Unsung Masterpieces

Unsung Masterpieces: Sunny Day Real Estate- Diary
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Music will always stand the test of time. Certain albums will forever be revered as timeless. Some albums though don’t get the recognition they deserve. Which brings me to Sunny Day Real Estate’s debut album Diary. The album is considered by many to be a defining emo album. It has also been called the bridge between post hardcore and the emo genre. Listening to this album you can tell where Brand New gets a lot of their influence from. Lyrically there is a sense of realism throughout the album. Jeremy Enigk has a real knack for creating vocal melodies that compliments his softer voice and the words. Dan Hoerner’s guitar tone is heavy yet crisp and bright, which accents the soft vocals and the delicate nature in which Jeremy plays. Nate Mendel’s bass has a nice dirty tinge to it, adding just the right amount of distortion to balance with William Goldsmith’s heavy hitting drums. Songs like “Seven,” “In Circles,” “47,” “Grendel,” and “48” are all stand out tracks. Diary was different from those released by all the other Seattle bands at the time. It’s melodic but has a slightly heavy sound that has had a clear impact on future emo groups. It is the seventh best selling album released on Sub Pop Records, having sold more than 231,000 copies. In 2013, Diary took the first place in LA Weekly’s  list of the “Top 20 Emo Albums in History”

 Diary:

 

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

Unsung Masterpieces: Year Of The Rabbit- Self Titled
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Year Of The Rabbit was assembled and fronted by Ken Andrews of Failure fame. Soon after Ken stopped writing and performing music as ON, Andrews and ON’s drummer Tim Dow (formerly of Shiner) reached out to Dow’s friend Jeff Garber, and Solomon Snyder joined shortly thereafter. ON’s material had been created mostly by Andrews as a solo project, the harder-rocking sound of Year of the Rabbit is much closer to that of his previous band, Failure.

Their first release, the 2003 EP Hunted, was made available online only from outlets such as CD Baby, itunes, and the band themselves. The buzz from sales of the EP was enough to attract the attention of Elektra Records, who released their debut album shortly thereafter. Sadly as thing in the music business were in constant flux, Warner Music Company, was sold to a group of private investors, and many of the labels’ acts, including Year of the Rabbit, were dropped from their rosters. Two months later, Andrews declared on his official website that due to the shakeup at their label, the band had been put on indefinite hiatus.

The album itself though is a gem. This was as close as anyone who was a Failure fan was going to get to that vibe. The entire album is full of melody, hooks, and that signature tone, that so many guitarists have tried to duplicate. Lyrically this album is very deep and personal. There is not one ounce of filler either. Tracks like “Lie Down,” “Last Defense,” “Hunted,” and “Say Goodbye” are beyond stand out tracks. The instrumentation on here is simple and raw but with the right amount of polish to make it all shine through.

Though they released only one album, 10 years later this album still holds up, and sound like it fits in today more than ever. Ken Andrews was always ahead of his time it seems.

Year Of The Rabbit:

By: Brian Lacy

 

Unsung Masterpieces: Brand New- The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
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Often times when a band makes the jump from indie label to a major label, there is something in the music that is lost. Perhaps it’s the pressure or the fact that the label itself is trying to make the band something else. That was not the case in 2006 when Brand New released their spectacular album The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. This album offered more in the way of contributions from the other members of the band. The title of the album was inspired by a friend of singer/guitarist Jesse Lacey who suffers from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This album also contains no filler. Starting off the album is “Sowing Season” which captures a raw emotional feel from the band. There is a definitely a 90’s feel to this song. “Millstone” is a song that continues the same raw emotion and also has very catchy sing a long type of chorus. The second single released was “Jesus Christ” is a mellow and quaint song. “Degausser” is another song that cradles the quiet/loud structure. The vocals on this song are powerful and pure. “Limousine” is nice mid tempo jam that features a very cool guitar solo. “You Won’t Know” is a true highlight of the album. The riff is punching and heavy. The vocal melody is aggressive without losing the melodic nature. “Welcome To Bangkok” is a great middle of the album segue. “Not The Sun” has a bit of a pop vibe to it but doesn’t lose their integrity that Brand New is known for. “Luca” has a similar vibe to The Mars Volta. This song is one of my personal favorites that the band has ever come up with. “The Archers Bows Have Broken” carries a melody that is akin to The Cure, and continues on with a pop vibe but adds an element of shoe gaze and feedback to dirty it up. Closing out the album is “Handcuffs” a very solemn and moody song that sums up the album in a great way.

Brand New are a very underrated band and great songwriters. They have the ability to connect with their personal attributes and storytelling. Musically they took many parts of the 90’s and mixed them with a sort of post hardcore structure. The Devil and God Are Raging Inside me is one of the best albums to come out in the last 10 years.

 The Devil AndGod Are Raging Inside Me:

 

By: Brian Lacy

Unsung Materpieces: Nine Inch Nails- Year Zero

Concept albums are very unique and at times take a long time to fully understand. Listening to select songs doesn’t give you the full effect. And a lot of the time the story that accompanies the album is very convoluted. Though there are many cases when the above statements don’t apply. Pink Floyd, The Who and more recently Mastodon and Nine Inch Nails  have been able to create epic concept albums that can stand on their own or as separate entities. In 2007, Nine Inch Nails released Year Zero.

