photo & text by nacrowe
it took me a moment to come around to EMINEM. when his second album and major label debut THE SLIM SHADY LP (INTERSCOPE, 1999) was released i was a high school freshman at a boarding school in NEW ENGLAND and largely ignored it. to put it plainly, the OLDER STUDENTS that HAZED, HARASSED and made my daily life MISERABLE listened to EMINEM. for me it was the music of BULLIES and JOCKS. this of course is IRONIC for anyone who knows anything about the biography of MARSHALL MATHERS and his incredibly ROUGH and often PERIPATETIC upbringing. besides moving around all the time, the dude was hit so hard in elementary school by a MERCILESS BULLY that he went into a 10-day coma. so yeah, for better or worse, when the fanfare around THE SLIM SHADY LP was a PRESENT CONCERN, I consciously focused on other HIP HOP acts that provided me a SELF-AFFIRMING sense of POWER, WILL and DETERMINATION in the face of what i was dealing with alone and away from FAMILY, namely CYPRESS HILL, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, BEASTIE BOYS and WU-TANG CLAN.
and of course such was a MISTAKE. but it goes to show the POWER of peer groups to positive or negatively affect one's PERCEPTION of the WORLD. it didnt help at all that the equally ABUSIVE, RACIST and MISOGYNIST STUDENTS that i encountered my junior year studying in KUWAIT, where my family relocated from NIGERIA, likewise took to EMINEM. for me at the time it was just further CONFIRMATION that his music was the soundtrack for ASSHOLES. it wasn't until THE EMINEM SHOW (INTERSCOPE, 2002) came out years later and i was on a KUWAIT-bound flight from GERMANY to visit my FAMILY that i got around to actively listening to much of his discography in earnest. what i realized very quickly was his SINGULAR ABILITY to BEND LANGUAGE. all that VERBAL DEXTERITY to EXTEND or COLLAPSE VOWELS, introduce COMPLEX MULTI-SYLLABIC INTERNAL RHYME SCHEMES, the CADENCE and DICTION to make such PERCEIVABLE and lastly his HUMOR. the whole package was so REMARKABLE across those first three INTERSCOPE records that i became immediately FAMILIAR with on that flight. the CONFRONTATIONAL and intentionally TRANSGRESSIVE NATURE of some of his LYRICS, to me at least, seemed so THEATRICAL and HYPERBOLIC as to establish the WARPED MINDSET of his NARRATIONS and the fact that this SLIM SHADY CHARACTER was maybe not that RELIABLE. the much cited VIOLENCE, MISOGYNY and the like were highly PERFORMATIVE in my opinion and seemed to reflect an inability to positively affect his personal life than anything else. such BRUTAL scenarios related to his WIFE and MOTHER were WILD IDEATIONS and FANTASTICAL PROJECTIONS that his UNENCUMBERED and UNREPENTANT IMAGINATION constructed in order to control that which he couldnt. its like that PERVASIVE TROPE in NOIR FILMS were the NARRATOR speaks about a FEMME FATALE who ruined their life but attempts to control how their interpreted through the IMPOTENT act of VOICE-OVER-NARRATION itself. thats how i viewed such. for me by far the STANDOUT track is "ROLE MODEL." that SIMPLE yet EFFECTIVE GUITAR REFRAIN that projects such a SINISTER, GOTHIC VIBE a la DR. DRE / MEL-MAN PRODUCTION is such a KILLER BEAT that perfectly introduces the debauched and DERANGED WORLD of SLIM SHADY CHARACTER to a tee. the song finds EMINEM comically confronting those who take his word on wax too literally and seeing his DEMENTED example as a VALID path worth pursuing to its EXAGGERATED conclusion by providing some CHOICE scenarios. what comes across is both the TECHNICAL CRAFTSMANSHIP of his WORDPLAY, RHYME SCHEMES and ELOCUTION and the downright VICIOUS WORLDVIEW of his SLIM SHADY CHARACTER who savagely conveys the DARKER aspects of the HUMAN PSYCHE with all manner of EXTREME EMOTIONS ranging from PARANOIA, MALICE, PSYCHOSIS, INDIGNATION and REVULSION in response to the WORLD. in fact, this CHARACTER was intentionally constructed as a VEHICLE to confront his audience with such BRUTAL VISIONS in a manner never seen or heard before in the history of HIP HOP. INFINITE (WEB ENTERTAINMENT, 1996), EMINEM's pre-DR. DRE INDEPENDENT debut record was more TRADITIONAL in SCOPE and PRESENTATION with RELATABLE tales of his efforts to support his FAMILY while working THANKLESS regular day jobs. that thematically HONEST, AUTHENTIC and almost "CONSCIOUS RAPPER" approach didn't garner any public attention and the record flopped. on the follow-up his SLIM SHADY CHARACTER would change all that. there are still mentions of his FAMILY, as the WORLD was introduced to his then-INFANT DAUGHTER HAILIE on "'97 BONNIE AND CLYDE" and the HOMOCIDE scenario that explains the GRIZZLY cover art to THE SLIM SHADY LP. he would go on to use the AFFECTION, RESPONSIBILITY and GUARDIANSHIP he felt for his REAL-LIFE DAUGHTER as a CLEVER means of juxtaposing that of his SOURED relationship with his PARTNER KIM and his ESTRANGED MOTHER DEBBIE throughout his career. you get the PALPABLE sense that with EMINEM, FAMILY is a COMPLICATED concept not because of his failings, but that of others around him who didnt seem to have his best interests at heart. outside of SLIM SHADY, this PRESENTATION of KIM is arguably the next most IMPORTANT CHARACTER in his ENTIRE ouevre. its INTERESTING, but singles like the highly REFERENTIAL "MY NAME IS," the GROTESQUE DR. DRE collaboration "GUILTY CONSCIOUS" and the MANIC "JUST DON'T GIVE A FUCK" never really hit with me. i recognize, like everything EMINEM-related (even at this early stage in his career), that there is CRAFT and INTENTION to these performances, but for my money "ROLE MODEL" was the essential BLEAK moment on an exceptionally GRIM record. THE SLIM SHADY LP is one of many CLASSIC EMINEM records and absolutely ESSENTIAL to anyone remotely interested in HIP HOP.
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photo & text by nacrowe
NEVER was a fan of LENNY KRAVITZ.
always considered him a LAZY SONGWRITER who repetitively milked MEDIOCRE CHORUSES to death and was a case study in STYLE over SUBSTANCE. a few years back i saw him play live as an surprised (to me at least) opener for GUNS N' ROSES at METLIFE STADIUM on their REUNION TOUR and was UNDERWHELMED. initially i thought that a LIVE SETTING my be where he stood out given that ive seen tons of bands at FESTIVALS that i admittedly wasnt a fan of, but thought they put on KILLER LIVE PERFORMANCES (such as BABYMETAL, PAPA ROACH, GOOD CHARLOTTE, COHEED & CAMBRIA, HELLYYEAH, SICK OF IT ALL, REEL BIG FISH, GODSMACK, LESS THAN JAKE, H20, DISTURBED, FLOGGING MOLLY, P.O.D., HATEBREED, STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO, DROWNING POOL, HED PE and PARAMORE). but no. KRAVITZ' SONGS sounded even more REPETITIVE and REDUNDANT and all the POMP and CIRCUMSTANCE of a MASSIVE STADIUM STAGE didnt help matters. when 5 (VIRGIN, 1998) came out i was a freshman in high school and the SONG "FLY AWAY" was seemingly INESCAPABLE. on ALTERNATIVE ROCK radio, which was still a thing back then. on MTV, which was still a thing back then. even during TRANSITIONAL segments on LIVE SPORTING EVENTS. just that OPENING GROOVE that gets RECYCLED again, again and again. KRAVITZ has always played by that AEROSMITH school of SONGWRITING exemplified by the maxim 'dont bore us, get to the CHORUS' and heard on TIRED mid-career tracks like "JANIE'S GOT A GUN," "DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY" and "LOVE IN AN ELEVATOR." on "FLY AWAY" you can tell KRAVITZ is really feeling the GROOVE but there is NO SENSE of SONIC DYNAMICS at play, or even depth of EMOTION or any semblance of AUTHENTICITY. its just BLAND, UNIMAGINATIVE ESCAPISM. same with his TRITE COVER of GUESS WHO's "AMERICAN WOMAN," which was originally on the AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME (MAVERICK, 1999) soundtrack before being re-released on a year-old 5 album as well. why it was included on 5 makes zero ARTISTIC sense (but complete business sense), so there you go. the one SHINING beacon of HOPE on an otherwise UNREMARKABLE record is the affective "THINKING OF YOU," where KRAVITZ croons with CHARISMA and an IMPRESSIVE FALSETTO about his MOTHER, ACTRESS ROXIE ROKER, who had recently PASSED AWAY from breast cancer. in both TONE and SUBSTANCE this song feels like a one off, but it remains one of the few SONGS he has in his canon that is UNDENIABLE. all in all, KRAVITZ' 5 is a thoroughly MEDIOCRE outing and not WORTHY of further investigation, outside of "THINKING OF YOU." to me KRAVITZ is not ROCK N ROLL in SPIRIT or SUBSTANCE but an INDUSTRY PLANT of LUKEWARM TALENT who gets by based on TERTIARY concerns like STYLE and PRESENTATION. i know there is an audience for that because this album did well commercially (double platinum stateside), but its not for me. photo & text by nacrowe
BRAZILIAN METAL ICON and former FRONTMAN of the LEGENDARY SEPULTURA, MAX CAVALERA was in a world of PAIN and CONFUSION when he went about creating the eponymous DEBUT SOULFLY record SOULFLY (ROADRUNNER, 1998). his aforementioned former band basically imploded over PASSIONATE DISAGREEMENTS concerning CAVALERA's WIFE and LONG-TIME MANAGER GLORIA firing.
