Jimmy Iovine and a dude that you never heard of founded Interscope Records in 1990 under the guise that said label will be VERY artist-friendly in terms of parks and recreation, and that’s all we have to say about that. Currently the mega-successful label’s roster includes Eminem, Billie Eilish, Imagine Dragons, and they are definitely going to get around to listening to that Bandcamp link you keep sending to any Interscope email you can find. We attempted to list the top ten most underrated Interscope Records albums in alphabetical order by band below, and you’d be surprised to know that you agree with every single choice and word written here. Bands that have sold infinity million records or more aren’t considered, and neither is your crust punk act that Interscope Records would have to have collectively showered with lots of soap post streaming!
Dredg “Catch Without Arms” (2005)
Try saying THIS band name five times fast; we will not attempt to play stenographer to your mumbling. Anyway, Los Gatos, California’s Dredg formed in 1993, and signed with Interscope Records approximately eight years later. Dredg would never truly break through the mainstream or most peoples’ vocabularies. The band will forever lie criminally underrated for their innovative music and tight live show, and fans of bugs, eyes, bug eyes, and progressive rock would kvell over Dredg. Specifically EVERY track on the flawless “Catch Without Arms”! If you had a chance to catch Circa Survive on the run for their best LP “Blue Sky Noise,” just a few years after “Catch Without Arms” was released, you may have caught Dredg along playing tracks from this LP with Animals As Leaders and Codeseven, making you better than even you; WE wasted all this time, we wasted all this time… ZEBRASKIN!
Drive Like Jehu “Yank Crime” (1994)
First of all, sorry/not sorry for not mentioning Rocket from the Crypt in this piece as “On A Rope” is NOT an underrated song, and the band is way too cult favorite-y for such moniker… but, yeah, they rip. John “Speedo/the Swami/Slasher” Reis did double duty in RFTC and DLJ, and because of this, he’s the MVP of this piece. Drive Like Jehu came, went, released this, one of the most influential albums for late-90s noisy emo-adjacent post hardcore, “Yank Crime,” and influenced all of your most favorite and least favorite bands from 1990-1995. Happily, they had a small reunion in 2014, but sadly, such is no longer and will likely never be as lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Rick Froberg passed away last year. It’s a hard one to take, truly. Signing off with all of our donut friends and enemies.
Helmet “Betty” (1994)
Likely the most successful band mentioned here, at the very least in terms of musical influence, Helmet formed in “The City of Angels,” New York City, in 1989, and had a hell of a near decade run till their first (of one thus far) demise in 1998, only to return in the year of G.W. Bush’s second win. Republicans were so much less problematic then, eh? Don’t answer that and try to make a better back to back sequential album transition than “Meantime” into “Betty.” Yeah, size matters. Still our unsung album “Betty” that protected your domes/catalyzed Helmet in ALMOST morphed Helmet to a huge headliner, but definitely, like the aforementioned Drive Like Jehu, influenced your most prized politicians/proletarians. Interscope had the fortune of releasing THREE, not FOUR, full-length studio efforts from the band, and we are jealous of whichever Saudi Prince owns the masters.
The Hippos “Heads Are Gonna Roll” (1999)
Ska will always be BOTH underrated/overrated, but Los Angeles’ twenty piece quartet of two known as The Hippos will sadly forever be the latter. Honestly, they were just far behind the party in terms of financial success s-k-a overlords The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, and The White Stripes, and we wish that they never lost it. Still, their lone Interscope Records LP “Heads Are Gonna Roll” ditched many of the horns in favor of bleeps and bloops, but The Hippos were a tad too early to THAT party. There’s always something there to remind us of this band if you google lead vocalist/underrated guitarist Ariel Rechtshaid, and we’ll wait till you finish scrolling through his resume post-TH; hey there, Delilah, the father of the bride listens exclusively to HAIM. Better watch your back if you’re all alone, he said.
Marianas Trench “Astoria” (2015)
“Astoria” is Marianas Trench’s fourth studio album and was released via Canada’s 604 Records and Cherrytree Records and Interscope Records internationally, so it counts here; suck it.
Also, HUGE, and we mean HUGE in the Great White North and in the hearts of all Carly Rae Jepsen superfans that know that a member of The Academy Is…/Say Anything was in her rock and roll band, Vancouver, Canada’s Marianas Trench ditched an apostrophe in favor of catchy catchiness, and has released five full-length studio albums since their formation last century. Each record is different sonically but similar in that the vocalist/rhythm guitarist Josh Ramsay has few peers on the mic and slightly more on the guitar, piano, and, wait for it, flugelhorn. If ambition is a poopy word for you, and we sadly know that it is, then skip the epic “Astoria, and move onto another section below!
