Nicolas Henderson

Staff Writer

@happenstance98

2014 was an undeniably bad year in music for nearly every genre. Music sales were at an all time low until the end of the year, when Taylor Swift’s 1989 became the highest selling record in 12 years. It was also a relatively slow year for breakout 1990s artists as well, as modern rock like The Black Keys dominated the rock scene. 2015 seems to be off to a better start already for 90’s rock.

Here are a few 90s artists releasing new music worth checking out.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Chasing Yesterday –

It has been nearly six years since Noel Gallagher left Oasis, the band that he and his brother Liam had been a part of since 1992, penning hits

such as “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova”, and nearly four years since his solo debut. On March 2, Noel is returning with his second album, entitled Chasing Yesterday. The first single “In The Heat Of The Moment” was released in November 2014 and the album is already quite highly anticipated. Gallagher has also announced tour dates supporting the album in Europe, Japan, and North America, including a stop at The Majestic Theatre in Dallas on May 14.

The Church – Further Deeper –

Australian band The Church have actually been making music since 1980, with its most popular album being 1988’s Starfish. But it continues to put out modern and fresh sounding records as time goes on, with its most recent one being no exception. Further Deeper, featuring new guitarist Ian Haug, is one of the best records the band has ever released, featuring The Church’s incredible dual guitar work as prominently as ever, and lead singer and songwriter Steve Kilbey’s lyrics fascinatingly strange as usual. Further Deeper has been out since October in Australia but will be released in North America on Feb. 3. The Church has announced a North American tour beginning in February in support of the album, but its only Texas stop will be at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin this March.

Collective Soul – See What You Started By Continuing –

While Collective Soul might not be a familiar name to many high school students today, they ruled the airwaves in the 1990s with hits such as “December”, “The World I Know”, “Heavy” and of course, “Shine”. The band has had continued success into the 2000s and is now back with its ninth album, See What You Started By Continuing. The album was originally slated for a 2014 release, but that has been pushed back to this spring. The band gave fans an early chance to listen to the album on Christmas, and response was generally positive. Featuring new guitarist Jesse Triplett, the new album has that classic Collective Soul sound on standout tracks such as “This” and “Contagious”, but it also features some surprisingly experimental work, like the best track of the album, “Confession”. The band is also planning North American tour dates in support of the album.

Scott Weiland and The Wildabouts – Blaster

Though you probably don’t recognize his name, there is no way you haven’t heard Scott Weiland’s voice on the radio before. He was the lead

singer of 90s rockers Stone Temple Pilots, who are known for hits such as “Plush”, “Vasoline”, “Interstate Love Song” and many more. He was fired from STP in 2013 after plans for a 20th anniversary tour in 2012 didn’t go as planned. Weiland then did his own anniversary tour with his new band, Scott Weiland and The Wildabouts. After STP originally broke up in 2002, he became the lead singer of supergroup Velvet Revolver, which included former Guns N’ Roses members Duff Mckagan, Matt Sorum and Slash, as well as guitarist Dave Kushner. He was fired from VR in 2008 after he announced he was reuniting with STP. He has also released two solo albums.

Now, Weiland is getting ready to release his debut album with The Wildabouts, Blaster, on March 31. The Wildabouts toured throughout 2014 (including an excellent stop at Trees in Dallas) showcasing new material as well as songs from both of Weiland’s past bands, and at a recent Los Angeles show the band performed the entire new album. Weiland and Co. just announced a spring North American tour in support of the album, dubbed the “Master Blaster Tour”, which includes a headlining slot at the South by Southwest festival in Austin in March.

Radiohead – Unknown Title

While I can’t say for sure that Radiohead will have an album out this year, general speculation is that they will. They returned to the studio in September 2014 with drummer Philip Selway commenting that it could take eight months before it’s finished. The album will be the follow up to 2011’s The King Of Limbs, and will be its ninth album. Possible new songs for the album include “Identikit” and “Skirting On The Surface”, both of which were performed at its 2012 Dallas show.