Incorrectly tagged as Rage Against The Machine followers (they actually existed before Rage), downset. offer a glimpse into the Los Angeles hardcore and metal scene as it transitioned from the 80s to the 90s. Like Rage, downset. combined big guitar riffs with social and political commentary on their self-titled 1994 debut, but traded the guitar histrionics of Tom Morello for a more streamlined approach. The result is a prime example of the unique 90s rock subgenre of rap rock, which would later evolve into nu-metal with the emergence of bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit, who brought the volume without the content.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Downset

18:54 - Ritual

22:18 - Anger

30:22 - My American Prayer

Outro - About To Blast

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We don't think of many bands coming out of the UK in the early nineties that could fit nicely on a bill with The Jesus Lizard or Mudhoney, but the 1991 album Tantrum by UK band Milk makes the case that noise rock wasn't just an American phenomenon coming out of hardcore. Frenetic rhythms and dissonant guitars shine on the record, covering for a solid but unremarkable vocal performance. The band is at its best when the volume and intensity quickly shift into quasi-blues riffs and thrash metal shredding via Neil Young.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Is That It?

13:08 - Claws

19:46 - Hot Seat

28:36 - Book One, Page One

Outro - Billy and Bobby

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The slowcore sound can be simplified down to tempo and a minimalist approach, but like every genre or subgenre of rock music, there are always those pushing the boundaries and reinventing. On the 1996 album Three Sheets To The Wind by Idaho, the boundary pushing comes as a pair of straight-up rock songs that wouldn't sound out place on a Dinosaur Jr. or Heatmiser album. From there, the band adds jazzy and soulful elements - brushed drums here, an electric piano there - paired with Jeff Martin's evocative vocal that falls somewhere between the folky sadcore of American Music Club's Mark Eitzel and the more experimental post-rock of Low's Alan Sparhawk.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - If You Dare

18:18 - A Sound Awake

23:03 - Shame

30:08 - Alive Again

34:00 - Pomegranate Bleeding

Outro - Catapult

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Ever wonder what it would sound like if Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam, famous for producing the likes of Janet Jackson and Boyz II Men, got behind the board of a three-piece rock band? And what if that band drew influence from bands like Queen, Van Halen, and Faith No More? You might end up with the 1992 self-titled (and lone) album from T-Ride, a record that sounds simultaneously of the time and completely out of place during the grunge explosion. Though tagged as "heavy metal," even a cursory listen informs the listener that there is much more going on, from the deranged power-pop of "Luxury Cruiser" to the industrial dance of "Hit Squad." At just thirty-four minutes long, the band finds a sweet spot of not overstaying their welcome but loading up each song with sonic gold nuggets that demand multiple listens.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Luxury Cruiser

15:28 - Hit Squad

25:09 - I Hunger

31:40 - Fire It Up

Outro - Zombies From Hell

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An established band changing lead singers is always a tricky proposition. With the departure of founding member, singer, and bassist Ian Masters following their second album In Ribbons due to a lack of interest in touring, Pale Saints could have called it quits. Instead, guitarist and backing vocalist Meriel Barham stepped into the fire, having briefly filled the same spot in Lush well before the band established themselves. The result draws obvious comparisons to Barham's former band, but Pale Saints have a few more tricks of their sleeves on their third album Slow Buildings. Whether it is long, slow burn tracks like "Henry" or "Suggestion," or three-minute rockers like "Under Your Nose" or "Angel (Will You Be My)," the band gels around the ethereal voice of Barham.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Angel (Will You Be My)

18:59 - Under Your Nose

27:53 - King Fade

33:19 - Little Friend

Outro - Henry

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After splitting from Depeche Mode in 1995, Alan Wilder focused his full attention on Recoil, his side-project going back to the mid-1980s. In 1997, the same year DM released "Ultra," Wilder released the fourth Recoil studio album, "Unsound Methods." Free to explore the electronic soundscape, Wilder enlisted several vocalists to tackle the electronic/trip-hop material, including Douglas McCarthy from Nitzer Ebb and NYC spoken word artist Maggie Estep. The result is both of the time and ahead of its time, fitting in nicely with the mid-90s trip-hop sounds of Massive Attack, Sneaker Pimps, and Portishead, while also foreshadowing the more experimental and cinematic sounds of James Lavelle's Unkle.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Stalker

