
1993 throwback mix: happy birthday sqn!

Grunge Rock Breakouts
While Sine Qua Non was settling into its first home on Lincoln Avenue in 1993, the Smashing Pumpkins, perhaps Chicago’s best known shoegaze/grunge rock band, were releasing their second studio album, Siamese Dream. Akin to the trademark guitar-led, highly distorted alt-rock sounds we’ve come to associate with the 90’s, Siamese Dream embraced a layered, grungy introspection that would later become the Pumpkins’ calling card. This album helped fuel our creative juices in SQN’s early years, and even delivered the band’s infamous “Cherub Rock,” a hit that still finds its way onto Sine’s playlists from time to time.

Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream was released 23 years ago!
Girly Sounds
And the 90’s were a pivotal time for women rock and rollers as well! Sine Qua Non’s throwback mix would be incomplete without the inimitable singer/songwriter Liz Phair, and the dulcet indie jams from her 1993 debut album Exile in Guyville. Another gem borne out of Chicago’s 90’s alt-rock scene, Phair’s work from this year is particularly dear to our hearts, and not just because of the folksy, angst-ridden soundtracks. Phair has stated that a large part of her inspiration for the critically acclaimed premier was the aesthetic experience of the times, and the differences in that for men and women. Widely criticized for being too rooted in sexual content, Guyville marks more than the beginning of this blonde bombshell’s career– it signifies a pioneering effort for sexual empowerment in music for ladies. Combined with the songstress’s effortless blonde tresses, what’s not to love?

Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville was a 1993 must.
Britpop Throwback 1993
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