Alternative Sound Bytes

The rise of alternative rock in the USA. From its early underground days where bands like Black Flag drew inspiration from the DIY ethos of punk, Left Of The Dial traces the history of the network of fans, clubs and fanzines that sustained the scene and launched the careers of bands like R.E.M., The Pixies and Husker Du. The film takes a fresh look at the explosion of the Seattle scene, culminating in the success of Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ and the tragic loss of Kurt Cobain, an artist whose triumph and tragedy continues to cast an inescapable shadow.Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/sevenages/programmes/left-of-the-dial/

An alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979.

The band comprised guitarist and vocalist Paul Westerberg, guitarist Bob Stinson, bassist Tommy Stinson, and drummer Chris Mars for most of their career.

The Band began as a punk rock group, but began to incorporate other subgenres of rock music and became instrumental in the development of early alternative rock.The Replacements is one of the influences of these bands such as The Goo Goo Dolls, Green Day, Pavement and many more.

Following the critically acclaimed Let It Be (1984), the band signed to Sire Records, becoming one of the first American underground rock bands to sign to a major record label.

In the ’80s the Replacements’ blend of punk guitar and pop melodies garnered critical acclaim but little commercial success. Hailing from the Minneapolis home base of acts as diverse as Hüsker Dü and Prince, the quartet was seen by its fans as generational spokesmen; Paul Westerberg’s angst-ridden confessional songs cast him as a postpunk Bob Dylan and would influence such ’90s stars as the Goo Goo Dolls.

via [Rolling Stone]

Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an acclaimed American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Known for his ethereal singing voice, Buckley was considered to be one of the most promising artists of his generation after the release of his critically acclaimed 1994 debut album Grace. At the height of his popularity, Buckley drowned during an evening swim in 1997. His work and style continue to be highly regarded by critics and fellow musicians.

via [Wikipedia]

One of my Favorite Song that’s written and sung by Jeff Buckley’s Last Goodbye and as another post from the blog site And She Writes entitled it as the Best BreakUp Song Ever.. Well, it depends on how you listen it, you may get different meaning and interpretation to it. Anyways I love this song, this song rules.

There are still some good songs that Jeff Buckley wrote and performed but this song really topped the charts for me.

So is there any song in particular that Jeff Buckley wrote that you like?

Review: Dashboard Confessional’s The Shade of Poison Trees

Dashboard Confessional fans found Dusk and Summer a wee bit disappointing and since then, there is much talk and anticipation about the band’s next album. It has been going around that Chris Carrabba was to gear back to their earlier style, which is more intimate. Indeed, The Shade of Poison Trees does seem to satisfy the standards. However, affectation is still met when the whole collection has been listened to. Nevertheless, producer Don Gilmore gave full trust to Carrabba and the rest of the band and allowed each of their hidden selves to shine through in this album.

“Fever Dreams” and “Where There’s Gold…” is perfect for the fans of the older Dashboard style and shall fulfill their listening pleasure once more as the two songs carry their signature acoustic instrumentation and sing along choruses that resemble those around the campfire. Indeed, Dashboard Confessional has come back home to cheer their loyal listeners yet again.

Click here to go to The Shade of Poison Trees tracklist

For More Info Visit the Dashboard Confessional Site..

We’ve seen the future of Rock & Roll and its name is no longer Bruce Springsteen. The band on stage at New York’s Ritz sounds like an ailing vacuum cleaner riding roughshod over a madrigal choir. Nonchalantly the musicians step out of the stage-divers’ way as waves of high-intensity drone and retina-piercing white lights wash over the crowd. On the one hand, there exists a fossilizing corpse called classic rock-a four-decade-old mummy grown stale and tired, a once vibrant part of mainstream culture now reduced to background music for car commercials and Olympic events. Imagine a major motion picture in which characters sport faded Mudhoney T-shirts, pull Replacements albums from their record collections, and go hear Alice in Chains, and you’ve scripted Singles, Cameron Crowe’s look at love among the ruins in Seattle (due Sept. 18). Then there’s the Lollapalooza ‘92 tour, a seven-band alternative- rock circus stuffed with the Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam.

