Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Soul Asylum, "April Fool"



Soul Asylum got the worst of both worlds. They had too many hits to still be aligned with their Minneapolis indie rock brethren (Hüsker Dü, the Replacements), yet not enough to be one of the great '90s mainstream rock bands. Thus, as of late they're playing the Summerland tour with Eve 6, Spacehog and Everclear.

That's too bad, because they had some great songs that people never listen to because they can't remember if "Runaway Train" was by Soul Asylum or Candlebox. Dave Pirner's lyrics aren't as profound as I thought they were in 1993, but he's got a knack for melody--think Bob Seger to Westerberg's Neil Young. Plus, unlike the alt-adult contemporary groups they get lumped in with, Soul Asylum can really rock, as "April Fool" proves, loaded with an undeniable riff and a chorus that's no joke.

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