For anyone who grew up in the 90s—particularly those of us stuck in a landlocked state far from any coast—the Pacific Northwest had a certain sort of exotic mysticism. Yes, exotic. And even if your only mental image of the region consisted of constant rain and flannel-wearing lumberjacks (guilty as charged), it was the music that came out of places like Seattle, Olympia, and Portland that could transport you to a land of outsiders who were weird and loud and as disaffected as you. The Pitchfork staff attempted to capture this storied land with their 50 Best Indie Rock Albums of the Pacific Northwest, which covers the regions output over the past "20-ish" years.The staff purposely excluded "grunge," which writer (and Pac Northwest musician himself) Sean Nelson explains by saying: "because most of the bands did back then, too." It seems like a fairly weak argument, and one that gets at the core of the inherent problem with these types of lists—mostly, where do you draw the line at what indie rock actually means? (Or even what is the Pacific Northwest—does Beck playing with a bunch of guys who live there actually count?) Because of this, anyone that may have been even loosely associated with grunge at one point (say, Mudhoney, The Screaming Trees, or The Melvins) is missing here, which seems slightly egregious.Instead, Pitchfork focuses on artists who were intentionally withdrawing from that type of "bigness," as Nelson puts it. In essence, the aesthetic here is founded on intricate, eclectic guitar work all cloaked in that timid, melancholic grayness thats best encapsulated in their No. 1 pick: Elliott Smith. These boundaries theyve established actually serve our purposes well, because it makes for a pretty solid playlist, one worth cranking on—you guessed it—a rainy day. And, if anything, a playlist like this is a good way of introducing fans of bands like The Postal Service and Fleet Foxes to artists way less revered, but just as influential—like fuzzy, abrasive punks Wipers and experimental post-hardcore greats Unwound.Its also worth noting that Nelson, who only wrote Pitchforks intro for the list, quickly made his rebuttal by publishing his own picks for Seattle alt weekly The Stranger. His, alongside colleague Dave Segals, list is far harder and heavier, and way more playful. Mostly, it does a better job of proving that indie rock from the Pacific Northwest isnt always so damn sad.
