Okay... To be fair, indie rock has its roots in the
early '80s, but I personally didn't discover it as a genre until age 14/15 in
1990. Little did I know, I'd already begun my foray into sub-genres
of indie rock as a child due to my fascination with new wave and synthpop
(especially bands like Duran Duran, Human League, and Berlin). However,
the music scene from 1988 - 1992 was full of interesting transitions.
Blending and fusing of both older and newer genres provided new and innovative
sounds. The synthesizer (except in goth and industrial sub-genres) went
into decline, and the guitar made a big come-back. Both garage rock and
early house (house was a relatively new genre that combined both disco and
hip-hop elements) began to mushroom in popularity. At the time, there
were several classifications for the all-encompassing umbrella of
anti-mainstream pop... Many music experts called it modern rock, others
called it progressive rock, some called it college rock, and of course, there
was always indie rock... It wasn't until about 1992 that 'alternative'
became the most popular generalized nomenclature. Also, as always, the
music of the time began to influence fashion as well, and the cartoony
fluorescence of the decadent '80s began to give way to more flowing bohemian
styles (influenced by late '60s psychedelia), as well as military influences
(especially in oxfords and boots), hip-hop-inspired oversized trends, classic
preppy styles (cable v-neck sweaters, rugby shirts, suede and nubuck oxfords),
and of course both hoodies and flannel shirts exploded in popularity.
Hair also returned to a more natural look (inspired by longer, straighter
styles of the late '60s/early '70s) versus the 'bigger is better' hair trend
that seemed to dominate the second half of the '80s.
Once I discovered there was a community of like-minded music buffs that year
(who also had a bizarre, but alluring fashion sense), the rest was
history... It was in 1990 that I discovered WRAS FM (88.5 - Album 88,
'The Voice of Georgia State') in Atlanta, and quickly became the only radio
station to which I listened...until WNNX FM (99.7 - Power 99) switched formats
from Top40 to 'Alternative,' and became 99X (which I stopped listening to by
early '99).
Below is a sampling of the more recognizable tracks from that year,
which helped to shape my music tastes to this day (and will always remind me of
my freshman year of high school):
Each track is hyperlinked to its respective online video
(until such links expire). Enjoy!
"The Only One I know" - The
Charlatans (a.k.a. The Charlatans UK)
Forced to change their name to The Charlatans UK in United States due to an
American '60s psychedelic band of the same name, The Charlatans were pioneers
of the distinctive sound that evolved into Britpop by mid-decade. Fronted
by enigmatic and lyrically ambiguous Tim Burgess, The Charlatans track
"The Only One I Know" oozes the '60s garage sound, complete with
organ-sounding keyboards.
"Hippychick" - Soho
In 1990, the popularity of sampling began to soar, and music executives and
artists alike were unsure how to respond... On one hand, sampling can be
flattering to the original artist, but on the other hand, some artists and
labels saw it as a piracy issue. Whatever the case, sampling has since
become a mainstay...especially in hip-hop. The English trio Soho took the
familiar guitar riff off The Smiths' track "How Soon Is Now?," and
layered it over a sequence popularized by British neo-soul group Soul II Soul.
"Birdhouse In Your Soul" - They Might Be
Giants (TMBG)
Brookyn-based They Might Be Giants formed in 1982 and developed their signature
style of quirky and unconventional indie-pop throughout the '80s.
"Birdhouse In Your Soul" was their most successful (and recognizable)
track. The band is still around today, and has since enjoyed success in
children's music and television shows. Their song "Boss of Me"
was used as the theme song for Malcolm in the Middle. Other
notable singles released the same year by TMBG include "Istanbul
(Not Constantinople)".
"
Cuts You Up" - Peter Murphy
Primarily known for his hauntingly low baritone vocals, the former lead singer
of goth band, Bauhaus, ventured into a solo career in the late '80s. His
1990 single "Cuts You Up" from the album Deep, edged out
"So Alive" by Love & Rockets (comprised of his former Bauhaus
bandmates) as the longest running number one on Billboard's Modern Rock Charts
of the time.
"Kill Your Television" - Ned's Atomic
Dustbin
Though technically not released in the US until 1991 on their full-length debut
God Fodder (one of my favorite albums in high school), "Kill Your
Television" by Brit band Ned's Atomic Dustbin was originally released on
their Bite EP in the summer of 1990 in the UK. Their guitar-ridden
rebelliousness was a welcome change from mainstream electronically-engineered
pop.
