Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock

Latest Episodes:

The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre - Desperate Football | 90s Album Review Feb 20, 2024

Show notes

In a bar in Perth, Australia in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Fred Negro and his various bands tore through country-tinged punk rock soaked in beer and satire. One of these incarnations was The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre, a short-lived name that produced a single, an EP, and the 1992 album Desperate Football. Like fellow garage post-punks The Scientists or The Birthday Party, on the surface the sound is big, loud and messy. But repeated listens reveal tighter than anticipated musicianship with some chorus hooks that will stay in your brain longer than expected.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Drink Myself to Live

20:21 - Nothing on Telly

24:59 - When Jesus Goes Surfing

31:09 - Carpark

36:00 - Blood Money

Outro - I've Only Got One Dick

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Jawbreaker - Dear You | 90s Album Review Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

By the time 1995 rolled around, punk had exploded into the mainstream thanks to releases the previous year by Green Day and The Offspring, as well as Bad Religion, Rancid, NOFX, and many more. It was also the year Jawbreaker released their third album 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, as well as the year they made the jump to a major label for their fourth and final album, Dear You. Showcasing a departure from their earlier raw sound towards a more polished, melodic approach, the band faced criticism from some punk purists who felt the band had strayed too far from their DIY roots, with accusations of selling out and alienating their hardcore fanbase. Despite the divided opinions, the album's impact has endured, influencing subsequent generations of punk and alternative rock musicians.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both

19:00 - Save Your Generation

30:10 - Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault

42:04 - Oyster

Outro - Fireman

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Indigo Girls - Swamp Ophelia | 90s Album Review Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

Released in 1994, the Indigo Girls' fifth album "Swamp Ophelia" marked a significant chapter in their career, following the critical and commercial success of their earlier works. The album, co-produced by Peter Collins, showcases the duo's distinctive harmonies and poignant songwriting, seamlessly blending folk and rock influences. Tracks like "Galileo" and "Power of Two" became anthems of the era, displaying their lyrical prowess and melodic charm. "Swamp Ophelia" received acclaim for its introspective and socially conscious themes, tackling issues such as love, identity, and environmental concerns. Despite its positive reception, the album leans towards a more polished sound compared to their previous works, potentially sacrificing some of the rawness that defined their earlier releases.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Fugitive

15:16 - Reunion

21:37 - The Wood Song

31:17 - The Power of Two

45:09 - Touch Me Fall

Outro - Least Complicated

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Albums of 1994 | 90s Roundtable Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

In our latest and final "Albums of..." roundtable, we're tackling what might have been the most prolific year for releases of the entire decade. With the major labels scooping up bands to ride the alternative and grunge wave explosion into mainstream radio and on MTV, 1994 saw not only huge album releases from Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails, Alice In Chains, R.E.M. Nirvana, and more, but also the punk explosion thanks to Green Day, The Offspring, Rancid, Bad Religion, and others. This was also the year that across the pond from the US, Britpop topped the charts in the UK thanks to Blur and Oasis, while a new wave of alternative bands shot up the charts like Veruca Salt, Bush, Live, Weezer, Toadies, etc. while the indie underground produced classic records from Pavement, Guided By Voices, Low, Stereolab, Sebadoh, and Superchunk, to name a few. For a big year, we have a big group with a super-sized length. Enjoy!

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - 1994 Medley (Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots, Loser by Beck, Self Esteem by The Offspring, Buddy Holly by Weezer, I'm Broken by Pantera, March of the Pigs by Nine Inch Nails)

16:05 - Last Goodbye by Jeff Buckley

23:36 - Girls & Boys by Blur

39:10 - Everything Zen by Bush

50:25 - Very Best Years by The Grays

1:07:19 - Suffering by Satchel

1:13:30 - Bernie by Failure

1:30:40 - I Am I by Queensrÿche

1:50:51 - Feel The Pain by Dinosaur Jr.

Outro - Faster by Manic Street Preachers

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Love Nut - ¡Baltimucho! | 90s Album Review Jan 23, 2024

Show notes

Although only active for a short time in the 1990s, Baltimore, Maryland's Love Nut still managed to bounce from indie to major labels back to the indies over the course of their two albums. Originally recorded for Interscope Records, the band ended up releasing their second and last album on the smaller label Big Deal, meaning more freedom but less budget money for promotion and marketing. Which is a shame, because revisiting ¡Baltimucho! it's clear the band were ripe for discovery with big, hooky power pop choruses that leaned on the 70s glam pop of Sweet as much as Cheap Trick.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Love Found You

15:58 - Everchanging World

21:20 - Bomb Pine

26:48: Everything Is Going Your Way

34:48 - Crop Duster

Outro - Stolen Picture

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The Verve - A Northern Soul | 90s Album Review Jan 16, 2024

Show notes

While Britpop bands like Oasis and Blur aped the sounds of British invasion bands like The Beatles and The Kinks, other UK bands explored less radio-friendly material. In the case of The Verve, long psychedelic jams improvised in the studio established the sound of the band on their 1993 debut album A Storm in Heaven. For their long-play 1995 follow-up, A Northern Soul, the band entered the studio with more composed ideas that edged away from formless psychedelia to incorporate more defined verses and choruses, and even an acoustic ballad on par with Wonderwall.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - A New Decade

16:50 - On Your Own

19:12 - Life's An Ocean

21:58 - So It Goes

31:57 - History

Outro - A Northern Soul

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Fountains of Wayne - Utopia Parkway | 90s Album Review Jan 09, 2024

Show notes

Nailing down what exactly is "power pop" can be frustrating (we did a whole roundtable on it!), but the "power" end of it is usually found in the guitar section. From the big riffs of Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen to Robert Quine's excited guitar leads on Matthew Sweet albums, just because it's "pop" doesn't mean it doesn't rock. For their second album, Fountains of Wayne duo Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood recruited former Belltower guitarist Joey Porter and former Poises drummer Brian Young to complete the foursome. Two veteran players mean a tightened rhythm section and a bigger guitar sound that allows the band to expand their sound, touching not only on power pop from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but elements of Britpop, psychedelia, and Queen grandiosity.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Red Dragon Tattoo

13:00 - Utopia Parkway

17:48 - Lost In Space

25:45 - Denise

Outro - A Fine Day For A Parade

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Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five | 90s Album Review Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

It's hard to imagine a piano-led trio playing power-pop and 70s singer-songwriter influenced songs making headway in the sea of sorrow that was the first half of the 90s. Maybe it's better Ben Folds Five made their debut in 1995, when labels abandoned looking for the next Pearl Jam or Nirvana and went after anyone with a radio-friendly song that could pair with an MTV video. Boasting Billy Joel and Elton John-style piano flourishes over fuzzed out basslines and active drums, the trio move deftly through a dozen tracks of "punk rock for sissies" with smarts and savvy, keeping the songs tight with memorable melodies throughout. Though they would shoot into the mainstream on their follow-up, the self-titled debut effort shows the band had the songwriting chops from the start.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Jackson Cannery

21:55 - The Best Imitation of Myself

38:32 - Video

44:47 - Underground

Outro - Philosophy

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Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Season Thirteen Review Dec 26, 2023

Show notes

There is a lot to talk about when we look back on 2023. Albums new and old from 90s and 00s artists blasted from our speakers and headphones everyday. As with our previous year-in-review episodes, we look back at our favorite new album discoveries, most brought to us by our Patreon community, as well as our most enjoyable round table experiences, and our favorite interviews conducted by Chip Midnight. Here's to season fourteen in 2024!

Songs In This Episode:

Intro/Outro - Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney

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Warrant - Dog Eat Dog | 90s Album Review Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

The explosion of Nevermind in 1991 pushed Sunset Strip bands that dominated the 1980s off of radio and MTV in favor of Seattle's Big 4 - Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. Promotion and marketing budgets dried up, tours saw decreasing attendance, and it left many hair and glam rock bands wondering what to do next. For Warrant, who made a name on power ballads and Cherry Pie, the shifting winds allowed them to explore the songwriting talent of frontman Jani Lane. On 1992's Dog Eat Dog, innuendo is swapped for political and social commentary on "April 2031" while "All the Bridges Are Burning" tackles drug addiction, neither standard fare for LA bands. While there are a few straightforward nods to the first two albums, the band make it clear they were capable of entering Queensryche or other previously unexplored territory with ease, whether their fanbase and radio were ready or not.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Machine Gun

13:06 - April 2031

32:01 - Sad Theresa

41:13 - The Hole In My Wall

57:12 - Inside Out

Outro - Bonfire

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Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.