Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual (1990)

Released in 1990, Jane's Addiction's follow up to 'Nothing's Shocking' surpassed its predecessor in every possible way. That was no mean feat since 'Nothing's...' was a classic in its own right. By this point the band had refined it's own unique and original sound of blending funk,hard rock and heavy metal and the end result was 'Ritual De Lo Habitual', a masterpiece of an album. The album is clearly divided into two distinct halves. The first half begins with 'Stop!', a perfect blend of funk and thrash metal. Dave Navarro proves that he is one of rock music's most underrated guitarists as he tears into a (quite literally) face-melting guitar solo. Bassist Eric Avery keeps up the funk sentimentalities on the next few songs, driving the rhythms with his ever-so funky basslines. Also on this half is the modern classic 'Been Caught Stealing'. The song features one of the most catchiest riffs ever written, witty lyrics and a solid rhythm section. It almost forces the listener to dance along to its beat, such is its addictive nature. The next half sees the band exploring slightly darker territory. The songs are longer, moodier and more atmospheric. On the epic 'Three Days', singer Perry Farrell deals with the time he spent three days with his girlfriend and a girl named Xiola Blue in a "haze of sex and drugs". The song twists and turns, and is emotionally charged. 'Then She Did' is just as emotional, dealing with the death of a loved one, perhaps even two. Both songs combined clock in at 20 minutes and compliment each other well. The album closer is the complete opposite of the opener with its soft acoustic nature. Although Jane's Addiction would break up soon after the release of this album (the first of two break ups), they left behind a legacy that only a few bands could have accomplished in a such a short period of time and 'Ritual De Lo Habitual' provides a testimony to that.

Song Picks :

• Stop!
• Ain't No Right
• Been Caught Stealing
  
• Three Days
• Then She Did
  

Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking (1988)

Most of today's alternative rock bands owe more to Jane's Addiction than they get credit for. Released in 1988, Jane's Addiction's debut studio album 'Nothing's Shocking' quite literally sent shockwaves through the music industry. Mixing various styles such as modern rock, progressive rock, and heavy metal, they became one of the first pioneers of Alt-Rock. With Dave Navarro's funky guitar style, Eric Avery's bouncing basslines, Perry Farrell's unique vocals and Stephen Perkins' tribal-like drumming, Jane's Addiction created a dynamic that few bands can replicate today.

The album has its fair share of Zeppelin-like moments such as the heavy hitting 'Mountain Song' and 'Pigs in Zen'. The band even has its own quirky moments as well, such as the horn-filled 'Idiots Rule' and the jazz instrumental 'Thank You Boys', but also displays a genuine penchant for hard rock styles in the form of the brilliant 'Had a Dad' and 'Standing In The Shower...Thinking'. Dave Navarro's guitar playing really shines through on these songs with funk-laced guitar lines and classic blues solos.Bassist Eric Avery must also be given due credit as many of the songs are driven by his haunting basslines.A prime example of this would be the beautiful psychadelic rocker 'Summertime Rolls'. Jane's Addiction shows off their softer side in 'Jane Says', an acoustic guitar driven ballad, perhaps the sweetest song on the entire album. However, the album's most epic song remains the seven-minute long 'Ted, Just Admit It.' Dealing with serial killer Ted Bundy, the song is a funky,disturbing free-form jam that shows off each of the band member's individual strengths. Despite the different styles displayed on 'Nothing's Shocking', the album is a thoroughly consistent affair, an album that would ultimately pave the path for future alternative bands who would come to define the 90's and remains as fresh as ever even today.

