Bisbee-Snacks (1996)

(Art/ Photography by Jonathon Hexner; Associate art direction/ Layout by Amy Macintyre)

Here's a real treat-Bisbee's (named for singer/ songwriter Sam Bisbee) "Snacks". The stars aligned for this one; the rock gods poured a little bit of their sweet ambrosia cider mix into Sam Bisbee's gilded chalice, and he slurped it up like Cherry-Cola...and then committed this ethereal "snack" [insert pause for laughter] to disc.

I'll start you with this link to the Allmusic page as a sort of aperitif (you can listen to the audio clips):
https://www.allmusic.com/album/snacks-mw0000613578

Sound-wise what are we looking at?  Well, it so happens that Bisbee is/are excellent at synthesizing influences in a decidedly non-derivitive way. The songs feel/ sound eerily familiar...but good luck putting your finger on why that might be. That's likely why Sam Bisbee has been able to continue writing, recording, and growing musically to the present day. Is there a bit of Dave Matthews Band in "Disposable love"? A little bit of Third Eye Blind in the beautiful, surging "Turn Me On"? Look at the "similar albums" tab on Allmusic for a few apt comparisons (The Verve, Live, The Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse, Alanis Morissette, Third Eye Blind, etc...) and some absolutely laughable ones (Korn, The Offspring, P.O.D......AM I LISTENING TO THE SAME ALBUM?!). Have to scratch my head a bit there...

Thematically, I see a real disposibility/ transitory pleasure motif (making the title extremely apt and telling). The narrators are often struggling to find meaning and stimulation in otherwise hollow and temporary experiences. We start in a world dominated by, and connected via plastic commodities in "Middle of Everywhere" ("In the middle of everywhere, she's speaking into a hand-held plastic object, connected by a wire to a hole in the wall, which leads to an infinite number of other handheld plastic objects... "), move to "Disposable Love", and then eavesdrop on a sad "rent-a-lover" experience- "970-GIRL". Sounding pretty contemporary and relevant, eh?

P.C. Dominatrix is another great cut about stimulation, excess, etc...- a tongue-in-cheek narrative about a politically conscious dominatrix. Lyrics include:
"She likes to tie me up, and talk to me about the issues
She hurts me when I disagree-when I use an un-progressive attitude
She grills me on the plight of the homeless population
She beats me with both sides of her hairbrush,
It's such a strange sensation."

And: "It takes a world of pain to turn me on..."

My personal picks for best tracks: the back-to-back, one-two punch of "Disposable Love" and "Turn Me On".

Sadly, while Sam Bisbee's later albums are available on iTunes, "Snacks" is not. I will post images from the CD booklet/ packaging below. Note that the art credits are the same as those listed under the cover image. I'm really diggin' those charming pen and ink sketches of the band-members. 

The New Grand-Self-Titled (1996)

(Layout by Design on Demand)

This is a Canadian blog, so where's all the Canadian content? During the 90's, the Canadian alt-rock mines were operating at wartime capacity. Right in the middle of the booming industry was a label called "Sonic Unyon" (I think it's pronounced like "onion", there's an onion in the logo...but I always said "union"...but I digress). At various times, Sonic Unyon's roster included Treble Charger, Thrush Hermit, Tristan Psionic, and these guys-The New Grand. In fact, The New Grand toured with the aforementioned Treble Charger at some point in the late 90's. I think that association is actually quite telling-Treble Charger were, at the time, midway through a transition from a fuzz drenched, shoegazey, lo-fi outfit (like a less accessible Dinosaur Jr) into a nationally known pop-punk powerhouse. If Treble Charger's career were an Animorphs book jacket, the New Grand would be the third metamorphosis stage--right in the middle--right in the sweet spot where things are most interesting.

Listening to their debut single, "The Get Up", I am reminded of Sebadoh's killer track "License to Confuse"--quick and sweet, maddeningly catchy, wholeheartedly embracing bubblegum hooks, yet maintaining robust indie street-cred. Listen for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2ilKqYkdko    

And that's The New Grand to a T. I plan on dedicating a post to their second album, "Incognito", sometime in the near future, as it is definitely worth a listen (it's like this album with a more pronounced Weezer influence. I actually like it better than this one). But for now, I will leave you with a Youtube upload of the first album in it's entirety. The New Grand discography is also available on Itunes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L4cy01BvGo

The Winebottles-Sober (1992)

(Signature-looking scrawl in bottom right reads "Boulder Colorado 1992"; Art credit in booklet: "23 East"); (Red Garage Records)

Why have I used R.E.M. as a reference point so much in my last few posts? I like them a lot, but I'm not a maniac about them or anything...I do listen to other bands. Am I just not creative enough to come up with other apt comparisons? I will try to reel it in a bit.
Anyways, that little bit of housekeeping out of the way...these guys remind me a bit of R.E.M.

