True Alternative: The Top 100 Songs of the ’90s Underground

60. The Auteurs – “Showgirl”
from New Wave (1993; Hut)

As anybody who follows Luke Haines on Twitter knows, he remains one of the great cantankerous, single-minded eccentrics working at the fringes of the music industry. By way of example, he once deliberately jumped off a wall and spent a year in a wheelchair just to avoid a world tour he didn’t fancy doing. His first single as leader of The Auteurs was exactly the sort of stunning, melodious earworm that he has spent the rest of his career running away from (excluding, that is, his brief period with Black Box Recorder, when he attempted—successfully—to create a Top 10 hit entirely composed of a parody of every banal generic pop trash trope of the time). For most of The Auteurs’ existence, Haines was more occupied with distancing himself from the Britpop label than anything, but this single remains one of the genre’s most stunning gems. – MP

59. Soul Coughing – “Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago”
from Ruby Vroom (1994; Slash/Warner Bros.)

Equal parts groovy, jazzy and eerie, “Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago” is a stunning example of Soul Coughing’s best work and proof that, when this band was at their peak, they could really make weird work to their advantage. Over a progressively building funk-rock beat (built over an interpolation of the theme the Bob Kane TV series Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse), M. Doughty builds a striking narrative about a plane crashing into the Chrysler building. It’s the sort of image that would become all to real in less than a decade but, in 1994, was the product of an overactive imagination. But instead of focusing on the despair or violence of the situation, Doughty’s intentions are more philosophical in nature, focusing on the the variety of backgrounds and life histories in the room and the sad irony that this fictional office building will be their grave. “Pyongyang is in the room/ Cairo is in the room.” – ATB

58. Melvins – “Honey Bucket”
from Houdini (1993; Atlantic)

In the ’90s, the Melvins were your favorite band’s favorite band, most famously exemplified by Kurt Cobain’s constant championing of them. Their style wasn’t really MTV marketable, but they made a lot of fans in 1993 with the release of Houdini. Pummeling and extremely heavy—but never inaccessible—the Melvins’ sound garnered fans that probably still ride for the band today. “Honey Bucket” shows that Melvins had speed when they wanted to deploy it, despite being associated with slower metal like sludge, doom and drone. King Buzzo & Co. jam freely for the first minute before finding a groove around the one-minute mark and charging full-ahead the rest of the way. I have no clue what Buzzo’s lyrics mean (does anybody? Ever?) but who cares with nuggets of rage this effective? – LG

57. Mercury Rev – “Chasing a Bee”
from Yerself is Steam (1991; Jungle)

If this were a list of ’90s alternative albums, then Mercury Rev’s debut Yerself is Steam would surely be a contender. Following a similar trajectory to The Flaming Lips, with whom they have shared personnel, their psychedelic experimentalism garnered a cult following early on, and only after a later conversion to a more accessible, melodic songwriting tradition did major attention come their way. In truth, it is the carefree playfulness of tracks such as “Chasing a Bee” where you can hear their influence on contemporary artists most clearly. Many indigestible books have been written concerning the eventual assimilation of underground trends into the mainstream—Mercury Rev’s earliest records are certainly eligible for such consideration now. Yerself is Steam would almost certainly be an Internet sensation if it had been released in this decade. – MP

56. Sigur Rós – “Svefn-g-englar”
from Ágætis byrjun (1999; Fat Cat)

There’s so much about Sigur Rós that, in the abstract, makes the Icelandic post-rock outfit seem so woefully pretentious as to be unbearable: Bowed guitars? Vocals in a made-up language? Their music’s placement in both Vanilla Sky and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou? Well, you can forget about most of that with one solitary listen to “Svefn-g-englar,” the breathtaking 10-minute standout from their 1999 breakthrough Ágætis byrjun (which didn’t really break through until 2000, or 2001 in the U.S.). For one, it’s sung in the band’s native language, rather than the inscrutable Hopelandic (the title translates to both “sleeping angel” and “sleepwalker,” which I can’t fully explain for reasons of linguistic deficiency), and the bowed guitar? It’s gorgeous. Like Cocteau Twins at a crawl, or My Bloody Valentine in a broken tape deck, Sigur Rós stretch everything out beyond its logical conclusion, every note simply existing rather than rushing toward any real conclusion. Though they do eventually get there, but the destination isn’t really what this song is about. – JT

