Smells Like Grunge Spirit.

Skin Yards

Grunge is often played in 70’s until their climax in early 90’s. The word Grunge itself means a lot that can describe just by when you hear their tempo,guitar sounds,etc. Grunge has a dirty sound,strong riffs, and heavy drumming. Guitar usually tuned to a lower key. The lyrics are described anger,frustrated, sad,depressed,and fearsome. Maybe I should say Grunge have their own ethics,cause Grunge never follow trends.“Grunge is not a fashion statement. it was turned into one by preppy assed MTV suckers who thought Kurt Cobain was the shit, then took flannel shirts and ripped jeans to the runway. Grunge is not alive. although there are some pretty great bands out there that sound grunge, and Pearl Jam is still making records, grunge is essentially dead. Grunge is not homo music. although grunge does not tend to slander or bash homosexuals, it is not homosexual music. it is usually called homosexual music by disgruntled hair metal fans, who are pissed off that grunge peed out the last embers of their dying scene. but you have to remember, these people idolize men who wear womens makeup and pantihose, who use more hairspray than a chick, and seem to have to show each other their cocks all the time? whats gayer, pantihose or ripped jeans... mmm i dunno!

Pearl Jam

fans of shit-assed nu metal bands like slipknot and Marilyn Manson seem to rip on Grunge for homosexuality quite a bit.but tell me who's gayer, a quartet from seattle, sometimes featuring one or more girls, or nine fat middle aged men wearing condoms and bondage gear on their heads? mmm... another tough one.Grunge is not just Nirvana. contrary to what MTV tells you, grunge had a lot more bands than that. bands that were better than Nirvana, that only some people heard of. Pearl Jam, alice in chains, STP, Soundgarden. grunge had bands that were better than Nirvana that no one heard of. Mudhoney, Mother love bone, green river, Tad, Butthole Surfers, Dinosaur JR.! there were also many more tragic stories than Kurts Wife blowing his head off! like the Band that could have been bigger than Nirvana, mother love bone. poor andrew wood died of a heroin overdose when the band was still a baby. what about Shannon Hoon? what about Layne Staley? or the beautiful sucsess stories, like the bandmates of mother love bone that didn't give up, and went on to form a little band called pearl jam. ever heard of them? I'm sick of People telling me that grunge died when Kurt did! SUPERUNKNOWN and holes best album live thru this were all released after this. sure, kurt Cobain was the voice of a generation, but not the only voice. ” I quoted that from one of grunge pages http://www.urbandictionary.com/
Some people said that Grunge is a homo music,and others said names of band and judging that as a Grunge music. Grunge is a term used particularly by the media in hopes of classifying the unusual, unique and different sounds that emerged from the Seattle scene during the late 1980's and good portion of the 1990's. However, some Music Historians argue that grunge had existed long before these decades, suggesting that musicians such as Neil Young and The Wipers were the first artists to use the "grunge effect" in their musical compositions. This term indicated the murky, "dirty" sounds that originated from guitars from various artists such as: Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Melvins, Bush, Green River, Alice In Chains, Candlebox, Helmet, Love Battery, Mad Season, Porno for Pyros, Screaming Trees, Silver Chair, The Stone Roses, Stone Temple Pilots, Temple of The Dog and many other bands. Yet, hard and heavy metal rock had been embedded in grunge's roots, since most of the inspirations originated from "raw rock" during the 1960's - 1970's. Another analogy associated with grunge music is a term known as "The Explosion of The Big Four". This described the sudden explosion of underground thrash/analytical-punk/metal music in the mainstream. The "Big Four" refers to the main bands that had caused grunge music to be such a success: Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. 

Nirvana

 Furthermore, the era in which grunge became popular had other causes as well. Most of the younger generations rebelled against parents and society, causing them to turn to music in which they could relate to, instead of the typical 1980's hair metal scene, which included artists such as Poison and Motley Crue, who typically wrote about unrealistic and uncreative occurrences that did not deeply impact society.Example,I took Skin Yards which active from 1985-1992,from Seattle and could said these guys are one of band that make a color for Grunge music. And after that Nirvana,Pearl Jam,and others got their own grungy style.

