Soul Asylum "Delayed Reaction"

It’s funny when you base your opinion of a band’s sound based on their most acknowledged hit. It can be limiting, because if you despise it you will usually not make an effort to hear anything else from that band. However, it can also be rewarding and surprising when you decide to give some of their material a chance; a silver lining if you will. Let’s just say that it was a Delayed Reaction giving this band a chance; it could have been “Gravity” that was holding me back. To be honest, they are much more exuberant than I was led to believe before listening to some of their records. “Into The Light” has a subtle country flavor, and not just because they are breaking horses.                                                                                                                  I guess this spunky little number is dedicated to the girl that keeps Pirnier off “The Streets.” This next song would be awesome with a stop motion video of a young Pirnier trying to escape creepy crawlies  and nightmares through a vent. The last song was not bad, but made you think they should have just left their ambitions as a “Pipe Dream,” until you hear the next song. The adolescent background singers and the tone the instrumentals portray cause the listeners into singing such a morbid song glorifying violence (with tongue in cheek?). “Cruel Intentions?” Sounds like it, but it also denies starting the fire when it comes to words said; one of the happiest sounding anthems aligned with the sentiment “Let’s All Kill Each Other.” The former is a piano led ballad on the side of Rod Stewart? Possibly? It is also another stand out. So what does this runaway train run on? “The Juice.” The glass seems half full this time, and has some harmonica! From the cacophony in the prelude to the dreary instrumentals sound something like doom-pop-rock. one of the worst days was cut to tape, hence “I Should Have Stayed in Bed,” creating one of the strongest songs off the album. Favorites: Gravity, The Streets, Pipe Dream, Let’s All Kill Each Other, Cruel Intentions, and I Should Have Stayed in Bed.