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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 Jan 01, 2019
Tuesday Jan 01, 2019
To understand "Desert Rock" and the Palm Desert Scene, you have too look further than Queens Of The Stone Age, as we learned on our Desert Rock episode. That's when you discover a number of bands and important figures, including Chris Goss and his band Masters Of Reality, contemporaries of Kyuss and others who helped bring the bass heavy guitar dirges of the desert to the mainstream. But there is more to it than that as we discover on 1993 album Sunrise On The Sufferbus, which explores quieter moments that left us scratching our heads at times. With the propulsive pulse of Cream drummer Ginger Baker behind the kit for this album, songs like She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On) bounce to life, but in a grunge dominated era it's no wonder this is relegated to cult status. Is it worthy of revisiting?
Song In This Episode:
Intro - Gimme Water
12:40 - T.U.S.A.
20:18 - She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)
25:04 - Gimme Water
32:08 - Moon In Your Pocket
Outro - J.B. Witchdance
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Dec 25, 2018
Tuesday Dec 25, 2018
2018 seem to fly by, and with it another slate of reviews, roundtables and interviews that we look back upon with equal parts amazement and exhaustion. Thanks to our great community of folks at Patreon, the burden of actually picking records to revisit was lifted off our shoulders this year, and we got to check out some completely new discoveries like Fini Scad, Sheena Ringo and The Gathering, while also going deep on records by The Posies, Scott Weiland and Mansun we already knew but hadn't fully connected with over the years. Of course, our roundtables continued to be a highlight, digging the scenes of New York City and Dayton, Ohio, diving into the origins of Spoon, dissecting 90s Power Pop and Desert Rock, and much more. Thanks to all who helped make 2018 a great year, see you in 2019!
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Dig Me Out by Sleater Kinney
12:08 - I Am A Liar by Sheena Ringo
17:13 - Soaked In Cinnamon by Ultimate Fakebook
Outro - Dig Me Out by Sleater Kinney
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Dec 18, 2018
Tuesday Dec 18, 2018
Although we host a 90s-focused music podcast, if you think Fugazi is a no brainer for us, think again. While we both had passing interest and exposure, neither of us were ardent followers of punk, hardcore or post hardcore during that time, and really only came to it years later thanks to our varied appreciations for bands like Jawbox, Sonic Youth and At The Drive-in. This makes revisiting Fugazi's 1993 third album In On The Kill Taker an even more enlightening experience. The band stretches their sound, we won't call it jamming, incorporating long musical passages that teeter on the edge of ambient dissonance. With their stellar rhythm section, the guitars and vocals play off each other with increasing confidence.
Songs On This Episode:
Intro - Returning The Screw
15:18 - Facet Squared
24:43 - Great Cop
29:31 - Rend It
Outro - Smallpox Champion
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Dec 11, 2018
Tuesday Dec 11, 2018
With his work as Sparklehorse, Mark Linkous left behind a collection of music wholly unique - masterfully combining the intimacy of his home recording setup paired with his singular lyrical approach. His songs shift from abrasive guitar driven "Pig" and "Ghost Of His Smile" to the laid back pop of "Sick Of Goodbyes" with little interruption, managing to find common ground in melody with such contemporary artists as Grandaddy, The Jayhawks and Guided By Voices.
During this episode we discussed our current partnership with Sudio. Check them out online and use the discount code "DMO" to receive 15% off your purchase. For the holiday season, each purchase includes a gift box, and shipping is free worldwide.
Songs On This Episode:
Intro - Painbirds
11:53 - Pig
14:58 - Ghost Of His Smile
22:19 - Sick Of Goodbyes
30:27 - Chaos Of The Galaxy/Happy Man
34:04 - Maria's Little Elbows
Outro - Hundreds Of Sparrows
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Dec 04, 2018
Tuesday Dec 04, 2018
While the Seattle record label Sub Pop is primarily associated with "grunge," the list of artists and catalog of releases is far more broad. Take for example Eric Matthews, whose whispered vocal and orchestral arrangements couldn't stray further from the so-called Sub Pop sound. On his sophomore solo release from 1997, The Lateness Of The Hour, Matthews expertly and often densely constructs songs that would sound at home on either an Elliott Smith album or coming out of Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys, never forgetting to layer sweet melodies on top of his sometimes classical arrangements. While the vocal approach took some getting used to, we discovered an album that reveals more musicially and emotionally upon repeated listens.
