Alternative Rock Nostalgia Buzz

Forgotten Songs of the ‘70s: Judee Sill Now I know it’s been quite a while since I’ve written Forgotten Songs of the ‘70s but that’s because there haven’t been many songs from that decade that I’ve discovered that have hit me where I live. But a few months ago, I finally tracked down a copy of long-lost folk singer Judee Sill’s self-titled debut and heard “Jesus was a Cross Maker.” When I did, it instantly became one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. The song begins just like most folk songs of the era with a piano and a voice but this voice is much more different and extraordinary than all the rest. Judee Sill had an angelic voice that suited the song’s subject so perfectly. The melding of her voice and the piano makes for an excellent combination. As the song continues to build, more instruments come into the mix including a layer of subtle percussion that gives the song more of pop radio sheen, which does nothing to dampen the song whatsoever. As Sill continues to sing, the song be...

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Helmet Helmet will be remembered as one of the loudest rock bands of the nineties but not all their songs have gone down in history. Probably their most overlooked record is 1994’s Betty , which saw the band take a detour from the noise route and turn things down a notch while still keeping the intensity level high. Probably the best song on the record, besides “Milquetoast,” which was featured on “The Crow” soundtrack is “Wilma’s Rainbow.” Kicking off with a detuned intro, one probably doesn’t expect much from the track until the band comes together in one tight spot and then leads bassist Henry Bogdan and drummer extraordinaire John Stanier to carry the groove. Then frontman Page Hamilton comes in with one of the most distinctive voices in hardcore. The lyrics to the song almost come across as lines of a poem and with the heavy, but low rhythm of the song, it all fits together perfectly. The song was released as the second single off of Betty and failed ...

Forgotten Album of the Month: Subrosa About a year ago, I wrote about For Squirrels and “8:02 PM.” Before the album came out, half the band was killed in a van accident. The other half recovered from their injuries, found a new bassist, Andy Lord and toured as For Squirrels for a time and then began work on a new record. Reuniting with For Squirrels producer Nick Launay, the band rechristened themselves Subrosa, Latin for “under the rose” and set about to make an extremely angry record. When the album, Never Bet the Devil Your Head , was released in the summer of 1997, it was a complete turnaround from the pop sensibilities of Example and was almost completely written in response to the tragedy. Kicking off with “World’s Greatest Lover,” a swirling, loud monster of a song that paves the way for the rest of the record. Guitarist/vocalist Travis Tooke’s throaty, almost Tom Waits-y vocals give the songs a much harsher edge and more of a ‘fuck you’ attitude. As the album progresses, the m...