Album Debate: Pearl Jam TEN or VS

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(1993)-Vs

 

To create an album that is absolutely memorable, relatable, and sonically amazing is no easy task. However during the musical renaissance of the 90’s there was an abundance of bands that did just that. Pearl Jam came out swinging with their debut album TEN. Songs like “Once,” “Black,” “Garden,” “Alive,” hell the entire album is a gem. There is not one ounce of filler on this album. The only thing I can really pick on about the album are the mixes. The band was never completely satisfied with the final result. When TEN was re-released, longtime producer Brendan O’Brien remixed it to the way the band had envisioned it originally. You can definitely tell the difference. A couple years later in 1993, Pearl Jam released what I consider to be their finest piece of work, VS. This album had a much more together feel along with a rawer and more aggressive sound. There was also a more natural, band-oriented album, rather than each member bringing in a bunch of songs that was already arranged. It really does show. As a whole its a more cohesive put together album. This is where the bands identity lies. It also showed a broad section of the band and their ability to do ballads, faster songs, slow songs, and the more punk driven songs. Again, there is not one song on this album that is filler. From the heavier side of things like “Go,” “Animal,” “Rearviewmirror,” to the more delicate like “Daughter,” “Elderly Woman…” and “Dissident” and closing it out with the more than beautiful “Indifference,” this is such a well rounded album.

Obviously I pick VS as my favorite album of theirs. Where do you stand?

 

By: Brian Lacy

 

Great Guest Vocalists: Maynard James Keenan

Tool in Concert at the AT&T Center - May 21, 2007

We all know what Maynard is capable of vocally with all the projects he has. I’m sure most of you have heard him on some of the below songs he has guested on. There are a couple out there that are surprising though.

Rage Against The Machine: Know Your Enemy

Tori Amos- Muhammed My Friend

Deftones: Passenger

Replicants: Silly Love Songs

30 Seconds To Mars: Fallen

Jubilee: I Don’t Have An Excuse, I Just Need A Little Help

David Bowie: Bring Me The Disco King

Bands That Should Come Back: Poison The Well

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There comes a time in every bands career when the thought of evolving crosses their mind. It’s never to take away what they’ve done in the past but as a sign of the times of maturity and growth. Poison The Well did just that when they were together. Starting out as a hardcore/metalcore band when they released their album The Opposite Of December, the band eventually started experimenting with melody and different song structures on their great follow up Tear From The Red. This album gave the band the push they needed to continue to evolve their sound and not get stuck in a stagnant spot of regurgitating the same thing. For their next album You Come Before You, the band reached out to Swedish producers Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lövström, who worked on the classic album The Shape Of Punk To Come by the Refused. You Come Before You was also their first and only record to be released by a major label, Atlantic Records. Having experienced some level of success with You Come Before You, a long and hard touring cycle left certain members of the band disenchanted. Guitarist Derek Miller quit the band and would later go on to form the alternative band Sleigh Bells (yuck). After months of working and writing material, the band set off in early 2005 to work and record with Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lövström again in Sweden. Versions was their next step in their evolution. After the touring cycle finished for Versions, the band wasted little time in getting back to writing for what would be their final album The Tropic Rot. This album was sonically large and very focused. All their experimentation, was leading up to this. Sadly it all came apart after the end of touring for The Tropic Rot. The members of Poison The Well announced they were moving on and exploring other musical interests.

It also seems as though what Poison The Well were up to, might have been a little ahead of the times. To constantly be able to be challenged and inspired to create genuinely good pieces of work is not easy and does take a toll. I can only imagine what new material would sound like from them now. So with that in mind, Poison The Well needs to return!

 

Nerdy: The Opposite Of December

Botchla: Tear From The Red

Apathy Is A Cold Body: You Come Before You

Letter Thing: Versions

Exist Underground: The Tropic Rot

 

By: Brian Lacy

 

Album Review: Seether- Isolate and Medicate

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Now 5 albums into their career, Seether has returned with their newest album Isolate and Medicate. This album due to legendary producer Brendan O’Brian (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Mastodon, etc), comes across as tight and focused, with every layer of instrumentation serving a purpose. Frontman Shaun Morgan says “The whole record is a collection of diary entries. It’s just where I’m at and what I’m going through. I’m writing songs about getting through whatever situations I’m in at the time. These songs deal with relationships and life situations.”

With that being said, this album is full of Seether’s signature tales of woe and despair mixed with “grungy” riffs. Opener “See You At The Bottom” begins with tuned down bass and guitar lines before exploding with Morgan’s trademark soulful growl. “Same Damn Life,” is one of the most accessible and catchy songs of Seether’s career. The high pitch vocals are a very weak point of the song. First single “Words as Weapons” is a fairly standard Seether song, a distortion driven chorus with some added spine tingling vocal harmonies. There are a couple songs that have a bluesier side to them “My Disaster” and the stellar “Nobody Praying for Me.” “Suffer It All” is heavy,and full of chunky riffs. “Keep the Dogs at Bay” is a driving heavy melodic track. And “Watch Me Drown” is a solidly written song, but nothing special. “Crash” is a solemn ballad, with purposely layered guitar lines and some more great vocal takes. This song is one of the most powerful songs the band has written in years.

