Digging for Something with Christopher from HEDGE
Overlooked, underrated, and other various hidden gems.
I’m reaching out and asking writers, band members and music curators to tip us all off to their favourite overlooked or underrated albums, unfairly obscure gems… even the downright over-hated. Hopefully it’s another fun way for you to find some new-to-you music to love.
HEDGE are a fantastic band from Worcester, Massachusetts who play punk-informed power pop and indie rock (and who put out one of the best albums of 2024 in Better Days.)
I’m very pleased to say that Christopher from HEDGE has picked 5 wonderful records to recommend to you today. If you haven’t already heard their record, maybe start there, but if you are a fiend for ragged, noisy pop tunes, they’ve got 5 albums here that should satisfy you.
Check ‘em out:
New Sweet Breath - Supersound Speedway (Ringing Ear, 1995)
Genres: Pop Punk, Indie Rock, Noise Pop, Slacker Rock
Christopher says:
The 90’s had a bunch of Replacements-clones (you can’t hide from us Goo Goo Dolls!) and most of them sounded like a hard rock band rewriting “Alex Chilton” over-and-over again (I said NO hiding Goo Goo Dolls!).
Not New Sweet Breath though! No, instead the boys in NSB found influence from the trailblazing melod-o-punk of Stink and Sorry Ma rather than the more “mature” Westerberg catalog.
NSB weren’t merely a ‘Mats clone though, they had a major emotional-lean that rivaled contemporaries Superchunk and even some of the “trü emo” bands of the time like Mineral or Knapsack (see NSB’s “Stars” for the greatest emo song you’ve never heard).
What you get on Supersound Speedway is 13 songs in 25 minutes packed with speed and melody that only gets better with repeated spins. I’d put it up there with any of your other “classic” 90’s indie rock albums with great confidence.
Disclaimer: I love the Goo Goo Dolls and could very well put their record Hold Me Up on any best-of alt rock/power-pop list.
Dan says:
New Sweet Breath are one of those bands that aren’t entirely new to me, but they might as well be. I have started to listen to Supersound Speedway a few times over the years, and I’m pretty sure I’ve listened to Demolition Theater a couple times. “Rush Right Through” is maybe the song I’m most familiar with.
But whenever I put the band on, I go “hmm, this isn’t how I remember them sounding?” My memory of Supersound Speedway is more obfuscated, more distant than the immediate and hooky, yet scrappy in the right ways sound you get seconds after pressing play. Very happy to spend more time with Supersound today.
Silver Scooter - The Blue Law (2001, Peek-A-Boo)
Genres: Midwest Emo, Jangle Pop, Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Twee Pop
Christopher says:
Silver Scooter were probably best known for being the “other half” of a split EP with Cursive in 1999; however, they were so much more than that (and SO much better than Cursive…hot take, I know).
They started out in the mid-90’s with a similar vibe to Butterglory and Small Factory, but found their way into indie-pop perfection on their swan song The Blue Law. Singer-songwriter Scott Garred has a voice like a mouse, quiet and gentle, and writes some of the most infectious vocal hooks out there.
Imagine if Seam covered The Cure’s greatest hits and you’ll get an approximation of the beautiful sounds Silver Scooter created on this masterclass of pop.
Dan says:
For a big chunk of my post-College life, I struggled with music informed by post-punk and led by basslines. My tastes were just so formed by stuff that functioned as hook delivery services, that the gloomy bass-line stuff irked me. Eventually, I got over this in my mid-20s and now some of that stuff is my favourite music ever.
I had never heard of Silver Scooter, but they play a very intriguing mix of indie pop, informed by that 80s gloom but always melodic, and with wonderfully fluid bass lines holding up their foundation. I love that you can’t completely pin this band down by their sound. You think you have them pegged and then “Albert Hall” is so immediately wonderful it changes everything the last 2 songs imprinted in your brain.
Totally the kind of hidden gem I’m always searching for. I definitely need to check their other albums out.
P.E.E. - Now, More Charm and More Tender (1996, March)
Genres: Math Pop, Midwest Emo, Post-Hardcore, Slacker Rock, Twee Pop, Cuddlecore, Math Rock
Christopher says:
Listen to the first two tracks of this record for the perfect depiction of the P.E.E. sound: mathy short-burst indie-pop ala Heavy Vegetable (“I Hate All Vegetables” a song about their admiration for the band) combined with the dissonant and angular guitar rock of Archers of Loaf (“Arch Enemies” is a literal sample of “Web in Front”). Add in a little twee-like presentation with girl-boy tradeoff singing, super strong guitar and vocal hooks, and a maniac grindcore drummer and you’ve got P.E.E..
