x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock

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.

music music commentary

All Episodes

01:14:01

Superdrag - Head Trip In Every Key | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/10/31

Superdrag first gained recognition with their debut album, "Regretfully Yours," which featured the hit single "Sucked Out." Elektra records upped the dough for a sophomore album hoping the band would follow-up the hit with more radio friendly singles. Instead, "Head Trip in Every Key," marked a significant departure from their freshman effort. The band continued to deliver their trademark catchy melodies, but this time, they incorporated more diverse musical elements, like psychedelic rock and Beach

en-us

01:00:39

Course Of Empire by Course Of Empire | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/10/24

Dark, brooding atmospheres with intense, pulsating rhythms complemented by searing guitar work and haunting, enigmatic lyrics roughly sum up the wild ride that it is self-titled debut album by Course Of Empire. If an album can be called "dystopian," which is usually reserved for science fiction novels and movies, Course Of Empire may qualify. Thanks to hypnotic, almost tribal percussion via a pair of drummers, the band stretches from tabla jams to industrial beats to ambient drone guitar to poppy

en-us

01:00:30

Duster - Stratosphere | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/10/17

Duster's 1998 debut Stratosphere came out to little fanfare at the time of release. Featuring a distinctive blend of dreamy, reverb-soaked guitars, buried vocals, and a deliberate, slow tempo, the band creates an atmospheric sound that is occasionally mesmerizing. Characterized by its introspective and melancholic mood, tracks like "Heading for the Door" and "Gold Dust" transport listeners to a sonically immersive and otherworldly place, making it a cult classic in the indie rock and shoegaze

en-us

45:43

Samiam - You Are Freaking Me Out | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/10/10

Following the release of 1994's Clumsy for Atlantic, Samiam took their completed fifth album back from the major label and found a new home with Ignition. Unfortunately, that label ran into money troubles, leaving copies of You Are Freaking Me Out difficult to come by. For a band that evolved out of the same Bay Area punk scene as Green Day, Bad Religion, Operation Ivy, and many more, the band never reached the same commercial heights as some of their contemporaries, but maintains a dedicated

en-us

01:08:39

Blur - Blur | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/10/03

Having blazed a trail with some of the most successful Britpop albums of the 1990s, Blur was heading for implosion following their tabloid battle with Oasis in 1995 and inter-band turmoil. To reorient themselves, they turned to the country that used to be a target of scorn - America. Specifically, American indie rock like Pavement. You can hear the influence throughout the album as the band takes the noise, the jagged guitar lines, the lo-fi aesthetics, and put their unique spin on it. That unique

en-us

49:26

Tracy Bonham - The Burdens of Being Upright | 90s...

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/09/26

Major label debuts for any artist can be a double-edged sword. Recording a group of songs you've had years to craft means they've spent plenty of time in the woodshed, but the pressure to produce a hit, especially in the back half of the 90s, means sometimes the obvious singles get the most attention in the studio and post-production. That is the semi-issue with Tracy Bonham's 1996 freshman release The Burdens of Being Upright. Chock full of interesting, catchy tunes like the hit single "Mother

en-us

47:54

Flu Thirteen - In the Foul Key of V | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/09/19

Before changing their name to Diffuser and scoring a couple of hits in the early 00s, the long island quartet Flu Thirteen banged out jagged post-hardcore riffs and rhythms on par with bands of the time. Getting producer J. Robbins, whose work in the 90s on albums by Braid, Texas Is The Reason, The Promise Ring, and many more helped define the late 90s indie rock sound, was a perfect match to help refine and define the band's sound. On their 1998 album In The Foul Key of V, the band unleashes a

en-us

58:59

Bad Religion - Stranger Than Fiction | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/09/12

"Sell-out" was a phrase tossed around in the 1990s whenever an indie or small-label band jumped to a major record label. Among the most surprising were Bad Religion because their guitarist Brett Gurewitz owned the label they had released their first seven albums on Epitaph Records. While sell-outs were accused of trading integrity for money, Bad Religion's eighth album "Stranger Than Fiction" makes the case that not only was the jump a good move, but helped kick-start the pop-punk takeover of 1994

en-us

53:46

Downset by Downset | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/09/05

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

en-us

01:02:31

Milk - Tantrum | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/08/29

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

en-us

57:09

Idaho - Three Sheets To The Wind | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/08/22

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

en-us

50:59

T-Ride - T-Ride | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/08/15

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

en-us

44:02

Pale Saints - Slow Buildings | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/08/07

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

en-us

56:29

Recoil - Unsound Methods | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/08/01

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

en-us

01:12:08

Chris Whitley - Din of Ecstasy | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/07/25

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

en-us

55:36

Spot - Spot | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/07/18

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

en-us

42:12

Glide - Open Up and Croon | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/07/11

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

en-us

01:16:50

Controversial Albums and Music of the 1990s | Roundtable

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/07/04

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,

en-us

45:40

Holly McNarland - Stuff | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/06/27

After her 1996 self-released EP was picked-up and re-released by MCA, Holly McNarland set out to make her debut album Stuff. In the wake of the success of fellow Canadian singer/songwriters Alanis Morissette and Sarah McLachlan, the table was set for McNarland to make similar waves even if the alternative rock field was getting more crowded by the day. While there is no "You Oughta Know" or "Building a Mystery" on Stuff, there is McNarland's voice, which finds the balance between on edgy angst

en-us

57:37

Black Lab - Your Body Above Me | 90s Album Review

Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock ·

2023/06/20

The back half of the 1990s was deluged with more post-grunge bands that we can count, and cutting through the noise wasn't always easy. For bands like Black Lab, who aimed for both radio and something more interesting, that meant not reaching the chart-topping highs of bands like Our Lady Peace, Semisonic, or Live. Their 1997 debut You Body Above Me for Geffen is a prime example of making the most of the back-half album tracks, as vocalist Paul Durham takes some inventive detours with his vocals,

en-us

775 results

Similar Podcasts

Pasquale Maassen Soundcloud

Pasquale Maassen

Marian Klose

Marian Klose

sevenism

sevenism

Dean Delray"s LET THERE BE TALK

Cactus Radio Network

Word In Your Ear

Mark Ellen, David Hepworth and Alex Gold