Silverchair - 'Freak Show' (1997)

Versions:
CD

Tracklisting:
1. Slave
2. Freak
3. Abuse Me
4. Lie To Me
5. No Association
6. Cemetery
7. The Door
8. Pop Song For Us Rejects
9. Learn To Hate
10. Petrol & Chlorine
11. Roses
12. Nobody Came
13. The Closing

Best tracks:
The Door
Abuse Me
Cemetery

Currently listening to: CD

Right, so the first few blogs have been albums that I've already known I'd like (aside from Tina, which I knew was a bit hit or miss). Now, I've decided to go for an album that I'm pretty sure is going to make me cringe for an hour.

I picked Freak Show. Because, generally, I dislike Silverchair immensely. Aside from a period of about 2 years in the late 90's, I've never really liked Silverchair. My sister had a short lived rock phase in the early-late 90's, and I inherited this from her, not long after this album came out. I survived Neon Ballroom, and I'd all but lost interest by 2002. Then Diorama was the final nail in the coffin. More like Diabolical (though, I still own it for some reason, so it'll end up on the blog).

First song, 'Slave'. Jesus. I remember liking this one. But, it's kinda lame. And Daniel's voice is way worse than I remember. Not that I mind, I usually like shit voices. It's kinda nice, in a nasal grunge kind of way. I like his flat voice on this much more than I like his goat wail on 'Straight Lines'.

Then onto 'Freak'. Ha. I hadn't heard this for a long time. The riff is actually better than I remembered, but I can't help put picture that awful video they made for it. I forgot about 'Abuse Me'. I really liked this one back in the day. The double tracked vocals in the chorus are a bit too sweet-pop, but I still dig the 'throw the sailors overboard' bit. So far, this one has been the most nostalgic. It's reminding me of 'Recovery' and taping 'rage' every Friday and Saturday night.

It also reminded me of that one time at band camp when Daniel Johns had dreadlocks.

Sheesh.

'Lie To Me'? What was that? Oh, yeah, Nirvana In Pyjamas. At least it only went for, like, a minute.

'No Association', now this one I wanted to hear. I decided to listen to this album after I saw them play this on 'Recovery' and really liked it. It's still alright now. The lyrics are lamer than I remember. Also, they sound confused. They sound stuck between the last legs of grunge and a sub-par version of Tool's Undertow (for the record, I dislike Tool immensely, also).

But it was 1997 and he was, like 17. I can sympathise.

We're up to 'Cemetery' and, surprisingly, I think I like this best so far. Like 'Freak', I'm reminded of the crappy video, but it's an OK song. Pure pop, though. Not that there's anything wrong with that. 'The Door'! Another single! And...I hate to say to it, this one is much better than I remember. It's definitely aged better than any of the other songs, thus far. I almost even enjoyed it.

'Pop Song for Us Rejects', I, somehow, don't remember at all. 'Your life's an open cold sore, you gotta get out the cream'. I'm all for dumb lyrics (hello Madonna and Kylie), but come on. Though, I'll give them point for singing about herpes. Didn't care for the song at all, though. Maybe that why I didn't remember it. 'Learn To Hate' I almost forgot, too. But, it's all come screaming back. Speaking of screaming, Daniel's screaming in the chorus is actually pretty good. And, once again, the lyrics are lame, but this one's not too bad. Until the chorus starts again and the 'join the mass debate' line comes up again. Heh. It's sounds like 'masturbate'! Get it! Ugh.

But it was 1997 and he was, like 17. I won't sympathise this time, but I'll let it slide.

Oh, yeah. 'Petrol & Chlorine'. The 'Indian' song that Massive and all those other late 90's magazines kept saying was Daniel's big leap forward. Unfortunately, they were right. This was the first wank that Daniel put on a record.

'Roses' is back to Nirvana In Pyjamas. 'Nobody Came' was another I liked as a teenager, but has dated badly. It reads like a bad teenage poem. Which it probably was. 'The Closing', I've made it to the last track. I don't really remember this one, either. And, at this late stage, it sounds like more of the same.

I remember reading a quote of someone saying, back in the late 90's, that Blink 182 were like 'My First Punk Band'. I still agree. And, after listening to Freak Show for the first time in many, many years, I think the same can be said for Silverchair. 'My First Grunge Band'. Which, actually, makes them more likeable, in my book. This era, anyway. As I said, they were all 17-18 when they made this album, which makes it admirable, even if it borders on tacky at times. Most bands are lucky enough to not record any of their embarrassing teenage songs. Yet, Silverchair made a career out of them. I have recordings of my own band from when I was the same age and I am eternally grateful that I don't have to answer for them. Daniel Johns doesn't have the same luxury. And, if he didn't turn into such a wanker, I might feel sorry for him.

Unless Freak Show is a nostalgia trip, I wouldn't bother with it. Unless you give it to your 14 year old sibling to get them excited about rock. In that context, it works. Just don't expect them to still like it when they're 21.