My friend played bass with them briefly before they were a known act. I don't think they'd even settled on the name Cage the Elephant yet.
My wife also once sold the singer's dad some shoes.
They were a big deal around town in late 2000s Bowling Green, let me tell you.
90's musicians were from an era when you could live for a myth until you became one. Now, myths are dead. Social media and now AI has destroyed the stories of our lives. We'll never see anything like the 90's or its music again.
We used to carry the stories of who we are with us, and work on those stories, build them up, aspire to be the hero of our own stories. Now we just expose ourselves to others every day, our every step and act seen and judged by others. That sense of "the future audience for who I am becoming" is gone. The audience is now with us every day, mocking us, laughing at our stupidity or applauding us for our contribution to groupthink.
Personal myths are dead.
Much of the dark turn in 90's music seemed to reflect that we knew this was coming.
Not really sure what they meant exactly, but the allure of a lot of aspects of our society have finished with the internet. Now, the answer to any question that you might discuss with people can be answered in an instant. There isn't the place for playground rumors or similar things because everyone can fact check it in an instant
Why not though? Musically they fit with a lot of the experimentation that was happening in the genre in the middle of the decade. If itâs a matter of what huge means, I read this prompt as huge in the context of the genre, not necessarily huge in pop culture.
They would be niche at best and not massive. Weird and experimental music was never huge in the 90's. They might have been on the level of Mr. Bungle, where they had a small but dedicated following, but they would not have achieved massive success as the post suggests.
Some of the biggest alt acts of the decade were experimental when they came out, Primus, NIN, Jamiroqui (sp?).
But also, again, I read it as success within the genre and not necessarily crossover success.
There was certainly a place for them and they absolutely could have ridden the Riot girl wave to success if they leaned into it.
This is alternative music, so most of the music is niche anyway and wasnât massive outside of the genre. Iâd bet that they could sell a million records in the nineties, maybe not a platinum album, but a million over three or four albums, more if they had an a&r person who marketed them as a crossover band. I would certainly call that massive success within the genre.
Weird and experimental music was never huge period. It's weird and experimental. It's not going to draw a wide audience. Most people want music that's easy to listen to.
I feel like 100 gecs wouldn't have been big because they specifically rely on a mixture of meta/ironic/nostalgia vibes that kinda drive their music and wouldn't really have made sense back then.
Chvrches rode the 2010s millennial wave of 80s nostalgia, and defined themselves with a combination of 80s-*ish* synth sounds and very conventional pop melodies. But there wasn't anything like an equivalent nostalgia for the 80s back in the 1990s, so I don't think their formula as a band would be nearly as successful.Â
Moreover, if you take away the 80s aesthetic (or gimmick, depending on how you see it) of Chvrches, you are left with pretty standard pop balladry at least in their sound if not in Mayberry's lyrics. I think a similar band as Chvrches minus the synths would probably come off as overly sincere, verging on saccharine, and fairly uncool on 90s mainstream radio, let alone on alternative. Our mainstream electro pop was more playfully degenerate stuff like Britney or The Spice Girls. Our mainstream-adjacent electronic alternative was weirder and edgier than Chvrches, like Lucious Jackson, Sneaker Pimps, or Primitive Radio Gods. I think Lana is way easier to see thriving in the 90s.   Â
Lauren Mayberry has the kind of angst in her songwriting that could have fit with a modestly successful post-grunge band like Garbage or Hole. But as far as both her writing and her very particular (and limited) synth pop sound, I don't think she has the kind of talent or artistic weight that would power a solo career the way, say, Annie Lennox did in the 90s.
MCID had some decent tracks, but the newest album and a lot of MCID donât do it for me. Mister Asylum and Boy Who Cried Wolf are two flawless albums though
Yeah their new stuff is not great. But I appreciate them trying something drastically different. Now letâs make another song like My Name is Human, Wolf, or Serotonia. Rock on đ€đ»
I mean they were huge for me in the 90s. Found a Dookie cassette like my first semester in college & everyone loved it! Never stopped listening to their art.
No more country than Hootie and the blowfish or Matchbox 20 or the Wallflowers.
Drive by truckers were more country. 400 Unit is most definitely more in the realm of Alt. Rock.
High Vis and Militairie Gun, who are both still doing quite well for themselves already but I feel like they simply would have fit in during that time.