"Head Like A Hole" - Nine Inch Nails
Picking up where synthpop and the darker side of new wave left off, Nine Inch
Nails were at the forefront of the newer sub-genre called industrial music with
their 1989 release Pretty Hate Machine. The album went on to
achieve momentous success in the early '90s, and is touted as being one of the
defining albums of the decade. Other notable singles released by Nine
Inch Nails in 1990 include "Down In It."
"Serious" - Duran Duran
By 1990, Duran Duran had gone through a break-up, two side projects, bandmate
reduction, and finally, the addition of two new members. They even
experimented with changing their name to one word (Duranduran). Formed
out of the underground new romantic movement in the UK in 1978, Duran Duran
maintained a stream of top ten pop hits throughout the 1980s (including two
number 1's). However, their fifth studio release, Liberty, in
1990 failed to produce much momentum. Alas, I did enjoy the track
"Serious" in fall of that year. Duran Duran went on to achieve
considerable come-back success in 1993 with their second self-titled album
(nicknamed 'The Wedding Album'), which included tracks "Ordinary
World" and "Come Undone."
"
Policy of Truth" - Depeche
Mode
One of the seminal albums of the decade, Violator is Depeche Mode's
greatest commercial success. "Personal Jesus", "Enjoy the Silence", "Policy of
Truth", and "World In My Eyes" all enjoyed chart positions
in 1990, proving that the evolution of intelligent synthpop continued in the
early '90s. "Policy of Truth" will always bring back memories
of the first few months of high school my freshman year.
"She's So High" - Blur
Long before the success of "Girls and Boys" and the irritating
'WOO-HOO' loop in "Song 2," Blur enjoyed success in the early '90s
even before the term 'Britpop' was coined. Their full-length 1991 debut Leisure
encompassed a definitively '60s garage sound, and included other fantastic
memorable tracks like "There's No Other Way." The first
track on the album, "She's So High" was originally released in 1990.
"Candy" - Iggy Pop (featuring Kate Pierson
of The B-52's)
A '70s underground rock king and a quirky vocalist from one of the oddest new
wave bands of the '80s collaborated in 1990 with "Candy," which went
on to achieve considerable mainstream success on Top40 radio.
"Suicide Blonde" - INXS
After enjoying a string of successful indie tracks in the early and mid 1980s,
INXS achieved international super-stardom with their breakthrough album Kick
in 1987 (which produced the #1 hit "Need
You Tonight" in early '88). Their 1990 album X showcased
a nostalgic '60s sound including "Suicide Blonde." INXS enjoyed
a brief come-back in 1997 which ended sadly in vocalist Michael Hutchence's
suicide. Other notable singles released by INXS in 1990 include "Disappear."
"Been Caught Stealing" - Jane's Addiction
As hair bands and metal began to go into decline, off-shoots of the genre began
to spring up (grunge being the most prevalent by 1992-93), but Jane's Addiction
combined a multitude of sounds and styles into their music. Influenced by
bands like Joy Division and The Velvet Underground, Jane's Addiction combined
grass-roots rock with funk and dance, and the product resulted in one of the
most interesting bands of the period. Vocalist Perry Farrell became an
icon for the Alt-rock movement, and formed the alt-rock festival Lollapalooza
in 1991. "Been Caught Steeling" was their biggest chart
success.
"Here's Where the Story Ends" - The
Sundays
Harriet Wheeler's atmospheric vocals were a huge driving force in Britain's
alt-folk group The Sundays. Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic was
their debut album, and "Here's Where the Story Ends" topped
Billboard's Modern Rock charts. However, the band is perhaps better known
for their cover of Rolling Stones' "Wild
Horses," which is found on their 1992 sophomore effort, Blind.
"Unbelievable" - EMF
Like Aerosmith and Run DMC did five years earlier, these young lads from the UK
managed to replicate the success of fusing hip-hop and hard rock into a
dance-floor treat. What sets EMF apart is that they do it with those
unmistakably distinct Brit accents. The band's name comes from 'Epsom Mad
Funkers," a moniker given to the groupies of 1980s new wave band New
Order. Using lots of samplers and sequencers, their debut Schubert Dip
produced Billboard Number 1 track "Unbelievable."
