Silkworm - Firewater | 90s Album Review

Silkworm - Firewater | 90s Album Review

From Dig Me Out: 90s & 00s Rock by Dig Me Out

March 10, 2026 · 52 min · Season 16 · Episode 806

About this episode

The episode reviews Silkworm's 1996 album 'Firewater', highlighting its balance of raw and refined sound.

Earnest without sliding into overwrought emo, Silkworm struck a balance between raw and refined on their fourth album, 1996's Firewater. Like most of their releases, the band turned to Steve Albini to engineer, capturing the live sound of the band crisp and clearly across the nearly hour running time. The band rarely overindulge, leaving those spare moments to the guitarist Andy Cohen, who channels the overdriven chaos of J. Mascis and Neil Young on tracks like "Wet Firecracker" and "Drag the River." The rhythm section, though never flashy, are tight and locked-in, with the bass taking melodic turns to support the sing-speak vocals that waver between understated and explosive. Though the band called Seattle home for the early part of the 1990s, the band eschews any grunge influence for post-punk and indie rock influences that helped separate the band from their homebase peers. Songs In This Episode Intro - Nerves 19:28 - Quicksand 21:28 - Drag the River 29:06 - Cannibal Cannibal 31:07 - The Lure of Beauty Outro - Don't Make Plans This Friday Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

People in this episode

Host: Dig Me Out

Topics covered

  • 90s rock
  • album review
  • indie rock
  • post-punk
  • Silkworm

Keywords

  • Silkworm
  • Firewater
  • Steve Albini
  • 90s music
  • indie rock
  • album review

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Silkworm

Books & works: Firewater

Places: Seattle

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