from the band's PERSPECTIVE, after the release and touring of the phenomenally SUCCESSFUL ROOTS (ROADRUNNER, 1996), they had climbed a few rungs in the METAL HIERARCHY and therein had outgrown her. according to CAVALERA's memoir MY BLOODY ROOTS: FROM SEPULTURA TO SOULFLY AND BEYOND (JAWBONE PRESS, 2022), moving on from her MANAGEMENT was not necessarily a problem (as she primarily focused on them to the DETRIMENT of others on her ROSTER of bands) but the timing could not have been WORSE, she was en route along with CAVALERA to the FUNERAL of her SON, DANA, who had been SHOCKINGLY MURDERED in ARIZONA while the band was touring in ENGLAND. that they then collectively and callously chose to terminate her contract created a PERMANENT wedge between CAVALERA and the GROUP that was never addressed or mended and remains a BITTER point of CONTENTION between all parties involved decades later. SEPULTURA went on to a MEDIOCRE career where they functioned in the SHADOW of their FORMER GREATNESS, while SOULFLY effectively carried the SPIRITUAL TORCH of the band at their CULTURAL PEAK for twelve albums and more than twenty-five years to date. and that SECOND JOURNEY began with SOULFLY, which was a bit of a GROUP EFFORT, given that CAVALERA invited everyone from FELLOW COUNTRYMAN JORGE BEN to CHINO MORENO (DEFTONES), DINO CAZARES & BURTON C. BELL (FEAR FACTORY), BENJI WEBBE (DUB WAR) and DJ LETHAL & FRED DURST (LIMP BIZKIT), to join in on this record. part of that was since CAVALERA and his FAMILY were still very much in the throes of MOURNING over DANA during this period and his FRIENDS and PEERS wanted to show SUPPORT, never mind their MUTUAL RESPECT and AWE towards his RENOWNED work in SEPULTURA. the name of the band and album came from LYRICS he contributed to the DEFTONES' SONG "HEAD UP" off of their muc-CELEBRATED second album AROUND THE FUR (MAVERICK, 1997). it should be mentioned that the quick follow-up PRIMITIVE (ROADRUNNER, 2000) was likewise another GUEST HEAVY CELEBRATION of DANA with contributions by COREY TAYLOR (SLIPKNOT), TOM ARAYA (SLAYER), SEAN LENNON and, again, LONG-TIME FRIEND CHINO MORENO (DEFTONES). i'd even go so far as viewing the two as a SPIRITUAL PAIR. arguably the band took on a real IDENTITY once the third album 3 (ROADRUNNER, 2002) came out and CAVALERA leaned into taking the project into a LIFELONG JOURNEY throughout his LOVE of all things GLOBAL MUSIC and UNDERGROUND METAL. my experience hearing this album was through an OLDER STUDENT in my dorm when i was attending a boarding school in NEW ENGLAND. somehow this FILIPINO FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT two years ahead of me had snuck in two POWERFUL speaker cabinets that he ran through his computer's compact disc player. i was long FAMILIAR with SEPULTURA at that point but hadnt heard CAVALERA's new project. that ended when this DUDE down the hall began blasting "EYE FOR AN EYE," "TRIBE" and "BLEED" moments after study hall ended at absolutely DEAFENING levels. those SONGS just exploded with ENERGY and a deep sense of GROOVE. it felt like ROOTS taken to the next level of INTENSITY with an understandably ENRAGED and emotionally RAW CAVALERA addressing the INTERNAL cudgeling that came with coming to terms with the SENSELESS MURDER of his BELOVED STEPSON. i still find that album AFFECTING and emotively POWERFUL and i am glad that the METAL COMMUNITY was there for him during this period. not only those on record, but those that also took him on tour such as SHARON and OZZY OSBOURNE with the OZZFEST vehicle that proved VITAL in breaking SOULFLY to the MASSES. in retrospect SOULFLY as well as PRIMITIVE are probably weighed down artistically in comparison to ROOTS due to the all the GUEST APPEARANCES, but as i said before, those additions served a DIFFERENT PURPOSE. it was a gathering of the TRIBES in SOLIDARITY behind CAVALERA, both as an artist and a man. from there on out he has never looked back and continued his career UNABATED as one of the SINGULAR VOICES in METAL along with and on par all of the other post STORIED ICONS (i.e. OZZY OSBOURNE, LEMMY KILMISTER, ROB HALFORD, JAMES HETFIELD, DIMEBAG DARRELL, TONY IOMMI, KING DIAMOND, RANDY RHOADS, CHUCK SCHULDINER, RONNIE JAMES DIO, CLIFF BURTON and so on). SEPULTURA just sort of hung around and folded into our COLLECTIVE MEMORY of its FORMER GLORY. no doubt one of the most CONFOUNDING, COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE and downright IDIOTIC lineup changes in ROCK N ROLL HISTORY. but such is LIFE and it provided an OPPORTUNITY for CAVALERA to continue without INTERNAL OBSTRUCTIONS or DISTRACTIONS from seemingly UNWORTHY COLLABORATORS. while i wouldn't put SOULFLY on the TOP-TIER of CAVALERA releases, which in my estimation are the SEPULTURA releases ROOTS, CHAOS A.D. (ROADRUNNER, 1993), ARISE (ROADRUNNER, 1991) and BENEATH THE REMAINS (ROADRUNNER, 1989) and the SOULFLY efforts PROPHECY (ROADRUNNER, 2004), DARK AGES (ROADRUNNER, 2005) and SAVAGES (NUCLEAR BLAST, 2013), i still feel it is very much worth investigating and checking out for anyone interested in METAL writ large. "EYE FOR AN EYE" to date is absolutely a UNIVERSAL banger in my opinion. photo & text by nacrowe
ive never been a fan of ALANIS MORISSETTE. i should just state that outright from the jump. and it has nothing to do with the QUALITY of her SINGING, which includes a particularly IDIOSYNCRATIC STYLE where RANDOM pitched INTERVALS are shifted around during OVER-ENUNCIATED VOWELS, or her LYRICS, which often tended to be PSEUDO-INTELLECTUAL and EMBARRASSING (see her IRONIC misuse and misunderstanding of IRONY on "IRONIC" from her MAVERICK debut). my quibble was always this OVERBEARING sense of INTENTION from her WORK that i interpreted as being PRESUMPTUOUS to the point of ARROGANCE. on SUPPOSED FORMER INFATUATION JUNKIE (MAVERICK, 1998), this GENERAL IMPRESSION was not countered but rather reinforced.
i should just say that i have been to INDIA. i was privileged enough to attend a boarding school in NEW ENGLAND for my first two years of high school and during that time was required to take a COMPARATIVE RELIGION CLASS as a foundational requirement of the curriculum. all this to say i was somewhat familiar with the FUNDAMENTAL PRECEPTS and CORE BELIEF STRUCTURES of BUDDHISM, JAINISM, SIKHISM and HINDUISM as a 16 year-old when my family visited NEW DEHLI, AGRA and JAIPUR on a trip to NORTHERN INDIA. visiting INDIA is a TRANSFORMATIVE experience, even for a JADED THIRD CULTURE KID like myself who spent my middle school years in NIGERIA. i thought i had witnessed HUMAN SUFFERING up close in its UNADORNED state. INDIA was another level of experiencing HUMANITY, just the sheer volume of everything thrown at you. it was completely OVERWHELMING, the SMELLS, the POVERTY, the VISUALS, the CHAOS. but within all that there was an UNMISTAKEABLE BEAUTY. all of this to say that i completely empathize and understand how a trip to INDIA would prompt someone to write about the experience a la MORISSETTE on SUPPOSED FORMER INFATUATION JUNKIE. such doesnt mean it still doesnt come off GRATING and more than a little CRINGE-INDUCING. on a track like "THANK U" there is a CLEAR INTENTION of presenting a state of GRATITUDE, whereby MORISSETTE lists all the things that she is THANKFUL for, including said experience in INDIA. being in a state of GRATITUDE is meant as a vehicle for confronting our own INGRAINED SELFISHNESS and endless cycle of EPHEMERAL DESIRES. by being THANKFUL for what you have been provided, you are limiting your ability to seek or want more than is required which is a manifestation of SPIRITUAL MATURITY. during this period such EASTERN PHILOSOPHICAL ideas based in BUDDHISM were not completely ALIEN, suffice to say that MCA of the BEASTIE BOYS (who was a TIBETAN BUDDHIST convert) channeled such in their song "GRATITUDE" off CHECK YOUR HEAD (CAPITOL, 1992), as well as the thematically related "BODDHISATTVA VOW" on ILL COMMUNICATION (CAPITOL, 1994). but still, out of context having a song about being THANKFUL where you list stuff comes off to the listener as a bit OVERBEARING and SELF-INVOLVED. i dont think MORISSETTE or her CO-WRITER GLEN BALLARD (of PAULA ABDUL, GOO GOO DOLLS, DAVE MATTHEWS BAND and KATY PERRY fame) necessarily meant such, but it definitely came off that way to me. and i intrinsically knew what her PERSPECTIVE and INTENTION was, even during that period of its release. honestly outside of "THANK U," not much else stood out on SUPPOSED FORMER INFATUATION JUNKIE including follow-up singles "SO PURE," "UNSENT" and "THAT I WOULD BE GOOD." the only other track that caught my attention at the time was the ALTERNATIVE-by-the-numbers "JOINING YOU" which has a MEMORABLE enough WORK, but in a POST-GRUNGE era where there was no shortage of options, MORRISETTE by this point in her career felt a bit STALE, CONTRIVED and more than a bit INAUTHENTIC. the SPIRITUAL TIP she was on definitely did not help in that regard, made her seem ever the more UNAPPROACHABLE and out of the loop, which is a DEATH SPIRAL in music as audiences seek to project their lives and experiences unto your LYRICS and MELODIES. im not saying that this is the worst thing that was released in 1998, but man there were some way better options that didnt get nearly the same industry push as the decidedly MEDIOCRE SUPPOSED FORMER INFATUATION JUNKIE. specifically artistically SUPERIOR albums like MASSIVE ATTACK's MEZZANINE (VIRGIN, 1998), CAT POWER's MOON PIX (MATADOR, 1998), BLACK STAR's MOS DEF & TALIB KWELI ARE BLACK STAR (RAWKUS, 1998), BOARD OF CANADA's MUSIC HAS THE RIGHT TO CHILDREN (WARP, 1998), BIG PUN's CAPITAL PUNISHMENT (LOUD, 1998), AIR's MOON SAFARI (VIRGIN, 1998), REFUSED's THE SHAPE OF PUNK TO COME (BURNING HEART, 1998), ELLIOTT SMITH's XO (DREAMWORKS, 1998) and NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL's IN THE AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA (MERGE, 1998), PULP's THIS IS HARDCORE (ISLAND, 1998) and so on. id point you in the direction of any of those records instead, none of which include BALLARD's CORNY ass. photo & text by nacrowe
along with ELEKTRA LABEL-MATES and FELLOW MICHIGANDERS THE STOOGES, the MC5 are undoubtedly one of the most IMPACTFUL ROCK N ROLL bands in history. their debut KICK OUT THE JAMS (ELEKTRA, 1969) is a LIVE RECORDING of what amounts to a firehose of stridently REVOLUTIONARY SONIC VOLATILITY that unquestionably INFORMED the PUNK ROCK MOVEMENT of the late 1970s, almost a decade later. tagged in retrospect as PROTO-PUNK, the band (especially GUITARIST WAYNE KRAMER) was POLITICALLY ACTIVE with LEFTIST causes throughout the 1960s and their MANAGER, JOHN SINCLAIR, was an ACTIVE WHITE PANTHERS MEMBER.
