King Animal | ||||
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Released | November 13, 2012 | |||
Recorded | February 2011 – August 2012 | |||
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Length | 52:01 | |||
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Soundgarden chronology | ||||
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Singles from King Animal | ||||
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King Animal is the sixth and final studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on November 13, 2012, through Universal Republic and Loma Vista Recordings in North America and Vertigo Records elsewhere. Produced by the band alongside Adam Kasper, it was Soundgarden's first studio album in 16 years, following Down on the Upside (1996). King Animal was also the final studio album released by Soundgarden prior to the death of frontman Chris Cornell in 2017 and the subsequent dissolution of the band in 2018. [7] [8]
In January 2010, Chris Cornell announced that, 13 years after their break-up, Soundgarden had reunited. [9] At first, the band was primarily interested in relearning their old songs and playing them live, but Cornell declared that "It would be exciting to record one song, to hear how Soundgarden-ish that might be this much time later." [10] The band's first studio work was finishing the song "Black Rain" for the compilation Telephantasm (2010), which guitarist Kim Thayil said "showed our evolvement creatively", and in late 2010 drummer Matt Cameron booked studio time to show some song ideas and have the band compose some more through jam sessions. [11] In February 2011, it was announced on Soundgarden's homepage that they had started writing new songs. [12] One month later, recording sessions for a new album began at Seattle's Studio X, with producer Adam Kasper. The sessions were interrupted by the end of the month so Cornell could move onto his solo "Songbook" tour, which would be interspersed with Soundgarden concerts. [13] As the band's contract with A&M Records was fulfilled after releasing Telephantasm and the live album Live on I-5 (2011), Soundgarden produced King Animal independently. [14]
Cameron claimed in April 2011 that the album would be released later that year, [15] but the recording was prolonged, with Thayil saying: "the more we enjoy it, the more our fans should end up enjoying it." [16] In October, Cornell said the band would return to the studio in December and the album was "mostly done, we just need to finish a couple of songs and mix it, so that will be happening probably over the holidays." [17]
In May 2012, the band reported they were eyeing a release that October. [18] On September 17, it was announced that the album would be titled King Animal and would be released on November 13, 2012. [19] Cornell said the title relates to how the band "were a big fish in a small pond, and we sort of graduated. There was a sense of us feeling like it was us four against the world. We clearly had that from the very beginning. In some weird way after all this time, we persevered. The album kind of stands out as a symbol and an indication of that." [20]
The band reported that they had 12 to 14 songs that were "kind of ready to go" in March 2011, and the material for the album was "90 percent new". [21] One of the songs that is an updated version of an older idea is "Taree", which bassist Ben Shepherd wrote in the late 1990s. He had recorded a demo of the song for his solo album In Deep Owl (2013) before the band's reunion, but then decided it deserved a full-band treatment. [22]
In June 2011, Thayil said some songs on the album would sound "similar in a sense to Down on the Upside ", and the album "pick[s] up where we left off. There are some heavy moments, and there are some fast songs", [23] though the maturation of the musicians during the band's hiatus has also been said to be evident. [14] "Non-State Actor" is mostly in 4/4, but has parts in 5/8 and 7/8. [24] "By Crooked Steps" is in 5/4. [24]
