Dig Me Out: 90s Rock
805 episodes - English - Latest episode: 27 days ago - ★★★★ - 115 ratingsStep back in time to the heart of the 1990s, the last great decade of rock music. We’re your weekly time machine to the era of grunge, alternative, indie rock, emo, Brit-pop, shoegaze, power pop, and post-punk.
Our journey includes in-depth album reviews, insider interviews with key figures, and comprehensive cultural discussions. ’Dig Me Out: 90s Rock’ offers a deep dive into the music that defined a generation, providing a diverse range of sounds and stories that continue to influence artists today.
What sets our podcast apart is our community of passionate listeners. You choose the artists, albums, and topics we explore, making ’Dig Me Out: 90s Rock’ a truly collaborative experience. Join us as we celebrate the unparalleled creativity and cultural significance of 90s music.
If you’re a Nirvana, Built to Spill, Elastica, or Radiohead fan or fascinated with how the 90s impacted the sound of your favorite 80s artists, ’Dig Me Out: 90s Rock’ is your go-to podcast. Subscribe now and become part of a community that adores the last great decade of rock music. Let’s relive the 90s together!
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Episodes
Thomas Andrew Doyle (TAD) | 90s Artist Interview
May 11, 2023 13:47 - 1 hour - 133 MBFormed in 1988 and one of the earliest acts to put out music on SubPop, TAD paved the way for bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden with their heavy and sludgy guitar noise. After releasing three albums on the infamous Seattle label, TAD put out two albums on majors, 1993’s Inhaler on Giant/Warner Bros and 1995’s Infrared Riding Hood on East West/Elektra before breaking up by the end of the decade. Lead singer Tad Doyle went on to front Hog Molly and Brothers of the Sonic Cloth before going the...
Jets To Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary | 90s Album Review
May 09, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 123 MBAfter the dissolution of Jawbreaker in 1996, lead singer and guitarist Blake Schwarzenbach spent the next year not playing music, but DJ'ing and writing video game reviews. But the itch to create came back with the help of former Texas Is The Reason drummer Chris Daly and Handsome singer Jeremy Chatelain on bass. Jets To Brazil isn't so much a reinvention as a natural evolution, leaving behind the sometimes rigid restraints of punk and hardcore, and exploring new sounds with keyboards and gu...
The Afghan Whigs - 1965 | 90s Album Review
May 02, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 135 MBBy the end of the 1990s, The Afghan Whigs were critical faves without the breakthrough single that propelled some of their contemporaries into the platinum or multi-platinum stratosphere. While 1993's Gentlemen and 1996's Black Love explored the dark, 1998's 1965 turned on the light long enough to find the party and get down to the business of feeling good, as lead singer Greg Dulli sings on the opener "Somethin' Hot." Much about the record is a change-up from previous efforts - guitars are ...
Moving Targets - Fall | 90s Album Review
April 25, 2023 06:00 - 59 minutes - 109 MBBy 1991, Moving Targets were already well established in the Boston music scene upon the release of their third full-length, Fall. Lead by Kenny Chambers on vocals and guitar, the band that started out playing Husker Du-esque hardcore evolved like their contemporaries, downshifting the tempos and finding more melody. Tracks like "Answer" and "Away From Me" were primed for college radio alongside The Replacements, Goo Goo Dolls, Dramarama, and other post-punks finding their songwriting footin...
The 6ths - Wasps’ Nests | 90s Album Review
April 18, 2023 06:00 - 55 minutes - 102 MBOften side-project bands don't live up to the hype of the artist or band's main gig. But for Stephin Merritt, this isn't the case with several of his non-Magnetic Fields bands. With The 6ths, he's taken on the challenge of writing the songs but handing them over to guest vocalists. On the 1995 debut Wasps' Nests, that means a wide array of contributors, including Lou Barlow from Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr., Mary Timony of Helium and Ex Hex, Dean Wareham of Galaxie 500 and Luna, Georgia Hubley o...
