POST GRUNGE IS NOT DEAD?

 

By Stewart Dowouis

Post-grunge is probably the most critically derided sub-genre of rock ever. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who even dares to claim the stuff as a guilty pleasure today. Yet it somehow persists. If you’re not sure what I’m referring to as Post-grunge, it’s basically all of those inescapable bands that were force-fed to us in the late 90s and early 2000s by Clear Channel radio execs. It was generic hard rock for non-music obsessed folk, easy to sell and devoid of any revolutionary artistry. The audio equivalent of a Hallmark card. Many of the bands featured singers that sounded like a caricature of Eddie Vedder on Valium outfitted with wrist and eyebrow accessories, soul patches and jeans with embroidery on the pockets. Yeah. 

At the ripe ol’ age of 50, I’ve pretty much grown out of publicly pooping on stuff that I’m not into. People like what they like. Life is short. But even with that in mind, I can say with ease that I blame this stuff for killing off the cultural mainstream viability of hard rock music forever…and I kinda hate it for that. It’s ok if it’s your jam. It’s just not for me. No shade. 

So why am I telling you all of this? While scrolling social feeds this morning, my algorithm fed me some relatively exciting news: Local H’s classic album, As Good as Dead, is FINALLY getting a much-needed vinyl reissue. The prior pressing was way back in 2016 and now fetching hundreds of dollars on discogs. Local H were a two-man band signed to a major label in the post grunge era that experienced a major Clear Channel hit with the song ‘Bound for the Floor.’ They may even have borrowed sonic qualities from acts like Nirvana, Sonic Youth and TAD. Yet despite all of this, they most definitely are NOT classified as a Post-grunge band in the recesses of my mind…at least not of the “Lips of an Angel” variety. Their material was snarky, apathetic, yet pop-infused and infectious. Guitars loud and sloppy, drums wild, loose and rowdy. And that’s all things I can get behind. Puddle of Mudd may have sounded like Nirvana, but Local H were kindred spirits. That matters. A lot.

Not sure if or when the ‘As Good As Dead’ reissue will be available to order with us. As of now, it appears to only be available for preorder directly from the band/label. Best believe we’ll let you know as soon as it hits the shelves at 22 Sound. And hey…have no fear. We’re here to sell you Nickelback and Seether records as well. No shame. You like what you like. We’re here for YOU.