Alternative Rock Nostalgia Buzz

Forgotten Songs of the ’80s: Husker Du Husker Du were one of the greatest post-punk/hardcore bands of all time but it’s only been in the last ten years or so that their legacy has begun to grow. It doesn’t help at this point that most of their output is out of print except for iTunes but for those who prefer to own an actual disc, you’re out of luck for a while. But in the meantime, everyone needs to listen to “Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely.” Kicking off with drummer Grant Hart’s traditional rolling intro, the band gets things going quickly before the listener has a chance to gauge what’s going on. Grant takes the lead here leaving guitarist Bob Mould in the dust. But that’s not a deterrent at all; in fact it makes the song all the much stronger. Grant sings his lyrics about telling a girlfriend (or boyfriend) off while yet feeling a bit miserable at the same point. In the end, the protagonist is trying to get over her and is optimistic about his future. While the song garnered ...

Forgotten Songs of the 21st Century: Dillinger Escape Plan The Dillinger Escape Plan have burst onto the scene in the last few years as one of the most devastatingly fierce hardcore rock/metal bands around. With every release, they seem to get thicker and louder. In some ways, everything came together on 2007’s Ire Works and one of their best songs ever, “Black Bubblegum.” Starting off with a drum machine intro, it almost sounds like you’re gonna hear a new wave song or electro or some other shit; but then the real drums come in and suddenly, the bands bursts out of the speakers and vocalist Greg Puciato begins singing in a voice that can only be described as Mike Patton taken down a notch. The song is like grinding metal matched with sixties pop and that is the best way to accurately describe the song. By the time the chorus comes around, the song basically explodes into full-on metal with the band syncopating perfectly behind Greg. Then all of a sudden, everything breaks down into j...

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Cracker Cracker have always been, at least in my opinion, one of the most underrated rock bands of all time. Even though they’re still played on the radio to this day, it’s only one song: “Low” and that’s not even their very best. To do that, you’ve got to go back to their 1992 self-titled debut and listen to track 1, “Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now).” Kicking off with one of the best guitar riffs of the decade, the band get into high gear right away as the rhythm section starts to blend together with the guitar and then David Lowery’s voice comes in and the listener is fully aware they’re going to be getting something fantastic. The song, without a doubt, is one of the best slacker anthems of alternative rock and while basically being a pun on “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Teen Angst” is like an old-timer speaking like a hipster, desperately trying to be cool. Where else could a reference like “Frank Sinatra” be heard? By the time the song ends, the wh...

Forgotten Album of the Month: Local H While everyone should remember Local H, it seems to be the only song you hear on the radio is “Bound for the Floor;” while it’s a great song, it not the best song the band ever had. To hear that, one will have to pick up the band’s 1996 masterpiece As Good As Dead . Although it came out in the midst of the Bush/Silverchair overseas grunge explosion, the band were able to break through the airwaves with infectious and sometimes ironic songs that still stand the test of time. Starting off with a little experiment, “Manifest Density Pt. 1,” the album really kicks off with the amazingly fierce “High Fiving MF,” which is probably one of the biggest diss tracks ever heard on a rock record. The amazing thing about this track is that it actually made it to the radio in some areas but because it was so heavily edited, it lost a lot of its meaning but it was still a great song. After “Bound for the Floor,” the record lags a bit with an okay song and a hard r...