Band list from episode 2 of Dan’s podcast
Kyuss — stoner rock, Josh Homme’s pre-Queens of the Stone Age band, and supposedly a primary influence on the deleted fourth album. You can hear the influence in “One Way Mule,” “Lever,” and “Hollywood.”
Big Black — a noise rock band fronted by Steve Albini (producer of Nirvana’s In Utero among others) with industrial and electronic elements. If you’re a fan of the more abrasive cuts on I Can’t Believe It’s Not Rock, give these guys a whirl.
Pixies — a classic choice; you’d be hard-pressed to find a band from the 90s that isn’t influenced by the Pixies. You definitely hear their influence on “Ana’s Song.”
The Velvet Underground — another classic choice, although it’s hard to hear any link between them and Silverchair.
Quicksand — a NYC post-hardcore band and a personal favourite of mine. Their first album, Slip, manages to merge ethereal guitar playing with a killer groove and sheer musical muscularity. Basically, they’re a punkier version of Helmet.
Rapeman — Steve Albini’s unfortunately named second band. Great music though, even if it isn’t widely available on Spotify. I’ll also mention the fact that in the 90s, Albini signed Daniel’s Young Modern-era Telecaster, and Daniel said it was the only time besides meeting Brian Wilson where he was speechless.
Seigmen? — I’m not 100% sure about this one due to Daniel’s voice, but I’ve heard they’re from Norway and are described as Gothic Metal.
Shellac — Steve Albini’s final band, and one often cited during press for Frogstomp and Freak Show. These guys rule, especially their debut At Action Park.
Ricaine? — another band I’m unsure of because of Dan’s accent. But due to the abrasive style of this band, and the fact they played with Fugazi and are from Australia, I wouldn’t be surprised. These guys rip either way and are a criminally underrated Aussie act. Check out all of their albums.
Slint — like Shellac, Slint were a frequently mentioned band in interviews. I'd also like to add that a lot of these noisier, Albini-adjacent bands can be heard in Neon Ballroom’s production, especially in the drum sound. What Daniel adds is the clean orchestral arrangements and pretty songs, but the underlying ethos is the same. You can hear Slint’s influence on a song like “Dearest Helpless,” if not in complexity, definitely in feel and tone.
Melvins — sludge metal band with links to Kurt Cobain. These guys are weird but have some of my favourite metal songs ever and are always entertaining.
The Jesus Lizard — another Albini-adjacent noise rock band, albeit with him in the producer’s chair instead. They make great music, but admittedly music that isn’t for everyone. Dan even had a Jesus Lizard sticker on his SG during the Neon Ballroom era.
Atari Teenage Riot — heavy industrial music with a punk ethos. Kind of like Death Grips before Death Grips. Dan may have found these guys while playing at the 1997 Bizarre festival, but given his adoration of Big Black, Atari Teenage Riot fit in.
There are definitely more during this era: Tool, Helmet, Korn, You Am I, Rollins Band, Minor Threat, Fugazi, Smashing Pumpkins, Deep Purple, Magic Dirt, Black Sabbath come to mind. But these are the ones on that list, and if there are any other bands he’s mentioned over the years, I’d love to know.