moby is out with his next album ‘wait for me’, in case you didn’t know that already. I am still giving the album a listen so the review might have to wait for a while. however, initial impressions given out make this sound like a very personal piece of work (both for the creator and the listener). some very eloquent pieces which are filled up with a good amount of melancholic value. visit his website for this fantastic interview.
animated in monochrome, and with things ranging from cats, chickens, dinosaurs, shooting stars as supporting cast, its uncannily funny! from the days of ‘hotel’, ‘play’ and ’18′, this is most definitely upping the bar.
To enjoy certain things in life, you need what is best called an acquired taste. The brand of music which Elvis Costello has made in a career spanning three decades could be slotted in much the same way. Largely instrumental in the rise to prominence of New Wave punk music, the past decade has seen him adopting a mellower stance. The eclectic play with words steeped in erudition, which made him the thinking man’s poster boy, however still stands strong. “Secret, Profane & Sugarcane” is filled with strong bluegrass and country folk influences. Much of the credit for this deservedly goes to T Bone Burnett, who garnered acclaim (and a Grammy) for this work on the Page-Krauss collaboration “Raising Sand”. This is specially visible when you listen to “Sulphur to Sugarcane” set against fiddles and dobros, and wayward ways with women. Similar is the treatment given to “My All Time Doll”; its just a bit funkier in its beat, but lyrically much more biting. Working with Loretta Lynn has resulted in the waltz like “I Felt the Chill”, while for most of the rest he has kept safe by trying out tested wonders like Johnny Cash’s “Hidden Shame” in his own style. As for taste, we’d say you rather acquire one if you wish to savor this one.
Not many bands would have the notoriety to have sparked off a riot while performing to a live audience. Nor would any have had a bigger debut album released till date. An album which has notched sales in excess of 18 millions units since the time of its release, a feat unsurpassed till now, and in probability unbeatable in future as well. Rising through the sultry heat of July in ’87, there was a snarl fuelled with the drug addled, sex laden, and raucous debauchery of five lives coming together. Axl Rose, Slash, McKagan, Stradlin, and Adler – despite their wayward pursuits into a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol ridden haze, the group which called themselves a relatively unknown Guns N’ Roses at that time, put together a record which contained within itself the energy to unleash turbulence on an entire planet. “Appetite for Destruction” couldn’t have found a better name for itself. Smeared with grime from the underbelly of the street of LA, the album has become a statement for rebellion. Feelings of deeply seated insecurity found amongst the unsettling souls of youth found a way for themselves on “Sweet Child o’ Mine”. With a guitar intro arguably one of the most instantly recognizable, the song highlighted the softer side of the band. Twin guitars played to dexterous perfection by Slash and Stradlin and the reverberating bass of McKagan personified some of the edgiest work to have scraped their way through amps during that era. Found in ample abundance on places like the intro of “Paradise City” and “Mr. Brownstone”, each strum of the guitar was a lesson in pure abandon. Adler (whose name could well be a pun on ‘addled’ for his perpetual fascination with the syringe) played a perfect mate to the string work of his buddies, by laying a foundation of solid concrete built on rumbling hard hitting thumps with his sticks. The rest was layered to perfection by the growls, shrieks, grunts and hisses of a possessed voice which slithered with oozing sexuality. Axl Rose had a voice which defied conventionality. Not exactly a vocalist’s vocalist, he used his voice to produce a range which was as low straddled on “Its So Easy” to a falsetto with the highest recall on most of the other tracks. And who could forget the sounds of love making which he recorded into the guitar interlude on “Rocket Queen”, the very song which triggered the riot in St. Louis. A classic meant for generations to endure, this is spite dished out in as gritty a flavor as can be.
Collaborations aren’t easy to come about between superstars. Considering either would have solo efforts of their own to keep them more than busy, it is nothing short of a miracle if it happens. But then this is what makes them superstars, right? A decade back, Method Man after having parted from the Wu Tang Clan and working on a few record breaking sounds decided to work with Red Man who had been making waves of his own. Together they made a record which hit the very foundations of hip hop back then in the form of “Blackout”. A decade later, the sequel is out of those foundations to shake the structure of how we know hip hop today. Once you are through with the booming intro on “BO2”, you just need to wait till “A-Yo” to get an idea of what exactly lies in store. Getting back old timer Pete Rock, this track contains potent explosiveness to make weekend parties go haywire. Its not just Rock; friends from past are given ample space on this record. So we have Erick Sermon producing the sly mixes on “Dangerous MCees” and “Neva Herd Dis B 4”, and also lending his voice to the Buckwild produced “Mrs. International”. But what’s kept best under wraps is the return of Wu Tang brothers Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, both of whom come together on “Four Minutes to Lock Down”. The record just proves again that consistency is the hallmark of superstardom.
