SOUND BITES

1991 was a really big, and kind of weird, year for rock music. The world was ushering in change in the form of technological advancements and social reforms, and the music world would soon follow suit. As the year progressed and the wave of hair metal had begun to run its course, a new and powerful force was on the rise. By year's end, it was clear that we were on the cusp of a true rock revolution, the likes of which hasn't been experienced again since. I turned 15 years old in 1991. By this time, I was already what I'd consider a music lover, but I hadn't yet figured out my musical identity. As a devoted member of Columbia House, I was hoarding cheap cassettes and quickly becoming not just a music fan, but also a collector. My tape collection was kind of impressive in size, but was stylistically scattered beyond any real sense of logic or reason (case in point: alongside my thriving collection of hair metal were albums by such classic pop/rap superstars as Vanilla...

The Seattle explosion of 1991/92 had a measure of damning effect on major label rock; bands with little to no talent were signed en masse, given blank cheques and reaped the benefits of their owners' marketing machines' full power. With so many bands suddenly bathed in the spotlight, it got a lot more difficult to determine who was worthy of the attention and who was only getting it because some geriatric rich white dudes were using them as pawns in a dick-measuring contest. Though there were some real gems to be unearthed this way, there seemed to be a Candlebox or Sponge for every Primus or Stone Temple Pilots. However, it also meant greater exposure for the already existing Seattle bands. Alice In Chains hit their stride just as people went looking for more of that Seattle sound; and Soundgarden, who had already been around for about seven years (and signed to A&M for three) by the time Nirvana released Nevermind , had unleashed their gloriously heavy third album Ba...

SOUNDGARDEN Non-State Actor From: King Animal Released: November 13 A sixteen year gap between albums makes King Animal virtually impossible to pick up where Soundgarden left off, and the biggest concern raised about the Seattle giants' comeback was whether or not their legacy would be sullied. And, while fans can rest easy knowing that isn't the case, it's also virtually impossible not to be let down ever so slightly with the album; while it's a welcome return, it does tend to veer a bit toward the safe side, particularly on the Chris Cornell penned tracks. That's to be expected thanks to a solo career that's been meandering at best and embarrassing at worst, but thankfully a slight underwhelming is the extent of Cornell's crimes on King Animal . The thing many people have forgotten or never knew about Soundgarden is the songwriting skill of its other members, and this album belongs to bassist Ben Shepherd; his fingerprints are all over this r...

Stream Soundgarden's first album in 16 years here courtesy iTunes. In an increasingly impatient society that's rife with leaks when it comes to high profile albums, that Soundgarden's hotly anticipated return effort King Animal escaped the leak is nothing short of a miracle. Today, patience has been rewarded via an official stream one week ahead of the album's release. So, the burning question is how does it all sound? Well, that's not for me to say right now; outside of posting that link, I'm making no effort to listen to King Animal until I've got a CD in my hand and headphones on my dome next week. I figure I've waited this long while only hearing two (really good) songs in full, why not put myself through another seven days of anticipation and reap a sweet payoff when I'm hearing most of it for the first time and flipping through liner notes? King Animal is out November 13 on Universal.

After the 22-second snippet released last week failed to shed much light on what Audioslave's first single in six years would be like, we got revelations galore thanks to the full length track's radio premiere earlier today. After first listen, it seems Audioslave are content to underwhelm with their hotly anticipated return; Live To Rise certainly doesn't match the bombast of any prior Audioslave release.  Instead it merely plods along down the path of generic rock that's been so well worn by countless hack bands (many of which also appear on the upcoming Avengers Assemble soundtrack) that it less resembles a path proper than a slick, muddy concert site as the Lollapalooza crowd files out.  But hey, enough out of me; check out the new Audioslave single for yourself: