We're at the peak of spooky season so here is a track that should be more of a Halloween staple. I sadly first heard of Type O Negative when "That Metal Show" announced the passing of front-man and bass player Peter Steele. Years later, I stumbled upon this song on YouTube and knew this should be played every Halloween season.
Despite being written by Peter Steele as a satire of the Goth subculture, it's mentioning of Halloween, Trick or Treat and the harpsichord nod to the Addams Family can make many people think it's more of a celebration of goth culture like Ministry's "Everyday is Halloween" is.
One detail I like about this song is the contrasts of the lead vocalists. Peter Steele already had this gothic appearance and his deep, Dracula like voice sells this track but Kenny Hickey's raspy voice at certain parts and the pre-choruses really help the song rather than cause these to styles to clash.
While Type O Negative ended after the passing of Peter Steele, Their heavy, gothic music lives on in their fans and hopefully Halloween playlists all over the world.
What is considered a masterpiece? Just like music, the label of masterpiece is a subjective label. However, I think one of the very few songs that deserves this honor is a song from the Alice in Chains EP, Jar of Flies.
It's soft yet jagged acoustic guitars and its haunting "oooohs" in the background set the stage for this bleak track. However, the core of this song is Layne Staley's lyrics which are about his struggles with addiction. Layne's words also deal with superficial and distrustful news ("We chase misprinted lies") mortality ("We face the path of time") and the loneliness when it comes to fighting personal struggles.
What makes this song brilliant is that while this a personal song for Layne Staley, the lyrics are universal enough that anyone with personal problems can relate too. Depression, illness, discrimination and yes, addiction. It is also relevant to modern times with how social media has lead to privacy being violated and self image being tarnish by others. Which leads to the darkest line of the song, "If I can't be my own, I'd feel better dead". These words are heartbreaking and may hit very close to home for those want to express themselves but are unable to.
I really struggle to connect with the dour pop movement of 2017-2022 and its recent resurgence because those songs seem shallow and whiny compared to the deep sadness of songs like Nutshell. Unlike Dour Pop, Nutshell forgoes traditional song structural for a simple yet atmospheric approach. The fact the Nutshell is just two verses with no chorus or recognizable hook shows that this song was never meant to be commercial or be accessible to casual listeners like the dour stuff Olivia Rodrigo or Sombr put out.
Alice in Chains tapped into a darkness that only a few bands before them like Joy Division, Lowlife, and The Cure have reached. Even the title, which is never mentioned in the lyrics, is perfect as it indicates how personal struggles can lead to the afflicted being shells of their former selves. Nutshell is Alice in Chains' masterpiece and with the state of the world right now, it seems more important now than when it came out 32 years ago.
If there was any song that perfectly encapsulated the 1980's, It's Pressure Down by John Farnhand. The beloved Australian sing and one time lead vocalist for the Little River Band made this perfect 80's song 40 years ago. The synths, the vocal effects and the reverb, it's a product of its time in the best way. It also has the best "Ah yeah" in any popular song that I know of.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood may be considered one hit wonders here in the states but they should have also been remembered for Two Tribes. The bass synth in this incredible and I just love how Holly Johnson says "Lets Go" at the start which only in the video mix of this song.
The video is great too. I think it were made today, the would replace Reagan and Chernenko with Trump and the current leader of Iran. They would also have MAGA cultists, BLM activists and replace the Hall & Oates impersonators with like Sabrina Carpenter and Drake stand-ins. Sorry if this post got a little political after my American 250 post.
Hey, sorry about the long absence. With America's 250th birthday today, here are my top 50 American bands in no particular order (there's no way I can do 250). Bands with a couple of foreign members or American citizens born outside the country count. As long as there're at least two American members, they are qualified for my list:
One of the bands I got into during the pandemic was the post-punk band, The Chameleons. Their debut, Scripts of the Bridge, in particular I've listen to the most. The opening track, "Don't Fall', is one of my favorites from them. The spooky sample at the beginning, the menacing riffs with the anger and foreboding in Mark "Vox" Burgess' voice make this an overlooked post-punk classic. Let me know what your favorite song from the Chameleons is in the comments.
I saw a video from Classic Album Review the other day about the worst rock songs of all time and this RHCP song was on the list. He claims that Under The Bridge was "whiney and soupy dreck". Under The Bridge may be one of the RHCP most well known songs but for a good reason. It showed the band were more than a bunch of funk metalheads that occasionally wear nothing but socks.
This ballad was the second single off RHCP's breakthrough album "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". It dealt with Anthony Kiedis' with the depression that came with surviving drug addiction and the survivor's guilt he lives with after his friend, founding guitarist, Hillel Slovak, died from a drug overdose in 1988. From John Fruscante's somber guitar intro to Anthony's self reflective lyrics, it was a mature recording for the California band.
If their was one complaint I have is the Choir that appears during the climax of the song. It sounds way too high, incomprehensible and comes across as cartoonish, almost like the Muppets are singing along.. It nearly derails the seriousness of the song when the band this jamming hard while Kiedis is giving it his all.
If Classic Album Review had a problem it should have been that part and not everything else.
