Here's some reviews of some of the more notable releases of the past month or so.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD-HAIL TO THE KING
I'm a little late to the party on this one, but here we go. I have never really bothered investigating Avenged but I have always meant to. This is one of those bands whose fan base really love them and insist that everyone else would too if they'd only listen. And then there are those who feel the band are just not metal enough and that their albums are poorly executed as well.
Judging from this disc I fall somewhere in the middle. I think the first half is pretty good (despite the obvious "Sad But True" rip off on "This Means War", though I like the song) but this CD kinda falls flat in places. Part of it is me, though. For example, I no longer find lyrics like "Darkest Lord, your favor shall I gain/Light the match/engulf the Earth in flames" scary, interesting or cool, but silly. However, the Viking-ish war epic "Hail To The King" is pretty cool, and so is the doomed though innocent character in "Heretic". So the lyrics are a wash, but what of the music? Well, at times these songs feel like an old school throwback, but there is some groove-metal, nu-metal and just plain hard rock thrown into the mix. The problem is that it's good, but not great and never truly exciting.
So I suppose this CD is worth a listen, and a few songs are iPod worthy, but it falls short of being an essential album.
3 out of 5 Daves.
SAMMY HAGAR & FRIENDS
You probably think you know what to expect here, and you're probably right. Fans will find something to like, non fans won't change their minds. What we have here is a mix of rock songs, laid back beach songs, and a whole mess o' covers. I will admit to being a bit disappointed at first but after watching the DVD on the deluxe edition I got into the spirit of the thing and I like it now. The trick is not to take this CD seriously and you'll have a good time. Which is what Sammy intended. And given how messed up this world can be that's not a bad thing.
3.5 out of 5 Daves
METALLICA-THROUGH THE NEVER
Essentially a live Metallica record, this CD actually serves as a soundtrack to the movie of the same name. And therein lies the problem. The song selection is pretty good and the band is on top of their game. But it seems as though certain concessions had to be made for the movie angle and the album suffers for it.
Part of the issue I have here is the overall sound. It's a bit too good. There are a few moments of rawness but the production is quite slick and lacks a bit of edge. But then a movie would require much more control over every bit of the sound production than a normal live record would. So this is forgivable to a point. However, there is a point during "Hit The Lights" where James either forgets the words or is having mic troubles. If it's the latter then this is probably reflected in the story, but on disc WE CAN'T SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING. So either way it comes off as lazy and/or disappointing, and it just doesn't work. They also include the live gimmick of the stage blowing up, a lighting tech catching on fire and everything breaking into chaos during "Enter Sandman". Again, doesn't work without the visual, and this is how they were ending concerts ten or so years ago. Reaching back into the old bag o' tricks is not too exciting! And besides, ZZ Top did the same gag back in '83.
So, this is an enjoyable disc, but a near miss overall.
4 out of 5 Daves
PEARL JAM-LIGHTNING BOLT
Sounds like Pearl Jam. Everything that I love about the band is on display here, and some of what I don't like is here as well. Lots of cool rock songs like "Mind Your Manners", "Let The Records Play" and "Lightning Bolt", and a few good slow burns, "Sirens" chief among them. But like many PJ records, there are a few of their more atmospheric songs at the end of the disc that just pretty much burn me out and get a touch boring. Although I think "Yellow Moon" could have benefited from a placement earlier in the disc.
In the end, it's a fairly solid Pearl Jam record. There are some better discs in the catalog, certainly, but there are some worse ones too. There's not much new ground broken here either but that's okay. It's Pearl Jam, it's new and it's good. And that's enough.
4 out of 5 Daves
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS (with Chester Bennington)-HIGH RISE
When a highly popular and influential rock band loses its singer there is always some nervousness among fans as to the quality and direction the band is going to take. In other words, will it suck? Well, in this case there is little need to worry. Musically, this has STP all over it. It mostly reminds me of the "Tiny Music" days, which is my favorite so that makes me happy. There's a nice little groove running through this EP, most notably in the kick off song "Out Of Time". "Same On The Inside" and "Cry Cry" are standouts as well.
But how does Chester sound? Well, a lot like Scott Weiland singing in his higher register. I'm not sure Bennington can do the lower end stuff, as there is none to be found here. But I am no fan of Linkin Park (Chester's other band) so my knowledge of his vocal ability is limited. If anything, Bennington sounds too much like Scott, but there is time to bring more of his own personality into it in future releases. No worries as of yet.
My only real complaint is the length of this CD. I know it's supposed to be an EP, but five songs is still a little low. In an age where albums are usually 12-14 songs long a six or seven song EP is not unreasonable. I know, I'm old school and want full length albums in a singles driven era, but even as a digital download another song or two would have been preferred. Still, if that's the biggest problem you have, everything is fine.
4 out of 5 Daves.
There may be a few more by year's end, time will tell. New Year's will find the 2013 Top 10 Coming your way and, hopefully, a little more regularity in the posts. See you soon.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Thank You Lou
Instead of my usual round up of stuff I bought over the last however long it's been I am going to talk about Lou Reed. It's been just over a week since he died, and all I've listened to for seven days has been Lou Reed records.
I think I relate to Lou's music a little differently than many of his fans do, and differently than most artists I am a fan of. The thing is, I don't really relate. Not on a personal level, at least not often or directly. I agree with many of the points he's tried to make, especially in his later work, and the studio version of "The Kids" cuts every time with the actual kids screaming for their mommy. Fuck, Lou, did you have to do that? Yeah, you did, I know. Because it makes people (me) uncomfortable and that's what makes it art.
