Best Band of the 90s?

[superrific]

When Wikipedia is tossing off suggestions like Earth Crisis and Integrity, I think more guidance is in order: he should listen to Converge, Jane Doe.

Converge's prior records are a bit more self-indulgent, though "Saddest Day" was the hardcore/metalcore song that everyone loved. Everything after Jane Doe shares its buzzsaw aesthetic.

And if you like Converge, then there's a decent chance you'd like everything that HydraHead records was putting out in the late 90s and early 00s, in particular Botch (We Are the Romans), Cave In, and Dillinger Escape Plan.

Of course, the label founder is Aaron Turner of ISIS, Old Man Gloom, Split Cranium, Pharaoh Overlord and, last but definitely not least, Sumac fame. By my reckoning, he's one of the most creative metal musicians of the last 25+ years.

I will have to try sumac again. I wasn't impressed by it the first time I listened to it, but I wasn't necessarily in a great mood and also I was perhaps subconsciously comparing it to one of my more favorite spices. ISIS has one amazing album and then other albums that are OK, I think. But I respect the hell out of them, even if I don't always dig everything they do. Same with Neurosis, though if you pressed me, I'd say Neurosis > ISIS because the best album among all of them is Souls At Zero. I fucking love that record. So did my 10 year old, so they have appeal.

Thanks for the rec on the metal core. For the past 20 years or so, my main source for metal has been a friend of mine who is really in the scene. But I guess he's not that into the -core stuff. I also listen around but I haven't stumbled upon this genre. I do like Scene Queen to an unreasonable extent, and now I that I think about it, I think she was part of a -core scene. She calls herself bimbocore, which I've thought of as an updated Riot Grrrl, but maybe it has origins in this metalcore. She definitely has breakdowns in her songs.

 

[Icky Mettle]

Eh, Steve Albini hated the Pixies and he produced those records. I guess it just depends on your priors. For instance, nothing in the Pixies sounds "feral and shredding" to me, but then again, I listen to Big Black and Husker Du regularly, and also metal.

I mean, the Pixies are fine. I have one of their albums. I listen to it occasionally. Un Chien Andalou -- I guess the track name is Debaser -- is a really good song. the rest of the album, to me, is inconsistent. Some of it is just too silly for me.

I just don't think the Pixies are as singularly innovative as you have been implying.

Steve Albini said he was "ashamed" of Pixies backlash

While Steve Albini produced the debut Pixies album 'Surfer Rosa', he would soon after castigate them, and years later said he was "ashamed" of doing so.

faroutmagazine.co.uk

 

[Enigma94]

The list of accomplished musicians who cite the Pixies as influential is quite long. David Bowie is another who counted them as one of his favorites. I think their music is polarizing, it seems people usually either love or hate them, but their influence on music is undeniable based on the number of artists who have discussed how important they were.

 

[heelinhell]

Hootie, Matchbox 20, Third Eye Blind, Vertical Horizon and Barenaked Ladies had some great songs in the 90s.

One of my favorite concerts was seeing Barenaked Ladies in the Dean Dome. I love this band.

They are so talented and put on a great performance with a good dose of fun and humor. I remember one member saying it was a thrill to take a walk down Franklin Street.

This poignant song is one of my favorites

 

[breepf]

I will have to try sumac again. I wasn't impressed by it the first time I listened to it, but I wasn't necessarily in a great mood and also I was perhaps subconsciously comparing it to one of my more favorite spices. ISIS has one amazing album and then other albums that are OK, I think. But I respect the hell out of them, even if I don't always dig everything they do. Same with Neurosis, though if you pressed me, I'd say Neurosis > ISIS because the best album among all of them is Souls At Zero. I fucking love that record. So did my 10 year old, so they have appeal.

Thanks for the rec on the metal core. For the past 20 years or so, my main source for metal has been a friend of mine who is really in the scene. But I guess he's not that into the -core stuff. I also listen around but I haven't stumbled upon this genre. I do like Scene Queen to an unreasonable extent, and now I that I think about it, I think she was part of a -core scene. She calls herself bimbocore, which I've thought of as an updated Riot Grrrl, but maybe it has origins in this metalcore. She definitely has breakdowns in her songs.

I don't listen to very much contemporary metalcore. I still listen to Converge, but I've been listening to them for nearly 30 years. Jane Doe is close to 25 years old. As far as contemporary metal goes, I gravitate towards dronier, sludgier, and/or the more experimental side of things--besides SUMAC, that means bands like YOB, The Body, Victory Over the Sun, Cave Sermon, Locrian, Krallice, etc.

Re: ISIS and Neurosis--I honestly don't think the latter ever put out a record as good as Panopticon, which I'd venture is the third-best ISIS record behind, of course, Celestial and Oceanic.

The cute-heavy dynamic of Scene Queen does not interest me, if only because Sleigh Bells did what I would consider a better and much less cloying version of it 20 years ago.