Sejarah Singkat 'GRUNGE'

                     

Daniel John



Musik Grunge diawali menjadi trend pada awal tahun '80an walau telah ada sebuah band yang memainkan musik Grunge yang telah muncul pada tahun '60an yaitu Crosby, Still, Nash dan Young. Bahkan grup band ini sempat memeriahkan WoodStock'69. Disini mereka menyumbangkan 3 tembang Grunge dalam versi unplugged. Kemudian grup musik ini bubar karena kalah dengan trend Punk pada tahun '70an. Hanya tinggal Neil Young yang tetap bisa beradaptasi dan bertahan sehingga membuatnya dijuluki "The Goodfather Of Grunge". (Literatur:sejarah Musik Dunia, Gramedia).

       

Alice In Chains

Gaya hidup Grunge yang asli adalah gaya hidup yang erat kaitannya dengan sampah. Mereka makan sehari-harinya dari sampah yang dipungut dan dari koin recehan yang dilempar orang,hidup dari tunjangan sosial pemerintah, tidur mabuk di trotoar atau di bangku-bangku taman,dan melakukan tindak kriminal dan banyak hal lain yang kurang pantas untuk kita terapkan dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.
        Itulah mengapa para musisi pengusung musik Grunge menolak dengan tegas apabila mereka dijuluki musisi Grunge!seperti: Sound Garden dan Alice in Chains. Mereka lebih bangga disebut musisi Hard Rock. SilverChair dan Pearl Jam lebih bangga jika disebut musisi Alternatif/modern Rock. Hal ini dibuktikan pendapat dari Daniel John(SilverChair) yang mengatakan dirinya sangat menyukai musik Grunge tetapi menolak dengan keras jika disebut musisi Grunge. Dia menolak karena mereka mempunyai fasilitas, mereka kuliah,hidup layak dan kemana-mana naik mobil.
          Nirvana dan Kurt Cobain juga menolak disebut musisi Grunge. Cobain sendiri lebih senang disebut Punkers, karena mereka lebih bisa berfikir dan menyelami jiwa masihng-masing, bukan hanya karena lagunya enak lantas mereka menari dalam berbagai istilah (pogo,moshing,ect..) tetapi tidak tahu apa ingin mereka sampaikan dari lagu tersebut. Cobain sangat membenci ulah anak-anak Grunge yang sedemikian apatis dan egois Terutama pada lirik 'In Bloom'. Pada t-shirt "Grunge is Dead" juga dapat menggambarkan hal yang sama. Cobain sendiri sebenarnya pingin membentuk Nirvana band Punk. Ini dibuktikan dengan pendapat Christ Novoselic yang menjelaskan bahwa "Cobain sebenarnya menginginkan Nirvana menjadi sebuah band Punk bernuansa seperti Sex Pistols tetapi karena ia kekurangan referensi maka jadilah Nirvana menjadi sebuah band Punk yang aneh!". :)



BANDS REVIEW (4)

    There are no bands that came out of the 90's and rocking in the 21st century that I am more enthused about than Tool. Defining Tool into any particular genre is quite difficult. They are at once minimalist, yet extremely deep and thoughtful. Their music is hard and crunchy yet experimental at times too. To say that their music is complex cannot do it justice. But whatever it is, they simply rock.

Tool's album 'Aenema'

Tool's Aenema is one of my favorite albums of all time. Released in 1996 it is simply a masterpiece of musicality and lyrics. I love the cynicism of the title track, Aenema. Flush LA away. The lyrics to that song are simply hilarious and brilliant.
         Forty Six and Two and Stinkfist are probably the most popular tracks on the album. They are each heavy and pretty straightforward rocking tunes.


TOOL

The rest of the album is a mixture of fabulous instrumental experiments. Most work. Some take a few track spins to get. If you want to challenge yourself try to figure out singer Maynard James Keenan. Meaning, it seems that each track has spawned numerous arguments over just what he actually means with each lyric. Personally I am a huge fan of drummer Danny Carey. Mixing all sorts of bombastic beats with tribal rhythms, you never know what you might hear from song to song. And guitarist Adam Jones is one of my top three favorite guitarists. I am awed by his talent on every successive album they release.
I love this band. I love this album. They are one of the best groups in the 90's. They are most certainly my favorite group to come out of the 90's that are still together making tunes

