11. Badmotorfinger

Today's Pick:

Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden

1. "Rusty Cage"

2. "Outshined"

3. "Slaves & Bulldozers"

4. "Jesus Christ Pose"

5. "Face Pollution"

6. "Somewhere"

7. "Searching with My Good Eye Closed"

8. "Room a Thousand Years Wide"

9. "Mind Riot"

10. "Drawing Flies"

11. "Holy Water"
12. "New Damage"

People who don't like heavy rock are not going to like this album, but this was huge, and being someone from Seattle, it's not something I can easily ignore. Early 90s Seattle changed the face of rock. The ridiculous glam rock era shifted, and bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden changed that soundscape and brought reality to rock with its full grittiness and raw power. We grew up with this. Chris Cornell's voice is insane. He has a multi-octave range and is a veritable operatic rock demi-god, writing all his own lyrics and playing guitar. I didn't really appreciate the music until nearly a decade afterwards since I wasn't really into the heftiness of metal, but I can definitely appreciate it now for all its emotionality and intensity. The lyrics of "Jesus Christ Pose" and "New Damage" actually helped me cope and get over some things a few years back. The video I believe was banned from television for incorporating the symbol of the cross. People get really sensitive whenever the cross and other religious references are used in artistic expression. Really, the song and the raw suffering and anger is what resonates with me more than the imagery. Plus, I decided to post a live performance by the band in Bremerton back in 92. Oddly enough, he kind of looks like Captain Jack from "Pirates of the Caribbean." Mad times.