Juliana Hatfield - Only Everything | 90s Album Review
April 10, 2023 18:50 - 1 hour - 111 MBBy 1995, the alternative music revolution was in full swing, dominated MTV and radio across the US and around the world. While some of the original trailblazers, like the Pixies and Jane's Addiction, were no more, others continued and evolved their sound. Juliana Hatfield, who started out in the mid-1980s with the Blake Babies, had already released two acclaimed alternative rock albums before unleashing 1995's Only Everything. For her third release, Hatfield cranked up the guitar distortion,...
Old 97s - Fight Songs | 90s Album Review
April 04, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 111 MBBy 1999, fans of the alternative country rock sound had a lot to choose from. At the start of the decade, the mostly underground and regional scenes were known to college radio listeners and other non-mainstream outlets. But by 1999, major labels Geffen and Warner Brothers were putting out albums and developing artists. On Elektra, the Old 97s from Dallas, Texas released their second major label release, and fourth overall. Fight Songs found the band in transition, moving away from the harsh...
Will Copley and Dave Allsopp of Fretblanket | 90s Artist Interview
March 30, 2023 14:17 - 1 hour - 180 MBA perfect pick for a Dig Me Out episode, Fretblanket never seemed to get the mainstream attention the way their peers did. Formed in Stourbridge, England when the members were still in high school, the band caught the attention of Polygram Records in ‘93 and signed a deal before singer/guitarist Will Copley had graduated. A year later, Junkfuel was released with the single “Twisted” gaining a modest amount of airplay on U.S. alternative and college rock stations. Guitarist Clive Powell wrote...
Depeche Mode In The 90s | Roundtable
March 28, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 173 MBFew bands have stayed artistically and commercially relevant over forty years into their career, but with the release of their new album Memento Mori in March 2023, Depeche Mode continue to defy the odds. In the 80s the band built a fanbase in Europe over their first few releases before entering the global stage with "People Are People" in 1984. By the end of the decade, they were regularly a top ten album charting band in the UK while making serious inroads in North America. They entered th...
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom | 90s Album Review
March 21, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 123 MBDiamond certified records, those that have sold ten million or more albums in the United States, are a rare achievement that few bands and artists can lay claim to. But as important as it is to talk about obscure and underappreciated 90s rock albums, we thought it was time to go in the opposite direction for a new series diving into the full albums of 90s rock Diamonds. With that, we start our Diamond series with the 1995 album Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt. Was there any escaping "Don't Speak"...
Filter - Title of Record | 90s Album Review
March 14, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 116 MBSophomore albums can be a difficult proposition. The standard refrain is you get a lifetime to make the first one and a few months to make the follow-up. In the case of Filter, it took a little longer, four years to be exact. Title of Record came out in 1999 in a much different musical landscape than their 1995 debut Short Bus. Luckily, their hard rock sound, with a touch of industrial, fit in well with the end of the decade, and they struck literal gold with the atypical single "Take A Pict...
The Gits - Frenching The Bully | 90s Album Review
March 07, 2023 06:00 - 52 minutes - 96.1 MBBlessed with fire and passion on display through her voice and lyrics, the murder of Mia Zapata robbed the world of her potential. With The Gits, she and guitarist Joe Spleen, bass player Matt Dresdner, and drummer Steve Moriarty made grunge mixed with hardcore punk on their 1992 album Frenching The Bully. With only four years together, the debut record displays potential in the same way Bleach gives hints of what Nirvana was to become on the released but unfinished follow-up album Enter: Th...
Dominique Durand and Andy Chase of Ivy | 90s Artist Interview
March 02, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 145 MBThere was never a question that Ivy would make it, though they did so with many strokes of luck, good fortune, and heart ache along the way. With talented songwriters Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger writing sophisticated pop songs showcasing their love of ‘80s and ‘90s UK music, the only thing missing was a voice to go with the sounds. Chase’s girlfriend at the time (now wife), Dominique Durand, had moved to New York City from Paris to study fashion. While growing up in a house full of music...
