What’s the Alternative? IV – Part 1

When the ‘90s began, I was a pimply high school sophomore riding my bike around my small Long Island town getting into mischief with Toast. By decade’s end, I was a newly sworn-in Peace Corps Volunteer in Bulgaria shaking hands with President Clinton in Sofia (in November 1999). My memories of the ‘90s include making and listening to mixtapes; frequenting diners, movie theatres, and bowling alleys; and smoking disgusting cigarettes. During the ‘90s, I also obtained two college degrees and it was during those college years my musical tastes began to evolve from hardcore and punk music to indie/alternative (I even started buying and wearing cheap vintage clothing from the Salvation Army). 

Superchunk

After the Nirvana-led grunge explosion of the early ‘90s (which had its roots in the ‘80s underground music scene), “the scene” in America sputtered as bands and fans grew up, got jobs, and cashed in their chips before it got too late (though many could still be seen in recent years at pre-COVID-19 reunion and sing-along nostalgia concerts to which some even brought their kids). For me, indie/alternative stopped progressing sometime in the mid-‘90s (right around the time of the last Jawbreaker album) though, like any genre, many indie practitioners shred on some 40 years after the birth of R.E.M. (from Athens, GA). Here are some of my favorite indie/alternative songs featuring American artists (except for a couple of European acts turning in solid covers of two American classics). Enjoy- and Happy New Year! 

Superchunk

01. Jawbreaker – “Oyster” (1995)

02. American Music Club – “Johnny Mathis’ Feet” (1993)

03. Jawbreaker – “Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault” (1995)

04. Greg Dulli – “Pussywillow” (2005)

05. R.E.M. – “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville” (1984)

06. Jawbreaker – “Sluttering (May 4th)” (1995)

07. The Smashing Pumpkins – “Tonight Reprise (Version 1)” (1995)

08. Superchunk – “Here’s Where the Strings Come In” (1995)

09. Dinosaur Jr. – “Raisans” (1987)

10. Bat for Lashes – “The Boys of Summer (Live)” (2019)

11. Evan Dando – “The Same Thing You Thought Hard About Is the Same Part I Can Live Without” (2003)

12. Hüsker Dü – “Divide and Conquer” (1985)

13. Jawbreaker – “Chemistry” (1995)

14. Liz Phair – “Favorite” (2003)

15. Dinosaur Jr. – “Kracked” (1987) 

16. R.E.M. – “The Flowers of Guatemala” (1986)

17. The Magnetic Fields – “The Day the Politicians Died” (2020)

18. Bright Eyes – “Devil Town” (2004)

19. Violent Femmes – “Good Feeling” (1983)

20. Migala – “Moon River” (1997)

Jawbreaker 2017

President Clinton, Sofia, Bulgaria, 1999

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

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