55. Ride – “Vapour Trail”
from Nowhere (1990; Creation)

A time capsule of early ’90s sensibilities, “Vapour Trail” is distinct with its use of Rickenbacker twelve-string guitars and familiar with its recurring four chord pattern. The usage of the guitars actually stirred quite a debate amongst fans as they tried to decode how Ride achieved such a sound. According to member Andy Bell, it really was just the Rickenbackers, with no extra effects needed to achieve that shimmering wall of bliss. From Ride’s 1990 debut album Nowhere, the British shoegazers even applied a string quartet to the track’s close. The track has become a point of reference for various media, including a cameo in the novel Perks of Being a Wallflower, featured as the second track on Charlie’s “One Winter” mixtape. – VC

54. Handsome Boy Modeling School – “Holy Calamity [Bear Witness II]”
from So… How’s Your Girl? (1999; Tommy Boy)

HBMS was a collaborative project between two of alternative hip-hop’s great producers, Dan the Automator and Prince Paul, which lasted for two albums. Their first, So…How’s Your Girl?, served as a critique of the increasing vanity and materialism of first-world society, particularly that of the affluent upper classes. If that sounds heavy, think again; Dan and Paul have both made careers out of alleviating social commentary with inventive, light and playful production values, and those stakes are in turn raised on this track by the inclusion of turntablist maestros DJ Quest and DJ Shadow. With those four all chipping in, you expect no less than four minutes of the most bewilderingly intricate plate-spinning at breakneck pace. – MP

53. Le Tigre – “Deceptacon”
from Le Tigre (1999; Mr. Lady)

Few artists appear multiple times on this countdown, but one justified repeat offender is Kathleen Hanna, arguably the riot grrrl of the 1990s’ namesake punk movement. Here, she’s part of the oddball trio she first assembled in an attempt to tour behind her Julie Ruin material. Le Tigre and their debut album would eventually lurch to life, their songs hopping among her scorched-earth feminism, old-soul rock and pop, and entry-level tech grooves. The album’s lone single “Hot Topic” was a pleasant recitation of musical influences. The big statement, however, was this fuzzy opener inverting Barry Mann’s famous doo-wop question “Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)?” It asks, instead, who took it, screaming a challenge at peers to construct songs (from the lyrics up) that mean something to someone. It’s the kind of work painting Hanna as a musical She-Hulk—we like her best when she’s angry. – AB

52. The Jesus Lizard – “Mouth Breather”
from Goat (1991; Touch & Go)

Not only is “Mouth Breather” a pounding, visceral example of ’90s college radio rock from one of the decade’s definitive underground bands—it’s also a recorded history of some of the Touch & Go scene’s major players. The story goes that Britt Walford (drummer for Slint and The Breeders around the time this song was written) was house-sitting for Steve Albini and wound up leaving the place a total wreck, destroying a door and basement plumbing in the process. David Yow, of course, takes some narrative liberties (“And in my basement, I found rainin’ piss/ And in my kitchen, I found my friend deceased”) but, paired with jagged, well time blasts of guitar rhythm and Mac McNeilly’s merciless drumming, it’s the perfect ode to punk rock depravity and a cautionary tale about that time you thought about trusting that drummer you know with your prized property. Listen to enough Albini interviews and it’s not a far stretch to imagine the man buttering, beneath his breath: “Don’t get me wrong/ He’s a nice guy…/ But he’s a mouth breather.” – ATB

51. Kyuss – “Demon Cleaner”
from Welcome to Sky Valley (1994; Elektra)

Josh Homme, who was one of the two songwriters in Kyuss, wrote this song in the context of brushing his teeth; in this case, the evil demons are plaque, and the demon cleaner is a toothbrush. “The magic cleaner will shine his smile over me,” John Garcia sings in the second verse, sounding like an advertisement for toothpaste. “I get the back one,” Garcia sings later. “Important they’ll always stay.” Dental hygiene aside, “Demon Cleaner” is a lesson in psychedelic rock execution. Brant Bjork tirelessly rolls on his snare and toms while his foot taps on the high hat pedal in flawless time; Homme noodles on his guitar until the desert sun goes down. Welcome to Sky Valley landed at No. 69 on our Top 100 Metal Albums last summer, but “Demon Cleaner” isn’t really your standard take on metal; it’s a steady ride into the sunset that gets a little heavy toward the end. – JJM