Alternative Rock Nostalgia Buzz

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Lightning Seeds When the Lightning Seeds covered the song “You Showed Me” in 1997, it already had a storied history. Originally written by Roger McGuinn and recorded by the Byrds, it was covered by the Turtles, who ended up having an even bigger hit with it. Then the Turtles’ recording was sampled by De La Soul in 1989 and ended up changing the course of hip hop history with the lawsuit that followed. But the Lightning Seeds version is different and that’s what so unique and special about it. As opposed to other Lightning Seeds tracks, this one had more of a trip-hop feel and was more subdued than say “The Life of Riley.” Leader Ian Broudie’s vocals flow along with the beat in a way that should’ve been a hit considering how hip trip-hop was in 1997. As the song loops along, the vocals become stronger and breezier and really envelop the listener in the track. Even though the song was included on the soundtrack to the first “Austin Powers,” it flopped, as di...

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: Psychedelic Furs Everybody knows Psychedelic Furs because of “Pretty in Pink” but before that song became huge due to the movie, they were an atmospheric post-punk band that sprung out of London and released their self-titled debut in 1980. One of the moodiest songs on the record has also become one of the most revered: “Sister Europe.” Beginning with a drum intro courtesy of Vince Ely, the rest of the band slowly come in, building an atmosphere of weird introspection until frontman Richard Butler starts singing and then it immediately becomes a classic. The power and depth of his voice makes it one of the most recognizable voices of the eighties. The lyrics, talking about his sister coming home continue to remain some of the most haunting lyrics of their career, just because of the way he delivers them. The band ended up becoming one of the most influential alternative bands of the eighties and rightfully so and it all starts here. While some other single...

Forgotten Songs of the 21st Century: Clutch Clutch are one of those bands that have been around for an eternity and it’s only been recently that they’ve started to get any real attention at all. This new and long overdue recognition began to gather steam in 2004 with the release of Robot Hive/Exodus and the fantastic single “Burning Beard.” Kicking off with probably the quickest intro to a song since their 1995 self-titled album; frontman Neil Fallon immediately gets things off to a rockin’ start with vocals that could have only come from the southern bayous; ironically, the band is from Maryland but you would never tell from what you hear. The combination of Jean-Paul Gaster’s dynamic but restrained drumming, Tim Sult’s powerful guitar and the organ playing make for one hell of a racket behind Neil all the way through but Clutch fans were already used to this type of power but were just waiting for more of a mass audience to tune in. By the time the song is reaching its climax, the b...

Forgotten Album of the Month: Travis Tooke This is going to be the final post for the Forgotten Album of the Month so I decided to make the final entry the newest one; in late 2007, former For Squirrels/Subrosa guitarist Travis Tooke released his first solo album after a ten year hiatus from the music business. When Artichoke was first released, one could only obtain it via his record company’s website using PayPal. As a result of it’s tiny release, it didn’t even start getting much attention until the summer of 2008 when major publications like Billboard started checking him out. What they discovered was an experimental record but one that was obviously a labor of love. The first thing one notices when they listen is that his voice has not changed at all but the music has gotten a bit moodier. His ironic wordplay that was all over the Subrosa record is still in full effect on tracks like “Lonely and Not Alone.” For the most post, tracks sound like alternative rock that would’ve been ...

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Corrosion of Conformity Corrosion of Conformity (C.O.C.) are a band that have gone through many phases: a thrash band, a hardcore band, a stoner metal band and a regular heavy metal band. It was the latter phase that yielded the band their biggest success in the nineties. With the release of their fifth album, 1996’s Wiseblood , the band got the heaviest they’d been since the eighties. One of the standout tracks on the album was also one of the strangest singles they ever released: “Drowning in A Daydream.” Kicking off with one of the most monstrous riffs ever yet heard, Pepper Keenan and company immediately get things in a groove that refuses to subside. When drummer Reed Mullin isn’t beating the hell out of everything in sight, Pepper Keenan is singing in a baritone that quickly establishes himself as one of the best frontmen in all of metal. The sense of fear and dread that comes across in the lyrics is one that stays with you long after the song is over...

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: The Reddings This is going to be the most interesting post I’ve ever done because the song in question is an instrumental; but it’s also one of the funkiest instrumentals any one will ever hear. The Reddings were led by Otis Redding’s sons and one of their cousins. When “The Awakening” came out in 1980, they were still in their teens but they knew exactly how to separate themselves from their famous father. Dexter and Otis III on drums and bass respectively set the tone right from the beginning. At first, you’re not sure if what you’re hearing is a knock-off of the theme from “Shaft” but Otis immediately lays down the funkiest bass riff ever heard and his brother falls in behind him with the simplest of intros. But then they kick in to the main idea and it’s impossible to believe that playing this perfect and expertly done is coming from a bunch of teenagers. To show how funky the bass is here, Les Claypool of Primus has taken it on himself to reintroduce t...

Forgotten Songs of the ‘70s: Cheap Trick You can do an entire blog about Cheap Trick but this band was just cursed with so much misfortune, one can’t help but keep going back to them to talk about different songs or records. One of my top five favorite tracks is “Heaven Tonight,” which can be found on their classic 1978 album of the same name. Beginning with one of the best intros in the history of rock, the band creates one hell of an environment with strings and a haunting riff courtesy of Rick Nielsen before Robin Zander comes in with a tour de force performance with creepy, mood building vocals that greatly enhance the entire song. By making the lyrics a bit of a double entendre, the band makes the clearest case as ever’s been heard as to why they’re one of the best pop bands ever. By continuing to build the intensity of the strings throughout the track until the very end when they come crashing down into a fadeout, the band made this one of the spookiest songs of the seventies but...