Soundgarden's Chris Cornell: 'Live to Rise' Isn’t Indicative of New LP

Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell: ‘Live to Rise’ Isn’t Indicative of New LP

2012-05-02

Story by Charles Ken

Soundgarden frontman says band’s new song stands apart from their upcoming album

Soundgarden are back, and the ‘90s is living on in the hearts and ears of grunge rock fans across the world, thanks to the band releasing their first single in 15 years, “Live to Rise,” last month. The track will be featured during the end credits of the new movie “The Avengers,” and it offers a taste of what’s to come when Soundgarden unleash a new album of originals to the world later this year.

Speaking with The Los Angeles Times‘ music blog Pop & Hiss, frontman Chris Cornell says that although he’s proud of “The Avengers” cut, the track is nothing like what Soundgarden will churn out for their upcoming new album. “It sounds kind of stripped down and more streamlined than a lot of other songs we’ve been writing,” Cornell said of “The Avengers” tune. “But if you take any song out of context, from any one of our albums, going all the way back to our first Sub Pop EP, it’s not going to tell you anything about the songs around it. We’re just that way. This would fit on our record … but if there’s a way that it stands apart, this is fairly rhythmically straightforward.”

Cornell added that the opportunity to do “The Avengers” came at a perfect time for Soundgarden, because the guys were looking for a way to showcase themselves before releasing their new album. “In the grand scheme of things, the record business is completely different than it was when we last put out a record,” Cornell said. “There needs to be some tie-in [today]. Without one, it’s great that you made a record and recorded a song, but no one’s going to hear it. This is a movie that’s part of a series that we all like, and part of a history of Marvel that we all like.”

The soundtrack for “The Avengers” will also feature songs by Bush, Papa Roach, Shinedown and Evanescence, to name a few. The soundtrack is currently available on iTunes, and the movie reaches theaters on May 4. For the full chat with Cornell, visit Pop & Hiss.

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Charles Ken

Meet the expert - Charles Ken is a graduate of Michigan State University where he studied writing and history. He's a longtime music buff and covers classic rock for Audio Ink Radio. Contact him at ken@audioinkradio.com.