 

[Enigma94]

One of my favorite concerts was seeing Barenaked Ladies in the Dean Dome. I love this band.

They are so talented and put on a great performance with a good dose of fun and humor. I remember one member saying it was a thrill to take a walk down Franklin Street.

This poignant song is one of my favorites

My wife is a big BNL fan. I was kind of meh about their music, but she made me go to one of their shows and it really was one of the most fun I've been to. We've seen them probably half a dozen times now and they continue to put on great shows. They always incorporate aspects of the local community into their songs and engage the crowd at a level not many bands do.

 

[Icky Mettle]

The list of accomplished musicians who cite the Pixies as influential is quite long. David Bowie is another who counted them as one of his favorites. I think their music is polarizing, it seems people usually either love or hate them, but their influence on music is undeniable based on the number of artists who have discussed how important they were.

I was not into them during their initial run, as it wasn’t at all the type of music I listened to at the time. Back then, I was all about rap/hip-hop. I started getting into them circa 2003 when there was sort of a Pixies resurgence, due in part to so many artists having cited them as influences and also due to rumors (which came true) that they were planning to reunite. They were actually probably becoming more popular at that point than they had been during their initial run in the late-80s/early-90s.

I decided to give their music a closer listen, and it really resonated with me. I became a big fan. I haven’t gotten into their more recent stuff, however.

 

[Enigma94]

I was not into them during their initial run, as it wasn’t at all the type of music I listened to at the time. Back then, I was all about rap/hip-hop. I started getting into them circa 2003 when there was sort of a Pixies resurgence, due in part to so many artists having cited them as influences and also due to rumors (which came true) that they were planning to reunite. They were actually probably becoming more popular at that point than they had been during their initial run in the late-80s/early-90s.

I decided to give their music a closer listen, and it really resonated with me. I became a big fan. I haven’t gotten into their more recent stuff, however.

I was into Surfer Rosa and Doolittle in high school. I agree that their recent stuff isn't as good as the earlier music. I think the interplay between Frank Black and Kim Deal was the key ingredient and once Kim left the magic was gone.

 

[duluoz]

I was not into them during their initial run, as it wasn’t at all the type of music I listened to at the time. Back then, I was all about rap/hip-hop. I started getting into them circa 2003 when there was sort of a Pixies resurgence, due in part to so many artists having cited them as influences and also due to rumors (which came true) that they were planning to reunite. They were actually probably becoming more popular at that point than they had been during their initial run in the late-80s/early-90s.

I decided to give their music a closer listen, and it really resonated with me. I became a big fan. I haven’t gotten into their more recent stuff, however.

Similar to my experience. I wasn’t that into them but a girl I was dating got me hooked, probably early ‘00s. Just in time to catch their reunion tour which was one of my favorite shows ever, despite their rust.

I won’t go near them now without Kim, however. It’s a bummer they couldn’t keep it together.

 

[Enigma94]

Similar to my experience. I wasn’t that into them but a girl I was dating got me hooked, probably early ‘00s. Just in time to catch their reunion tour which was one of my favorite shows ever, despite their rust.

I won’t go near them now without Kim, however. It’s a bummer they couldn’t keep it together.

I saw them a couple of years ago in Vegas. It wasn't the same as it was with Kim, but Paz does an adequate job and the show was good I thought.

 

[duluoz]

My wife is a big BNL fan. I was kind of meh about their music, but she made me go to one of their shows and it really was one of the most fun I've been to. We've seen them probably half a dozen times now and they continue to put on great shows. They always incorporate aspects of the local community into their songs and engage the crowd at a level not many bands do.

This experience reminds me of a couple bands/artists I haven’t seen mentioned much here, if at all — first, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

I liked Blood Sugar Sex Magic quite a bit, but not much grabbed me before or after that. But one time I went specifically to see The Flaming Lips open up for them (incredible live as always), and RHCP surprisingly blew me away live. I still never fully gravitated to them but it gave me a new appreciation.

And that one reminded me of Beck, because I once (again) saw the Lips open, this time for Beck… and then play as his backup band during the Sea Change tour.

Beck had some great ‘90s music — Mellow Gold, Odelay, Mutations, Midnight Vultures. Although for me, the ones that really stuck were Guero and Sea Change, both ‘00s.

 

[CRHeel94]

I once saw RHCP in a small setting (a small theater in Chicago for some Miller promotion). They were pretty damn good live.

 

[superrific]

The list of accomplished musicians who cite the Pixies as influential is quite long. David Bowie is another who counted them as one of his favorites. I think their music is polarizing, it seems people usually either love or hate them, but their influence on music is undeniable based on the number of artists who have discussed how important they were.

Sure, but even more cite Velvet Underground. I like the banana album but it isn't the most amazing thing ever. And the Ramones, also extremely influential, are unlistenable today imo. Not necessarily their fault.

