![#537: Are You With Me? by Cowboy Mouth]()
April 27, 2021
Regionality isn't talked about much outside Seattle with regard to 90s rock, but just like how the Pacific Northwest was experimenting with punk and metal in unique ways, other parts of the United States had an impact on the bands from their locales. Like our recent Better Than Ezra episode, Cowboy Mouth is from Louisiana, a state which boasts a deep and rich musical history that can't help but imprint on the latest generation. In the case of Cowboy Mouth and their 1996 album Are You With Me?, and the members' previous 80s bands Dash Rip Rock and Red Rockers, the influence of roots rock, blues, Americana, and more can be heard throughout in subtle nods and swinging rhythms. Unfortunately, some of the personality gets sanded off for a sound that is ready for mainstream radio, but also lacking some needed edge.
Song In This Episode
Intro - Jenny Says
20:39 - Man On The Run
30:27 - God Makes The Rain
34:28 - Love Of My Life
38:02 - How Do You Tell Someone
Outro - New Orleans
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April 20, 2021
Lo-fi isn't unique to the 1990s, but it is the first decade that the recording technique (meaning literally "lo-fidelity") merged with indie rock and take on a genre identity. Artists like Pavement, Sebadoh, Guided By Voices, Liz Phair, and more found their bedroom and basement recordings appealing to more than just a tape-trading crowd with the advent of cheap CD reproduction and small labels with better distribution. But it begs the question - is lo-fi simply a recording technique based on circumstance, or an aesthetic artists strive for to attain a particular emotional effect.
Song In This Episode
Intro - I Am A Scientist by Guided By Voices
12:57 - Splendid Isolation by The Bevis Frond
22:49 - Drive All Over Town by Elliott Smith
32:37 - Losercore by Sentridoh
45:56 - Parting Shot by The Grifter
1:06:38 - Anytime You Want by Eric's Trip
Outro - Summer Babe (Winter Version) by Pavement
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April 13, 2021
After the early 90s explosions of Seattle grunge and alternative rock, labels swept up bands from across the country (and globe) that had any sonic resemblance to the chart toppers. By 1994, the signing frenzy was in full swing, and bands new and old found their way to major labels. Some were teenagers from Australia, while others might have veterans of midwestern hard rock and metal bands, as was the case with Sponge. If there is a reason why their major label debut Rotting Piñata from 1994 sounds so confident, it's because these weren't first timers figuring it out. That confidence shows as the album balances tight, melodic singles with album tracks that incorporate a wide pallet of influences from 80s Psychedelic Furs and R.E.M. to 90s shoegaze and metal.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Molly
16:32 - Miles
18:00 - Neenah Menasha
28:00 - Giants
31:36 - Pennywheels
Outro - Drowned
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April 5, 2021
Bands only get to make their debut album once, but for Jimmie's Chicken Shack, a few practice swings paid off. Taking tracks from several low-profile independent releases and combining them for the 1997 major label debut means the material on Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope sounds refined and well-thought-out without being stale and lifeless. Unlike some contemporaries who relied on thick, down-tuned guitars to push their angst, JCS work in layers of intricate guitar leads that recall 1970s progressive rock or 90s math rock but with a funk metal twist.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - High
21:00 - Dropping Anchor
24:16 - When You Die You're Dead
33:14 - This Is Not Hell
36:02 - Milk
Outro - Hole
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