And that's where I relate. The uncomfortableness of art. Art can be beautiful, heart warming and give a most pleasant feeling of joy, or at least contentment, to its audience. And Lou does that a bit more often than he's given credit for. And I lie that, but what gets me is the other stuff. I won't use the term "dark" because I am not sure that it was intended that way, and Lou himself didn't like the term either. I'll call it honesty. Lou was always honest.
This is not to say that every word he wrote was in some way autobiographical. I think the majority probably weren't. But even in fiction, Lou knew how to cut to the bare bones of any given emotion or situation. Sometimes brutally, and sometimes poetically in such a way that the listener may not even understand the meaning until going through multiple listens. There is a sharp wit, if you care to look for it, and a sense of hope in the darkne--- er, thick of things. There's also some real bad stuff going on. But that's life. Like the man himself said, it's Magic and Loss. There's a whole lotta good and then some bad to even things out. Sha la la man. You know, I always maintain that writing poetry and writing song lyrics are two different things. They may overlap but they are different. Lou Reed is the exception to that rule.
And then there was the music. Minimalist, but played with integrity. Individual musicians could have room to get a lick in, but everything served the song. And the song was three chords, pure and from the heart. Basic, straight rock and roll. Unless it wasn't. A little bit of classical got mixed in as well as funk, early rap, doo wop, smooth jazz, and avant-garde noise to name a few. When you put on a Lou Reed record you never were completely sure what it would sound like, but Lou would be there to get you through it, even if it wasn't pretty, he's the best guide you could have and that was reassuring.
I have tried to put together a list of my favorite Lou Reed songs, my play list if you will. Ten songs wouldn't scratch the surface so I'll double it. So here in no particular order are my favorite Lou Reed (and some Velvet Underground) songs, presented with a giant thank you to Mr. Lou Reed for the art and the heart, with all the respect you deserve.
1. Sweet Jane
2. White Light/White Heat
3.Vicious
4. Walk On The Wild Side (it's not poser to like this song-it's poser to pretend you don't!)
5.Caroline Says II
6.Waiting For The Man
7. Street Hassle
8. Sally Can't Dance
9. No Money Down
10. Dirty Blvd.
11.New Sensations
12.Magic And Loss-The Summation
13. Satellite Of Love
14. Perfect Day
15. Finish Line
16. Talking Book
17. Into The Divine
18. Hooky Wooky
19. Rock And Roll
20. Legendary Hearts
Alternate: LULU. It's not represented here because it only works as a piece, not song to song. Go ahead and laugh, but in 20 years you're going to agree with me.
I think I relate to Lou's music a little differently than many of his fans do, and differently than most artists I am a fan of. The thing is, I don't really relate. Not on a personal level, at least not often or directly. I agree with many of the points he's tried to make, especially in his later work, and the studio version of "The Kids" cuts every time with the actual kids screaming for their mommy. Fuck, Lou, did you have to do that? Yeah, you did, I know. Because it makes people (me) uncomfortable and that's what makes it art.
And that's where I relate. The uncomfortableness of art. Art can be beautiful, heart warming and give a most pleasant feeling of joy, or at least contentment, to its audience. And Lou does that a bit more often than he's given credit for. And I lie that, but what gets me is the other stuff. I won't use the term "dark" because I am not sure that it was intended that way, and Lou himself didn't like the term either. I'll call it honesty. Lou was always honest.
This is not to say that every word he wrote was in some way autobiographical. I think the majority probably weren't. But even in fiction, Lou knew how to cut to the bare bones of any given emotion or situation. Sometimes brutally, and sometimes poetically in such a way that the listener may not even understand the meaning until going through multiple listens. There is a sharp wit, if you care to look for it, and a sense of hope in the darkne--- er, thick of things. There's also some real bad stuff going on. But that's life. Like the man himself said, it's Magic and Loss. There's a whole lotta good and then some bad to even things out. Sha la la man. You know, I always maintain that writing poetry and writing song lyrics are two different things. They may overlap but they are different. Lou Reed is the exception to that rule.
And then there was the music. Minimalist, but played with integrity. Individual musicians could have room to get a lick in, but everything served the song. And the song was three chords, pure and from the heart. Basic, straight rock and roll. Unless it wasn't. A little bit of classical got mixed in as well as funk, early rap, doo wop, smooth jazz, and avant-garde noise to name a few. When you put on a Lou Reed record you never were completely sure what it would sound like, but Lou would be there to get you through it, even if it wasn't pretty, he's the best guide you could have and that was reassuring.
I have tried to put together a list of my favorite Lou Reed songs, my play list if you will. Ten songs wouldn't scratch the surface so I'll double it. So here in no particular order are my favorite Lou Reed (and some Velvet Underground) songs, presented with a giant thank you to Mr. Lou Reed for the art and the heart, with all the respect you deserve.
1. Sweet Jane
2. White Light/White Heat
3.Vicious
4. Walk On The Wild Side (it's not poser to like this song-it's poser to pretend you don't!)
5.Caroline Says II
6.Waiting For The Man
7. Street Hassle
8. Sally Can't Dance
9. No Money Down
10. Dirty Blvd.
11.New Sensations
12.Magic And Loss-The Summation
13. Satellite Of Love
14. Perfect Day
15. Finish Line
16. Talking Book
17. Into The Divine
18. Hooky Wooky
19. Rock And Roll
20. Legendary Hearts
Alternate: LULU. It's not represented here because it only works as a piece, not song to song. Go ahead and laugh, but in 20 years you're going to agree with me.
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