Dig Me Out - The 90's Rock Podcast

"Ágætis byrjun" by Sigur Rós was released in 1999 but didn't get proper attention until touring with Radiohead in 2000. The Icelandic post-rock band's sophomore album is lead by Jónsi Birgisson's haunting falsetto vocals partially in Hopelandic, a nonsensical language created by the band, is unlike anything from the time period. The album blends ambient, classical, and rock elements, creating a dreamlike and cinematic atmosphere. Each track is like it's own mini-movie, exploring a new sonic landscape that evokes everything from blissful euphoria to introspective melancholy. Hailed as a landmark album that pushed the boundaries of experimental music, the band employ a mix of classical orchestration and modern electronic elements, creating a one-of-a-kind cinematic and atmospheric experience.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Starálfur 21:14 - Svefn-g-englar 25:33 - Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm) 45:06 - Olsen Olsen Outro - Ný batterí   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode ar

After a string of indie label seven inch releases, Velocity Girl from College Park, Maryland, released their debut album Copacetic on Seattle's legendary Sub Pop records. Taking their name from the Primal Scream track, the band leans into the UK sound of shoegaze with a layer of American indie and noise rock. Lead singer Sarah Shannon's vocal hover above the fray, the anchor in the three-to-four minutes of brittle guitars and thin rhythms that hamper the potential of Copacetic. This episode is dedicated to Steven Jon, who passed away on November 23rd, 2023. RIP.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Crazy Town 19:15 - Audrey's Eyes 26:09 - Here Comes 30:49 - Pop Loser 38:29 - A Chang Outro - Void I: Thousand Year Drift by Hollow Earth   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

It's our fourth year of getting the patrons together and giving thanks for the new music that gave us happiness and good vibes in 2023. There's a wide array of bands and artists, new and old, that helped make 2023 a great year for music. New albums from 1980s, 90s and 00s artists like Slowdive, The Hives, Louise Post of Veruca Salt, Depeche Mode, Drop Nineteens, Samiam, Gaz Coombes of Supergrass, Madder Rose, Juliana Hatfield, The Hold Steady, Brad, Ash, OMD, Allen Epley of Shiner and The Life And Times, The Church, PJ Harvey, Blur, DJ Shadow, and many more all released great late career records, while newer bands like Crown Hands, Spotlights, Houston, Vast Robot Armies, and several others landed on our radar. We also spend an inordinate amount of time rambling about the new Andre 3000 album, New Blue Sun.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Scapa Flow by Drop Nineteens 5:30 - Ghosts Again by Depeche Mode 20:43 - In The Moment That You're Born by Brad 35:40 - Graveyard Love by Mutoid Man 57:30 - Ants To You, Gods

Elastica burst onto the scene in 1995 with their highly acclaimed self-titled debut album, showcasing the band's distinctive blend of punk-inspired energy and catchy pop hooks. Elastica's minimalist sound and frontwoman Justine Frischmann's laid back vocals separated the band from their Britpop counterparts Blur, Suede, Oasis and Pulp. To help us revisit their freshman effort, we're joined by Rob Harvilla, host of the 60 Songs That Define the 90s podcast and his new corresponding book, out November 14th.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Connection 27:09 - Car Song 35:05 - Blue 39:43 - Indian Song Outro - Line Up   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Leaving behind traditional rock 'n roll structures for more experimental avenues is nothing new for post-rock bands stretching back to The Velvet Underground drones or Brian Eno's ambient albums. It's stretches boundaries into free jazz, krautrock, math rock, and more often with a mechanical feel. That is quite the opposite of what the Dirty Three accomplish on their 1996 album Horse Stories, filled with the improvisations of Warren Ellis on violin, Mick Turners on guitars and bass, and Jim White on drum. The three-piece creates a wide cinematic scope, using space and slow building dynamics to evoke European folk ballads, traditional blues, classical music and much more.   Songs In This Episode Intro -Sue's Last Ride 19:39 - At The Bar 28:03 - Warren's Lament Outro - Red   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

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 Boys-esque pop. The album featured a broader range of instruments and experimental sounds, showcasing the band's evolving musical maturity. The band's sound became more intricate and layered, reflecting a greater musical complexity in their compositions. Despite these changes, Superdrag's unmistakable energy and John Davis' distinctive vocals remained at the core of their sound, making "Head Trip in Every Key" an important milestone in their musical evolution.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Do The Vampire 19:32 -

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 new wave, all drenched in a very specific moodiness. Defined by its experimental and uncompromising nature, the album is a great example of the 1980s/90s crossroads that alternative music found itself as college rock rose to prominence on MTV and radio, resulting in the band re-releasing the album in 1992 via a major label deal with Zoo Entertainment.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Ptah 17:40 - Peace Child 23:14 - Copious 27:01 - Dawn Of The Great Eastern Sun 35:58 - Sins of the Fathers Outro - Mountains Of The Spok

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 communities. Over the years, the album has gained recognition for its influence on subsequent generations of musicians exploring similar sonic landscapes. But buzz can be a double-edged sword, so will this revered record live up to the hype?   Songs In This Episode Intro - Inside Out 22:00 - Heading For The Door 26:32 - Stratosphere 29:23 - Gold Dust 33:50 - Earth Moon Transit 37:23 - Topical Solution Outro - Docking The Pod   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPo

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 fanbase to this day. While some may have questioned the band's evolution from skate punks to something closer to post-hardcore, emo, and even pop-punk, the key ingredients - catchy hooks, big guitar riffs, and a propulsive rhythm section, keep the record on track even when they take chances with quieter and more subdued moments, and even a Beatles cover.   Songs In This Episode Intro - She Found You 20:44- Full On 27:06 - Cry Baby Cry 29:46 - Charity Outro - Ordinary   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon.

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 spin, of course, would end up creating one of the most memorable songs of the 90s, "Song 2," that still gets played in stadiums at sporting events around the world, and is a staple on 90s classic radio. But "Song 2" is just the tip of a very weird, very singular sound that would find the band taking chances that mostly paid off.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Song 2 18:57 - Strange News From Another Star 24:40 - On Your Own 29:56 - Death of a Party 37:56 - I'm Just A Killer For Your Love Outro - Beetlebum   Support

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 Mother," the bouncy "The One," the punky "Bulldog," and others helps the record fly by in entertaining fashion. As high as the highs are, there are no low lows, just some disappointing valleys that sound like the first draft of what could have been much more.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Navy Bean 16:28 - Mother Mother 22:45 - Tell It To The Sky 32:29 - Sharks Can't Sleep Outro - The One   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

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 steady stream of dynamic arrangements, shifting between blazing dissonance and subdued restraint that occasionally recalls the valleys of Sunny Day Real Estate.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Romeo-Core 12:30 - Stale 17:41 - The Ghost of the Organ Player at the Hockey Coliseum 20:45 - Accessing the Know-How 26:10 -Jerome Does a Dance in Hi-Fidelity Outro - My Beijing Hot Rod   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

"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 along with Green Day and The Offspring, who released million-selling albums the same year in "Dookie" and "Smash," respectively. Thanks to a re-recording of "21st Century (Digital Boy)," a song the band was unhappy with the previous studio version, they had a proper radio and MTV single to expose the suburban masses around the United States to a headier lyrical approach backed by sugar-sweet harmonies.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Incomplete 25:23 - 21st Century (Digital Boy) 30:46 - Stranger Than Fiction 38:39 -

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   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

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   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

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   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

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   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode a

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   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

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   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

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   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreo