333 BLASTS

1991

Smells Like Teen Spirit became an unexpected hit shortly after its release. The song caught on both rock and student radio stations, and after a positive response to its video on its night-time schedule, MTV also started playing it during the day. For the next few weeks, it settled in the 'Buzz Bin' section – a menu of clips predicted to be a success on MTV, played several times a day.

Nirvana could be heard everywhere and Nevermind, its first effort for a major label, was beginning to make music history. The band recorded it with the intention of capturing a more intense pop sound. Compared to their two-year-old independently released debut, on its follow-up, they played more with the dynamics of the songs and worked on the melodies, trying to break out of the sound template of the home grunge scene. And it succeeded, creating a captivating straightforward record filled with catchy songs. At that point, it had no idea it would start an avalanche of events to impact the world music scene. Pearl Jam debuted just a month earlier. Their album Ten was no sensation at first. They had only been playing together for a short time and had no audience, but they immediately went on tour to support the record. It lasted nine months, had 148 stops, and by its end, legends were already spreading about the band. The ferocious anthemic songs, the emotive, skin-piercing vocals, but especially the unbridled concerts caused fans to flock to stores to buy Ten even two years after its release. A new album was also recorded by the veterans of the grunge scene, Soundgarden. On Badmotorfinger, they considerably pushed the limits of their compositional mastery in a perfect mix of crushing riffs and vocal escapades, completing the year's batch of essential albums from Seattle, which documented the local musical diversity.

Nirvana's sound was nourished by the wildness of punk, Pearl Jam developed a hard rock legacy, and the complex work of Soundgarden unmistakably referenced metal. Therefore, although they were shaped by a similar environment and were labelled as the main representatives of grunge, with the growing artistic originality of their recordings, this designation was losing its justification.

The rise in popularity of alternative music genres and their gradual penetration into the mainstream was also reflected in the list of performers as well as nominees in individual genre categories at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards.

The most (more specifically, ten) nominations were earned by R.E.M. for the video to their Losing My Religion. Michael Stipe, the lead singer of the band, had prepared a set of different colour T-shirts for the occasion; on each of them, with an apt slogan, he expressed his support for issues ranging from racial equality and safe sex to the right to vote and the regulation of the possession of firearms. He intended to come and collect each of the potential awards in a different one of them. Ultimately, his original campaign was successful, as R.E.M. was pulled out of the envelope as many as six times, once for the Video of the Year.

The most (more specifically, ten) nominations were earned by R.E.M. for the video to their Losing My Religion. Michael Stipe, the lead singer of the band, had prepared a set of different colour T-shirts for the occasion; on each of them, with an apt slogan, he expressed his support for issues ranging from racial equality and safe sex to the right to vote and the regulation of the possession of firearms. He intended to come and collect each of the potential awards in a different one of them. Ultimately, his original campaign was successful, as R.E.M. was pulled out of the envelope as many as six times, once for the Video of the Year.

Pearl Jam – Jeremy (Rasťo)

Even though the band stated they didn’t want people to remember their songs as videos, ‘Jeremy’ is what sparked my lifelong Pearl Jam fandom and my interest in music videos as an art form. It was the first storytelling video I’d ever noticed, with the music and visuals equally powerful, and coming together to breathtaking effect. Goosebumps, even years later.

Ned's Atomic Dustbin – Grey Cell Green (Aran)

It was not possible to overlook this band in the crowd of English guitar bands of the first half of the '90s. No psychedelic dance songs, no Rolling Stones quotations. Instead, rousing, energetic garage music with contagious positive energy. On top of that, Ned's had two basses, so I listened to them also as a matter of study.

Jesus Jones – Right Here, Right Now (Shezz)

Their biggest hit and most well-known song, in fact, most people can name the song, but not the band. I'm not a believer in many things, but I do believe in 'Jesus Jones' and the message they spread. I just love the coarse tone and then high pitch changes in his voice, and of course that typical indie beat.

1992

Alternative rock and grunge very quickly found themselves in the centre of the action in the field of hard guitar music. Glam metal, central up until that point, suddenly found itself on the side-lines, but the decline in the popularity of bands with a stylised image in no way meant a decline in interest in metal music. Even those metalheads who did not strictly listen to extreme underground genres but, at the same time, wanted to shake their heads to something harder than the new Def Leppard album, had several reasons to be cheerful in 1992.

Fans of B-movies, horror, and cheap thrills could easily fall in love with White Zombie. After a series of independent recordings, they managed to earn the trust of a major label, which they did not disappoint with La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One. A continuous stream of metal riffs interspersed with excerpts from obscure films gives the impression of an extravagant metal party in a godforsaken video rental store. Following the record, a great number of fans made it possible for them to go on a two-year tour and provided for generous support from MTV. Pantera went through a drastic genre change on their previous album while, on the next one, they confirmed that they stood behind their new musical direction one hundred and twenty percent. Vulgar Display of Power is a more than apt name for this collection of songs with a dense groove and coarse vocals, and the cowboys from hell had definitively erased the traces of their glam metal past.

Following the path that Metallica had indicated in the previous year, their traditional companions and rivals also joined the imaginary struggle for the thrash metal throne. Megadeth slowed down significantly, simplified their compositions towards greater songfulness, and, in contrast to the past, added strong melodies. This resulted in the most commercially successful album of their entire, long, career, one they do not have to be ashamed of even with the passing of time. Today, Countdown to Extinction can easily be included among the most essential metal records of the '90s.

At the beginning of the '90s, various forms of electronic music began to appear more and more in the music charts, although radio stations practically did not play it. Its countless offshoots and subgenres found a fertile ground in dance clubs, as well as at clandestine parties organised throughout the country. Initially taking place in various abandoned warehouses, but gradually also in increasingly large open spaces, 'rave' parties reached multiple thousands of visitors and provided unmistakable evidence of the lively happenings on the electronic scene.

It was at one of these events that the producers from Opus III met their enigmatic singer, and their first joint single, It's a Fine Day, made fans dance all over the world. They also decorated the rest of their Mind Fruit album with clever production, accented with pop elements, showing, in an accessible form, many curious listeners what 'house' sounds like. The Prodigy chose a much more uncompromising approach. On their debut Experience, they avoided light melodic vocals; instead, they proved their excellent ear and sense for catchy samples, punctuating their wild 'breakbeat hardcore'. Nothing was sacred to them; they just as happily distilled from hip-hop and funk as from radio plays or educational films for children. Just for a change, they spiced up their memorable hit Out of Space with an old reggae record from the '70s.

The Orb explored the calmer waters of 'ambient' in their work. The first single Blue Room from their album U.F.Orb took sales up to number eight on the singles chart. At just under 40 minutes, the single is the longest track to ever do so. Based on this success, they were invited to perform a shortened version of the piece on the TV show called Top of the Pops, known, among other things, for its performers not playing live. The Orb dealt with the situation in their own way. Instead of simulating a live performance, they chose to play a game of chess on live TV while their music video played in the background.

Pantera – Mouth for War (Rasťo)

I have watched this video a hundred times with fascination. Phil Anselmo is, at first sight, a bloke who you hope will not ask you for a cig when you see him. But even so, you cannot take your eyes off him, like a rabbit in the headlights of a speeding car. The extreme mix of aggression and dangerous charisma which defined Pantera's music can also be heard in this song.

The Prodigy – Out of Space (Shezz)

My teenage years' soundtrack includes this song. It made me realise I do not 'have' to like only one kind of music. They had such catchy songs, but without being cheesy. They created a genre of music that bands still try to emulate today. Some songs make you tap your toes, some move your head, but this makes you dance!

The Cure – Friday I'm In Love (Veni)

Those luckier ones of us can fall in love a few times a day and forget the new love in no time. Robert Smith was not that lucky, he could only do so on Fridays. But thankfully, he still wrote an outstanding song, which will force you to smile as if you were freshly in love. Recommendation: Enhance the bass during reproduction.