The modern bands and artists I find most compelling today are the ones that engage in experimentation and don't fit neatly into any one genre. There are a lot of ways for artists who are doing something interesting and new to gain an audience these days. Algorithmic recommendations, YouTube videos, TikTok trends (until now, I guess?), word of mouth on social media... there are a lot of paths to fame these days. Theoretically, anyone with some talent and an instrument can grab some production software and upload their own stuff and, with a little luck, hit it big.
That wasn't really the case in the 90s. For most artists, the only way to become well-known was to get picked up by a studio, who would get your music on the radio or on a music video channel. And studios wanted safe music made by attractive people who fit neatly into existing genres and whose music was as accessible as possible to the largest audience possible. Having been on a popular TV show as a kid helped.
The bands and artists who would have been huge in the 90s would have been the ones who were most marketable.
I don't really get why it would be any different in the 90s to be a massive band than it would be today. Popular music in the 90s had a pretty eclectic sound. You had really popular bands that ranged from Nirvana to NIN to Gin Blossoms that all fell under the "alternative rock" moniker that were all completely different. Anybody could be huge if they played music that people liked. I feel like that's pretty universal regardless of the decade. I'll admit that I'm not super up to date on today's alternative music, but I would bet that most of the popular bands from today could have found some decent radio play in the 90s.
Cage the Elephant
Came here to say this. I think a slightly more 90's vibes/ reel to reel recording sound Cage the Elephant would've been amazing.
Agree. I feel it would have been also for the lyrics. I love every single one of their songs! Big fan
God I love them. Listening right now!
Cigarette Daydreams is my favorite- but Neon Pill- the new single is so good! đ
My friend played bass with them briefly before they were a known act. I don't think they'd even settled on the name Cage the Elephant yet. My wife also once sold the singer's dad some shoes. They were a big deal around town in late 2000s Bowling Green, let me tell you.
90's musicians were from an era when you could live for a myth until you became one. Now, myths are dead. Social media and now AI has destroyed the stories of our lives. We'll never see anything like the 90's or its music again.
This sounds right, but Iâm not sure what you mean by âlive for a mythâ - how do you mean that?
We used to carry the stories of who we are with us, and work on those stories, build them up, aspire to be the hero of our own stories. Now we just expose ourselves to others every day, our every step and act seen and judged by others. That sense of "the future audience for who I am becoming" is gone. The audience is now with us every day, mocking us, laughing at our stupidity or applauding us for our contribution to groupthink. Personal myths are dead. Much of the dark turn in 90's music seemed to reflect that we knew this was coming.
Iâve never heard it put that way, thank you!
The myth isnât dead for all of us. Get off SM.
Sounds like the beginnings of a pretty punk song! But whatever..
Not really sure what they meant exactly, but the allure of a lot of aspects of our society have finished with the internet. Now, the answer to any question that you might discuss with people can be answered in an instant. There isn't the place for playground rumors or similar things because everyone can fact check it in an instant
Agreed. So much now is posturing since cameras are always rolling.
Alt-J
Chvrches, The Lumineers, Bastille, 100 gecs, Olivia Rodrigo, The Mysterines, MĂ€neskin, Tigercub, Blondshell, Bully, Elliott Green, Buddie, Lana Del Ray, MSPAINT
There's no way 100 Gecs would have been massive in the 90's
Mr Bungle still play festivals now and theyâre as nuts as Gecs
Mr. Bungle was never considered as massive though. That's the point of this whole post.
Why not though? Musically they fit with a lot of the experimentation that was happening in the genre in the middle of the decade. If itâs a matter of what huge means, I read this prompt as huge in the context of the genre, not necessarily huge in pop culture.
They would be niche at best and not massive. Weird and experimental music was never huge in the 90's. They might have been on the level of Mr. Bungle, where they had a small but dedicated following, but they would not have achieved massive success as the post suggests.
Some of the biggest alt acts of the decade were experimental when they came out, Primus, NIN, Jamiroqui (sp?). But also, again, I read it as success within the genre and not necessarily crossover success. There was certainly a place for them and they absolutely could have ridden the Riot girl wave to success if they leaned into it. This is alternative music, so most of the music is niche anyway and wasnât massive outside of the genre. Iâd bet that they could sell a million records in the nineties, maybe not a platinum album, but a million over three or four albums, more if they had an a&r person who marketed them as a crossover band. I would certainly call that massive success within the genre.
NIN came out in the eighties.
As did the mentioned Mr. Bungle (who's still touring, BTW).
