REVIEWS:
Much has been made of the debate whether or not Soundgarden are metal or grunge. They certainly exhibited the characteristics of both during their career - the soaring voice of main songwriter was pure metal, while the riffs of Kim Thayil were pure Black Sabbath influenced sludge and the lyrics fit in well with the grunge movement of the 90s and the same could be said about the rhythm section style of bassist Ben Shepherd (Hiro Yamomoto pre-Badmotorfinger) and drummer Matt Cameron. It's not as if any of that matters to the Seattle band anyway - it's just a label.
I haven't heard the band's early EP releases (Screaming Life/FOPP) so my reviews begin with their first full length Ultramega OK and Louder Than Love, which had more of a metal sound than anything else. The first showcase of a more familiar-sounding Soundgarden was Badmotorfinger, which preceded their huge commercial breakthrough Superunknown. Their swan song was the disappointing Down On The Upside, released before their 1997 breakup. Chris Cornell went on to a solo career, with his debut being the pop-tinged Euphoria Morning in 1999.
--Nick Karn
Post your comments about Soundgarden
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Soundgarden's first full-length album may not exactly be defining of the 'grunge' movement the way that Badmotorfinger or Superunknown are, but there are certainly hints of it in the murky Sabbath and Zeppelin-inspired metal. Of course, it also shows that their frustrating inconsistency on record wasn't just unique to their early to mid 90's period, though at least it isn't unambitious. Besides their signature sound, there are also forays into punk, blues elements, arena rock, and interesting ideas done with a sense of humor very atypical for the band. Plus, there are some awfully high peaks on here, though strangely enough, none of them are included on their A-Sides collection, so I guess that makes the album essential in some way (as you might guess, I don't personally get a lot out of the song that did make it, the opening "Flower", mostly because it's a slow buildup song that works more as an introduction to the rest of the album than anything else).
So what do I think are gems on this album that casual fans might be missing? Maybe the interesting arena rock of "All Your Lies", where it effectively moves from a quiet grind to an infectiously sung power sorta chorus. There's also the acoustic overdrive tune "Mood For Trouble" (with electric guitars added on later as a counterpart), which, in addition to being highly catchy, is a prime showcase for Chris Cornell's great vocal range. "Head Injury" is also worth noting because it's the album's only good punk-oriented tune (with some more nice vocal wailings, a convincing speedy riff, and a menacing intensity). It's certainly vbetter than that other venture into this territory in the awful "Circle Of Power" sung by bassist Hiro Yamomoto. This song must be some kind of joke, because that singing is horrible, and the music is as generic as can be. I can't take it as anything more than a parody, and a bad one at that.
Okay, I'm starting to get ahead of myself with the bad material here already, so I'll shift gears into what I think is the most interesting part of the album. Remember what I said about the sense of humor here? Well, there are two tracks here that are a good example of that - in two short one minute interlude songs called "665" and "667", Soundgarden go for a brilliant mockery of accusations of Satanism in metal by reversing the music and vocals to make them sound Satanic, when the lyrics are in reality an in-joke (you'll have to hear it yourself to find out what they say). And I don't think it's a coincidence that in between them is a truly scary slow number called "Beyond The Wheel", which just has to be one of the five best songs the band ever wrote (and probably the best Sabbath song never written by said band!). The alternation between terrifying low and high register vocals and that grinding riff creates an atmosphere that's hard to beat for pure evil. Really, it's songs like this that make me realize this band's potential.
Which, unfortunately, isn't fulfilled on the rest of the album. The Howlin' Wolf cover "Smokestack Lightning" and "Incessant Mace" are a reminder of what can happen when bands like this just sink into boring sludge, and the result isn't pleasant at all (especially since both go over five minutes). Even their closing 'cover' of Lennon's "One Minute Of Silence" (whose result you can probably guess) is more entertaining. Plus, the only remotely memorable feature of both "Nazi Driver" and "He Didn't" are those Eastern-y guitar riffs that get thrown around, as the remainder of those songs don't really bother to actually become memorable in any other way. Ah, an early clinic for how to put together an inconsistent album, isn't it, guys? Though I can still give it a 7 cause those highs are so killer, as usual.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
This was Soundgarden's major label debut, and it has a very youthful, straightforward, riff heavy sound to it. The riffs come through very nicely, and Chris Cornell's voice is as powerful as ever. The energy and songwriting in the band are at their high point, which comes through especially in the singles, the dark "Hands All Over", which is a plea for the safety of Mother Earth and has an awesome, driving chorus, and "Loud Love" and "Get On The Snake", best exemplify the unstoppable energy apparent throughout these songs. The tempo changing "Gun" (from a slow grinder to a fast paced punk rocker) is another major highlight, and is very effective, while the great build of the opening "Ugly Truth" gets the album off to a nice start.
