Number 50 - Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden

 Number 50: Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden

One bad mother

Release: October 8th, 1991
Genre: Grunge
Favorite Tracks: Slaves & Bulldozers, Outshined, Rusty Cage

 

Where I heard it: 

With the kind of musical upbringing I had as a young teen, it was only a matter of time until I discovered Soundgarden. Funnily enough, I was first introduced to their prolific vocalist Chris Cornell all the way back in 2007 as a solo artist thanks to Linkin Park. He was in the line-up for the band's Projekt Revolution tour, playing some Soundgarden staples like Black Hole Sun as well as an epic duo performance of Hunger Strike featuring Linkin Park's Chester Bennington on vocals. I was only eleven at the time, and even without extended knowledge of who Chris Cornell was, I understood that what I was watching unfold had immense weight to it. I skimmed through the best of Soundgarden's catalog following the concert, and continued to play those songs in my rotation for years afterward. It wasn't until maybe late 2017 when I started realizing how many of my favorite Soundgarden songs came from their album Badmotorfinger. Naturally, I figured the rest of the album might align with the high throttle feel of the tracks I was already fond of. While I still adore the album's opening tracks, the amount of depth and innovation found throughout the rest of Badmotorfinger made for a lasting impression that helped bring the burgeoning grunge genre to popularity in the early 90's.

Hits like a Phillips head into my brain
It's gonna be too dark to sleep again
Cutting my teeth on bars and rusty chains
I'm gonna break my rusty cage and run
When the forest burns along the road
Like God's eyes in my headlights
And when the dogs are looking for their bones
And it's raining ice picks on your steel shore
~ Rusty Cage

What to expect:

A crucial cornerstone in the Seattle grunge movement, Soundgarden's metal inspirations stands out in comparison to fellow mainstays Nirvana's punk preferences and Pearl Jam's rock and roll favoritism. Badmotorfinger refines the raw production style of Soundgarden's previous two releases, channeling that energy into heavy guitar riffs which contrast the bombastic vocal range of frontman Chris Cornell. Considered one of the finest talents in rock and roll, Cornell doesn't hold back when belting out screams and wails that contain surprising amounts of musical integrity like in Jesus Christ Pose. On the contrary, his lower register has a soft roar that captivates the listener's attention during intermittent sections of rest between the high-flying action of Badmotorfinger. Cornell's versatile dynamics enhance the dark and mysterious tone of the lyrics, which are intentionally ambiguous in order to encourage interpretation and evoke stronger emotions. The crystal clear recording quality on the album allows every ounce of passion to be extracted from a vocal phrase, highlighting both the tenderness and grit of Cornell's singing that is present in many forms throughout the album, often within the same song. Soundgarden's rhythm section is remarkable in their ability to produce catchy hooks from rudimentary composition. You won't find many fret-shredding solos or head-scratching time changes, but the ambition of the band is unperturbed by such limitations. Badmotorfinger subtly integrates palatable complexity into their music, exploring beyond the bounds of common meter on tracks like Outshined and Rusty Cage that still carry a groove despite their arrangement. These two songs especially are fantastic examples of Soundgarden's synchronicity and chemistry that helped propel their popularity into the mainstream following the release of Badmotorfinger. Sandwiched between the releases of Pearl Jam's Ten and Nirvana's Nevermind in 1991, Badmotorfinger defiantly made enough of a splash for its ripples to still be seen among today's hard rock bands.

 

Arms held out in your Jesus Christ pose
Thorns and shroud like it's the coming of the Lord
And I swear to you I would never feed you pain
But you're staring at me like I'm driving the nails
~ Jesus Christ Pose

 

Why it's my favorite: 

Like many of my favorite artists, I didn't come to appreciate their full catalog until the death of a significant member within the lineup. For me, the loss of Chris Cornell came as a shock, but I wasn't personally struck with grief at the time. As I began to reminisce my own memories of Chris's stage presence and combed through Soundgarden's songs in tribute, I slowly understood the deeper tragedy behind his passing. His emotionally gripping lyrics came from a dark place of mental anguish and despair, which he exercised through powerful performances both live and in studio. Slaves & Bulldozers was famously part of the encore of Soundgarden's final show, and the song quickly became a memento to me of Chris' incredible talents and wholesome spirit that were sadly taken from us so abruptly. Badmotorfinger strikes a chord with me for its sheer magnitude attained through songwriting that is unfiltered, unrelenting, and unapologetic. I feel fortunate enough to have witnessed even a taste of that with my own eyes. Chris Cornell's legacy will resonate for years to come, thanks largely in part to the music he thrived to produce. May he rest in peace.