Flashbacks!! Cont'd

Chapter 2: The Alternative to the Alternative

So in our last Blast from the Past entry we discussed the 90’s alternative revolution. We touched on some of the big names who earlier releases crushed, some underdogs who made a brief appearance, and overall some severely underrated records. It is a good segue into this section discussing the alternatives to the alternative. Some of our past entry could find a spot on this list (Sonic Youth, Flaming Lips, Dinosaur Jr.), and it just goes to show the prevalence of great music that was happening during that time period. We could look at all types of music, but we will focus on the rock n roll that emerged during that time.

So what does it mean to be the alternative to the alternative? Well the alternative revolution was originally focused on providing something different from what was happening in mainstream music, it was something that was different and fresh, but once it started to gather a large following and was seen as a money making genre, the alternative became the norm. So once the airwaves were saturated which what was once considered the alternative that opened to the door for something else to be the alternative. This entry does not consider the alternative to be an individual sound, but a conglomeration of what else was happening at that time. 

It is interesting to look at some of the originators of the early 90’s movement and see what life handed to them. Mudhoney is a great example of a band in my mind that helped to really pave the way, and never got their just desserts. They were thought to be the “Nirvana”, and would be the saviors of rock n roll. They gathered a good sized following, they were the poster boys for the Sub-Pop label and then Nirvana broke through into the spotlight and gathered critical acclaim. Mudhoney was sure now to capitalize off a style of music they helped to pioneer, but then Ole Kurt offed himself and something happened. Grunge lost its appeal to many, what was the point to carry on with it after the patron saint passed on. Mudhoney became relics in their own time and never quite got their piece of pie. 

The 80’s saw the rise of more and more independent label’s and that only increased in the 1990’s and no two bands better represented the indie movement than Pavement and Fugazi. Throughout their career the maintained a cult following, and even when they were approached by the majors chose to stick by their values and remain on an independent label when many of their peers began to sign to majors. Indie Rock is an interesting “genre” because really it does not have a defined sound, and originally was used to label bands not on the majors. Eventually though a sound became associated with a certain era of indie bands who were gaining more national exposure and Pavement was one of the early ones. 

Due to their loyalty to the independent method, the sound that was associated with them was characterized as indie. College Rock, alternative, punk, grunge, experimental, neo-psychedelia, and pop all helped to influence indie bands and these days indie is used in such a wide context it is hard to really define it. Pavement though embodied to an extent what the indie spirit was, and it is hard to find many bands who will continually stick to their guns in that manner. Others have carried on the spirit of Pavement, and the 2000’s has continued to see an increase in the prominence of independent labels. 

Fugazi could be seen as the kings on the independent movement in a certain manner. Ian McKaye was a prolific member of the D.C. punk scene; he was instrumental in helping to create a DIY scene that was self-sufficient. He pioneered hardcore punk with the band Minor Threat, emo with the band Embrace, post-hardcore with Fugazi, and the independent label Dischord Records. Fugazi is another band that embodied the independent mentality, and always remained on an independent label despite fierce recruitment from the majors. Fugazi was considerate of their fans in that they never charged ridiculous ticket prices to their shows no matter how popular they became. Fugazi refused to cross corporate sponsorship with their passion of music. Ian continues to support independent movement with his label and from what I have gathered has never made a choice that was contrary to his ethical beliefs.

I had no idea what the shoegaze scene was back in the 1990’s, reading back on it a bit it seems there was some popularity in the US and that some of the songs became radio singles, but I hardly remember hearing anything about those bands until the later years of my high school and that was past their era. It seemed to be quite the fad over in England, and had a similar evolution as the grunge scene in the United States. Like grunge, it sprung up, hit its peak popularity and then disappeared just as fast. Interestingly enough, Shoegaze fell out of popularity due to the rise of the Brit Pop scene in England, and the Grunge scene in the US. These days though you still find enthusiasts of the shoegaze movement, and you see a lot more bands taking cues and influence from Chapterhouse and Slowdive than Nirvana or Oasis these days. It has made a bit of resurgence with the so called “nu-gaze” movement, but in the early 90’s it seemed England was littered with the likes of Slowdive, Ride, Lush, Chapterhouse, and Moose. Bands such as My Bloody Valentine, and The Jesus and Mary Chain were influences on Shoegaze and are at time grouped in with this scene.

The 90’s also unleashed a wave of bands who took the emo of the 1980’s, the post-hardcore of the early 90’s, the sounds of the current indie movement and blended those with pop sensibilities to create what is commonly referred to as Emo these days, but more so is a post-emo indie rock sound, and this scene was pretty diversified. Bands such as Sunny Day Rea Estate, Mineral, Jawbreaker/Jets to Brazil, and Jimmy Eat World all had similar influences, played in a similar scene, but each took a different approach in their sound. A lot of these bands were a part of that major label swoop of underground pop punk/emo bands of the mid 90’s, and while many still have cult fan bases, none really broke through to find a place in the hearts of mainstream America. Sunny Day Real Estate could easily be seen as one of the most important bands of the 1990’s. They helped to break down the walls between the emo/indie scene and alternative rock, and unfortunately helped to pave the way for the crappy wave of “emo” bands in the 2000’s. Even more unfortunate is the further mutation of the emo scene that happened. Bands such as My Bloody Valentine or Thursday are a far cry from the emo pioneers like Rites of Spring and Embrace. It makes me kind of sad due to most people associating a scene not with what it was founded on (even though the early emo bands hated the label) and with what is being sold to them as emo. 

The alternative to the alternative became a haven as I moved out of middle school. I could find things such as punk rock, but also weird experimental music that had a strange appeal as my musical palate developed.  I found music that still had the sensibilities of pop music, but also layered with creative aspects to keep the music fresh. The staleness of hearing the same thing over and over again started to disappear and I felt more in control of what I was listening to. It was exciting to hear some of these bands on the radio for a brief minute and then discover that they had way more to offer than the one song I heard being played. It was sweet to get a cd in which most of the songs were of quality in comparison to bands like Bush who put out a cd and maybe 4 songs were listenable (at the time).  Some call me pretentious; I just call me a man with taste. It is not my place to say what or what not to listen to, but it is my job to try to let others know what is out there besides the obvious. In the 1990's labels such as Matador, Dischord, Sub-Pop, Jade Tree, Revelation, Fat Wreckchords, Touch and Go, SST, and Epitaph led the indie front, please continue to support independent labels and keep money going to those actually involved in the music scene. So I hope you guys enjoy this mix, here is a slice of the alternative to the alternative!

Link: SFMTC Vol. 9b - The Alternative to the Alternative

SFMTC Vol. 9b - The Alternative to the Alternative

01. Helmet - In The Meantime
02. Screaming Trees - Bed of Roses
03. Hum - Ms. Lazarus
04. Seaweed - Stale
05. Sonic Youth - Screaming Skull
06. Turbonegro - New Wave Song
07. Superchunk - 30 xtra
08. Fugazi - Cassavetes
09. Dinosaur Jr. - Goin Home
10. Guided by Voices - Bulldog Skin
11. Catherine Wheel - Judy Staring at the Sun
12. Sebadoh - Black Haired Girl
13. Brian Jonestown Massacre, the  - She Made Me
14. Green Pajamas - Emma Is Crying
15. The Pixies -  Gigantic
16. Butthole Surfers - The Ballad of Naked Man
17. The Charlatans - NYC
18. Mineral - Silver
19. King Missile - As I Walked Thru Queens
20. Jets to Brazil - Conrad
21. The Stone Roses - One Love
22. Mudhoney - Good Enough
23. Pavement - Range Life
24. Sunny Day Real Estate - Rising Tide
25. Stereolab - Wow and Flutter
26. Smoking Popes - Adena
27. The Jesus and Mary Chain - She
28. The Folk Implosion - Chained to the Moon
29. Spiritualized - I Want You
30. Quicksand - Omission