Note In A Note (Oh NOOOO-te): Part Dos Covers The Music Of The 1990's. For anyone who likes bad music, you may ignore this note - you will find nothing of interest here. For anyone who actually knows who made the theme to the show 'House' - well, you've found the right note. Here are five of the major hot spots of music in the 90's.
1. Grunge
The first and arguably most prominent sub-genre of the music to be explored today is the grunge genre, which included Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, The Smashing Pumpkins, and alt-rock pioneers such as Stone Temple Pilots and Seven Mary Three. Just kidding. The movement reached it's peak in the years 1991 through roughly 1994.
What was notable:
Grunge was harder than hair-metal, and also much less sentimental. Ballads were not the norm, although introspective songs about failed love and depression were relatively popular. The basic lack of focus on aesthetic was notable in that folks like Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley, NOT photo-genic men, were able to be roch stars while looking like your average CVS-worker. The quality of the music was generally VERY high, especially in the first three years, as Pearl Jam and Nirvana were duking it out for album sales (which Pearl Jam won, later losing the all-time popularity war to Nirvana when Kurt Cobain kicked the bucket). Some amazing songs, such as '1979', 'Down In A Hole', 'Come As You Are, and my favorite all-time track, 'Black', were recorded during this era, and the era has had a very heavy influence on mainstream rock now (Seether only has a career BECAUSE of grunge). The movement died when Kurt died, and if you agree with certain people, so did the last great wave of rock'n'roll.
2. Trip Hop
The next sub-genre to be mentioned is the irresistible Trip Hop. For an example of Trip Hop, please find someone who proclaims to have good musical taste and ask to skim their iPod. If this person is telling the truth, you will see artists such as Massive Attack, Tricky, Kid Loco, Portishead, and maybe even Bjork. These are some prominent members of the Trip Hop movement. Even close relatives, such as the Cocteau Twins (whose vocalist, Elizabeth Frazer, did some work with Massive Attack), Air, and Fila Brazilia made a marked impact in the 90's with some pretty funk-y music.
Why it mattered:
Trip hop was a trail-blazing, markedly unique style that blended electronica with more introspective elements and twisted the definitions of the genre. It is a much more moody, bass-driven sound that seeks to inspire menace with it's beats instead of satisfying the need to dance or get funky (although it wasn't above trying both at the same time!).
Notable band: Green Day
Sure, their influence has been roughly negligible, but there's no denying their achievement with the 94' album 'Dookie', which is as good a modern punk record as any, flooding radio with singles left and right while maintaining the best aspects of their influences. They would actually grow relevant in a more respectable way in the 00's, but there are some people in some corners who would say that they reached their peak when they eschewed politics in favor of songs about sexual frustration and laziness. Along with No Doubt and STP, they were also one of the 90's more memorable singles outfits. Don't forget to check out 'Kerplunk', which is vastly underrated, and one of their earlier songs, 'One For The Razorbacks', which is a shredding delight.
3. Alternative Rock
Alternative/indie rock hit a popular peak in the 90's, with bands like My Bloody Valentine reaching their peak (the unendingly brilliant 'Loveless') and new acts like Pavement (the ultimate AND penultimate indie rock band) and Uncle Tupelo knocking on the doors of music history. Beck, Radiohead, and Weezer all began breathing in the 90's, and have since withstood the test of time as career acts. Depeche Mode, a seminal 80's band, hit their stride on 1990's 'Violator', universally acknowledged as the group's masterpiece, and U2 even made an album which fit into this genre, 1991's 'Achtung Baby' (which is probably their best album all around). Mostly, 80's alt. bands like Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., The Pixies, and even The Replacements (for one amazing album) made records in the 90's of generally lesser substance than their 80's work, but nevertheless numerous members of each band kept things interesting (Kim Deal's Breeders, especially). Overall, Alt. rock gasped it's last genuine breath of relevance in the 90's, bolstered by grunge acts like The Smashing Pumpkins who also fit into the scene incredibly well. In an ironic twist, R.E.M. made their best song ('Losing My Religion') and best album ('Automatic For The People') in the 90's, otherwise negating a decade's worth of meandering material.
Why it mattered:
Because alternative rock is the best genre, ever. What, fuck you, I don't have to be objective. This is my note. Just agree.
4. Rap/Hip Hop - While the late 80's have been called by some the golden age of rap, the early and mid 90's proved to be as productive for the genre before it collapsed (at least in terms of mainstream quality) in the late 90's and continued limping on into the bleak 2000's. Some of the best artists of the 80's, like Public Enemy and EPMD, produced substantial work in the 90's, while new rappers, ranging from underground sensations like Dr. Octagon and Company Flow to more commercial artists like The Wu-Tang Clan, Tupac, Nas, and possibly the quintessential 90's rapper, The Notorious B.I.G., created work of extremely high quality that have influenced thousands of artists. The 90's will likely be known most for the emergence of gangster rap, but the best music of this movement was few and far between - although Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic' is one of the best of all hip hop records, and Snooop Dogg's debut, 'Doggystyle', was nearly as good - and possibly led to a descent in overall quality that could be considered acceptable for a rap artist. The ideal rapper image shifted from more cerebral rhyme-spitters like Rakhim to something resembling a prototypical 50 Cent.
Why it mattered: Because rap will always matter, on one level or the other, even if, like modern rock, it has become a negative part of the mainstream music scene. Usually, the quotient of quality for popular artists in the genre is quite low; back in the 90's, this was a much more even (if decidedly flawed - Vanilla Ice, anyone?) playing field, gangster posturing aside.
Notable artist: No Doubt
Genre-bereft in the early and mid-90's, No Doubt crafted some charmingly memorable tunes at their peak, including the amazing 'Don't Speak' and the over-played-but-still-wort
5. Punk: Punk reached it's popular peak thanks to Green Day in 1994, but while things seemed bright for the genre in light of the success of numerous bands, including the Offspring's phenomenally successful album, 'Smash', the genre was slowly dying, becoming more selective and even laid-back, while 80's bands likes Bad Religion (who perhaps peaked with 1990's 'Against The Grain') began to patter out and create more pedestrian works. The genre was strengthened by the arrival of 'riot grrl' groups like Bikini Kill and Sleater Kinney, and there were a few contained moments of brilliance for the genre (I personally think Pennywise's chunk of music from 1991 to 1997 is particularly impressive), but overall, the arrival of pop punk bands like Blink 82 perhaps de-fanged the art form irreparably.
Why it mattered: The last true gasp of punk, the 90's saw the genre grow weaker yet contained the last few consistent nuggets of greatness the genre had to offer. There are still quality bands who play punk, but the movement as is has been left for dead.
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