Dave Pirner’s vocals have always been the definition of longing. Whether on a straight out rocker like the sharp Somebody to Shove or the unending sadness of their gargantuan hit Runaway Train, his emotional honesty is one of Soul Asylum’s greatest strengths.

A spiritual sucessor band of The Replacements, just like the Goo Goo Dolls, their first releases were brash, loud, and freewheelin’ affairs. The band mellowed out, just like the Goo Goo Dolls, and found commercial success with a ballad.

Just like the Goo Goo Dolls.

I know I’m repeating myself, but both Soul Asylum and Goo Goo Dolls are bands that I love for a stretch of two albums. Albums that had lyrics that served me well as solace in those years. Grave Dancers Union had Black Gold and Somebody to Shove, Let your Dim Light Shine had Just Like Anyone and To My Own Devices.

Butch Vig on production duties, the well-tuned Andy Wallace on mixing. Even if Grave Dancers Union’s success wasn’t equalled by Let your Dim Light Shine, at least it’s a pleasingly produced album with zero skips (except Caged Rat, that’s a 50/50 from me).

I stole my WhatsApp status (and a signature for email) from Misery’s chorus. Frustrated Incorporated is such a simple lyric that conveys so much. The video follows the manufacturing and packing of the CD single version of the song. Back then, I wouldn’t buy a single, I’d prefer to bet on buying a whole album and being pleasantly surprised than get nickel and dimed by a label. In this case, it was a wise choice.

Misery was a great song but I understand how it never quite reached the spot that Columbia coveted. Runaway Train did a lot of good giving closure to some 21 missing children cases (according to Wikipedia), but in the long run did scupper Soul Asylum’s commercial trajectory. It matters not, the band still plays and I still enjoy the music they release.

Just like Goo Goo Dolls.

-Sam J. Valdés López