Grunge Time From Bali

Navicula

  Navicula the Green Grunge Gentlemen

Navicula was formed in 1996 in Bali, Indonesia by two musician activists: Robi and Dankie. After changing personnel numerous times, the current formation is: Robi (vocals, guitar), Dankie (guitar), Made (bass), and Gembull (drums). The name Navicula was inspired by a type of single celled golden algae, which is shaped like a small ship (in Latin Navicula means small ship). Their music has a grunge rock undertone, but is combined with many other genres of sound, such as ethnic, folk, psychedelic, punk, alternative, funk, blues, and straightforward rock. The band’s lyrics are heavy with activism messages of Peace, Love and Freedom.Though the band has always been active in the indie music scene, in 2004 they signed a contract with Sony-BMG, a major label. Navicula released their 4th album, Alkemis, with Sony-BMG. But, in 2007 they released their 5th album, Beautiful Rebel, independently and returned to following their ideals through the indie music scene. In 2009 Navicula released a 6th album “Salto”, and they are now working on their 7th full-length studio album (release date still to be announced). Navicula is based in Bali, but continue to keep up a national profile.


Here is one of Navicula song called Mafia Medis. enjoy :)

Navicula’s music is strongly influenced by alternative 90’s rock,especially grunge rock/Seattle sound, through bands such as Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana. But what makes their music so unique is their condition of beginning in the melting pot of modern Bali and having the opportunity to mold their creativity out of contrasts so extreme. 
“You could say music is our religion… in it there is philosophy, ethics and rituals. Our money and time is spent on music. Your religion is where you spend most of your time.”
- Robi (vocalist of Navicula)

From the spiritual mountains of Bali’s ancient kingdoms, to passion driven international artists who have come to find inspiration in Bali, and the raw punk rockers of down-town Kuta, this band finds their own taste through it all, the taste of ‘golden green grunge’, the taste of Navicula.

source http://www.naviculamusic.com

BAND REVIEW (3)

 1st Album 'Definitely Maybe'

        Oasis came out of Britain in the mid-90's blazing a rock and roll trail with Definitely Maybe, then a year later with (What's the Story) Morning Glory. Both of these albums rank among my favorite rock and roll albums of the 90's.
   Not very grundge but definitely alternative, Liam and Noel Gallagher created some of the best anthemic rock and roll songs played during the 90's.Possibly my favorite Oasis song is "Live Forever" on Definitely Maybe. This one song, in my mind, held the great potential that this band could achieve, and subsequently lost.

Noel Gallagher
(guitar)

Morning Glory is definitely a classic 90's album but it was Oasis' peak. They haven't been the same since that release in '95. The brothers just couldn't keep it together and wound up fighting and creating other drama with their drinking and other strange mess. A potentially great band lost to virtual 90's obscurity. Oasis may in fact release new albums, but they will not live up to the greatness that was the mid 90's for this band and that, to me, is a waste. I loved this band. I can hope for a resurgence, but so far, in the 21st century they haven't found the old magic.

90's Grunge Look

In 1990's women's fashion the Grunge trend saw the exit of short spunky hair styles and tight perms and the entrance of too-long-to-be-true, straggled straight or wavy hair. Tight jeans were out, out, out and loose ripped and dirty jeans were in, in, IN!

Grunge fashion was a messy swamp of plaid, flannel, browns, greens and indigos. Fitted was out and sloppy was in.
This is one of 90's look. :)
Grunge fashion was led by music, poverty, apathy and social alienation. And pretty Kurt. And scary Courtney. Grunge fashion was essentially a mix of punk ethic and outdoor wear.And outdoor wear is cheap. And it's function over form, so it was a good way to retaliate against the futuristic.Essentially, the grunge look grew organically.Grunge clothing and hair was generally unkempt.
This is few of how to look a grunge style:
- Flannel shirts
- Ripped denim. Ripped mainly because grunge kids were anti high
  fashion and wore their clothes half to death. Once grunge
  style became popular and mainstream, people would buy their
  jeans and rip them in a bit before wearing them to get the
  grunge look. A pale, half-dead stonewashed denim was ideal for
  jeans.

