Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock

Latest Episodes:

#346: Transmission by The Tea Party Aug 29, 2017

Show notes

From up north comes The Tea Party, creating a stew of eastern scales, industrial rhythms and Zeppelin-esque dramatics. Their 1997 sophomore release Transmission is the quintessential headphones album. Though only a three piece, they pile on a wide range of non-traditional instrumentation to create a unique, swirling sound that goes big rock in the vein of The Cult or Led Zeppelin while grounding with industrial rhythms at home on a Nine Inch Nails or Stabbing Westward record. All while frontman Jeff Martin bellows and shrieks like the lost cousin of Jim Morrison and Ian Astbury. It can be exciting and overwhelming just a few bars apart - we try to figure out which way the overall experience leans. Tune in to find out.

Songs in this Episode:

Intro - Temptation

15:11 - Gyroscope

17:54 - Psychopomp

22:05 - Babylon

Outro - Alarum

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#345: Mindfunk by Mindfunk Aug 22, 2017

Show notes

Sandwiched between 80s metal and 90s alternative, Mindfunk occupy the same limbo space as Mother Love Bone and Saigon Kick. We’re checking out their self-titled 1991 debut, a mix of big metal riffs, groove rock with funk influences and some slow burn nods to what would later be called desert or stoner rock. While Jason was familiar with this from when it was released and bought it on cd when it came out, Tim had never heard a note prior to reviewing the record. Does it still hold up for Jason? Is it a worthwhile discovery for Tim? Tune in to find out.

Songs in this Episode:

Intro - Sugar Ain’t So Sweet

14:17 - Bring It On

16:55 - Sister Blue

22:21 - Blood Runs Red

Outro - Innocence

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#344: Interview with Greg Glover of Arena Rock Recording Company Aug 15, 2017

Show notes

Greg Glover, co-founder of the Arena Rock Recording Company stops by for a lengthy chat. After some initial Goonies talk, we revisit our recent review of Harvey Danger’s Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone to fill in some blanks and learn some information about the behind the scene machinations involving the record business. We cover Greg’s childhood and college days, running a fanzine and how he got into “the music industry.” He share how Superdrag ended up being release number one for Arena Rock and the story of how they returned to the label years later. We get into reissuing previous releases, and how the Mineral rereleases came together, as well as the dreaded “unsolicited demos,” signing Elf Power, MTV and 1980s, dinners with Seymour Stein at Sire, how to get free shipping and much, much more.

Songs in this Episode:

Intro - NA Kicker by Superdrag

8:12 - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger

15:34 - Private Helicopter by Harvey Danger

40:20 - Lighting The Way by Superdrag

47:34 - Let It Out by The Life And Times

Outro - Calling All Lovers by The Sheila Divine

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#343: Compilations Albums of the 1990s Roundtable Aug 08, 2017

Show notes

From charity comps to label samplers, the 1990s may have been the peak decade for compilation albums. We discuss the qualities that make a worthy compilation album with our guests Keith Sawyer from WMBR, Jim Hanke of Vinyl Emergency and Eric Peterson of Love That Album. We pick our favorite comps and favorite compilation-only tracks, and discuss whether compilation albums are still relevant in the age of streaming music playlists.

We’ve got over ten minutes of bonus content over at Patreon this week.

Songs in this Episode:

Intro - Sexual Healing by Soul Asylum (Marvin Gaye cover), from No Alternative

13:14 - Riot on the Rocks by The Hellacopters, from Riot on the Rocks Vol. 1

20:35 - Effigy by Uncle Tupelo (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover), from No Alternative

42:03 - Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman) by Counting Crows, from DGC Rarities Vol.1

Outro - Compilation Blues by Sonic Youth, from DGC Rarities Vol.1

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#342: Lovesongs for Underdogs by Tanya Donelly Aug 01, 2017

Show notes

With her first solo outing, Tanya Donelly attempts to balance her indie rock past with a radio friendly approach. 1997′s Lovesongs for Underdogs, our latest album selected by our Patreon voters, came with the burden of Tanya having been a part of numerous successfully and respected indie rock group, including Throwing Muses, The Breeders and Belly. Striking out on her own with a bevy of players, she shows off a wide array of songwriting styles all grounded by her sharp and hooky melodies.

Songs in this Episode

Intro - The Bright Light

8:25 - Pretty Deep

12:01 - Lantern

14:06 - Bum

19:45 - Clipped

Outro - Breathe Around You

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#341: Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? by Harvey Danger Jul 25, 2017

Show notes

Harvey Danger being tagged as a “one hit wonder” can be both a blessing and a curse. Is the rest of the album criminally overlooked, or does it pale in comparison? We put it to a vote on our Patreon page, and our patrons made Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?, released in July 1997 our latest review. Reviews at the time were mixed, but this album and band have gained their share of advocates, who praise lead singer Sean Nelson’s witty and self-deprecating lyrics and the tight power-pop-punk songwriting of this and their follow-up album, King James Version. One of of us thought this was a start-to-finish gem worthy of revisiting, and one of us thought the brilliance of Flagpole Sitta set the rest of the album up to fail. Disagreement!

Songs in this Episode:

Intro - Flagpole Sitta

9:21 - Radio Silence

14:48 - Carlotta Valdez

Outro - Jack The Lion

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#340: Guitar Gods of the 1990s Roundtable Jul 18, 2017

Show notes

For our latest roundtable we aim at the heavens and request an audience with the gods! The guitar gods, that is. The 60s had Clapton and Hendrix, the 70s had Page and Blackmore, the 80s had Eddie and a slew of gunslingers, now it’s time to christen the guitar gods of the 90s. First, we try to figure out what exactly elevates a guitarist to god status. Then we open the floor for nominations. Some of the names will be familiar and expected, while others may be more obscure and surprising. To help us, we’re joined by returning guests Andy Derer, Eric Grubbs and Joe Royland.

Make sure to visit Patreon for over fifteen minutes of bonus content from this episode at https://www.patreon.com/digmeout.

Songs in this Episode:

Intro - Guitar God Medley (Rage Against The Machine, Soundgarden, Dinosaur Jr., Pantera)

13:28 - Bulls on Parade by Rage Against The Machine

27:50 - No More Tears by Ozzy Osbourne

33:09 - Chemical World - Intermission by Blur

1:00:21 - Tired of Sex by Weezer

Outro - Pull Me Under by Dream Theater

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#339: Laughing Gallery by Ruth Ruth Jul 11, 2017

Show notes

Back when we started this podcast, we created a long list of albums we wanted to eventually get to, mostly due to only knowing one song off an album thanks to a lone minor radio hit single. One of those bands is Ruth Ruth, and it’s finally time we got around to checking out their 1995 debut Laughing Gallery. To help us dig into this album, we invited roundtable alum Jeff Takacs of Rocket Fuel Podcast, who authored a history of Ruth Ruth for Punktastic a few years back, for some insight on why this band with a catchy pop-punk-flavored single in the heyday of mainstream punk didn’t make it past the first single. Where they miscategorized? Does the album hold up? Tune into find out.

Songs in this Episode:

Intro - Uninvited

13:08 - Uptight

19:19 - I Killed Meg The Prom Queen

23:19 - I Grew Up

Outro - All Readydown

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#338: A Little Ain’t Enough by David Lee Roth Jul 04, 2017

Show notes

On this Fourth of July, we could think of nothing better than to revisit the human firecracker himself - David Lee Roth. With help from our friend Gavin in Australia, we’re checking out the 1991 album A Little Ain’t Enough, the third solo release after Dave departed Van Halen. For this outing, there were lineup changes, producer changes and a changing musical landscape.

Songs in this Episode:

Intro - A Little Ain’t Enough

7:47 - Sensible Shoes

17:43 - Last Call / Walk This Way by Aerosmith

22:33 - Tell The Truth / Black Velvet by Alannah Myles

Outro - It’s Showtime!

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#337: Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space by Spiritualized Jun 27, 2017

Show notes

For our last review of June 2017, our Patreon patrons selected from one of four albums from June of 1997, and settled on Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, the third album by Spiritualized. Much has been written about the album, from reviews to anniversary retrospectives detailing the creation and recording of the massive achievement that finds Jason Pierce and crew exploring gospel, soul, britpop, blues, psychedelia, noise, experimentation and more, including an orchestra. It’s a headphone album of sprawling proportions one moment and cacophony worthy of a stadium the next. We try to figure out which works better for us, if at all.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Come Together

10:07 - Cop Shoot Cop...

13:46 - Cool Waves

20:15 - I Think I’m In Love

Outro - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space

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