It's time for another review of a new (to me) old album - one that I obtained recently.
Now while I did know a couple of tracks from this one, this was the first time I had sat down and listened to the whole album. Now, I don't want to give any spoilers on the album review, but just to say, it is one of the best records I have heard in a long time!
Screaming Trees were at the vanguard of what would become known as the 'grunge' movement out of the Pacific northwest, but having been formed in 1984, they were well ahead of the Nirvana's and Pearl Jam's of this world.
In fact, Sweet Oblivion, which came out in 1992 (a year after Nirvana'a Nevermind) was already their sixth long player. Even with an incoming drummer in Barrett Martin to replace original Mark Pickerel, the new line up hit the ground running, with an album that is tight and dynamic - and a perfect showcase for Mark Lanegan's rich baritone, described in Pitchfork as, "scratchy as a three-day beard yet as supple and pliable as moccasin leather."
It opens with Shadow Of The Season, with a great groove, right off the bat, building to a smooth chorus. The song has some slightly psychedelic overtones to it, building up with some choppy drums. It is also the song that refers to the album title - "Ah Sweet oblivion feels alright."
Nearly Lost You was their 'big time' song (it was on the Singles movie soundtrack) and is a stone cold classic. It has this slinky riff that carries you through, a perfect vehicle for Mark Lanegan's effortless and soulful singing.
Nearly Lost You (Live in Miami, 1993)
Dollar Bill has an acoustic opening, again showing off his voice, smoky and edgy (like falling off a cliff edgy). It ebbs and flows and builds, becoming mesmerising through repetitious motifs. More Or Less provides a heavy slab of funk, all laid back, complete with whining guitar.
Butterfly has a bright, driving riff with good vocal interplay on chorus, making it one of the more melodic offerings on the album. Oh and it has a nice wah guitar solo in it. For Celebrations Past definitely has that late 60s psych-rock vibe (think The Byrds meet Zeppelin). It flows beautifully, and sounds great with that incessant guitar backing the chorus.
Butterfly (Official music video)
Side two opens with The Secret Kind, which sees some great rolling drums propel it into the second half and into a higher gear. Winter Song is full of some truly crunching power chords that somehow raise this seemingly gentler tune into another rock anthem.
Winter Song (Live at the Capitol Theater in Olympia, WA)
Troubled Times has a deceptively slow start, but then suddenly the drums crack and it bursts into life. We find Lanegan drawling over the staccato beat, a song that is now properly swinging. There's some crunchy strumming along with some melodic backing vocals.
No One Knows again finds a fairly laid back groove that pushes the song up to the kind of anthemic levels it probably should never reach. Gary Lee Conner's guitar solo is understated but just right.
We close proceeding with Julie Paradise, a sped up country grunge tune, kind of like a campfire song. Lanegan's voice soars over the chunky guitar, before Barrett Martin comes back in to pummel the song towards the sunset.
Julie Paradise (Audio only)
This album is nowhere near as well known as the big grunge classics, Nevermind and Ten, which both came out the previous year - but this is a tight record, jam packed with soul, energy and some big riffs. Lanegan's incredible vocals are clearly the standout (and what a voice), but the rhythms laid down by the Conner brothers and Barrett Martin add a lot of value here.
For the 2015 re-issue, Martin recalled what made the record so special - and I can't put it any better....
"When I listen to Sweet Oblivion today, I hear the rise and fall of the tempos, the ferociousness of the musical delivery, and the emotional tension and release of the songs. Mark's vocals howl and roar with the wisdom of a man much older than the 20-something years he had racked up by that time. He tells stories that are both majestic and spiritual, as well as haunting and ephemeral. Gary Lee's guitar work is highly original and inspired, even brilliant in places. And the rhythm section work of Van Connor's bass and my drumming makes the band swing like a battleship on the high seas."
Side One: Side Two:
Shadow Of The Season The Secret Kind
Nearly Lost You Winter Song
Dollar Bill Troubled Times
More Or Less No One Knows
Butterfly Julie Paradise
For Celebrations Past
Notes:
Produced by Don Fleming
Released on September 1992
Featuring: Mark Lanegan, Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner, Barrett Martin
Score:
No troubled times here - a magnificent - 8.5 / 10