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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 01, 2024
Tuesday Oct 01, 2024
On their second album Young And Full Of The Devil, Magic Dirt blended fuzzed out psych and stoner riffage with a grunge-tinged snarl. The throat shredding vocals of Adalita Srsen lend comparisons to bands like Hole, The Distillers, or L7, but the band delves into darker, scuzzier territory on tracks like the opening opus "Babycakes" and the closer and bonus track "Babycakes You Always Freeze Me Up." The foursome display a penchant for uptempo riffage on songs like "Rabbit With Fangs" and the appropriately titled "She-Riff" layered in a variety of guitar pedals and effects, but some odd choices on the back half of the record left us scratching our heads about what started out with strong intentions but veered into less concise territory.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Short Black
22:03 - Shrinko
28:54 - She-Riff
35:02 - Ascot Red
43:36 - X-Ray
Outro - Rabbit With Fangs
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Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
It's hard to reconcile the importance of a band like Pavement considering their lack of mainstream popularity and pedestrian album sales But like The Velvet Underground and others before them whose underground popularity helped launch a thousand bands, Pavement's twisted takes on pop rock, post-punk, jam bands, and even country somehow make their 1994 sophomore album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain made a big impression on those looking for something the radio and MTV didn't offer. Witty lyrics, slacker vibes, jangly and occasionally conflicting guitars were present on their debut, but the band honed their skills to craft catchy, off-kilter melodies on tracks like "Cut Your Hair" and "Range Life."
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Cut Your Hair
24:36 - Silence Kid
37:06 - Fillmore Jive
46:59 - Heaven Is a Truck
56:53 - Range Life
Outro - Gold Soundz
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Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Like so many second and third wave grunge bands, aka post-grunge, the opportunity for chart and sales success depended on a big hit. For Atlanta, Georgia's doubleDrive, they didn't manage to score the big radio or MTV single in 1999 with their debut album 1000 Yard Stare, but what they produced was something more interesting than what many of their contemporaries had to offer. The production gives the entire band a chance to shine, and the twin guitar attack gets closer to the post-hardcore of Helmet, Quicksand, and Handsome at times. Unlike their post-grunge contemporaries Puddle of Mudd or Creed, the band doesn't slog around the mid-tempo for long, injecting plenty of energy and avoiding a ballad completely. But also like their post-grunge contemporaries, a reliance on the vocal stylings of singers like Eddie Vedder and Scott Weiland put a stamp on the sound that chips away at the originality.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - 1000 Yard Stare
22:31 - Belief System
27:12 - Tattooed Bruise
35:02 - Vamp
38:45 - Gone
40:50 - Reason
Outro - Hell
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Tuesday Sep 10, 2024
Tuesday Sep 10, 2024
The only way a radio listener or MTV watcher could avoid Basket Case, Longview, Welcome To Paradise, or When I Come Around in 1994 or 1995 was to be in a remote jungle or alone on the moon. The pop-punk explosion, led by the Bay-area trio Green Day and followed a few months later by The Offspring, would unseat grunge as the dominant underground scene making waves in the mainstream and open the door for a plethora of bands getting signed to major labels, like Rancid, NOFX, and Jawbreaker. With Dookie, the band found the perfect collaborator in producer Rob Cavallo, who kept punk energy and edge while helping the band dial in the guitars, bass, and drum sounds that would pop off the speakers. Thirty (!) years later, the album retains its energy, and repeated listens get under the hood of the band, showcasing the lock-step rhythm section of drummer Tre Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt that often carries the songs while lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong crafts catchy, relatable lyrics with tasteful harmonies that elevate the album to something special.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Burnout
19:35 - Basket Case
37:41 - Longview
42:44 - F.O.D.
