The Reason Why This Blog Exists:

Soundgarden. A "new" track hit the airwaves this week called "Black Rain" and it's one of those songs that makes you think about the level of heavy a band could actually get and/or attain to reach. I'd say that this is about the heaviest they ever got (along with "Cold Bitch", "Birth Ritual" and "Beyond The Wheel"). This massive "new" song was actually recorded in 1991 for the Badmotorfinger sessions and was left off the record for reasons I just can't wrap my tiny brain around. This shit is ridiculous.

Rumor has it that Chris Cornell layed down some overdubbed vocals on the track recently. If true, you can't tell at all, which is a testament to the rebirth of his scream...and not the album Scream, which neary cost him all of his fans (and rightly so).

I was lucky enough to see the reunion show in Seattle back in April and nearly shit myself at how amazing they were and how HEAVY they could still be. Another best-of retrospective hits stores on September 28th (w/Black Rain included), but I'm still holding out for the giant box o' goodies Kim Thayil has been hinting at for over 13 years.

This is a level of awesome that is truly hard to comprehend.
Beyond The Wheel" (Showbox, Seattle 4/16/10):

Fancy Friday

Stop, Fancy Time! A real quick one today. Anyone that knows me is well aware that I bow to the altar of Faith No More daily. They pulled a Soundgarden (directly after Soundgarden), by putting out a bunch of classic LP's, then calling it quits on their own terms.

This is about as fancy as it gets. Ever. Of all time. The fanciest.

FNM "Evidence":

Beyond The Shit

As I've stated here many times in the past, I'm a huge Soundgarden fan. I love everything they ever did and respected them greatly for bowing out before they turned into something else. It saddens me to see Chris Cornell turn into such a puppet for Verizon, Timbaland, his wife...Whatever it is, it's fucking mindblowingly sad. What's left of his fanbase (all twelve of you, listen up) has blinders on and support the new material, but to me it's way more than just new songs. If Chris were to put out a record I dislike, I'd still support him. "Carry On" was horrible but I still went to the shows, rocked out and had a great time. However, this new "Scream" business is just pathetic and a sorry attempt to be cool again. Chris, you dipshit, you will always be cool to your fans...Just don't shit where you eat.

Fortunately for me, I can let this be what it is and hope it dies and he moves on into another direction. I'm not asking for Louder Than Love Part 2. I'm not asking for shit. I would think that someone of his talent would want to play BETTER music. Write BETTER music. Have BETTER fans (ie: the ones you're leaving in the dust). You're bored with rock? Cool. Make a 60's Soul record. Make a psych-blues record. Make an all acoustic record. Do what you were put on this planet to do.

To separate Chris Cornell and V-Cast Cornell, I simply act as if they're two entirely different artists.

Check this out. Chris, you were never indie (as you have stated in recent interviews). You were METAL. It's ok, it really is.

"Beyond The Wheel" 1991- The Spectrum, Philly (Get Ready, this shit is UNREAL!)

Testicular Tuesday...The I'm Serious Edition

You have to respect bands that make brilliant records and then break up while still on top. No one likes to be Warrant, not even Warrant. Especially not Warrant. Bands like Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees and many others decided that this is probably as good as it gets and called it quits. One such band is Dead To Fall. They used to suck. Basic meathead hardcore with more breakdowns than Hatebreed would know what to do with. They put out three records which all sounded the same, until January of this year.

"Are You Serious?" is a killer metal album that has something for everyone: Breakdowns, riff after riff, gutteral-yet-understadable vocals and lyrics that make you think one second and make you think "What the fuck is this guy thinking?" another. They take a page from the Clutch playbook and never let it get too serious.

They never made a record as good as any of the bands above (except Warrant) but they made a motherfucker on the way out of town. RIP Dead To Fall.

This is why they ruled: "Major Rager"

I'm Blogging You All The Way...

Seriously, this is one of the best performances of ANY song I've ever seen. Why am I just hearing about this now, some 12 years late?

Beards? Check.
Stoner Fuzz? Check.
Stripper pole groove? Check.
Matt Cameron? Check.

"Mailman" is EASILY one of the five sexiest songs ever written. Shit even turns me on. Fuck "Girls, Girls, Girls" or "More Human Than Human" as a strip club anthem...This is my pick.

At this point in their career, there wasn't a better band on the face of the earth.

Chris Bore-nell

Dear Chris Cornell,

You bore me. You used to rock. Hell, you rock harder live now than ever before. However, your last record was novice bullshit at best and from the looks of what's to come in the future (I'm looking at you, post-fat current buffed on roids Timbaland), the forcast calls for a shitstorm of epic proportions.

