Heavyweights (90's)

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Any compilation containing both Nirvana and Belle & Sebastian clearly isn’t portraying one single genre. No, this episode spreads from one end of the music spectrum to the other to give a taste of some of the biggest bands of the 90s. If you don’t agree that these were all big bands than you’re stupid. In perhaps a less offensive manner, if you don’t recognise these bands as big, I encourage you to listen to their music for clearly you haven’t done so in enough depth. If you’re still not convinced, I revert to my first comment

Weezer – El Scorcho
Unfortunately for Weezer, the longer they last, the worse they get. While I’m yet to listen to their latest offering, even the most diehard Weezer fans admit its inadequacy. It’s a story all too common but thankfully we can enjoy their first two albums which were absolutely awesome. Come to think of it, I really didn’t like Pinkerton, the 2nd album, containing this song when I first heard it. Neither did Rolling Stones readers who voted it worst album ever……but its charm grew on me and many more over time. So perhaps there’s hope for there latest offering yet.

Green Day - The Grouch
Before the days of makeup and MTV exposure, Green Day made great music. Not that there latest album is horrible or anything, but it’s so soaked in commercialism I can’t bring myself to like it. The reason these guys got so popular is because they make great punk music, which you don’t need to be a punk fan to like. Or perhaps it was the deal they signed, for we all know the world is full idiots who’ll blindly like anything they’re told to……but that’s another story. I’d definitely quote Nimrod as my favourite album and no I do not like this song for it’s insistent swearing, I am well past that age, it’s just a damn catchy song

Radiohead – Paranoid Android
Radiohead are their own genre, and whatever it is it’s weird. They definitely take a bit of getting used to, but once you do, you’re hooked. His voice just grabs you takes you away into a land of magical flying monkeys who don’t like being stared at, well perhaps you might go somewhere. What I mean is, you just wanna close your eyes, not because you’re bored but because you want to be completely immersed and they definitely deliver on the immersion. This song changes in so many ways it covers nearly all the things that make them great.

Belle & Sebastian – Jonathon David
How do you choose one song by your favourite band when they have 7 albums and 12 EPs, each special in their own unique way? With much pain. But there’s a story behind this band and my associated affinity which I’m sure you’d like nothing more than to hear. For years I’d known of them, through a couple of songs my brother had, however I first got into them myself through the song “I’m a Cuckoo”. From here I moved onto its place of origin, “Dear Catastrophe Waitress”. I unimmediately fell in love with it and began craving more gold by this catchy Scottish troop. So I went to my favourite CD store, Soulseek and began acquiring their other albums. Each one I got, I never really liked and yet I kept on going. The last one I got, “Push Barman…” a collection of all their singles, I absolutely despised. I wasn’t really into the slow, quite style of the other albums but they were still alright This, however was just so horribly boring. I continued to listen to Dear Catastrophe and the others just gathered dust. Then one night, I was watching some friends’ band play and a girl playing before them played an early song of theirs, “waiting for the moon to rise”. It was just her and her acoustic guitar and she didn’t know half the words, yet it made me realise how much I liked that song. I went home and began paying more attention to their older albums. To cut a long story short…………would be boring. At first I got into “Tigermilk” as it contained the two songs I already knew from my brother’s collection but I quickly moved on to “If You’re Feeling Sinister” and fell in love with it. Now throughout this time, I had a friend who was discovering Belle & Sebastian in tandem with me. When I told him how I was getting into the older albums he said he was doing the same, except that he liked “Boy With The Arab Strap” and Push Barman, the two albums I liked least at the time. But now I realise what happened, he was further along in the evolution than I. For as I listened more to Arab Strap I came to love it and listening to his recommendations on Push Barman completely changed my opinion of it. While it is still weak in places I would now say that it contains many of their best songs. These days I like their old stuff just as much as Dear Catastrophe, perhaps more and am really getting into their newest offering “The Life Pursuit”. When they come to Ozzieland in a few short months it will be the happiest moment of my life. It sounds stupid but this is the extent of my love for this band. This song, the first song I got into off Push Barman is celebrating my spectacular journey, one which so easily could never have happened.

Nirvana – Smells Likes Teen Spirit
Nirvana’s music is so soaked in angst that it comes as no surprise that Kurt Cobain committed suicide. The fact that their waning popularity soared when it happened may be the reason behind it. Though that’s not fair, to his credit it was more likely out of boredom or drug-related issues. I really don’t mean to offend those who are big fans for they did make great music and he was rather influential, whether good or bad and for that he should be respected. Also choosing to end things on the day of my sisters second birthday must have SOME significance.