The Listener: Down on the Upside

Down on the Upside, by Soundgarden. A&M Records. 1996.

I have desperately been wanting to write another Listener post since writing about Darker Handcraft way back in June. However, I could not decide what album to review (and actually dreaded the prospect of reviewing one). But last week, while painting ceilings, good ol’ Rock 108 gave me my answer when it played a lot of Soundgarden.

Times change, but grunge remains in heavy rotation on Rock 108. Alice in Chains, especially. It is comforting, really, and I cannot help pausing to listen and contemplate whenever Soundgarden’s “Pretty Noose” is played. That is exactly what happened at least twice over the three days I was covering aquamarine (at least that is what it looked like to me) with ceiling white.

As I have mentioned before, I have a special place in my heart for the grunge and post-grunge of the mid-nineties, when I was in junior high. I hated every minute of junior high — but at least it had an awesome soundtrack. And included in that soundtrack are many Soundgarden tunes, which was why I purchased Down on the Upside sometime last year.

Down on the Upside is the first Soundgarden album I have owned and I am unsure why I chose it over their earlier, harder, more popular releases like Badmotorfinger and Superunknown. It was probably because it contains the more iconic, at least to me, “Pretty Noose,” “Burden in My Hand,” and “Blow Up the Outside World.” They scream 1996. Those songs, more so than “Black Hole Sun” and “Outshined,” have that certain affect on me. When I bought it I wanted mid-nineties grunge, and Down on the Upside delivered.

Along with the classics I expected, the album also delivered a number of gems that never made it as radio-friendly singles. Down on the Upside is classic grunge, but it is also slower and bluesy. Critics have noted that it is a departure from Soundgarden’s previous work, as it is not as hard. (“Hard” being a relative term. Soundgarden is soft by Trap Them standards.) It is almost reminiscent of Led Zeppelin in a way, which is probably another reason why I like it. “Rhinosaur,” the mostly instrumental “Applebite,” “Tighter & Tighter,” and “Switch Opens” are songs that make me want to hit my iPod’s back button. The direction taken with Down on the Upside apparently created a lot of tension between the band members, so much so that Soundgarden broke up in April 1997.

However, former band members have apparently made amends as the first Soundgarden album since Down on the Upside will be released next month. Rock 108 is already playing the first single from King Animal, “Been Away Too Long.” It has been way too long, especially if Down on the Upside is a sign of things to come.