode:
Intro - No. 1 Fan
29:33 - "Club Connect" TV show intro
33:46 - Worri
1:25:17 - Space Between Your Moles
1:30:47 - Where the F**k is Kevin Shields? (by PS I Love You)
Outro - Uma
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Leitmotif, released in 1999 by Los Gatos, California quartet Dredg, is a concept album exploring themes of identity and time. The album blends elements of alternative rock, progressive rock, nu-metal, and post-hardcore, showcasing the band's skillful versatility, drawing comparison to fellow California bands Tool and Deftones. With its intricate instrumentations and dynamic shifts, Leitmotif takes listeners on an emotive musical journey through its narrative arc. Where the band runs into trouble is in the indulgences, stretching out noisy outros or delayed intros far too long, and ending on an unnecessary jam below their skill set. What looks like an album quickly shrinks to something more like a long EP, missing a few tracks that focused on their talents instead of their experimentation.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Movement I: @45N. 180W
13:15 - Lechium
16:57 - Movement IV: RR
23:40 - Penguins in the Desert
32:13 - Traversing Through the Arctic Cold, We Search for the Spirit of Yuta
Outro - Yatahaze
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Released during the decline of 80s hair metal and rise of 90s Seattle grunge and alternative, the 1992 album It's A Shame About Ray by The Lemonheads is rarely mentioned as being in the pantheon of 90s album, but maybe it should. Sporting tight and smart songwriting arrangements with track after track of catchy hooks, lead singer and guitarist Evan Dando, bassist and backup singer Juliana Hatfield, and drummer David Ryan make the most of their sub-thirty minute album, packing short songs with simple but well-thought-out changes and dynamics on par with contemporaries like Sugar, Buffalo Tom, and Dinosaur Jr.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - It's A Shame About Ray
21:39 - Hannah & Gabi
27:41 - My Drug Buddy
33:05 - Alison's Starting to Happen
40:30 - Bit Part
Outro - Confetti
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With the music landscape dominated by the grunge movement coming out of Seattle, itâs little wonder that Pennsylvaniaâs Riverside, a band influenced by the likes of The Smiths and Echo and the Bunnymen, didnât stand a chance. Featuring Keith Kochanowicz (vocals, guitar, organ) and his brother Glenn Kochanowicz (bass, vocals), Kenneth Jackson (guitars), and Geoff Verne (drums), the bandâs debut - and ultimately lone - album for Sire Records, One, was released in 1992. While featuring a number of alt-rock-radio friendly songs (âWaterfall,â âCinnamon Eyes,â), Riverside couldnât catch a break and were dropped by the label despite finishing a sophomore album, Taste. More than 30 years after Oneâs release, the Kochanowicz brothers hooked up with the Lost in Ohio record label and a Kickstarter campaign was launched to fund the first-ever pressing of the album on vinyl. Despite never achieving massive success in the â90s, the campaign was fully funded within weeks of the announcement and the vinyl will be available later this summer. In this conversation, the Kochanowicz brothers discuss the formation of the band, how fellow Pennsylvania band The Ocean Blue served as mentors, the realities of having a major label record deal in the â90s, and what happened after Sire dropped Riverside.
