We All Love the 90s

The 1990s were a great decade for rock. There is a reason the “Lithium” station is one of my favorites on Sirius Radio. Three of the best soundtracks I own are Singles, Empire Records, and Reality Bites. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day, 311, Sublime, No Doubt … it’s endless. It was the high note the rule before disposable boy bands and pop tarts. This is why I am especially happy to see the attack of 1990s rock nostalgia in music recently, and hope that it continues through 2010.

Last Sunday at the Grammy’s Beyonce paid homage to Alanis Morrisette when she threw, “You Oughtta Know” into the middle of her performance of “If I Were a Boy”. It was unexpected and it was genius. If it wasn’t for Pink it would have been the performance of the night. Who would have known that Beyonce’s sultry voice could pull off Canadian angst so well? And while Adam Lambert was the talk of November’s American Music Awards, is was the Black Eyed Peas that brought the surprise rock. They wrapped up their performance with a little piece of the timeless, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. I’m not sure what Kurt would’ve thought, but I loved it.

It’s not only the live performance covers that are throw backs to the 1990s. Last week Lil Wayne released Rebirth, the rock album he’s been promising for the past two years. Specifically, “Runnin” reminds me of combination of Pearl Jam and Incubus. “Knockout” sounds like early Blink 182 or Less Than Jake, towards the end of the 90s when pop punk reigned. Interesting fact that Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker is the drummer on “One Way Trip” which almost reminds me of Korn (but sort of doesn’t too). What I can tell you is that the drumming is a lot better than Lil Wayne’s attempt to sing. And it is clear after listening to Rebirth that Lil Wayne’s idea of rock music was formed growing up in the 1990s.

Side note: Rebirth is so all over the place that it’s hard to listen to in one sitting. I love Lil Wayne, and the lyrics are strong, but he should really stick to rapping, or get some guitar lessons while he’s locked up. Do they do that in prison?