Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock

Nü Metal in the 90s | Roundtable

Is Nü Metal the most divisive music subgenre of the 1990s? It sure seems to generate a lot of hate, but is also beloved by millions of fans. Eschewing the traditions of classic NWOBHM bands (guitar solos, leather, fist-pumping athems), Nü Metal rose from the same underground that embraced both hip-hop and mosh pits, with its own style (baggy pants, tracksuits, baseball caps) more reminiscent of Run D.M.C. than Judas Priest. In the same way that punk was a response to the bloated stylings of 70s corporate and progressive rock, Nü Metal stripped away the overindulgence of previous metal incarnations and focused on rhythm and catharsis. Bands like Korn, Papa Roach, and Linkin Park wrote about the dark underbelly of suburban home life, with varying musical approaches, while others like Slipknot, Mudvayne, and Static-X added a layer of theatrical presentation in their looks. We revisit not just the Nü Metal period, but also what came before it, bands like Anthrax and Public Enemy teaming up, the alternative approaches of Primus, Faith No More, and Rage Against The Machine, and explore the looks, the sounds and legacy of Nü Metal.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Blind by Korn (from Korn)

17:11 - Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck by Prong (from Cleansing)

26:20 - We Care A Lot by Faith No More (from Introduce Yourself)

37:04 - Denial by Sevendust (from Home)

49:32 - Last Resort by Papa Roach (from Infest)

50:27 - Rock That Doesn't Roll / Dope Nostalgia podcast promos

58:21 - A.D.I.D.A.S. by Korn (from Life Is Peachy)

1:11:24 - 10 Seconds Down by Sugar Ray (from Lemonade and Brownies)

1:24:35 - Boom by P.O.D. (from Satellite)

Outro - Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) by Limp Bizkit (from Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water)

 

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Faithless - Sunday 8 PM | 90s Album Review

Bands scoring a hit with a single that doesn't sound much like the rest of the album is not unusual. Blur, Sugar Ray, the Butthole Surfers, Nada Surf, and more had hits that might have confused buyers when the bought the respective albums, and the same goes for Faithless, and their 1998 album Sunday 8 PM. Thanks to the uptempo house hit "God Is A DJ," the band gained fans on both sides of the Atlantic. However, aside from one other track, the rest of the album runs at half that speed, mixing electronic downtempo and soul sampled trip-hop. It results in an uneven album that feels more like a collection of really good singles instead of a cohesive musical statement, but the highs, including a stirring vocal performance by Boy George, make the record one worth checking out.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - The Garden

20:19 - Why Go?

32:02 - Hour of Need

36:01 - Rock That Doesn't Roll / Dope Nostalgia podcast promos

39:03 - Bring My Family Back

42:12 - God Is A DJ

Outro - Killer's Lullaby

 

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Massive Attack - Mezzanine | 90s Album Review

The 90s featured the rise of a several varieties of electronic music into the mainstream. The electronica of Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers and the industrial of Nine Inch Nails and Stabbing Westward became household names thanks to MTV and alternative radio station playlists, but not far behind were the late night grooves of trip-hop thanks to Portishead and Massive Attack. Combining samples and live instrumentation, and taking influence from reggae, dub, soul, jazz and more, the 1998 third album Mezzanine slowly unfurls from the start with opener "Angel" and keeps the listener entranced. From there, the band carefully weaves drum, bass, synths, and a variety of other instruments with three perfectly matched guest vocalists into a constantly shifting sonic landscape.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Teardrop (from Mezzanine)

27:20 - Angel (from Mezzanine)

32:57 - Risingson (from Mezzanine)

35:57 - Rock That Doesn't Roll / Dope Nostalgia podcast promos

52:54 - Paradise Circus (from Heligoland)

Outro - Inertia Creeps (from Mezzanine)

 

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Poster Children - RTFM | 90s Album Review

