1990: "I Know Your Little Secret", The Afghan Whigs

The first band signed to Sub Pop outside the Pacific Northwest, Greg Dulli's Afghan Whigs leveraged their Midwestern roots and Replacements influences into a swelling nest egg of indie rock cred, surfacing at the dawn of the 90s with their Sub Pop debut (and second album overall), Up In It. These days, the record is probably name checked more often than listened to (much like the early, punk driven Lemonheads efforts) but it's an important touchstone in the band's artistic development nonetheless. Though not quite shedding their sloppy punk roots altogether - see "Retard" and "Amphetamines and Coffee" - Up In It represented the Whigs' first real stab at actual songwriting, and it didn't hurt that this upstart band from Cincinnati manifested a loose sonic solidarity with the coalescing grunge movement.