Fav Alternative Albums

Nowhere Man

Just curious on everyone opinions of alternative albums. I recently started listening to Sonic Youth, so this genre kind of sparked my interest so listen to more Alt music from the 90s I haven't really checked out.

Treyert14

Are the goo goo dolls alt?

Treyert14

I never really understood the meaning of the genre.

Nowhere Man

I did some searching on it and a lot of bands came up that I ve heard of but never heard their music. Few examples being Pavement, Dinosaur Jr, My Bloody Valentine, Husker Du, etc.

Treyert14

I'll check em out!

tempo_n_groove

Belly, Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, Sponge, Face 2 face, Beck, Sublime, Unwritten Law, Dance Hall Crashers, Save Ferris, Marcy Playground, Weezer, PJ Harvey, Ani DiFranco, Blink 182, Monster Magnet, Screaming Trees, L7, Elastica, Limp Bizkit, Better than ezra, Offspring, Primus, Rancid, Green Day, The presidents of the united states of America, Bush, Blind Melon, Bjork, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Massive Attack, Blur, Oasis, Our lady Peace, Letters to Cleo, Wax, just to name a few…

If you want more look up KROQ 199? Playlist. Just type in the year and check out the songs. There are some good gems in the older stuff. Cool one hit wonders and bands that were really friggin good! I recommend you check out Marcy Playground's song "St Joe and the school bus".

If you want some modern "alt" let me know and I'll steer you that way.

TNG

Nowhere Man

Cool thanks for the listings, and yeah definitely interested in some modern "alt"

tempo_n_groove

Nowhere Man said:

Cool thanks for the listings, and yeah definitely interested in some modern "alt"

For new stuff I would recommend Thee Oh Sees. This band is just amazing.

The Weeks, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Bon Iver, Cage the Elephant, Bombay Bicycle Club.

Another one of my favs is Matt&Kim.

Start off with them and let me know what you think and I'll have a better idea of what you like.

steeler4life

When I think alternative music at its best, I immediately think of Weezer's Blue album. But I don't know what constitutes alternative really. I think I have an idea but I don't really know if bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, or Soundgarden are alternative or grunge. I think of grunge as a sort of music culture specific to a time period and a place more than a genre of music all its own. I don't know. End of tangent. Seriously though, some insight into what alternative music is would be greatly appreciated.

tempo_n_groove

Alternative constitutes a whole spectrum of music types. Basically if it's only played on college radio I would define that as alternative.

Back in the day so much music was coming out and it didn't have a genre so they lumped everything into alternative. The powers that be had to put a label on it. God forbid you didn't have a type of music without a label…

where would you place the cd's on the shelves in the stores at the time!?! :-)

steeler4life

So alternative is alternative because of who listens to it? For me, alternative is basically just rock from the 90's or some weird combination of genres like St. Vincent's music.

Wobbie

Nowhere Man said:

I did some searching on it and a lot of bands came up that I ve heard of but never heard their music. Few examples being Pavement, Dinosaur Jr, My Bloody Valentine, Husker Du, etc.

you've never heard husker du???? Dude......rectify that. ASAP!

tempo_n_groove

steeler4life said:

So alternative is alternative because of who listens to it? For me, alternative is basically just rock from the 90's or some weird combination of genres like St. Vincent's music.

Exactly! I agree 100%.
You hear St Vincent where though? Surely not the pop 40 stations. College radio is really the only place to find this type of music nowadays. Not who listens but where to listen. It's fresh, always new music and not the same stale songs over and over. Maybe KROQ in LA but I haven't given them a listen for quite sometime now.

Basically I was trying to say that "alternative" is now college radio because the new rock and alternative staions are gone. I live in NY the #1 media spot in the US and we have 0, that's none, new music stations...

I do however pick up 3 different college radio staions and that's where I find the new alternative stuff.

Also check Rolling stone mag in the back and look up "top 10 college albums". Thee Oh Sees were # 1 a month ago and nobody still has heard of them much...

Hobbes

...and Jack White is #1 this month.

For me, "Alternative" was just that, the alternative to what was pop(ular). Ramones in the '70s. R.E.M. in the '80s. By the time "Alternative" became a label, it was mainstream. That was the joke "Alternative to what?". Until the mid to late '90s when boy bands and crap like that became popular. But I also tend to over analyze things so I digress... )

It's only Rock & Roll (but I like it)

steeler4life

tempo_n_groove said:

steeler4life said:

So alternative is alternative because of who listens to it? For me, alternative is basically just rock from the 90's or some weird combination of genres like St. Vincent's music.

Exactly! I agree 100%.
You hear St Vincent where though? Surely not the pop 40 stations. College radio is really the only place to find this type of music nowadays. Not who listens but where to listen. It's fresh, always new music and not the same stale songs over and over. Maybe KROQ in LA but I haven't given them a listen for quite sometime now.

