Tag: Alternative Rock
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Basement ‘Colourmeinkindness’ (2012)
One of my favorite moments each week is my Saturday morning run. It’s a time for self reflection and “me” time after a hectic week of work and family, alongside a much-needed shot of exercise-induced adrenaline. It’s also a really great time for me to listen to some new music. Today’s album was Basement’s Colourmeinkindness,…
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Narrow Head ‘Satisfaction’ (2016)
I’ve been on a bit of a shoegaze and all of its offshoots kick lately and I stumbled upon Narrow Head during my exploration of that genre. The band draws plenty of inspiration from Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins with those fuzzy, layered guitars and a warm wall of sound that walks that fine line between…
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Charmer ‘Downpour’ (2025)
It’s relatively rare nowadays that I listen to an album from a band that is 1) Completely brand new to me 2) Was found organically and not recommended by a friend 3) Impresses me so much that I listen to it for a week plus before writing an article about it. Charmer’s Downpour is the…
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Plain White T’s ‘All That We Needed’ (2005)
Despite the fact that I binge listened to “Hey There Delilah” in high school (along with 99.6% of my graduating class), saw Plain White T’s live at an L3 when they opened for The Matches, and consider Jimmy Eat World one of my favorite bands of all-time (more on that in a second), I never…
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Muse ‘Absolution’ (2003)
In the pantheon of great alternative rock bands in my generation there’s few who come close to Muse in my book. This is a band who simply isn’t just fun to listen to (although they most certainly are) but also frankly a band who made me recognize the transformative nature of what rock music can…
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Nova Twins ‘Parasites & Butterflies’ (2025)
Parasites & Butterflies is a fun romp through modern rock, blending hip hop and dubstep and pop together over highly energetic nu-metal esque instrumentation. Think Cardi B meets Muse meets Skrillex (especially on “N.O.V.A”) and you’re on the right track. I don’t know if this album has much if any staying power for me but…
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+44 ‘When Your Heart Stops Beating’ (2006)
After the highly publicized breakup of Blink-182 in 2005 Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker found themselves navigating both personal and creative fallout from their strained relationship with guitarist Tom DeLonge. While DeLonge went on to form Angels & Airwaves, Hoppus and Barker decided to channel their energy into a new project that retained the urgency…
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The Jump Cuts ‘What A Fun Way To Kill Some Time’ (2025)
Every once in awhile I love to search the deep dark catacombs of Spotify to find unheralded bands super far off the beaten path. Basically the artists like me (shoutout Matthew., Related To Strangers, and Kindergarten Cartel) who outside of their supportive families haven’t quite cracked the big time just yet. So today I fired…
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Soul Asylum ‘Grave Dancers Union’ (1992)
Soul Asylum released Grave Dancers Union in 1992 and went platinum based off their hit single “Runaway Train”. The ballad quickly became the band’s defining hit and eventually earned them a Grammy for Best Rock Song. But its cultural impact extended far beyond MTV rotation as the music video famously featured images of missing children…
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Nova Charisma ‘Metropolitan’ (2024)
Nova Charisma began in 2019 as a creative outlet for vocalist Donovan Melero (of Hail The Sun fame) and guitarist Sergio Medina, both known for their work in the progressive post-hardcore scene. While their main bands emphasized complex, layered arrangements, Nova Charisma aimed to explore a more accessible and direct songwriting approach. Between 2019 and…
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Custard ‘Wisenheimer’ (1995)
If you’re a parent of a kid under the age of 8 years old you are well aware of the Australian TV show Bluey. We covered the album a few years back, but the headline is that over a seven-minute episode the show will have you crying, laughing, and reflecting on how beautiful this time…
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Teddybears ‘Soft Machine’ (2006)
I went and saw Superman this weekend (fun flick) and at the end of the movie during the closing credits was Teddybears’ song “Punkrocker” sung by none other than the legend Iggy Pop. I hadn’t listened to this song for a good 15 years but as soon as it came blasting through the speakers I…
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Bloodhound Gang ‘Hooray For Boobies’ (1999)
Bloodhound Gang is one of those bands that only could have really blown up in the late 90’s. I remember being in middle school and laughing my absolute ass off after hearing their hit single “The Bad Touch” on the radio. I think it was on 92.3 KSJO, which definitely had an edgier sound, but…
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Modern Color ‘From The Leaves of Your Garden’ (2020)
I’m seeing Thrice live for the first time in like 20 odd years later this year (November 21st, circle the date) and stumbled upon Modern Color since they’ll be opening the show for them. And hot damn did Thrice ever pick a banger of a young band to open up for them in Modern Color.…
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Mammoth ‘Mammoth WVH’ (2021)
If you’ve played guitar somewhat regularly at any point in your life you’ve 100% got Eddie Van Halen’s solo from “Eruption” saved somewhere on a guitar inspiration playlist somewhere. So when I remembered that his song Wolfgang had a band of his own it dawned on me I hadn’t given his debut album a full…
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Fountains of Wayne ‘Welcome Interstate Managers’ (2003)
Fountains of Wayne was best known for their 2003 hit “Stacy’s Mom” which was basically everywhere (and I mean everywhere) when I was first starting high school. The band was fronted by Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger and basically was more of a creative side project than a career-defining pursuit for its members, which is…
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Midnight Oil ‘Diesel And Dust’ (1987)
I was taking a sauna with my dad earlier today and got to chatting about some of his favorite bands from the 80’s. He mentioned Midnight Oil as one of those bands that sort of flew under the radar commercially in Minnesota at the time but one that he always connected with on both a…
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Bilmuri ‘American Motor Sports’ (2024)
