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Nostalgia strikes back or the return of the 90s rockers

Something curious is happening these days bands we have all kind of forgotten,who were huge in the 90s are back. Last year saw the reformation of Bush and the release of 'The Sea of Memories,'  their first album in about a decade. For those who do not know Bush were the answer to the need for a British Nirvana clone to make it big in America. And they were huge... For a while. Regardless of.anything else it is good to see Bush back and surprisingly better than before.
Next up is Smashing Pumpkins. I love the pumpkins.. I always have. For that reason I am gonna say I am biased as Hell. Billy Corgan, the band's singer and chief songwriter, has not really left the music scene since the Smashing Pumpkins original break up in 2000. He has had song writing and appearances with other artists as well as a supergroup called Zwan. Then about 5 years ago Billy got the band together... Well sort of... They released Zeitgeist and had a song on the transformers soundtrack... Shortly after no one cared anymore... Except me... But im special. It seems that inspiration struck and after losing some more members it was decided to release some 80songs worth of material online for free progressively over time. Somewhere in the middle of all of this Corgan decides to realease 'Oceania' earlier this year.  The album is a return to form and showcases a lot of what makes Corgan's songwriting strong. Good riffs, strong melodies and balanced degrees of rocking.
Next up on the revival tour is No Doubt. What ever happened to No Doubt? Well it seems lead singer Gwen Stefani had a few successful solo albums, became a fashion designer and released a line of perfumes. The other three main/permanent members of the band did some other projects, but I think it is more fun if we imagine them standing around glaring at Gwen like in the 'Don't Speak' video. I heard their album playing at a music store in Malaysia (a real one not a pirated one!) and it really was quite ok.  It sounded like a No Doubt album, so I think that is a good thing and the sound was good... matured maybe...  Apparently it has a decent rating on metacritic (if that means anything to anyone).
I think it is about time to wrap this up but there are a few more acts to mention.  Blur has re-released their catalog including a box set with well everything.  Green Day has an album out just in time for the front man to go into rehab. The Red Hot Chili Peppers released an album the same time as Bush and and more recently released some stuff online (check out their website) including some freebies and a digital album. RHCP seem to have also returned to form as well which is pleasing to see/hear.

So there you have it the 90s are back in a mostly good way so go BUY some music enjoy the back catalogs and take a trip down memory lane if need be....   I gotta go see what Dexys Midnight Runners and Flock of Seagulls are up to an 80s revival could be next!

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