10 Obscure Grunge Albums You Need To Listen To
2. Seaweed - Action And Inaction
In another lifetime, Seaweed would be one of the grunge acts who made it to legendary status. They were signed to Sub Pop early, put out great music, and made a jump to the majors during the genre’s heyday. But it wasn’t until their final album on Merge that they brought out their finest collection, before splitting up, more or less for good.
After a few polished releases, Action And Inaction was a necessary and welcome return to basics. It bridges the gap between grunge and emo, with second track “Thru The Window” being perhaps the best song they ever made. It has a great riff, a thick sound, and an abundance of ideas crammed into three minutes.
“Red Tape Parade” is another highlight, a closer replication of the band’s earlier, heavier sound and a great, punky energy that sets it apart from both the majority of grunge’s stodgy also-rans and the rising wave of nu metal acts.
They even illustrate their evolving influences with a fuzzy but faithful cover of Joy Division’s early single “Warsaw”. They straddle the divide between multiple genres and come out with something really special.