1993

In spite of the fact that women had had their irrefutable place in rock music since its inception, their creative contribution had not received much attention. Rock'n'roll was considered a rather male domain. Topics addressed in the lyrics focused around the male view of the world, although women often entered them as a significant source of inspiration. For the time being, women mainly performed in bands as singers and, only to a lesser extent, as instrumentalists. This started to change in the first half of the 1990s when strong female authors emerged on both sides of the Atlantic, either as front people of bands or performing solo.

In spite of the fact that women had had their irrefutable place in rock music since its inception, their creative contribution had not received much attention. Rock'n'roll was considered a rather male domain. Topics addressed in the lyrics focused around the male view of the world, although women often entered them as a significant source of inspiration. For the time being, women mainly performed in bands as singers and, only to a lesser extent, as instrumentalists. This started to change in the first half of the 1990s when strong female authors emerged on both sides of the Atlantic, either as front people of bands or performing solo.

Björk works with completely different means of expression. With the Debut album, she drew a thick line behind her past as a rock singer and opened the door to the world of boundless creativity that adorns her work. Her songs have the form of dance electronics, atmospheric trip-hop, and are also inspired by jazz, and her fans could only guess where she would go from there.

On the back cover of Songs of Faith and Devotion, the Mute label logo stands out proudly. It was founded in 1978 in London by Daniel Miller, an ardent fan of the sound of synthesizers, as well as, at that time, still nascent electronic music. Originally, it was only to be used for the release of his own, self-recorded, single. Emboldened by the unexpected success of the record as well as the subsequent discovery of other musically related artists, he launched Mute as a regular label a year later.

The turning point in the label's history came when he signed a contract with Depeche Mode. From the beginning, their popularity grew with each subsequent record and spread beyond the borders of the British Isles. In an effort to give the band adequate support, the label expanded along with it. Daniel Miller recognised the importance of mutual loyalty in building a long-term relationship between the publisher and the artist. This approach bore him fruit. The artists remained loyal to the label even when more lucrative offers came knocking on their doors and, thus, helped it survive even during less favourable times. In the course of the '80s, Mute became one of the leading labels not only of synth pop, but also of experimental electronic music, not avoiding bands with traditional instrumentation either. From the fertile ashes of the wild post-punkers The Birthday Party, who recorded their last album under their banner, rose Nick Cave and his The Bad Seeds, as well as the no less harrowing Crime & the City Solution. After leaving Depeche Mode, Vince Clarke continued to churn out hits with Yazoo, while Recoil, Alan Wilder's solo project, spun more demanding electronic textures. Nonetheless, they all continued to defend Mute's colours, where no one was favoured. The political provocateurs Laibach, the industrial noisemakers Einstürzende Neubauten, and the pioneers of electronic body music Nitzer Ebb all enjoyed equal attention. Regardless of the amount of expected sales or genre affiliation, the underappreciated dance floor burners Renegade Soundwave, the retro rockers of Inspiral Carpets, and the electronic sound magician Moby all worked side by side.

With regained independence, a sense of musical adventure never lost, and despite their name, Mute have something to say to this day.

PJ Harvey – Man-size (Zebra)

A simple guitar riff which twines like a snake around the whole song and creates a musical mantra. The ability to arrange maximum effect in minimum space, where the lyrics are supporting pillars. The sarcasm is lightened by humour. Polly Jean is simply a quality writing investigative journalist, of her own soul. Of man-size.

Depeche Mode – I Feel You (Kubsson)

Sometimes you take notice of a band because you hear about them everywhere, but you do not pay attention. But a breaking point might come and pull down the barrier of your disinterest. For me, it was their riff pumping the electrifying tension. When tension of a very different kind, provided by the fascinating Emmanuelle, joined in, DM had me in their pocket.

