davewah3's Full Review: Sweet Oblivion by Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees is a rock band that came from the Seattle music boom of the late 80s/early 90s, and is definitely one of the most unique and appealing to emerge from the Northwest. There are several reasons for this. For one, they are not what many critics label them to be. You know, that filthy word of "grunge." If that is a heart breaker for any grunge fans, you may or may not be frustrated with this album. The fact is that grunge is a concoction of classic rock, punk rock, and some heavy rock, which is why this band is often heaped into the grunge group, even though they are purely an example of classic rock, not grunge. The other reason this band is so pleasing is due to their lead singer, Mark Lanegan. For the most part, the vocalists of the 80s-90s were either high-pitched hair band vocalists like Axl Rose, or they were raspy screaming fellows, like Kurt Cobain. Here we have Mark Lanegan, the king of low tone singing. Usually, low tone singing is associated with the word "monotone." Not the case here. Lanegan moves upward on the scale some, but not so much so that it sounds forced. The beauty in his voice lies in the texture, richness and depth it has. The vocals are truly remarkable, and are comparable to Jim Morrison's. Despite these two outstanding characteristics to their sound, plus their top-notch song writing and lyrics, the band never became as popular as one would assume. Not to worry, if you are reading this, it is because you have discovered the band, and now it is your duty to take a chance on the wild side and buy something bizarre for your music collection. "Bizarre", because it is the best thing you have never heard, and few have ever heard. So give old Sweet Oblivion a shot.
Shadow of the Season is the opener of this album. The melodic guitar quickly breaks in, along with the African bongo drumming from Barrett Martin that quickly transitions into consistent heartbeats. Then comes the deep and bottomless voice of Mark Lanegan, who's vocals do not exactly "climb that mountain so very tall", but rather they roll around and sound as though he has been smoking fat cigars for the entire week before recording this song. With lyrics that hook you in, and a catchy beat, this song could easily be a single and is definitely one of the high points of the album. I give this song a 5/5.
The following song, Nearly Lost You, is probably the most popular song by the band. The songs on this album are so well unified, they sound so naturally ordered, and it is quite a beautiful element in making this a fun listen. The song is more upbeat than the opener, and has a catchy guitar riff that purrs psychedelically. It is very painless to see, or hear, why this is one of their most popular songs. 5/5
Dollar Bill kind of caught me off guard at first, as it opens up with an acoustic guitar. Lanegan's vocals gradually push the song to progress into a heavier blare, and Martin drops in and a pounds away some on his drums, then the song goes back and forth between slow and heavy. Lanegan's vocals are truly emotional here, and are quite honestly some of the best he's done. 5/5
The beginning to More or Less sounds more or less like classic grunge, because the guitars sound more sludgy compared to the rest of the album. Still, the song writing here remains to be on a more classical basis. The song seems to drag on and on, and really for only three minutes, but it feels like forever. A slow pace song, it is really a bore to me to tell you the truth. It is a fairly average song, but I tend to skip this one due to its repetitiveness. I only give it a 3/5.
Butterfly is an upbeat track by the band, and has some psychedelic vocals that harmonize with the whaling guitar in the chorus. Lanegan recites, "Cry cry butterfly." The chorus satisfies my ears so much that it nearly makes me weep. 5/5
For Celebrations Past almost sounds like a continuation of the previous song, so it is quite good as well. However, since they are so similar, I can't help but compare them. This song seems less creative and is simply not as pleasing, as the tone is too repetitive. 4/5
Secret Kind is a real rocker from start to finish. It sounds like The Doors through and through, and has some delightful whaling guitars and high energy drumming. The vocals are decent, but the instruments are what really stand out here. 5/5
At the beginning of Winter Song, the album begins to wind down a little bit. This is a very mellow track, and it has a fine melody with a guitar that takes the shape of Lanegan's singing as the chorus sneaks in. It's not as boring as the other mellow tracks, as the monster wakes every now and then (the guitar being the monster). 4/5
The mellow intro to Troubled Times, like track three, had me thinking this would be another mellow track. That changed quickly as the emotional guitar/vocals/drumming came crashing in full throttle, and just when you think things are about to calm down, it all comes back to full swing. It's a catchy and pleasing listen. 5/5
For some reason, No One Knows reminds me of Deep Purple in the intro, and remains a rather calm track throughout, as the real calm takes its toll before the finish. It tends to be a sort of boring track at times, but it is artistically beautiful due to the plentiful lyrics and vocals that are saturated with emotion, plus the loud guitar that leaps in at the 2:32 mark, which makes this a great overall song. 5/5
Much like the third track, Julie Paradise opens up calmly with slow and disciplined vocals and guitar, but not acoustic this time, which means watch out at the 1:19 mark when the real song begins with the heavier riffs. Lanegan proves me wrong time and time again as his voice seems more emotional than ever, as well as his personal lyrics. My favorite part of this entire album is at the 2:51 mark in this song when Connor lets all hell break loose, which leads the way for Lanegan to let it all go with his vocals, and the album comes to a screeching, thunderous, and menacing halt with guitars and drums flying all over. This is the best song on the album. 5/5
Some songs may sound boring at times, but in terms of the overall feel of the album that song or those songs play a huge role in making it one agreeable listen. The overall feel of the album is a 10/10.
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