The III Dig Your Own Grave cassette
I am not the first in line for a grunge or alternative rock renaissance, and this mixed bag from Philly rockers the III didn’t change my mind. Opening track “Full Speed Ahead” starts with a crashing open chord and dissonant guitar figure that takes you right to SLINT city. The first minute is so good, and then someone had to be a guitar hero and show off their chromatic scale runs which totally kills the vibe. And so it goes for the rest of the tape: some great moments followed by headscratchers. I mean, the WIPERS, a huge sonic influence for the III, were incredible. Shit like ALICE IN CHAINS was not. Title track “Dig Your Own Grave” has a propulsive heaviness to it, not unlike SCREAMING TREES, complemented by the Lanegan-esque timbre of the vocals. It’s the III at their best. Instrumental closer “Get It Where You Can” ends the tape with a question mark. Guitar hooks and melancholic minor chord progressions evoke the sweeter side of the REPLACEMENTS, but then feel uplifting to the point of a schmaltzy ’90s-era teen movie.