Thursday, Oct. 01, 2009
Podpicks for October 1, 2009
"The Fixer" by Pearl Jam - From the spanking new disc "Backspacer
This week we recommend tracks from three holdover rock acts from the '90s that are still kickin' and churning out kick-ass new material - which you can download to your iPod or other personal media device.
"The Fixer" by Pearl Jam - From the spanking new disc "Backspacer," the band's ninth album and first released without the help of a major label. Pearl Jam has distanced itself from its grunge roots and even moved away from its experimental middle period. Eddie Vedder and crew have been finding the center of more straight forward rock since 2006's self titled, "Pearl Jam." "The Fixer" is Pearl Jam doing what Pearl Jam does best: screaming in tune through line after line of everything the protagonist of the song would like to fix. The barrage of guitars by Mike McCready and Stone Gossard - the capable rhythm section of Jeff Ament and Matt Cameron lay it down seamlessly. Free of past angst, this new Pearl Jam sounds almost happy, like the guys are still enjoying playing music together after all these years.
"Check My Brain" by Alice in Chains - The guitar strings bending down into a dark place. The harmonies echo out a melancholy existentialism as they dive off a cliff only to be raised by the pounding drums and bass of a pure grunge backdrop. If Pearl Jam is distancing itslef from the dark grunge of its past, Alice in Chains is looking to dive back in. A pitch-perfect replacement singer, William DuVall, fills the void Layne Staley left after his fatal overdose in 2002. This is not a tribute or a hollowed-out band trying to make a dollar while shelling out day-late songs. This is good stuff. This is a song that could have been plucked from the AIC 1992 opus, "Dirt." Guitarist/singer, Jerry Cantrell, has always been the heart and soul of the band and he has willed his gothic brand of rock back onto popular radio.
"(If You're Wondering if I Want You To) I Want You To" by Weezer - Rivers Cuomo and the boys have been doing this since the '90s. Some say they are the godfathers of emo, but it didn't take long for them to move on from quirky, little, catchy ditties to catchy rock anthems. Weezer puts a love song into a tight shuffle, complete with snappy hand-clap percussion. Cuomo belts out lines like, "I took you to Best Buy and you took me to meet your mom and dad." In three minutes we are lead from one bridge to another, as the drums and strum of a boogie beat breakdown the title. I can't wait to see what else Weezer has in store when the new album "Raditude'' drops Nov. 3.