“The Year Zero story takes place in the United States in the year 2022. The United States has suffered several major terrorist attacks, and in response the government has seized absolute control on the country and reverted to a Christian fundamentalist theocracy. The government maintains control of the populace through institutions such as the Bureau Of Morality as well as increased surveillance and the secret drugging of tap water with a mild sedative. In response to the increasing oppression of the government, several corporate, government, and subversive websites were transported back in time to the present by a group of scientists working clandestinely against the authoritarian government. The websites-from-the-future were sent to the year 2007 to warn the American people of the impending dystopian future and to prevent it from ever forming in the first place.”

So with that all mind one would think that this is just a mess, but in fact it’s the complete opposite. Trent never misses a step with creating this apocalyptic epic. This album was also the next step in Trent’s revitalized state of mind and musical odyssey. There are a lot of uses of noise, static, and strange yet amazing distortion. Certain songs stand out amongst the album as a whole such as “The Beginning Of The End,” “Survivalism,” “In This Twilight,” “The Great Destroyer,” and  “My Violent Heart.” Furthermore there was something else about this album, was that it opened up the visual aspect even more than before. Since Trent has described Year Zero as a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t even exist, it’s not hard to let your imagination take you off on quite a little trip.

Year Zero is not The Downward Spiral or The Fragile, but it is one of the most artistic and well thought out releases that Nine Inch Nails have ever released. One other strange thing about this album, was that touring for this album was not very prevalent. The people at Interscope records really dropped the ball on handling the marketing and promotion for this album, hence why it never got the due it deserved. So give yourself some time and delve back into Year Zero and see for yourself what you might have missed.

 Year Zero:

By: Brian Lacy

Unsung Masterpieces: Silverchair- Neon Ballroom
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As the 90’s came to an end and the music started to evolve, plenty of bands started to add other elements to their sounds to compliment the changing climates. Radiohead is a prime example. One band that really took a sharp turn was Silverchair. Their third album Neon Ballroom, took them to the next level as far as songwriting, production, and performance. Their earlier releases especially Frogstomp were full of untamed rage, despair, and teenage angst. Frogstomp was written when the band were only 14. When Neon Ballroom was released, Daniel Johns, Ben Gillies, Chris Joannou, seemed as though they finally achieved what they wanted to do musically. Lyrically, the songs were more personal and had a feel to them that could be related to just as the early 90’s “grunge” bands. Musically it went beyond the simple drums, bass and guitar, The riffs got more intricate, rhythms more complex, and a new element of strings were used. The first track on the album “Emotion Sickness” takes that approach and mixes their blend of hard rock with a bit of orchestral sounds, thus making it epic, especially at the peak of the song where Daniel sings “get out” in such pain and despair. “Ana’s Song (Open Fire)” was written about Daniel’s bout with anorexia. The first single “Anthem For The Year 2000” has the similar vibe of their previous 2 releases but this time more grown up. Other stand outs on Neon Ballroom are “Miss You Love” “Spawn Again” (which was originally featured on the Spawn Soundtrack), “Black Tangled Heart.” There really is something about this album that allows the listener to grow with the band. Not to mention that this album was name number 25 in the top 100 best Australian albums of all time. Silverchair went on to release 2 other albums after Neon Ballroom, but they don’t compare to how great this album is. Now if only they would just get back together and tour!!

Neon Ballroom:

By: Brian Lacy

Unsung Masterpieces Part 2: Failure- Fantastic Planet

The 90’s were such a great time for rock music. There had been a revolution of loud guitars, heavy bass, thundering drums and meaningful lyrics. There was also a lot of epic masterpieces that went unnoticed. One album in particular was Failure’s “Fantastic Planet.” Ken Andrews (Vocals/Guitar/Bass), Greg Edwards (Bass/Guitar/Percussion/Piano), and Kelli Scott (Drums) produced a very honest etherial album. Space-rock themes course through the album’s lyrics, as well as various indirect references to drug addiction, drug-related experiences, and prostitution. There are also lush textures that guide the listener on a seductive path throughout the listening of the album. Fantastic Planet features so many great songs that it makes it hard to pick just one stand out track. Songs such as Saturday Savior, Sergeant Politeness, Smoking Umbrellas, Pitiful, The Nurse Who Loved Me and Stuck On You are the most common. Though other songs such as Dirty Blue Balloons, Blank, Pillowhead and Daylight, compete at such a high level that it’s hard to skip any of the songs. The album was self produced by Failure and engineered by Ken Andrews at their own studio. During the touring cycle for Fantastic Planet, Troy VanLeeuwen was brought on to add more guitar to the live sound. After only 3 albums together Failure parted ways with each other. Ken Andrews went on to start the bands Year Of The Rabbit and ON, as well as become a well sought after producer/engineer. Greg Edwards formed Autolux, a very experimental yet rocking band. Kelli Scott went on to play with Veruca Salt and other bands. Troy VanLeeuwen went on to play with A Perfect Circle and now with Queens Of The Stone Age. The amount of influence Failure has had on today’s bands is very noticeable.  Failure seemed to be on to something way before “it” was time for it to come to the forefront of the masses. Luckily for everyone that has become a Failure fan over the years can rejoice. Failure are back and ready to claim their place!

 Fantastic Planet:

By: Brian Lacy