Bilmuri’s American Motor Sports is far from the most interesting conglomeration of music genres I’ve listened to over the past three years (that honor would go to Carmen’s 1973 album Fandangos In Space which blended flamenco music with prog-rock sensibilities) but it’s certainly an album that has stuck with me in a similar fashion. American…
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Mission Of Burma ‘Signals, Calls and Marches’ (1981)
In the early 80’s Mission of Burma was known for their intense, angular sound that blended punk energy with experimental noise and art-rock sensibilities. This combination played no small part in crystallizing the American post-punk movement. They stood out from a lot of their contemporaries in the space by using atypical sounds like tape loops…
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Nada Surf ‘High/Low’ (1996)
Nada Surf’s High/Low is one of those albums that sound nostalgic as soon as you hear it. Produced by Ric Ocasek, the album captures the band’s knack for writing emotionally direct songs wrapped in fuzzy guitars and simple arrangements where nary a note is wasted. While “Popular” became the breakout hit thanks to its sarcastic…
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Hüsker Dü ‘Zen Arcade’ (1984)
In the canon of American underground hardcore music few bands have cast a shadow as long and as quietly commanding as Hüsker Dü. These dudes basically wrote the playbook for hardcore punk becoming commercially viable, transitioning into a more alternative-focused band in the 80’s based off the sheer strength of the songwriting from guitarist/vocalist Bob…
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Them Crooked Vultures ‘Them Crooked Vultures’ (2009)
Them Crooked Vultures is the holiest of holy rock alliances, bringing together some of rock and roll’s most legendary figures over the five decades. Any time you have Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) in the same room together playing some good old fashioned…
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Nickelback ‘All The Right Reasons’ (2005)
Nickelback is often tied to “butt rock”, a perjorative slang for the subgenre of post-grunge and hard rock that is known for it’s mainstream success while lacking artistic merit. Critics slammed them for being formulaic and the name itself became shorthand for rock that plays on stations with “nothing but rock.” Alongside bands like Creed…
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Foo Fighters ‘Foo Fighters’ (1995)
Dave Grohl was at a personal and career crossroads when he went into record Foo Fighters debut album all by himself. Six days later, the foundation for one of rock’s most enduring bands was born.
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HIM ‘Razorblade Romance’ (2000)
If you religiously watched CKY back in the day like I did it was inevitable you were going to listen to a pair of bands courtesy of Bam Margera. The first of course was his brother’s band of the same name, a story that we covered a few months ago. The second was the band…
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Thrice ‘The Artist in the Ambulance’ (2003)
To say this The Artist in the Ambulance is one of my favorite albums of all-time might be an understatement. This is one of the best post-hardcore heavy rock albums of all time. Today we explore why.
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They Might Be Giants ‘Flood’ (1990)
They Might Be Giants’s Flood is sort of this mad scientist pop rock experiment, one that’s equal parts absurdist theater, brainy satire, and manic energy. The album is most certainly a complete nerdfest, but it’s rewarding in its relative absurdity.
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Echo & the Bunnymen ‘Heaven Up Here’ (1981)
I’ve been on a bit of a sad boi kick lately which means Echo & the Bunnymen’s Heaven up Here is an obvious choice to take for a spin. This album is the sound of a band abandoning jangly romanticism for something murky and introspective.
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The Cure ‘Pornography’ (1982)
By 1982 The Cure had reached a breaking point. Pornography was the final installment in their so-called goth trilogy from the early 80’s and it sure as hell sounds like a band clawing its way through darkness while barely holding it together.
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Fiddlehead ‘Between the Richness’ (2021)
Between the Richness explores the stickiness of trauma without ever getting lost and succumbing to the overbearing weight of grief. A blast of hardcore energy filtered through the melodic shine of ‘90s alternative and the heart-on-sleeve intensity of emo from the mid-80’s.
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The Days of Stillness ‘The Days of Stillness’ (2006)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Today we’ll be covering my high school band The Days of Stillness. We re-released our old recordings this week onto the world wide web, and as part of the process I got together with the guys to reminisce about those golden days of our late teenage years and what it was like playing…
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Webbed Wing ‘What’s So Fucking Funny?’ (2021)
Taylor Madison, best known for his work with Superheaven, leans deep into 90s nostalgia with his project Webbed Wing in all the best ways. Thicc-ass guitar tones, sharp songwriting, and a real warmth to the production that makes you feel like you’re sitting in a beat up couch in your parent’s living room watching Home…
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Turnstile ‘Step 2 Rhythm’ (2013)
Formed in Baltimore by veterans of the local hardcore circuit Turnstile came up playing packed basements and DIY shows and developed a pretty devoted cult following for the energy they brought live. Their debut EP captures that early energy, featuring raw breakdowns, gang vocals, and a sense of self-expression that feels less like aggression and…
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Mouth Culture ‘Mishaps Of My Mid Twenties’ (2023)
There is something happening in Britain right now and I’m all about it. A new wave of rock bands is emerging from our brothers from across the pond, filled with piss and vinegar and a real penchant for plugging in guitars with the sole focus of blowing out your eardrums. Mishaps of My Mid Twenties…
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Wheatus ‘Wheatus’ (2000)
Wheatus’ self-titled debut was an album I never listened to in full until about two weeks ago. And while it’s a solid offering front to back, the album was really a delivery system for their single “Teenage Dirtbag” which still to this day remains an iconic late 90’s/early aughts alternative rock song. This the kind…
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Modest Mouse ‘Good News For People Who Love Bad News’ (2004)
For a band that had spent the late ‘90s weaving anxious existential crisis songs in near-obscurity Good News For People Who Love Bad News felt like a sharp left turn for Modest Mouse. At the center of it all was “Float On”, a song so relentlessly optimistic it felt almost suspicious (especially coming from the…
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