posted by maggie on Jul 15
Seattle is not necessarily the beginning and the end of grunge, but it does have traces that mark its passage. Those traces are still going on, being written in the misty air that seems to embrace the city on most days. There’s something terribly romantic about the rain here, and for the visitors in five star hotels, Seattle ‘s sunny days when everyone can see the mountain are some of the most amazing days on the planet. Even the rain is a welcome presence, and it dots the city like punctuation marks. That’s perfectly suited to the moments when words simply won’t do.
Carissa’s Wierd used their lyrics as if they were punctuation, rather than symbols to communicate a concept. The music from the slow guitars and the whispering voices all work together toward a common theme. It’s not grunge, and there’s nothing electric about it, but it suits the spirit of the place. It also works as a remarkable tribute to its musical history. That the band broke up in 2003, after their first sold-out gig, is even more fitting. They were living poetry in a very poetic city, and it’s a remarkable year for them. New releases and a last go-round on stage marks an end that already happened, and one that the city can’t stop repeating, like the rain.