The album's cover and subsequent art direction is based on a sculpture titled "Night of the Last Equinox" by Josh Graham, who Thayil sought out after seeing the artwork Graham had done for his band A Storm of Light. Featuring animal skulls above a field of flowers in a snowy forest, the sculpture features a recurring motif of Graham's art: the juxtaposition of life and death and how "everything between there is such a massive part of the human condition." [25] Cornell said the art was inspired by Graham's interpretation of the songs, and he felt it was a good fit, given the band's frequent moody lyrics with an outdoor theme. [20] Thayil revealed that the band asked for art that featured white and other lighter colors, as "most of our album covers have had a darker pallet". [26] Graham also did the animated backdrops that Soundgarden used during the album's tour and directed the music video for the album's first single, "Been Away Too Long". [25] The pictures of the band members in the booklet that accompanied the album were taken by the band manager Don VanCleave. [27] [28]
For the release of King Animal, Soundgarden signed a deal with longtime label executive Tom Whalley's new Loma Vista Recordings, and distribution was handled by Loma Vista's partner Republic Records. [29] Cornell said the experience of only seeking a label once the album was completed was "almost like it was in the beginning of the band." [14] To promote the album, the band recorded a track-by-track narrative at Seattle's Moore Theatre and performed intimate concerts at New York's Irving Plaza, Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre, and Los Angeles' Fonda Theatre. [29]
"Been Away Too Long" was released on September 27, 2012, [30] almost seven weeks before the album. Both it and "By Crooked Steps" were used in promotional spots on ESPN for Monday Night Football , and "Been Away Too Long" was used in an episode of Sons of Anarchy . [29] On October 31, 2012, a video for "Non-State Actor" was posted on the official Soundgarden YouTube channel, the visuals consisting of a waving American flag with the King Animal logo in place of the stars. [31] The week before its November 13 release, the whole album could be streamed for free on iTunes. [32] Dave Grohl directed a music video for "By Crooked Steps", which was released on January 29, 2013, [33] and a music video for "Halfway There" was released on September 4. [34]
Along with standard CD, double LP, and digital download releases, King Animal was also issued as a deluxe box set that featured the CD with three demos as bonus tracks, the double LP, a DVD of the band's 2012 performance at Hyde Park, and five lithographs. [35] There were several different versions of the CD release, in the United States and internationally, that included various demos as bonus tracks, and for Record Store Day 2013 Soundgarden issued King Animal Demos , a limited edition pink vinyl that collected all six of those demos on a single release. [36] Later in 2013, King Animal Plus was released, which featured five live tracks recorded for Live from the Artists Den at The Wiltern in Los Angeles and an acoustic version of "Halfway There" that Cornell and Shepherd recorded for CIMX-FM in Detroit. [37]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 70/100 [38] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [39] |
Alternative Press | [40] |
Artistdirect | [5] |
BBC Music | (favorable) [41] |
Drowned in Sound | 7/10 [42] |
The Guardian | [4] |
Pitchfork | 5.9/10 [6] |
The Phoenix | [43] |
Rolling Stone | [44] |
The New York Times | (favorable) [45] |
On Metacritic, the album has a normalized score of 70 out of 100 based on reviews from 32 critics, which indicates it received "generally favorable reviews". [38]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album a positive review, writing: "King Animal is a big, bright album, executed with precision and professionalism. The band members sound more elderly, not quite as loud, and possess a keener sense of good taste, and it sounds as if they've aged together, which is a testament to their innate chemistry. Simply put, Soundgarden sound like they belong together; Cornell sounds richer, fuller when anchored by drummer Matt Cameron, bassist Ben Shepherd, and the deceptively sinewy and brainy guitarist Kim Thayil, whose presence has sorely been missed over the past decade." [39] Luke Turner of BBC Music was also positive, saying: "King Animal undeniably draws its strength from the band's accessible Superunknown era, but also takes Soundgarden somewhere fresh." [41] Richard Trapunski of Now gave the album four out of five stars and wrote: "King Animal doesn’t sound like a nostalgia-fed cash grab, nor is it poisoned by the desperate commercialism of Cornell's post-Soundgarden projects. Instead, it picks up where 1996's Down on the Upside left off, layering Cornell's distinct howl over psychedelic textures, off-kilter time signatures and heavy, chugging riffs courtesy of way-underrated guitarist Kim Thayil." [46]
