Throwing Muses "Hazing" and "That's All You Wanted"
from University
During the summer, I found a copy of University in what I thought was a very unlikely spot. It was in a decrepit cardboard box given to me by an 58-year old ex-co-worker, alongside a plethora of mostly terrible demo tapes and scratched-to-hell CDs which he had amassed while doing sound for a living. Having only recognized the band name, I decided to save it from being donated/tossed into a dumpster. What I recovered happened to be one of the best albums I had gotten in months. I don't think there really is a bad track on the disc, but I decided to highlight two songs that showcase their different talents and sounds.
"Hazing" is scorned and brooding all around with simple yet effective bass-heavy stop-n-go riffs aplenty. It is a track I would consider the epitome of female-led 90's alternative rock power trio greatness. Much like the rest of the album, this song is just super tight-sounding.
"That's All You Wanted" is a softer, catchier side to this band you don't see as often on this album. A minor complaint is that it's a little repetitive. Now that that's out of the way -- how can one resist those vocals?!? and just a great little song. This song not only truly shows the range of Hersh's singing, but the band as a whole. The cello here helps give it a touch of sadness.
The Rolling Stones "Hey Negrita"
from Black and Blue
Like many of the songs from Black and Blue, this one can stand on its guitar riff alone. This particular one could easily go on forever (it kinda does) and I wouldn't mind much. This one happens to throw in some great coked out Jagger singing/jibberish/hollering/purring that is more unintelligible as it goes on, well-placed sloppy barroom piano, and one hell of a fun jam out to end it.
Yo La Tengo "Let's Be Still"
from Summer Sun
The guitar and vocals are few and far between, in the meantime it stuffs your ears with layers of horns and flutes, live drumming, a 4-note piano melody and spacey keyboards stuck on repeat, and other unidentifiable sounds going in every direction. It's busy with no bombast and no build-up, with a kind of classy subtlety this band can achieve far too easily. Sure, it basically becomes noodling after a while, but it's some damn pleasant noodling. I listened to this a lot while taking lunch breaks in a park during the beginning of autumn -- it did well.
Alice in Chains "Down in a Hole"
from Dirt
I try to exclude singles -- especially ones you can still often hear on the radio -- from these lists. Why highlight songs that have already been chosen for the public ear to be proverbial examples when I can dig up and showcase the oft-more intriguing underdogs? However, singles are picked out of the lineup for a reason, and exceptions are inevitable. Dirt boasts quite a few tracks that fall under this category, but for me the standout is the most single-y single of them all: "Down in a Hole".
It is the ballad of this album, maybe of their career, and certainly one of their most genuine and powerful songs. It sounds absolutely great, and Layne Staley's vocals of course, are especially effective. Especially given the history of his heroin addiction, and what would come of him, this song is downright goosebump inducing. It carries a weight and tone that his/their troubles are a bit more serious than feeling a little down and out, having some trouble with the gf/at the job pettiness. If nothing else though, the guitar slide at 2:15 rules.
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