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J and Tim dig into the grunge, alt-rock, and indie albums that changed everything—the forgotten classics, the underappreciated masterpieces, and the legends worth hearing again. One album at a time. Let’s dig it out.
Episodes
Tuesday Mar 19, 2019
Tuesday Mar 19, 2019
Sophomore albums are notoriously tricky, we've even dedicated a round table series to the phenomenon of hugely successful 90s debuts with follow-ups that, for a variety of reasons, didn't connect with audiences in the same way as their first release. Sometimes it record label politics scuttling the promotional support, sometimes its the shifting musical landscape after time off, and sometimes its artists evolving in ways listeners weren't expecting. To help us explore the 1995 sophomore Soup by Blind Melon, we're joined guitarist Christopher Thorn and longtime contributor Chip Midnight to delve into an album that, upon release, received a notoriously scathing review from Rolling Stone, but has since garnered praise and adulation upon it's twentieth anniversary. We discuss forming the band, the rollercoaster ride that was their debut, the legacy of "No Rain," writing and recording Soup, and the tragedy that followed it's release with the death of Shannon Hoon, and much, much more.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Galaxie
28:38 - Vernie
40:15 - Toes Across The Floor
53:11 - St. Andrew's Fall
Outro - 2x4
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Tuesday Mar 12, 2019
Tuesday Mar 12, 2019
Although Human Radio's debut self-titled album was released in 1990, their isn't much to the sound that pins it to the decade. Between the jazz-pop nods to Steely Dan, the funk flourishes reminiscent of Stevie Wonder, the new wave pop of XTC, along with a whole host of other subtle (and not subtle) influences we heard throughout the record. Thanks to the quirky lead-off track and single "Me And Elvis," we didn't quiet get off on the right foot with Human Radio, as some of the dated sounds left us less than enthusiastic, but luckily the record recovers quickly, revealing a masterfully produced and mixed record that, for better or worse, runs a wide gamut, sometime connecting, sometimes not.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Me And Elvis
9:37 - Hole In My Head
13:27 - My First Million
23:30 - N.Y.C.
Outro - Harsh Light Of Reality
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Mar 05, 2019
Tuesday Mar 05, 2019
We've tackled metal in its various forms and sub-genres, but this week for the first time we're checking out the symphonic metal of Finnish band Nightwish via their 1998 album Oceanborn. Combining operatic vocals with shredding guitars, double kick-drum beats and classical-influenced strings, keyboards and pianos, we're left mouths agape at the musicianship and ambition of this band and album. While a few choices left us scratching our heads (odd synth choices, overly dramatic male vocals), for most of the run time we were on board with Oceanborn.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Gethsemane
14:47 - Stargazers
21:20 - Swanheart
24:37 - The Devil And The Deep Dark Ocean
28:21 - Sacrament Of Wilderness
Outro - The Pharaoh Sails To Orion
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Feb 26, 2019
Tuesday Feb 26, 2019
After departing 1980s new wavers Berlin, bassist and vocalist John Crawford and drummer Rob Brill formed the rock power trio The Big F. With the addition of guitarist Mark Christian, the band manage to forge some interesting musical ground on their second and final album Is from 1993. Unfortunately, the band is caught between worlds, showing off more eccentric and ambitious choices (saxophone jazz jam, anyone?) while also firmly planted in the no frills early 90s riffing that at times recalls pre-fame Soundgarden or the heavier streamlined moments of King's X. With a tight rhythm section and talented guitarist, most of the fault falls on Crawford, a steady if unremarkable vocalist that never reaches the euphoric highs or a Chris Cornell or the showy lyricism of Mother Love Bone's Andrew Wood.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Patience Peregrine
12:49 - Way Low To Be Be Low
15:42 - Patience Peregrine
19:02 - Idiot Kid Heads Out
29:34 - Mother Mary
Outro - Lube
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Thursday Feb 21, 2019
Thursday Feb 21, 2019
You're probably wondering, why is there a new episode in my podcast feed on a Thursday? We wanted to share with you a preview of our first of six Dig Me Out '80s episodes in 2019. Starting this month, and continuing every other month this year, with the help our Patreon Board of Directors and Steering Committee tiers, we'll be revisiting an album from the 1980s based on suggestions and votes of our patrons. This month we're revisiting the 1980 album Panorama by The Cars. Join the DMO Union for as little as $2 a month and get access to bonus content like this episode, vote in our album review polls, get exclusive merchandise and more!
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon.
Tuesday Feb 19, 2019
Tuesday Feb 19, 2019
The shadow of Kim Deal and Tanya Donelly looms large over 1990s alternative and indie rock. They were both members of seminal 1980s bands, Deal in the Pixies, and Donelly in Throwing Muses, and had second acts in the 90s in their own bands, The Breeders and Belly. For one album, before Kim's sister Kelley joined the band, Donelly joined forces with Deal on the 1990 album Pod by The Breeders, then conceived as a side project for the two. The result is a subtle and restrained record that only hints at the pop prowess the two would unleash with future singles like "Last Splash" and "Feed The Tree." With engineer Steve Albini behind the board, the album pushes the artists to work with space, finding equal footing for all the instruments. For some, the deliberate nature may turn plodding, but the atmosphere created is one truly unique, and it's clear why musicians like Kurt Cobain would find the tension between hard hitting drums, melodic bass lines and stripped down guitar lines so appealing.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Happiness Is A Warm Gun
14:44 - Glorious
17:02 - Oh!
23:15 - Fortunately Gone
Outro - Hellbound
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Feb 12, 2019
Tuesday Feb 12, 2019
The term "Pop-Punk" started showing up in the mid-90s - a hybrid of the breakthrough punk sound via bands like Green Day and The Offspring, but with a decidedly more pop (re: melodic) twist in the vocal department. It's not easy to pin down with what band or at what time pop-punk took off, but from what we discussed with our guests, we know artists such as Blink-182 helped set the proverbial table for what would be a full-on pop-punk explosion in the 2000s. We put our thinking caps on and try to determine the unique characteristics, good and not so good, that made pop-punk unique, and how it factors into the story of the 1990s music scene.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - What's My Age Again? by Blink-182
15:56 - May 16 by Lagwagon
26:08 - Redundant by Green Day
38:15 - Come Out And Play by The Offspring
Outro - Nineties by Busted
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Feb 05, 2019
Tuesday Feb 05, 2019
Compact discs were the predominant physical medium for music in the 90s that, like cassettes and vinyl before, came with positives and negatives. No more rewinding or fast forwarding to find a song. Mobility meant moving from your home stereo, to your Discman, to your car with ease. Plus, you had almost eighty minutes to work with. That last one, however, became a curse as much as a blessing with albums like the 1996 release Machine Fish by Galactic Cowboys. If you're into hard rock/metal with a melodic bent, this album is just up your alley. Alas, left to their own devices, the gentlemen of Galactic Cowboys manage to stuff nearly every minute of this compact disc with riff upon riff, sometimes burying a gem behind walls of guitars, turning what could be three minute pop metal masterpieces into bloated five minute head scratchers. If this were an eight or nine songs album released on vinyl in the 1970s, that wouldn't be as much of an issue, but at fourteen songs and almost seventy minutes, even the most hearty will start to fatigue.
And if that wasn't enough, we even conducted a bonus review of the Feel The Rage EP exclusive at our Patreon page.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Feel The Rage
18:25 - 9th Of June
30:33 - Fear Not
35:15 - Easy To Love
43:47 - Patting Yourself On The Back
Outro - Psychotic Companion
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Jan 29, 2019
Tuesday Jan 29, 2019
Sometimes we revisit albums that have little to no internet presence, reviews that only appeared in print, and barely managed to slip into the big name publications. When that happens, there is little baggage or preconceived notion of what we're getting into. On the other end of spectrum, we have the 1991 album Goat by The Jesus Lizard. Now heralded as one of the defining alternative rock albums of the 90s, specifically of the "noise rock" sub genre, the list of bands that draw influence back to this band and album are numerous. But it left us questioning - what exactly is noise rock? To us, this was another example of Steve Albini's sharp and clean production paired with top notch musicianship. We split on our appreciation for David Yow's vocals, which shouldn't be a surprise - they are an acquired taste, but we agreed that this compact, thirty-minute recording is worth revisiting.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Mouth Breather
15:08 - Then Comes Dudley
17:24 - Nub
22:44 - Monkey Trick
Outro - Rodeo In Juliet
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Jan 22, 2019
Tuesday Jan 22, 2019
The release of Nirvana's album Nevermind in 1991 shaped the musical landscape of the 1990s in numerous ways, but 1999 may be the year that truly upended everything. Along with our favorite albums, our hidden gems, our late discoveries, and our long forgottens, we also dig into the year that foretold the re-emergence and dominance of pop music that has never been challenged since, the year that gave us Napster, the return of Woodstock, the rise of Nu-Metal and Rap-Rock, and much more.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - 1999 Medley (Wilco, Blur, Nine Inch Nails, Live)
7:16 - Driftwood by Travis from The Man Who
21:10 - Church On Sunday by Stone Temple Pilots from No. 4
38:47 - Muscle Museum by Muse from Showbiz
51:03 - Swingin' by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers from Echo
1:02:28 - Shooting Stars by The Black Halos from s/t
Outro - Fast As You Can by Fiona Apple from When The Pawn...
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.