Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Post-Grunge, Grunge Reaction




If you look back on grunge music, it was a movement and not a sound. The critics will throw all the grunge bands into a blender and label them similar but none of the big bands share anything in terms of sound or aesthetic. Nirvana embraced punk. Pearl Jam embraced anthems. Soundgarden embraced Zeppelin. Alice in Chains embraced metal. The most important things about these bands is what came after. While each of the bands was commercially successful, none of them really hit the ball out of the park in terms of sales. Nirvana's 'Nevermind' was the most commercially successful album of the movement, having shipped 10 million units. Pearl Jam's 'Ten' has sold very close to the same number of units. Alice in Chains' 'Dirt' has shifted 4 million units and Soundgarden's 'Superunknown' has sold 4 million.

Now the story isn't about grunge, but you have to know where you came from to plot where your going. When Kurt Cobain killed himself, grunge imploded. Alice in Chains' lead vocalist was heavily tangled in addiction and at this point was really no longer functioning as a normal human being. Pearl Jam has always been consistent but has really never had a significant hit since. Soundgarden's followup to Superunknown went in a college rock direction and touring tensions lead the band to disband.

After the death of grunge, many bands feeling inspired picked up the sword. Taking the distorted riffs and confessional lyrics and putting a mainstream twist on them. The bands in the post-grunge scene sold more albums then the big Seattle bands did thanks to being radio friendly and a little easier to digest. Bands like Bush, Creed, Collective Soul and 3 Doors Down have all been massive successes thanks to their predecessors.

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