My classic, cassette mix tape playlist tracks series, part 3.

There are many bands who have been called Peachfuzz. Maybe the most niche of them is this indie rock band from Melbourne, Australia. I received this CD to review for a fanzine that I was part of, at the time. I like this track.

I have an even more obscure Melbourne band called Hurdy Gurdy on my playlist, that I would love to post, but they are so obscure, no one has put their stuff on Youtube!

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I had completely forgotten about the No Alternative compilation, until I listened to a podcast about it the other day. I remember playing the CD a fair bit, but I don't seem to have it now. I might have borrowed it from someone and given it back.

Posting this track because I was (and still am) a big fan of Kiwi bands of the era, and I was pretty stoked that The Verlaines and Straitjacket Fits, two of my favourites, were included. As far as I know, Heavy 33 didn't get a release anywhere else and only popped up later on their "Greatest" compliation.

A very short-lived band (1990-1994). Adorable were formed in Coventry in England and signed to Creation Records. They released the Against Perfection album, that this track is from, in 1993. A friend gifted me the CD for my birthday that year. I have just realised they released album #2 the following year, which I have never heard!

As far as I can tell, not a lot of people remember them.

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A band from England who were active between 1986 and 1991.

I came to know them when their post-breakup (and only) album, Drop Out, was released by Heavenly Records in 1993. This album is very good and I encourage you to check it out.

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Sydney's The Welcome Mat were active for much of the 90s and knew how to write a catchy power-pop song. One for you if you like Big Star, Teenage Fanclub and lawn bowls.

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Because I posted an Eric's Trip song earlier, I got to thinking about other Sub Pop acts whose records I own. I've honestly not thought about or listened to The Spinanes for years!

They were a Portland, Oregon duo, Rebecca Gates and Scott Plouf, who had vocals, guitar and drums but no bass. Like Eric's Trip, they released three albums on Sub Pop. Bizarrely, I own the first and the third but not the second one.

This track is from the first album Manos, I think it's pretty good.

After The Spinanes, Gates released music under her own name and Plouf joined Built To Spill, apparently.

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Let's join Blur as they roam around London in 1993 for 4m18s, in a colourized edition of this video marking 30 years of the Modern Life Is Rubbish album.

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Boston's Swirlies blended indie rock, shoegaze, lo-fi and slacker stylings into an art rock that was harmonious and chaotic at the same time, at least on the album Blonder Tongue Audio Baton that this track is from.

I cannot remember how I came to know about them, but somehow I own Blonder Tongue…, as well as their first 7" single, but nothing else. It was probably the recommendation of someone at a record store.

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The lead track from the UO album Saturation was pretty catchy. They had a such a cool aesthetic too, IMO.

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Madder Rose's Bring it Down, another album released 30 years ago! I enjoyed the 4 albums they released int the 90s, but have to catch up on the recent ones from 2019 and this year. In fact, I am going to go and do that, right now.

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Another album that's 30 years old in 2023 is Suede's self-titled debut. Americans might know them as The London Suede because of a lawsuit from a US lounge singer.

IMO Suede were lots of style with lots of substance to back it up. A great contrast to Madchester on one hand and Grunge on the other, they definitely sounded unlike most of the music of the previous few years that had hit my eardrums.

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“Obscure Australian 90s bands that will only get 2 upvotes” - Part 4

OK, so serious indie music nerds probably know about Smudge because of Tom Morgan's association with Evan Dando and the role he played in The Lemonheads' album It's A Shame About Ray. I also believe that the Alison in the Lemonheads song, Alison's Starting To Happen is Smudge's drummer. I met her once…I thought she was pretty darn cool.

This is a fun song about doing your own thing, but I seem to remember a bit of a spat as The Go-Betweens' member referenced in the song didn't take too kindly to it.

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We’ve had other tracks from this album posted in this community before, but not Divine Hammer, as far as I can see. Happy Birthday, Last Splash!

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An Australian band from Geelong, a city about an hour from Melbourne, that came out of the garage and the all-ages shows of the post-punk/alternative scene that was stimulated by the success of grunge in the early 90s.

This song is off the EP, Signs of Satanic Youth. It apparently was also released as a single in the USA in 1995.

Magic Dirt’s early record label, Au Go Go, is worth checking out for its catalogue of interesting releases between 1979 and the early-2000’s

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