silverchair – frogstomp

I still love this CD.

Israel’s Son was a single, and has this slinky, heavy aggression (“Hate is what I feel for you/and I want you to know that I want you dead…”), and then it builds up into this big ol’ crashing ending and just… YES! And then it’s Tomorrow, one of the hit singles, you’ll know it. Great tune. And that makes two tracks that are great to belt out while driving in the car.

Faultline is a mid-tempo rocker a la Pearl Jam until the crunchy chords kick in.. then it’s Nirvana. But in a good way! Pure Massacre is another hit y’all will know, another single, very satisfying. And best endorsement yet, my 3-year-old daughter tried singing along with this one. She said, “I like that song, Daddy!” Good girl.

Shade, yet another single, is slower, again fairly Pearl Jam-ish. Cool tune. Leave Me Out is a big and heavy Sabbathy riff. Dammit this should’ve been a hit in ’95. Suicidal Dream could be Alice In Chains if somehow it was a bit slower. Wasn’t a single but it should’ve been too! Madman is head-on punk metal bashing, what an instrumental workout! YEAH! Now, there’s a short riff section at 1:06-1:13 and I’d swear it’s from another band’s song but I’ll be damned if I can place it. Yes it’s a slowed down version of the faster riff here, but it’s something else too. Anyone help?

Undecided is another Alice In Chains-like tune that these guy do really well. Cicada is a decent, slinky rocker a la Soundgarden. And Findaway (the last single for the record) is my favourite on the disc. It’s just a great, loud and fun punk grunge tune that is a blast to howl along with in the car. Love it love it love it.

And I know I went along and said they sound like this band or that, but they do have their own sound too. I think it was just a thing, that period, and probably a heap of influence on some young kids making this record. You know something? For my money, this album rocks out completely. This trio made one helluva noise. And to think they were only 15 when it was released! Daaaaaamn.

Superb.