Down On The Upside

Soundgarden: Chris Cornell (vocals, guitar, mandolin, mandola, Fender Rhodes electric piano); Kim Thayil (guitar); Ben Shepherd (mandolin, mandola, bass); Matt Cameron (Moog synthesizer, drums, percussion). Additional personnel: Adam Kasper (piano). Recorded at Studio Litho and Bad Animals, Seattle, Washington. "Pretty Noose" was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. They still come armed with their trademark guitar rumble and Chris Cornell's bellowing vocals. But once again, as on 1994's SUPERUNKNOWN, Soundgarden use their Led Zeppelin roots and Black Sabbath might as springboards toward melodic structure and instrumental experimentation not normally associated with bands this heavy. DOWN ON THE UPSIDE begins with "Pretty Noose," a swirling magma of guitar tones not unlike those generated by fellow Seattlites Alice In Chains. But Soundgarden avoids the typical grunge ruts. Guitarist Kim Thayil pulls out a mandolin a couple of times; on "Ty Cobb," he begins by noodling innocuously on it but works up to furious soloing. Soundgarden's punk roots show on that song and on "Never Named," but on other tracks the band shows its subtlety. "Applebite," which features drummer Matt Cameron on a Moog synthesizer, is eerie and disembodied. On "Overfloater," Thayil's low-key electric-guitar phrasing and Cornell's electric piano provide billowy tones and dreamy textures before the heavy crunch hits home.