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Source:

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,311492,00.html

By the start of the 1990s, the music industry was abuzz about alternative rock’s commercial possibilities and actively courted alternative bands including Dinosaur Jr, Firehouse, and Nirvana.

Nirvana’s surprise success with Nevermind heralded a “new openness to alternative rock” among commercial radio stations, opening doors for heavier alternative bands in particular. Many pop punk bands such as Green Day and The Offspring were also labeled “alternative”. The New York Times declared in 1993, “Alternative rock doesn’t seem so alternative anymore.

Source:

Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. “American Alternative Rock/Post-Punk“. All Music Guide.

Azerrad, Michael. Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday, 1994. p. 160 ISBN 0-385-47199-8

Rosen, Craig. “Some See ‘New Openness’ Following Nirvana Success.” Billboard.

For all your alternative music listening pleasure.

• The Feelies, Crazy Rhythms
  
  
• Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes
  
  
• R.E.M, Murmur
  
  
• Replacements, Let It Be
  
  
• Husker Du, New Day Rising
  
  
• Big Black, The Rich Man’s Eight-Track
  
  
• Throwing Muses, Throwing Muses
  
  
• Dinosaur Jr., You’re Living All Over Me
  
  
• R.E.M., Document
  
  
• 10,000 Maniacs, In My Tribe
  
  
• Ministry, The Land of Rape and Honey
  
  
• Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation
  
  
• Michelle Shocked, Short Sharp Shocked
  
  
• Jane’s Addiction, Nothing’s Shocking
  
  
• Soundgarden, Louder than Love
  
  
• Mudhoney, Superfuzz Bigmuff
  
  
• Pixies, Doolittle
  
  
• Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine
  
  
• Nirvana, Nevermind
  
  
• Pearl Jam, Ten
  
  
• Liz Phair, Exile in Guyville
  
  
• Pavement, Slanted & Enchanted
  
  
• Beastie Boys, Check Your Head
  
  
• Beck, Mellow Gold

Source:

http://wm03.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=19:T578

Seems the coming year would be a good one for alternative music fans the world over for Creed and No Doubt has released information that in 2009 there would be reunion tours for them. Creed who last played in 2004 has announced that it is a great possibility when the members of the band had vacant seats when their current bands have split (what’s new). Gwen and the gang have also leaked information that it would also be possible the band would be getting together for a reunion tour 2009. There are no solid facts and industry leaders are not speculating but two bands on a reunion tour, and not just any band, two of the best. Now that’s news for you. Gwen says they took a break to get their lives on the roll and to get new inspiration for the music they oh so love, good for you guys and more power.

Image source: www.worcsu.com

Alternative music is a genre coined as a sort of catch-all for those sub-genres that are unclassified but can be traced with similarities to popular genres. This alternative music is usually those that were not released commercially and are recorded on independent labels. Some music from this category, from word of mouth, would soon find its way into the mainstream and become commercially successful.

The alternative version of hip hop has not been very popular. Artists claiming to play alternative rap or alternative hip hop are non-conformists who wish to turn from the common drug and violence-directed mainstream rap. Alternative hip-hop fuses influences from funk, rock, jazz, soul and reggae.

As there will always be popular music, there will always be a spot for alternative music. After all, there will always be music that falls somewhere in-between, music that is somewhat like but not entirely the same as what is predominantly popular at a certain period in time.

More often than in other rock styles, alternative rock lyrics tend to address topics of social concern, such as drug use, depression, and environmentalism. The popular and commercial success of Nirvana’s 1991 album Nevermind took alternative rock into the mainstream, establishing its commercial and cultural viability. As a result, alternative rock became the most popular form of rock music of the decade and many alternative bands garnered commercial and critical success. In 2004, alternative rock received renewed mainstream attention with the popularity of indie rock and post-punk revival artists such as Modest Mouse and Franz Ferdinand, respectively.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rock