Black Rain

So Soundgarden reunited earlier this year. Everyone (including myself) thought they announced their reunion right at midnight on January 1st, but it turns out they were apparently just announcing the launch of an official website, but whatever the case was, they DID get back together at some point. They've played a handful of shows and also released a retrospective. That's right, a RETROSPECTIVE, not a new album. Why would they make a "new" album with Black Hole Sun and Spoonman and stuff like that on it...?

Anyway, there was one sort of brand new song that was released with Telephantasm, that being Black Rain. Sort of new because it was a half-finished demo from the Badmotorfinger days in 1991 that was rediscovered, rewritten and partially re-recorded by the band this year.



First of all, as everyone knows, the music video was directed by Brendon Small of Metalocalypse and Home Movies fame. I think it's pretty awesome.

So anyway, I love this song. At first I just figured "well, it's new (to me) Soundgarden, of course I'm excited about it, I'll get over it" but this song really is great. The stuff they did in the Badmotorfinger is some of their best, in my opinion, and I think during that time they could easily get away with making riffy showoffy songs just because they could, and this is one of them. It's basically just a bunch of great heavy guitar riffs thrown together with Chris Cornell screaming, and they get away with it.

They haven't revealed just what was re-recorded, but if I had to guess, I'd definitely say that they redid the drum track because it sounds nothing like the Badmotorfinger drum sound, it's much louder and heavier. The guitars and bass could be from 1991 or 2010 and probably still sound the same, which leaves Chris Cornell's voice. I'd say the chorus ("cry on black rain") and the wailing near the end were probably recorded this year and everything else was old, but I could be way off. Either way he hits the high notes throughout the entire song so he's still got it.

Another theory I have about the song is that it was the first incarnation of the song Fell on Black Days. I remember reading an interview from when Superunknown came out where they were saying that they had tried to work the song out in various forms for a while, and he even says "black day" before the chorus, which could also easily be switched from "cry on black rain" to "fell on black days". But again, I could be way off.

Also, I must say, this band are very underrated riff writers (they were/are all prolific songwriters). Even a long forgotten song like this one is nothing but cute, cuddly, heavy riffs, one of my favorites being the odd one that first appears in the middle and then at the very very end. You know the one.

If I could hug my love, could I trade
For your wings to cover me unless I fall
Half alive I hurt the most brilliant lie
Sleepless eyes, close the light
Death's the mind wide open

You can’t stutter when you’re talking with your eyes
By cutting out your tongue you save face
Feeding on the blood running from a black day

Cry on black rain, cry on black rain
Cry on black rain

They've played it live twice so far. The first time was at a release show for the latest Guitar Hero game, the other (and by far superior) was on Conan.



You'd better believe they tear it up.

I love Soundgarden.