5/21/96
With Nirvana gone, Pearl Jam held together with spit and scotch tape, and Alice In Chains at stage 4, Soundgarden swooped in to….
"Pretty Noose"--Obtuse kiss-offs better kick fucking ass if they want to last more than thirty seconds in my air. The anger here claws out from every crack in the Earth, and what a helluva sight.
Thanks, real life, for making my favorite song off this album unlistenable. (For now, anyway.)
"Rhinosaur"--The rear of good old hoary rawk pretensions. "With haste and reverie"? With swiftness and daydreams?
Oh, never mind what the man says, a methanol fire's raging! Toasting marshmallows is about to become a life-changing experience.
"Zero Chance"--Still better than half a chance.
"Dusty"--Scar tissue and pale bruises tell a story generous with the ellipses, yet thick with plot.
"Ty Cobb"--Mandolins? Pardon me while I throw rice.
This frenetic barrage of collapsing carnival rides was originally titled "Hot Rod Death Toll," till Ben Shepherd remarked that the lyrics put him in mind of Ty Cobb, the acerbic misanthrope who happens to be one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball. Hey, whatever it takes to keep him away from the vocal booth.
"Blow Up the Outside World"--Four-car pile-up on Abbey Road sparks overdue reboot of the planet. Nothing causes my life-long roommates to flip and fold like Cornell in full-throated throttle mode.
"Nothing will do me in before I do myself."
"Burden In My Hand"--Whoever "she" is, well, she dead. Straight homicide, cousin.
Self-pity sans self-loathing is just sad. Luckily, the lunatic narrating the tale will probably lay down to await the exodus of what remains of his soul.
"Never Named"--Actually you did already--"Kickstand." It got loose and you puked.
"Applebite"--When you want to enter church, but you suspect your mere presence will set the structure ablaze.
(Wouldn't "Kumquatbite" have been an amazing title?)
"Never the Machine Forever"--Fuck, what a metal song title.
I take my Soundgarden songs like I take my sky, alcohol, and chocolate: dark.
"Tighter & Tighter"--Real good, despite the lack of confidence. Guys, no such thing as a "sword-resistant" rope exists.
"No Attention"--A barrel-breaking punk song that they turn into a cock rocker by adding two minutes of stretch and shift. Both songs will suffice in an ice storm.
"Switch Opens"--Change is all about numbers.
"Overfloater"--"I'm here and now I'm gone/I'm here and far beyond." Life ain't life without one hilariously unattainable dream. Like, um, sustained happiness.
"An Unkind"--Tempted to ask for the rest of the story, until I noticed the songwriting credits: Ben Shepherd. Say no more. Music's memorable, though. Call it "John the Baptist Pose."
"Boot Camp"--Wherein Pinocchio leads a jackass uprising. The future is with boys who smoke and gamble!
One year after Down On the Upside, the men of Soundgarden hung up the pedals and went their separate ways. And just look what happened.
No comments:
Post a Comment