Lowcraft - Manticore | 90s Album Review
February 28, 2023 06:00 - 52 minutes - 95.9 MBAside from Suede and Spacehog, few bands in the 90s embraced the glam sound as wholly as Lowcraft. Except Lowcraft wasn't from the UK, instead claiming Portland, Oregon in the U.S. as their home. The one and only album, 1999's Manticore, is baked with the sound and feel of Marc Bolan and T. Rex, David Bowie, and Mott the Hoople. How exactly? Can certain guitar chords and riffs sound glam? Sure, but it helps if there is a big vocal from the likes of lead singer Nathan Khyber. But like many 90...
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Blasting Off | 90s Album Review
February 21, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 114 MBWith a lower register in the vein of Richard Butler or Ian Astbury, Chris Reed of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry dismissed goth comparison during the 80s and focused on their guitar driven post-punk sound. For the final release, 1991's Blasting Off, the band backing Reed is new, but the sound is familiar thanks to Reed's unique vocals, unfussy songwriting, and precise guitar paying that works in a variety of well chosen effects. The unremarkable rhythm section is the only slight on an album that fan...
Letters To Cleo - Wholesale Meats and Fish | 90s Album Review
February 14, 2023 06:00 - 51 minutes - 94.1 MBComing off the hit "Here and Now" from their debut Aurora Gory Alice, Letters To Cleo followed-up with the equally catchy Wholesale Meats and Fish. Lead single "Awake," with it's handclaps and catchy hook by lead singer Kay Hanley, is just one of many power-pop adjacent tunes that lean more towards the noisy side of the genre inhabited by The Posies and Matthew Sweet. But to pin down LTC would be a mistake, as the opening ripper "Demon Rock" demonstrates, or the sixties-infused "Little Rosa"...
Chad Clark of Smart Went Crazy and Beauty Pill | 90s Artist Interview
February 09, 2023 06:00 - 2 hours - 275 MBBorn in NYC but spending his formative years in Washington DC, Chad Clark’s passion for music was born when his dad dropped a pair of headphones on his son’s head and introduced him to the Beatles. In the mid-90s, Clark formed the artsy, indie rock outfit Smart Went Crazy with Abram Goodrich and Hilary Soldati, signed with Dischord Records and released an EP and two full lengths - 1995’s Now We’re Even and 1997’s Con Art. Even before Smart Went Crazy’s ending, Clark was thinking about his ne...
Hole - Live Through This | 90s Album Review
February 07, 2023 06:00 - 54 minutes - 100 MBReleased in the shadow of her husband's death, Courtney Love and Hole delivered their sophomore album Live Through This in a tsunami of emotional turmoil. Propelled by three hit singles, the album would launch Love into stardom and influence a generation of visceral, outspoken musicians that took inspiration from songs about motherhood, abuse, postpartum depression, and other topics not found on Billboard 200 charting albums. In looking back almost thirty years, the layers of musicianship th...
Wünderband by Wünderband | 90s Album Review
January 31, 2023 06:00 - 55 minutes - 101 MBWe've revisited plenty of albums released on major and independent labels from the 90s, but digging into self-released albums isn't something we've explored much - until now! Take New York City's Wünderband, who self-released their self-titled album in 1997. On the opening track, the band make their sound clear - punchy, catchy power-pop with some twists and turns. From the opening Aimee Mann call-out track "Yes Yes Hey Hey" to the Jellyfish inflected "I Don't Mind," the band sounds right at...
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger | 90s Album Review
January 24, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 151 MBBadmotorfinger sits in the middle of the Soundgarden discography at an interesting crossroads. With new bass player Ben Shepherd on board, the band expanded upon their Black Sabbath meets Black Flag twist on metal with precision riffs and rhythms that integrate odd time signatures and alternate guitar tunings. While other bands were relegated to in-the-know hardcore fandom, thanks to the once-in-a-generation vocals of Chris Cornell, Soundgarden began their ascent as a commercial entity on MT...
