Dig Me Out: 90s Rock

Chevelle - Point #1 | 90s Album Review

​"Point #1," Chevelle's 1999 debut album, showcases the Chicago-based Loeffler brothers' fusion of alternative metal and indie rock. Produced by Steve Albini, known for his work with Nirvana and PJ Harvey, the album delivers a raw, unrefined sound that captures the band's early energy. Coming in at the end of the decades, it's not surprising to hear similarities to bands like Tool and Helmet, particularly in tracks such as "Skeptic" and "Anticipation," which feature syncopated riffs and dynamic shifts between aggressive and mellow passages. While the album's repetitive structures and lack of big hooks pin this is a debut, , "Point #1" definitely laid the groundwork for Chevelle's evolving sound and hinted at their future success in the alternative metal scene.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Black Earth

19:08 - Mia

29:32 - Open

37:49 - Anticipation

42:23 - Long

Outro - Peer

 

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Thelonious Monster - Beautiful Mess | 90s Album Review

Upon its release in 1992, Beautiful Mess by Thelonious Monster received plenty of critical acclaim yet not the sales or media exposure to launch the band into the new alternative explosion. Lead singer Bob Forrest’s deeply personal lyrics explored themes of addiction, relationships, and self-destruction, not all that different from other bands at the time, but musically the band sounds more in step with Minneapolis bands like The Replacements and Soul Asylum the late 1980s. Featuring a slew of notable names from bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Porno for Pyros, and more as his backing band, the band succeeds at bringing Forrest's stories to life even if a few lyrics choices didn't stand the test of time.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Song For A Politically Correct Girl From The Valley

28:33 - Vegas Weekend

35:36 - Body and Soul

39:20 - Adios Lounge

46:57 - I Live In A Nice House

Outro - Bus With No Driver

 

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Interview with Tom Beaujour, Co-author of Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival

With 2024's 3-part documentary LOLLA: The Story of Lollapalooza, and our own Lollapalooza episode many years ago, you might wonder what's left to learn about the famed traveling music festival of the 1990s. Turns out, a lot. Thanks to the hundreds of interviews and thousands of hours of work by authors Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock completed for their second book "Lollapalooza - The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival," this extensive oral history talks with everyone involved: artists, tour founders, festival organizers, promoters, publicists, sideshow freaks, stage crews, record label execs, reporters, roadies and more. 

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Terrible Lie by Nine Inch Nails (Live at Lollapalooza 1991)

Outro - The Last Beat Of My Heart by Siouxsie and the Banshees (Live at Lollapalooza 1991)

 

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Billy Squier - Surviving The 90s

In our second installment of Surviving the 90s, we're revisiting one of the hitmakers from the first half of the 80s - Billy Squier. Responsible for such hits as The Stroke, Lonely Is The Night, Everybody Wants You, My Kinda Lover, and Rock Me Tonite, to name a few, Squier was all over radio and early MTV. Albums like Don't Say No, Emotions in Motion, and Signs of Life each went Platinum, and while musical trends changed, Squier still managed radio airplay into the early 90s. But by 1998, he was done, releasing his final record, Happy Blue, an all acoustic affair. We revisit his greatest hits, his 90s releases, and try to determine if Billy Squier thrived, adapted, or died in the 90s.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - The Stroke (from Don't Say No)

10:32 - 42nd Street by Piper (from self-titled)

17:41 - The Big Beat (from The Tale of the Tape)

28:19 - Rock Me Tonite (from Signs of Life)

38:28 - Young at Heart (from Creatures of Habit)

1:02:42 - Happy Blues (from Happy Blue)

Outro - Angry (from Tell The Truth)

 

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Idlewild - Hope Is Important | 90s Album Review

Previously we revisited Idlewild's 2000 breakthrough sophomore album 100 Broken Windows, but for this episode we're going backward to their 1998 debut. The punkier, more aggressive Hope Is Important leans into noisy, almost unpolished intensity, while moments of introspection hint at the more refined songwriting the band would develop on following albums. Frenetic guitars and urgent vocals create a chaotic yet compelling sound, with tracks like "When I Argue I See Shapes" showcase their knack for anthemic hooks. Though it may lack the polish of their later work, Hope Is Important captures Idlewild’s youthful spirit and unfiltered passion.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Everyone's Says you're so Fragile

