Kurt Cobain’s April 5, 1994, suicide cast a long shadow over alternative rock, but the genre had never been more musically rich and rewarding than at that moment. Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, Green Day and Hole made career-defining blockbusters. Pearl Jam and R.E.M. challenged their audiences with daring albums. Oasis and Blur ushered in the glory days of the Britpop era. Weezer, Jeff Buckley and Sunny Day Real Estate released classic debuts, while Pavement, Sebadoh and Superchunk became the faces of a new generation of indie rock.
While the grunge gold rush was still in full swing, plenty of great and fascinating records made noise on the margins. Deeply unconventional bands such as Boredoms, Jawbox and Shudder to Think got to play with major-label budgets, members of Screaming Trees and Throwing Muses went solo and even actress Milla Jovovich had an alt-rock hit. Here’s a look back at 30 albums turning 30 this year that may not get remembered with their own lavish anniversary celebrations, but probably deserve them anyhow.
album, but the label saw star potential in keyboardist/backing vocalist Shirley Manson. Thus, several members of Goodbye Mr Mackenzie formed Angelfish with Manson on lead vocals, with their sole album produced by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads/Tom Tom Club. The single “Suffocate Me” wasn’t a hit, but the video’s sole airing on MTV’s 120 Minutes caught the attention of Steve Marker, who’d co-founded Smart Studios with producer Butch Vig. They soon asked Manson to audition for their new band, and Garbage released its multiplatinum debut a year later.