47:59 - When I Come Around
Outro - She
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Tuesday Sep 03, 2024
Tuesday Sep 03, 2024
Not many 90s rock bands called Arkansas home, and even fewer looked to the straightforward radio pop of 1970s and 80s as a launching point for their sound. Yet on Ho Hum's 1996 debut Local, the band from Bradley, Arkansas tuned the radio dial to sounds of Big Star, The Plimsouls, The Knack, Dramarama, and early Tom Petty, to name a few, for their catchy, unpretentious sound. Though released in the middle of alternative decade, there isn't a note of angst or grunge to be found, instead forging a sound closer to likes of Velvet Crush, Sloan, Superdrag and Matthew Sweet at their most straightforward. From uptempo gems like opener "Around the World" to the infectious "Don't Go Out with Your Friends Tonite," to soulful ballads "Disappear" and "Superhuman," both featuring horn sections, the band clearly has an ear for an earworm melody.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Around the World
21:15 - Here She Comes
24:41 - Pills and Guns
27:04 - Frozen
31:06 - Disappear
34:12 - Superhuman
Outro - Don't Go Out with Your Friends Tonite
Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon.
Thursday Aug 29, 2024
Thursday Aug 29, 2024
Emerging from the same mid-90s Chicago scene that saw bands like Veruca Salt, Loud Lucy, Menthol, Triple Fast Action, and Local H get signed to major labels, Fig Dish delivered alternative guitar rock that paid homage to the legends of Mt. Rockmore - Zander, Mascis, Mould, and Westerberg - under the Polygram Records (and subsidiaries) banner. Their discovery is the stuff of legend: the band sent demo cassettes to various major labels with a handwritten note from “Steve,” claiming to have found a band worth checking out, banking on the idea that everyone knows a Steve and the label would think it was a genuine tip.
Despite their immediately catchy songs that could easily fit into any alternative rock radio playlist, the band (Blake Smith - vocals/guitar, Rick Ness - vocals/guitar, Mike Willison - bass, Andy Hamilton - drums) struggled to grasp the elusive brass ring. Their single “Seeds” was released with a video but saw limited play on MTV’s 120 Minutes. Touring across the country, they opened for acts like Juliana Hatfield, Veruca Salt, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Owsley, and Walt Mink. However, their 1995 album, That’s What Love Songs Often Do, produced by Lou Giordano, failed to make a significant impact. Their 1997 follow-up, When Shove Goes Back to Push, recorded under challenging circumstances, also ended up in used CD bins despite featuring some of the catchiest rock tunes of the year. In a last-ditch effort, the band filmed a video for “When Shirts Get Tight” featuring adult film stars in humorous, over-the-top scenarios. The video, too risqué for MTV, became more myth than reality.
By 1998, Fig Dish’s tenure with Polygram ended unceremoniously. They recorded new songs at Andy Gerber’s Million Yen studio in Chicago, hoping for a second chance that never materialized. Smith and Willison went on to form Caviar (known for “Tangerine Speedo”), while Ness and Bill Swartz (who played drums on Shove) formed Ness.
Recently, Forge Again Records from Chicago reached out to the band to release their two albums on vinyl for the first time. While the band agreed, navigating the bureaucratic red tape with record labels has been time-consuming. In the meantime, Forge Again asked if Fig Dish had any unreleased material, leading to the release of their 1998 demos as Feels Like the Very Second Time on vinyl.
In this interview, Smith and Ness reveal there was no dramatic story behind the band’s breakup; the members remain friends and stay in touch. While they won’t be quitting their day jobs to relive their (less than) glory days, there’s a strong possibility that Fig Dish will release new material in the near future.
Songs In This Episode
Intro - Burn Bright For Now
13:54 - Pretty Never Hurts
Outro - When Shirts Get Tight
Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon.
Tuesday Aug 27, 2024
Tuesday Aug 27, 2024
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)
Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon.
Tuesday Aug 20, 2024
Tuesday Aug 20, 2024
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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Tuesday Aug 13, 2024
Tuesday Aug 13, 2024
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)
Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon.
Tuesday Aug 06, 2024
Tuesday Aug 06, 2024
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
Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon.