Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music

ITMW Music
  • 4,5 (6)
  • HISTÓRIA DA MÚSICA

A podcast that takes a look at the development of alternative music in the 80's with a focus on post-punk, electronic, dark wave, goth, synth, industrial, and indie genres. The podcast episodes feature stories, background, and discussions of artists, contributors, music, themes, and events of the early alternative era. The title of our podcast is based on the alternative song from 1988 by The Church, "Under the Milky Way".

  1. Origins of Alternative Music: The Velvet Underground

    HÁ 4 DIAS

    Origins of Alternative Music: The Velvet Underground

    The Velvet Underground formed in New York City in 1964 and has been considered by many as one of the most influential American rock bands.  The band's music contained experimentation with instrumentation and sounds while containing raw and provocative lyrics from lead singer and guitarist Lou Reed. These features, along with unconventional and minimalist arrangements, would lead to the development of punk rock, new wave, post-punk, indie rock and many other genres of the alternative music world.  In 1966, the Velvet Underground became the house band at pop artist Andy Warhol's studio, The Factory. With Warhol as producer, the band released their debut album in 1967, The Velvet Underground & Nico,  featuring the German singer and model Nico. This album is considered as one of the greatest albums in music history due to it's influence on future artists and genres. This episode will discuss the influence of this band and their music, tell the story of the band's beginning and what was behind this music, and discuss the music of the classic debut album.

    32min
  2. 45 Grave - Halloween from the Grave

    26 DE OUT.

    45 Grave - Halloween from the Grave

    When 45 Grave formed in Los Angeles in 1979, their music would combine punk rock with a dark and horror themed aesthetic becoming one of the first American gothic rock bands as they helped create the genre, deathrock.  After the rise of the deathrock sound from the LA Punk scene, 45 Grave would release their critically acclaimed debut album in 1983, Sleep in Safety. The band’s most notable success came with version of a song from that album, "Partytime", that was featured in the 1985 movie and soundtrack of Return of the Living Dead. 45 Grave broke up in 1985, but founding member and lead vocalist Dinah Cancer would later reform the band. Cancer would be deemed "The Queen of Deathrock" from her commanding stage presence and theatrics, and distinct vocals. This episode will discuss the origin of 45 Grave, the music from the band, and their dynamic lead singer, Dinah Cancer, as we welcome the band as our Halloween representative this week. Happy Halloween!

    26min
  3. Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi and a Dark Field

    19 DE OUT.

    Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi and a Dark Field

    When Bauhaus created the song “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” and released it as their debut single in early 1979, they did not realize the impact the song and the band's aesthetic would have on culture and music. The song would be considered one of the greatest debut singles and the song would be deemed the first gothic rock song. This led to the dark, gloomy, and intense debut album the following year, In The Flat Field. This highly original post-punk band, their image, and their early music would be a direct influence on contemporary goth culture. In this episode, we tell the story of the creation of the single “Bela Lugosi’s Dead" from the band's legendary first recording session, how the members of Bauhaus formed just weeks prior to that session, and the debut album In the Flat Field after the band signed with 4AD Records.

    26min
  4. Chrome - Sonics of Another World

    12 DE OUT.

    Chrome - Sonics of Another World

    Chrome was one of the more unusual alternative bands that arrived on the 70's San Francisco music scene.  Chrome’s music would often take on sci-fi themes while employing tape loops, distortion and overloaded acid rock guitar, found sounds from television, and whatever noise they could create with electronics.   These raw experimental and industrial sounds would be blended with elements from punk rock and psychedelia. The result of all of this would be a forerunner to industrial rock and noise rock of the 1980's. The band was founded by vocalist, drummer and keyboardist Damon Edge. After a debut album in 1976, Chrome added guitarist Helios Creed in 1977. With the pairing of Edge and Creed, Chrome became a cult band favorite with their next two albums, Alien Soundtracks and Half Machine Lip Moves.  Edge and Creed went separate directions in the mid-80's with Damon Edge continuing the band until he passed away in 1995. Helios Creed, who had been away from the group since the mid-80’s, revived Chrome and has continued the band with performances and release of new albums. This episode will discuss this band’s early years, their music, and the work of Chrome especially during the influential Edge and Creed years.

