Looking for a short but sweet alternative album that’s perfect in every way? These three offerings come from all different corners of alternative, but none of them go over 30 minutes. Got a commute that takes exactly half an hour?
We think you’ll find something on this list to meet your needs.
‘Sleater-Kinney’ by Sleater-Kinney
Sleater-Kinney emerged in 1995 with their self-titled debut and became a beloved band in the riot grrrl/queercore/alternative punk scenes. They expressed their feminist, queer, and political views loudly and freely, which earned the band, originally a trio, acclaim from critics and devotion from fans.
Sleater-Kinney is an explosive debut that fully flaunts its DIY punk ethos. There’s nowhere to hide on this nearly 23-minute album, so Sleater-Kinney allow themselves to be unapologetically front-and-center. As a quick introduction, it serves its purpose. The trio would then release Call the Doctor in 1996, a step toward more fully-fledged punk while retaining what made their debut so beloved.
‘Laminated Denim’ by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
There are so many interesting things about Laminated Denim. First, it’s King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s 22nd album, released in 2022. Impressive for a band who debuted in 2012, but longtime fans already know that King Gizzard operates in a league of their own anyway. Secondly, Laminated Denim clocks in at exactly 30 minutes long. Which would be totally unremarkable, except that the entire album is only two tracks.
It’s an alternative album structure reminiscent of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, only just slightly shorter. Made entirely of two 15-minute tracks, Laminated Denim is considered the “spiritual successor” to King Gizzard’s 19th album, Made in Timeland, also released in 2022. The experimental psych-rock outfit released four albums that year, actually: Made in Timeland in March, then Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava on October 7, Laminated Denim on October 12, and Changes on October 28.
‘Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow!’ by Orchid
The shortest, most perfect alternative album of all goes to Orchid’s Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! from 2000. It’s firmly in the screamo/emo corner of alternative, but it’s considered one of the most beloved in the genre. Clocking in at just over 15 and a half minutes, the only complaint a lot of fans have is that it’s not long enough.
This album had an extremely limited pressing of only 5,000 copies when it was first released, exclusively on vinyl. With subsequent pressings, there were only a little more than 8,000 copies of Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! in existence. Until 2002, when it was included in a CD box set. Still, this strangely melodic 15 minutes of being unrelentingly screamed at remains a fan favorite.
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