Basically I was trying to say that "alternative" is now college radio because the new rock and alternative staions are gone. I live in NY the #1 media spot in the US and we have 0, that's none, new music stations...

I do however pick up 3 different college radio staions and that's where I find the new alternative stuff.

Also check Rolling stone mag in the back and look up "top 10 college albums". Thee Oh Sees were # 1 a month ago and nobody still has heard of them much...

I agree. There aren't many good radio stations that you don't have to pay for (Sirius XM). I recently found a good new alternative music station and I live in a Philadelphia suburb. I'll have to check out Rolling Stone though. Thanks for the suggestion :-bd

adusick

Goddammit why do you guys have to know about Thee Oh Sees? Let's just keep them as a nice lil secret!

Kidding, kidding. That band just rips, man. Glad to see they're now getting the credit they deserve, love em.

As a guy who jokes that my musical tastes are stuck in the 90's, and as a creator of multiple Spotify "90's Alternative" playlists, thought I'd throw some of these "must own" albums out there:

Hum - You'd Prefer An Astronaut
The Breeders - Last Splash
Bush - Sixteen Stone
STP - Core and Purple
Blink 182 - Dude Ranch
silverchair- frogstomp
Helmet - In the Meantime and Betty
Primus - Frizzle Fry
Nine Inch Nails - Downward Spiral
Weezer - Pinkerton and Blue
Hole - Live Through This
REM - automatic for the people, new adventures, monster
SP - Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie
Pavement - Crooked Rain and Slanted/Enchanted
Nada Surf - High/Low

Seriously if there's any on this list you haven't heard, do it now!!!

And if you're interested in a list of about 100 one hit wonders, PM me.

adusick

If you're digging Sonic Youth, I'd suggest starting at Pavement. The best indie/alternative band of the 90's.

Nowhere Man

All great suggestions, Ive made a few playlists and have been listening a lot over that last few days!

imalive said:

Nowhere Man said:

I did some searching on it and a lot of bands came up that I ve heard of but never heard their music. Few examples being Pavement, Dinosaur Jr, My Bloody Valentine, Husker Du, etc.

you've never heard husker du???? Dude......rectify that. ASAP!

Trying to find a good sounding "Husker Du" torrent, but havent had much luck, but Ill keep looking.

BinFrog

some under-the-radar 90's gems:

Pond - self-titled
Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary, LP2
Sprinkler - More Boy, Less Friend
Poster Children - Tool Of The Man
Slint - Spiderland
Far - Tin Cans With Strings To You

llessuR

I really don't think Alternative exists as a genre anymore. It started out as exactly what it sounds like, an "alternative" to what was on the radio and commercially popular at the time, but as time progressed in the '90s Alternative turned into the mainstream. I now view Indie as the "new" Alternative, it's broad, ambiguous, and really spans multiple instruments and genres like Alternative used to.

tempo_n_groove

llessuR said:

I really don't think Alternative exists as a genre anymore. It started out as exactly what it sounds like, an "alternative" to what was on the radio and commercially popular at the time, but as time progressed in the '90s Alternative turned into the mainstream. I now view Indie as the "new" Alternative, it's broad, ambiguous, and really spans multiple instruments and genres like Alternative used to.

Yep! New alternative is known as "Indie". Seems like everyone is an Indie band nowadays. I guess us older folks still call it alternative. LOL.

Lots of DIY bands out there. IIessuR what you got in your arsenal?

llessuR

I think you mentioned all of the best ones above! If they haven't already been mentioned, The Cranberries, Garbage, Semisonic, Bare Naked Ladies (not a fan but I know a ton of people are), Hoobastank, No Doubt (1 album), Eagle Eye Cherry, Sugar Ray.

If I had to call some new bands "Alternative" that you already haven't I'd add: Band of Skulls, The Donkeys, Typhoon, Warpaint, Washed Out, Wolf Parade, Woods, The Cave Singers, Rogue Wave, Portugal. The Man, Mac Demarco, Little Dragon, King Khan & The Shrines, Junip, Foals, Future Islands, well the list goes on and on

Treyert14

BinFrog said:

some under-the-radar 90's gems:

Pond - self-titled
Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary, LP2
Sprinkler - More Boy, Less Friend
Poster Children - Tool Of The Man
Slint - Spiderland
Far - Tin Cans With Strings To You

I thanks this forum every day for revealing Sunny Day Real Estate to me! Lol

cydonia

Fast backs, the gits , Tad, buffalo Tom , sonic youth (washing machine album , good place to start), meat puppets, could go on, just buy sub pop 200 album..good introduction:)