{"id":39686,"date":"2006-03-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-03-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/sweet-oblivion\/"},"modified":"2006-03-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-03-21T00:00:00","slug":"sweet-oblivion","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/sweet-oblivion\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweet Oblivion"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Screaming Trees (Mark Lanegan – vocals, Gary Lee
\nConner – guitars, Van Conner – bass, Barrett Martin – drums) were
\none of the many bands that emerged from the grunge scene seemingly
\nfrom nowhere. In reality, they had been a part of the Seattle music
\nscene for several years, releasing a number of albums and EPs.
\nSweet Oblivion<\/i> was their sixth full-length release in as
\nmany years, and remains the high-water mark of their unfortunately
\ndodgy career, one marked by band member infighting and the
\nubiquitous substance abuse problems. It’s a shame the guys couldn’t
\nkeep their personal lives and creative juices focused tighter,
\nbecause it could have made them a household name.<\/p>\n

While the Trees never broke away from the pack to find the kind of
\nrunaway success some of their grunge era contemporaries did, they
\nstill made a significant mark on the sound of the time. A big
\nreason they stood apart from many of their grunge peers was having
\na more melodic (but no less murky) sound than the likes of Nirvana
\nand Soundgarden. Much of their sound feels rooted less in the punk
\nand metal ancestors many grunge bands embraced, and more firmly in
\nthe psychedelic folk-rock of the late 60s-early 70s. Gary Lee
\nConner’s loosely structured melodies and amorphous solos swirl and
\nwander in and out of the restrained but powerful rhythms of Martin
\nand brother Van.<\/p>\n

Lanegan was also unlike most of the grunge era
\nsingers both in sound and style. His deep, smoky voice is
\nreminiscent of Jim Morrison at times, and his laid-back drawl was
\nunlike most of the urgent and often nihilistic voices that came out
\nof that movement. Even at his most effusive, Lanegan’s voice wears
\na cloak of weary resignation. This works perfectly on songs like
\nthe “More Or Less,” with its melancholy chorus that drips with
\nfinality and surrender; “Now that we’ve run this road so many times
\n\/ Tonight it will not take us home \/ Gonna go to that deep river \/
\nWhere the water’s moving slow.”<\/p>\n

The same emotion shapes the killer opening track
\n“Shadow Of The Season,” which became a minor hit for them. One of
\ntheir heavier numbers, driven by Martin’s powerful percussion,
\nLanegan’s throaty shout cries for hope but belies a deeper dread of
\nloss; “Said Lord please give me what I need \/ He said there’s pain
\nand misery \/ Oh sweet oblivion feels alright.”<\/p>\n

Most of the momentum for this release (what there was
\nof it) came from their most well-known song “Nearly Lost You,”
\nwhich made a big smash after its inclusion on the Singles<\/i>
\nsoundtrack and became a staple of radio and MTV for several months.
\nDespite the popularity of the track the album never took wings,
\nfailing to even make gold record status.<\/p>\n

It’s really a shame, because more exposure and a
\nquick follow-up album might have put them up in the hierarchy of
\nbands that took off from the first wave of the grunge explosion. On
\ntop of that, dissension within the band, drugs and alcohol would
\nkeep them out of the studio for four years, which successfully
\nkilled any hope of riding the surge of popularity of the
\nNorthwest-based grunge scene. By the time they came back in 1996
\nwith Dust<\/i>, no one cared. This band should have been an
\nimportant chapter in the grunge legacy, not just a footnote.<\/p>\n

Regardless of its relative success or lack thereof,
\nSweet Oblivion<\/i> is an excellent listen and would probably
\nappeal to a lot of folks who didn’t care for the heavier grunge
\nbands. This is truly an overlooked gem from the era and should be
\ngiven its due as one of the best of the early grunge albums.<\/p>\n

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