3 Alternative Rock Hits From 1996 That Still Sound Great Today

In the early 1990s, alternative rock became a dominant force in music. But by 1996, its bubble had burst. Many bands responsible for alternative rock’s rise were selling fewer albums and seemed to struggle creatively. The genre was essentially rendered meaningless as record labels marketed post-grunge and pop bands under the same umbrella, trying to squeeze the remaining juice from a once fruitful scene.

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Still, there was much to be excited about in 1996. Radiohead was approaching its first masterpiece, OK Computer. The Verve was in the studio recording Urban Hymns, and Foo Fighters were en route to selling out stadiums. Meanwhile, Rage Against The Machine released Evil Empire, and Wilco’s Being There reimagined alt-country, proving all hope was not lost.

So the bubble may have burst, but the tracks below still sound as great today as they did in 1996.

“Setting Sun” by The Chemical Brothers and Noel Gallagher

In 1996, The Chemical Brothers collaborated with Noel Gallagher on “Setting Sun”, the first single from the electronic duo’s second album, Dig Your Own Hole. It also foreshadowed where Gallagher would take Oasis after Be Here Now and the end of Britpop. When Gallagher first received the instrumental, he said the track was six minutes of noise. Nevertheless, he managed to write a song around it, and eventually “Setting Sun” topped the U.K. charts—a late-stage Britpop anthem over a block-rockin’ beat.

“Devils Haircut” by Beck

Beck mastered his patchwork experimentalism on “Devils Haircut”. Wobbly hip-hop, slacker rock, and pop that expanded on the genre-blending blueprint of Beastie Boys and Rick Rubin. His superpower lay in his ability to jump between musical styles, or merge several into a single song while still sounding distinctly like Beck. Odelay remains his biggest-selling album, and it stood out in a year when major labels flooded the market with milk-toast alternative rock acts.

“1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins

While many of their contemporaries struggled with middling albums, The Smashing Pumpkins emerged with a sprawling double-album masterpiece. Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness arrived in 1995 and features the wistful “1979”. It was released as a single in early 1996 and describes Corgan on the threshold between fading youth and what he hoped his future might be. It’s also tucked inside disc 2 of Corgan’s epic. For lesser bands, “1979” would be track one on a greatest hits collection.

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