Songs in this Episode:
Intro - Waterfall
7:15 - General Nature
57:00 - Waterfall
1:04:48 - Marvel (from Taste)
Outro - Cinnamon Eyes
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By 1994, Sinéad O'Connor had established herself as a musical powerhouse willing to take risks behind the microphone and under the hot spotlight of the media. Following up her third album, the 1992 release Am I Not Your Girl?, consisting mostly of jazz standards, O'Connor returned with an album of diverse musical styles, blending elements of folk, rock, and traditional Irish sounds. The mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation, from the trip-hop flavored singles "Fire On Babylon" and "Thank You For Hearing Me," bookend a much more subdued and intimate affair, including a cappella tracks and a hushed cover of "All Apologies" by Nirvana. While some of the 90s electronic production ends up sounding dating, overall the album reflects a generational talent pushing the limits of mainstream music.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - My Darling Child
20:36 - John I Love You
23:41 - Fire on Babylon
34:44 - All Babies
40:59 - Famine
1:00:26 - Thank You For Hearing Me
Outro - Red Football
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Compilation albums have helped define a musical scene or time period for decades, and the roots of 90s alternative rock are unmistakably tied to the underground music of the 1980s. While punk exploded into the mainstream 1994 thanks to million selling albums by Green Day and The Offspring, the seeds were planted in the small scenes across the country more than a decade earlier, many of which were never documented. Luckily, those that got laid down on vinyl or tape often have unknown gems waiting to be discovered. In the case of the 1984 compilation, It Came From Slimey Valley, which documents the Oxnard, California "nardcore" scene, the hardcore sound isn't as predictable as one might expect, with bands occasionally slowing the tempo, incorporating more dynamics, or turning up the fuzz.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Prophesy by False Confession
16:24 - Death of Two Lovers by Flower Leperds
20:08 - Violent Children by Reign of Terror
22:43 - In the Trenches by Rigor Mortis
34:37 - Old Towne Mall by The Grim
39:09 - Boy's Life by Dr. Know
Outro - There's Someone in the Cellar by Crankshaft
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The 1999 album Black Visions of Crimson Wisdom by The Hookers is a loud, pummeling rock record that draws influence from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal as well as '80s hardcore and punk. Guitar riffs that would sound at home on Iron Maiden or Judas Priest albums rip while a thundering rhythm section propels the band with hardcore energy, keeping the songs short and tight and the album under thirty minutes. That turns out to be the right move, as the pummeling sound of the band never lets up, and lead singer Adam Neal has one gear - full-throat-shredding-throttle.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Maximum Overdrive
19:03 - Behold God's Candy
23:38 - Black Magic Stallion
27:10 - The End Is Comin'
47:09 - Ride The Dragon To The Crimson Light
Outro - Ball Crusher Love Machine
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In a bar in Perth, Australia in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Fred Negro and his various bands tore through country-tinged punk rock soaked in beer and satire. One of these incarnations was The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre, a short-lived name that produced a single, an EP, and the 1992 album Desperate Football. Like fellow garage post-punks The Scientists or The Birthday Party, on the surface the sound is big, loud and messy. But repeated listens reveal tighter than anticipated musicianship with some chorus hooks that will stay in your brain longer than expected.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Drink Myself to Live
20:21 - Nothing on Telly
24:59 - When Jesus Goes Surfing
31:09 - Carpark
36:00 - Blood Money
Outro - I've Only Got One Dick
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By the time 1995 rolled around, punk had exploded into the mainstream thanks to releases the previous year by Green Day and The Offspring, as well as Bad Religion, Rancid, NOFX, and many more. It was also the year Jawbreaker released their third album 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, as well as the year they made the jump to a major label for their fourth and final album, Dear You. Showcasing a departure from their earlier raw sound towards a more polished, melodic approach, the band faced criticism from some punk purists who felt the band had strayed too far from their DIY roots, with accusations of selling out and alienating their hardcore fanbase. Despite the divided opinions, the album's impact has endured, influencing subsequent generations of punk and alternative rock musicians.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both
19:00 - Save Your Generation
30:10 - Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault
42:04 - Oyster
Outro - Fireman
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Released in 1994, the Indigo Girls' fifth album "Swamp Ophelia" marked a significant chapter in their career, following the critical and commercial success of their earlier works. The album, co-produced by Peter Collins, showcases the duo's distinctive harmonies and poignant songwriting, seamlessly blending folk and rock influences. Tracks like "Galileo" and "Power of Two" became anthems of the era, displaying their lyrical prowess and melodic charm. "Swamp Ophelia" received acclaim for its introspective and socially conscious themes, tackling issues such as love, identity, and environmental concerns. Despite its positive reception, the album leans towards a more polished sound compared to their previous works, potentially sacrificing some of the rawness that defined their earlier releases.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Fugitive
15:16 - Reunion
21:37 - The Wood Song
31:17 - The Power of Two
45:09 - Touch Me Fall
Outro - Least Complicated
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In our latest and final "Albums of..." roundtable, we're tackling what might have been the most prolific year for releases of the entire decade. With the major labels scooping up bands to ride the alternative and grunge wave explosion into mainstream radio and on MTV, 1994 saw not only huge album releases from Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails, Alice In Chains, R.E.M. Nirvana, and more, but also the punk explosion thanks to Green Day, The Offspring, Rancid, Bad Religion, and others. This was also the year that across the pond from the US, Britpop topped the charts in the UK thanks to Blur and Oasis, while a new wave of alternative bands shot up the charts like Veruca Salt, Bush, Live, Weezer, Toadies, etc. while the indie underground produced classic records from Pavement, Guided By Voices, Low, Stereolab, Sebadoh, and Superchunk, to name a few. For a big year, we have a big group with a super-sized length. Enjoy!
