Being as this year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of such seminal albums as Nirvana's Nevermind, Pearl Jam's Ten, Pixies' Trompe Le Monde, and Smashing Pumpkins' Gish, the sounds of early '90s grunge and alt-rock are once again becoming fashionable. From its meteoric rise in 1991 to subsequent downfall, the genre became almost a parody of itself there for a minute. A punchline. Something Gen X-ers classified as a "guilty pleasure" if their affinity for it ever came to light.
But 20 years, it seems, is precisely the appropriate length of time for a band mining the sounds of the past to be considered more an homage than a bandwagoner, more a herald of nostalgia than a cause for groans. As such there has been an outpouring of support for reunion tours from '90s bands of late (see: Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots), as well as a surge of newer bands writing material that is no doubt heavily influenced by this period.
One such example from right here in town is Darstar, led by former Gun Gun frontwoman Lisa Hardaway, who are getting ready to release their first studio album, Tiny Darkness (see the album cover above, right). The recorded versions of their tunes maintain the simplicity and subtle intensity of their live shows, with less emphasis on the electronic elements and samples. The other noticeable difference: Right off the bat, you'll notice some much-beefed-up guitar and drum tones, thanks in part to co-producer John Dufilho.
In advance of their November album release, the band has been kind enough to pass along the track "Trapdoor Spider" as a free download for DC9 readers.
Continue down nostalgia lane and give 'er a right-click after the jump.
Bonus MP3:
Darstar -- "Trapdoor Spider"
Darstar -- "Trapdoor Spider"
