Four best alternative albums turning 30 years old in 2024

There was not really much called alt-rock before the 1990s. Sure, New Wave was a bit alternative compared to what came before it. No one called New Wave alt-rock, though.

Even punk, the ultimate alt-rock, was never termed that way. Neither was post-punk. The late 1980s gave birth to those kinds of bands and those kinds of sounds.

Let’s look at the four best alternative albums that turned 30 years old in 1994.

Four fantastic alternative-rock albums turning 30 in 2024

Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral

The industrial rock band’s second studio album was released in March 1994. Trent Reznor was the only official member of the band at its inception. As he dealt with depression and drug addiction, Reznor created a dark concept album that told the tale of a suicidal and self-destructive character. 

Critics praised the album’s sound, which incorporated techno, industrial metal, and ambient/distorted noises. It served as a marked departure from Reznor’s first album, the synth/pop-focused Pretty Hate Machine.

The video for “Closer,” one of The Downward Spiral’s singles, was played often on MTV. The channel censored the original video, which featured graphic scenes referring to religion, sex, and animal cruelty. Johnny Cash notably covered the album track “Hurt” in 2002.

Hole – Live Through This

Hole’s second studio album was released in April 1994, one week after singer Courtney Love’s husband, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, died. Surprisingly, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. mixed the album, which relied more on structured melodies than the punk/noise rock of the band’s debut album. "We had been going more pop, less journal-entry noise stuff," Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson said.

Love’s personal life was the impetus for many of the songs’ lyrics, which focused on themes such as body image, motherhood, and depression. Her relationships with Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins and Cobain were explored on the tracks “Violet” and “Doll Parts” – the album’s successful single. “If you write something that will transcend a long period of time and make people feel a certain way, there's really nothing like that,” Love said.

Live Through This topped best-of-1994 lists by Rolling Stone, Spin, and Village Voice. AllMusic applauded the “gripping hooks and melodies that retain their power even if they follow the predictable grunge pattern.”

Weezer – Weezer

Alternative rock band Weezer’s self-titled debut album was released in May 1994. It is known by fans as the Blue Album based on its cover. Ric Ocasek of The Cars (a guitar- and synthesizer-oriented rock band popular in the early 1980s) produced the album.

Formed in 1992, Weezer originally had trouble finding an audience for their melodic indie sound, as grunge was still in its heyday. However, their debut album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in December 1994.

Spike Jonze directed the video for the album’s first single, "Undone – The Sweater Song." It featured the band performing the song on a sound stage, surrounded by a pack of dogs, and became a huge hit on MTV. The next two singles — “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So” –  helped Weezer become alt-rock heroes. Rolling Stone’s review of Weezer proclaimed it was “big, vibrant pop-rock that would inspire thousands of emo kids.”

Beastie Boys – Ill Communication

The hip-hop group’s fourth studio album was released in May 1994. Its songs blend elements of hardcore punk, funk, and hip-hop to achieve a unique sound. Group members Ad-Rock, MCA, and Mike D played instruments while recording – a departure from their earlier albums, which relied heavily on samples of classic rock and funk songs. The album “culminat[ed] in an uncharacteristically mature and genuinely varied suite that alchemized and expanded on their previous stylistic experiments,” according to DJMag.com.

In the video for the album’s first single, “Sabotage” – directed by Spike Jonze – the trio mocked 1970s TV crime dramas. The lyrics to the song serve as a rejection of authority figures and their abuse of power. On Ill Communication, the Beastie Boys proved that they had matured and were no longer a humorous novelty act.

The album hit number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and was the group’s most successful since its debut. Due to its success, the Beastie Boys secured a headlining role on the 1994 Lollapalooza tour, alongside Smashing Pumpkins and A Tribe Called Quest.

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