Review Summary: A stepping stone to greater things as opposed to being a brilliant work in itself
Initial playthroughs of Soundgarden's second full length LP 'Louder Than Love' may provoke the idea that Soundgarden simply rewrote the same song 12 times. Indeed the production technique seems to have been much the same for each track, and the band never really appear to venture beyond the dark and heavy rock genre, but repeated listens reveal subtle divergences into other genres and styles.
As the back cover would suggest (three of the four members sport long black zeppelin-esque hair) Soundgarden have a ear for 70's style classic rock, best showcased by the second track 'Hands All Over' which is lead by a downright groovy guitar riff. Other songs like 'Get On The Snake' and the lead single 'Loud Love' have a similar classic rock vibe (The chorus to Loud Love could almost come from one of the heavier hair metal bands. Almost...) and with Chris Cornell's wailing lead vocals, Soundgarden at times sound like a garage band that were thrust onto a stadium. Indeed the music and melody to 'Big Dumb Sex' are perfect for rock radio, but the lyrics reveal it was written with self awareness and cynicism, satirising the vulgarity of sex in rock n' roll.
However, as their Seattle background would suggest, Soundgarden do indulge into grungier tones on tracks like 'Gun' and 'I Awake'. These tracks have an intentional slow dirge reminiscent of fellow north-western band The Melvins. Another similar trait between the two acts is an aptitude for noise. Although Soundgarden never collapse into full noise rock, they do show glimpses of it, for example the intros to 'No Wrong No Right' and 'Power Trip' are loose and wandering, littered with slimy guitar tones .
One song that sticks out like a sore thumb is 'Full on Kevin's Mom', a fast paced punk song about sleeping with a friends mom and the consequences to friendship involved. Whilst variety is never a bad thing, this track feels like it would be better placed in a pop punk album than anything Soundgarden ever put out. There is nothing wrong with humour and there’s nothing outright 'bad' about the track itself, but in the context of the album it feels a little awkward and out of place.
As far as lyrics go, the songs each seem to have a general theme to them ('Gun' is about... having a gun and considering what to do with it) but there are plenty of Nirvana-esque lines that could be about anything or nothing 'Hey mr. shame Have you got a name/I don't feel like calling you buddy'. However, with a band as sonically striking and generally loud as Soundgarden, the dictionary meaning of the lyrics don't appear to be the main focus, rather their tone and ability to enhance a track's atmosphere. Take 'Gun' for example, Cornell's lines about armed devious intent sit well on the songs almost demonic main riff. The lyrics compliment the musics 'feel' as opposed to standing particulars strong on their own. Cornell's singing sounds looser and less meticulous than it does on later records such as 'Superunknown', perhaps reflective of his younger age. Whilst at first I missed the perhaps more practiced vocals of later albums, in time I began to appreciate Cornell's more rough n' ready singing and the charm of its loose ferociousness.
'Louder Than Love' can be considered a positive stepping stone to greater things as opposed to a fully accomplished work in itself. It is worth a listen for Soundgarden fans and people interested in the earlier Seattle scene but despite inspired moments such as the towering and infectious groove of 'Hands All Over', it too often collapses into forgettable, arguably faceless tracks like 'Uncovered'. Fortunately, things would only go up from here.