19:58 - You've Lost Your Way

25:54 - I'm Happy to be here Tonight

30:27 - A Film for the Future

34:34 - When I Argue I See Shapes

Outro - Paint Nothing

 

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Guided By Voices - Alien Lanes | 90s Album Review

Alien Lanes by Guided By Voices, their first for Matador Records, expanded upon the lo-fi, hook-driven bursts of songs from previous release Bee Thousand. Its chaotic, collage-like structure packs 28 tracks into just over 40 minutes, thanks to the raw, four-track production gives the album an intimate, unpolished feel. Songs end abruptly, vocals are buried, guitars are out of tune, yet the melodies emerge from the fuzz with a mix of power pop charm and punk spontaneity.Widely considered one of their best works, Alien Lanes remains a cult favorite and a defining record of '90s indie rock.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Watch Me Jumpstart

17:09 - Motor Away

20:20 - Closer You Are

30:38 - Ex-Supermodel

36:20 - Strawdogs

38:19 - My Valuable Hunting Knife

Outro - Blimps Go 90

 

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Cock Sparrer - Two Monkeys | 90s Album Review

Two Monkeys, the 1997 album by veteran punk band Cock Sparrer, blends old school British pub rock and Oi! with surprising melodic elements. Despite being released twenty-five years into their career, the album retains the raw energy of their early work, featuring socially conscious lyrics while tackling themes like working-class struggles and personal resilience. The production is cleaner than their classic albums, but it still maintains a gritty, pub-rock feel, though a few of the faster tracks could benefit from a remix due to overly-compressed and thin sounding drums. 

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Bats Out

21:10 - Back Home

24:36 - A.U.

29:05 - Time To Be Me

32:52 - Battersea Bardot

37:00 - Goodbye

Outro - Lies

 

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Los Lobos - The Neighborhood | 90s Album Review

Los Lobos' 1990 album The Neighborhood showcases their signature blend of rock, blues, and Latin influences through the lense and ears of East Los Angeles. While it didn’t achieve the commercial success of La Bamba, the album captures Los Lobos’ musical versatility and deep-rooted cultural influences. The band shifts from Texas blues and roots rock to old school rock 'n roll and acoustic balladry with the ease of seasoned players, with lead singer/guitarist David Hidalgo guiding the band all the way. At times the reliance on traditional blues structures can stifle the endlessly creative band by locking them into particular styles and arrangements, whereas tracks written outside the format flourish thanks to the skilled band.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Down On The Riverbed

19:17 - I Walk Alone

24:25 - The Giving Tree

26:25 - Georgia Slop

43:37 - Be Still

Outro - The Neighborhood

 

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Fiona Apple - Tidal | 90s Album Review

Fiona Apple's 1996 debut album Tidal remains a landmark in alternative music, blending jazz-infused piano melodies with deeply introspective lyrics. The album's breakout single, "Criminal," propelled Apple into the mainstream, earning her a Grammy and solidifying her as a unique voice in the industry. With raw emotion and poetic lyricism, songs like "Shadowboxer" and "Sleep to Dream" showcased her maturity beyond her years. Tidal was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, influencing a generation of singer-songwriters with its confessional style. Nearly three decades later, the album's haunting beauty and vulnerability continue to resonate with listeners.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Sleep To Dream

25:03 - Shadowboxer

34:26 - Pale September

46:16 - Criminal

50:12 - The First Taste

Outro - Slow Like Honey

 

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Swimmer - Surreal | 90s Album Review

We'll forgive you if you missed Swimmer's one and only album, 1999's Surreal, because we did as well. Though released on Madonna's Maverick label, the band came and went rather quickly, leaving without making a blip on Billboard, radio, MTV, and the internet in general. What they did leave behind was a forty-three minute long compact disc full of drama-laden alternative rock that sweeps through the eleven tracks with equal parts quiet emoting and bombastic explosion. Nothing about the record is ground-breaking, but as is usually the case, the sum is equal to more than the parts.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Playing Jesus

19:12 - Dumb

21:12 - Because Today

30:11 - Kick In The Head

34:59 - Spaced Out Hat

42:50 - Dirty Word

Outro - Surreal

 

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Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.