Albums of 1993 | 90s Roundtable
January 17, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 206 MBBy 1993, it was an alternative world, from MTV to mainstream radio. The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Counting Crows, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, Tool, and many more became household names with million selling albums while college radio and indie labels saw bands take off unexpectedly, with hits from The Breeders, The Lemonheads, Mazzy Star, Juliana Hatfield, Letters to Cleo, Ween, and many more. While pop music maintained its position with the likes of Mariah Carey, Billy Joel, and Duran Duran s...
Limblifter - Limblifter | Album Review
January 10, 2023 06:00 - 53 minutes - 97.5 MBTaking time off from The Age of Electric, Ian Summers (bass) joined the Dahle Brothers (Ryan on vocals, guitars and keys, Kurt on drums and vocals) for Limblifter in 1996. Those familiar with TAOE will recognize the sharp songwriting and guitar pop sensibilities, as the band effortlessly blasts out three-minute, radio-ready tunes like "Vicious" and "Tinfoil." Their sensibilities are definitely on the pop side, but the choruses aren't necessarily syrupy blandness. If anything, the band could ...
Carcass - Heartwork | Album Review
January 03, 2023 06:00 - 48 minutes - 89.1 MBHeavy but melodic guitar riffs, intricate beats that switch between a Pantera groove and extreme metal blast beats, and otherworldly vocals are the cornerstones of Heartwork, the fourth studio album by English band Carcass. Expanding upon their earlier grindcore approach, Heartwork is a journey that grabs you by the (shredded) throat and won't let go for nearly forty-two minutes. From the NWOBHM styled "This Mortal Coil" to the ferocious hardcore stomp of "Carnal Forge," the band never lets ...
Season Twelve In Review
December 27, 2022 06:00 - 51 minutes - 93.8 MBThere is a lot to talk about when we look back on 2022. Albums new and old from 80s and 90s artists blasted from our speakers and headphones on a daily basis. As with our previous year-in-review episodes, we take a look back at our favorite new album discoveries, most brought to us by our Patreon community, as well as our most enjoyable round table experiences, and our favorite interviews conducted by Chip Midnight. Here's to season thirteen in 2023! Songs In This Episode: Intro - Dig M...
Love Battery - Dayglo | Album Review
December 20, 2022 06:00 - 46 minutes - 84.9 MBThough Love Battery emerged from the Seattle scene with numerous connections and an ascendant Sub Pop label backing them, the band never managed to breakthrough to the mainstream like their various label mates. Their 1992 debut Dayglo may shed some light on the reasons. The guitars are loud, loud, loud, sometimes overpowering the other instruments the way James Williamson would in The Stooges, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Thanks to a group of innovative, stellar musicians, the ban...
Hayden - Everything I Long For | Album Review
December 13, 2022 06:00 - 41 minutes - 76.7 MBCanadian singer/songwriter Paul Hayden Desser, known simply as Hayden, released his debut Everything I Long For on his own label in 1995. Shortly after, it was picked up and later re-released in 1996 on Sonic Unyon (internationally on Outpost Recordings/Geffen Records) after receiving acclaim in his home country. Channeling the likes of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits, Hayden deep voice carves out a unique niche in 1990s folk, indie, and alternative rock. Though the album is almost always in fir...
Jeremy Toback of Brad | Interview
December 09, 2022 06:00 - 2 hours - 241 MBDig Me Out listeners know Jeremy Toback from his time playing bass in Brad with Shawn Smith (vocals), Stone Gossard (guitars) and Regan Hagar and his appearance on that band’s first three albums: Shame (1993), Interiors (1997) and Welcome to Discovery Park (2002). During the ‘90s, he also released 2 full-lengths, Perfect Flux Thing (1997) and Another True Fiction (1999), as well as a self-titled EP (1996). After being burned out by the music industry and the major label experience, Jeremy to...
Swervedriver - Raise | Album Review
December 06, 2022 06:00 - 40 minutes - 75.2 MBThe twin guitar attack by Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge on Swervedriver's 1991 debut Raise is unlike anything else under the shoegaze umbrella. While 80s dream pop was a touchstone for many of their contemporaries, the band from Oxford, England took some American influences like Dinosaur Jr., The Stooges, Sonic Youth, and Hüsker Dü into consideration. Their sound is more aggressive, more visceral, and often more exciting, leaning into the guitar's ability to shift tones quickly without r...
