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.