90’s music

Rage! Rage!

| Chris

ratmI remember hearing Rage Against The Machine for the first time on the radio. I thought, another sub-genre in music had emerged. I’ve never heard so much shouting in a song that I took the liberty to call it Holler Rock. Honestly, it wasn’t Zach’s political yawp that got my attention, initially. It was the fact that the band sounded like something from the primitive 70’s. I just love Tom’s approach to the guitar, with the wah wah and the lead work that strays far far away from the traditional shredding that had already been done to death, at the time. And I believe, he took this approach even further later on, in Audioslave. But that’s for another post.

Since I’m not much into politics, I pretty much ignored whatever message their songs attempted to convey but instead simply grooved to the rockin’ beats that made me realized, they were truly one of the greatest bands of the 90’s. And eventually, I got used to the yelling I even began to like Linkin’ Park. But that’s for another post, too.

Meanwhile, here’s something you can’t understand… my fave Rage track. This song’s a riot! Check out the video. Oh, and the lady doing the intro, I wonder who’s mom she is?

Strike a poser

| Chris

strike a poseWhen I first heard Soundgarden‘s Jesus Christ Pose, from their CD Badmotorfinger, I thought it was blasphemous. Then I learned that it was about Chris Cornell’s disdain for how magazine models are made to look like god figures. Or higher than mere humans kind of thing. He finds it distasteful, I guess. Though I think it’s safe to say, this goes along with them holier than thou characters and ego maniacs, too.

Well, what else is new in this world, huh?

But hey, the song rocks like it’s the end of days. I say, that’s righteous!!!

Get the skunk out

| Chris

subNo, not that skunk, silly. I mean, Ska-Punk! Sublime, that is! Them good ol’ Long Beach, CA exports from the 90’s.

I just love their music. It’s so ummm… organic? No no no, you know what I mean! And the band’s a trio, but hardly a power trio. Their songs have simple but soulful reefs… err…. riffs. Like three incredibly passionate musicians jamming in a garage. No frills. Just smokin’ chops. I mean… oh, nevermind.

Geez! Can you ever describe these guys without the pun getting in the way?

Oh well… just do yourselves a favor and check out some of my favorites, from their catalog.  I say, they’re dope! Gaaaaaahhh…

R.I.P. Brad Nowell.

My Sister

| Chris

I’m talking about the song from the early nineties.

jh3I thought it was very cool from the moment I heard it on KROQ. I’m like, how many songs are there by women artists that talks about family members? Let alone love/hate relationship with the bitchy sister. A poignant song, even when the sister in question is actually imaginary.

As with most indie rock songs that came out of that decade, I love this one from The Juliana Hatfield Three, just as much. It’s got dynamic elements to it – sad and happy, gloomy and uplifting, etc.

Enjoy this video of My Sister, from Become What You Are, the only album they ever put out, I think… before ol’ Julie here went out on her own.

Say a prayer for the fallen star

| Chris

I may have deep roots when it comes to music and could be partial when talking about certain influences like Alice Cooper, Queen, Zep, Kiss and the Beatles – but honestly, if I had to pick one CD to play for the rest of my life, and nothing else… my definite pick would be Spilt Milk, by the incredible yet short-lived group, Jellyfish. I mean, the album has all of the ingredients I love in music, period. The awesome guitar, big sounding stand-up drums, the mesmerizing melodies, the Queen-like harmonies and yes – Magical Mystery Tour, revisited. Old-fashioned, yet very modern. Avant-garde yet power pop. They are, by far, my favorite band of the 90’s. And their second album is an absolute masterpiece of an artwork. A Rembrandt, in my book.

jf

Can you tell I joined the fan club?

I love this song so much I could even tolerate a cover of it by some Japanese teen group.

Hmmm… I have a feeling I’ll be posting more of Jellyfish and Jellyfish-related groups in the near future. It’s a good thing.

One Hundred Percent Fun

| Chris

The 90’s are definitely a favorite era of mine when it comes to music. It was a drastic change in the way the 80’s delivered the goods. The back-to-basics approach was a warm welcome after having reeled from a decade of musical over-the-top excess. I could name a whole bunch of artists that have caught my attention during this time, and I probably will at some point.

having funBut for now, I wanted to mention Matthew Sweet. The first time I heard Sick of Myself on KROQ, I thought, this is the kind of musicianship and songwriting I really want to imitate. The guitar tone, man! And the melodic hooks? Impressive! The vintage gear he’s using brings an old-fashioned warmth to a modern song. You can almost smell the burning-hot and glaring tubes in the back of a tweed amp. And the saturation and compression? Man, it’s like playing those old vinyl records.

Oh, and check out the stomp boxes, too, right here…

Actually, I loved the song so much that I took a stab at doing a cover of it, in my basement. Not as good as the original, but the jam was definitely… 100% fun!