For those of us who discover new music in used vinyl bins rather than at the club or on the radio—KEXP, I really will tune in more often, and Jet City Stream, I love you when I do—all the year-end best-new-whatever lists go right over our heads. The pleading from hipper friends to listen to Alt-J and Head and the Heart (what, not new?), just reminders of how blissfully out of touch we are with today’s darlings.
That’s because yesterday’s are so much better. And if you’re still with me, this look back at 2012 rock by way of the early ’90s is for you. Here’s to another excellent year of grunge-era revival.
10. New and reissued Brad records
Known since 1992 as Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard’s side project, Brad has created its own spotlight in recent years. (Thanks in no small part to vocalist Shawn Smith’s beautiful delivery and various solo and collaborative efforts of his own.) April 2012’s United We Stand is one of their best releases, a collection of melodic, optimistic tunes consistent with their rock-lite sound. Razor & Tie, the label behind the latest record, also reissued Brad’s out-of-print Welcome to Discovery Park, originally released in 2002—the first step of a planned catalog reissue. A side project no more, the band will tour Europe in February.
9. Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder ditch electricity, get songs onscreen again.
In 1992, Cornell’s quieter-than-Soundgarden “Seasons” appeared on the Singles soundtrack and Pearl Jam performed a still-rousing MTV Unplugged. Twenty years of full-band backing must have had the frontmen eager to ditch the earplugs. Following acoustic solo album releases in 2011, they each embarked on one-man acoustic tours highlighting their crooning and plucking talents. (No shows for either in Seattle, though.) Both also lent solo songs to films in 2012. For Gerard Butler dud Machine Gun Preacher, Cornell performed (and received a Grammy nod for) “The Keeper,” while Vedder’s “Satellite” appeared in West of Memphis. The West Memphis 3-benefiting film opened on Christmas Day; the soundtrack drops January 15.
8. New Original Sonic Sound plays after decade-long hiatus.
What happens when the statesmen of Mudhoney and a couple of friends (Tom Price, Bill Henderson, and Young Fresh Fellows’ Scott McCaughey) get together and cover ’60s garage legends the Sonics? Fuzzy, red-hot rock that’s faithful to the original’s near-frantic pace and power—and screaming only Mark Arm and original Sonics vocalist Gerry Roslie have the pipes for. The guys came together, played several shows, and released a covers record in 2000, then went silent until December 2, 2012. That date saw them reunite at the Tractor Tavern and rip through four Sonics classics. Even better, Mudhoney and the Sonics share a Showbox bill on February 2.
7. Pearl Jam and Jay-Z recall Pearl Jam and Cypress Hill.
In 1993, some record label genius (seriously) thought to pair then-popular rock and hip hop acts for the soundtrack to the pretty cool (no, seriously) flick Judgment Night. The compilation record featured Pearl Jam jamming with Cypress Hill on “Real Thing,” possibly thanks to the acts meeting at the rock band’s “Drop in the Park” concert a year earlier. (Most daring/awesome mashup: Mudhoney and Sir Mix-A-Lot on “Freak Momma.”) Nearly two decades later, with Pearl Jam headlining Philadelphia’s Made In America fest, hip hop magnate Jay-Z led the band through a heavy rendition of his “99 Problems.” Long live rap rock. The good stuff, anyway.
6. Eddie Vedder, Radio DJ
Twice in the nineties (’95 and ’98, so sue me), Vedder hosted broadcasts of live music, songs off his favorite records, conversations with friends, and, of course, political musings. On December 5, he returned to the airwaves with a shorter, but similar program of special punk tunes and seemingly bemused, low-voiced commentary. While the first two shows were available to anyone with a radio, last year’s was on Sirius XM’s fan-fueling Pearl Jam Radio. Bet the audience was a good chunk of those earlier listeners, though. Vedder’s show was the launch of a series, so we’ll hear more from him (and his record collection) this year.
5. Mark Lanegan releases seventh solo record.
Former Screaming Trees frontman Lanegan has, since that band’s 2000 demise, collaborated with many (and varied) artists and released several of his own records. This year’s solo Blues Funeral was perhaps the best release of them all. Like Lanegan’s post-Trees catalog itself, it’s a unique offering that’s less guitar rock than trippy blues grab-bag. He croons over drum loops and atmospheric fuzz, jangly riffs and heavy percussion. The marriage of somber themes (“Harborview Hospital,” “The Gravedigger’s Song,” “Bleeding Muddy Water,” etc.), layers of static-laced instrumentation, and dance-floor beats adds up to one surprisingly addictive record. It’s Lanegan’s latest reminder that a well-established musician need not stay within genre, or even show himself—the guy rarely appears onstage in the US—to stay relevant.
4. Barrett Martin rocks again with new band, old songs.
You may be more familiar with Martin contemporaries Matt Cameron and Dave Grohl, but the Screaming Trees and Mad Season drummer’s talents shone just as bright in 2012. Martin, who nearly achieved a PhD in Musicology, traveled the world, released his own jazz records, and sessioned with a slew of artists since his former bands gained grunge fame, jumped back into rock with Walking Papers, a bluesy supergroup fronted by the Missionary Position’s Jefferson Angell. His global music education gives the band’s self-titled debut world music flavors that deftly complement his heavy percussion. Live, Martin pounded like no other—with a big, happy grin. And as he told this fortunate writer, he not only played a couple of Mad Season songs at Walking Papers shows, he also worked with guitarist Mike McCready on a 2013 reissue of that band’s work. He’s also Walking Papers’ social spokesman, posting eloquent Facebook updates on their tours and progress on a second album, planned for 2013.
3. Mudhoney finally takes the spotlight.
If any of Seattle’s grunge-era bands deserve the documentary treatment, it’s Mudhoney. They came before all the ones you think of as classics, and are still around after so many others have faded away. (January 1, 2013, in fact, marked 25 years.) They’ve survived personnel change, addiction, the major label rollercoaster—and the 2012 doc I’m Now relates the entire story. Brought to you by the team that made Tad: Busted Circuits and Ringing Ears, the film will handily satisfy rock fans of all stripes, not just those who get a kick out wry, punk-loving frontman Mark Arm and his cohorts. It was a great year for those folks, though: a DVD of the band’s blissfully ignorant 1988 Berlin show was also released, and Mudhoney revealed that its eleventh studio record will hit this spring.
2. Storied Seattle rockers highlight 12.12.12: The Concert for Sandy Relief.
The highest-profile live music event of the year (decade?) included key players from our city’s grunge glory days—all who re-cemented their mythic status by bookending the Madison Square Garden-set spectacle. Early on, Eddie Vedder joined Roger Waters for a slow-burning performance of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.” Hours—and killer Stones and Who sets—later, Paul McCartney invited Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic (and Pat Smear) to the stage. The quartet basically reset the rock and roll universe with “Cut Me Some Slack,” an original, out-of-nowhere jam. Watch and get chills—again.
1. Soundgarden returns with King Animal.
Thanks to a slick, long-term PR/social media campaign, by the time Soundgarden’s King Animal dropped on November 12, the band’s studio return surprised no one. The same can’t be said for the mighty, majestic record itself. It’s solid from start to finish, 52 minutes of heavy-duty rock only this band could make. That’s the key: it sounds like Soundgarden—evolved. Big, loping tracks that draw from punk and metal and classic rock without a single derivative note. Chris Cornell’s golden voice deftly soars and dives. Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd power each song with near-ruthless rhythm. Kim Thayil shreds with unearthly skill and creativity. Maybe it’s just giddiness induced by the band’s resurrection, but there’s a real sense of healthy inspiration in Animal’s 13 songs. Soundgarden, again, sounds like a band with a future. Next chance to see that translated live (if you actually scored tickets): February 7 and 8, at the Paramount. Here’s betting that won’t be our last chance.
