Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock

Soulwax is best known for their remixes of such 2000s artists as LCD Soundsystem, Tame Impala, Gorillaz, Tiga, and more, but the band actually got their start as a catchy alternative rock band produced by the Chris Goss (of Masters of Reality) on their debut and Dave Sardy (Barkmarket) on their sophomore album, Much Against Everyone's Advice. Splitting their sound between chunky distorted guitars on tracks like "Too Many DJs" and "Conversation Intercom" and more a delicate approach on "Overweight Karate Kid" and "Flying Without Wings," it gives the album variety. But depending on which version you listen, the album can run long after an elongated lull in the middle that could be rectified with a reshuffling of the track list.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Much Against Everyone's Advice

14:27 - Too Many DJs

16:48 - Overweight Karate Kid

21:05 - Flying Without Wings

25:13 - My Cruel Joke

Outro - When Logics Die

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An established artist starting a new musical project is always a tricky proposition, and the 90s were no different. Whether releasing a solo album or starting a new band, quality doesn't always matter when it comes to fans accepting a new sound or direction. After the amicable split of Bikini Kill in 1998, Kathleen Hanna returned a year later with the retro-inspired Le Tigre, forgoing punk bombast for dancier sounds rooted in homemade drum loops, Farfisa organs, 60s girl groups, 80s new wave and electroclash. But that doesn't mean politics and social commentary take a back seat, as Hanna is as sharp lyrically as ever on the self-titled debut album while balancing pop melodies with a lo-fi approach.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Deceptacon

11:22 - Les and Ray

17:36 - What's Yr Take On Cassavetes

24:46 - Phanta

28:56 - Eau D'Bedroom Dancing

Outro - My My Metrocard

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The line between influence and blatant copying is thin, but bands like Salmonblaster fall more towards the former on their 1996 self-titled and only officially released album. The howling vocals and chugging guitar riffs easily recall Nirvana but in a way that pays respect rather than simply aping the sound, and it's not the only trick the band has up their sleeves. Guitars are big and occasionally chaotic in a shoegaze way that makes the more restrained elements shine brighter, while the band shifts between sounds as easily as their lead vocalist jumps from cathartic screams to melodic harmonies.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Sugarrush

14:26 - Transistors & Turbines

20:36 - Freeway

26:46 - Brian Jones

31:49 - Visonblur

Outro - The Perfect Fit

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Garage rock can be a catch-all term that rubs shoulders with punk, rockabilly, surf, and more. But thanks to a variety of known and lesser-known bands, there has always been a group of dedicated musicians writing and playing revved up and relatively simple rock that traces its lineage back to the primitive and raw sounds of 60s that popped up after the British Invasion with roots in American rhythm and blues. After a very underground 80s, the sound returned in fits and starts with bands like Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and later The White Stripes, The Hives, The Strokes, and plenty of other bands starting with "The." We dig into the whole sound, the local scenes that helped foster the sound over decades, and much more.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Fell In Love With A Girl by The White Stripes

16:20 - Paint It Black by The Avengers

21:49 - Touch Me I'm Sick by Mudhoney

31:09 - (Gotta Get Some Action) Now! by The Hellacopters

40:11 - Heaven by The Hydromatics

1:07:31 - The Reproduction of Death by The (International) Noise Conspiracy

Outro - Singin' A Song About Today by The Mooney Suzuki

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Shoegaze is a term tossed out whenever a band leans in on the wall-of-sound distortion and pairs it with obscured vocals and dreamy feedback. But few bands actually stuck to My Bloody Valentine's template, adding their own flavors like the 1993 debut album Against Perfection by Adorable. Here the vocals are less obscured, and even hooky at times, recalling everyone from Echo & the Bunnymen and The Smiths to The Verve and Spiritualized. But it's not just the vocals that give Adorable a unique twist, as the rhythm section, especially an occasional Pixies-like bassline, gets their times to shine as well.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Breathless

17:49 - Sister Chapel Ceiling

21:26 - Homeboy

28:07 - Sunshine Smile

34:45 - Still Life

Outro - A To Fade In

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Chicago and the surrounding areas like Champaign-Urbana nurtured a big guitar rock sound found in the Smashing Pumpkins, Hum, Catherine, Veruca Salt, Fig Dish, and others. Originally called Mother for their debut, the band signed to a major label, changed their name to Menthol, and produced an album worthy of that group with 1995's self-titled release. But the band takes a different approach vocally, spitting big chunks of lyrics filled with a variety of references and twisted wordplay.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Dry Heaves (Of The Well-Adorned)

17:34 - Stress Is Best

20:35 - U.S.A. Capable

26:35 - Perfect Spirals

32:58 - Briefcase Full Of Cash

Outro - Francis Scott Key

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Bands cultivating a look to match their sound in rock and roll is nothing new, but the 90s weren't the most receptive decade to a well thought out image. The Sharp, with their black and white color scheme, upright bass, and precise take on 80s new wave with twists of rockabilly and power-pop, make a case that The White Stripes would follow at the end of the decade with their 1993 debut This Is The Sharp. Sounding blender filled with albums by The Knack, Brian Setzer, sElf, Joe Jackson, Fountains of Wayne, Jellyfish, and more, the tight, clean sounds are at odds with the distorted grunge overtaking the music world in 1993. But their charm of being totally at odds with the times means the skill and craftsmanship of the songwriting really shines, even if it dips into familiar patterns at times.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Scratch My Back

17:28 - Talking Sly

24:12 - Love Kiss

33:04 - Kiss Me Again

Outro - Don't Waste My Time

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College rock is a broad term, but one that can be applied to the post-Blake Babies band Antenna founded by John Strohm and Freda Love. On the second and final album by the band, 1993's Hideout, the influences of American indie and underground pop are infused with strands of shoegaze and dream-pop noise, with tasteful guitar effects, and unexpectedly crafty baselines and backing vocals. All of that makes it not entirely appealing to mainstream radio in 1993 looking for the next Nirvana or Pearl Jam, but ideal for the college radio crowd in search of something different.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Wallpaper

12:43 - Don't Be Late

21:09 - Easy Listening

31:21 - Stillife

Outro - Shine

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The moniker "post-hardcore" was used to describe the wave of bands following the hardcore-punk sound but pushing the musical envelope. In the 80s it was Husker Du and Minute, the 90s Fugazi, Drive Like Jehu, Jawbox. None were exactly the same, each stretching and pushing the boundaries of what made up post-hardcore. New York City, home to Helmet, Quicksand, and Chavez, was fertile ground for the sound, which included Into Another. On their 1994 sophomore album, Ignaurus, the band take the edge and energy of post-hardcore, combine it with some progressive rock, and end up with a sound unlike just about anyone else was making at the time.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Running Into Walls

14:44 - Maritime Murder

30:24 - Anxious

45:02 - Poison Fingers

Outro - Ungodly

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Jon Crosby, the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist at the helm of VAST, was a well-regarded guitarist as a teen who signed a record deal with Elektra at just seventeen years old. On the debut, Crosby takes 90s industrial rock in the vein of Nine Inch Nails or Stabbing Westward and layers unexpected sounds, like Benedictine monks and Bulgarian women's choirs, to create haunting soundscapes that compliment his wide vocal range that can belt it out or croon with equal effectiveness. Visual Audio Sensory Theater is a true album, with extended intros and subtle connective tissue running throughout the record that will divide listeners today just as it did in 1998.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - The Niles Edge

18:42 - I'm Dying

21:56 - Here

32:13 - Dirty Hole

40:24 - Touched

Outro - Pretty When You Cry

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