During this episode we discussed our current partnership with Sudio. Check them out online and use the discount code "DMO" to receive 15% off your purchase. For the holiday season, each purchase includes a gift box, and shipping is free worldwide.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Ideas That Died That Day
12:02 - My Morning Parade
14:48 - Festival Fun
16:49 - Pair Of Cherry
26:07 - Everything So Real
Outro - Dopeyness
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Nov 27, 2018
Tuesday Nov 27, 2018
There are not many 1990s albums that fall under the "alternative rock" banner that prominently feature harp and horns the way the lone 1997 album Free Mars by Lusk does. The fact that it does so featuring a wide cast of characters from bands such as Tool (Paul D'Amour), Failure (Greg Edwards), Guns 'n Roses (Chris Pitman) and Medicine (Brad Laner) only adds to the unique and intriguing charm of this one-and-done release.
During this episode we discussed our current partnership with Sudio. Check them out online and use the discount code "DMO" to receive 15% off your purchase. For the holiday season, each purchase includes a gift box, and shipping is free worldwide.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Backworlds
16:15 - Savvy Kangaroos
23:02 - The Hotel Family Affair
30:31 - Free Mars
Outro - Kill The King
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Nov 20, 2018
Tuesday Nov 20, 2018
Power pop, as we have learned over the years, is a hard subgenre of rock 'n roll to pin down. The 1999 self-titled debut by Owsley has been referred to as power pop, with some calling it a masterpiece. It's not hard to hear why, as the album is chock full of catchy hooks, harmonies, tasteful nods to The Beatles and checks all the boxes of retro without being nostalgic. For as much as we've enjoyed debating the merits of what is and isn't power pop, we can't overlook the fact that this record didn't quite live up to the masterpiece billing, as we often struggled with slower tunes that slid into a jangle pop plod.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - I'm Alright
14:44 - Zavelow House
17:57 - Coming Up Roses
25:26 - Oh No The Radio
Outro - Sonny Boy
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Nov 13, 2018
Tuesday Nov 13, 2018
Our "In The 90s" series exploring successful 1970s and 80s artists and bands has discovered a common theme - sometimes it was not the rise of grunge and alternative music that through a wrench into their success, sometimes overwhelming success created a watershed moment leaving the band in flux. What was Metallica to do after the Black album? And in this case for our latest episode, what was Aerosmith to do after they fully rebounded from their early 80s descent into drugs with a pair of successful albums to close out the decade (Permanent Vacation and Pump) leading into the ubiquitous 1993 chart topper Get A Grip. Becoming MTV darlings and radio mainstays pushed the band into more pop territory, culminating in the 1998 Diane Warren-penned single "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" for the Armageddon soundtrack. We walk through the decade and wonder if the apparent wedge driven between lead singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry started when the band reached its cultural and chart apex.
Songs In This Episode:
Aerosmith Medley - Cryin', Crazy, Amazing from Get A Grip
17:09 - Livin' On The Edge from Get A Grip
25:29 - Fever from Get A Grip
33:50 - Pink from Nine Lives
40:47 - Crash from Nine Lives
Outro - I Don't Want To Miss A Thing from the Armageddon soundtrack
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Nov 06, 2018
Tuesday Nov 06, 2018
Many musical genres and subgenres previously found in the cultural underground bubbled to the mainstream surface in the 1990s thanks to a major label feeding frenzy and the ever expanding definition of "alternative." Like punk, ska, swing and even grunge, industrial and electronic music had their moments in various ways, and gave rise to interesting iterations that briefly snuck onto MTV and commercial radio. God Lives Underwater is one such example, who wrote traditional structures and melodies wrapped with an electronic and industrial exterior. Thanks to uber-producer Rick Rubin, their 1995 debut Empty has a unique reverb-free sound at odds with many of their peers, providing more intimacy and less expanse without sacrificing quality, even if all the songs themselves cannot match the stellar production.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Still
13:08 - Empty
18:00 - All Wrong
21:10 - No More Love
27:03 - We Were Wrong
Outro - Weaken
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Oct 30, 2018
Tuesday Oct 30, 2018
For some, metal shock rockers Gwar are more style than substance. In fact, we were in that camp, having paid little attention to the band beyond their notorious stage antics and costumes. But thanks to our second annual Halloween-themed episode, we're checking out the 1990 sophomore album Scumdogs Of The Universe. While we expected over the top lyrics with various R-rated subject matter, we did not anticipate how musically diverse the band would sound, managing to integrate New York thrash ala Anthrax along side Quiet Riot-esque glam metal riffs, and even some hardcore punk attitude. It all made for interesting sound they may have slightly overstayed its welcome by the end.
Songs In This Episode:
Intro - Sick Of You
13:44 - Vlad The Impaler
22:59 - Slaughterama
26.52 - Sick Of You
30:27 - Cool Place To Park
Outro - King Queen
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.