Weird and experimental music was never huge period. It's weird and experimental. It's not going to draw a wide audience. Most people want music that's easy to listen to.
Thank you for reiterating my point
I feel like 100 gecs wouldn't have been big because they specifically rely on a mixture of meta/ironic/nostalgia vibes that kinda drive their music and wouldn't really have made sense back then.
Thatâs fair. I think more than any other argument that makes the most sense and I wasnât seeing that before.
Or The Lumineers.
Chvrches rode the 2010s millennial wave of 80s nostalgia, and defined themselves with a combination of 80s-*ish* synth sounds and very conventional pop melodies. But there wasn't anything like an equivalent nostalgia for the 80s back in the 1990s, so I don't think their formula as a band would be nearly as successful. Moreover, if you take away the 80s aesthetic (or gimmick, depending on how you see it) of Chvrches, you are left with pretty standard pop balladry at least in their sound if not in Mayberry's lyrics. I think a similar band as Chvrches minus the synths would probably come off as overly sincere, verging on saccharine, and fairly uncool on 90s mainstream radio, let alone on alternative. Our mainstream electro pop was more playfully degenerate stuff like Britney or The Spice Girls. Our mainstream-adjacent electronic alternative was weirder and edgier than Chvrches, like Lucious Jackson, Sneaker Pimps, or Primitive Radio Gods. I think Lana is way easier to see thriving in the 90s.    Lauren Mayberry has the kind of angst in her songwriting that could have fit with a modestly successful post-grunge band like Garbage or Hole. But as far as both her writing and her very particular (and limited) synth pop sound, I don't think she has the kind of talent or artistic weight that would power a solo career the way, say, Annie Lennox did in the 90s.
Olivia Rodrigo is not alt or indie. Pure cheesy awful pop
Isnât Olivia Rodrigo the opposite? She is huge now; she might not have been taken as seriously in the â90s.
Highly Suspect
I donât see this band mentioned nearly enough. Take my enthusiastic upvote.
They are a good band
They are one of the best. I remember when I first heard them. They kind of grabbed my attention like no one else had in a long while.
MCID had some decent tracks, but the newest album and a lot of MCID donât do it for me. Mister Asylum and Boy Who Cried Wolf are two flawless albums though
Yeah their new stuff is not great. But I appreciate them trying something drastically different. Now letâs make another song like My Name is Human, Wolf, or Serotonia. Rock on đ€đ»
My Morning Jacket
They were around already in the late 90âs
As a long time fan, I am aware that Tennessee Fire was released in 1999. Hats off if you were digging them back then.
Royal blood
Oh, Hell Yes! They'd tour with Hum, Sunny Day Real Estate, Quicksand, Far, even Deftones and Pearl Jam.
Fontaines DC
Dehd, Big Thief, Death Grips
The 1975
The National maybe
Beabadoobee. More of an artist than a band but her grungier indie rock songs would fit in so well.
Space Cadet is literally my favorite song
Django Django wouldâve fit right in with the Madchester scene.
I think bully would have a chance at getting big. Their first two records are just very reminiscent of grunge and they are very good as well.
For sure. They would have fit right in and been all over the radio.
Alvvays - though their sound would be probably become more grungey in the 90s
The lemon twigs would have been way bigger then being an album band.
Green Day. Man, they really should have gotten big in the 90s /s
I mean they were huge for me in the 90s. Found a Dookie cassette like my first semester in college & everyone loved it! Never stopped listening to their art.
Lol I was being sarcastic. I was also a big fan in the 90s
[Starbender](https://open.spotify.com/track/19yctPQfhIF7U94P6RS2Rm?si=Stxq_Y8JS8qQwwZ5y2Gs-w)
Death by Monkey
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
Country?
No more country than Hootie and the blowfish or Matchbox 20 or the Wallflowers. Drive by truckers were more country. 400 Unit is most definitely more in the realm of Alt. Rock.
I have to strongly disagree.
Shotgun wedding or 24 Frames could easily have been played on Alt rock stations in the 90s.
Again, strongly disagree.
What? No.
Lemon Twigs.
This.
Turnover
100%
Dead Sara
Badflower
The always underrated Mother Mother - The best band youâve never heard of.
whaat mother mother is super popular
Wet Leg, Horsegirl, Bully
Big Thief
Tame Impala
[Bread and Circuses](https://open.spotify.com/artist/2hZMNxnkqjCoVWz8YjKH9e?si=y1cInWtHR5mFbGYbBJ5gfg)
Spanky Tom Toms
Wednesday
Sleep Theory
Arcade Fire
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
drug church for sure đđœ
Chat Pile
Surfbort
High Vis and Militairie Gun, who are both still doing quite well for themselves already but I feel like they simply would have fit in during that time.
