My Bloody Valentine – Only Shallow
In all honesty, I expected a lot of songs to be here ahead of MBV, but here they are nonetheless. MBV are an Irish group almost solely responsible for creating shoegaze. I am not an avid MBV fan. And I’m certainly not one of those devout fans who headed out to rediscover the old days of shoegazing (a pastime now being perfected by emos so fucking depressed they can’t stare beyond their footwear – what is the footwear choice of the emo?) whilst still believing that MBV are the greatest band to grace this planet when they recently went back on tour. Their live performances are renowned for being ear-splitting and listening to some of the material from their two albums, that hardly requires a stretch of the imagination. There are only a few tracks I truly enjoy listening to by MBV and admittedly I bought the albums on the strength of what I had heard about MBV, rather than what I actually heard, musically speaking. However, I am still here with the aim to justify my decision, ahem. Underneath the layers of distortion and reverb you find some wonderfully ear-catching melodies, and no more than in Only Shallow, the opening track on Loveless. I love the Sonic Youth style overkill on the distortion, then adding masses of reverb to provide the layered soundscapes that makes MBV simultaneously suffocating and airy. This is the kind of track you would only hear at weird indie nights full (?) of people whose only friend is the Internet (back then comics or Dungeons and Dragons) or are seriously considering serial killing as a hobby, or both...hobbies are healthy. It’s not an immediate track, in fact, MBV through their choice of production seem to try to test the listener, alienate them and make it a difficult record to swallow. They are a bit of a ‘marmite’ band, but if you persist, there is a rough diamond to be polished. Perhaps the critic got the better of me. I really do like the song and I love the melodies and the driving rhythm, how the song hovers, swoons and dives, but in comparison to others here in my top 50, it’s one of the runts of the litter, but a classic runt of my litter.
Nirvana – Breed
Nirvana are probably the single most important band in my life and for developing the many directions my music taste has taken me; even if I jumped off the bandwagon following Kurt’s death. I was one of those preteens, grace à mon frère, already listening to Nirvana when he was alive. I loved Nirvana from the outset and looking back 20 years now to when Nevermind was released; it has stood the test of time and is still an amazing album from the opening riff of Smells Like Teen Spirit to the sombre Something In The Way. During an interview, Kurt was questioned about his inspiration for writing Smells Like Teen Spirit and he is quoted as saying that he was trying to write the ultimate pop song, he was basically trying to rip off the Pixies (his words, not mine). The Pixies’ influence is as clear as day at noon in summer in the north of Sweden on a sunny day. Smells Like Teen Spirit catapulted Nirvana to stardom. Like Konrad, I instantly fell in love with the song but in spite of my incessant harping, it hasn’t made it to my favourite 50. It has been so overplayed, having become the anthem of disaffected youth for following generations, almost as much as it was for my generation. There are so many great, great tracks on this album, but it’s the singles that move me the least. As great as they are, I have heard them so often and by my own admission, when something becomes ‘too popular’, in my eyes, it loses its personal touch. I could have chosen any number of tracks from the remainder of Nevermind, In Utero, Incesticide or Unplugged but I opted for one of the less-sung heroes of Nevermind, Breed. It is the epitome of grunge, with its fuzzed up guitar and bass, looping vocals and anthemic chorus. You just want to jump about in your bedroom or living room and smash things up...before you realise you’re in your 30s and you worked bloody hard to afford these things. It just fucking rocks!
Slint – Good Morning, Captain
Slint are a band that I discovered in the late 90s/early 00s whilst reading an interview with Graham Coxon. They never released a great deal of material, just two albums and a single. Their first album was released in the late 80s, a random, often inaccessible album with a metallic clang and most of the songs sound like talented kids jamming out whatever the hell they liked and not really giving a fuck about whether or not it was actually likeable. Their second and final album is a completely different story and how they got so good so quickly is a mystery. Perhaps the production of a certain Steve Albini had helped Slint to harness their potential to record such a wonderful album. Spiderland, a name that sounds like a seriously fucked-up a theme park, is Slint’s masterpiece and the track I have taken is the grand finale on this roller coaster ride. The atmosphere the song musters is that of dread, despair and desperation. It begins with an eerie guitar line and often, especially during verses, it seems as if the song is being held together by an elastic band stretched to the limit and on its last thread. The song spirals through the quiet, loud, quiet format, taking some of the key elements of grunge but reinventing them as a haunting, post-rock epic. Listening to this at home, on your own, stereo pushed to its limit, I wait impatiently for its climax. The whispers, the barely audible tale of blood staining the ice on the shore and the face of a boy, explodes into a blood-curdling violent scream that few bands can get near, let alone dream of. The line “I’ll miss you” always gets me. All hell breaks loose and god damn do I wish I had written this song. Slint are viewed as the first true post-rock band, incorporating elements of math-rock with its syncopated rhythms and weird time signatures. Slint were the inspiration for a whole new music style and one that has evolved into its own numerous subcategories.
Throwing Muses – Two Step
Thinking about what I might write about Two Step, I had a look at reviews of the album The Real Ramona for some inspiration. Obviously, I know why I like this song, don’t get me wrong, it’s easily my favourite Throwing Muses track but what I’ve discovered is that a lot of fans of the Thowing Muses love this one. For some peoples, it’s their favourite of all time. If you are a huge Muses fan I can understand why. Two Step sways and jangles from its opening till the very end of the track, with its chiming guitar reverberating throughout. It’s a sweet song, showing a softer side to Kristin Hersh’s bipolar personality, at a time when her step-sister Tanya Donelly (Belly, Breeders) was still in the band. It’s beautiful, melodic, intertwining guitar leads touch on the strong surf sound found with their 4AD friends, The Pixies. The rhythm sounds like soft waves lapping at a golden shore and like the sea, it meanders through peaks and troughs of volume with moments of sudden intensity. However, it never deviates from its charming romanticism. Two Step is the perfect closing track to the best Throwing Muses album and showcases the best of this band. Elegant, refined and enchanting.
No comments:
Post a Comment