16:19 - Incubus

29:11 - Control Freak

36:14 - Drifting

Outro - Missing Piece

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Skirting the edges of stardom, Chris Whitley passed away far too young at 45, but left a catalog of albums more influential than they were ever popular. A wide array of artists, from John Mayer to Joe Bonamassa have lauded Whitley's playing and songwriting, so we're diving into this 1995 sophomore album Din of Ecstasy. Whereas his debut was a slickly produced blues rock album that produced a Top 40 Mainstream Rock chart hit, the follow-up sounds more in line with the happenings of the decade. The big fuzz of Dinosaur Jr. appears on "Din," while a guitar solo on "God Thing" conjures images of Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, as Whitley embraces complex guitar riffs and atmospheric production that sound both of the time and timeless. The only hitch? The album is a slow burn, and a checked-out, background noise listen won't do it justice.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Din

22:21 - God Thing

40:06 - Know

45:20 - Some Candy Talking

59:02 - Never

Outro - Narcotic Prayer

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The line between rock and metal is a thin one, often based on the listener and their personal preferences. Numerous bands in the 1990s blurred the line, injecting heavy riffs and guitar tones into their sound that pushed bands like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden onto Headbanger's Ball alongside Metallica and Slayer. But other bands like Spot took their inspiration and applied it differently, like on their self-titled debut from 1995. Opening with "Drop Down," the rhythm section gallops like Iron Maiden, while the riffs on Hole draw from 80s thrash, all while the vocals shift from the boozy "L'America" to harmonized power-pop without a hitch. It's a weird, singular sound that works when it works, but limps when it doesn't.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Ground

22:57 - Moon June Spoon

28:02 - Drop Down

33:12 - L'America

39:11 - Hole

Outro - Absalom

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The story of Glide is one of potential cut short with the death of lead singer William Arthur before the end of the decade. Commanding a voice with equal parts sneer and croon, the appropriately titled debut Open Up & Croon from 1995 manages to fuse a variety of sounds into a coherent vision. Jangly acoustic guitars accompany fuzzed electrics and a potent rhythm section across the twelve tracks that range from the uptempo title track opener to a wide array of moods, from the Westerbergian "Why You Asking?" to the more dramatic twists in turns on the back-half of the album like "Caterwaul" and closer "Picking At Your Paws."

Songs In This Episode

Intro - He Sees A Way

14:30 - Caterwaul

18:21 - Line

21:59 - Why You Asking?

27:43 - Spin Doctor

31:36 - Open Up and Croon

Outro - Something

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From the cover art for Ritual de lo Habitual by Jane's Addiction to the music videos for Jeremy by Pearl Jam or Closer by Nine Inch Nails, the 1990s were full of controversial and provocative artists and music. Whether it was rapper Ice-T fronting hardcore thrash band Body Count and their single "Cop Killer" to Marilyn Manson pushing boundaries musically and visually, there was no shortage of outrage and hysteria aimed at Gen-X musicians and their fandom. Bands and artists as varied as Tool, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Madonna, Green Day, Megadeth, NOFX, Tin Machine, Ministry, Sublime The Prodigy, Suede, Van Halen, Manic Street Preachers, Slayer and many more faced backlashes for lyrics, album artwork, videos, or just existing.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Closer by Nine Inch Nails

25:55 - Jesus Christ Pose by Soundgarden

32:55 - Smack My Bitch Up by The Prodigy

40:52 - Cop Killer by Body Count

55:24 - Love Is a Good Thing by Sheryl Crow

Outro - Jeremy by Pearl Jam

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