Soundgarden

Soundgarden. One of those bands that people either really love, or completely hate. I don't know why anyone would not like them actually. They are awesome.
They were once given the name frown-garden. I think for their often darkly tigned lyrics and sludge-alt-metal-grunge sound. They were not quite bleak like Alice in Chains, but they definitely tapped into the mass concience of the 90's youth.
I credit this band for helping me work through many a tough personal times in my life. There is something kind of sympathetic for the person who does everything they can to relate to others and make a good life for themselves, but often falls short. Songs like 'The Day I Tried to Live' deal with personal frustration very directly.' The song 'Zero Chance' deal with the reality of feeling personal isolation, and how no one who is not experiencing it really gets how it feels. 'Outshined' was the soundtrack to my puberty. In fact I don't think there is a song that captures adolescence better than that song. Screw smells like teen spirit.
Some songs are straight up Black Sabbath, like 4th of July and Limo Wreck. They specialize in sludgy metal riffs.
Don't get the impression these songs are all about wallowing in a personal pity party. 'Blow up the Outside World' breaks through to the other side with a strong defiance of 'no ones doing me in unless I choose to do so first.' In a messed up way, it's kinda life affirming. Something that really made sense in the cluster f**k that was the 90's.
There is a huge Led Zeppelin influence here, especially with the eastern tinged songs like 'half'.
Some of the songs, I honestly have no clue as to the subject or even intended mood.
Very few people can match the vocal range of Chris Cornell. The man can literally peel paint off a hubcap if he felt like doing so. I will freely admit I like all of the work he has done since soundgarden (With the obvious exclusion of "Scream" the last solo record he made with Timberland, Chris, that was a total piece of shit.) Most of Audioslave's music was a lot better than most people gave them credit for, especially their last record, very funky.
Well the end benefit of Chris's last solo record bombing out was that Soundgarden got back together. I mean I hate to just point out the obvious, what other reason would make a band that said they would never ever tour again, get back together. That being said, it's great to have them playing again.

The Black Crowes

one of my top three favorite groups, at the moment, on the top of the list.


What draws me most to this band is their fearless approach to music and
life in general. The subject and mood of their songs tend to run a gamut from anger to joy, and even joyful anger as a way to fight against stagnation. like Chris said once 'if you feel like a riot, you best not deny it'
It's music like this that taught me, 'hey life can be a challenge, but that doesn't mean it always has to be a burden.' Thats not something you get out of 98% of rock music in the last 20 years. Alot of rock music that kids are presented with today comes from people who seemingly spend a lot of time trapped in industrial concrete jungles and rarely get out to enjoy interacting with other human beings. That has it's place, but sometimes you just gotta get out of your little whole in the ground and join the rest of humanity. and when you are raised in an environment of corporate sanctioned faux anger metal music, stuff like this is a huge breathe of fresh air.
Songs like Thorn in my pride, My Morning song, and Wiser Time present a picture of rural southern roots that most people don't get a glimpse into, and that's something that always reminds me of my time living in Savannah, GA. Ah good times.
The Robinson's not only get their influence from people like sly and the family stone, Otis redding, the Allman brothers, and a huge list of southern blues acts. Also Rod Stewart's original band, the Faces, and the rolling stones, have a huge part in their music. Ironically, they get lumped with Led Zeppelin a lot. Zep has a big part in their music, especially since they toured with Jimmy Paige for a while. Chris Robinson has been quoted as saying he doesn't particularly like Plant's singing style.
Anyway, this is one of the few groups out there in the mainstream that still presents rock music from it's roots. There are even country songs, and they are done the proper way. The music is generally very relaxed, even at it's most tense moments. The songs talk about sex ( but not in an overtly misogynistic way), being in love, not being in love, being pissed off, traveling the world, and sometimes just having fun hanging out with your friends drinking a beer.

Sleater-Kinney

Female rock stars. One of those things that traditionally been sort of an enigma. A lot of female fronted groups had a sort of masculine edge that was seemingly sort of conforming to fit in with the boys. and honestly, most of the time it sucks.
Then I heard Sleater-Kinney. It's femenist punk rock music, that is neither obnoxious or overtly male bashing. but at the same time, they talk about what the real experience of being a woman today. And did I mention it rocks? yes it does.



