On the surface, it seemed like a pretty good bit of news to get on New Years Day 2010: Soundgarden is on the reunion trail.
Just before Christmas we were discussing frontman Chris Cornell’s cringe-worthy new Timbaland-produced album in the office. The consensus that we came to was that a restraining order needs to be slapped on Mr Cornell immediately, forbidding him to do anything new at all, musically speaking, lest he trample further on his own musical legacy.
While it sounds drastic, we decided it would be in his own best interest, as well as the best interests of the countless 30-something-year-olds who grew up in the grunge-era. “Come along quietly, Chris. We think you’ve done quite enough damage as it is”.
One possible exception that did come up in our imaginary restraining order was a full Soundgarden reunion. But here’s the thing: do we really trust Chris Cornell – the man who released a cover of Billie Jean, for fuck’s sake – with a Soundgarden reunion?
It’s true that there are precedents. Alice in Chains have reformed – with a new singer, no less – and released a very worthy album with Black Gives Way To Blue. They’ve walked a difficult line and managed to be both true to the sound and spirit of the band and respectful of the memory of the late Layne Stayley, while still moving forward with new musical ideas. Just how they managed to do it, I have no idea – it’s a modern musical miracle as far as I’m concerned (as well as a kick-arse album).
Faith No More is another great example. They haven’t recorded any new material or indicated that they will, but their live shows on the 2009 European festival circuit have been greeted with almost universal fan approval. We’ll get to check it out ourselves when they headline the Soundwave Festival in Australia in just a few weeks.
The difference between Alice In Chains, Faith No More and Soundgarden is that the aforementioned legends had not been doing anything to piss on their reputations while not active, while Chris Cornell seems unable to stop himself from doing the same.
What do you think? Will a Soundgarden reunion suck or not? Should Chris Cornell be banned from any further musical collaborations, or will Kim Thayil et al be able to keep him in line?
Here’s some thinking music for you while you decide:
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