There's also the heavily misunderstood "Big Dumb Sex", which mocks those macho songs that emphasize sex over everything else, and it's chorus inevitably got misunderstood for one of those. The aggressively punkish "Full On Kevin's Mom" is another example of the not exactly subtle Soundgarden humor on this subject (there's also a reprise to end the album that's just Cornell yelling, 'full oooonnn...' over majestic backing music). As for the rest of the tracks, "Power Trip" is a good slow grinder, the best way to describe "I Awake" is a slow, scary morning song, while "No Wrong, No Right" and "Uncovered" are merely OK songs that don't make too much of an impression. Overall, this is by far the most consistent studio album I've heard from the band (unless their indie releases are better, which I doubt), and I'd easily recommend this one over any album in their catalog (not including their hits package).
Update: Okay, I overrated this one just a little bit because of 'anti-hype' for Superunknown and Badmotorfinger, I guess, as a lot of the songs aren't THAT good, but I'll definitely stand up for it as perhaps their most overlooked effort.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
COMMENTS
Im a huge soundgarden fan have you know Mr Karn and for the most part I agree with your reveiw of Louder than Love except Id probably have given it a higher grade than 8 because I cant genuinely find a bad moment on the Album. However the reason why Im currently posting this message is that you doubted the quality more or less of their indie release, Ultramega Ok and Screaming Life/Fopp. Id say from experiencing all of the soundgarden albums to date and unfortunately there wont be any more that Screaming Life/ Fopp is one of the best Soundgarden albums I own its honestly considerably better than Down on the Upside and shows a great diversity at an early stage of the career. (Although the album was released a year after than Louder than Love, its a combination of two Eps the band had put together in the late '80s.) and on that note Ultramega Ok in my book would easily score higher than Down on the Upside aswell, the only dissapointing thing I feel with Ultramega OK is that two songs 665 and 667 (although they are mocking the myth of backmasking hence the weird effects on the song) really have two place on what otherwise would be a brilliant album, i advise you if your interested in soundgarden to at least listen to the following songs of screming life/fopp - Entering, Nothing to Say, Fopp and Swallow my bride and of Ultramega Ok ll your Lies, Mood for Trouble and the incredibly bluesy Incessant Mace. thanks
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
The band's semi-breakthrough album, Badmotorfinger marked the point where the band's guitar sound got more sludgy, the memorable riffs and energy began to disappear, and the songs all too often can't really compensate with great melodies. The songs pretty much drag too, too, with the exception of a couple punk styled numbers which are big highlights ("Face Pollution" rips at your face with its' intensity and "Drawing Flies" is catchy and upbeat despite its' lyrics, it even has horns) - "Slaves And Bulldozers" and "Searching With My Good Eye Closed" in particular both go on for over 6-1/2 minutes with almost nothing musically involving or captivating going on (except the latter's awesome buildup) - just slow, mopey bottom heavy 'sludge'.
The singles are solid, however, as "Outshined" has the most infectious chorus of the lot and was the biggest hit, "Jesus Christ Pose" is a very aggressive and attitude-laden, huge influence on post-grunge bands and "Rusty Cage" has a wild riff and untamed Cornell vocals with a slow, grinding middle section that works its' way into the end of the song. Other highlights include the better melodic songs "Somewhere" and "Room A Thousand Years Wide", which both have good hooks although due to the atmosphere they take getting used to, and the good apocalyptic closer "New Damage". The remaining tracks ("Mind Riot" and "Holy Water") are showcases of this album's noticeable flaws, but Badmotorfinger has enough redeeming songs to make it recommendable.