Though hailing from the same Champaign, Illinois scene that birthed Hum and Braid, Poster Children might have flown under your radar. Their major label years were fruitful artistically, but record sales didn't match the critical acclaim, and so the band ended their deal with 1997's RTFM. Opener "Black Dog" unleashes a thumping uppercut with massive guitars and a pummeling rhythm section, and while some of their indie-rock brethren from the time esched showy guitar licks, brothers Rick and Jim Valentin have no qualms about turning up the distortion and letting it rip, like on the frenzied "Music Of America" or dancy "21st Century." The album packs an unexpected punch, but doesn't ignore the subtle moments as well, like on the new wave-ish "Afterglow" or bass-driven "King Of The Hill."

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Black Dog

18:49 - 0 for 1

22:39 - Dream Small

25:33 - King Of The Hill

30:45 - Rock That Doesn't Roll/Dope Nostalgia podcast promos

44:55 - 21st Century

48:00 - Music Of America

1:01:40 - Afterglow

Outro - Happens Everyday

 

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Depeche Mode - World In My Eyes Maxi-Single | 90s Album Review

Thanks to the sales explosion of compact discs in the 1990s, the expanded playable length of time from forty-four minutes of vinyl to nearly eight minutes gave bands plenty of room to stretch and experiment not only on albums but other releases as well. Re-enter the single, once the domain of 7" vinyl and cassingles, cd singles allowed for bands to release even more material across multiple formats, occasionally helping to propel bands on multiple charts with dance remixes and such. Depeche Mode were no stranger to using singles to release non-album material, and one fine example is the 1990 World In My Eyes maxi-single released by their American label, Sire Records. Compiling the single remix of the title track along with 12" club remixes, and adding a pair of non-album tracks in multiple mixes, turns a simple single into a forty minute, seven-track mini-album, and gives us even more Depeche Mode material to talk about.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - World In My Eyes 7" Version

29:13 - World In My Eyes (Oil Tank Mix)

33:25 - World In My Eyes (Mode to Joy)

38:50 - Rock That's Doesn't Roll / Dope Nostalgia podcast promos

50:02 - Happiest Girl (Jack Mix)

55:11 - Sea of Sin (Tonal Mix)

Outro - Happiest Girl (The Pulsating Orbital Mix)

 

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Big Hate - You're Soaking In It | 90s Album Review

Plenty of guitar-oriented bands rose to prominence in the 1990s thanks to wave after wave of new artists from various genres. The Seattle sound, pop punk, Britpop, etc. all offered a diverse array of sounds for six-string fans. It was like the 1980s era of guitar heroes, but with an emphasis on diversity of tone and style - the melodic mayhem of J. Mascis to the angular buzzsaw of Kim Thayil to the jazzy funk of John Frusciante - all finding the balance between creative tangents and serving the songs. That brings us to Big Hate, an Atlanta via New York band that utilize a fuzz pedal to its maximum potential. From the opener "Century," that features a lazy slide adding just the right amount of dissonance, to the riffing "Writer's Block," the band takes full advantage of their twin guitar attack. But while it shines musically, the band leaves a bit to be desired vocally, from not nailing a truly hooky chorus, to often sliding into early Our Lady Peace / Raine Maida territory.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Century

15:46 - West Virginia

20:34 - Disappointed

22:45 - Writer's Block

24:41 - Rock That Doesn't Roll / Dope Nostalgia podcast promos

34:35 - Lemonade

38:13 - Sufi

Outro - Beauty Mark

 

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311 - Grassroots | 90s Album Review

By the end of the 1990s, mixing rock and other genres was no big deal, but in the first half the first half of the decade it was still a novel idea. 311 established their unique sound by mixing elements rock, reggae, hip-hop, and funk, and on their sophomore album Grassroots, bits of 70s progressive rock and psychedelic jam bands. The innovative fusion of genres, combined with high-energy vocal and musical performances, make the album an undeniable head-bobber. On the flip-side, the band can lock into a staccato delivery across instruments, not exploring interesting counter melodies or rhythms, while certain genre touches can go overboard into straight-up imitation. Depending on your musical preferences, it can make for an exciting experience or a repetitive disappointment.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Homebrew