i always find it FUNNY when a contemporary CONSERVATIVE CULTURAL CRITIC or supposed ROCK N ROLL FAN opines endlessly about wanting bands to divorce their POLITICS from their MUSIC. i am of the BELIEF that all groups are POLITICAL, even the CONSCIOUS choice to not sing about such overt topics is at its core a POLITICAL DECISION. so the point is generally MUTE, but with an INNOVATIVE and CONSCIENTIOUS band like MC5 their very raison d'etre is to impact the CULTURE and spur POLITICAL CHANGE, MUSIC being a better vehicle for projecting a MESSAGE than POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS, SPEECHES and EVENTS. its always LAUGHABLE when an outside CRITIC attempts to separate ART from its MESSAGE and INTENT, but i appreciate their attempt. unfortunately for them the generations of renowned EXPERIMENTAL ROCK N ROLL bands (some overtly POLITICAL) over the years directly inspired by the example of the MC5 is LONG and quite CONSEQUENTIAL, including but not limited to the likes of THE RAMONES, FAITH NO MORE, BLACK FLAG, MASTODON, THE SEX PISTOLS, MOTORHEAD, THE CLASH, MINUTEMEN, THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS, DEAD KENNEDYS, AT THE DRIVE-IN, THE DAMNED, MINOR THREAT, DINOSAUR JR, CRASS, SOUNDGARDEN, MUDHONEY, BAD RELIGION, THE CIRCLE JERKS, MELVINS and THE NEW YORK DOLLS among countless others. CLASSIC tracks from KICK OUT THE JAMS include "RAMBLIN' ROSE," "BORDERLINE" and the ICONIC "KICK OUT THE JAMS" which, forget about BRITISH INVASION bands THE BEATLES, THE ROLLING STONES or THE WHO, is arguably the most ROCK N ROLL SONG of all-time. just sayin. and like most works of ART that are truly TRANSCENDENT, they should be experienced and not talked about. so stop reading this and go out and listen to "KICK OUT THE JAMS." you're welcome. photo & text by nacrowe
when i arrived in NIGERIA in late 1995 still in grade school, i was very much familiar with the LANDMARK SOUNDGARDEN albums SUPERUNKNOWN (A&M, 1994) and BADMOTORFINGER (A&M, 1991). all that majestically FATALISTIC LYRICAL SYMBOLISM and vaguely PSYCHEDELIC SONGWRITING with plenty of METAL sonic edge that made the band one of the leading creative lights of that entire generation of ALTERNATIVE ROCK bands. i mean literally every member of that band, from FRONTMAN CHRIS CORNELL and GUITARIST KIM THAYIL down through DRUMMER MATT CAMERON and even the original BASSIST HIRO YAMAMOTO (this was his last release before being replaced by BEN SHEPHERD), were all immensely GIFTED SONGWRITERS. but at that point in time i was only aware of those two recordings, which would soon change when a new classmate in LAGOS had a copy of the PRECEDING TERRY DATE-produced LOUDER THAN LOVE (A&M, 1989) release.
as CONSEQUENTIAL records go, outside of maybe NIRVANA's NEVERMIND (DGC, 1991) this is undoubtedly one of the more IMPORTANT releases from that era since it marked the first major label debut of a band from the then-BURGEONING SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK scene. MOTHER LOVE BONE's debut APPLE (MERCURY, 1990) would follow in 1990, along with ALICE IN CHAINS' FACELIFT (COLUMBIA, 1990) shortly thereafter, but it was LOUDER THAN LOVE that got the INITIAL ball rolling on that front. and all the hallmarks of CLASSIC SOUNDGARDEN are their even during this FORMATIVE stage, i.e. those ROLLING mantra-inducing RHYTHMS and highly TEXTURED, IMPRESSIONISTIC GUITAR LEADS and those halting OTHERWORDLY PRIMAL SCREAMS. such is on full display on PUNCHY standout tracks like "LOUD LOVE," "HANDS ALL OVER" and "GET ON THE SNAKE." that is not to say that everything on LOUDER THAN LOVE is KILLER. in fact, some of it is downright EMBARRASSING, like "BIG DUMB SEX" with its CRINGE-INDUCING CHORUS and the repeated F-BOMB REFRAIN, as well as "FULL ON KEVIN'S MOM," which was about having sex with a friend's mother. probably two of the WORST SONGS in their entirely CATALOGUE, which share none of the caustically BITTERSWEET and ANTHEMIC qualities of the band at the peak of their powers on later releases. overall LOUDER THAN LOVE is not the WORST record ever, but within the context of the incredible CREATIVE heights of the SOUNDGARDEN CATALOGUE, this is one i usually gloss over save one or two tracks. not ESSENTIAL but worth checking out if you are interested in ALTERNATIVE ROCK from the period. photo & text by nacrowe
MORRISSEY's second solo release KILL UNCLE (HMV, 1991) is a bit of a CONFOUNDING affair, which makes sense given that such marks his first departure from working with PRODUCER STEPHEN STREET, who oversaw (and co-wrote) his first album and initial slew of TRANSCENDENT singles, as well as engineered THE SMITHS' THE QUEEN IS DEAD (ROUGH TRADE, 1986) and co-produced STRANGEWAYS, HERE WE COME (ROUGH TRADE, 1987). it is also his last release before joining forces with LONGTIME SONGWRITING COLLABORATORS ALAIN WHYTE and BOZ BOORER. KILL UNCLE marks his only songwriting collaboration with FAIRGROUND ATTRACTION's MARK E NEVIN.
growing up listening extensively to THE SMITHS and MORRISSEY to the point of INDOCTRINATION, these SONGS are the VERITABLE SONGTRACK to my childhood so i have UNDYING NOSTALGIA for all things MOZ-related. that being said, within the context of his vast CATALOGUE, KILL UNCLE is a bit of a muted departure with lots of DELICATE, UPLIGTING but not OVERPOWERING songs about SELF-DISCOVERY, SELF-DENIGRATION and counterintuitively SELF-AFFIRMATION. as with all things MORRISSEY, he seems to be the central CHARACTER in his own NARRATIVE, especially on RECORD. growing up, easily my FAVORITE TRACK off this ALBUM was "SING YOUR LIFE" and its DYNAMIC, FREE-FLOATING GROOVE that propelled MORRISSEY's message of SELF-EMPOWERMENT. i especially loved the line about how those who sing on key "stole the notion from you and me." as a child in parochial school id find myself listening to that SONG specifically after particularly BAD days of getting BULLIED and MERCILESSLY BEAT UP by older kids. listening to it today viscerally takes me back to how much i understandably hated catholic school and the CULTURE of ABUSE i survived. a thousand times fuck them. other key tracks like the opener "OUR FRANK" and "MUTE WITNESS" and "KING LEER" i took in and enjoyed without necessarily UNDERSTANDING what he was referencing. it was more of a SUPERFICIAL ENJOYMENT of his VOICE's affect and how his MELODIES played alongside the dynamic and seemingly FOLK-INSPIRED INSTRUMENTATION. my ENJOYMENT of THE SMITHS was along those lines as well, only as an adult did investigate the actual LYRICS, which could be OBTUSE and purposefully OPAQUE in NATURE. but the song that i knew i was unsure about was "ASIAN RUT" which i could never get a handle on. it seemingly was about the tribulations of an ASIAN student struggling to survive the OVERT RACISM of his peers and the education system at large in ENGLAND. my sense is that MORRISSEY sympathizes with the CHARACTER, but in light of his recent dalliances and over support of the POLITICAL FAR-RIGHT in groups like UKIP and support of REVANCHIST UNITED KINGDOM POLITICIANS like NIGEL FARAGE, it is difficult to say anymore. all the CONSERVATIVE IMAGERY MORRISSEY played with during his post-SMITHS SOLO CAREER now seem like the harbinger of something much more DARK , CRUEL and SINISTER. so like much of his CATALOGUE, KILL UNCLE suffers from an UNSYMPATHETIC rereading of his MATERIAL. which is a pity because i grew up on MORRISSEY and his SARDONIC and THOUGHT-PROVOKING LYRICISM, even if i honestly didnt understand it completely. my personal preference is his next ALBUM YOUR ARSENAL (HMV, 1992) as well as the much later YOU ARE THE QUARRY (ATTACK, 2004). photo & text by nacrowe
honestly this RECORD is quite TERRIBLE. no need to not address that immediately. even taking into consideration its relatively early placement in the overall history of HIP HOP, AS NASTY AS THEY WANNA BE (ATLANTIC, 1989) by SOUTH FLORIDA's 2 LIVE CREW is UNTETHERED in its CRASS depictions of SEXUAL EXPLOITS that crosses well into UNBRIDLED, MISOGYNISTIC territory. more than that, such CLASSLESS OBSCENITY seemed to be the entire point of the project for LUTHER CAMPBELL and company. its a UNIQUE RECORDING in that i most always attempt to find even the glint of ARTISTIC EXPRESSION in EXTREME cases of PROVOCATIVE ART, some GREAT and some not so GREAT, ranging from MAYHEM's THE DAWN OF THE BLACK HEARTS (WARMASTER, 1995), SLAYER's REIGN IN BLOOD (DEF JAM, 1986), DEAD KENNEDYS' FRANKENCHRIST (ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES, 1985) to KANYE WEST's MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY (ROC-A-FELLA, 2010), THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's ELECTRIC LADYLAND (REPRISE, 1968), N.W.A.'s STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (RUTHLESS, 1988) and NOFX's HEAVY PETTING ZOO (EPITAPH, 1996), but in this situation i am practically at a loss. in my mind all the OBSCENITY trials (this is the RECORD to be legally deemed OBSCENE) related AS NASTY AS THEY WANNA BE to are probably somewhat WELL-FOUNDED.
and that is kind of what makes this album so INTRIGUING as a CULTURAL ARTIFACT. i personally find it DEMEANING and devoid of much ARTISTIC merit since there is little in the way of MISPLACED HUMOR or OUTSIDE CONTEXT to even approach the OVERWHELMING SEXISM it represents. but historically this RECORD was the breaking point that led to the DORMANT bi-partisan PMRC (PARENTS MUSIC RESEARCH CENTER) finding its POLITICAL bearings in WASHINGTON DC that altered the MUSIC INDUSTRY with "PARENTAL ADVISORY" labels that effectively blackballed certain FUTURE releases from being sold UNCENSORED in big box stores (like WALMART) nationwide. in this sense, is AS NASTY AS THEY WANNA BE arguably one of the most CONSEQUENTIAL RECORDS of all-time. in the age of digital media it all seems to be a QUAINT discussion, but much like books a generation before like HUBERT SELBY JR's THE LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN (GROVE PRESS, 1964) or HENRY MILLER's TROPIC OF CANCER (OBELISK PRESS, 1934), the whole notion of art so CRASS and TASTELESS that it is undeserving of being marketed or sold in a capitalist system is a beyond INTERESTING situation. do i find AS NASTY AS THEY WANNA BE to be a RECORD worth checking out for anyone, ever, under any circumstances. not really, it is that TERRIBLE. do i think it deserves being blackballed from RECORD STORES and removed from circulation in the economy at large? absolutely not. that whole line of thinking feels more in line with a LESS ENLIGHTENED country that cannot handle CONTRARIAN INFORMATION or ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES, however crass and UNSEEMLY they may be. by making a grand gesture and putting the thumb of government intervention on what is in essence an individual's ARTISTIC STATEMENT, you are only further ensuring the propagation of said ART. better to just let it lay and die like the CATALOGUES of R KELLY, LOSTPROPHETS, CHRIS BROWN, JOHN PHILIPS and so on. whats more, in the decades since you can find remnants of the TASTELESS OVER-SEXUALIZATION of WOMEN in HIP HOP in the likes of FEMALE MCs like NIKKI MINAJ, CARDI B, ICE SPICE, MEGAN THEE STALLION and so on that seem to trade just as much on their appearance as their MUSIC. its an INTRIGUING inversion that WOMEN took those lessons to heart and decided to self-exploit in glaringly BORDERLINE PORNOGRAPHIC fashion. but all the government overreach and associated over-litigation related to AS NASTY AS THEY WANNA BE has ensured that it remains a de facto short-hand term for ARTISTIC FREEDOM. which again is IRONIC because it is such a CRUDE, INSIPID RECORD that doesnt match up favorably against HIP HOP from its era or any before or thereafter. entirely FORGETTABLE TRASH. such being the case, i would not recommend it to anyone outside of those wanting to experience it for purely HISTORICAL and CULTURAL reasons related to the OBSCENITY trials and PMRC efforts. photo & text by nacrowe
the SEATTLE-based ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion of early 1990s was a COMPELLING CULTURAL PHENOMENON for so many reasons, none the least of which was how it rendered what was once considered UNDERGROUND, PROVINCIAL and OPAQUE to the frontlines of MAINSTREAM CONSCIOUSNESS. it must have been an UNPRECEDENTED and UNNERVING situation for the OLD GUARD, LEGACY PUNK bands like THE RAMONES, BAD RELIGION and CIRCLE JERKS to watch these UPSTART bands storm the gates, many of whom were inspired by and were VOCAL ACOLYTES of theirs.
the CULTURAL CONTEXT of SOCIAL DISTORTION's fifth release WHITE LIGHT, WHITE HEAT, WHITE TRASH (EPIC, 1996) is one of a CONSCIOUS effort to reset the table with regards to what PUNK ROCK actually entails. in the mind of FRONTMAN and main SINGER-SONGWRITER MIKE NESS, much of the MOVEMENT had been WATERED-DOWN, COMMERCIALIZED and REPACKAGED with no PALPABLE sense of PASSION or PERSONAL ANGST in the mix. from his PERSPECTIVE, much of what he saw was AFFECT, POSTURING and PERFORMATIVE PANTOMIME cloaking itself in a CULTURAL MOVEMENT he literally bled and fought for with the establishment of HARDCORE throughout the 1980s. that being said, i feel like the SHORTCOMING of WHITE LIGHT, WHITE HEAT, WHITE TRASH is ironically its EARNESTNESS. on tracks like "DOWN ON THE WORLD AGAIN" "I WAS WRONG," "DON'T DRAG ME DOWN," "DEAR LOVER" and "WHEN THE ANGELS SING," NESS absolutely comes across as IMPASSIONED, HONEST and COMMITTED but at the expense of being a bit OVERBEARING and HEAVY-HANDED in the process. SOCIAL DISTORTION has long maintained a WELL-CRAFTED and seemingly CONSCIOUS balance between the EMOTIONAL VULNERABILITY of its LYRICAL CONTENT and its somewhat DOMINEERING MACHISMO PRESENTATION of such. when i listen back to this record it just comes off a bit too much in the latter parading as the former (if that makes any sense). this would change with what i firmly contend is the STRONGEST SOCIAL DISTORTION album to date SEX, LOVE AND ROCK 'N' ROLL (TIME BOMB, 2004), which was recorded years after in the wake of the untimely passing of CO-FOUNDING GUITARIST DENNIS DANNELL from an UNEXPECTED CEREBRAL ANEURYSM. THEMES surrounding the FRAILTY OF LIFE and LOVE OF FAMILY and celebrating one's COMMUNITY. with that record the INTERNAL POLITICS of ROCK N ROLL and the MUSIC INDUSTRY seem as INCONSEQUENTIAL as they in fact are. on that record NESS got back to WRITING about he is best at, REAL LIFE LIVED HARD. for me WHITE LIGHT, WHITE HEAT, WHITE TRASH is evident of its period in ROCK N ROLL HISTORY when things were shaken up a bit and PUNK VETERANS were a little GUN SHY on what their next best move should be. my opinion is that this record suffered a bit from trying too hard to be a massively SUCCESSFUL ROCK N ROLL record (i.e. BIG THEMES, BIG CHORUSES, BIG GUTAR LEADS). NESS is undoubtedly at his best when he is in a corner and fighting his way out of a situation with music. whether the enemy is ADDICTION, SOCIETY or HIMSELF, the VULNERABILITY his SONGS display as he is in the midst of surviving is his calling card as an ICONIC MUSICIAN. i grew up in ORANGE COUNTY in a town neighboring FULLERTON (where SOCIAL DISTORTION originated) called BREA, and i take pride that is NESS is from my area. i dont want to come off HARSH with this piece as i love the band and especially the HONEST SONGWRITING of NESS, i just dont feel this particular album was his CREATIVE ZENITH (and personally i dont think theyd argue to the contrary). but man did he rebound with a VENGEANCE on his next effort with SOCIAL DISTORTION and hasnt looked back since. photo & text by nacrowe
the latter half of the 1990s was such an WEIRD period in MODERN MUSIC HISTORY. with the ALTERNATIVE ROCK MOVEMENT waning and the more AGGRESSIVE, and albeit emotionally and intellectually STILTED, NU METAL on the ascent there was a whole slew of POST-GRUNGE bands that came out while the CULTURAL TIDE was turning, NEWPORT BEACH's SUGAR RAY included. on their debut LEMONADE AND BROWNIES (ATLANTIC, 1995) they made a play for the BURGEONING FUNK METAL of the period a la superiorly GIFTED bands with much BETTER songs like 311, INCUBUS, DEFTONES and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. although not a TERRIBLE album, it didnt differentiate itself in an ever-more CROWDED field of KORN-SOUNDALIKE NU METAL clones and thus their follow-up sophomore release FLOORED (ATLANTIC, 1997) in turn is a CONSCIOUS shift towards a more STRAIGHT-AHEAD POP AESTHETIC.
in time, SUGAR RAY and their DELIBERATE play to the middle became something of a gateway drug, much like later SOUNDALIKE bands in CRAZY TOWN, LIT and SMASH MOUTH, into those more sonically and lyrically AGGRESSIVE scenes. its hard not to look at their change in direction retrospectively as a CYNICAL maneuver to stay RELEVANT. front and center to that effort was SINGER MARK MCGRATH, whose MEDIOCRE VOCAL TALENTS but ABOVE-AVERAGE PHYSICAL PRESENTATION has manifested in a post-musical career gig as a HOLLYWOOD gossip TELEVISION ANCHOR along with the likes of MARIO LOPEZ (of SAVED BY THE BELL fame). with tracks like "FLY" that play up his CHARISMA and BRAVADO in more SING-SONGY raps, rather than his THIN, REEDY and quite NASALLY roar, SUGAR RAY effectively play to their strengths. which in this case were MCGRATH's LOOKS. again, purely as a SINGER he was quite MEDIOCRE, and not in the way that endears him as an everyman to the audience. more like a PRIVILEGED MALE MODEL in search of adding another hyphen to their resume. the band themselves are SERVICEABLE but UNREMARKABLE, with no hidden VIRTUOSO TALENT like GREG CAMP from SMASH MOUTH secretly making their hits worthy of a second or third listen. its not that i hate this record. i do. i did then and i still do. what interests me is how it became such a massively SUCCESSFUL album despite being so LACKLUSTER and PEDESTRIAN. for all of the DEEP-SEATED ANGER, RESENTMENT and SELF-LOATHING that seemingly defied the LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE of many a previous generation of ALTERNATIVE ROCK bands, SUGAR RAY was almost a throwback to something akin to the THROWAWAY fodder of SUNNY 1960s LIGHTWEIGHT bands like THE TURTLES, HERMIN'S HERMITS or THE MONKEES. these bands put an obliviously HAPPY face on the COUNTERCULTURE as a REAL SOCIETAL SEA CHANGE was brewing beneath the surface. thats kind of how i see SUGAR RAY functioning in the culture of the 1990s, as a TEMPORARY placeholder made of CULTURAL LIGHTWEIGHTS that have no real reason to breathing the same oxygen as a contemporaries like FAITH NO MORE, NINE INCH NAILS, RADIOHEAD, ALICE IN CHAINS and the like. much like LIMP BIZKIT, they also suffer from having a generationally BAD FRONTMAN in MCGRATH, who like FRED DURST, played off aspects of his MACHISMO to cover a lack of MUSICAL TALENT or ORIGINAL LYRICAL CONCEITS. so yeah, bottom line: skip FLOORED. nothing to see here. even the requisite cover of ADAM AND THE ANTS' NEW WAVE classic "STAND AND DELIVER" is ATROCIOUS. photo & text by nacrowe
the CULTURAL PHENOMENA that was DAVID BOWIE in the 1970s was centered around his ADROIT MANIPULATION of his PUBLIC IMMAGE to coalesce around the ARTISTIC AMBITIONS of his music. the sound and the image were co-aligned to draw listeners into an ALTERNATIVE universe in which BOWIE himself served as yoru guide through UNCERTAIN SONIC TERRAIN. album cycles in this sense represented opportunities to shape-shift and reinvent everything in order to showcase a NEW PERSPECTIVE or MUSICAL IDENTITY. after GLAM ROCK petered out post THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS (RCA, 1972) with subsequent albums like ALADDIN SANE (RCA, 1973) and DIAMOND DOGS (RCA, 1974), BOWIE found his next muse in the heavily SYNTHESIZED and distinctly DEHUMANIZED sounds of the CONCURRENT KRAUTROCK movement by GERMAN bands like CAN, NEU!, TANGERINE DREAM, FAUST, HARMONIA and KRAFTWERK. this would inspire the next three BRIAN ENO and TONY VISCONTI-produced releases known collectively as THE BERLIN TRILOGY, of which LOW (RCA, 1977) was the first released.
worth mentioning for CONTEXT is that prior to LOW, BOWIE had starred in the INNOVATIVE NICOLAS ROEG SCI-FI film THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (BRITISH LION, 1976) about an extra-terrestrial that leverages ALIEN TECHNOLOGY to become financially WEALTHY and secure water-rights for his family back home on a DISTANT planet dying of dehydration. the character falls into the trappings of CAPITALISM and our CONSUMER CULTURE and ultimately his ambitions are thwarted. thus there is an intense EXISTENTIAL dread building up throughout the film that is matched by BOWIE's character's SENSE of ALIENATION and VIOLENT SELF-DISINTEGRATION. this sense of dissolving of one's identity seems to be a THEME off of LOW, which in my mind is the more EVOLVED EXPRESSION of the early AVANT GARDE ELECTRONIC MUSIC experiments on his prior STATION TO STATION (RCA, 1976) release. and for me that is the joy of listening to ICONIC LOW tracks like "SOUND AND VISION," "WARSZAWA," "BE MY WIFE," "SUBTERRANEANS" and "SPEED OF LIFE" is that sense of AMBIENT ATMOSPHERE and more IMPRESSIONISTIC SCHOOL OF SONGWRITING that was a complete departure from the more BLUES and ROCK N ROLL-based tradition BOWIE was previously RENOWNED for. some of these tracks almost feel like an extended emotion with no need for lyrics or a RECURRING THEME of any sort. in retrospect it makes perfect sense why LOW in particular was such an INFLUENTIAL record on the later PUNK, POST PUNK and INDUSTRIAL movements, including PROMINENT bands and artists ranging from JOY DIVISION, THE CURE and NINE INCH NAILS to DEPECHE MODE, GARY NUMAN and BAUHAUS. later with HEROES (RCA, 1977) he would fuse these RECORDED EXPERIMENTS with UNORTHODOX SONIC TEXTURES and UNUSUAL COMPOSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS with more APPROACHABLE POP MELODIES, creating one of the most TRANSCENDENT records of his career (in my opinion the best thing he ever did). my experience with BOWIE is that i discovered him through a childhood friend in high school, who basically adored the expected earlier FOLK and GLAM ROCK titles like THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS, THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD (MERCURY, 1970), ALADDIN SANE and HUNKY DORY (RCA, 1971). i remembered another friend later suggesting LOW and HEROES and was just completely gobsmacked by how different they sounded and how CREATIVE they were. being exposed to THE BERLIN TRILOGY records is essentially what converted me to that of a LIFELONG BOWIE disciple and admitted apologist. i even went to BERLIN with my brother a number of years ago, partly to get a sense of where HANSA STUDIOS is located in the KREUZBERG district. im sure it was the same with U2, R.E.M., DEPECHE MODE and other NOTABLE recording artists over the years. regardless, LOW is an ESSENTIAL BOWIE record well worth checking out and listening to again and again down the line. it is a SINGULAR SONIC ACHIEVEMENT that never fails to COMPLICATE, FASCINATE and OVERWHELM my senses. photo & text by nacrowe
my recollection of EVERCLEAR's third full-length release SO MUCH FOR THE AFTERGLOW (CAPITOL, 1997) is a bit delayed since i returned stateside from NIGERIA a year after its release to attend boarding school in NEW ENGLAND in late 1998. by then it was an absolute staple of ALTERNATIVE ROCK radio alongside other LIKE-MINDED and decidedly POLISHED POST GRUNGE acts like THIRD EYE BLIND, EVE 6, FOO FIGHTERS and MARCY PLAYGROUND. and to tell you the truth i was a bit stunned by the change in PRODUCTION from their previous album SPARKLE AND FADE (CAPITOL, 1995), which i knew via former middle school classmates' compact disc collections back in AFRICA. for all of its LYRICAL EARNESTNESS to the point of being GRATING, SPARKLE AND FADE sonically had a PUNK ROCK SIMPLIFIED DIRECTNESS and AUTHENTICITY that cut to the chase RAMONES-style. to me that SONGWRITING SENSIBILITY was their saving grace of sorts.