Update: I like this album way more now than I did at the time of this review (original rating - 7), and at this point, I probably consider it their best. Wait for a total rewrite eventually.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
COMMENTS
I actually thought badmotorfinger is an awesome album and it is not far off soundgardens best album, superunknown. I see no problems with any part of the album. The singles were just amazing, Outshined, I believe is the greatest song by soundgarden (Well, equal with Blow up the Outside World anyway). The songs Somewhere, Drawing Flies, Holy Water, New Damage are great songs and really make the album superb. Slaves and Bulldozers and Searching with my good eye closed were long and sludgy but I still think they were quite listenable. Room a thousand years wide, written by Kim Thayil, has really clever lyrics and made me think. In my opinion it's the second greatest non-single by soundgarden (Second only to Head Down).
All in all Badmotorfinger is a superb album and is second only to Superunknown.
Rating: 9/10
(Nick Karn's review)
This was Soundgarden's huge breakthrough and is considered a quintessential release in the Seattle grunge scene. The quality of the most spectacular songs on this one is indeed better than the previous two releases, but the downfall of Superunknown is within its' 15 tracks (which exceed 70 minutes in length), there's way too much half-baked filler that manages to go nowhere. Thankfully these songs (as well as the more notable ones) are spread all over the album, but songs like the Ben Shepherd penned tracks "Head Down", an unengaging 6 minute song, and "Half", which is sung by Shepherd and suffers from his atrocious vocals, nonexistent melody and bad playing, the unfocused "Fresh Tendrils", the drowsy and monotonous "4th Of July", and the weak title track are nothing to write home about.
Again, the hits are even more solid this time around - "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman" are probably the most infectious, impressively crafted pop songs the band ever wrote - the former being their biggest hit with a distinctive guitar line and awesome chorus with the latter being an entertaining and addictive almost novelty tune, "My Wave" is one of the better examples of the whole attitude and vibe of Seattle grunge itself, "The Day I Tried To Live" is carried to great heights by Cornell vocals and "Fell On Black Days" is a solid moody number. The non-hit "Limo Wreck", though, may be the finest single song in the band's catalog - astonishingly poetic and emotional with shattering vocals in the chorus ('and the wreck of you is the death of you all') after the slow verse buildup. "Like Suicide" does similarly, closing the album on a draining and breathtaking note. Rounding out this release is the opener "Let Me Drown", which is catchy and has a good riff, the grinding "Mailman" and "Kickstand", which is the mandatory punk number this time around.
Update: Like Badmotorfinger, I totally underrated this one, though I still don't quite consider it the 90's alt rock classic that so many do (and it's a lower 8 than its' predecessor). Again, another big rewrite is in order.
Soundgarden always seemed to be the grunge band that had got the raw deal. After almost single-handedly building the reputation and status of Sub Pop, they were left choking on the dust of both Pearl Jam and Nirvana when grunge broke into the mainstream around 1991. However, like any great band, they carried on undeterred and spent a good three years developing and perfecting Superunknown. It was a multi-platinum album for a reason. Never have I heard a grunge band transcend the limitations of the style so effectively. Soundgarden had already shown their braininess and quirkiness with the impressive Badmotorfinger, but this album really brought their eclectic style to the fore. Superunkown's sprawling 70+-minute hard rock (with nary a dull moment) is equally informed by pop and psychedelia, and augmented by some of the most intelligent and emotionally charged performances I've heard. To put it simply, I think this is the high watermark for grunge music and one of the best rock records I've heard.
The album rips open with "Let Me Drown," a great rocker that combines the Soundgarden of old with their new style. All the biting, sludgy riffs are still there, but the production is slicker and Chris Cornell's vocal hooks more obvious. Interestingly, instead of taking away from the power of the song, this approach imbues it with a sort of grandiosity. The severely underrated Kim Thayil also manages to show of his tasteful chops with some great 70s-style solos. If "Let Me Drown" was the track that bridged the gap between old and new, then "My Wave" launches headfirst into Superunknown's exciting new sound. Its groovy and catchy 5/4 riff melds seamlessly into an uplifting psychedelic bridge section. Also, check out the beautiful chaos of the playout, where bass, drums, guitars and vocals all crash against each other in a fantastically overwhelming way. It's the first real taste of what Soundgarden has to offer with this record.
