Alternative Rock Nostalgia Buzz

Forgotten Album of the Month: They Might Be Giants Nowadays, everyone knows that They Might Be Giants are legends and geniuses but back in the mid nineties, their stock was declining and album sales were slowing down. But that has never mattered to the band and in some cases, they will still be able to make some really excellent music. One of those cases was 1994, as their record label, Elektra’s interest in them was falling, they emerged with what I feel is one of their best records, John Henry . Their first record with a full-fledged band, in this case, the kickass rhythm section of drummer Brian Doherty (The Silos) and bassist Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu), Johns Flanburgh and Linnell came back after the relatively disappointing Apollo 18 with a strong collection of bathed in fuzz rock songs. Kicking off with the experimental “Subliminal,” which contains at the end, the song in reverse, the band came out with undoubtedly their funkiest single ever, “Snail Shell,” which contains a great b...

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: The Clash The Clash were one of the best punk bands of all time, everyone knows this. But around 1980, the band began taking several detours, sound wise, some were successful and some were not. One of their best detours was dub/reggae, which peaked with the single release of “Bankrobber.” The song begins with a slower than usual Clash intro with the band playing as one and getting a groove going right off the bat. Then Joe Strummer comes in with incredibly melodic lyrics about his daddy being a bankrobber. The song is without a doubt, one of the best Clash songs ever. But as always, it’s the combination of Strummer’s vocals and lyrics and the power and strength of Paul Simonon, Mick Jones and Topper Headon. By keeping locked in the groove and not swaying in any way, the band were able to make the song more memorable. The song’s direct message and almost swaying, reggae beat set it apart from other Clash songs but again, that’s what made the band so damn spe...

Forgotten Songs of the ‘70s: Heatwave I know it has been quite a while since I’ve done anything about the seventies but recently, I had a revelation. Listening to some old Heatwave recently, I came across a powerhouse song called “Mind Blowing Decisions,” a song from their 1977 sophomore record, Central Heating . Unlike other Heatwave songs, this one was written by band leader Johnnie Wilder, Jr. and while he never wrote many songs in the band’s catalog, this is one to treasure. What on the surface sounds a relatively simple love song quickly becomes a look into the mind of someone who’s being torn apart by love. The main question being raised whether the man wants to stay with the woman as boyfriend or husband. Wilder’s voice keeps the song up at all times and the power of his words will make the hair stand up on your arms all the way through. With very light, almost orchestral accompaniment from the rest of the band, “Mind Blowing Decisions” is quite unlike any other R&B ballad f...

Forgotten Album of the Month: Crowded House This may strike some people as rather odd because Crowded House are more on the pop side of things as opposed to other bands on this blog but that’s at least one thing that makes them so special, that even a diehard alternative rock fan can dig some good Australian pop. In 1988, when they released their sophomore effort, Temple of Low Men , they were cast aside because many people found the record too dark and hard to swallow in light of their hits “Something So Strong” and “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” But on this record, frontman Neil Finn began to really find his voice and the result was a collection of some of the best written songs of the late ‘80s. While some songs like “Kill Eye” may strike the listener as incredibly dark, it’s merely an appetizer for what else the record holds. Without a doubt, one of Crowded House’s best ever songs, “Into Temptation” is a ballad about what lies on the other side of marriage. The way the acoustic melody an...