Music List

Critical ‘90s Indie Rock

By T. Cole Rachel

As the underground college rock of the late '80s morphed into the newly marketable “alternative rock” of the early '90s, America’s independent record labels merely went further underground. In the era of Lollapalooza and MTV’s 120 Minutes, these acts were the alternative to the alternative, unknowingly creating a golden age of indie rock even as the major-label "alt-rock" scene crashed and burned.

CRITICAL LIST

Slanted and Enchanted

Pavement
Still great, 20 years on. >>

There's Nothing Wrong With Love

Built To Spill

Exile In Guyville

Liz Phair

Painful

Yo La Tengo

I Could Live In Hope

Low

Bubble and Scrape

Sebadoh

The Dirt of Luck

Helium

Bee Thousand

Guided By Voices

Spiderland

Slint

Diary

Sunny Day Real Estate

Dead Leaves

Versus

Millions Now Living Will Never Die

Tortoise