Following the release of their latest single Make Out, Sydney’s grunge-goers TILD have listed the albums that have shaped them as a band. Critical to their alternative-rock tunes, TILD have named names in their own words.
From The Smashing Pumpkins to Radiohead, lead vocalist Jake Smithers runs us through TILD’s four most influential albums of the 90’s.
The Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
I feel this album would be the one that’s influenced the early TILD sound the most. It has the brooding tendencies of early 90’s grunge, yet it is quite emotive and experimental. It’s so diverse, the album starts and rips into Cherub Rock, by the halfway point it has you staring out the window and reflecting on your life (my favourite thing to do) on Dissarm. Our biggest takeaway from this album is… fuzz! The big muff is essential to TILD.
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
Tones, Tones, tones. Without a doubt, this is the album that has encouraged us to experiment with and implement different and interesting guitar tones. This album to us is shoegaze at it’s absolute best! While our set is quite dynamic, it is this band that encouraged us to write and add some structurally unassuming songs to our set.
Stand out track – Only Shallow.
Silverchair – Neon Ballroom
This is my personal favourite album! Silverchair were my first ever favourite band – still are. I bought Frogstomp when I was 7! For me, the timing of the band’s evolution seemed to work out perfectly, as the band evolved and changed so did my taste. Melody and lyrics would be my biggest takeaway from Neon Ballroom. I like to write personal and reflective lyrics; this album was my first exposure to this type of lyric writing. In addition, the juxtaposition in dynamics is something that TILD try to portray and something that I think Silverchair mastered on this album.
Radiohead – The Bends
Radiohead is a band that all 4 of us love. The band toy with the music landscape, yet they’re able to write a cohesive well-structured pop song at the same time. As a band we love their whole catalogue, but The Bends would be the album that corelates to TILD. The Bends is full of 90’s guitar solos, something we definitely indulge in. High & Dry and Fake Plastic Trees are acoustic ballads at it’s best, something we aspire to create in the future. ‘Bones’ is a track that has definitely inspired our sound, go & check it out!
Thanks for allowing me to be self-indulgent. Now go roll a doobie, grab a 6 pack of VB & whack on these blasts from the past. Cheers!
