Top tracks — play these first
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Reptile — This track features a driving rhythm and biting lyrics that critique societal norms, showcasing Skin Yard's blend of aggression and introspection.
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Epitaph for Yesterday — With its haunting melodies and poignant themes of loss, this song exemplifies the band's ability to merge heaviness with emotional depth.
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The Blind Leading the Blind — This track stands out with its complex structure and lyrical commentary on disillusionment, encapsulating the band's philosophical approach to songwriting.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album showcases strong songwriting and a distinctive sound that contributed to the grunge genre's early development.
What we noticed
- The first half of the album features aggressive guitar riffs and faster tempos, while the second half shifts to more introspective melodies and slower rhythms.
- Several tracks incorporate unconventional song structures, often eschewing traditional verse-chorus formats in favor of more fluid arrangements.
- The lyrics frequently explore themes of alienation and introspection, with a raw vocal delivery that enhances their emotional weight.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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6/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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7/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- dynamic emotional journeys
- gradual builds and payoffs
- long, immersive listening sessions
- atmospheric background focus
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Released in 1987, this self-titled debut album marked Skin Yard's entry into the Seattle grunge scene just as it began to gain traction. The band's formation in 1985 and their subsequent rise out of the burgeoning underground scene positioned them alongside contemporaries like Soundgarden and Mudhoney. This album set the stage for their evolution within a genre about to explode onto mainstream culture.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Soundgarden· Alice in Chains· Stone Temple Pilots
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Skins in My Closet 5:20
- 2 Reptile 3:01
- 3 Epitaph for Yesterday 4:30
- 4 The Blind Leading the Blind 5:06
- 5 Scratch 3:44
- 6 Dear Deceased 3:35
- 7 Stuck in a Plan 3:40
- 8 Jabberwocky 2:46
- 9 Gelatin Babies 4:26
- 10 Bleed 5:51
- 11 Out of the Attic 4:24
- 12 Skinstruction 2:51
- 13 Red Tension 3:15
- 14 The Birds 4:01
- 15 She Shook Me Cold (live) 4:02
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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