I worked in commercial radio in the mid-nineties. I was employed by a mini-conglomerate in Madison, Wisconsin, so I wound up pitching in at a couple of different stations, but the bulk of my time was spent at a place that, just a couple of years earlier, I would have guessed would be a dream station. It was an alternative rock station, which eventually, tellingly started to tout itself as a “new rock alternative” station.

When my cohorts and I were logging endless unpaid hours at the college radio station, commercial alternative stations were like distant beacons in the fog of broadcasting. On the few occasions we got a chance to listen to one of those rare beasts, on a trip to Minneapolis or when my friend Steve received a cassette of KROQ programming from a Los Angeles resident, it seemed like a promise that radio could still be interesting once that degree was in hand.

By the time I took my turn with commercial alternative it has surprisingly become a major format, and most of the variety had been bludgeoned out of it by the colossal heyday of Pearl Jam. I’m not sure where they reside on the spectrum of rock stardom these days, but around the time of Vitalogy, they seemed poised to become the Rolling Stones of their generation, prolifically cranking out records that earned (in their case, baffling) critical acclaim and generated impressive sales. That led radio stations to fill their playlists with any many bands as possible that duplicated the turgid buzz of Eddie and the boys.

I felt completely disconnected from the full scope of music that had been one of the primary appeals of working at the college station. I started casting around, seeking guidance from anywhere that would rescue me from the Bushes and Silverchairs of the world. I needed something different. I’m not sure where I read about Venus Again, the debut album from The Vents, but CMJ New Music Monthly is a solid wager. It promised crunchy guitars, bold hooks and a certain swagger.

So I got it and it proved to be a suitable salve. I don’t listen to the record much anymore, but at the time, it was precisely what I needed. Too bad commercial alternative didn’t have room for the likes of this.

The Vents, “One Way Ticket”

(Disclaimer: Since very few people paid attention to Venus Again at the time of its release, it’s out of print now, although it appears that frontman Devin Powers occasionally makes it available through CD Baby. If anyone with due authority asks me to remove it, I will gladly do so.)