Song Picks :

• Ted, Just Admit It
• Mountain Song
• Summertime Rolls
• Had A Dad
• Jane Says
• Standing In The Shower...Thinking

Isis - Wavering Radiant (2009)

Isis' fifth full-length album starts off with a bang through album opener 'Hall Of The Dead'. Unlike their previous album 'In The Absence of Truth', the band wastes no time getting to the point and unleashes a chugging heavy metal riff. But Isis is not about being heavy, its about the ambiance, creating an atmosphere to lose yourself in. Their music can be loosely classified as post-metal, but upon comparison to their previous albums, 'Wavering Radiant' clearly demonstrates an evolution of their sound.All the songs present on the album are fluid, organic pieces. There is no verse-chorus-verse structures, just musical passages. Unlike previous albums, 'Wavering Radiant' has no over-arching theme, it may be there but perhaps not evident enough. Keyboards take an important role in the album as band member Clifford Meyer gives texture to the songs when they need it the most. The transition from heavy distorted riffs to clean interludes gives the songs a wavy, dream-like feel. But therein lies the beauty. Also of note is vocalist/guitarist Aaron Turner's emphasis on clean sung vocals. While he still employs his harsh death metal growl, the balance of the two styles is well maintained. As usual, his vocals are mixed a bit lower, making the lyrics undecipherable. Tool's Adam Jones makes a guest appearance on the album, contributing guitar work to the epic 'Hall Of The Dead'. Drummer Aaron Harris maintains a tight groove throughout along with bassist Jeff Caxide (hear '20 Minutes/ 40 Years' for further proof). Overall, 'Wavering Radiant' will be one those albums not too many people would have heard as the songs are long (the songs are minimum 7 minutes in length) and the band unheard of, but for non-Isis fans, this is as mainstream as it gets.

Song Picks :

• Hall Of The Dead
• Ghost Key
  
• Hand Of The Host
• Threshold of Transformation

Art Brut - Art Brut vs. Satan (2009)

After listening to English-German indie rock band Art Brut's 'Art Brut vs. Satan', one word comes to mind : idiosyncratic. The lyrics deal with unusual and odd topics such as public transportation ('The Passenger') and adults who haven't quite grown up ('DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshake'). Lead 'singer' Eddie Argos doesn't actually sing but rather converses with the listener. The songs itself are quite catchy and there are some genuine pop-rock goodies to be found on the album. The guitars weave in and out throughout the songs and the bass is prominently audible which adds an always welcome punch. However the main weakness of 'Art Brut vs. Satan' is that it's charm wears off mid-way through. The first few songs are highly energetic and the nonsensical lyrics are quite amusing but halfway through the album the songs start to get rather annoying and similar in nature. While the childish and immature nature of Art Brut may be appreciated by some, there's no denying that there is not enough quality material on their third album to captivate a first-time listener's attention for very long.

Song Picks :

• DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshake
• The Passenger
• What A Rush
  

Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream (1993)

Smashing Pumpkins' 1993 sophomore effort 'Siamese Dream' is one of the definitive alternative albums of the 90's.The riffs are extremely catchy, the distorted guitars sound just right, the production is solid and the album is well balanced. However the above wouldn't matter if the songwriting wasn't excellent. As with all Smashing Pumpkins albums, this one is completely dominated by lead singer/guitarist Billy Corgan's ideas. The thing that makes this album truly great is it's ability to mesh completely different musical styles on one song. Many of the songs start off with the heaviest of riffs only to be overshadowed by dream-pop like interludes, sucking the listener even further into the songs ('Silverfuck') . On some of the songs this dynamic is reversed but it still works to great effect ('Soma'). On this album were many of today's modern rock anthems such as 'Cherub Rock', 'Hummer' , 'Rocket' and 'Today'. If people ever thought that Coldplay were being original when they composed 'Viva La Vida', I must request them to listen to 'Disarm', the only acoustic ballad on the whole album. Jimmy Chamberlin proves himself to be great drummer providing complex and innovative drumming throughout the album ('Geek USA'). A standout feature of this album is it's sound. The guitars sound layered and heavy especially the crunchy distortion.The guitar solos wail through the background, the bass rumbles at just the right pitch and the drums thud along perfectly. While the early 90's may have been dominated by Nirvana and Pearl Jam, 'Siamese Dream' remains one of the greatest albums of the era.

Song Picks :

• Cherub Rock
• Hummer
• Rocket
• Today
• Disarm
• Geek USA
• Silverfuck