New Music We’re Thankful For in 2022 | Roundtable
November 29, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 164 MBIt's our third year of getting the patrons together and giving thanks for the new music that gave us happiness and good vibes in 2022. There's a wide array of bands and artists, new and old, that helped make 2022 a great year for music. New albums from 1980s and 90s artists like The Afghan Whigs, Suede, Archers of Loaf, The Cult, Rammstein, The Crystal Method, The Hellacopters, and many more all released great late career records, while newer bands like The Glad Machine, Noiseheads, The Bish...
Gun - Swagger | Album Review
November 22, 2022 06:00 - 45 minutes - 84.3 MBScotland's Gun didn't make much of a dent stateside in the 80s or 90s, slightly out of tune with what was happening in mainstream. Their third album, Swagger, is aptly named, as the band is fully in control of their 80s AOR meets 90s hard rock approach. While 1994 was ground zero for grunge and alternative on US radio and MTV, Gun injected their sound with Bon Jovi big rock, Billy Idol energy, and even some Red Hot Chili Peppers funk on the questionable cover of "Word Up" by Cameo. Songs...
Keith and Susie Ulrey of Pohgoh | Interview
November 17, 2022 06:01 - 1 hour - 123 MBFormed in 1994 out of punk rock roots, Pohgoh’s poppier sounds earned the Florida band comparisons to acts like Velocity Girl and Superchunk. A split single with Braid was released in 1996 and by the time Pohgoh was ready to record a full length, singer Kobi Finley had been replaced by Susie Richardson. What should have been the start of a great relationship with the newly created label Deep Elm Records wound up dissolving quickly after drummer Keith Ulrey unceremoniously quit the band after...
Chris Cornell - Euphoria Morning | Album Review
November 15, 2022 06:00 - 45 minutes - 83.1 MBAlthough Chris Cornell had written solo tracks for soundtracks during the Soundgarden era, it wasn't until the band had broken up that he released his proper solo debut. 1999's Euphoria Morning is both expected and unexpected, as some songs aren't far off from "Blow Up The Outside World" or "Fell on Black Days," minus the band bombast, while others showcase his phenomenal vocal talent over folk, blues, and psychedelic turns. Songs In This Episode: Intro - Can't Change Me 17:15 - Moonc...
I Mother Earth - Scenery and Fish | Album Review
November 08, 2022 06:00 - 50 minutes - 92.4 MBLead by brothers Jag (guitarist) and Chris (drummer) Tanna, I Mother Earth made layered Latin percussion, alternative rock bombast, and hints of progressive and psychedelic rock a part of the formula from the get go. But the band comes into their own on the 1996 sophomore release Scenery and Fish, opening with Afro-Cuban-influenced percussion that weaves throughout the record. Where some bands might trim out extended jams or unexpected divergences mid-song to attract a more commercial audien...
Bedhead - Transaction de Novo | Album Review
November 01, 2022 06:00 - 41 minutes - 75.3 MBOn their third and final studio album, Bedhead, lead by brothers Matt and Bubba Kadane, craft an intimate record built on space and restraint. But 1998's Transaction de Novo isn't entirely a down-tempo affair, as the band pushes the sonic envelope on noisier tracks like "Extramundane" and "Psychosomatica" with mixed results. The sweet spot lies in the slowcore creep of opener "Exhume," which remains instrumental for most of its four plus minute running time, or expansive closer "The Present,...
4 Non Blondes - Bigger, Better, Faster, More! | Album Review
October 25, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 117 MBThe past few decades have solidified Linda Perry as a pop songwriting machine for the likes of Pink, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, and many more artists in the 2000s. But the talent was already there in 1992 when "What's Up!" struck a chord with listeners as the first track off of the one and only 4 Non Blondes album "Bigger, Better, Faster, More!" While the neo-folk of "What's Up!" slotted in nicely alongside fellow non-grunge acts like Blind Melon, Spin Doctors, Blues Traveler, Dave Ma...
