The '90s were a strange time for music. The college-radio culture of the '80s really helped independent music get the ball rolling, and the whole thing (thankfully) blew up in the '90s. Bands like R.E.M., The Cure and The Smiths paved the way for the kings of the '90s alternative scene like Pavement and Modest Mouse, and because of that college-radio blow-up, bands like these were able to escape the small-town radio scenes and hit decently close to the mainstream. That said, some of those fantastic indie bands from the '90s were either never close to stardom or have just fallen through the cracks and have been forgotten by many listeners in recent years. So here are a few of those bands I think a lot of y'all would enjoy. (Oh, and here's my article in the same style about the '80s from a few weeks ago, just in case you like this one.)
1. Heavenly
Favorite Album: "Le Jardin de Heavenly" (1992)
Heavenly is the absolute perfect name for this twee-pop, British group, and I don't mean that in terms of quality, but in mood. The wispy vocals over the jangling guitar sounds more like it's descending from the clouds than it does from your car stereo. British twee-pop from the '90s and '80s cultivated what would become the various feminist music movements of the late '90s –– a fact that's a little bit hard to see due to the contrast in both aural and lyrical stylings between the before and after bands. "Heavenly vs. Satan" was a very close second for my favorite album by the group, but I think this one shows off their strengths a tiny bitter better (catchy songs, good lyrics, and adorableness).
2. Unrest
Favorite Album: "Imperial f.f.r.r." (1992)
On the subject of the college-radio movement, this is the ultimate college-radio group, at least in their early '90s output. Also, this is probably the most self-conscious college-radio album, and I personally think it benefits from that. Every song rides the line between mindbogglingly catchy and strangely experimental, with melodies that soar high over hypnotic grooves that ride and repeat over and over. The lyrics, in old-fashioned college-radio style, go back and forth between socially conscious, political pieces and odes to short romances (see below for the latter).
3. Naked City
Favorite album: "Naked City" (1990)
John Zorn's Naked City can be imagined as such: you're driving a 1962 Impala with your hair big-styled and quiffed up high as it can possibly stretch. Your leather boots squeak and stretch as you press down harder on the gas, but you don't know where the hell you are; you took a wrong left turn about 15 minutes ago and haven't seen any recognizable landmarks since. Coincidentally, you actually are in hell, and this album accompanies your journey into the underworld: a trip filled with strange, rockabilly guitar and blazing saxophones. It's a little terrifying at times, but it's all the fun that hell would be too.
4. The Chills
Favorite Album: "Submarine Bells" (1990)
New Zealand wasn't left out of the foggy daze that was '80s pop/indie-pop, they were just a bit late. When the new decade came around, the Chills had the natural progression between the 90's indie-rock scene and the aforementioned 80's daze. The main bridge between the two seems to be the twinkling guitars and the pop-sensibilities, making every song on "Submarine Bells" fantastically catchy yet still full of depth. In New Zealand they had a good bit of fame, but that didn't really carry across the pond, which is a shame when you realize how popular the group could have been when listening to how similar the mainstream rock was on the radio at the time.
5. Silver Jews
Favorite Album: "American Water" (1998)
The Silver Jews was a project headed by Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastonovich (both of Pavement) and the lanky, towering, deep-voiced David Berman. The comeraderie between the members of the group is pleasantly apparent on "American Water," making each song a visible team-effort. That accompanied by David Berman's ironic-americana voice styling that's somewhere between The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle and Bill Callahan, living somewhere within the realm of matter-of-fact melancholy and flooding irony. The group had some notoriety in the indie scene that continued into the mid 2000's, but since then, they haven't really been a remembered name. Shame, shame.
6. Polaris
Favorite Album: "Music from the Adventures of Pete & Pete" (1999)
'90s Nickelodeon has been romanticized for years now, being retroactively seen through a nostalgia lens so foggy you can't even see Arnold Shortman's giant, football-shaped head. Of course, even past that lens, '90s Nickelodeon did have some fantastic shows at the time, and "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" was one of them. There was a stark contrast between shows like Pete & Pete and shows to come after if on Nick, and I think the main difference is in the risk-taking creativity implemented from the beginning into the show's writing, character's, and, more on-topic, the soundtrack. The creators of the show had Stephen Merritt (of Magnetic Fields fame) provide a lot of the music for the show along with Polaris –– they even wanted some music from the Pixies but couldn't afford the rights. Either way, I am very thankful that the creators took a risk with the soundtrack or else even less people might know about Polaris than they do now.
