Thurston Moore has a really cool op-ed piece in the New York Times today.

In it, he discusses how Nirvana and underground music came into the spotlight and was transformed by the music industry into alternative rock. He discusses how it was discarded by the music industry once Kurt Cobain died and eloquently reminds us how significant and influential Kurt's music is, even today.

Thurston also discusses the current state of underground music saying, "the underground scene Kurt came from is more creative and exciting than it's ever been. From radical pop to sensorial noise-action to the subterranean forays in drone-folk-psyche-improv, all the music Kurt adored is very much alive and being played by amazing artists he didn't live to see, artists who recognize Kurt as a significant and honorable muse."

I've got to agree with Thurston. There is a lot of cool music out there right now. Innovative bands such as Deerhoof and Erase Errata, essential reissues of little-known punk pioneers such as Metal Urbain and the Homosexuals as well as all the free-form-extreme weirdo-noise you can possibly want to listen to courtesy of distributors such as Forced Exposure and Fusetron Sound.

And there are radio stations like WFMU who have championed underground music and are dedicated to making sure the quality sounds of what's happening under the radar are heard.