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - 1994 Medley (Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots, Loser by Beck, Self Esteem by The Offspring, Buddy Holly by Weezer, I'm Broken by Pantera, March of the Pigs by Nine Inch Nails)
16:05 - Last Goodbye by Jeff Buckley
23:36 - Girls & Boys by Blur
39:10 - Everything Zen by Bush
50:25 - Very Best Years by The Grays
1:07:19 - Suffering by Satchel
1:13:30 - Bernie by Failure
1:30:40 - I Am I by QueensryÌche
1:50:51 - Feel The Pain by Dinosaur Jr.
Outro - Faster by Manic Street Preachers
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Although only active for a short time in the 1990s, Baltimore, Maryland's Love Nut still managed to bounce from indie to major labels back to the indies over the course of their two albums. Originally recorded for Interscope Records, the band ended up releasing their second and last album on the smaller label Big Deal, meaning more freedom but less budget money for promotion and marketing. Which is a shame, because revisiting ÂĄBaltimucho! it's clear the band were ripe for discovery with big, hooky power pop choruses that leaned on the 70s glam pop of Sweet as much as Cheap Trick.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Love Found You
15:58 - Everchanging World
21:20 - Bomb Pine
26:48: Everything Is Going Your Way
34:48 - Crop Duster
Outro - Stolen Picture
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While Britpop bands like Oasis and Blur aped the sounds of British invasion bands like The Beatles and The Kinks, other UK bands explored less radio-friendly material. In the case of The Verve, long psychedelic jams improvised in the studio established the sound of the band on their 1993 debut album A Storm in Heaven. For their long-play 1995 follow-up, A Northern Soul, the band entered the studio with more composed ideas that edged away from formless psychedelia to incorporate more defined verses and choruses, and even an acoustic ballad on par with Wonderwall.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - A New Decade
16:50 - On Your Own
19:12 - Life's An Ocean
21:58 - So It Goes
31:57 - History
Outro - A Northern Soul
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Nailing down what exactly is "power pop" can be frustrating (we did a whole roundtable on it!), but the "power" end of it is usually found in the guitar section. From the big riffs of Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen to Robert Quine's excited guitar leads on Matthew Sweet albums, just because it's "pop" doesn't mean it doesn't rock. For their second album, Fountains of Wayne duo Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood recruited former Belltower guitarist Joey Porter and former Poises drummer Brian Young to complete the foursome. Two veteran players mean a tightened rhythm section and a bigger guitar sound that allows the band to expand their sound, touching not only on power pop from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but elements of Britpop, psychedelia, and Queen grandiosity.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Red Dragon Tattoo
13:00 - Utopia Parkway
17:48 - Lost In Space
25:45 - Denise
Outro - A Fine Day For A Parade
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It's hard to imagine a piano-led trio playing power-pop and 70s singer-songwriter influenced songs making headway in the sea of sorrow that was the first half of the 90s. Maybe it's better Ben Folds Five made their debut in 1995, when labels abandoned looking for the next Pearl Jam or Nirvana and went after anyone with a radio-friendly song that could pair with an MTV video. Boasting Billy Joel and Elton John-style piano flourishes over fuzzed out basslines and active drums, the trio move deftly through a dozen tracks of "punk rock for sissies" with smarts and savvy, keeping the songs tight with memorable melodies throughout. Though they would shoot into the mainstream on their follow-up, the self-titled debut effort shows the band had the songwriting chops from the start.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Jackson Cannery
21:55 - The Best Imitation of Myself
38:32 - Video
44:47 - Underground
Outro - Philosophy
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