Orianthi “Believe” (2009)
Another loophole: Geffen Records was founded in 1980 by David “I AM RICH” Geffen. Originally a part of the now-defunct Geffen Pictures, it is owned by the INTERSCOPE Geffen A&M faction of Universal Music Group, making Orianthi’s “Believe” a winning candidate for inclusion; Geffen has been a part of Interscope since 1999. Sound the alarm if you’re suffocating/suffocated! Also, shred with Brian Chiusano fan club president Orianthi Panagaris, but don’t be a dick about i! Sadly Interscope failed before it started with “Believe,” and we don’t know which team member was to blame, as Ori was marketed as a Britney can outplay Slash, but had they leaned more into her rock roots/less into her beautiful aesthetic roots, she would have “won,” at least according to us. Orianthi’s solo career may not have raised her to Carrie Underwood heights, but she played WITH her! What does “untogether” mean?
The Reverend Horton Heat “It’s Martini Time” (1996)
Your creepy uncle’s second favorite band next to The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, for obvious reasons, The Reverend Horton Heat is not only the stage name of cult leader James C. Heath, but is also the nomer, not misnomer, for his trio, making it the coolest/narcissistic band name of all time! Starting their full-length studio album career on cred labels of all cred labels, Sub Pop, Interscope snatched the band after its follow-up, and forever will also be referred as MARTINI TIME, of which the album listed here, which was their first initial release via Interscope Records, “It’s Martini TIme”! If you listen to this LP, you can literally smell olives, and if you don’t believe us, you’re lying. Spend a night in the box, plan a scatman revival, and laugh/cry with each and every miscreant who purchased this CD in a bargain bin.
t.A.T.u. “200 km/h in the Wrong Lane” (2002)
Skeptical of this inclusion that officially got everyone of all time canceled? Listen to track one of “200 km/h in the Wrong Lane,” a haunting and beautiful song called, “A Simple Motion,” and try to act like a hardass that is too good for good music. We’re not going to touch this one with any real specifics/data/further proper musical analysis, even though we kind of are, but aren’t; do your jobs, fans and friends on the ‘net because it will help you learn things. Anyway, t.A.T.u. formed in the cold cold cold country known as Russia in 1999, and NEVER COULD HAVE DONE SUCH IN 2024; NEVER. Stop yelling? Ok. All the things they said were marred with controversy AND, you guessed it, catchiness, but “problematic” in the English dictionary is literally synonymous with “taxing,” “tricky,” and the final “T” is utilized for “troublesome.”
TRUSTCompany “The Lonely Position of Neutral” (2002)
Another one from David “WE MENTIONED THAT HE IS RICH EARLIER, BUT THAT IS QUITE AN UNDERSTATEMENT” Geffen! Math: “Downfall” > most nu metal/alternative songs in the early-to-mid-aughts. TRUSTCompany survived the advent of caps lock and being from Mont-freaking-gomery, Alabama to sell units in excess of GOLD, just not platinum, so they lose at life. We don’t make the rules. You may not think that such stat is enough to keep them here, go deeper into you, drop to zero, and/or disqualify them from being verbally shouted out, but try finding one person, including the band’s relatives and closest confidants, that would recognize a TC band member on the street.
Wax “13 Unlucky Numbers” (1995)
Let’s close this out with something that you either put in your hair or on your surfboard: Wax. Gotta find a reason to settle down whilst ignoring you in spite of us, and KNOT look passed, uh, pest indiscretions. Wax’s lone Interscope Records release “13 Unlucky Numbers” is a solid and enjoyable mid-90s alternative/punk/rock/whatever buzzword you want to utilize and it is SHORT as hell, clocking at under twenty-four, yes, 24 minutes. Who is next? Well, alphabetically on our collective Apple Music accounts it is Waxwing, and we don’t think that you’ve ever heard of said band unless you have but you haven’t; look at us now. Spike Jonas, director of Weezer’s Windows 95 “Buddy Holly” video and so much more, endorsed Wax with a literal and figurative fiery set of two music videos from their Interscope LP. Thank you kindly, Joe Sib.
Even more surprising than the Murphys’ 2022 decision to release an acoustic album of Woodie Guthrie lyrics was their 2023 decision to release a SECOND acoustic album of Woodie Guthrie lyrics. This shouldn’t be that surprising, though. DKM have been covering traditional and folk songs since the beginning, just never to this extent. Their biggest hit, “I’m Shipping Up To Boston,” was written by Woodie Guthrie. Oh, you knew that already? Well too bad, because here comes the “Tulsa Version” to show you how much less exciting that song could have been. “Okemah Rising” is honestly not a bad use of your time, it’s just that they did so much better with “This Machine Still Kills Fascists,” Why would they release such a low-energy knockoff of the same concept less than a year later? At least they made sure to include a song about killing Hitler in this album too.