Do you even remember how good you used to be? Matt Cameron seemed to noitce it and joined FUCKING PEARL JAM...And only a mere four months after the demise of Soundgarden. Now it took you two years, but you put out Euphoria Morning in 1999 and it is a gem, a brilliant downtrodden, Jack Daniels-soaked album. Seriously, a masterpiece. Then you formed Audioslave and put out three amazing LP's, each one standing alone from the other two. Then you threw us for a loop and quit while promoting Revelations somewhere in Sweden, where you performed songs from your entire history acoustically and got me so pumped for your second solo disc. Why did you do this to me? Do you not like me? You must not.

Carry On is horrible, Chris. I don't know what you decided not to drink/smoke/inhale/shoot up this time around, but you need that shit...and badly. How badly? Just listen to 10 seconds of "Poison Eye" or "You Know My Name" or view a clip of the ridiculous video for "No Such Thing" and you'll know the answer for yourself. In fact, I think you already know, as you played nearly no songs off Carry On on the debut tour for the album itself!

Listen, this third album collabo with Timbaland is quite possibly the worst idea in the history of the music industry, including such groundbreaking acts like Milli Vanilli, Right Said Fred and Limp Bizkit...Even worse than a possible Yanni/Cannibal Corpse Dance Remix EP. Consider what you did in Soundgarden and cut off the head before it's too late.

To get you motivated to do so, please view the clip below from your past and notice how good it is. Seriously, take notice. Ever wonder why Ben, Kim, Hiro and Matt don't call anymore? They are ashamed to know you.

Thanks Chris. Don't take this too hard. Just warm up to a bottle of Jack, a pack of Reds and write some good songs. I know you have it in you somewhere.

Never bother me again-
S&U

Radiohead Is Not Very Good

They're really not. The Bends was amazing and Ok Computer is a fantastic piece of work, but to have only two good albums in a catalog that spans 16 years, that sucks just a little bit. Why does everyone suck up to Radiohead you might ask? What the fuck do I know. This blog is about bands I find relevant and unfortunately for Thom Yorke and Co, I think that while they might be remembered as pioneers and innovators, I find listening to elevator jazz more exciting and tolerable. What happened to them? Everyone knows Pablo Honey is a sticky piece of shit, with "Creep" being the true gem. Not often is the single the best cut off a record, but it really is. I've tried to like this record for 15 years and I give up.

The thing I can't stand about them is their smugness and the "too cool for us all" attitude. I'm all for originality and innovation but sometimes a line needs to be drawn which separates a good song from a bad idea. Since Kid A, they've had a lot of bad ideas. I bought into In Rainbows and I even liked it a bit upon first listen. Unfortunately just like Probot, it's gets worse with repeat listens. Plenty of bands push the envelope and make truly amazing ORIGINAL music, yet don't find the need to play a switchboard.

I guess my main problem with Radiohead is that they get tons of media attention from Pitchfork to Rolling Stone, but I truly believe they've ascended to that group of artists that get high ratings every time they release music, simply because they are who they are. They join the ranks of Beck, Dylan, Kanye and a few others that could vomit out Taco Bell and it would get an 8.4 on Pitchfork and a full page review with a goofy picture in RS with 4-5 stars, talking about how they will "Save Rock N' Roll". Newsflash: no one needs to save rock n' roll. Rock N' Roll is there to save you. My Soundgarden LP's aren't going anywhere. I'm pretty much saved over here.

I do love The Bends though. It's a tough spot for sure.

On The Storm...It's Time To Go

Sometimes I feel like a wanderer, nomad, vagabond, call me what you will...Ok, that's James Hetfield talking, but it's the truth. Moving out West in a few weeks and it seems perfectly fitting to quote the song that named this blog.

I love me some Soundgarden, especially ther last 4 albums. Louder Than Love, Badmotorfinger, Superunknown and my personal favorite, Down On The Upside are like Zeppelin 1-4, Sabbath 1-4, Wham! 1-4...Well maybe not the latter, but you get my drift. These are essentials among essentials.

If you don't like Soundgarden, I have absolutely no use for you. We all know what a shitfest Cornell has become lately, although his shows are amazing. Carry On will get my vote as the most disappointing release of 2007 (don't worry Linkin Park, I didn't forget about you...You have to have been good at one point to get this vote, so you're shit out of luck).

Here's the band in their prime, right before it all ended. Maybe Chris needs to watch this clip to get motivated to get a bottle of Jack, a pack of cigarettes and a new wife...This one sucks. Yoko is an understatement.

Boot Camp. Ridiculous: