...Flesh remade in mockery of past forms, we live again, resurrected.
Sparked by a discussion of Jimmy Eat World, here are some of my favorite indie/emo/alternative albums from the 90's. For the best in 90's hardcore, look at the post previous to this one
Cap'n Jazz/American Football: Everything by these two bands is pure fucking gold. Mostly because they're essentially the same band. But American Football set the blueprint for early Midwestern emo; a template that bands like Jimmy Eat World world borrow from very heavily. This was one of the first bands that made it ok to play pretty things on a guitar and sing about feelings that weren't anger and still be part of the punk rock thing. There are a bunch of really really excellent bands that were all part of this scene, like Braid, Mineral, and Sunny Day Real Estate. Here's a sampling of my favorite albums:
But all of those bands barely ever get happier than "melancholy," so lets pick the tempo up a tad.
"But I thought you said punk rock sucked in the 90's?" you ask. "What good can come out of a decade dominated by Green Day and Blink-182?"
They were dark times, indeed. But amongst the snotty 20 year olds acting like snotty 14 year olds, there were a few lights in the darkness.
"Scared of Chaka? Isn't that the band Dave Hernandez was in before he was in The Shins?" Yes, and go fuck yourself. "Sea Dragon" is one of the best songs ever written and it crushes any song by The Shins. It's the kind that I get stuck on and have to play over and over again for about an hour, which means I listen to it...36 times, because it's only a minute and 40 seconds long.
Now that we've gone from the extremes of navel gazing to raw energy, let's try and find some middle ground. Fortunately, I know two bands that fit that description perfectly. Oh lucky you! Oh clever me!
Jawbreaker injects some punk/alternative rock energy into their songs, which makes them a little easier for me to handle when it's not 2 in the morning and I haven't just been broken up with (my ideal listening conditions for American Football). Blake Schwarzenbach's rasp makes his world-weariness a little easier for me to swallow, I guess.
Note for people that think that Dear You is the worst Jawbreaker album: fuck you fight me.
Hot Water Music...just fucking rock. I dunno how to explain it better than that. Chuck Ragan's vocals are the perfect blend of melody and roughness, huge guitars, and a rhythm section that is basically unequalled in punk rock. just to prove how good they are, here is a compilation of b-sides and rarities that are better than your favorite band's best album.
Here's a bunch of stuff I just thought to include but couldn't think of any way to tie in:
Live is my favorite for one reason, and that reason can best be summed up as "20 minute version of 'Cortez the Killer.'"
Following Built to Spill, I have to include my other favorite 90's indie guitar wizard, J Mascis.
I told you he was a wizard.
I forgot to put The Promise Ring in with the first bit of the post, and that's fucking unacceptable. What a good goddamn band.