It’s fitting that this album checked in at number 11. There’s nothing specifically bad about “11 Short Stories,” it just doesn’t stand out on this list in any meaningful way. Behind the scenes, the Dropkick Murphys have always devoted their time and money to philanthropy through their charity, the Claddagh Fund. This charitable side project heavily influenced this album, and it’s lyrically one of their more mature releases. But this is a band known for their fun, high-energy music. And there’s something profoundly un-”fun” about disabled veterans, kids with cancer, addiction recovery, and the Boston Marathon bombing. We get it, not all art exists to make people smile, but this album is a bummer of an outlier in a catalog full of loud, fun music.
You’ve been a band for fifteen years now, you’ve recorded six studio albums, you’ve gone independent and started your own label, what’s the next logical step? A concept album! Now in their teenage years, Dropkick Murphys are here with an entire album about an Irish immigrant moving to America. The bagpipes and accordion are pretty prominent on this one just in case you somehow forgot this was an Irish-themed band. “Going Out in Style” follows the fictional Cornelius Larkin through a stereotyped Irish-American life of drinking and union labor. It’s a good album to play on a road trip or in your favorite dive bar on St Patrick’s Day, but its choruses largely fail to be as memorable as the band’s early favorites. If this was the first Murphys album you ever heard, you’d probably like it. But this is an album ranking article, and there are nine better options to choose from below.
This was a needed relief from the bleakness of 2020. Dropkick Murphys knew that people weren’t interested in deep, contemplative music at this time. They wanted bands to take advantage of their free time and spend lockdown in the studio writing songs that were light and fun. No weird concept albums. No depressing think pieces about addiction or war. We wanted songs about somebody stealing pudding. Songs about how great it is to be from Suffolk County. Self-aware songs like the title track, which is literally about music being the cure for every shitty thing there is. The same band that refused to break St Patty’s Day tradition in 2020 (when they played a free live-streamed show to an audience of nobody) returned to tell us loudly and clearly that it was ok to be happy again. And also that it’s so awesome to have a bagpiper that he needs a dedicated song at every show. Lee-Boy, Lee-Boy, he’s our guy!
Dropkick Murphys’ sophomore album is the most purely “punk” they’ve ever been. There is practically zero bagpipe on this one, which would not typically be worth noting in a punk album review, but here we are. “The Gang’s All Here” features driving punk drumming which pushes the vocals swiftly along, encouraging them to wrap each song up and move on before they accidentally reach the three-minute mark. The only reason this album is so low on our list is the near absence of Irish influence that fans have come to expect from a band whose logo is a shamrock. Perhaps they were still worried about being pigeon-holed as a Celtic punk band? Later albums would wholeheartedly embrace this label, occasionally to a fault. One clear exception to this theme is their version of “Amazing Grace,” which has been transformed from the official funeral hymn of Irish cops into an earnest and respectable punk anthem.
It was wise to not call this album “Rose Tattoo,” which they clearly considered, given the cover art and its title derived from that song. “Rose Tattoo” is a proud tribute to an admittedly cliché expression of devotion, but it might have come across as insincere or sarcastic as an album title. Another fitting option would have been to name the album after the opening track “The Boys Are Back.” Not just because they seem to open every show with that song now, but as a reminder that the Murphys have returned to making music that balances their Irish influence with modern punk rock. After overdoing it a bit with the experimental “Going Out In Style,” it was time to write some songs that fans could chant along with. They even managed to sneak in a Christmas song, which implies the album’s January release may have been later than intended.
This is the album that “Okemah Rising” wanted to be. When Al Barr was forced to take a break mid-tour to care for an ailing family member, the rest of the band scrambled to figure out what to do without his grimacing mug on stage. After being given access to unreleased lyrics from Woodie Guthrie’s writing, and with encouragement from the sidelined Barr, the remaining Murphys put together an acoustic album. “This Machine” still sounds distinctly like a Dropkick Murphys album, not just an out-of-place folk album played by a Celtic punk band. That’s not an easy task when you’re adding the accordion to folk music. It has the energy and sing-along gang vocals of any of their other releases; just unplugged, and missing Barr’s red-faced shouting. Woodie Guthrie would be proud to hear his words used by a band that so unapologetically plays folk music for punks.