23:54 - Lucky

28:32 - Salsa

40:40 - Rock That Doesn't Roll / Dope Nostalgia podcast promos

48:47 - Omaha Stylee

57:43 - 8:16 AM

Outro - 1, 2, 3

 

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Bruce Springsteen In The 90s | Roundtable

After achieving massive success in the 1970s and 80s, Bruce Springsteen began the 1990s with the release of two albums in 1992, "Human Touch" and "Lucky Town," which showcased a departure from his work with the E Street Band. Like with his 1987 album "Tunnel of Love," Springsteen explored more personal themes at the end of his marriage and relocation from New Jersey to Los Angeles. Despite mixed critical reception, the albums produced notable singles like "Human Touch" and "Better Days." While some wrote off Springsteen as stale and out of touch, he returned on the soundtrack to the movie Philadelphia with the haunting and sparse "Streets of Philadelphia." He followed that up in 1995 with "The Ghost of Tom Joad," a stark, acoustic folk album that harkened back to the style of "Nebraska" and focused on social and economic issues, earning him critical acclaim and a Grammy Award for the title track. This period, though less commercially dominant than the 1980s, demonstrated Springsteen's versatility and commitment to evolving as an artist, and the 1998 four-disc compilation Tracks made up of 66-outtakes from the earliest years of his career up to the 90s showcased his hidden gems and concert-only favorites, leading up to his induction into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

 

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Better Days (Lucky Town)

19:12 - Leap of Faith (Lucky Town)

34:42 - Streets of Philadelphia (Philadelphia soundtrack)

45:27 - Rock That Doesn't Roll / Dop Nostalgia podcast promos

50:20 - Youngstown (The Ghost of Tom Joad)

1:03:45 - Born In The U.S.A. (Tracks)

1:11:52 - American Skin (41 Shots) (Live)

Outro - 57 Channels (And Nothin' On) (Human Touch)

 

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The Dwarves - The Dwarves Are Young and Good Looking | 90s Album Review

The provocative album covers and lyrical content have kept the Dwarves an underground band for four decades, appreciated by punk enthusiasts and fellow musicians across musical genres. After getting dropped by Sub Pop, the band returned with The Dwarves Are Young and Good Looking in 1997. While a cursory listen pins this as classic punk rock, the band isn't afraid to push the pop end of punk thanks to doubled and harmonized vocals spitting out obviously catch choruses that only missed mainstream attention thanks to a liberal use of explicit language and themes.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Crucifixion Is Now

20:43 - I Will Deny

25:54 - Rock That Doesn't Roll / Dope Nostalgia podcast promos

28:17 - Everybodies Girl

30:08 - You Gotta Burn

39:02 - Unrepentant

45:52 - Demonica

Outro - We Must Have Blood

 

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Subrosa - Never Bet The Devil Your Head | 90s Album Review

No one would have faulted the surviving members of For Squirrels for moving on from music after the horrific accident that claimed the life of their singer, bassist, and road manager. It took years for guitarist/singer Travis Tooke and drummer Jack Griego to regroup with new bassist Andy Jim Lord under the new moniker Subrosa and land a new record deal, the end result being their 1997 lone release Never Bet The Devil Your Head. While For Squirrels drew comparisons to the college rock of R.E.M., Subrosa dials up rock, dabbling in a post-hardocre riffage while Tooke switches between a lower register singing voice and a fiery growl. Passionate but uneven, the record doesn't shy away from the past for the Tooke and Griego, who channel their catharsis in equal parts volume and melancholy.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Never The Best

13:42 - World's Greatest Lover

23:01 - The Life Inside Me Killed This Song

28:38 - Antigen Fiend

32:33 - Dope Nostalgia Promo

34:27 - Damn The Youth

Outro - Rollercoaster

 

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Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.