16 years. 16 Years! and we finally have a new Soundgarden album. Now i've always considered myself a fan of this band, although I don't know their entire discography/every song, but Rusty Cage, Spoonman, and Fell On Black Days have always kept Soundgarden strong in my heart, so I was pretty interested to hear what this album sounded like. Well, it sounds like Soundgarden!
The opening track "Been Away Too Long" is a really fun and upbeat opener, a catchy riff and Chris's vocals suck you in as he sings about how he hasn't been to Seattle in forever (or at least it feels it to him) and when he went back he fell out of place, and he never really wanted to go back, but in a fun way. "Non State Actor" is a heavier outing from the band on this album, and Chris has some "screams" if you'd say that make the hairs stand up on my arms, similar to Pearl Jam's "Blood". The next two songs don't really stand out to me but they are alright. This is a problem I have with Soundgarden, some of the songs just seem to be there and sound like how they're supposed to sound, but don't have anything that really grasps me. "Bones of Birds" is a pretty chilling tune, pretty low key but has a really smooth chorus that makes you feel like you're in a birds nest neck deep in bird bones, which I think is what i'm supposed to feel? I really enjoy the next tune "Taree" as well, Chris's voice is in good shape and the parts where he's singing with little noise around him sounds really really good. If you're a fan of the bass then you should love the last couple tracks, starting with "Worse Dreams" it's pretty overpowering but it's a good thing considering the first half is mostly Chris singing and guitars riffing along with the genius Matt Cameron doing what Matt Cameron does. The music ends with "Rowing", which is also my favorite track off the album. At first listen I thought my disc was exchanged for an African American Folk Music CD, but instead it was Soundgarden giving us a "I don't know what's ahead of me but I gotta keep on going" Western feeling song with Chris's excellent voice guiding us down this river. I think it's the perfect closing to this record.
HIGHLIGHTS + SCORING
If you're a Soundgarden fan, you're probably really gonna dig this album, if you're not, it might take a while to sink in for you. There are a few tracks such as "Been Away Too Long", "Bones of Birds", "Non State Actor" and "Taree" that will get stuck in you're head but the other songs don't carry as much kick as those four. Overall I really enjoy this album and everytime I hear it I keep liking it more and more.
8.0/10
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