Isolate and Medicate is a strong release from one of the most consistent rock bands. This album is also indicative of Shaun Morgan being a really good songwriter. Seether has never been a band to reinvent the wheel when it comes to this style of music. There are a lot of people that have written this band off as a radio rock band and just nothing, but there is really something more to this band than any others in their realm. This album isn’t as good as their first 2 albums, but it does have a way to really connect. On the scale of 1-10, I’d give this a solid 7.

 

 

By: Brian Lacy

 

Bands That Should Come Back: Scatter The Ashes

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Scatter The Ashes was a post-hardcore band. They were formed in the summer of 2001 and signed to Epitaph records. Devout/The Modern Hymn is the only album from them. Musically it is a very dark, with atmospheric rhythms with bone-jarring resonance that is not only haunting, but catchy, appealing. Imagine Joy Division meets the Refused. The band was rooted in punk rock and evolved beyond their years.  In 2006, they officially broke up. They were artistic and believed in their music and it showed. Their debut album has been in constant rotation in my cd player. Take a listen and you’ll hear why.

Caesura:

 

Affinity:

 

City In The Sea:

 

In The Company Of Wolves:

 

By: Brian Lacy

 

 

 

Band Of The Week: With Our Arms To The Sun

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The desert has a very interesting way of bringing out creativity from those that inhabit the area. There must be something in the air. With that in mind, I bring your attention to With Our Arms to the Sun, a rock band formed in the desert of Arizona. The music is full of epic moments mixed with modern electronics to create music that has substance and plays off the old “concept album” structure. You can hear influences of Tool, Isis and little bit of shoe gaze and space rock. On their most recent release “A Far Away Wonder,” the drums were engineered by Aaron Harris of the bands ISIS and Palms, and some songs feature a collaboration with film composer Jonathan Levi Shanes. The band describes their live shows as unique and emotional, bringing back the energy of the punk rock and grunge bands of the past who used to play to basements and art galleries. With Our Arms To The Sun are real in their approach to create music that creates an ebb and flow that play off your auditory senses and imagination. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing these guys live and they do not disappoint. They are a transcendent bright spot in a world that is lacking honesty and realism.

Cosmonaut:

Tessellation:

 

http://www.withourarmstothesun.com/

https://www.facebook.com/WithOurArmsToTheSun

 

By: Brian Lacy

Cover Thursday: A.F.I. (The Cure)- Just Like Heaven

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When Jade Puget joined the band, he had a hand in shifting the band from the more hardcore punk they were doing and injecting a more goth vibe to the music. Over the years you can totally hear Davey Havok’s love for The Cure in his voice and lyrics. They’ve been covering “Just Like Heaven” for years, and it’s great. It’s not too far from The Cure’s version but it’s still good!

 

By: Brian Lacy

 

Unsung Masterpieces: Filter- Short Bus
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The early 90’s were a great time for bands. There seemed to be a huge creative explosion. Albums had substance, grit and provoked raw emotion. I could talk about certain bands all day like Nine Inch Nails and Alice In Chains who embodied such traits. One band that came out in this era and had all that in their debut album and that was Filter. The band was formed when Richard Patrick left Nine Inch Nails just before the recording of The Downward Spiral, and formed a new project with Brian Liesegang. Their debut album Short Bus combined industrial and hard rock. The live band was rounded out by Geno Lenardo, Frank Cavanagh, and Matt Walker. Short Bus has now gone on to sell over 1 million albums thanks to the success of “Hey Man Nice Shot.”

Kicking things off is “Hey Man Nice Shot.” This song is great, it has that quiet bass rumble start then explodes with force and Richard Patrick’s signature scream. “Dose” continues with the powerful riffs and heaviness and adds bits of melody. “Under” has a scratchy guitar intro that blends perfectly into a sort of industrial/dance beat. Lyrically and vocally it’s heavy without compromising the melody. “Spent” is another song that has the quiet to loud structure dialed in. “Take Another” uses the distorted bass line to really get the song going before getting to grit of Richard’s vocal delivery. “Stuck In Here” is a stripped down song that shows the true vulnerability of the group. It’s subtle in the way it pushes the albums direction as well. “It’s Over” follows the outro of “Stuck In Here” to a building verse then when the chorus comes, it opens up in a louder realm. “Gerbil” is solid heavy rock track. “White Like That” has a great intro leading into Richard’s voice then goes into subtle chorus. “Consider This” is another track that could almost foreshadow what would ultimately be their sound on the next album. Ending the album is “So Cool.” This song really slows things down and brings the album to an end with it’s string arrangement.

Short Bus is an album that often gets overlooked just like the band. The sheer creativity and artistic expression is vert prevalent on this album.  Sadly, when their second album “Title Of Record” came out and “Take A Picture” exploded on the radio, it seemed that Filter had lost what they once were. Luckily as time went on, they brought back elements of Short Bus into their albums. Especially on The Inevitable Relapse and their newest album The Sun Comes Out Tonight. Filter is and has been a great live band and solid songwriters. Richard Patrick has one of the most unique voices in the rock genre. This band deserves their due. Take a listen back to Short Bus and you’ll see what I mean.

 Short Bus:

 

By: Brian Lacy