Chris DeVille of The A.V. Club gave the album a B− and said: "More often, though, King Animal affirms what a potent formula this band established. It's neither a trainwreck nor a masterpiece, but it stirs the senses in all the right ways." [47] Michael Christopher of The Phoenix gave the album three out of four stars and wrote: "On the whole, King Animal is a welcome return, and though it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it reminds us why these guys were considered the architects of the Seattle scene." [43] Tim Karan of the Alternative Press gave the album three and a half out of five stars and said: "It's difficult to imagine a new Soundgarden album that would sound startlingly different from King Animal. It's right in line with the band's natural progression; so much so that it's almost difficult to believe it didn’t come out a decade ago. Is it as evocative and emotive as their earlier albums? Not quite. But it's new Soundgarden songs that sound like old Soundgarden songs—and if you’re of a certain generation or disposition, that's been a long time coming." [40] Hilary Saunders of Paste gave the album a 7.0 out of 10 and wrote: "Comeback albums are notoriously difficult to conceptualize and actualize and King Animal took more than a year to create after the band spent a decade and a half on hiatus. While this record lacks the canonizing tracks like 'Jesus Christ Pose', 'Black Hole Sun', 'Spoonman' and 'Burden in My Hand', Soundgarden deserves to be commended for recapturing the feeling of grunge and reintroducing it today." [48] Matt Melis of Consequence of Sound gave the album a C− and said: "Production issues aside, this record proves that Soundgarden still have their muscle but also hints that they are in the process of figuring out how to flex it again. For every realized track like 'Worse Dreams', with its circular vocal phrasings and slippery riffing, there's a jam like 'Eyelid's Mouth' that completely loses its identity — in this case, via an almost painful chorus that asks, 'Who let the river run dry?' Still, there's more than enough merit found in King Animal to ensure that any future tweets by Chris Cornell about new Soundgarden music will confidently be filed under #reallygoodnews." [49]
Scott McLennan of The Boston Globe gave the album a mixed review, writing: "There's nothing bad about these 13 tracks, but nothing truly remarkable either. It's been 16 years since singer Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepherd, and drummer Matt Cameron applied their combined talents to new songs, and while the old chemistry sounds intact (though can we get more from the drummer, please?) the material is not particularly combustible." [50] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine gave the album three out of five stars and said: "King Animal doesn't contain any standout tracks that justify Soundgarden's comeback or which rank as essential additions to the band's very strong catalogue. The album is less a triumphant return than an example of what happens to most middle-aged rock bands: They've returned as a slightly more conservative version of what made them famous in the first place." [51] Stuart Berman of Pitchfork Media gave the album a 5.9 out of 10 and wrote: "The best hope for King Animal was that Soundgarden would be inspired enough by their spiritual successors to want to outdo them, and set a new benchmark for ambitious aggression. Instead, the group's first album since 1996 just sounds like the one they would've churned out in 1998." [6]
In the United States, the album debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart after selling 83,000 copies during its first week of release. This was the third highest position Soundgarden had achieved on the chart, behind Superunknown (1994), which had reached number 1, and Down on the Upside (1996), which had reached number 2. [52] As of November 2016, King Animal has sold 235,000 copies in the U.S. [53]
Internationally, the album reached the top five of the New Zealand and Danish album charts; the top ten of the Canadian, Australian, Swiss, German, and Finnish charts; the top twenty of the Norwegian, Irish, Italian, and Austrian charts; and the top thirty of the British, Spanish, Dutch, Scottish, and Swedish charts. [54]
All lyrics are written by Chris Cornell, except where noted
