“Zurich is stained and it’s not my fault”, whines Pavement’s frontman Steven Malkmus in his 1992 track “Zurich is Stained.” Who knows what he is on about, but I can relate to the melancholic ennui that drips from his voice. Pavement was a band in the 1990s that crystallized the term “indie rock.” They created classic and catchy lo-fi songs that inspired many musicians through the 2000s and beyond. “Zurich is stained” is one of my favorite Pavement songs. I enjoy its country-tinted elements–specifically the slide guitar–that perhaps foreshadow Malkmus’s later experimental Folk-Country non-Pavement projects (Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and his 2020 album release “Traditional Techniques”).
Another 90s lo-fi-rock band I like is Neutral Milk Hotel. I would recommend all the songs on their “In an Aeroplane Over the Sea” (1998) and their song “Naomi” and “Song against Sex” off of “On Avery Island” (1996). Neutral Milk Hotel was only around for a short while, dropping two decadent albums into the churning sonic ocean, like sugar cubes sweetening up the salty sea just a bit, before dissolving into the deep.
Another short-lived 90s rock group I would recommend is Helium, an experimental Boston-rock band active from 1992-1998. They released two full length albums, “The Dirt of Luck” and “The Magic City.” I especially love “Pat’s Trick” off of “The Dirt of Luck.” I vibe with its catchy, distorted guitar hook that pairs nicely with singer Mary Timony’s husky and sometimes angry, sometimes melodic, sometimes monotone voice. Timony somehow makes “you are the most beautiful thing” sound like an insult.
A modern experimental-lo-fi-rock band I’ve been enjoying is Geese. I was a fan of Geese’s lead singer, Cameron Winter, when he released his album “Heavy Metal” in 2024. I connected with its opaque lyrics paired with subtle piano and acoustic guitar. Winter is a true shape-shifter, becoming Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen one moment, Nick Cave and Tom Waits in another, before again suddenly metamorphosing with a rockstar flourish into Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye or The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas. At the heart of all this transformation is something truly unique. After Winter released “Getting Killed” with his band in 2025, I quickly fell in love with its rocking, groove-filled songs. Geese has a way of building tension to an anxious peak of pounding drums- or are those the rapid beats of my heart reverberating in my ears–before they suddenly release it, taking a deep breath before they dive back into the groove.
