Review Summary: Well, my life didn’t change for the better, but I was intrigued nevertheless
On the moment of the full-fledged debut release in 1997 young and ambitious guys from Grinspoon already pumped out two EPs – eponymous one and
Little Bottle Cozy, and were gradually gaining popularity in the alternative scene. By that time they had a couple of local hits,
Sickfest (re-recorded for the debut, really nice track) and
More Than You Are, so it would be a lie to say
Guide to Better Living went unnoticed. On the contrary, there were already some eyes on the young band.
But before we will dig into the album itself there is one more fact that’s worth mentioning. Just like their Australian colleagues from
Silverchair (even though they started a few years earlier, but it’s unimportant), Grinspoon consisted of the guys around 18 years old in age at the moment of formation. And these circumstances in one way or another should have impacted the band’s sound.
Do not think I am referring to their musical expertise. I have not a single doubt about their competence in instrumental skills, and
Guide to Better Living proves that nicely. The guitars present crushing and energetic riffs and licks, the bass creates a palpable rhythmic cocoon in low frequencies, and the drums assuredly drive this heaviness in the right direction, at the same time producing their own musical pattern. Phil Jamieson demonstrates commendable vocals for the chosen genre, and amply controls all the generated aggression spewing it out in periodic bursts. No, there can be no reproach towards the sound mayhem we get.
However, all this youthful energy (pardon such phrasing, I am NOT scolding) has its reverse side. Bands like that quite often choose to follow what they find interesting, which sometimes hurt the search for their own voice. On the first two albums the abovementioned Silverchair eagerly copied some of the temples established by
Nirvana. And on
Guide to Better Living we encounter something similar. Though one difference is that Grinspoon demonstrates a wider array of influences: here we see snippets of
Alice in Chains, there – of
Rage Against the Machine, and no need to forget about
Helmet.
As you might already know on
Guide to Better Living the band primarily operates in alternative metal, and does it quite commendably. Almost every cut follows a single template (except for pop punkish
Just Ace): a forceful introductory riff, a short verse and quick transition to a straightforward chorus, where the melody picks up some more in volume and tempo. On the other hand, it is unsurprising, as the average track length is slightly less than 3 minutes. Understandably, it does not give a lot of room for maneuvers and development of ideas, but it allows to get straight to business, without unnecessary preludes.
Still,
Guide to Better Living includes a total of 16 tracks, and at such quick tempo they do tend to unintentionally merge together from time to time. Production is also to blame here, however slightly: somebody found it necessary to process the instruments on most of the cuts with the fuzz effects, the fact which doesn’t always help to differentiate one from the other.
You may come to a conclusion that this scolding of mine hides my distaste for the album. It is actually the opposite.
Guide to Better Living is a solid debut LP, and that youthful energy is one of the things that make listening to the album a rather exciting endeavor. Probably the reason for it is the potential behind these tracks and it is a pity Grinspoon could not dig into it more. But it is only their debut and the beginning of musical path for the Australian band.
