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Album reviews that explore obscure, alternative and pop rock music of the 90s
The 1998 debut Stratosphere by Duster eschews traditional song structures for ambient noise experimentation and droning indie guitar rock
Samiam evolved from Bay Area skate punks to emo-tinged pop-punks on 1997's fan-dividing You Are Freaking Me Out
After helping define the Britpop sound, Blur turned to American indie rock to find inspiration for their challenging 1997 self-titled album
Tracy Bonham's 1996 debut album showcases her skill for crafting a radio earworm like "Mother Mother" but loses steam on the deeper cuts
Angular, dissonant guitars dominate Flu Thirteen's 1998 sophomore album in the post-hardcore territory of At The Drive-in, Cursive, and more
Moving to a major label for their eighth album, Stranger Than Fiction, Bad Religion kept the lyrical fire but upped the production quality
On their 1994 debut album downset. unleash a fury of rap-rock with lyrics that hit as hard as the down-tuned guitars and pounding rhythms
The lone full-length by UK band Milk is an attack of dissonant guitars and frantic rhythms that recall early grunge and Chicago noise rock
Idaho's 1996 album Three Sheets To The Wind isn't afraid to upend the slowcore sound with jazz flourishes and an occasional uptempo rocker
The 1992 self-titled album by T-Ride is a wild alternative rock ride with virtuoso guitar licks, layered vocals, and electro pop rhythms
On their third and final album, Pale Saints changed their lead singer and found a balance between expansive shoegaze and tight rock songs
Following his split from Depeche Mode, Alan Wilder returned to his Recoil side project and released the 1997 album Unsound Methods
Chris Whitley's 1995 sophomore album Din of Ecstasy is the sound of thrashing through musical boundaries and writing from the soul
On their lone self-titled album from 1995, Spot injects their brand of mid-90s alternative rock with metal riffage and Faith No More vibes
Jangly American and Australian indie rock meets UK shoegaze and dream pop on Glide's 1995 debut album Open Up and Croon
On her 1997 debut Stuff, Holly McNarland successfully finds the balance between Alanis Morissette angst and Sarah McLachlan adult pop
The well-crafted 1997 debut album Your Body Above Me by Black Lab is a post-grunge album that warrants and rewards repeated listens
On the 1993 sophomore album Chrome, Catherine Wheel cut back the shoegaze elements for a bolder, more dramatic sound
On their sophomore album, Something For Kate dial down the distortion in favor of a more nuanced post-grunge approach on Beautiful Sharks
On her 1997 album Impossible Princess, Kylie Minogue explores trip-hop, trance, Britpop, and unexpected experiments on this uneven release
On their 1999 major label debut February Son, Oleander ignored the nu-metal ruling rock radio and made a grunge throwback with needed energy
With Jets To Brazil's debut Orange Rhyming Dictionary, Blake Schwarzenbach expanded on the Jawbreaker sound with a heady post-hardcore twist
The Afghan Whigs ended the 1990s on a high note with their sleek and sexy nod to New Orleans and nightlife with 1998's timeless album 1965
On 1991's Fall, Boston's Moving Targets refined their post-punk/post-hardcore sound with catchier guitar riffs and emotive vocals
Though The 6ths are a side-project for Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields, the 1995 debut is just as engaging as his other work
On her third solo outing Only Everything, Juliana Hatfield cranked up the distortion and made one of best guitar rock albums of the 90s
On their fourth record Fight Songs, the Old 97s refined their alternative country rock sound with a cleaner, genre-hopping sound
On our first Diamond episode, we revisit 1995's Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt and dive into the album tracks of this ten million selling album
Four years in the making, Filter's 1999 sophomore release Title of Record is more rock than industrial and the album is better for it
Though the tragic story of Mia Zapata dominates their story, The Gits 1992 album Frenching The Bully is worthy of its own discussion
On their lone obscure release, Lowcraft dial up the 70s glam vibe with 90s production on 1999's Manticore
On their fifth and final album Blasting Off, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry made reverbed post-punk out of step for '91 but a hidden gem to discover
After scoring a top 10 single on their debut album, Letters To Cleo followed it up with more power pop rock that deserved a bigger audience
Hole's second album Live Through This is a lyrically fierce and musical high-point for not just the band but the entire 1990s
On their self-released and self-titled one and only album from 1997, Wünderband craft concise power pop that deserves to be on your radar
With 1991's breakthrough Badmotorfinger, Soundgarden made heady metal for the alternative rock crowd without sacrificing volume or riffage