"Groove is in the Heart"
- Deee-Lite
Still a huge dance-floor favorite twenty years later, "Groove is in the
Heart" by Deee-Lite catapulted the fledgling genre of house music into the
mainstream. Lady Miss Kier's eccentric look and sound furthered the
band's popularity. In addition, the track featured lyrics by both Q-Tip
and A Tribe Called Quest, as well as featured bass and vocals by Bootsie
Collins. The track quickly rose the charts, and as a result, Deee-Lite
enjoyed success in underground dance culture throughout the remainder of the
'90s.
"Never Enough" - The Cure
The Cure released a remix album in 1990 for some of their more prominent tracks
in the '80s called Mixed Up. The album featured one new track
called "Never Enough," and was played in fairly moderate rotation on
WRAS Atlanta. The track was guitar-driven, which came in sharp contrast
to the album's electronic foundation.
"Roam" - The B-52's
Throughout the '80s, The B-52's were known for their otherworldly sound and
look combined with their nod to '60s garage and surf rock. However, it
wasn't until they released 1989's Cosmic Thing that the mainstream began
to take notice. The follow-up single to memorable "Love Shack"
peaked at number 3 on Billboard's Hot 100 in early 1990, but topped Billboard's
Modern Rock chart.
And now for the guilty pleasures of 1990, as I still had a lingering affinity
for Top40 pop music (and 1990 was BIG year for music in general):
Also, these videos will not open in a separate window,
so you’ll need to use your ‘back’ button to return to the blog.
"Another Day in Paradise" - Phil
Collins
"Don't Wanna Fall in Love" - Jane
Child
"Escapade"
- Janet Jackson (Spring)
"Black
Cat" - Janet Jackson (Fall)
"Poison"
- Bel Biv Devoe (Spring)
"Do
Me!" - Bel Biv Devoe (Summer)
"All Around the World" - Lisa Stansfield
(Spring)
"This Is the Right Time" - Lisa
Stansfield (Fall)
"Hold
On" - Wilson Phillips (Spring)
"Release
Me" - Wilson Phillips (Fall)
"Nothing Compares 2 U" - Sinead O'Connor
"Step
By Step" - New Kids on the Block
"Vogue" - Madonna (Spring)
"Justify My Love" - Madonna (Fall)
"The
Power" - Snap!
"U Can't Touch This" - MC Hammer
"Rub You the Right Way" - Johnny Gill
"Epic" - Faith No More
"Everybody Everybody" - Blackbox
"Money Talks (Dirty Cash)" -
Adventures of Stevie V
"Can't
Stop" - After 7
"Tom's
Diner" (DNA Remix) - Suzanne Vega
"Ice Ice
Baby" - Vanilla Ice
"Knockin' Boots" - Candyman
"Praying for Time" - George Michael
"Freedom
'90" - George Michael
"I'm
Free" - The Soup Dragons
"I'm Your Baby Tonight" - Whitney Houston
"Gonna Make You Sweat
(Everybody Dance Now)" - C+C Music Factory
Chapel Club is another group of fine young lads from across the pond that has secured a name for themselves with their haunting yet hypnotizing monotone repetition... Think My Bloody Valentine circa 1988. The band captured my attention when “Surfacing” was featured in Topman’s F/W 2011 show last February, and I’ve been listening to them ever since. Their debut album Palace is a treat indeed.
Ernest Greene is one of the biggest names in chillwave at the moment. The Georgia native recently obtained his Master’s degree in Library Science and began producing tracks in his free time. He gained notoriety in the blogosphere, and quickly became an Internet sensation. His debut album Within and Without was released on Sub Pop last July, and has charted in both the US and the UK. 
Like Holy Ghost!, I discovered Metronomy a few years back, and I became an instant fan (especially with their earlier single, “A Thing For Me”). And also like Holy Ghost!, their sound has matured and become a bit more intelligent over the past few years. The electronic band from Devon, England has been noted for remixing tracks by such notable artists as Lady GaGa, Klaxons, Gorillaz, Zero 7, Lykke Li, Goldfrapp, Ladytron and more. Their third album The English Riviera was released last April, and features a string of gorgeous singles.
Nick and Nathan have been busy little Aussies this year. Their upcoming EP titled....well....EP will be released on Valentine’s Day, and features a track in collaboration with New York’s own Cazwell. Garçon Garçon’s sound is definitively ‘80s electro, and they will no doubt master gay indie dancefloors throughout 2012 with their unstoppable momentum.
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