The slow burning "Fell On Black Days" is also a great surprise. It begins with a pensive guitar riff and a solid chorus before giving way to a slightly trippy bridge and an awesome, cathartic solo section. Kim Thayil's lead playing is great throughout, and Chris Cornell's delivery and lyrics perfectly match the downtrodden atmosphere of the song. Cornell also carries the rolling rock of the title track. A primal, almost bluesy guitar riff provides a great foundation for his soaring voice and powerful lyrics. The surreal imagery he uses in this track may not make sense by itself, but when you couple it with the music, it's truly profound. Cornell was, in many ways, the thinking man's cock-rock singer. He has a tremendously powerful, Plant-esque voice, but his lyrics are often for more emotional and abstract than your archetypal shirtless wailer.
"Head Down" is a great psychedelic workout that is clearly influenced by early Pink Floyd, but contains enough great vocal work and instrumental jamming to stand on it's own merit. Superunknown also contains many other fantastic psychedelic tracks, such as the outrageously catchy hit-single "Black Hole Sun" (one of the weakest tracks, but still great) and the short, Middle-Eastern-influenced "Half."
All the aforementioned tracks are great, and definitely worth the price of admission. Hell, there are even more songs on this album like "Mailman," "4th Of July," "Kickstand," "Fresh Tendrils" and the especially awesome "Spoonman." All are great rockers well worth your listening time. However, Superunkown also contains three perfect, extended tracks that are the absolute pinnacle of their work, with fantastic instrumentation and unparalleled emotional impact.
"Limo Wreck" is the first one of these. Built on a queasy, polyrhythmic riff in 15/8, it also contains one of the greatest choruses the band ever committed to tape. The guitars sound positively huge and Cornell's delivery is astonishingly powerful. Just listen to the way he belts out "I'm the wreck of you, I'm the death of you all, I'm the wreck of you, I'm the break and the fall." His lyrics on "Limo Wreck" rank among some of the best he's ever written. They are dark and truly profound, and complement the music perfectly. Bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Matt Cameron are both rock solid and rhythmically interesting, and Kim Thayil's noisy guitar work harkens back to the band's Sub Pop days and really takes the track to another level. Hot on the heels of this opus is "The Day I Tried To Live. The menacing yet catchy guitar riff perfectly conveys the sense of mental breakdown that Cornell captures in his lyrics. The playing and arrangement is totally rock-solid and it doesn't hurt that the song also has a great pop chorus.
Now we come to the closing track, the absolutely monumental "Like Suicide." This is without a doubt my favourite Soundgarden track, and also one of my favourite songs by any band. Despite being one of the longest Soundgarden songs (7 minutes) it is also one of the simplest. Opening with a rumbling rhythm section riff and a spiralling guitar lick, the Cornell then presents us with some of his most sincere and affecting vocals and lyrics, as well as a stunning chorus ("She lived like a murder, how she flied so sweetly, She lived like a murder but she died, just like suicide.") Some might see the slow build up of the instruments and Cornell's delivery as clichéd, but this does not do the track justice, especially considering the sheer power of the band when they finally does kick into full gear. It's a totally shattering moment, where the guitars blast out awesome chords and Matt Cameron's beats and fills are reminiscent of the great John Bonham. All of this is capped of by a truly majestic instrumental section and an extended guitar solo by Kim Thayil. The solo is one of the greatest I've ever heard; it's so fluid and melodic.
People have criticised Superunkown for being to pretentious, too long, for having too much filler. I can kinda understand this point of view, but I honestly cannot see any real fault with this album. It is by no means revolutionary, and in many ways the band wears it's influences on its sleeve, whether it's 70s rock like Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath or their grunge contemporaries. However, the range of emotion on here, from the menacing "Mailman" to the free and uplifting "My Wave" is no mean feat. To me, this album is chock full of fantastic songs and great performances, and that is enough.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
COMMENTS
[email protected] (Andrew McQuillan)
I quite like '4th of July' actually.
