Ziggy Stardust. The Thin White Duke. The Starman. David Bowie had many names, and created some of the most iconic rock ‘n roll under each of them.

Almost 30 years ago, Big Black released their best selling and last record ever, Songs About Fucking.

Bridging the gap between punk, rock, and reggae, Fugazi brought the politics of music into the fold, taking steps to ensure fans would be able to afford their shows and records.

American Water marked the first time that Silver Jews stopped being a Pavement side project (both bands, by the way, formed around the same time) and demonstrated their ability to be a band that puts out music that is just as good if not better than Malkmus’ main focus.

Before Tame Impala, before Temples or any other of the psych-rock bands that have been dominating the indie charts, there was the Dukes of the Stratosphear.

I had some trepidation about writing a #tbt review of this album since it doesn’t really fit the indie M.O. of this column, but to me it has always been an indie record, possibly because it was so different from everything else that was coming out at that time.

What many would consider to be the epitome of indie rock, Daydream Nation set the bar for with would later become one of the most iconic double albums to come out from a band not signed to a major label. So iconic, in fact, it was chosen by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Recording Registry in 2005.

I know many people would argue that I should pick an earlier Dinosaur Jr album, prior to the departure of Lou Barlow, but this was the album that introduced me to them, so nostalgia wins this round. Wikipedia calls Dinosaur Jr “Alternative Rock”, and to be quite honest, I have no idea what “Alternative Rock” means, aside from rock music that came out in the 90’s that wasn’t Ace of Base.

Punk rock and Brit Pop. Is there a better marriage than the one in Supergrass’s debut, “I Should Coco”? I think not. This trio from Oxford, England, influenced by blues, punk, and pop music, released this culture and genre defying album in the 90’s, to critical acclaim.

“Self Pollution Radio” a four-and-a-half hour show, broadcast on January 8, 1995, was a Seattle scenester’s delight, that featured live sets from Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, The Fastbacks, Mad Season plus much more…

‘Unearthed and making the rounds again—Talking Heads (official) performing at the Capitol Theatre, NJ on 11/04/1980’.

Do you remember the first time you heard Depeche Mode’s breakthrough album Violator?

“She wears denim wherever she goes / Says she’s gonna get some records from the Status Quo”… the immortal words sung by Scottish Alt Rockers Teenage Fanclub ring on forever in many an audiophile’s hearts.

Let’s go back to a time when bands like Sublime were the opus of frat rock, and American Indie-Rock had reached it’s stride and golden era.

Our throwback thursday piece this week is on ‘Let it Be’ by The Replacements. Only an album this good can be named after such an iconic Beatles record.

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day, and I found I was asking myself this question: “Do I really like Beck?” Odelay was a pretty great album, and he’s written some pretty good tunes since then. But I don’t recall ever purposefully putting on a Beck record and listening to it all the way through.

Ah, the 70’s. For a decade that gave us some really terrible music, it really made way for some great, innovative stuff in the 80’s. Out of the ashes disco gave way to house and some really innovative electronic pop acts. Bands like Cabaret Voltaire and Depeche Mode were making sad music with synthesizers, which almost seemed like a contradiction at the time, but melancholy always prevails. It was from this cloth that Nine Inch Nails was cut.

If you asked anybody on the streets of Chicago what their favorite Chicago band was in 1991, I am willing to bet more than half of them would say Material Issue. They sounded English, but were they? Did they move here from the UK? Not at all.

Back in the 90’s anything seemed possible. Our president admitted he smoked pot and didn’t inhale. Jon Stewart had his own talk show on MTV.

I have to say, I had a hard time choosing a Pavement record to do this throwback column on. I initially wanted to go with the compilation record Westing by Musket and Sextant, but being that it is technically not a real Pavement full length release, I opted to go with Wowee Zowee, which might be their strongest and most popular album.

Coming hot off the heels of what was arguably Steve Albini’s most iconic moment in popular culture (producing Nirvana’s In Utero), ‘At Action Park’ was (and still is) a step outside of the post-punk formula from which it was born.

Let’s face it, Yo La Tengo ruled the 90’s when it comes to indie rock. Heavy hitters with a long history in the underground music scene, Yo La Tengo released their crowning achievement ‘I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One’ in 1997.

The second release from goth pioneers The Cure, Seventeen Seconds strayed from their punk roots and began to explore darker and more Avant-garde territory.

The self titled album from The Charlatans was their fourth effort and last record they released before the death of their original keyboardist Rob Collins. This record really shows how much of a key player Rob Collins was in the band, as most of the songs prominently feature leading riffs on the Hammond, Wurlizter, D6, clavinet, and piano.