MAY 1990: Soundgarden, Ice Cube, The Breeders, Mark Lanegan, The Pretenders

This week we’re listening to music from May 1990, a moment when, if you had the right ears, you could hear something fracturing in the idealistic image of American life cultivated in the 1980s. Soundgarden’s EP collection Screaming Life/Fopp pushes ‘80s metalhead s**t to its limits as the band teeters on the brink of the sound that will define the decade; Ice Cube’s Amerikkka’s Most Wanted paints a disturbing portrait of the nation’s inner cities overflowing with the violence of poverty and racism; The Breeders’ debut studio album Pod takes alternative rock to a newly haunted place; Mark Lanegan’s debut solo album The Winding Sheet sees the Screaming Trees frontman honing his grunge alienation; and The Pretenders’ Packed! has Chrissie Hynde going it alone with a studio band while maintaining her pristine badasssery. Check out this episode’s playlist: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 120months.substack.com/subscribe