My only choices for bands that people might have been aware of when I was in middle/high school (ie, the 90s) would be Radiohead and Tool, and I didn’t pick them up until after the 90s were over, so in that way, they did stand the test of time by being bands I like now. The rest of them, bleh. Your favorite band sucks, etc.
Kamelot and Nightwish had released material in the 90s I still listen to today, but there’s no way I’d call them 90s bands, and they’re not even alt-rock at all, while the above two are at least maybe.
A valid point. Since I’m hopelessly biased anyways, I figured the best way to answer this question would be to look through some of the recent playlists I’ve created and see what 90s alternative rock band shows up most frequently. The winner was The Cranberries.
You won’t get an argument from me. I’m not sure if it’s nostalgia or that Dolores O’Riordan died so young, but I get emotional these days when I hear The Cranberries.
Bear with me because I’m having trouble articulating this thought, but I think I actually appreciate The Cranberries more as an adult than I did as a teen. I think they weren’t really belligerent or angry enough for my teenage ears – but that’s also exactly why they’re more palatable to me than most other alt-rock bands now.
The Flaming Lips are still great. Their new stuff is really good. They did a lot of experimental stuff, but there’s probably something in their catalog for anybody.
Big fan. My interest starts from the debut and ends slightly earlier than you at Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy (there I go running into that early 90’s block again). But probably my favorite hardcore band.
The Tragically Hip are pretty straightforward Canadian blues rock. I’ve never heard them called “alternative” and they were much too popular to really be classified that from a commercial point of view.
Oh yeah. My favorite part of their career stretches back into the 80’s, but I love pretty much all of The Flaming Lips. Hit to Death In The Future Head is a particular favorite.
Hehehe, you don’t go in for their cover of “Bitches Brew”, then? Ok, more for the rest of us.
Another band that I really think holds up from the 90s that works in a kind of similar vein is The Jesus Lizard. Their odd arrangements, tonality, unique lyrics and odd time signatures still rock.
Alice in Chains: They had a unique sound that would still be unique today. They were from Seattle and broke in the 90s so got lumped into the “grunge” genre, but they were always way more metal than anything else.
I’m not in a position to judge since this was a significant part of the music I liked. I never liked the term alternative although plenty of bands remained edgy despite becoming popular. Things like house, Britpop, early techno and such sometimes were labelled alternative as well.
I really think most of the music stood the test of time pretty well, but am clearly a supporter. I like almost all the groups mentioned above. I’ve been lucky enough to see most of them in concert at one time or another.
Rather than list all my favourites, a simple shout-out to some particularly good or not yet mentioned.
So thanks: Swervedriver, PJ Harvey, Bjork, The Stone Roses, The Breeders, Supergrass, Sabres of Paradise, DJ Carl Cox, Yo La Tengo, B-Tribe, Afghan Whigs, Cast, Nirvana… A personal thank you to Morphine and Echobelly.
Present day maybe, but in a sea of Guess Who, BTO, April Wine, Gino Vanelli and Aldo Nova the Tragically Hip definitely didn’t fit in anything resembling any of the above.
It’s slightly amusing that you decry the Beatles comparisons and then laud Noel’s most obvious Lennon rip-off. But it is still a cracking tune, I’ll concede that. I just can’t separate it from the twats singing and playing it.
Which is odd, because Ian Brown’s a complete tosser, and you’ll have to pry my The Stone Roses from my cold dead hands…just was never that attached to the Gallagher Bros’ music, I guess.
Oasis was overhyped in the moment and has not done well with time. I agree with you in general. If I like their sappiest song, so be it. The Beatles were always far more clever, cooler and more talented than two feuding primae donnae. The Stone Roses were also less talented, but were at least clever and cool by times.
I would strongly dispute that. I’ll take Squires’ guitar work over Gallagher’s, any day. And tosser he may be, but Brown’s lyrics are awesome. And Mani and Reni are tight.
But it is still a cracking tune, I’ll concede that. I just can’t separate it from the twats singing and playing it.