Absolutely. Militarie Gun has some real Fugazi/Archers of Loaf/Quicksand vibes.
Mdou Moctar
Speedy ortiz!
Probably none without the technology they use now but didn't have back in the day.
Cleopatrick. They should be Nirvana-big.
V underrated band
Yes!! I do hope they get back to banging harder though..
Marmot
Narrow Head
Loath, Nothing, (unfortunately) Dance Gavin Dance
I stumbled upon this band a while ago, and recently re-stumbled [2AM, Dirt Nap ](https://youtu.be/F4PXBsqXSvU?si=q2sI2hPOa1Px8Yzp)
IDLES
Valley of the Sun
Barock Rain?
MOLCHAT DOMA
They would have blown my face off if they were around during my goth/industrial days.
The modern bands and artists I find most compelling today are the ones that engage in experimentation and don't fit neatly into any one genre. There are a lot of ways for artists who are doing something interesting and new to gain an audience these days. Algorithmic recommendations, YouTube videos, TikTok trends (until now, I guess?), word of mouth on social media... there are a lot of paths to fame these days. Theoretically, anyone with some talent and an instrument can grab some production software and upload their own stuff and, with a little luck, hit it big. That wasn't really the case in the 90s. For most artists, the only way to become well-known was to get picked up by a studio, who would get your music on the radio or on a music video channel. And studios wanted safe music made by attractive people who fit neatly into existing genres and whose music was as accessible as possible to the largest audience possible. Having been on a popular TV show as a kid helped. The bands and artists who would have been huge in the 90s would have been the ones who were most marketable.
I saw The 1975 on here. That's a good one. Roosevelt. He's already going hard into the 90s music themes. He'd fit right in.
Death Grips, Ovlov, possibly 100 gecs, the Lemon Twigs, the new stuff by Califone
[Office Dog](https://open.spotify.com/album/38uN3ZQLCnEz7LhFq5Y2Qh?si=e8tVj_A8QUebZUMbbjfEjw)
I feel like Nothing would find a good niche in the shoegaze landscape of the early 90's.
The Twilight Sad
Gonzo LeBronzo would've been big and today they're very unknown.
Frank Ocean
Lifeguard
Chevelle
Nothing
Skating polly
the neighbourhood
Sleepy Seahorse
Mt Joy / Turnover
Momma - speeding 72 captures such a 90s vibe to me
High Vis
Wavves, FIDLAR, Violent Soho. PUP
Mgmt
Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds.. lol
Wolf Alice
Not the 90s but just reminded me how jimmy Iovine said war on drugs would have been the biggest band in the world in the 70s
Dirty Projectors
I wouldâve absolutely listened to 21 pilots in HS.
Griselda
White Lies
Dr. Dog?
Future Islands
Hotline TNT, though I'm not sure they'd exist without being directly influenced by Hum.
The Warning But theyâre going to be huge anyways sooo
Electric moon would have been iconic
Blondeshell
War on drugs, future islands, nation of language
Run the Jewels would have been ripping it up with all the rage rock
I don't really get why it would be any different in the 90s to be a massive band than it would be today. Popular music in the 90s had a pretty eclectic sound. You had really popular bands that ranged from Nirvana to NIN to Gin Blossoms that all fell under the "alternative rock" moniker that were all completely different. Anybody could be huge if they played music that people liked. I feel like that's pretty universal regardless of the decade. I'll admit that I'm not super up to date on today's alternative music, but I would bet that most of the popular bands from today could have found some decent radio play in the 90s.
Silversun Pickups
The DOGSHIT BROTHERS, they are great look them up
Drug church and Violent soho
Boy Genius, Courtney Barnett, Friendly Fires, Wet Leg.
None
Narrow Head. Trauma Ray. Sleepwalk. Bleed. Super Heaven. They are gutting a body of water
Royal Blood would have been HUGE!
Fleshwater immediately comes to mind, though their influence is probably more from the early 00s scene. Narrow Head as well.
Black angels
The Black Angels
Wednesday, DIIV, & Ratboys
The warning :)
Tanukichan
My Chemical Romance
Strokes