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Been Away Too Long" |
| 3:36 | |
2. | "Non-State Actor" |
| Shepherd | 3:57 |
3. | "By Crooked Steps" |
| 4:00 | |
4. | "A Thousand Days Before" | Thayil | 4:23 | |
5. | "Blood on the Valley Floor" | Thayil | 3:48 | |
6. | "Bones of Birds" | Cornell | 4:22 | |
7. | "Taree" | Shepherd | 3:38 | |
8. | "Attrition" | Shepherd | Shepherd | 2:52 |
9. | "Black Saturday" | Cornell | 3:29 | |
10. | "Halfway There" | Cornell | 3:16 | |
11. | "Worse Dreams" | Cornell | 4:53 | |
12. | "Eyelid's Mouth" | Cameron | 4:39 | |
13. | "Rowing" |
| 5:08 | |
Total length: | 52:01 |
No. | Title | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|
14. | "Worse Dreams" (Demo) | Cornell | 3:20 |
15. | "Black Saturday" (Demo) | Cornell | 3:16 |
16. | "By Crooked Steps" (Demo) |
| 4:23 |
Total length: | 1:03:00 |
No. | Title | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|
14. | "Worse Dreams" (Demo) | Cornell | 3:20 |
15. | "Black Saturday" (Demo) | Cornell | 3:16 |
16. | "By Crooked Steps" (Demo) |
| 4:23 |
17. | "Bones of Birds" (Demo) | Cornell | 3:27 |
Total length: | 1:06:27 |
No. | Title | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|
14. | "Worse Dreams" (Demo) | Cornell | 3:20 |
15. | "Black Saturday" (Demo) | Cornell | 3:16 |
16. | "By Crooked Steps" (Demo) |
| 4:23 |
17. | "Halfway There" (Demo) | Cornell | 3:34 |
Total length: | 1:06:34 |
No. | Title | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|
14. | "Worse Dreams" (Demo) | Cornell | 3:20 |
15. | "Black Saturday" (Demo) | Cornell | 3:16 |
16. | "By Crooked Steps" (Demo) |
| 4:23 |
17. | "Bones of Birds" (Demo) | Cornell | 3:27 |
18. | "A Thousand Days Before" (Demo) | Thayil | 4:24 |
Total length: | 1:10:51 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Taree" (Live from the Artists Den) | Shepherd | 3:48 | |
15. | "Blind Dogs" (Live from the Artists Den) | Thayil | 4:24 | |
16. | "Rowing" (Live from the Artists Den) |
| 4:25 | |
17. | "Non-State Actor" (Live from the Artists Den) |
| Shepherd | 4:09 |
18. | "A Thousand Days Before" (Live from the Artists Den) | Thayil | 4:46 | |
19. | "Halfway There" (Acoustic from 89X CIMX Detroit/Windsor) | Cornell | 3:22 | |
Total length: | 1:17:06 |
Soundgarden
| Additional musicians
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Technical personnel
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, replaced on drums initially by Scott Sundquist, and later by Matt Cameron in 1986. Yamamoto left in 1989 and was replaced initially by Jason Everman and shortly thereafter by Ben Shepherd. The band dissolved in 1997 and reformed in 2010. Following Cornell's death in 2017 and a year of uncertainty regarding the band's future, Thayil declared in October 2018 that Soundgarden had disbanded once again, though they did reunite in January 2019 for a one-off concert in tribute to Cornell. Not counting the one-off concert, Cornell and Thayil were the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band.
Ultramega OK is the debut studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on October 31, 1988, by SST Records. Following the release of the EPs Screaming Life (1987) and Fopp (1988), both for the Sub Pop record label, Soundgarden signed with SST and went to work on their debut full-length. The resulting album contained elements of heavy metal, psychedelic rock, and hardcore punk. The band supported the album with a tour of the United States, as well as its first overseas tour.
Superunknown is the fourth studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994, through A&M Records. Produced by Michael Beinhorn and the band themselves, Soundgarden began work on the album after touring in support of their previous album, Badmotorfinger (1991). Superunknown retained the heaviness of the band's earlier releases while displaying a more diverse range of influences.
Badmotorfinger is the third studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on October 8, 1991, through A&M Records. Soundgarden began the recording sessions for the album with new bassist Ben Shepherd in the spring of 1991. The album maintained the band's heavy metal sound, while featuring an increased focus on songwriting compared to the band's previous releases. AllMusic considered the album's music to be "surprisingly cerebral and arty"; alternative tunings and odd time signatures were present on several of the album's songs, and lyrics were intended to be ambiguous and evocative.
