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Episodes
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 Oct 23, 2018
Tuesday Oct 23, 2018
Built To Spill have remained an anomaly in a number of ways throughout their career - a band steeped in classic rock conventions that seamlessly integrates 1990s indie rock guitar shredding, but does so without sacrificing vocal melodies, and doing in on major label Warner Bros. for twenty years. On 1999's Keep It Like A Secret, Doug Martsch shortened the length and kept the six plus minute long jams to a minimum, but still manages to concoct his stew of six string wizardry and even throw in a kitschy tune (You Were Right) that would have sounded at home on a Ben Folds Five album.
Songs in this Episode:
Intro - Carry The Zero
19:49 - The Plan
22:49 - Time Trap
29:55 - You Were Right
Outro - Center Of The Universe
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Oct 16, 2018
Tuesday Oct 16, 2018
After the success of the Sound Of White Noise album with new lead singer John Bush, New York city thrashers Anthrax took the band in a direction that angered and alienated longtime fans. For Stomp 442 from 1995, the band relied less on the chugging thrash riffage of their past, and played with sounds that would be at home in Helmet's post hardcore and alternative metal sound, or the mainstream hard rock that Metallica had cultivated on their Black album. While tag as a "grunge" sell-out, over twenty years later we find it hard to locate an trace of Seattle sound, and find a band brimming with confidence and swagger. Perhaps they made the wrong album at the wrong time, but looking back, it's not hard to hear why so many were confused by the new direction - hopefully this time around they'll give it another spin.
Songs in this Episode:
Intro - Fueled
11:19 - Fueled
15:22 - In A Zone
23:14 - Perpetual Motion
29:21 - Nothing
33:36 - Bare
Outro - Random Acts Of Senseless Violence
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Oct 09, 2018
Tuesday Oct 09, 2018
Cleveland is the home of the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, Cincinnati is home to legendary soul label King Records and The Afghan Whigs, Akron has Devo and the The Pretenders, but if there is a 1990s alternative and indie rock epicenter of Ohio, it's Dayton, known for its Air Force Base and (alleged) alien cover-ups. The Breeders, Guided By Voices and Brainiac all call Dayton home, breaking through in their own unique ways, but Dayton's musical roots dig deep into 1980s punk and 1970s funk all the way into the 2000s. We discuss the venues, record stores, bands and more that made and make Dayton unique.
Songs in this episode:
Intro - Dayton Medley (Guided By Voices, The Amps, Brainiac)
12:56 - No Wrong Track by The Method
23:48 - God Bless America by Toxic Reasons
30:33 - Flying Pizza by Swearing At Motorists
41:40 - Listen To The Quiet by Mink
45:13 - Toilet Knife by Dirty Walk
Outro - Weapons Of Love Destruction by Shesus
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Oct 02, 2018
Tuesday Oct 02, 2018
For his 1998 album Since, Richard Buckner enlisted a strong supporting cast (John McEntire of Tortoise, The Sea And Cake / Dave Schramm of Yo La Tengo, The Schramms / David Grubbs of Squirrel Bait, Gastr Del Sol, Bastro) to shape an Americana/Alt Country record that feels out of place for the time, but perfectly in sync with the Jason Isbell's and John Moreland's of today's musical landscape. It helps that Buckner's poetic approach eschews the compact disc bloat and hones a tight sixteen track / thirty seven minute album that actually left us wanting more in spaces rather than wishing for restraint and editing.
Songs in this episode:
Intro - Believer
12:04 - Raze
16:56 - Brief & Boundless
20:12 - Lucky Buzz
29:34 - Coursed
Outro - Goner w/Souvenir
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Sep 25, 2018
Tuesday Sep 25, 2018
We revisit Beck's major label debut Mellow Gold, was it a warm-up for the multi-platinum Odelay, or is Loser the only worthwhile nugget?
Songs in this episode:
Intro - Loser
12:54 -Soul Suckin' Jerk
17:58 - Beercan
26:28 - Truckdrivin Neighbors Downstairs (Yellow Sweat)
Outro - Sweet Sunshine
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Thursday Sep 20, 2018
Thursday Sep 20, 2018
Wondering about our exclusive content over at Patreon? Here's a sample of the first five minutes of our extended twenty minute discussion on Power Pop as we chat about the 2000s.