    31min
  5. Blancmange - The Sweet Synth of Luscombe and Arthur

    5 DE OUT.

    Blancmange - The Sweet Synth of Luscombe and Arthur

    Blancmange formed in London in 1979 behind vocalist Neil Arthur and instrumentalist Stephen Luscombe. On their way to becoming a classic synth-pop duo, they would take a more exotic approach to the music than others in the electropop field. Besides often creating eccentric dance rhythms and a comforting atmosphere, Blancmange would sometimes fuse synth with eastern influences as part of their music.  The band would create three studio albums in the early to mid-80’s before breaking up in 1986. The band would return in the 2000’s with a fourth album in 2011. However, Stephen Luscombe had to step away soon after due to health issues leaving Arthur to continue under the Blancmange name. Just last month, Stephen Luscombe passed away at the age of 70. This episode tell the story of how Luscombe and Arthur created the band, their music of the 80's, and the years the followed.

    24min
  6. The Raincoats - Storming the Social Conscience

    28 DE SET.

    The Raincoats - Storming the Social Conscience

    In 1977 two art school students in London, Ana da Silva and Gina Birch, would start the post-punk band, The Raincoats. Not only did they develop an unusual sound and approach to music incorporating experimental and other elements, but this band also that took on social and political issues. The Raincoats would release their self-titled debut album in 1979 as an all-female band for this debut. The Raincoats would be one of the first bands to influence feminism and they would inspire generations of female fronted bands that came after.   The band would break up in 1984 following their third album, but the band’s influence in the 90’s on artists including Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain would inspire a reissue of their catalog and a rekindling of the group in 1993.   This episode will tell the story of the early years of the band, their impact on social issues, their music, and the chance meeting of Ana da Silva with Kurt Cobain that led to the reformation of The Raincoats.

    24min
  7. Galaxie 500 - A Key to Slowcore

    21 DE SET.

    Galaxie 500 - A Key to Slowcore

    Galaxie 500 formed in Boston in 1987 and would deliver three studio albums before disbanding in 1991.  The creation from the band over this limited span was a mix of indie rock, dream pop, and neo-psychedelia using slow tempos and a minimalist approach. Much of this unique music would be a key to the development of the 90's sub-genre known as slowcore.  Their second album, On Fire, was the most influential of their work toward slowcore. Besides impacting the development of this genre, the music from Galaxie 500 would also influence artists and other music styles. Following the break-up of Galaxie 500 in 1991, lead singer and guitarist Dean Wareham would go on to form the band Luna.  In this podcast episode we will tell the story of the early years of Galaxie 500, the music and impact of the band, and the spin-off project Luna.

    25min
  8. The Chameleons - Script of the Bridge and Beyond

    14 DE SET.

    The Chameleons - Script of the Bridge and Beyond

    The Chameleons released their debut studio album in 1983, the classic and one of the best of the era, Script of the Bridge.  This was followed by What Does Anything Mean? Basically in 1985 and Strange Times in 1986, completed an amazing trilogy of post-punk albums to start their career before they abruptly broke up in 1987. This Manchester, England band that formed in 1981 and was known for their atmospheric, layered guitar-based, post-punk sound became one of the most underrated and underappreciated band of the 1980s.  The Chameleons reformed a couple of times over the years, most recently in 2021. Following extensive touring, the band has just released a new studio album, Arctic Moon. In this podcast, we will tell the story of the early years of the band and their first three albums, along with the years that followed up through the new release.

    29min
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Classificações e avaliações

4,5
de 5
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Sobre

A podcast that takes a look at the development of alternative music in the 80's with a focus on post-punk, electronic, dark wave, goth, synth, industrial, and indie genres. The podcast episodes feature stories, background, and discussions of artists, contributors, music, themes, and events of the early alternative era. The title of our podcast is based on the alternative song from 1988 by The Church, "Under the Milky Way".

Informações

  • Criado por
    ITMW Music
  • Anos de atividade
    2 mil
  • Episódios
    62
  • Classificação
    Livre
  • Copyright
    © 2025 ITMW Music

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