Silverchair - 2003 - 0524-Live In Toronto, Canada (2CD)

¡Aquí!

Mudhoney - 1991 - Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

Whether it was Conrad Uno's production, the addition of more instruments to the Mudhoney arsenal (notably, Mark Arm adds organ, as can be enjoyably heard on "Who You Drivin' Now," among other numbers), a slew of brilliant songs, or a combination of the above, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge found Mudhoney coming into their own album-wise. "Let It Slide," the album's lead single, fuses everything from surf rock drumming from Dan Peters to a delicious vocal whine on the verses from Arm into a hotwired classic. It's not so much grunge as speed-freak energy, and all the better for it given the caricatures of Sub Pop's sound that would soon take over the airwaves. "Into the Drink" is another fun single, using acoustic and electric guitar to carry a nicely snotty garage stomp along, the full band adding one of their better chorus-gang shouts. More acoustic twang surfaces here and there (check out "Move Out"), helping to show that the variety of songs and styles is much more apparent and welcome here than on the self-titled album. The almost-pretty rushed guitar chime on "Good Enough" could be mid-'80s New Order or the Wedding Present, while Steve Turner's harmonica playing often suggests even deeper roots (and on "Pokin' Around" is both quick on the pace and sweetly mournful). Uno's eight-track production makes more of less plenty of times — "Something So Clear" may not sound as full to some ears as their other records, but the basic guitar overdubs add just enough force, an effective simplicity (and Turner's soloing is pretty great to boot). The six-minute "Broken Hands" is the one point on the album where the band completely freaks out, but unlike the takes-too-long moments of Mudhoney, it's all worth it here, down to the final chaotic amplifier abuse.

		1		Generation Genocide	Mudhoney	1:13
		2		Let It Slide	Mudhoney	2:35
		3		Good Enough	Mudhoney	3:25
		4		Something So Clear		4:14
		5		Thorn		2:10
		6		Into the Drink	Mudhoney	2:08
		7		Broken Hands		6:02
		8		Who You Drivin' Now	Mudhoney	2:21
		9		Move Out		3:32
		10		Shoot the Moon		2:27
		11		Fuzzgun '91		1:52
		12		Pokin' Around		3:30
		13		Don't Fade IV		3:58
		14		Check-Out Time	Mudhoney	3:07

¡Aquí!

Soundgarden - 1996 - Down On The Upside

Superunknown was a breakthrough in many ways. Not only did the album bring Soundgarden a new audience, it dramatically expanded their vision, as well as their accomplishments. If Down on the Upside initially seems a retreat from the grand, layered textures of Superunknown, let it sink in. The sound of Down on the Upside is certainly more immediate, but the band hasn't returned to the monstrous, unfocused wailing of Louder Than Love. Instead, they've retained their ambitious song structures, neo-psychedelic guitar textures, and winding melodies but haven't dressed them up with detailed production. Consequently, Down on the Upside is visceral as well as cerebral -- "Rhinosaur" goes for the gut, while "Pretty Noose" is updated, muscular prog rock. Down on the Upside is a deceptive album -- it might seem like nothing more than heavy metal, but a closer listen reveals that Soundgarden haven't tempered their ambitions at all.

		1		Pretty Noose	Cornell	4:12
		2		Rhinosaur	Cameron, Cornell	3:14
		3		Zero Chance	Cornell, Shepherd	4:18
		4		Dusty	Cornell, Shepherd	4:34
		5		Ty Cobb	Cornell, Shepherd	3:05
		6		Blow up the Outside World	Cornell	5:46
		7		Burden in My Hand	Cornell	4:50
		8		Never Named	Cornell, Shepherd	2:28
		9		Applebite	Cameron, Cornell	5:10
		10		Never the Machine Forever	Thayil	3:36
		11		Tighter & Tighter	Cornell	6:06
		12		No Attention	Cornell	4:27
		13		Switch Opens	Cornell, Shepherd	3:53
		14		Overfloater	Cornell	5:09
		15		An Unkind	Shepherd	2:08
		16		Boot Camp	Cornell	2:59

¡Aquí!

Nirvana - 1991 - Nevermind

Nevermind was never meant to change the world, but you can never predict when the zeitgeist will hit, and Nirvana's second album turned out to be the place where alternative rock crashed into the mainstream. This wasn't entirely an accident, either, since Nirvana did sign with a major label, and they did release a record with a shiny surface, no matter how humongous the guitars sounded. And, yes, Nevermind is probably a little shinier than it should be, positively glistening with echo and fuzzbox distortion, especially when compared with the black-and-white murk of Bleach. This doesn't discount the record, since it's not only much harder than any mainstream rock of 1991, its character isn't on the surface, it's in the exhilaratingly raw music and haunting songs. Kurt Cobain's personal problems and subsequent suicide naturally deepen the dark undercurrents, but no matter how much anguish there is on Nevermind, it's bracing because he exorcises those demons through his evocative wordplay and mangled screams — and because the band has a tremendous, unbridled power that transcends the pain, turning into pure catharsis. And that's as key to the record's success as Cobain's songwriting, since Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl help turn this into music that is gripping, powerful, and even fun (and, really, there's no other way to characterize "Territorial Pissings" or the surging "Breed"). In retrospect, Nevermind may seem a little too unassuming for its mythic status — it's simply a great modern punk record — but even though it may no longer seem life-changing, it is certainly life-affirming, which may just be better.

		1		Smells Like Teen Spirit	Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic	5:02
		2		In Bloom	Cobain, Nirvana	4:15
		3		Come as You Are	Cobain	3:39
		4		Breed	Cobain, Nirvana	3:04
		5		Lithium	Cobain	4:17
		6		Polly	Cobain, Nirvana	2:56
		7		Territorial Pissings	Cobain, Nirvana	2:23
		8		Drain You	Cobain, Nirvana	3:44
		9		Lounge Act	Cobain, Nirvana	2:37
		10		Stay Away	Cobain, Nirvana	3:33
		11		On a Plain	Cobain, Nirvana	3:17
		12		Something in the Way	Cobain, Nirvana	3:51

¡Aquí!