Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.
I am officially done with exams for this year, so let’s continue along the road of Formative Albums, shall we?
Blind Melon – Nico (1996)
Ah, Blind Melon. My favorite band in middle school, & one that still holds a very dear place somewhere in my heart (& a somewhat dustier one on my CD shelves). Before my voice changed, I would sit in my room singing those high notes that Shannon Hoon hit so well (not falsetto, but drug-ridden & nasally; worn). Another band introduced to me by my sisters, & Nico was one of two albums that came in the mail for my sister on cassette tape but was discovered by my dad, who promptly listened to it & confiscated it (“Do you know what those lyrics mean?!”). Recorded before Hoon died, but released afterwards, this is something like the band’s swan-song, though I don’t think anymore that it’s their best effort, for the obvious reason that it’s non-concrete & not really pinned down by anything.
My obsession with this album & with this band was one that would only last for less than a couple years, but I have returned to the music recently & found it definitely still holds up. It’s strong Southern alt-rock, not in the style of Lynyrd Skynyrd (thank God), but something else entirely, with more heart & songwriting prowess than what you’ll find in their one hit (though “No Rain” was my favorite song for a couple years in elementary school). It’s a little hard to explain I suppose, it’s just one of those memory-pieces, I guess. We all have ’em, it just depends to what extent we’re willing to admit it.
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“Skinned” 1995