This album screams "college rock radio". The jangly guitars, the bits of snide political commentary (see "Government" for the most blatant example...and a chorus that revels in its "R.E.M. isms"), the overall literacy...

There is a musical sophistication here too. Listen to tracks like "Yellow", with its great call- and-response chorus, and "New Rags" with its jerky, staccato guitar lines and you may be reminded of other erudite emissaries like the Talking Heads and XTC. 

Any weaknesses? Front and center-the lack of consistency. When these guys get in the groove ("Yellow", "Government", "New Rags", "Sober"...) they are thoroughly enjoyable. Still, at 17 tracks, the album inevitably sags at points, and suffers from a bit of sameness- some songs blending into each other without much to distinguish them. Cutting this one down to about 10 or 11 tracks would likely have been beneficial.  But who can really fault a band for wanting to give us "more"? It is also entirely possible that this was sort of a "demo reel"-meant to showcase a whole schwack of songs from the band's repertoire that could later be re-purposed for distribution on a bigger label.  

Yellow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY5P0KwDzfo

A link to the Allmusic page, where you can find more info, and some sound clips of other songs on the album:
https://www.allmusic.com/album/sober-mw0000996912

(Back cover)

(Reverse side of insert-credit "Gods Publishing")

Boom Crash Opera-These Here Are Crazy Times (1990)

*NOTE-for the real sticklers, my copy of the album is dated 1990 on Warner Bros. Records, but I think the Aussie release may have come a year earlier

(Cover art by Greg O'Connor)

Although they got their start in the 80's, Boom Crash Opera are one of a number of fantastic bands who populated the fertile 90's Australian rock scene (others include Jebediah, TISM, The Hoodoo Gurus, Tumbleweed, Spiderbait, and Regurgitator).

A full 11 years before Shrek's famed soliloquy in Shrek 1 (or was it a "monologue"...I can't remember if Donkey was there...), these Aussies were making onion/ layers/ life and being analogies with grace and aplomb. "Onion Skin", linked below, is a real toe tapper/ shout-alonger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2FPE1Y5_4o

In fact, let's have a listen to it played live too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M30PnFbWCDs

Yes, there are certainly 80's vestiges. The shadow of that decade's glam-tastic, buffed to a sheen production lingers in the corners, but it is effectively tempered by the rawness and immediacy of good old pub rock. Still, when things tend toward the 80's end of the spectrum, it's done right: with big, hooky, shiny, anthemic choruses (see "Dancing in the Storm" below). Nothing dated about this sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-mmg4egLtM

Thematically, what are we looking at here? The way I see it, this is all about meeting change with intrepidity. The final decade of the 20th century was set to begin-how would the century come to an end? Would we even make it to the end at all? As the title says: "These Here (Were) Are Crazy Times". But how do we meet the "storm"? We "dance" in it. " The Best Thing" (linked below) begins with a "venturing out into the unknown" image too ("I put my space suit on, count back 10 to 1. The gravitation pull gets stronger") before singer Richard Pleasance assures us that "this is the best thing that has ever happened to me"; and I have no reason to doubt him- he seems like an honest bloke.
Take Mr. Pleasance's optimism and courage with you into these crazy times of our own!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBQCbPbPS8E

(Photography by Matthew Deller)

Dandelion-Dyslexicon (1995)

(Art by Marcus Durant, assisted by Jeff Prybolsky; Type by Disappearing Inc.)

Dandelion revel in junk culture; they are connoisseurs of the low brow-and it's a lot of fun! If I was a Jeff Koons fan, maybe I would mine his artist statements for some banter to use here....but I'll just stick to the basics. From having a video featured on Beavis and Butthead (the two idiot savants provided commentary on the 1993 video for "Under My Skin"), to the B-movie poster-esque (or maybe pulp novel-esque?) album cover, to the sampled toy laughter at the end of "Super Cool", there's a lot to love about these guys. Have a look at the packaging/ presentation (images below). The art department nailed this one: polka dots and pink on the disc, comic book clippings (including a motorcycle rider-maybe a nod to the track "Viva Kneval"?), a cinematic-looking still of a dude shooting lasers out of his eyeballs...it's a pop-culture hodgepodge; a giddy assemblage of low-pop ephemera (and that's Dandelion to a T!) Musically, start with Nirvana and Mudhoney, add a bit of The Sonics, The Troggs, and a big dollop of The Ohio Express (circa "Quick Joey Small") and throw it in a blender on "pulse" and you might get close. For Exhibit A check out "Pass The Stone" (link below).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUv3xboIcCA

What should one expect when listening to Dyslexicon? It's like walking into a grunge candy shop: it's colourful and exciting, packed with sweets, and there's a bit of bubblegum...but the cleaners only come like once a year, so the floors are grimy and gross, and the clerks are all a bit surly.

