![]() That slamming E chord in the second verse defines the song. It would make a pretty interesting Beck cover, however. "Tequila Sundae": The brutal Hiwatt tone and flatulent bass synth give this one a very cool California feeling, but it’s actually one of the album’s weakest.From hook-laden chorus to Pumpkins-esque sitar break… just a killer. "Sister Havana": The best song of 1993, and one of the greatest of the entire decade.It’s sad to think about a glum, dehydrated Nash Kato growing less sexy each year, as 1993 fades further into history and the Urge brand lives on through half-assed reunions and GenX nostalgia. But the attitude and music so impeccably and extravagantly displayed on Saturation are just as relevant now as they were when they were new. And if not, well, fuck. What happened to Urge is bittersweet - though mostly bitter. It’s an art record, really- and it’s a damn shame that few picked up on that. All of the sampling on the second side and the left-in mistakes throughout help Saturation transcend “rock album” status, emerging into “Warhol-esque pop spectacle” territory, as awol drummer Blackie Onassis once described it. Phil and Joe Nicolo, professionally known as The Butcher Bros, make this album what it is. The atmosphere of Satch' owes a lot to the then-novel practice of pairing a directionless alt rock trio with a hip-hop production team. This record is 13 times as inventive as Ten or Siamese Dream. What?! Listen to “Dropout,” or take a minute to find the bonus track, “Operation Kissinger.” But the songs owe just as much to Cheap Trick as “Smells Like Teen Spirit” owes the Pixies, or “Outshined” does Sabbath. And yes - it is fair to consider “Sister Havana” an anthem. There is that Doobie Brothers breakdown in “Erica Kane,” alright. There are a few Stonesy guitar lines, sure. Even more damning, the greater critical community declined to validate Saturation as earnest alternative rock music. At the same time, the DeRogatis’ and Wymans of Chicago failed to realize and perpetuate what was crucial about the band’s sense of fun. I’m not suggesting the band should have been taken seriously. Instead of writing them off as “Vegas revivalists,” critics might’ve considered them the hipster’s hipster, and farther into a punk rock personality than any Billie Joe Armstrong would ever be willing to venture.Ĭritics clued in on Urge’s tongue-in-cheek irony, of course. If Nirvana and Pearl Jam were "modern rock," then Urge was "postmodern." From a purely aesthetic standpoint, they gave their (ringed) middle fingers to the guys that were giving their middle fingers to bigshots like Poison and Ticketmaster. ![]() Kato, Urge’s crooning, shade-wearin’, martini-swillin’ Iceman-slingin’ co-captain. To put this in a light that even my musically-misguided peers will understand- you have your Cobains, your Vedders, Cornells & Corgans…and then there’s Nash F. Pretty shallow shit, generally, although some of it is just great music. They sing about disillusionment toward whatever is handy- the music industry, the opposite sex, stardom, their own mortality. But the motive was always non-conformity.įast-forward 15 years, where the genre derived from punk is now “alternative rock,” and the biggest bands sport self-conscious stubble, baggy shirts and torn jeans. The route was minimalism, yes - and the result was popularity. The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Clash, Buzzcocks… they bled this music not to be popular or even minimalist, but rather to give their middle finger to Journey and Led Zeppelin. It’s all about refusing to do what everyone else is doing. Not political leanings, teenage angst or the chaotic or even systematic dismantling of various establishments. It’s all clear now, though, and it’s easier to pinpoint the minuscule yet significant velvety nugget that Urge dropped on rock history. Consider this: Urge Overkill had the most punk-rock approach of any band in the post- Nevermind era.ĭon’t believe it? I’m not surprised. The root of punk rock is non-conformity. And I suppose if these armchair-rockers only listened to the first 30 seconds of the first song on every album they reviewed, they’d be right about this one.īefore we get into the musical genius of Saturation, I feel obligated to outline the Urge Overkill aesthetic that, after 30 years “together,” has been obscured by a lingering 90’s fog. Universally, the record has been dismissed as… Redd Kross. The interweb backhanded it (“ stadium rock by clever post-punkers” or “ a perfect swaggering blend of arena rock and power pop”) with local Chicago critics similarly dissing it ( Steve Albini called them “frat rock” in his retort to Bill Wyman including it in a top 10 list for 1993, while Jim DeRogatis compared the record to Weekend Warriors by Ted Nugent). Urge Overkill’s Saturation may be the most-widely misunderstood album of its generation.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |