Jawbox- For Your own Special Sweetheart
In the 90's there was so much music to choose from. Most of my favorite bands are from this time. One of them being Washington D.C.s own Jawbox. This album marks the first time a D.C. based or any post-hardcore band left Dischord records for a major.
And let's just say the awsomeness that is Jawbox's sound only got better with this release. Yes it is polished yet still raw. Angry disonent guitars give way to catchy choruses and spleen shattering verses. Lyrically vauge as just about all of the Jawbox albums, the words are open for your interpitation.
I'm sure some of you have heard the Deftones cover "Savory". And I'm sorry, but the cover doesn't hold a candle to the original.
Blind Melon-Soup
As with all great things, there must be an end. I don't think anyone was expecting the daeth of Shannon Hoon on October 21st. 1995. This album wasn't the commercial success that Blind Melon-Blind Melon was. But the Different approach the band took to recording this album pays off. They decided to go down to New Orleans with producer Andy Wallace to record Soup. With it's unconventional sound darting back and forth between Folky back woods to full throttle rock.
Also included in this album is the Dirty Dozen Brass Band who will apear somewhere on this list again. With songs of drug abuse, suicide, birth, and serial killers where could you possibly go wrong. This is a must have.
At The Drive-In- Relationship Of Command
Before there was the Mars Volta, and Sparta there was At The Drive-In. Now if you've never had the chance to see ATDI you would have missed the most impressive and electrically charged live performance ever. This is a summer time album to me, it's full of energy and movement. this is just the first of the ATDI albums I plan on putting on the list. If you want to hear rock music the way you've never heard keep a close eye on Cedric and Omar.
Elliott Smith-Figure 8
Another untimely death makes the list. Elliott Smith was found dead in his home with "self inflicted" stab wounds to his chest. To say this man suffered from depression is an understatement. You can tell just by apathetic tone in his lyrics. The suffering from drug abuse and depression makes its mark through out this and every other Elliott Smith album.
This one has my favorite song on it "In the lost and found(honkey bach)". A love song from a distance. "Stay with me , hanging around the lost and found"
He's begging to be found and loved, in the long run aren't we all?
Afghan Whigs-Gentelmen
Now anyone who actually knows me knows I've been a huge Whigs fan for a long time. When I first moved to Vegas from Monticello, NY I got the chance to see the whigs open for Aerosmith. Now I spent 75 bucks for one ticket to see one band (I left before Aerosmith came on).
I knew it would be the last time they full band would tour together, so I went. This album was my first taste of Greg Dullis, bottle of whiskey half a pack of smokes sexually deviant rasps.
At the time in my life I got into the Whigs it was perfect, I felt like I was the only one in the world that had those thoughts running through my head. This album holds moments of lust, greed, longing, shame, bitterness, and finally surrender.
The song "My Curse" ends with these delicate words sung by Marcy Mays
"Hurt me baby
I flinch so when you do.
Your kisses scourge me.
Hyssop in your perfume.
Oh I do not fear you,
And slave I only use as a word to describe
The way I feel when I'm with you.
If I have to lie about it everytime I came undressed."
With the next song being "Now You Know" where Dulli scolds the listener with the following:
"Since you're aware of the consequences
I can pimp what's left of this wreck on you
Bit into a rotten one, now didn't you?
Now I can watch you chew
Did you have blinders on my dear
Or were you just willing?
Or was I unaware of the damage a lie can do?
I thought you knew."
You can see this album is a struggle from front to back. This is one of the most bitter sweet albums I've ever had the pleasure of listening to.
I'm only gonna do 5 albums today. I think it's a lot easier to read this way
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