Listen to "Weird-Out" (link below), which made it to #14 on the U.S. Modern Rock charts. Certainly vocalist Kevin Morpurgo wears his Cobain-isms on his sleeve...but why not? The important thing here is that Dandelion understand that to really emulate Nirvana you need more than long hair, Fender guitars, and songs that start quiet and then get louder. You need HOOKS and SONGCRAFT and CHARM. Dyslexicon has all three.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1jSrSz4wd4

Thirst-Through the Wire (1996)

(Design and imaging by Zerogravity; Colour photo by Indira Cesarine)

  Here's a nice pairing for my previous post (Sugarspoon's self titled masterpiece). Those Toad the Wet Sprocket and R.E.M. comparisons I was grasping at in my Sugarspoon post? Perhaps a bit more readily made here. Still, this isn't by any means derivative...this is Thirst, and it's thoroughly quenching (sorry, that was awful).
Maybe this album appeals to my Canadian sensibilities (even though these guys aren't Canadians)- tracks like "Eskimos" and "Bricks and Clay" have a raw beauty and lyrical sophistication that calls to mind the late, great Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip! "Climb" and "Gyrate" have the rough and ready buoyant rock hooks of 54-40 at their best. So, maybe the reason that this album didn't blow up was that it's legions of untapped potential fans were all North of the border (the album was recorded in New York, and presumably marketed to an American audience). Just listen to the Canuck rootsy-ness underpinning "End of the Millenium"!   

Unfortunately, sound clips from this beaut are scarce. I have linked the Allmusic page below for access to some 30 second clips...but this is definitely one worth tracking down.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/through-the-wire-mw0000079917

Sugarspoon-(Self Titled)(1996)

(Photography by Giovanni Jance; Band photography by Caroline Greyshock; Art direction by Kevin Reagan; Design by Kevin Reagan and Tom Jermann)

Not gonna mince words here-this is a fantastic album. Floridians Sugarspoon have created a true lost gem. It is mellifluous, yet menacing; ethereal and eerie. It even finds room to rock a little bit from time to time.
I think the Toad the Wet Sprocket comparisons I have seen bandied about are fully warranted. Those guys had a real way with rough-hewn beauty too. I am struggling for other comparisons here...maybe a tiny bit of R.E.M. just outside the rougher/rockier edges? A more urbane imagining of the Goo Goo Dolls in some places?
Unfortunately I couldn't find the (arguably) best track, "Arrow", anywhere online, but I have linked a couple goodies below. "Butterfly Breeze" (top link) in particular gets under my skin.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6CLZjGGBFM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVnXRtUe5I

Bird 3-(Self-Titled)(2001)

(Art direction/ graphic design by Chuck Ybarra; Photography by Alison Dyer)

Unnamed reader: But Naustin, I thought this was a 90's music blog!? This album came out in 2001! Hardly appropriate if you ask me.

Me: It's early 2000's, so it's all cool.

Unnamed reader: You're right, I'm sorry.

*The two former verbal combatants embrace warmly, as if they are old friends reunited*

Bird 3? Bird cubed? Not sure which these guys prefer.
The Allmusic review and Amazon product description make Foo Fighters comparisons. Personally, while I do hear it, I wouldn't stop there. While Greg Coates does have a bit of a Grohl-ian delivery, and songs like "Mess" and "Glow" have a certain "anthemic je ne sais quoi" akin to early Foo Fighters stuff, there's something else going on here...Maybe a dash of "Green Album" era Weezer? Dare I say, even a tiny pinch of Blink 182 at their most earnest?

Have a listen to standout track "Girl Next Door", where Foo Fighters-isms are tempered by razor sharp, modern pop-punk hooks. These are the kind of hooks that bore into the skull like a musical trepanning device, and embed themselves in the medial temporal lobe with medical precision. Click the link below for a giddy 2 minutes and 29 seconds!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXM3JQmAIgI

And if you enjoyed that, have a listen to this other standout: "Forgot Your Name"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFfPa6R9d0Y

The ChartHogs-Do Your Mind (1994)

(Painting on cover by Dennis Tremalio)

(Reverse side of insert-photography by Randee St. Nicholas)

Don't be deterred by the ChartHogs' name- these guys are really very generous. When it came time to hog the charts, these fellows graciously stepped aside and allowed their more needy peers a way in. In fact, when this album hit the shelves in 1994, they were nowhere to be found on the charts! What generosity-what selflessness!
This is a fun listen. These guys have been criticized for a lack of originality-really they sound a lot like your typical, post Nirvana 90's alt-rock band...but that's not the point!!! To paraphrase one Allmusic review for a completely different band and album (if I can remember where I read it, I will give credit where credit is due): they aren't re-inventing the wheel...but they can sure make it roll! And I should add-this isn't a record completely devoid of originality either. Where many of their peers were drawing on punk and metal influences, these guys were hinting at shoegaze and jangle-pop. In other words, don't expect many nods to Sabbath, Zeppelin, or Flipper here.

Unfortunately I can't find any Youtube links to throw at you...but the album is available on iTunes for preview and purchase. I would recommend the track "Tough Guy" for a good look at the ChartHogs in peak form.

Unida-Coping With the Urban Coyote (1999)

 (Sleeve design: Band/ Kozik, Cy Burton Barber)

Unida is one of singer John Garcia's many post-Kyuss "desert rock" projects. You may remember Kyuss as the band that introduced us to not only Mr. Garcia, but to Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age frontman), and Brant Bjork (solo artist) as well... but that's for another post. 

The main draw for me with Unida (as with all of Garcia's projects...Hermano and Slo Burn to name a couple) is Garcia's instantly recognizable voice.
I will use the stellar track "If Only Two" (link below) as a case study. The rhythm section lets loose-an inexorable juggernaut hurtling through the speakers with undisclosed evil intent. Garcia howls and bellows- his delivery calling to mind the agonized cries arising from that stygian pit which hath no bottom. The combination hangs bristling in the air-so palpable that one feels as though they could reach up, grab it by its aural udders, and milk it into a bucket. In other words, it rocks...hard. The next track, "Nervous", is more of the same. Regrettably, the album provides little, if any direction in coping with the very real urban coyote problem. Any municipal task-force members or animal control specialists who bought the album solely for that purpose will be sorely disappointed.

Here's "If Only Two":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMEI6AnJjyk

Fig Dish-When Shove Goes Back to Push (1997)

Sleeve design by Jay Shapiro, model car photos by Marty Perez

In a perfect world there would be a 1:24 scale Dodge Challenger in every garage, a Fig Dish poster on every bedroom wall, and Fig Dish dishes designed specifically for holding figs in every kitchen cabinet. Why? Because this Chicago band have a way with hooks. It was apparent on their debut album (1995's That's What Love Songs Often Do), and it is excruciatingly obvious here. Contemporaries like Weezer and Ozma may be good comparisons--groups with impeccable melodic chops, deceptively simple sounding song structures (deceptive because there's really A LOT going on), and an innate ability to wrangle guitar fuzz (sound calculated and reckless at the same time--both sacred and profane). Tracks like "Dare You to Vanish" and "Bend" highlight Fig Dish's modus operandi, and I will provide a link to one or both of those tracks. This is power pop done 90's-style: Cheap Trick, Off Broadway, and Big Star played with the irreverence and abandon cranked up to 11. Have a listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oofgCnfHj3A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB41UCCuJKE

I should also note that a few Fig Dish alums have been involved in later musical projects. Notably,  Blake Smith and Mike Willison formed "Caviar"- a smooth, funny, and sexy modern rock group who used smart sampling/ electronic elements to their advantage (see "Tangerine Speedo" and "Sugarless").

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3ks9GS26Ng&list=PLqsHHIuC2Lp8j1bRs_ybpTXIMqAxprnmY

Rick Ness became "Ness" and released a great album called "Up Late With People"(2003), which includes the absolute KILLER track "Where the People Kick it".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbzTPYEy4Z0

Introduction

Hello and welcome to my music blog. 
There is a saying: "A camel is a horse by committee". I think that's disrespectful to the camel. In fact, I encourage readers of my blog to be camels (like me)- musical camels, to be precise. The 90's offered an embarrassment of musical riches, as major labels hunted desperately for the next Nirvanas and Pearl Jams, signing promising groups to one-off or two-off record deals and affording them the time and resources to make some really good records...before unceremoniously dropping them and chasing the next hot thing. Too many of these albums have been lost; collecting dust in bargain bins and used record shops...until now. So, back to the camel analogy: I give you, my loyal reader, an oasis of 90's (and maybe some early 2000's) gems. Drink at my oasis, fill your musical hump, and trudge dutifully onward through the desert of youtube hit-making factories, ambient EDM "soundscapes" and soundcloud rappers. 

Even though I am framing this as a review site, I will only be posting about albums I enjoy-so no need to weed through my posts looking for the good stuff. It's ALL good.