Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock

2006 wasn't just any year in the 00s. It's the year Twitter launched, the year before the release of the iPhone, Nintendo debuted the Wii console, Borat burst into movie theaters, and Justin Timberlake made sure sexy was back. It was also when danceable post-punk, alternative metal, and UK post-Brit pop were making waves bubbling up to the underground, and much more. We've invited a group of our Patrons to revisit the year and discuss albums that stood the test of time (and a few that did not), overlooked and underappreciated albums, albums we were late to discover, and much more. Songs In This Episode Intro - Supermassive Black Hole by Muse, Young Folks by Peter, Bjorn and John, Crazy by Gnarls Barkley 22:00 - Unleashed by Front Line Assembly 31:53 - Family Band by The Tragically Hip 43:58 - Rockstar by The Fags 56:46 - Master Exploder by Tenacious D 1:00:39 - Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge 1:17:39 - Star Witness by Neko Case 1:22:34 - Come Clarity by In Flames 1:32:26 - Standing In The Way Of Control - Gossip Outro - Different World by Iron Maiden Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Released during the protracted second Iraq war, Josh Ritter's fourth album The Animal Years layers a singer/songwriter album with somber lyrical depth softened by effective melodies and thoughtful instrumentation. Songs In This Episode Intro - Wolves 17:04 - Girl In The War 18:58 - Monster Ballads 25:29 - Thin Blue Flame 32:36 - Good Man Outro - Here at the Right Time Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Earnest without sliding into overwrought emo, Silkworm struck a balance between raw and refined on their fourth album, 1996's Firewater. Like most of their releases, the band turned to Steve Albini to engineer, capturing the live sound of the band crisp and clearly across the nearly hour running time. The band rarely overindulge, leaving those spare moments to the guitarist Andy Cohen, who channels the overdriven chaos of J. Mascis and Neil Young on tracks like "Wet Firecracker" and "Drag the River." The rhythm section, though never flashy, are tight and locked-in, with the bass taking melodic turns to support the sing-speak vocals that waver between understated and explosive. Though the band called Seattle home for the early part of the 1990s, the band eschews any grunge influence for post-punk and indie rock influences that helped separate the band from their homebase peers. Songs In This Episode Intro - Nerves 19:28 - Quicksand 21:28 - Drag the River 29:06 - Cannibal Cannibal 31:07 - The Lure of Beauty Outro - Don't Make Plans This Friday Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Self-produced after parting ways with their major label, 12 Rods released the genre-bending Lost Time in 2002, combining elements of power pop, indie rock, 70s art rock and more. Eclectic songwriting, dynamic shifts, and a mixture of organic and treated sounds balance an album full of catchy hooks with inventive and occasionally straight-up weird choices, like the loungy-groove of "Fake Magic 8-Ball," falling somewhere between Eels and Ben Folds Five, or the relentlessly melodic "Twenty Four Hours Ago." The lack of cohesion is offset by the versatility of the material, never overstaying its welcome, and quality of the songwriting that welcomes repeated listens. Songs In This Episode Intro - Terrible Hands 17:12 - Fake Magic 8-Ball 21:19 - Summertime Vertigo 26:05 - Boy in the Woods 30:16 - Twenty Four Hours Ago 41:31 - The Time Is Right (To Be Wrong) Outro - Accidents Waiting to Happen Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Is an industrial song ever really done? KMFDM’s 1993 release Naïve/Hell to Go asks that question, revisiting tracks from their 1990 release Naïve and offering new remixes and modified versions. Leaning heavily on sequenced aggression - pounding drum machines, serrated metal guitar loops, and chant-ready slogans that feel engineered as much for the dance floor as the mosh pit. Tracks like “Go to Hell” and “A Drug Against War” distill the band’s confrontational ethos into blunt, almost cartoonishly militant hooks that nonetheless hit with real force. Songs In This Episode Intro - Welcome/Naïve 19:10 - Got To Hell (Fuck MTV Mix) 24:57 - Godlike (Doglike Mix) 27:47 - Die Now Live Later (Born Again Mix) Outro - Disgust (Live in Seattle) Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

You Forgot It in People captures Broken Social Scene at their most expansive, an indie rock communal experience balancing meticulous arrangements and unhinged joyfulness. Layers of guitars, synths, horns, and rotating vocalists creates a warm chaos that rewards repeated listens, as new details constantly surface. Songs like “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl” and “Cause = Time” balance intimacy and grandeur, pairing fragile emotion with sweeping crescendos. Two decades on, it still sounds like the 2000s blueprint for how indie rock bands like Arcade Fire, Godspeed, You Black Emperor, and many more could be messy, emotional, and deeply human without losing their ambition. Songs In This Episode Intro - Stars and Sons 12:15 - KC Accidental 20:29 - Cause = Time 26:03 - Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl Outro - Pacific Theme Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Naomi Carmack of the Dope Nostalgia podcast joins us to revisit the six times platinum debut album Sixteen Stone by Bush. Released in May of 1995, the album spawned five inescapable singles and videos released in 1995 and 1996, propelling the band into the bright media spotlight. While the band had their share of fans, they also had detractors labeling the band as radio made grunge-lite thanks to frontman Gavin Rossdale appealing to more than just a young, male audience. In revisiting the record, we take time to appreciate the guitar work of Nigel Pulsford, who riffs and slides with taste and noise throughout the well crafted record despite some lackluster album tracks. Songs In This Episode Intro - Machinehead 24:13 - Testosterone 28:37 - Monkey 41:09 - Comedown Outro - Little Things Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.