Morphine – Buena (Rasťo)

They did not choose their name accidentally, they are equally addictive. A two-string bass, a saxophone, drums, and a VOICE. With minimal presence of instruments, they were able to create an unbelievably strong, almost palpably thick, atmosphere. In a dangerous combination with the singer's bewitching baritone, their music has the ability to absorb me completely.

1994

The heavy clouds on the radio airwaves were dispersed by fresh winds from sunny California. There, since the end of the 1980s, various forms of punk rock had been successfully infected with pop melodies. The local pop punk underground flourished, ploughed by bands giving concerts, stirred by the supervision of punk fanzines, and watered by a shower of recordings from independent labels. It was only a matter of time before this subculture found itself in the field of vision of talent scouts of big companies in search of a musical alternative.

The heavy clouds on the radio airwaves were dispersed by fresh winds from sunny California. There, since the end of the 1980s, various forms of punk rock had been successfully infected with pop melodies. The local pop punk underground flourished, ploughed by bands giving concerts, stirred by the supervision of punk fanzines, and watered by a shower of recordings from independent labels. It was only a matter of time before this subculture found itself in the field of vision of talent scouts of big companies in search of a musical alternative.

Only two months after Green Day, The Offspring also released their third album. Their noticeably harder, stormier, but no less melodious Smash came out on an independent label. The single Come Out and Play was to prepare the ground for it. The catchy slogan in the chorus and the unusual, oriental, guitar riff worked in a way that no one expected. The song was made into a radio hit and the album one of the musical sensations of the year, which at the time of its release set the record for the best-selling independent record ever and sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Nothing could stop the punk rock avalanche now.

The strong Caribbean community brought from its birthplace the tradition of 'soundsystems', a DJ grouping, which, with a crate of records and a pair of powerful speakers, unleashed fun not only in dance clubs but also from the bonnet of a car and right on the street. At first, they mainly played home genres like 'ska', 'dub', and especially 'reggae', but with the arrival of the '80s they also liked the increasingly widespread hip-hop, which equally respected and developed the work with the gramophone and vinyl records. Together with it, the soundsystem cocktail soaked in the scent of soul and R&B, as well as the art of rap and sampling. It was to be expected that it would not stop at playing records eclectically and that this wild bunch of genres would one day mature into a music form in its own right.

Thus, when one of the sophisticated soundsystems started its own work under the name Massive Attack, it did not have to look for inspiration for its sound for a long time. On their second record, Protection, released in 1994, they effortlessly fused the lilting rhythms of reggae, sample fragments, and hypnotic beats with elements of electronic music, while the instinctive flow of their half-rapped, half-declaimed lyrics was softened by velvety vocals. Portishead, who debuted in the same year, could also rely on an exceptional singer; yet they also could not deny their hip-hop roots. Although their album Dummy did without a single rapped verse, they densely layered their stealthily stepping beats with nerve-wracking scratching. Artfully selected samples lent the record the insistent drama of film music. An essential sound component of both bands was slow tempos, as well as a mysterious, sensual, aura surrounding their compositions. It was this evocative mood that gave birth to the genre label 'trip-hop', even though the bands themselves fought this term tooth and nail.

Green Day – Basket Case (Kubsson)

Therapy for neurotics by Dr. Punk-rock, live from the asylum. I just love how the bass and drums nail it when they join the singer and his guitar in the first chorus, the bridge fits there like a butt on a bog. But I only fully enjoy it when it's together with the video. Such noise from psychiatric patients is not a common thing to see.

Massive Attack – Karmacoma (Rasťo)

An anxious video entering the area of a feverish dream, where the imagination gets out of control and its relentlessly restful steps are heading towards a nightmare. Rooms of the hotel where you would not want to spend the night uncover their secrets and an obsessive beat underscores a thickening atmosphere in a strained expectation of the story's climax.

The Cranberries – Zombie (Julian)

Thirty years of conflict in the British Isles ended just weeks after the release of this song, and it serves as a powerful reminder of a dark period in Anglo-Irish history. Condemning the mindset of young men fighting an endless battle using the weapons of fear and terror, its message remains extremely potent today.

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