"Rusty Cage" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Rusty Cage" was released in 1992 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Badmotorfinger (1991). The song became an instant hit and was released as a single in several different formats. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides and the 2010 compilation album Telephantasm.
Down on the Upside is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Soundgarden, released on May 21, 1996, through A&M Records. Following a worldwide tour in support of its previous album, Superunknown (1994), Soundgarden commenced work on a new album. Self-produced by the band, the music on the album was notably less heavy and dark than the group's preceding albums and featured the band experimenting with new sounds.
A-Sides is a compilation album by the American rock band Soundgarden with songs spanning the band's thirteen-year career. It was released on November 4, 1997, through A&M Records.
"Black Hole Sun" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, the song was released in 1994 by A&M Records as the third single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). Considered to be the band's signature song, it topped the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, where it spent a total of seven weeks at number one. Despite peaking at number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, "Black Hole Sun" finished as the number-one track of 1994 for that listing. Worldwide, the single reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France, and Ireland, while in Iceland, it reached number one.
"The Day I Tried to Live" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "The Day I Tried to Live" was released in April 1994 as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number 25 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides.
"My Wave" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Featuring lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music co-written by Cornell and guitarist Kim Thayil, "My Wave" was released in 1994 as the fourth single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
"Fell on Black Days" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Fell on Black Days" was released as the final single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides and the 2010 compilation Telephantasm as the Superunknown version on the single disc version and the video version on the Deluxe Edition.
"Burden in My Hand" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Burden in My Hand" was released on September 18, 1996, as the second single from the band's fifth studio album, Down on the Upside (1996). The song topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it spent five weeks at number one. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides.
The discography of Soundgarden, an American rock band, consists of six studio albums, two live albums, six compilation albums, eight extended plays, 24 singles and 23 music videos.
Telephantasm is a compilation album by the American rock band Soundgarden. Featuring songs that span 23 years of the band's career, it was released on September 28, 2010, through A&M Records. The album was certified platinum by RIAA after its first day of retail availability based on the one million discs that were included in packages for the video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.
"Black Rain" is a single by the American rock band Soundgarden, featuring lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music written by bassist Ben Shepherd and guitarist Kim Thayil. The single debuted at number 24 and number 14 on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart and the US Billboard Rock Songs chart respectively in August 2010. It is also Soundgarden's only song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #96. The song appears on the compilation album Telephantasm and on the music video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and Guitar Hero Live. It was the first single that Soundgarden had released since 1997.
Live on I-5 is a live album by the American rock band Soundgarden. It was recorded during the West Coast leg of their 1996 tour, and released on March 22, 2011. They announced the album, the band's first live album, on their website on January 13, 2011. The title is a reference to Interstate 5, which runs along the Pacific coast of the United States. The band hired Adam Kasper to record several shows with a rented 24-track machine/truck. They planned to release the live album after the tour, but they disbanded and the tapes were left in Studio X. A live version of "Blow Up the Outside World" was released as a 256 bit MP3 download to those who pre-ordered Live on I-5 from Soundgarden's official website.
"Been Away Too Long" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden, which is featured on their sixth studio album King Animal (2012) as its opening track. It was released as the album's first single. The song is featured in Sons of Anarchy, NHL 14 and Guitar Hero Live.
"Taree" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by bassist Ben Shepherd with lyrics by frontman Chris Cornell, the song appears as the seventh track on the band’s sixth studio album, King Animal (2012).
6 Songs for Bruce, also commonly known as the 4-Track Demo, is an early single-sided demo cassette tape by American rock band Soundgarden.
Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across the Path is a 3-CD compilation album by the American rock band Soundgarden. It was released on November 24, 2014. The album is a collection of rarities, live tracks, and unreleased material spanning the group's history. It includes previously released songs, such as "Live to Rise", "Black Rain", "Birth Ritual", and others, as well as a newly recorded rendition of a song from the band's pre-Matt Cameron 1985 demo, "The Storm", now simply titled "Storm", which was produced by Jack Endino.
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