Soulwax - Much Against Everyone’s Advice | Album Review
October 18, 2022 06:00 - 36 minutes - 67.8 MBSoulwax is best known for their remixes of such 2000s artists as LCD Soundsystem, Tame Impala, Gorillaz, Tiga, and more, but the band actually got their start as a catchy alternative rock band produced by the Chris Goss (of Masters of Reality) on their debut and Dave Sardy (Barkmarket) on their sophomore album, Much Against Everyone's Advice. Splitting their sound between chunky distorted guitars on tracks like "Too Many DJs" and "Conversation Intercom" and more a delicate approach on "Overw...
Le Tigre - Le Tigre | Album Review
October 11, 2022 06:00 - 41 minutes - 76.8 MBAn established artist starting a new musical project is always a tricky proposition, and the 90s were no different. Whether releasing a solo album or starting a new band, quality doesn't always matter when it comes to fans accepting a new sound or direction. After the amicable split of Bikini Kill in 1998, Kathleen Hanna returned a year later with the retro-inspired Le Tigre, forgoing punk bombast for dancier sounds rooted in homemade drum loops, Farfisa organs, 60s girl groups, 80s new wave...
Salmonblaster - Salmonblaster | Album Review
October 04, 2022 06:00 - 50 minutes - 92.8 MBThe line between influence and blatant copying is thin, but bands like Salmonblaster fall more towards the former on their 1996 self-titled and only officially released album. The howling vocals and chugging guitar riffs easily recall Nirvana but in a way that pays respect rather than simply aping the sound, and it's not the only trick the band has up their sleeves. Guitars are big and occasionally chaotic in a shoegaze way that makes the more restrained elements shine brighter, while the ba...
Garage Rock Revival | Roundtable
September 27, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 142 MBGarage rock can be a catch-all term that rubs shoulders with punk, rockabilly, surf, and more. But thanks to a variety of known and lesser-known bands, there has always been a group of dedicated musicians writing and playing revved up and relatively simple rock that traces its lineage back to the primitive and raw sounds of 60s that popped up after the British Invasion with roots in American rhythm and blues. After a very underground 80s, the sound returned in fits and starts with bands like...
Adorable - Against Perfection | Album Review
September 20, 2022 06:00 - 48 minutes - 89.5 MBShoegaze is a term tossed out whenever a band leans in on the wall-of-sound distortion and pairs it with obscured vocals and dreamy feedback. But few bands actually stuck to My Bloody Valentine's template, adding their own flavors like the 1993 debut album Against Perfection by Adorable. Here the vocals are less obscured, and even hooky at times, recalling everyone from Echo & the Bunnymen and The Smiths to The Verve and Spiritualized. But it's not just the vocals that give Adorable a unique...
Menthol - Menthol | Album Review
September 13, 2022 06:00 - 51 minutes - 94 MBChicago and the surrounding areas like Champaign-Urbana nurtured a big guitar rock sound found in the Smashing Pumpkins, Hum, Catherine, Veruca Salt, Fig Dish, and others. Originally called Mother for their debut, the band signed to a major label, changed their name to Menthol, and produced an album worthy of that group with 1995's self-titled release. But the band takes a different approach vocally, spitting big chunks of lyrics filled with a variety of references and twisted wordplay. ...
The Sharp - This Is The Sharp | Album Review
September 06, 2022 06:00 - 54 minutes - 99.7 MBBands cultivating a look to match their sound in rock and roll is nothing new, but the 90s weren't the most receptive decade to a well thought out image. The Sharp, with their black and white color scheme, upright bass, and precise take on 80s new wave with twists of rockabilly and power-pop, make a case that The White Stripes would follow at the end of the decade with their 1993 debut This Is The Sharp. Sounding blender filled with albums by The Knack, Brian Setzer, sElf, Joe Jackson, Fount...