I think 7 is a little harsh for Superunknown! There are ever so slight filler moments, yeah, which you'd expect from a 70-minute opus such as this, but the lyrics are incredible and the overall musicianship is beyond impressive. In my own, humble opinion, Like Suicide is one of the greatest songs of all time: beautiful lyrics, great music, well arranged. Absolutely stunning. This album deserves at least a 9.
I consider Superunknown to be Soundgarden's peak - so good I want to be buried with a copy clinging to my dead hand. I remember buying the album after reading the 5 star reviews cack in 1994, and was my intro to the band - I was so impressed I bought Louder Than Lover and BadMotorFinger the following week - and I never act on such impulses! Highlights include: Limo Wreck, Head Down and Black Hole Sun (obviously) - you called Fresh Tendrils unfocused but I can't fault it - maybe I should give that track a fresh listen to re-evalute! Nick, I think you a great writer and agree on about 90% of your opinions, but... it's Superunknown man!
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Soundgarden's final album is somewhat of a disappointment, suffering from the same thing that marred the last one - too much filler. But this time, the quality of the best songs here aren't quite enough to make up for it. The problem with a great deal of the tracks is that, due to the production values and lack of melodies, they just seem like a rock band playing generic, stripped down, depressing rock songs. Examples? "Zero Chance" is moody but aimless, the Kim Thayil-penned "Never The Machine Forever" is horrible, unfocused and completely melodyless, and a string of songs that come toward the end of the album that just don't sound memorable at all ("Switch Opens", "An Unkind", "Tighter & Tighter", "Overfloater", "No Attention", along with "Dusty" near the beginning of the record).
Even the singles aren't as notable, with the exception of "Blow Up The Outside World", which boasts a psychedelic, explosive edge - "Pretty Noose" is a good, but certainly not great, opener (it's somewhat more generic than earlier hits), "Burden In My Hand" has typical Cornell emotion but wears thin after awhile, and "Rhinosaur" is just a decent riff-rocker. There are other worthy tracks throughout the rest of the album, though - "Ty Cobb" is a great shot of their entertaining juvenile humor that had been missing since Louder Than Love, "Never Named" has odd lyrics and an unsettling (in a good way) song structure, "Applebite" has frightening ambient background music, and the Pink Floyd-ish closer "Boot Camp" has phenomenal atmosphere and a triumphant melody ('far away... far away from here') that sounds like a perfect career closing track.
Update: Yes, I underrated Soundgarden here yet again. Another rewrite and upgrade will be coming at some point.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
COMMENTS
I love this album. It's understandishable (Mr. Show reference, not a typo) to call Switch Opens or Applebite or Never Named or possibly Dusty filler but I really love Zero Chance, Tighter and Tighter, Boot Camp, Never the Machine Forever, Rhinosaur, and An Unkind. And what's wrong with the singles? Why do you have to be so picky. They're classics. It was an excellent album. I could see why you might think it's long though.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
A retrospective singles collection released after the band unexpectedly (but very amicably) split up on account of not having the desire to really play in a band environment anymore, which seemed like the case on certain songs from the last album, if you're a casual fan, this should be your first purchase, as Soundgarden's albums were in my opinion very patchy. It's about as perfect a representation as you can get ("My Wave" is just about the only minor hit single I can see that's not here), with a couple unexpected, relatively unknown and maybe even questionable surprises ("Get On The Snake", "Ty Cobb").
The two earliest tracks, "Flower" and "Nothing To Say", are the only ones I don't really care for at all and hardly have anything to add to the band's legacy, but the rest of the tracks are quintessential Soundgarden, making it a fine addition to anyone's 90s collection. It's hard to go wrong with such classics as "Black Hole Sun", "Blow Up The Outside World", "Rusty Cage", "Hands All Over", "Spoonman" and "Jesus Christ Pose". Plus the whole thing closes out with a magnificent unreleased song from the Down On The Upside sessions that's far more well-written and realized than almost anything on that album, the powerfully melodic "Bleed Together".
Post your comments / reviews for this album
Index | Main band/artist reviews page