Seattle Sound

Friday, December 19, 2014

Background Information

Seattle Sound is a subgenre of Alternative Rock that emerged around the mid-1980's in Washington State and really put the city of Seattle on the "musical" map. Sup Pop, an independent record company in Seattle first signed major grunge bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden which eventually made the new genre very popular and mainstream. By the early 1990's MTV was featuring many grunge bands and songs on their program. Seattle Sound is a mixture of hardcore rock and heavy metal. The instruments used are electric guitar, bass guitar, vocals, and drums.

Here is Kurt Cobain from Nirvana playing the guitar.

Musical Identity of Seattle Sound

Grunge music characteristically has apathetic and angst filled lyrics along with heavily distorted electric guitars. Grunge also uses purposely off key harmonies and slower tempo with much more complex instrumentation as well. It uses a lot of guitar "fuzz" and "distortion" to convey common themes in grunge like social alienation, apathy, and a need for freedom. Grunge music concerts were notorious for their high energy and raw performances with no theatrical component like the "Glam Rock" bands of the early 1980's.

Eddie Veder from Pearl Jam crowdsurfing

Not only is Grunge identifiable as a musical genre but also as a fashion statement. Many grunge musicians were known for their dirty, unkempt appearances that also reflected living in the Northwest and their thrift store fashion became mainstream. Flannels and baggy jeans are a common wardrobe to this day in Seattle and popular throughout the United States.

Girls wearing Grunge inspired attire in the early 1990's

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. The bands line up during the early 1990's consisted of Eddie Veder on vocals, Stone Gossard on guitar, Mike McCready on guitar, Jeff Ament on bass and Dave Krusen on drums but was later replaced by Matt Chamberlain. Pearl Jam was signed in May 1990 to Seattle's London Bridge Records. The band was known for its refusal for many musical practices such as giving interviews and making music videos. Their debut album "Ten" in 1991 was very successful and also helped Seattle Sound become popular across America. Pearl Jam is still active today and known as another influential American Rock band of the 1990's.

Pearl Jam, Alive. Ten. London Bridge Studios, January 29, 1991.

This song is about a boy who finds out the person he thought was he father is actually someone else. Eddie Veder's vocals are gritty alongside the dense percussion and drums so key in Seattle Sound.

Pearl Jam, Even Flow. Ten. London Bridge Studios, March 1991.

This song is about the experience of a homeless man. This song embodies grunge with its vocal "growling" style and guitar solos mixed along each verse. The video shows people in mosh pits and the hard rock and atmosphere Pearl Jam created when they performed.

Pearl Jam, Animal. Vs. Epic Record Label, March-My 1993.

This song is about the struggles and anger trying to create a good album. The lyrics are angst filled and there is an emphasis on the vocals of this song.

Pearl Jam, Porch. Ten. London Bridge Studios, March-April 1991.

This song is about telling someone you love them. This song has a long instrumental break and Eddie Veder was known for diving into the crowd during it. This song has heavy drums and has that hardcore punk and metal component that make it Seattle Sound.

Pearl Jam, Corduroy. Vitalogy. Bad Animals Studio, January 1994.

This song is about the pressures of fame. Many grunge bands did not enjoy all the fame and media attention becoming mainstream meant. This song has eerie guitar riffs while having almost yelling vocals and loud drums.

Pearl Jam, Spin the Black Circle. Vitalogy. Bad Animals Studio, 1994.

This song is about the band's love for old vinyl records. This song embodies the punk element of grunge, with its fast paced guitar playing and drums. The vocals in this song are yelling and angst filled.

Nirvana

Nirvana was the most commercially successful Seattle Sound bands and is regarded today as one of the most important modern rock bands. Nirvana was formed in 1987 in Aberdeen, Washington a small logging town south of Seattle, by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic. In 1990 drummer Dave Grohl joined the band. Many songs by Nirvana reflect on the depression, relationships, and life experiences of Kurt Cobain reflecting the typical musical identity of grunge. The band's most successful album "Nevermind" was #1 on the Billboard album charts in 1992. Cobain after dealing with heroin addiction and depression took his life April 8, 1994 and with his death became the unraveling of Seattle Sound.

Nirvana, Lithium. Nevermind. Sound City Studios, May 1991.

The title of the song, lithium, is used to treat depression. The lyrics of this song are about a suicidal man seeking religion for help. The video shows Nirvana performing and thrashing their instruments around while mixing between quiet verses and loud, screaming choruses which are a stylistic element of Seattle Sound. The music video and lyrics embody the musical identity of grunge.

Nirvana, Heart-Shaped Box. In Utero. Pachyderm Studio, February 1993.

This song was inspired by documentaries about children with cancer and how sad it made Kurt Cobain feel. The depressive vibe is felt through Cobain's vocals along with the defending riff played during the verses.

Nirvana, Breed. Nevermind. Sound City Studios. May 1991.

This song is about being trapped in middle class America. The song begins with guitar distortion and heavy, face paced drums which are another stylistic element of Seattle Sound,

Nirvana, Aneurysm. Incestide. The Music Source. January 1, 1991.

This song is about Kurt Cobain's heartache with ex-girlfriend Tobi Vail. Many of the lyrics allude to drug use as well. This older Nirvana song has "fuzz" and distortion of the guitar along with heavy paced drums.

Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit. Nevermind. Sound City Studios. May 1991.

Arguably the most notorious song by Nirvana and of Seattle Sound, Smells Like Teen Spirit" is still popular today. The video shows Nirvana playing at a high school pep rally yet they are still giving their raw, destructive performance at the same time. This song used verse chorus form and the main four chord riff is used during the intro and the chorus of the song to have a quiet and loud alternating pattern in the song. This complex instrumentation is another element of grunge showed here.

Nirvana, Serve The Servants. In Utero. Pachyderm Studio. February 1993.

This song embodies the musical identity of grunge with its heavy percussion and guitar distortion. This song is commenting about how teenage angst is over and now they are bored and old.

Nirvana, Rape Me. In Utero. Pachyderm Studio. 1993

Although the title of the song is misleading, it is actually about being resilient through difficult times. It also reflects how Cobain hated his personal life being apart of the media and felt he was being taken advantage of. The song starts quiet then evolves to the screaming and angst filled lyrics of typical grunge.

Soundgarden

Soundgarden was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984. The band was composed of singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell, bassist Hiro Yamamoto and lead guitarist Kim Thayil. Matt Cameron became the band's full-time drummer in 1986 and bassist Ben Shepherd became the permanent replacement for Yamamoto in 1990. Sound garden was the first grunge band to sign a record label in 1988 by A&M Records but did not become mainstream and commercially successful until like early 1990's when other Seattle Sound bands became popular. 1994 was Soundgarden's most successful year with their album "Superunknown" being #1 on Billboard charts. After a few years of arguing over the creative direction of their music, Soundgarden broke up.

Soundgarden, Black Hole Sun. Superunknown. Bad Animals Studio, May 1994.

This is actually a sad song underneath a catchy melody and is about the desire for freedom,

This song starts quiet but for the chorus adds heavy drums and guitar to give it that grunge vibe. It also has a long guitar solo with distortion and riffs making it more eerie.

Soundgarden, Rusty Cage. Badmotorfinger. A&M Records. April 1992.

This song shows the heavy metal side of grunge. The heavy guitar and drums along with screaming vocals really bring out the theme for freedom in this song.

Soundgarden, Jesus Christ Pose. Badmotorfinger. A&M Records. April 1992.

This song is about how religion is exploited by public figures to make themselves in a more favorable light with others. This song begins with a lot of guitar distortion and drums along with yelling vocals to get their point across.

Soundgarden, Outshined. Badmotorfinger. A&M Records. April 1992.

This song has the out of tune harmony element of grunge to it. "Outshined" is about those high confidence feeling and sudden low depressive feeling that ruin a person's confidence.

Soundgarden, Spoonman. Superunknown. Bad Animals Studio, May 1994.

This song is about the conflicting sides of how a person is and how they are perceived by others. "Spoonman" is a song that made Soundgarden more commercially popular. This song uses repetition and yelling to bring the focus more on the vocals.

Soundgarden, My Wave. Superunknown. Bad Animals Studio, May 1994.

This song uses unconventional tuning and many riffs which have that grunge element. This song is about not being concerned with the cares of others.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Alice in Chains

Alice in Chains was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by guitarist Jerry Cantrell and singer Layne Staley. Sean Kinney the drummer later joined the group and Mike Starr settled as bassist in 1990. Alice in Chain's was one of the most commercially successful bands of the 1990's and sold millions of albums worldwide. The band has received 9 Grammy Award nominations. In 1992 their most successful album "Dirt" went quadruple platinum. The band never officially disbanded after grunge died out during the late 1990's but Layne Staley's death in 2002 put them at a halt. They have since reunited with a new vocalist, William DuVall. Many of their songs have distinct odd musical patterns and depressing themes which are elements of Seattle Sound.

Alice in Chains, Would?. Dirt. Columbia. September 7, 1992

This song is about the heroin overdose of Andrew Wood, the lead singer of the band Mother Love Bone. This song embodies grunge with its heavy guitar playing and themes like depression involved with the song.

Alice in Chains, Them Bones. Dirt. Columbia, September 7, 1992

This song is about death and isolation which are common themes in grunge. The odd time signatures are another composition element of grunge. The chorus is repeated several times at the end and suddenly finishing with "big ol pile of them bones" to represent how fast death can come.