Corin Tucker's voice is both jarring, grating and completely beautiful, and maybe even a little sexy. You believe every word she has to say. The band is on their game, they have a great musical dynamic and tone, and they have more energy and balls than most bands fronted by men. They look like the girls next door, but when they play, they may just kick your ass. wonderful stuff. really.

Shoegaze

Now for something a bit less political. ahem.
Shoegaze music. yes, there was once a genre of music that was named because the musicians spent a lot of time looking down at their sneakers. or at least thats what I was lead to beleive. haha.
I'll talk mainly about My Bloody valentine, and the early days of Smashing Pumpkins.


Oh man, the first time I heard this record, did my f*ing ears hurt. but it was beautiful. It blew my mind. I was riding around with my friend Rob, in his red VW bug, and this was just blairing. No real singular insturment stood out, the singing was almost completely zoned out, but everything was present at the same time. Did I meantion it was really really loud? Who knew something like this came out of Ireland in the late 80's?



Also we have this record.Smashing pumpkin's early music owed a lot to Loveless. The only thing that seperated it was Billy Corgan's personality and ambition. Contrary to common knowledge, SP's music isn't all self hating teenage angst. well at this point, there was plenty to go around, but there has always been a range of emotional experiences in their music, which makes it very well rounded.

What made all of this music unique was the fact that it focused more on the environmental and spacial qualitys of sound in music, rather than the linear, straightforward ones. The wall of sound that was created in these songs created a dense and lush landscape to be visualized by the listener. Vocals and lyrics are present in the music, but no one really knows why, because they are almost more like another insturment in the mix rather than anything that adds context. but there doesn't need to be a context for the lyrics. that's not the point.
Songs in records like the Verve's "A Storm in Heaven", Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's first record, Jesus and Mary Chain, and Silversun Pickups illustrate these concepts perfectly.

First post - RATM

This blog will act as an addition to my Art blog and give me a chance to talk about some of the music that has a huge impact on me over the years. First post, here we go.

Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire

Oh the images this conjures up. Hitler youth? I saw a combination of that and the Yuppy kids I knew growing up in Dallas.
Something about the music in this record tapped into something very primal in me at that age. I knew nothing about the content of the lyrics. I knew nothing about the Zapatistas, corporate greed, cultural rape and pillage of free trade economics, socialism, the struggles that real people go through every day all over the world. All I knew growing up was smug right wing fundamentalism. and it pissed me off, a lot. even without having any sort of alternative voice to judge against it. What I really got out of this was whether you actually agree with what they say is not relevant per se, but you are being presented with someone else's reality, which is important so you can tell if everything you have ever been taught is completely true or not.
Like the Clash in the 70's and 80's, the lyrics that Zach De La Rocha acts like a geographic history lesson, but the one that didn't make it to your school. Nothing suburban white kids know anything about. Which is what made the fact that it got so popular and comerically successful even funnier. It was full of anger, conviction, and brutal honesty. They made zero apologies for the message they spread, something really missing from music today.
There is a real tension in the performance of this band. Venting over social injustice was also a channel for what I think was also a real inner struggle to express a uneasiness and emotional repression. A perfectly identifiable thing for a young sheltered teenager in America. This is especially true being that most of them are being force fed drugs to keep them docile and content with the suburban drudge that is a large portion of American culture.
The music was also very experimental. you have Tom Morello, a Harvard grad and a certifiable guitar genius. They mixed hip hop, spoken word, metal, punk, psycadelic, and funk.
Parents hate it. whats funny about this is that they don't know their children are being programmed to think for themselves and have an open mind to left wing social views, I think if they knew that, and this where say the Macarthy era, the band would have been thrown in jail for corrupting youth. the beauty is the message is hidden just under the surface. All these parents know is there are a lot of curse words and it is making their kids rebellious, which is something rock music has always been meant to do anyway.