When I heard this record in the 2000’s I would have certainly considered it a “hidden gem” but the likes of RateYourMusic and Tumblr have taken a liking to this album and its since built up a small cult-like following. I’d say on the strength of songs like “I Hop” and “Treeeeed”, P.E.E.’s Now, More Charm and More Tender deserves every bit of its second life.
Dan says:
This is another band whom I’ve heard before, thanks to their cult following online, but whom has kind of eluded me until now. They’re another hard band to pin down - are they indie pop, twee, emo, math rock, post-hardcore, noise pop, or what?
They’re kind of all of that and more, though. I’m glad I got another chance to have this album recommended to me, because it’s another one I have admired previously but sort of bounced off, and today I’m realizing how cool this stuff really is.
The Unlovables - Crush, Boyfriend, Heartbreak (2004, Whoa Oh)
Genres: Pop Punk, Power Pop, Emo-Pop, Cuddlecore, Twee Pop
Christopher says:
Do you dismiss pop punk as being by-the-numbers, run-of-the-mill, overly sweet slop? Congratulations, you have not heard The Unlovables yet.
While this album is full of sugary-sweet pop hooks, I challenge you to listen to the first 5 songs and not sing along. This record is seriously THAT catchy. The biggest highlight for me is vocalist Hallie Bulleit who regularly stacks upwards of 10 tracks of harmonies at a time. It creates this wall-of-melody type of environment that even bests the likes of Weston and Frenzal Rhomb. I appreciate the silliness of the lyrics and overall not-too-serious tone of the whole album (though, shame on them AND Weston for using the r-slur…how 2004 of them yikes).
On top of all that heavy praise, “Today’s the Day (I Finally Kissed You)” is the best Scott Raynor-era Blink-182 song that Tom and Mark didn’t write.
Dan says:
I’m very familiar with this one, some of these songs are major all-time pop punk tunes. The A-side in particular is massively stacked (the first like 5 or 6 songs are just unstoppable.) I mean, good lord “I Wanna Boy” is insanely catchy.
As Christopher mentions, the unfortunate ableist slur does date this. Even when pop punk positioned itself as an alternative to the genre’s dude-heavy roots in misogyny, there were still problems inherited from Gen X’s impact it seems.
Despite that speedbump, this is rightfully held up as one of the best, most memorable examples of just how high the sugary highs of the genre can take you. I’ve sometimes wondered if any of this album is about Chris Gethard, lol.
Garden Variety - S/T (1993, Gern Blandsten)
Genres: Post-Hardcore, Emo, Indie Rock, Emo, Indie Rock
Christopher says:
This was hard for me because I was torn between this and Moped’s It Won’t Sound Any Better Tomorrow. I went with the Garden Variety debut because I named my band Hedge after their first 7” single despite sounding absolutely nothing like them (check us out, Hedge, if you like Sicko).
That said, this album is a BEAST of Jehu-like post-hardcore, blazing Hüsker Dü riffing, and, most importantly, melody. I appreciate Garden Variety so much for their ability to portray extreme energy, chaos, and angularity while maintaining foundational pop hooks and sing-along worthy choruses.
They got lumped into the 90’s emo wave and there’s plenty of reason why that makes sense (see prior description of their sound) but I find this album to have more in common with the spirit of classic 80’s SST post-hardcore rather than the their sleepier and softer emo contemporaries.
Relentless, driving, and infectious; what else do you need?
Dan says:
Another “familiar with, don’t know very well” pick for me. I know the album art, am sure I’ve heard it before (Spotify tells me I have “Fall In” on a playlist, but not sure which one) but I think my brain confuses this band with Rhythm Collision, despite them not really sounding anything alike.
Anyway, it’s also another one I’m happy to be pointed towards again for further inspection. Some of this definitely has that “punk pop, note the order” sound of early Superchunk (“Hot Head”) alongside more of a Dischord-esque angularity.
Make sure you crank this one loud if you’re listening to it on streaming, though as it wasn’t a victim of the loudness wars (thankfully).
That’s it, that’s all. Be excellent to one other.