Antenna - Hideout | Album Review
August 30, 2022 06:00 - 50 minutes - 93 MBCollege rock is a broad term, but one that can be applied to the post-Blake Babies band Antenna founded by John Strohm and Freda Love. On the second and final album by the band, 1993's Hideout, the influences of American indie and underground pop are infused with strands of shoegaze and dream-pop noise, with tasteful guitar effects, and unexpectedly crafty baselines and backing vocals. All of that makes it not entirely appealing to mainstream radio in 1993 looking for the next Nirvana or Pea...
Into Another - Ignaurus | Album Review
August 23, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 142 MBThe moniker "post-hardcore" was used to describe the wave of bands following the hardcore-punk sound but pushing the musical envelope. In the 80s it was Husker Du and Minute, the 90s Fugazi, Drive Like Jehu, Jawbox. None were exactly the same, each stretching and pushing the boundaries of what made up post-hardcore. New York City, home to Helmet, Quicksand, and Chavez, was fertile ground for the sound, which included Into Another. On their 1994 sophomore album, Ignaurus, the band take the ed...
VAST - Visual Audio Sensory Theater | Album Review
August 16, 2022 06:00 - 50 minutes - 92.1 MBJon Crosby, the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist at the helm of VAST, was a well-regarded guitarist as a teen who signed a record deal with Elektra at just seventeen years old. On the debut, Crosby takes 90s industrial rock in the vein of Nine Inch Nails or Stabbing Westward and layers unexpected sounds, like Benedictine monks and Bulgarian women's choirs, to create haunting soundscapes that compliment his wide vocal range that can belt it out or croon with equal effectiveness. ...
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - Burn To Shine | Album Review
August 09, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 148 MBKnown for his talents on various stringed instruments, Ben Harper solidified his backing band as The Innocent Criminals on his fourth record, 1999's Burn To Shine. With that band arrangement, Harper delves into a variety of sounds, channeling the blues and folk that made up his early solo releases but continuing the louder sounds from his previous outing, The Will To Live. Through the twists and turns, from 70s-influenced blues rock to minor-key Zeppelin riffing, Harper and his band play wit...
Fu Manchu - King of the Road | Album Review
August 02, 2022 06:00 - 52 minutes - 96.3 MBThough Fu Manchu often comes up when discussing the stoner rock of Sleep, Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Monster Magnet, and, the Orange County band has made the prime focus skate boarding, California vibes, and science fiction, all stuffed in a smoke-filled custom 70s van. As proponents of fuzzed-out guitar riffing, tight arrangements, catchy hooks, and finding the balance between bombast and restraint, Fu Manchu marks all our boxes. The fact they do such a good job not only writing great ...
Doughboys - Crush | Album Review
July 26, 2022 06:00 - 43 minutes - 80.6 MBMontreal's Doughboys, like so many bands who tipped their toes in the power-pop sound, were mostly ignored by US listeners. Unless led by a ballad like the Goo Goo Dolls or pushing a punkier sound, artists with layered harmonies and a keen sense of melodic hooks were often overlooked for pure pop. On their 1993 album Crush, the band never compromise on the guitars, combining hardrock riffs with catchy leads and an occasional ripping solo. Only when the band slows down and gets dirgy does the...
Union by Union | Album Review
July 19, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 129 MBBruce Kulick, a member of KISS from 1984 to 1996, and John Corabi, a member of Motley Crue from 1992 to 1997, joined forces to form Union with capable players Jamie Hunting on bass and Brent Fitz on drums. The songwriting style Corabi brought to Crue is evident from the first track "Old Man Wise," which combines classic hard rock riffs with melodies and vocals that fit well into 90s alternative and grunge, such as Alice In Chains. What helps make this something more than just another album i...
G. Love | Interview
July 14, 2022 06:00 - 55 minutes - 101 MBWhile G. Love is currently doing the press circuit to discuss his latest album, Philadelphia Mississippi, the affable blues artist is more than happy to talk about his experiences in the ‘90s. Born in Philadelphia and raised on the finest music that city had to offer in the ‘70s and ‘80s, namely soul and blues, G. Love moved to Boston to continue his busking career with hopes of landing a record deal. As glam became grunge, and grunge became pop-punk, G. Love’s alternative hip-hop with blues...