Grunge. Everybody knows Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Many people recognize this style of music as a subgenre of alternative rock. Not too much of a stretch, taking into account how many grunge groups took influence from Neil Young and R.E.M. I mean, golly. Green River gets their name from a Creedence Clearwater Revival song for goodness’s sake. Not as clear, however, is the influence from the less cohesive side of the underground. Today, I’ll be focusing on the more dissonant forms of the American noise rock underground that gave rise to the Seattle sound in the late ‘80s and ‘90s.
Although grunge can be traced back to 1960s garage rock groups like the Stooges and the Sonics (garage rock’s influence on punk rock could be made into its own article entirely), the real development in this lineage can be traced to the late ‘70s San Francisco bay area hardcore scene. Notable names include MDC and D.R.I., not to mention the infamous Dead Kennedys. Without expending too much brain power, one can assume the scene was dominated by a sound largely characterized by high energy and speed. In the early ‘80s, the height of US hardcore (Black Flag’s Damaged was released in 1981 and Bad Brains’ self-titled album was released in 1982), the San Francisco hardcore group Flipper released Album - Generic Flipper. The drastic sonic divergence cannot go unacknowledged. The vocals are nonchalantly delivered, whereas hardcore vocals of the are fiery and passionate. The playing is slow and sloppy, whereas the hardcore dynamic was fast-paced and... well, still sloppy. Flipper was hated for their unique style that incorporated noise, slow to mid tempos, and an ironic lack of concern for their image.
(For reference (and contrast): “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” by Dead Kennedys and “(I Saw You) Shine” by Flipper)
It is safe to say that Flipper’s impact on hardcore was far-reaching. The early to mid ‘80s saw the formation of several bands that could more or less constitute the first traditional wave of noise rock. Some groups took influence from actual harsh noise music (Big Black, the Butthole Surfers), some were involved in the New York no wave scene (Swans, Sonic Youth), but others still were seemingly devout Flipper followers (Scratch Acid, Killdozer, the Melvins). Each aforementioned band contributed significantly to the early Seattle grunge scene. The Flipper devotees were grouped by a common sound: a slower, trudgy aesthetic and a cynical, sarcastic perception of lyricism, which took punk rock and hardcore into an entirely new place.
(For reference: “Man Vs. Nature” by Killdozer)
There were a few notable occurrences in the ‘80s that molded the noise rock insurgence into something distinct. Alternative rock bands like Skin Yard and Soundgarden formed and gained prominence, influential bands like the U-Men and Bundle of Hiss performed hardcore in a noisy way, Black Flag released My War in ’84 (their change of style was a death knell of traditional hardcore to many), and perhaps most importantly, Green River formed in ’84. Seattle natives Green River played in a style that was equal parts Flipper-inspired noise rock, garage rock, and alternative rock. It was in this way that they beckoned the emergence of grunge as an underground punk rock movement. Green River would later break up to form parts of what would become Pearl Jam and Mudhoney, two of the most important Seattle grunge bands (the latter being one of the only groups to remain faithful to their noise rock roots).
(For reference: “New God” by Green River)
Late into the decade, a few groups (Unsane, The Jesus Lizard, Rapeman, etc.) would form and continue to embrace noise rock as a substantial genre, but what garnered much more attention was the blossoming the Seattle sound. Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Mudhoney all formed within a year or two of each other. This solidified grunge as a genre. Some groups shirked their noise rock sound completely. Still others ardently sported this influence.
(For reference: “Floyd the Barber” by Nirvana and “Pretty on the Inside” by Hole)
Enter September of 1991: Nirvana has just swept the nation with the release of their single of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and secured grunge as a mainstream movement, intentional or not. Kurt Coabin reveals to the Rolling Stone in 1994 that he was “trying to write the ultimate pop song.” From the release of Nevermind onward, grunge was regarded as an alternative rock movement. The scratches and scrapes of Big Black evolved into pristine, clean, and calculated instrumentation of Mad Season.
(For reference: “Nearly Lost You” by the Screaming Trees)
Lest we forget grunge’s roots.
-Thus spake the Atma
No comments:
Post a Comment