song of the day: june 9/2011

Soundgarden - Ty Cobb

Album: Down on the Upside [1996]

"superunknown" was a breakthrough in many ways. not only did the album bring soundgarden a new audience, it dramatically expanded their vision, as well as their accomplishments. if "down on the upside" initially seemed like a retreat from the grand, layered textures of "superunknown", you just had to let it sink in. the sound of this album was certainly more immediate, but the band didn't return to the monstrous, unfocused wailing of their early material. instead, they retained their ambitious song structures, fabulous guitar textures, and winding melodies without dressing them up with detailed production. all in all, it's a deceptive album - it might seem like nothing more than heavy metal and grunge, but a closer listen revealed that soundgarden hadn't tempered their ambitions at all. songs like "pretty noose", "ty cobb", "burden in my hand", and "blow up the outside world", are as classic as anything they ever did, while the album's less power-driven songs ("zero chance", "boot camp") and the sludgy prog rockers ("overfloater", "tighter and tighter") make it as solid from start to finish as anything they ever released. "ty cobb" was originally titled "hot rod death toll" but was renamed after the legendary baseball player whose aggressive style and general nastiness fit the personality of the song.

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