on SO MUCH FOR THE AFTERGLOW that whole PUNK ROCK-informed AURAL AESTHETIC was largely abandoned with an overtly ORCHESTRATED POP SENSIBILITY installed in its place. at boarding school i can distinctly remember hearing tracks like "EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE," "FATHER OF MINE," and "I WILL BUY YOU A NEW LIFE" for the first time over the radio in the cafeteria and thinking "wait, that is EVERCLEAR?!" and not necessarily in a good way. main SONGWRITER ART ALEXAKIS lyrically on these tracks double-down on CONSUMERIST themes related to the pitfalls of SUCCESS and the travails of growing up dirt poor and being an OUTSIDER. i feel like he has every right to sing his TRUTH, but the sonic juxtaposition of such LYRICAL CONTENT with often LUSH and SACCHARINE MELODIES is not doubt intended to be IRONIC, but comes off a bit HEAVY-HANDED and PEDANTIC even. that new SONIC SENSIBILITY also just destroyed any sense of URGENCY or FORWARD MOMENTUM in their sound like past singles in "HEROIN GIRL" and "SANTA MONICA." but that added polish was no doubt a legacy of that POST GRUNGE era when bands felt that they could move past the BASIC PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES of the more INDIE ROCK and HARDCORE informed acts of the earlier ALTERNATIVE ROCK movement. it was like a reverse NIRVANA, whose major debut NEVERMIND (DGC, 1991) was a relatively POLISHED affair, while its follow-up IN UTERO (DGC, 1993) was a consciously DISCORDANT and aggressively DISSONANT SONIC STATEMENT in comparison. being in and around a RECORDING STUDIO with my TRAINED and EXPERIENCED AUDIO ENGINEER cousin for a two year period, i wonder how much the pull of new DIGITAL RECORDING TECHNOLOGIES during this era influenced this shift towards "perfect" SOUNDING PERFORMANCES. the ALTERNATIVE ROCK bands of the early 1990s were the last generation that had no access to seemingly LIMITLESS TAKES and STEMS available, never mind POST-PRODUCTION TRICKERY that could further streamline a PERFORMANCE. what they played was what was recorded for the most part, but by the mid-90s programs like PROTOOLS was more of a thing. i wonder if those POST GRUNGE bands were the first to dip their feet into that, because to me there is a DISTINCT AURAL SIGNATURE there only a few years removed from their predecessors. just food for thought. my strong preference is towards SPARKLE AND FADE, but SO MUCH FOR THE AFTERGLOW is a SOLID EFFORT by EVERCLEAR that garnered them much ATTENTION and COMMERCIAL SUCCESS. if anything, the rest of their catalogue and career has been spent chasing the SOUND of this record, to varying DIMINISHING degrees of success. photo & text by nacrowe
part of what makes CINEMA so IMMERSIVE and MAGICAL is the ability to set a MOOD through FILM SCORING and the use of CURATED SOUNDTRACKS. over time the DIRECTOR DAVID LYNCH and his small cadre of CLOSE COLLABORATORS including NOTED COMPOSER ANGELO BADALAMENTI have produced some of the most unbearably INTENSE scenes of PSYCHOLOGICAL VIOLENCE and INNER TORMENT with a PRETERNATURAL ability to adroitly utilize SOUND as a tool. in my opinion only QUENTIN TARANTINO (PULP FICTION, KILL BILL), BERNARD HERRMAN (TAXI DRIVER, CITIZEN KANE), DANNY ELFMAN (MILK, GOODWILL HUNTING, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS), ENNIO MERRICONE (THE GOOD THE BAND AND THE UGLY) and JOHN WILLIAMS (STAR WARS) are arguably on EQUAL footing with that of LYNCH & BADALAMENTI (BLUE VELVET, TWIN PEAKS, MULHOLLAND DRIVE).
that being said, the LOST HIGHWAY SOUNDTRACK is a bit of an ANOMALY in that LYNCH branched out from BADALAMENTI by including the IMMEASURABLE COMPOSITIONAL and PRODUCTION TALENTS of one TRENT REZNOR, the MASTERMIND behind INDUSTRIAL ICONS NINE INCH NAILS. besides producing the album, REZNOR contributed two scores for specific scenes and a new NINE INCH NAILS track, "THE PERFECT DRUG." this was during the arguable peak of cultural cache during the IMMEDIATE post-THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL (INTERSCOPE, 1994) period where REZNOR dabbled in FILM with contributions for FEATURE DIRECTORS such as the aforementioned LYNCH as well as MARK ROMANEK, SHINYA TSUKAMOTO and OLIVER STONE, ultimately finding a LONG-TERM COLLABORATOR with DAVID FINCHER to which he received (along with COLLABORATOR ATTICUS ROSS) an OSCAR for BEST ORIGINAL SCORE for their work on THE SOCIAL NETWORK (COLUMBIA, 2010). but on LOST HIGHWAY he essentially established a FOREBODING, NOCTURNAL MOOD where anything DEVIOUS and UNSAVORY may happen to BILL PULLMAN's protagonist character. REZNOR adroitly assembled a series of EERY RECORDINGS by the decidedly THEATRICAL likes of RAMMSTEIN, MARILYN MANSON, DAVID BOWIE, THE SMASHING PUMPKINS and LOU REED to help amplify and buttress that CREEPY CINEMATIC TONE. of these CONTRIBUTIONS it is LOU REED's PLAINTIVE and downright SINISTER RENDITION of "THIS MAGIC MOMENT" made FAMOUS by the NEW YORK CITY DOO-WOP group THE DRIFTERS that truly shines in comparison. MARILYN MANSON's COVER of SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS IMMORTAL "I PUT A SPELL ON YOU" similarly is EFFECTIVE at establishing a MORBID and DEBAUCHED MIND-STATE that the LOST HIGHWAY FILM is perpetually in the midst of. as a CULTURAL ARTIFACT, the LOST HIGHWAY SOUNDTRACK is an INTRIGUING collection given where it stands in the STORIED careers of both LYNCH and REZNOR. is it the STRONGEST AURAL EXPRESSION produced by each PARTICIPANT for FILM? no. but that doesnt make it any less COMPELLING and worthy of investigation. at the very least it is very much worth checking out, especially within the OBSERVATIONAL CONTEXT of the ACTUAL FILM. there the interplay and ALCHEMICAL results between SOUND and VISION showcase the REAL magic of CINEMA and the FILM SCORE. photo & text by nacrowe
the press leading up to SAVIORS (REPRISE, 2024), the fourteenth ALBUM by EAST BAY POP PUNK icons GREEN DAY, made near constant reference to the fact that its release coincided with the anniversaries of LANDMARK ALBUMS DOOKIE (REPRISE, 2004) and AMERICAN IDIOT (REPRISE, 1994). the band themselves did not shy away from said comparisons and contextualized the NEW EFFORT as a SIMILAR CREATIVE STEP forward in their ongoing EVOLUTION as a band.
while i appreciate their CONFIDENCE and BRAVADO at this stage in their CAREER as they enter their 50s, it is DIFFICULT for me to see this latest RELEASE as anything but a STRONG recent ALBUM. not the twin TRANSCENDENT CULTURAL PHENOMENONS that those two tentpole RELEASES meant to MUSIC and ROCK N ROLL at large upon their release. in particular i can vividly remember the time and place of when i heard both "BASKET CASE" and "AMERICAN IDIOT." both instances were marked by my immediate AMUSED BEFUDDLEMENT at what AWESOMENESS i had just experience and needing to figure out how to hear such again as soon as possible. nothing on SAVIORS rises to that level, instead i look at it more along the FAMILIAR lines of INSOMNIAC (REPRISE, 1995) or WARNING (REPRISE, 2000), both FORMIDABLE RELEASES with GREAT SONGS that would proudly stand out in any band's CATALOGUE that didnt produce DOOKIE or AMERICAN IDIOT. the fact that they are still a VIBRANT and RELEVANT CULTURAL FORCE at this point in their CAREER is very much the real achievement here, and SAVIORS is a PROUD testament to that fact. whether STANDOUT TRACKS like the PUNCHY BISEXUAL LOVE SONG "BOBBY SOX," the PROPULSIVE and HARD-CHARGING "LOOK MA, NO BRAINS!" or the ANTHEMIC and more stridently POLITICAL fair of "THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME" catch fire is yet to be seen. but i very much appreciate the fact that well into their third decade as a LEGACY ACT the band is very much still passionately pushing their MUSICAL limits both SONICALLY and LYRICALLY. they still very much write and perform together with a SHARED sense of ABANDON like they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. again, SAVIORS is a STELLAR ALBUM but id let the public ultimately decide whether such is an equal to previous ERA-DEFINING GREEN DAY RELEASES. the comparisons dont do it any favors, but id consider this release an ESSENTIAL GREEN DAY ALBUM most definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
i remember in high school my junior year being all about the BRITISH POST PUNK icons THE CURE and in particular two SPECIFIC albums, DISINTEGRATION (FICTION, 1989) and PORNOGRAPHY (FICTION, 1982). the former is just so LUSH and INTOXICATING that its apparent GLOOMINESS almost washes over you. to me that album is a celebration of the power of the RECORDED SOUND and FRONTMAN ROBERT SMITH's ARTISTIC peak as a SONGWRITER. the much earlier PORNOGRAPHY (the fourth as opposed to eighth release) is a much DIFFERENT affair, with CASCADING waves of WASHED-OUT, ANGULAR CHORD PROGRESSIONS almost designed to maximize the listener's ability to sustain a MOROSE mood seemingly infinitum. even more so than DISINTEGRATION, PORNOGRAPHY to me was the SOUNDTRACK to being a particularly AWKWARD teen in an UNFAMILIAR and decidedly HOSTILE situation such as living and going to school ABROAD in KUWAIT. more than two decades later, listening to that record immediately snaps me back to that state of utter VULNERABILITY and HELPLESSNESS.
