Alternative Rock Nostalgia Buzz

Forgotten Songs of the 21st Century: Interpol Once Interpol came out in 2002, they were heralded as one of the best indie bands of the decade, right up there with The Arcade Fire and The Strokes. But unlike the other bands, Interpol tends to be overlooked in terms of songwriting ability. Why this has happened is unknown but some songs need to be rediscovered because they’re so enchanting, they tend to pull the listener in no matter what mood they’re in. The biggest example of this is 2004’s “Evil.” The second single from Antics , the song kicks off with Carlos D.’s hypnotically cryptic bass line that leads to Paul Banks’ almost Ian Curtis-like voice that gives the song such a rich power. The song’s lyrics at first may have seemed a bit difficult to crack but that was usually the case with most Interpol songs but looking back the song is easy to crack. The song’s meaning is about a guy who’s been left behind by a girl and is looking back at what happened. The song had a really strong an...

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Urban Dance Squad When this motley crew of rappers and rockers came out of Amsterdam, of all places, in 1990, no one really expected much. But then all of a sudden, they broke through on American radio with the cheery, very poppy “Deeper Shade of Soul,” one of the greatest ‘rap-rock’ songs of all time, even though it doesn’t fit with the rest of the genre. Built around a sample of a song by sixties Latin bandleader Ray Baretto, the band constructed a really bright song tailor made for the summer. Excellent musicianship from the whole band start the song off with a bang and a killer groove. Rapper/frontman Rudeboy doesn’t really rap so much as sing here but that’s exactly what the song needs. Pretty much unheard at the time, the combination of pop guitar, sampled horns, DJ scratches, light drumming and a euphoric chorus melded together to create one of the most ubitiquous songs of the pre-grunge era. While the band are known in the U.S. as a ‘one hit wonder,...

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: OMD OMD, short for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are probably best known for their light pop anthem “If You Leave,” which was featured in “Pretty in Pink” or one of those eighties teen films. But before that song became a top ten hit in America, they were a gritty post-punk English new wave band and released one of the greatest songs of that era, “Enola Gay.” Starting off with an instantly recognizable keyboard intro, the song then goes into high gear when frontman Andy McCluskey’s deep tenor starts floating all over the melody in a brilliant blending of music and vocals. Named after the WWII bomb, the song talks about the bomb in a very chilling and damning way. The song’s bouncy rhythm helps keep the mood up while bringing it down at the same time but again, that’s what most new wave songs of the era did. What makes this one so unique is how fresh and cool the song still sounds, almost thirty years after it was recorded. Try finding another ten songs ...

These lists have been in the works for some time and now is the time to unveil them to the world. I was going to post this as a note on Facebook, but the site is a piece of shit so that didn't happen. Anyways, to those who have never seen or heard of these films, after reading this list, I suggest you go online and read and then start watching and afterwards, go download some music. I doubt you will be disappointed. TOP 20 FAVORITE FILMS 20. Lifeboat 19. Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 18. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story 17. White Heat 16. Dumb & Dumber 15. Hype! 14. Groundhog Day 13. Hot Shots! 12. Laura 11. Toy Story 10. That Thing You Do! 09. Back to the Future Part II 08. Blazing Saddles 07. Grosse Pointe Blank 06. Tropic Thunder 05. Fear of a Black Hat 04. It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World 03. Quiz Show 02. Coming to America 01. A Face in the Crowd TOP 10 FAVORITE BANDS 10. Suicidal Tendencies 09. Red Hot Chili Peppers 08. Nirvana 07. ...

Forgotten Album of the Month: Wax Wax were one of the most underrated punk bands of the nineties. Even though they really only became known after signing to Interscope in the wake of Green Day’s success and had one hit that still lingers to this day in “California,” they ended up releasing one of the best post-punk records of the decade: 13 Unlucky Numbers . Kicking off with the fiery blast of “Who is Next,” frontman Joe Sib, guitarist Soda, bassist Birdie Cutlass and drummer Loomis play no-frills, fast as shit punk with tons of attitude, really catchy choruses and hook-ridden music. Songs like “In Spite of Me” and “Stop Sign” are pretty much one in the same except for the use of horns, which are buried in the mix, but it doesn’t matter because they’re still great songs. The hit, “California,” which is best known for the video which features slow-motion footage of a man running down the street on fire, is still good but is one of the more lackluster tracks on the record, just because i...