This collection of demos, B-sides, and live recordings is worthy of interrupting our list, even if the Hard Times’ bylaws state that only studio albums get rankings. This album contains hidden gems, though. Go listen to “John Law” and try to explain why it didn’t make the cut for “Do or Die.” Take note of the multiple Clash covers. Enjoy “3rd Man In” with arguably better vocals than the band’s final version. This is a rare example of the album version being tamed down from its demos. But don’t worry, “Firestarter Karaoke” is here to show us that a demo is supposed to be a worse version of the final product. As a reminder that the Murphys have always been a cover band, go check out “Billy’s Bones,” which answers the question “what if The Pogues shouted all of their lyrics?”
“The Meanest of Times” was the band’s last album from the early years when they were still signed to Hellcat Records. While their first few albums were produced by Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen, the producer credit on this album simply goes to “Dropkick Murphys.” Maybe Hellcat was holding them back from making “Going Out In Style”? Whatever the reason for their departure from the label, the Murphys made sure to leave on a high note. This is a fun, high-energy album. Its most popular song, “The State of Massachusetts,” is a textbook example of the Dropkick Murphys. It sounds like a party on the surface, but the lyrics tell the dark tale of a struggling addict having her kids taken away by the state. All while a banjo plucks along with a tune that is suspiciously similar to “I’m Shipping Up To Boston.”
“Blackout” was when Dropkick Murphys really hit their stride as musicians. After a few years of research into how much bagpipe should be included in their music, they decided the correct answer was “whatever we feel like”. The title track “Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight” also foreshadowed the band’s fondness of Woodie Guthrie covers while telling the relatable and timeless tale of hiding from WWII bombers. The rest of the album shows how well a band can fuse Irish instruments into their music. Other than “As One,” in which the bagpipes are given center stage, and a cover of the popular “Fields of Athenry,” most of the piping is used as seasoning to complement the choruses. Overall, these are crowd-pleasing songs about a blue-collar life of friends, family, and beer. Fans of the tongue-in-cheek drinking anthem “Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced” might be surprised to learn that singer and bassist Ken Casey has been sober since before the Dropkick Murphys’ were founded.
This was the band’s first album, and their only studio release featuring original co-lead singer Mike McColgan, who left the band to fulfill his destiny as a Boston firefighter. “Do or Die” is much more street punk and Oi! influenced than you would expect from a band that employs an accordionist and a tin whistle. It’s a timeless collection of songs about drinking, fighting, and how awesome it is to be Irish in Boston. (“Barroom Hero” checks all three boxes). This album includes modern adaptations of both Irish and American folk songs – “Finnegan’s Wake” and “Skinhead on the MBTA,” respectively – as well as several instant classics from the Murphys. They chose to open their debut album with “Cadence to Arms,” which is an all-bagpipe cover of “Scotland the Brave,” because American listeners don’t really seem to care about the difference between Irish and Scottish culture.
The Dropkick Murphys could have made their name as simply an Irish-themed cover band and been successful. Instead, they perfected this niche of Irish-inspired punk music so well that you wouldn’t guess which songs are covers vs their original works on “Sing Loud.” “Good Rats” tells the tale of a rodent-infested brewery from the point of view of the rats as they party and drink themselves to death in a vat of beer. This plays like it was from an old Irish pub song, but is in reality a Murphys original, featuring the slurred guest vocals of the Pogues’ own Shane MacGowan. Who but the Murphys could write fake Irish music so convincingly that the founding father of Celtic punk joined them in a song? One of the more memorable songs on this album is the pro-union “Which Side Are You On?” a cover of a 1930s American folk song made famous by UK folk singer and punk muse Billy Bragg.
The album that contained Dropkick Murphys’ biggest single, “I’m Shipping Up To Boston,” should clearly be at the top of this list. This hype-you-up anthem, with its four lines of repeating lyrics, went platinum. It was featured TWICE in “The Departed.” It has become a pop-culture cliché to include this song in any movie set in Boston, much to the dismay of the airport employees hearing it on loop as you film your shitty TikToks in Logan airport. The only song that’s really worth skipping is the Red Sox anthem “Tessie.” This entire album is high-energy punk rock, from the street punk “Citizen C.I.A” to the more melodic “Take It And Run.” It only slows down to catch its breath for a few minutes during “The Green Fields of France.” Even the traditional “The Auld Triangle” has been transformed from Irish folk to Boston punk in the hands of the Murphys.
The McBain actor would absolutely not invest in crypto because he once saw a commercial with Matt Damon promoting it, and Rainier is still soured by the fact that Damon beat him out for the lead in the “Bourne Identity” movies.