at the center of PORNOGRAPHY is the apex sonic achievement in SULLENNESS, the mind-bogglingly STELLAR opening track "ONE HUNDRED YEARS." from the STACCATO-ing INTRODUCTORY DRUM PATTERN to those aforementioned waves of DISCORDANT LAYERED GUITARS fluctuating in and out-of-tune, from the jump i knew it was on. then comes one of the GREATEST OPENING LINES ever, "it doesn't matter if we all die." SMITH's LYRICS paint a severely DOUR, HOSTILE picture of an UNCARING URBAN ENVIRONMENT out of a DYSTOPIAN J.G. BALLARD novel or perhaps even a JOY DIVISION track. when SMITH later in the PRE-CHORUS repeats the REFRAIN "waiting for the deathblow" before those UNRELENTING WAVES OF GUITAR wash over you again, at that point i was long since converted. it remains to date my favorite CURE song. the connection to me between PORNOGRAPHY and DISINTEGRATION seemed obvious when i first went through their catalogue as a teenager, given that they were the most EMOTIONALLY WROUGHT of the bunch. other standouts such as THE HEAD ON THE DOOR (FICTION, 1985), JAPANESE WHISPERS (FICTION, 1983), WISH (FICTION, 1992), THE TOP (FICTION, 1984) and KISS ME KISS ME KISS ME (FICTION, 1987) are likewise STELLAR but convey DIFFERENT aspects of SMITH's DIVERSE and MULTI-LAYERED talents as a SONGWRITER and COMPOSER. those two records seemed to be THEMATICALLY and SONICALLY linked well before SMITH decided to complete a "trilogy" (of sorts) with his much later work BLOODFLOWERS (FICTION, 2000). when i learned of such as an adult that even he considered those two records in particularly as of a SIMILAR ilk and PERSPECTIVE with a COHERENT mode of SONGWRITING and use of SONIC AESTHETICS connecting the two, i felt it confirmed what i already held to be true. i had long looked at the two as being a pair on similar EMOTIONAL WAVE-LENGTHS that resided somewhere deep in my PSYCHE. to be a fan of such on that level is to wallow in your own sense of VULNERABILITY and AVAILABILITY to be moved and swept away. its a vibe that is hopelessly ROMANTIC on some level. PORNOGRAPHY is a CLASSIC record by a SEMINAL band. most definitely worth checking out. a DARK yet strangely WELCOMING place i like to visit, but maybe not too often. photo & text by nacrowe
in the broad wake of the ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion there was a likewise shift in STATESIDE CULTURE where genres began to bleed into one another and audiences were look for NEW SOUNDS, not just reinterpretations or OBVIOUS interpolations of PAST TRADITIONS. this was typified by the entrance of a new breed of GENRE-LESS MUSICIANS like BJORK, TRICKY and BECK who took delight in mashing together NOVEL AURAL TEXTURES and VARYING PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES to create NEW SONIC TAPESTRIES hitherto UNEXPLORED. in the mid 1990s part of that wave of EXPERIMENTAL SOUNDS thrown in the MIX was the POPULAR emergence of BIG BEAT ELECTRONIC ACTS like THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS, THE PRODIGY, BASEMENT JAXX, THE CRYSTAL METHOD and the BRITISH DJ FATBOY SLIM. that is not to mention other PHENOMENAL FRENCH ELECTRONIC ACTS from the period like DAFT PUNK and AIR.
people forget now, but i can recall hearing FATBOY SLIM tracks from his second album YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY (ASTRALWERKS, 1998) like "PRAISE YOU" and "ROCKAFELLER SKANK" on REGULAR ROTATION on the massively INFLUENTIAL ALTERNATIVE ROCK radio station K-ROCK 92.3FM out of NYC throughout that decade, much like other ACTS like BEASTIE BOYS and DAFT PUNK. it felt for a time like what constituted "ALTERNATIVE" had clearly expanded well-beyond the CONSERVATIVE confines of PUNK and INDIE ROCK TRADITIONS and included some ELECTRONIC MUSIC, DANCE, REGGAE and even HIP HOP ELEMENTS into the MIX. post-9/11 this DIVERSITY and EXPANDED PALETTE would sink back reductively to SOUNDALIKE POST-GRUNGE BANDS, but there was a GOOD few year period where a sonically EXPANSIVE BAND like LUSCIOUS JACKSON or CIBO MATTO had a GENUINE opportunity for ROTATION at MAINSTREAM ALTERNATIVE ROCK stations. so that was my entry point to FATBOY SLIM, who seemed to be a master at re-contextualizing VINTAGE VOCAL TAKES with a GRAINY LO-FI TEXTURES with a phantasmagorically VIVID and ENERGETIC SOUNDSCAPES that were both UPLIFTING and MIND-EXPANDING. i feel like that sense of transformation between the MUNDANE and the FANTASTICAL is ELEMENTAL to the EXPERIENCE of DANCE MUSIC in general. that feeling of entering a TRANCE-LIKE state where you are counterintuitively OUTSIDE-OF-YOURSELF while feeling more in-tune with your physical self and its VIBRATIONS than ever before. i dont think its any coincidence that SPIKE JONZE decided on having a bunch of AMATEUR dancers perform BASIC choreography haphazardly in a public setting on camcorder footage to prove that point. DANCE MUSIC is not ELITIST. it is a transforming EXPERIENCE available to anyone and everyone capable of going for it and leaving their sense of FEAR and SHAME of RIDICULE at the door. i believe that ALTERNATIVE ROCK and its core message of being ANTI-IMAGE (which is in itself a form of IMAGE CONSCIOUSNESS) opened the door for this type of mass adoption of DANCE CULTURE, if for a time. life is short, just go for it. when i think of FATBOY SLIM and his music's innate UPBEAT sense of COMMUNITY and POSITIVITY, the contrast to such is the later decidedly more SOMBER, DOWNBEAT and internally INTROSPECTIVE work of MOBY on his PLAY (MUTE, 1999) release which utilized those same VINTAGE BLUES VOCAL SAMPLES for an entirely different end. those two records are almost mirror opposites of each other and represent a shift that happened in the wider CULTURE, even pre-9/11. i think YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY absolutely holds up and is well-worth checking out, especially now that we live in a MUSICAL CULTURE where genre limitations are fairly IRRELEVANT and audiences have grown to appreciate a wide palette of SOUNDS and INTRIGUING SONIC JUXTAPOSITIONS as a matter of course. i think FATBOY SLIM was a part of that evolution in audience expectation more than two decades ago. photo & text by nacrowe
its an ABSOLUTE fool's errand to attempt to summarize the immense LASTING IMPACT that the LEGENDARY JAZZ singer BILLIE HOLIDAY has had on AMERICAN CULTURE writ large. she is almost a FOLK HERO at this point, like PAUL BUNYAN, MOLLY PITCHER, DAVEY CROCKETT or JOHNNY APPLESEED, exemplifying both the strengths of our CULTURE and the DEEP FAULT-LINES of our COLLECTIVE IDENTITY as members of the BROADER AMERICAN COMMUNITY. her INTENSE SUFFERING related to CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, SUBSTANCE ABUSE and SEXUAL VIOLENCE mirrors that of our own generationally UNCHECKED LEGACY regarding such TERRORS.
arguably no record in her catalogue best represents the DAMAGE done by a HARD-FOUGHT and HARD-LIVED life full of STRUGGLE, PAIN and ultimately SURVIVAL than her PENULTIMATE recording session and FINAL release LADY IN SATIN (COLUMBIA, 1958). on tracks such as "I GET ALONG WITHOUT YOU VERY WELL," "YOU'VE CHANGED" and "I'M A FOOL TO WANT YOU" you can hear how WITHERED and HOARSE her VOICE has been rendered, yet there is a STAGGERING BEAUTY and CONFIDENCE that shines through. never a classically PURE VOICE with PERFECT ELOCUTION along the lines of contemporaries like ELLA FITZGERALD or SARAH VAUGHAN, with HOLIDAY her INSTRUMENT was more of an INTUITIVE INTERPRETER of song who could squeeze out every drop of EMOTION, and not in a forced PERFORMATIVE manner, but one informed by REAL PAIN and a sense of PERSONAL STRUGGLE. she somehow INHABITED the songs and effectively TRANSFORMED them to her WILL, not just merely PERFORMING them. such was her GIFT and on LADY IN SATIN you very much feel in your bones that EXCRUCIATING FRICTION that her DIMINUTIVE frame was attempting to extract more from that DEEP well of PASSION, LIVED-EXPERIENCE and SHEER TALENT to increasingly DIMINISHING returns. listening to that record you sense that you are witnessing an EXISTENTIAL BATTLE between one's SOUL and their BODY. the closest analogue i can think of regarding this UNIQUE dynamic are the later HARRY NILSSON recordings like the JOHN LENNON collaboration PUSSY CATS (RCA, 1974) in which the former's VOICE is completely shot from years of ALCOHOL ABUSE. his performance is likewise a showcase for the PHYSICAL TOLL HARD LIVING had ravaged on NILSSON's VOICE and ART, but not his INDOMITABLE SPIRIT. i find LADY IN SATIN DIFFICULT to listen to because of how BEAUTIFUL it is and how COURAGEOUS she was to put herself out there, even in such a HAGGARD and DEBILITATED STATE. its beyond TRAGIC that HOLIDAY only made it to 44. i'd consider this album, like much of her catalogue, required listening and well worth checking out for the UNINITIATED and INITIATED alike. photo & text by nacrowe
of all the UNDERGROUND ROCK N ROLL bands that have made the IMPROBABLE jump to MAINSTREAM COMMERCIAL SUCCESS over the past few decades, arguably none has had more of a STYLISTIC evolution than that of AFI. and that is not some disguised slight or passive aggressively barbed way of saying that somehow they are inauthentic or chasing trends, because THAT IS NOT THEM. i feel strongly that their TRANSITION through HARDCORE, POST PUNK, GOTH ROCK, POWER POP, NEW WAVE and the like are just various aspects of their ARTISTIC AMBITIONS and COMPLEX identity as FOREMOST MUSIC FANS and AFICIONADOS. DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS of the same truth if you will. and each record they have seemed to grow in CONFIDENCE and a willingness to alienate their fanbase with further EXPLORATIONS outside their own comfort zone and/or audience expectations. at this point in their career almost three decades in, the EXPECTATION now is a TRANSFORMED and uniquely REINVIGORATED SOUND each cycle.
but in the pre-BLACK SALES IN THE SUNSET (NITRO, 1999) era of the band, that is to say back when they were on DEXTER HOLLAND's (of OFFSPRING fame) indie label NITRO RECORDS and guitarist JADE PUGET was not an auxiliary studio PRESENCE and not yet a member, the band went through some GROWING PAINS. in fact, those three early series of albums recorded for NITRO when the band were in their late teens and early 20s showcase a PASSIONATE band with their STRAIGHTFORWARD HARDCORE roots playing to their influences and not necessarily expanding much from them. none more so than on their third record SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND OPEN YOUR EYES (NITRO, 1997), which suffers from a lack of DIVERSITY in SONGWRITING and INSPIRATION. what it does have in spades on tracks like "THREE REASONS," "A SINGLE SECOND," "LOWER YOUR HEAD AND TAKE IT IN THE BODY," and "THE DEVIL LOVES YOU" is an UNCEASING PASSION via DYNAMIC frontman DAVEY HAVOK and rolling PUNK ROCK rhythms that would be familiar to anyone with even a PASSING KNOWLEDGE of NOFX, BAD RELIGION, SNAPCASE, REFUSED and so on. it is a perfectly ADEQUATE HARDCORE-inspired album for the period and its DERIVATIVENESS is part of the APPEAL. once PUGET became a full-time band member and, more critically, the second half of an INSPIRED SONGWRITING partnership with HAVOK, the band would pay immediate dividends on its subsequent release BLACK SALES IN THE SUNSET and its likeminded follow-ups THE ART OF DROWNING (NITRO, 2000), SING THE SORROW (NITRO, 2003) and DECEMBERUNDERGROUND (INTERSCOPE, 2006). those records set the template for the rest of a career UNDAUNTED by EXPERIMENTATION and genre-hopping that showcased their LOVE of all things THE CURE, BAUHAUS, THE SISTERS OF MERCY and JOY DIVISION amongst so much more. would i recommend the SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND OPEN YOUR EYES album? probably not, but i have nothing against those early records. to me they are just a CURIOSITY regarding the early DEVELOPMENTAL efforts of what would become a truly PROMINENT CULTURAL FORCE that had not as of yet found its NICHE or GROOVE yet. it is the sound of a band still searching, which can be INTRIGUING but not something i necessarily return to very often. photo & text by nacrowe
CYPRESS HILL's sophomore release BLACK SUNDAY (COLUMBIA, 1993) was a MASSIVE record for me and my friends during my middle school years living in NIGERIA during what was effectively a VIOLENT MILITARY DICTATORSHIP. while it dealt with similar SOCIAL ISSUES surrounding URBAN GANG LIFE and INNER-CITY WARFARE, which made sense given that their frontman B-REAL was a FORMER CRIP, this record expanded their public ON-STAGE ADVOCACY to include CANNABIS LEGALIZATION. this SPECIFIC CAUSE in time would become wholly SYNONYMOUS with and CENTRAL to the group's PUBLIC PERSONA, much like BOB MARLEY and WILLIE NELSON before them. along with TEMPLES OF BOOM (COLUMBIA, 1995) to a lesser extent, BLACK SUNDAY is my all-time FAVORITE CYPRESS HILL release given the HERCULEAN step forward in terms of PRODUCTION by DJ MUGGS, who created an IMPRESSIONISTIC and ATMOSPHERIC yet HARD-HITTING SONIC AESTHETIC that was incredibly INNOVATIVE at the time, as well as the much IMPROVED LYRICAL SOPHISTICATION and VOCAL INTERPLAY between both B-REAL and SEN DOG who even opted for LEVITY and HUMOR at times of PEAK BLEAKNESS on BLACK SUNDAY.
not surprisingly, my FAVORITE tracks are the HIGH-ENERGY ones dealing with GANG LIFE like "LICK A SHOT," "A TO THE K," "I AIN'T GOIN' OUT LIKE THAT," "BREAK 'EM OFF SOME," "COCK THE HAMMER" and of course the crowd favorite "INSANE IN THE BRAIN." those tracks all have a DISTINCT sense of MELODY and PUNCHY PERCUSSION that just snaps with such conviction that is married seamlessly with the B-REAL's higher register tales of SURVIVAL while SEN DOG and his BARITONE deliver brings it all back to STREET-LEVEL. CYPRESS HILL never sounded as DYNAMIC and COMPELLING as on these handful of tracks in my estimation. they are the SINGULAR reason i fell in love with the group as a teenager. this leaves the more sonically SUBDUED but no less IMPASSIONED paeans to MARIJUANA in "LEGALIZE IT," "HITS FROM THE BONG" and "I WANNA GET HIGH." funny thing is that back in middle school i had a LEBANESE friend that played "HITS FROM THE BONG" so often at school, in his car and at home that it is the first RAP SONG i memorized in its entirety, irregardless of the fact that i did not SMOKE WEED then or now. just saying. CATCHY song no doubt. with NATIONWIDE LEGALIZATION efforts over the last couple of years blunting (pun intended) the once HARSH PUBLIC PERCEPTION concerning RECREATIONAL DRUG USE of THC and its associated NON-PSYCHOACTIVE CBD compound, it may be harder to understand what a STRIDENT POLITICAL STATEMENT this was back in 1993. especially with regards to CALIFORNIA's three strike laws and the THEN-ONGOING WAR ON DRUGS, which was really a WAR on MINORITIES, THE DISPOSSESSED and the POLITICALLY UNCONNECTED. time would prove CYPRESS HILL absolutely correct regarding this issue of CANNABIS LEGALIZATION. and thank god for them taking a stand and being part of the CULTURAL VANGUARD set squarely against the SENSELESS INCARCERATION of urban MINORITY YOUTH over several generations. i know CLUELESS WHITE PEOPLE that took ADVOCACY as a joke, but it was absolutely deadly SERIOUS. still very much is an ACTIVE ISSUE with the way the SUPREME COURT is currently constituted and the IMMINENT and likely EXISTENTIAL THREAT of a TRUMP second term on the horizon. regardless, BLACK SUNDAY is an ESSENTIAL HIP HOP record. end stop. photo & text by nacrowe
much like with other STELLAR 90s ALTERNATIVE ROCK acts like FAILURE, ELEVEN and MASTERS OF REALITY, the ILLINOIS band HUM was completely off my radar back when they were a CURRENT ENTITY. i was in elementary school in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA at the time of its release and the album was a half-year old by the time my family packed up and moved to NIGERIA. i have zero memory of ever hearing them on the local highly-INFLUENTIAL radio station 106.7FM KROQ out of NEARBY LOS ANGELES during that time.
their COMMERCIAL APEX was the SINGLE "STARS" off of their third RELEASE and MAJOR LABEL DEBUT YOU'D PREFER AN ASTRONAUT (RCA, 1995). undoubtedly this POST-HARDCORE ACT benefitted, like many other INDIE bands of the period, from the success of SEATTLE BANDS from earlier in the decade. whereas many of those BANDS SOUND like DERIVATIVE clones of the usual suspects (NIRVANA, ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN, MUDHONEY, PEARL JAM), HUM has both an EXPANSIVE and MUSCULAR SOUND that is arguably more informed by IMPRESSIONISTIC SHOEGAZE and DREAM POP BANDS than ALTERNATIVE ROCK. in this context it makes absolute sense that the similarly SONICALLY-INDEBTED DEFTONES see HUM as a KEY INFLUENCE. learning about HUM in the 2000s was INTRIGUING because there were such a host of PROMINENT BANDS at that point that utilized SPACE and DISSONANT TONES for emotively RICH TEXTURES and FUZZED-OUT bliss. beyond DEFTONES there were EXPRESSIVE ACTS like GLASSJAW, INCUBUS, AT THE DRIVE-IN, CIRCA SURVIVE, BRING ME THE HORIZON, CAVE-IN and FAILURE that all shared a similar MUSICAL DNA that made YOU'D PREFER AN ASTRONAUT sound wholly CONTEMPORARY beyond ALTERNATIVE ROCK in POST-HARDCORE and even METALCORE contexts. the UNFORTUNATE thing about this RECORD is that it is a bit of a CURIOSITY lost to TIME and SPACE. it was only through the reflection of other later INDEBTED and more commercially SUCCESSFUL BANDS that i even knew of its very existence until long after the fact. doesnt change the fact that is a FORMIDABLE release with strong DYNAMICALLY-CONSTRUCTED TRACKS beyond "STARS" with the likes of "THE POD," "LITTLE DIPPER" and "I'D LIKE YOUR HAIR LONG" to boot. definitely worth checking out. |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
July 2024
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