- Baggy clothes were essential for boys and
  girls. No skinny fit.
  Baggy jeans only. And baggy worked well
  with the layers of
  tops. Grunge clothes never fitted because
  you'd just wear
  something you'd found in a bin, bought
  very cheaply, or stolen
  off a friend who was skinnier/fatter than
  you.
- Hoodies get thin hooded tops to stick under long-sleeved tees.
  Or fat hoodies to wear on top of all your other layers,
  preferably with a really baggy cardigan over the top.
- Hair was ideally lank

  etc.. and there just a few ways to become a high grungy style.
  Enjoy! :)

BANDS REVIEW (2)

The Smashing Pumpkins were darlings of alternative rock during the 90's. Cool people remember their first album, Gish, produced by Butch Vig. I was not a fan of the Pumpkins at that point and did not really have an interest in them then. My interest in the Pumpkins came with Siamese Dream. Interestingly the first track I heard was Cherub Rock which to this day I cannot stand. But the follow-up song that got airplay on alt radio was "Disarm". My how I loved that song. To this day I can count it as one of my all time favorite songs.

 Siamese Dream became one of the great alt rock albums during the heydey. The Pumpkins followed it with the smash hit, double album, MTV friendly Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. My favorite song as well as a young daughter's was "Bullet With Butterfly Wings". Other hits followed: "1979", "Zero", "Tonight, Tonight", and "Thirty-Three". They were a constant on alt radio from 1995-1997.
        One of the better songs that followed the Mellon collie years was for the crappy Batman and Robin movie called "The End is the Beginning is the End". It actually won a Grammy which doesn't always mean the song sounds good but in this case it may have been deserved.

This is one of single from Smashing Pumkins,check out :)



The Pumpkins finished out the decade with two more albums that were mostly ignored but were actually very strong performances: Adore and Machina. One of my favorite Pumpkins song was from Adore called "Ave Adore". It is a nice rocker with a slick beat.
       Corgan kept the Pumpkins together off and on throughout the 2,000's to the present but like most grunge/alt rockers hasn't found his groove again.
        I have to confess to being a little ambivalent towards the Smashing Pumpkins. I just could not get into Corgan's whiny singing voice. There were only a handful of songs I liked but I admit to ranking "Disarm" as one of my all-time faves



Billy Corgan (vocal)

  As fans of alt rock know the Smashing Pumpkins consisted of James Iha, D'arcy Wretzky, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin. The band was and has always been Corgan's. The music and lyrics all claim his signature. The original band was always talented and made great music.      

BANDS REVIEW (1)

PEARL JAM

their album (TEN)

I am going to commit blasphemy. I believe Pearl Jam to more or less suck. Yes, I know they are considered by many to be the greatest American rock band of the 90's. I believe Newsweek magazine even said as much just as the alt rock scene was breathing its final breaths. Their music never did much for me. I could never find a hook to latch on to on any of the songs. Plus I really never liked Eddie Veddar's marble mouth singing.

Part of my malfunction with the band is their insistence to drag political awareness into their music. I find that annoying. I know a lot of you hippy wannabes get all fired up when a favorite group starts spouting off about a popular liberal issue or political figure. Yes, I get that rock and roll has always been a favorite vessel for delivering a bands political bent. I simply want them to STFU. I care about the music. Which in this case was extremely boring.

Ten was their first album and best seller released on August 1991. Four massive singles were released that dominated the alt rock airwaves for a good year: "Evenflow", "Alive", "Jeremy" and "Black". If I hear "Jeremy" one more time my brain will turn to sludge and run out of my nostrils. I actually like "Black" finding it a very soulful and thoughtful song. It builds to a satisfying crescendo. "Evenflow" and "Alive" were hardy rockers that I liked a lot at the time. This was definitely my favorite PJ album by far.

After Ten we got Vs, released in October 1993. They could have released an album full of lullabyes at this point and would have sold 5 million copies. They were at the height of their popularity. They decided not to release a single off this album because they were too cool. Alt radio did pick up some of the flotsam to play like "Animal and "Daughter".

It was around this time that two of the band mates did do something cool which was to try to reel in the costs of Ticketmaster. It obviously didn't work but at least they tried. They thought ticket prices was too high. Gossard and Amen actually went before a subcommittee in Congress to air out their grievances over the high prices.A later judgment by the Justice Department favored Ticketmaster. Bummer for us all because they really suck.

Vitology was released in December.1994. It was another hit. "Better Man" played constantly in 1995. This album would be their last big hit.

Pearl Jam (live)

Pearl Jam release a couple of more albums in the 90s, Yield and a Live album, neither of which came close to achieving the success of the first three albums. Through the 2000's they continue to release various albums and Live sets that barely achieve Platinum status. The media continue to try to find them relevant but commercially they are not the same band that sold 20 million records in the 90's.
I never saw the band live. I trust that they are much better live than the music on their albums.