Old people do not invest in crypto. They accumulated wealth by being born at the right time and believing they worked hard for it, while not realizing they only needed one part-time job to afford a house, two cars, and seven children. The rest of us will have to gamble our money in the stock market in hopes of one day living slightly above the poverty line.
Clancy Wiggum would definitely not invest in “cryptozoology” or “kryptonite” or whatever it is people are talking about. Boy, would he like to understand why everyone keeps bringing it up though.
Marge seems like she is skeptical of every opportunity that is presented to her. Bitcoin will be no different. She’s going to pass on it because she doesn’t quite get why it’s better than a good old fashioned quarter fresh from the mint.
This man stopped acquiring new information during the Carter administration. The thought of something called Ethereum might just kill him.
Moe is staunchly anti-cryptocurrency, mainly because an anonymous source once called him at the bar about something called Titcoin and he thought for sure he was getting pranked with a made-up name, so he hung up and unplugged the phone for the rest of the week and kept his shotgun pointed at the door.
Mayor Quimby primarily gets money from lobbyists and corporate sponsors who want him to do his bidding, which is quite lucrative. That’s just how the government works now. He doesn’t say a word about that part though.
Disco Stu does not have extra money to invest after blowing it all on a custom-made disco ball that hangs above his bed. He’s got his priorities, albeit questionable by non-1970s standards.
These total nerds are happy just being alive and can’t be bothered obsessing about getting ahead financially. They’re too busy being grateful for the life they already have. Fucking dorks.
Cletus just can’t quite grasp the concept of a type of money that you can’t see, that’s not exactly money, yet can be used as money, but also not used as money in normal places where you would use money. Seriously, it’s not that hard, dude.
Chalmers is currently superintending eight school districts, and he deep down hates every single one of the principals. No time to invest his physical money in digital money.
A large portion of Jasper’s life savings is being likely siphoned off by health insurance companies. Someone should probably do something about old people being taken advantage of and gradually sucked dry financially by predatory third parties.
Barney prefers to invest in more immediate, consumable, and physical stocks, like Duff beer. He may be hammered on his investments and in desperate need of a friend group who doesn’t enable him, but at least he’s not cornering you at the bar to talk about something called ETFs.
Miss Hoover makes a teacher’s salary and on top of that has to buy her own school supplies. This is not a recipe for personal cryptocurrency enterprises.
If you’re someone who spends all your time plotting and enacting revenge, there’s a good chance that wealth-building strategies aren’t top of mind. Attempted murder is at least a more interesting topic of conversation than a digital currency that is personally endorsed by Ashton Kutcher, who also endorsed Danny Masterson.
Otto still uses a Walkman to listen to music on cassette. He has yet to step into the digital age where we pay streaming services for music instead of artists themselves. There’s just no way crypto is on this guy’s radar.
No one quite knows for sure Willie’s stance on crypto. This is essentially due to the fact that not a single person seeks out his opinion on financial decisions. Or anything, really. Why start now?
Kirk was the only person in existence who somehow capitalized on the Beanie Baby investment craze in the ‘90s, but he’s not able to tell anyone about it because it’s embarrassing as hell. This man is a vault when it comes to investments.
Montgomery got rich in the more traditional way of exploiting workers for profit and personal gain. Making money through volatile crypto investments just doesn’t have the same feel to it.
Ned primarily invests in his small business called The Leftorium which he owns and operates. How this store stays afloat at the Springfield Mall is anyone’s guess. On the other hand, if a store called Lids that seems to sell baseball hats exclusively is still alive and well then anything is possible. Unless of course The Leftorium and Lids are both fronts for money laundering schemes. Then that explains everything.
Financial health is just as important to Dr. Hibbert as physical health. In his medical opinion, you shouldn’t invest in something you don’t fully understand. Nevertheless, he mainly recommends you invest in yourself, which is great advice if you can ever figure out what the hell that even means.
Pedro Chespirito is a total wildcard. He has his own slapstick comedy show, seemingly always dresses up as a bee even when not on set, and he’s even on a bowling team where he wears a bowling shirt over his bumblebee costume. Your guess is as good as mine on this guy.
Smithers is a practical man. He puts his money in a high yield savings account and plays the long game. He will talk about how he has a 4.35% interest return, but no one will know what the hell he’s talking about. Like, what’s a savings account?
Helen is currently protesting the evils of crypto. She can’t explain what it is or why it’s evil, but it must be nefarious if it’s new and she can’t comprehend it in simple, faith-based terms.
Kent will actually speak about crypto during the news itself, but only because one of those digital currency companies paid to be an advertiser. The primary purpose of the news is to plug whatever entity gives them the most money to promote the product they’re selling. This is not Kent’s fault.
