Tag: Grunge
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Stone Temple Pilots ‘Core’ (1992)
Stone Temple Pilots came together in San Diego in the late 1980s when soon-to-be legendary rock vocalist Scott Weiland and bassist Robert DeLeo bonded over a shared love of bands like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, and Aerosmith. Along with Robert’s brother Dean and Eric Kretz they began refining a sound that combined heavy riff-driven rock…
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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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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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Nirvana ‘Bleach’ (1989)
Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and an evolving roster of drummers (Dave Grohl wouldn’t join the band until 1991’s Nevermind) came together to distill raw, unpolished essence of the Pac Northwest’s burgeoning grunge scene with their debut album Bleach, setting the stage for a sound that would eventually change a generation. Recorded in a modest session…
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Wunderhorse ‘Cub’ (2022)
Two years ago I set out on a mission to listen to one album per day. I’m beginning year 3 of that journey starting today, and there’s no album more fitting to kick off 2025 with than Wunderhorse’s debut album Cub. It’s an album that demands to be listened as a cohesive whole, and one…
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Sunny Day Real Estate ‘Diary’ (1994)
Diary came during a time when grunge dominated the airwaves but despite the fact Sunny Day Real Estate was based in grunge’s birthplace of Seattle their unique blend of post-hardcore and emo rock was able to cut through the noise (it also didn’t hurt that frontman Jeremy Enigk could channel the hell out of Kurt…
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Momma ‘Household Name’ (2022)
If you’re like me you love 90’s alternative rock and Momma’s Household Name is without a doubt a love letter to that bygone era, bringing the raw, unapologetic energy of grunge back to life with a fresh indie twist. Channeling the rebellious spirit of bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, Pavement, and Hole by weaving those…
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Jane’s Addiction ‘Nothing’s Shocking’ (1988)
Jane’s Addiction played a pivotal role in defining the grunge sound of the early ’90s, melding elements of punk rock, heavy metal, and alternative music in a way that influenced countless bands. Their debut album Nothing’s Shocking showcased an eclectic mix of styles, characterized by Perry Farrell’s ethereal vocals and a fusion of gritty guitar…
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Drug Church ‘Hygiene’ (2022)
I’ve been on a bit of an intense running kick this year, logging about 15 miles a week, and am constantly on the lookout for a perfect album to serve as the soundtrack for my 5K’s which I’m clocking in at around a 25 minute average. I popped on Drug Church’s Hygiene Friday morning at…
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The Smashing Pumpkins ‘Siamese Dream’ (1993)
Released in 1993, The Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream stands as a defining artifact of 90s alternative rock, capturing a pivotal moment in the genre’s evolution. At a time when grunge was peaking with albums like Nirvana’s 1991 magnum opus Nevermind and Pearl Jam’s debut album Ten, Siamese Dream emerged as a bold statement, blending the…
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Temple Of The Dog ‘Temple Of The Dog’ (1990)
If you’ve been searching for the album that has the worst cover art quality relative to its audio quality (i.e. it looks like shit but sounds fucking phenomenal), you’ve found it. Temple Of The Dog is was a heartfelt one-off project formed to honor the life of lead singer Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone…
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Mother Love Bone ‘Apple’ (1990)
Mother Love Bone was the first of a litany of sad stories to emerge out of Seattle in the 1990’s as the grunge movement rose to prominence. A glam rock band with roots in rock and roll, Mother Love Bone’s highly anticipated debut album Apple was marred when tragedy when lead singer Andrew Wood was…
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Foo Fighters ‘The Colour And The Shape’ (1997)
Following their self-titled debut studio album in 1995 that was really the musings of a one-man band (Dave Grohl recorded every single part on that album), Grohl entered the studio in 1997 with a new stable of musicians to aid in the recording for The Colour And The Shape. The album was somewhat of a…
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Pearl Jam ‘Ten’ (1991)
Born from the ashes of Seattle grunge outfit Mother Love Bone following the death of lead singer Andrew Wood to a drug overdose, Pearl Jam’s debut album Ten is a rare debut album from a band that didn’t really know each other all too well upon entering the studio. Guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff…
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Creed ‘Human Clay’ (1999)
Creed has long been a fixture in internet culture, first as a convenient punching bag for all that was wrong with the post-grunge movement that dominated the airwaves following Kurt Cobain’s death following Nirvana’s 1991 magnum opus Nevermind, and now as a sort of “return of the millennial” rallying cry in the 2020’s as rock…
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Local H ‘As Good as Dead’ (1996)
Local H is predominantly known for their smash 90’s alternative rock single “Bound For The Floor” which is about as mid-90’s grunge as you can get– staccato downstroke guitar punches interspersed with lyrics that detail the weight of depression and a feeling that the feeling is inevitable without escape. It still sounds as good as…
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Melvins ‘Houdini’ (1993)
Melvins are perhaps known best for their influence on Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain, who frequently cited the group as one of his largest musical inspirations during his lifetime, as well as its influence on contemporary sludge metal virtuosos Mastodon (drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor cites this album as a massive influence as well). Cobain was actually…
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Hole ‘Live Through This’ (1994)
An album cover can be worth a thousand words, and Hole’s Live Through This certainly is one of those album covers. A manic pageant winner, mascara streaming down her face after a bout of tears, holding up a bouquet of flowers while an almost comically ostentatious tiara adorns her head. It’s a picture that evokes…
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Soundgarden ‘Superunknown’ (1993)
Superunknown is a hard rock masterpiece, merging disparate elements of grunge, heavy metal, alternative rock, and punk into a vicious pistol whip of a record. There simply was no band better at combining elements of the snakelike grooves of Black Sabbath, the electric vocal hooks of AC/DC, and the raw primal energy of Nirvana. Simply…
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Nirvana ‘Nevermind’ (1991)
As a skater punk during my early teens Nevermind (alongside Green Day’s Dookie) was on literal repeat as me and my buddy skated in front of his house on Cleo Avenue. To say it was a formative part of my childhood experience as I made the transition from a young kid to a young man…
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Alice in Chains ‘Dirt’ (1992)
Alice in Chains’ Dirt is a grim and grimey trek through pain and anger, an autobiographical account of lead vocalist Layne Staley’s crippling heroin addiction that eventually killed him a decade after this release at the age of 34 years old. Listening to this record you can’t help but feel a sense of hopelessness and…
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Audioslave ‘Audioslave’ (2002)
With all due respect to Robert Plant, Axl Rose and Bon Scott, Chris Cornell is the GOAT of pure rock-and-roll vocalists. In fact, I would argue it’s not even very close. Along with his incredible four-octave range, Cornell’s ability to hit that distorted gravel scream in an explosive chorus after an intimate verse delivered in…
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