 

[Icky Mettle]

Similar to my experience. I wasn’t that into them but a girl I was dating got me hooked, probably early ‘00s. Just in time to catch their reunion tour which was one of my favorite shows ever, despite their rust.

I won’t go near them now without Kim, however. It’s a bummer they couldn’t keep it together.

Yeah, I got to see them almost exactly 15 years ago to the day when they were on a Doolittle tour, playing all the songs from Doolittle in order. They played a lot of Surfer Rosa songs during the encore. It was the original lineup. Really good show.

 

[Icky Mettle]

Sure, but even more cite Velvet Underground. I like the banana album but it isn't the most amazing thing ever. And the Ramones, also extremely influential, are unlistenable today imo. Not necessarily their fault.

It would be hard to sit down and listen to a Ramones album, but listening to just one of their songs at a time can be enjoyable. And they’re short.

 

[Enigma94]

Sure, but even more cite Velvet Underground. I like the banana album but it isn't the most amazing thing ever. And the Ramones, also extremely influential, are unlistenable today imo. Not necessarily their fault.

Of course I never said the Pixies were the only or even the most influential band. There are obviously many others. Whether an individual likes those influential bands is completely subjective, personally I never really cared for the Ramones myself either.

 

[superrific]

Of course I never said the Pixies were the only or even the most influential band. There are obviously many others. Whether an individual likes those influential bands is completely subjective, personally I never really cared for the Ramones myself either.

Sure, but it goes to the standard by which we are judging best bands. You could make an argument for "how well does the band's work hold up", but that has problems too

 

[duluoz]

Eh, Steve Albini hated the Pixies and he produced those records. I guess it just depends on your priors. For instance, nothing in the Pixies sounds "feral and shredding" to me, but then again, I listen to Big Black and Husker Du regularly, and also metal.

I mean, the Pixies are fine. I have one of their albums. I listen to it occasionally. Un Chien Andalou -- I guess the track name is Debaser -- is a really good song. the rest of the album, to me, is inconsistent. Some of it is just too silly for me.

I just don't think the Pixies are as singularly innovative as you have been implying.

If you’re saying “I guess the track name is Debaser” that seems to say that you don’t even know their music that well.

And the “inconsistency” is part of their point. When I talk about them going from saccharine to shredding, those are relative terms as you implied. But if you’re a baseball guy, take HOF pitchers like Greg Maddux or Trevor Hoffman as an example — didn’t have overpowering heat but when they mixed up their off-speed pitches combined with pinpoint location, their fastball shredded and they were fearsome unhittable beasts on the mound. That’s The Pixies to me — Joey Santiago wasn’t about noodling or face-melting solos, but his distorted sound combined with the loud-quiet-loud interplay of Black Francis and Kim Deal is what made them special and influential.

How Pixies’ Quiet-Loud-Quiet Dynamic Changed Rock Music

Discover how the Pixies' revolutionary quiet-loud-quiet dynamic redefined alternative rock and influenced generations of musicians in this in-depth analysis.

tunetempest.co.uk

 

[superrific]

If you’re saying “I guess the track name is Debaser” that seems to say that you don’t even know their music that well.

No, it means that I don't know song names, going back to my radio station days when I was listening to several new albums per week and had to go by track numbers. It's true that the chorus is debaser but the memorable line -- the one always quoted -- is un chien andalusia (which is not actually the right title; the movie is called un chien andalou but that is at least three orders of nitpicking so who fucking cares).

And I listen to a fair amount of international music as well, which also makes it hard to remember song names. I like some Sigur Ros albums; I don't even know how to pronounce half the song names. This is one of my favorite songs. Do you know how to pronounce it?



Or this? The first song title is pretty easy. The third? Would you remember that?

Three Ragas - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[duluoz]

No, it means that I don't know song names, going back to my radio station days when I was listening to several new albums per week and had to go by track numbers. It's true that the chorus is debaser but the memorable line -- the one always quoted -- is un chien andalusia (which is not actually the right title; the movie is called un chien andalou but that is at least three orders of nitpicking so who fucking cares).

And I listen to a fair amount of international music as well, which also makes it hard to remember song names. I like some Sigur Ros albums; I don't even know how to pronounce half the song names. This is one of my favorite songs. Do you know how to pronounce it?



Or this? The first song title is pretty easy. The third? Would you remember that?

Three Ragas - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Nobody knows how to pronounce Sigur Ros songs but them — they made up a whole f’ing language. Whereas Debaser is actually a very real word. And pretty much anybody who actually knows the band knows that word.

And the infamous “un chien Andalusia” line evolved from a previous iteration that had “Appolonia” in place of Andalusia. So he does indeed know the “right title” of the movie, and took poetic license to fit the artistic needs. But if I see him I’ll tell him there’s a pedant on a message board who says he didn’t use the “right title.”