Published on May 31, 1997
Back when “grunge” wasn’t a four-letter word, the Seattle
quartet Soundgarden was one of the most unique bands in the genre.
While their guitars crunched as much as many of their musical
brothers, they were not afraid to utilize bizarre time signatures
in their music. While this may have made it difficult for fans to
follow some of their music, Soundgarden became one of the best
grunge bands on the scene.
Their last album,
Superunknown, kept the bizarre time signatures, but also
signaled a stylistic change for the band. Lead singer Chris Cornell
now played as much guitar as he sang, and the songs were much more
radio-friendly, evidenced by the popularity of “My Wave,” “Fell On
Black Days” and “Black Hole Sun.” For older fans, this shift was a
disappointment, despite the album’s being a commercial success.
On their fifth full-length outing (and final release as a band),
Down On The Upside, Cornell and crew begin to mix a little
grunge back into the mix while they settle comfortably into the
sound they created last album.
The first single, “Pretty Noose,” is as much grunge as rhythm,
and displays the band’s talents well. Bassist Ben Shepherd’s work
is noteworthy here, as he adds some tasty fills in between the
rhythm guitar work of Cornell and lead guitarist Kim Thayil. While
not the best song on the album, “Pretty Noose” is a good start.
The guitar work shines on another single, “Burden In My Hand.”
The song, now very overplayed, starts off with acoustic guitar
(very dobro-sounding) and Cornell’s vocals; soon, bass is layered
in, and the rest of the band joins in. The song sounds a lot like
vintage Led Zeppelin, but doesn’t sound like a poor clone. This is
Soundgarden near the peak of their performance.
While other cuts like “Zero Chance”, “Never The Machine Forever”
and “An Unkind” shine, the best song on the album is yet another
single, “Blow Up The Outside World.” Soundgarden finally sounds
like they’re comfortable with the technology a studio can provide,
and they make it work for them on the cut. Matt Cameron’s drums,
normally not an instrument highlighted by the band, shine here for
his subtlety on the kit.
One word of caution: after listening to the song “Ty Cobb,” you
may wonder why
Down On The Upside didn’t get the “Parental Warning”
sticker. (For the record, I’m against stickering albums and
censorship in general. The whole system we have in America for
rating albums is flawed beyond repair, and should be dropped as a
failure. Tipper Gore, mind your own business.)
While Soundgarden have yet to achieve the heights they reached
with their best album
Louder Than Love,
Down On The Upside is a major improvement over their last
studio effort, and almost ranks as their best album.