Sebadoh, Sebadoh III

For readers needing a basic introduction to Sebadoh – and if you’ve never heard of them, then you do NEED that introduction -- you can go out and find a thousand or so introductions to Sebadoh out there on the World Wide Web. I’m not going to rehash. 1991’s Sebadoh III is considered to be their first classic LP, featuring lo-fi, often laid-back gems that influenced scads of indie rock bands in years to come. If you’re familiar with the band or the record, I don’t need to say any more. If you’re not, then I’ll wrap this up so you can go do your search.

The Freed Pig (Legal MP3 Download from label website)

The Cranberries, “Zombie”

We go from the last entry’s meaningless Latin fluff to a protest song with a sound as heavy as its lyrical content. Violence related to religion and politics in Ireland has long influenced artistic endeavors. Perhaps most notable is Sean O’Casey’s play “The Plough and the Stars,” which literally set off riots at its Dublin opening in 1926. By 1994, U2 and Sinead O’Connor had already cornered the market on Irish-protest-rock-as-pop-hit, but The Cranberries offered their contribution, “Zombie,” to much success. The band had already found acclaim and record sales with earlier efforts (“Linger” perhaps the most popular), but “Zombie” took them to the top of the charts.
Ironically, the song’s harder-edged sound may have boosted it in the short term, but taking their overall sound in that direction with future albums seemed to hurt the band’s draw in the long run. After years of hiatus, lead singer Delores O’Riordan released a tough solo album in 2007, work definitely worth checking out for fans of “Zombie.”
Today’s bonus clip offers “Zombie” as interpreted by Andy from NBC’s The Office.


Here's the original:

Subject #1

This blog’s first entry will discuss a song that encapsulates pop culture in the 90’s and thoughtfully illuminates so many of the emotions most of us found ourselves unable to escape for most of the decade. Someday when the documentarians try to portray the turmoil, exuberance, confusion and anxiety of the decade, they’ll look for our generation’s version of “Somebody to Love,” the “The Times They Are A’Changin” that can recapture what was in the air just before the dawn of the New Millennium…an artistic statement that took what we all felt deep down inside and said it better than anyone else could. That song is “Mambo #5” by Lou Bega.

Truth is, who knows why “Mambo #5” hit it so big worldwide? Throughout the 90’s, we saw a number of Latin-flavored novelties bounce onto the charts, Bega’s sampling/cover of the 1949 Perez Prado tune joining the ranks of “Macarena,” “Rico Suave,” and “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” Soon after, more serious Latin pop would surge on radio and pop charts, most of it forgettable and much less fun. “Mambo #5” definitely makes the list (a long list indeed) of inane, ridiculous pop that took over toward the end of the decade, and no one will actually admit to really liking it. Still, the next wedding reception you attend, you’ll hear it…sometime after the father/daughter ballad and before “The Chicken Dance.”

Rather than providing a clip of the silly video itself, we found a video of the song mashed up against the famously violent lobby scene from another 1999 hit, The Matrix.

Introduction

What is this?
-- This blog focuses primarily on music made in the 90’s or by bands/entertainers/artists who most of us found in the 90’s. Rather than stay stuck in time, however, this blog will discuss noteworthy new music here and there, as well. While the primary writer of this blog has at times played the part of snobby critic, the goal of this blog is not to judge its readers, force good taste, or punish bad taste. We’ll discuss fantastic, lousy, mediocre, horrible, and good-enough music together. This blog will cover a range of music styles both mainstream and independent, popular and obscure.

Why?
-- Several different things influenced me to start this blog: (1) While using various social networking sites, I noticed that many of us who came of age in the 90’s still list 90’s bands as among our favorites. Many of those favorites lists, however, also list names that reflect the downturn in Top 40 radio away from diversity and the possibility that true artistry – or at least something halfway interesting – might pop through here and there. This blog is here to remind people of those favorite songs, even the horrible ones, from the 90’s while at the same time introducing them to music that might add some depth to their current taste. (2) A recent segment on the “Sound Opinions” music talk show found one caller describing the quandary many find themselves in – they just don’t have the time to find music in the same vein as their favorites from way back when. (3) While I rarely listen to music stations on the radio anymore, a few recent flip-throughs revealed an obsession with 90’s music, particularly on ”adult contemporary” radio stations. Music (even some terrible stuff) that meant something to us at some point, and perhaps even represented an “alternative” or people who had something to say, has now been reduced to sterile background anaesthetic. Maybe much of it deserves to be, but sometimes we can remind ourselves of when we listened to a song over and over on our headphones in our bedrooms before that song became something we hum along with while walking down the cereal aisle.