Hear the entire bonus content, be eligible for quarterly contests, vote in our polls, and support the podcast at patreon.com/digmeout.
Tuesday Sep 18, 2018
Tuesday Sep 18, 2018
For a lot of people, the rock music subgenre known as "power pop" is one of those "you know it when you hear it" situations. However, over the years many have tried to describe and dissect what makes power pop unique from musical cousins such as pop rock or jangle pop. Like the 70s and 80s before them, 90s power pop bands put their own spin on the sound, adding a little more guitar crunch while incorporating the hallmark harmonies, British Invasion influenced melodies and arrangements, and other key elements, thanks bands like Sloan, Jellyfish, Teenage Fanclub, Superdrag, Fountains Of Wayne and The Posies, and artists like Matthew Sweet, Tommy Keene and Jason Falkner. With our panel, we dig into the sounds, the songs, the albums and the artists of 90s power pop.
Songs in this episode:
Intro - Sick Of Myself by Matthew Sweet
32:14 - Buddy Holly by Weezer
37:05 - Bottle Of Fur by Urge Overkill
46:17 - Money City Maniacs by Sloan
52:41 - What You Do To Me by Teenage Fanclub
Outro - Red Dragon Tattoo by Fountains of Wayne
To support the podcast, join us at Patreon for bonus content and more.
Tuesday Sep 11, 2018
Tuesday Sep 11, 2018
Craig Finn is best known for his distinctive vocal and lyrical style thanks to The Hold Steady in the 2000s. But while that band channeled Bruce Springsteen, The Replacements and The Band for musical inspiration, his 1990s outfit Lifter Puller took a decidedly more angular approach with nods to Television, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Pavement. Digging into 1997's sophomore released Half Dead and Dynamite, the drugged up and drunken stories familiar to Finn fans are there, but the band backing him presents a different sonic approach, eschewing bombast and power chords for jagged rhythms and Radioshack keyboards.
Intro - The Gin and the Sour Defeat
10:45 - Half Dead and Dynamite
17:03 - Nassau Coliseum
21:18 - I Like The Lights
29:17 - Rock for Lite Brite
Outro - The Bears
Tuesday Sep 04, 2018
Tuesday Sep 04, 2018
Concept albums are as old as albums themselves, though defining what exactly qualifies as a concept album is flexible. The 90s were no different, as many bands and artists took loose ideas and strung together narratives and themes to form a cohesive idea. Of all the bands you were probably expecting to do so back in day, Local H was probably not high on that list, but songwriter/guitarist/singer Scott Lucas has dipped into the concept album well often during the past several decades, first with their 1996 break-through As Good As Dead, and then the 1998 follow-up Pack Up The Cats. Lucas and drummer Joe Daniels weave a tale not unfamiliar to rock fans - the rise and fall of a musician, but with the decade specific twists and turns that make it a uniquely 90s affair, both lyrically and sonically, and craft a concept album worthy of the decades medium of choice: the compact disc.
Intro - All The Kids Are Right
32:13 - All-Right (Oh Yeah)
34:49 - Cool Magnet
36:58 - Laminate Man
40:47 - Deep Cut
43.46 - Lucky Time
50:16 - Hit The Skids
Outro - What Can I Tell You
Tuesday Aug 28, 2018
Tuesday Aug 28, 2018
The 1990s are known as the grunge decade, but really Seattle's reign was contained to the first half, which is when The Posies power-pop tour de force Frosting On The Beater happened to be released in 1993. It's not hard to understand why this band from the Pacific Northwest struggled to find an broad audience - the singles are teeming with Big Star, Cheap Trick, The Beatles, and other classic power pop influence, and only Matthew Sweet was able to crack mainstream radio playlists and MTV video rotation with a similar but equally melodic approach. It doesn't help that in an era of Discman players and vinyl decline, Don Fleming's beefed up production truly only finds its sweet spot when the stereo speakers are pushing serious air, which we are happy to oblige.
Intro - Dream All Day
9:54 - Definite Door
13:28 - Love Letter Boxes
19:51 - How She Lied By Living
29:37 - Solar Sister
Outro - Flavor Of The Month