It would be better at times if people chose to shock with their work, rather than how they look. An image of shock and glam may be what Marilyn Manson has chosen for him, it now seems to be more a pre-pubescent case of still ascribing to a prurient outlook to fuel popular appeal. Because frankly, it doesn’t look like there is much left as far as his musical pursuits go now. His latest album “The High End of Low” doesn’t do anything either to elevate the flagging interest of fans following the abysmal “Eat Me Drink Me” released a couple of years back. The band continues to make such big words like “Arma-goddamn-motherfuckin’-geddon” in the hope of creating puritan furore, without much success. Musically, there isn’t much variation; except for the fascination with outlandish titles like “Pretty as a Swastika”, “Wight Spider” and “Unkillable Monster”, with not much merit. It is advisable that rather than just relying on the shock value which helped them during their early years on “Antichrist Superstar”, they also work a bit on the music bit which ensured their initial success.
There is no doubting the contribution science and technology have made in providing those mega strides that have taken music to where it is now. So while musicians may get feel a certain sense of gratitude, it gets a bit quaint when this starts looking like an obsession. The last thing being a reference to the Law of Conservation of Energy in the intro to your album, the name of which incidentally also bears the same reference. With earlier albums bearing such primitive and grounded-to-nature titles as “Elephunk” and “Monkey Business”, it seems Black Eyed Peas have taken themselves on a technology driven overdrive. Their latest album, “The E.N.D.” which simply expands into Energy Never Dies, as the name suggests, is a non-stop marauder which promises (and succeeds at a certain level) in building up a vortex of cyclonic energy. A fixation with technology is splattered all over the album. As part of his duty on production responsibility, will.i.am has ensured that he incorporates the snazziest tools provided by technology. These result in a marked departure from their previous sound, which is just preserved as a thin strand wrapped between tight electronic tunes. AutoTune finds its way on top of the vocals of each of the bandmate, and on each track. This would have been fine if it would have just helped in fine tuning any scratchy vocal sections. But it has been utilized to an extent where it morphs the vocals to make each of the quartet more like androids rather than humans. You do tend to feel a bit deprived when you are unable to experience that deep chested (pun unintended) soprano voice of the Dutchess. Both will.i.am and Fergie, as makers of successful solo careers for themselves, are of course the more visible ones of the group. Not to say that apl.de.ap and Taboo don’t get a place for themselves. The rap sections for which they are known, keep the album in good stead, except the feeling that their sections are a bit downplayed. Or maybe the nature of the album didn’t allow them to express themselves vocally as much. In typical dance electronica style, this album doesn’t emphasize much on the vocal aspect. Poor lyrics which keep getting repeated in a loop to keep up with the beat just show that the spoken word isn’t what is intended to be delivered. “Now Generation” would have been a nice song, with the interplay between drums, guitar tabs and fluid harmonica giving it one of the most back-to-roots characters. The monotonous “We are the now generation / We are the generation now” just plays spoilsport. All isn’t amiss though. After all, this album has given us one of the biggest singles this year, and the group’s first single to top the US charts at debut. “Boom Boom Pow”, which has been getting extensive radio rotation, is tweaked to perfection with the soaring vocals of Fergie providing good company to the dance floor rhythm. Fusing diverse genres isn’t easy. Evident on “Imma Be”, the hip hop and chillout jazz sections are kept separate from each other, and provide a welcome break at the start of the album. House and dance beat DJs and producers David Guetta and MSTRKRFT have worked well with will.i.am to infuse their brand of style into the compositions. Those who have heard them would readily recognize the kind of influence which is present. If you seriously wish to enjoy it, the best way to listen to this album is to set aside any preconceived notions and past experiences you may have had with the group. And let yourself loose to the beats. Alas, this isn’t something easy, because comparisons with previous work are unavoidable, and expectations are but, natural.
There comes a time when the most basic tenets are put to test. Medieval saints may have termed this as the Dark Night of the Soul with reference to religious faith; modern day musicians would find a different connotation. With the entire record label machinery being redefined, the current period may well be identified this way. Precisely the reason for an album to be named like this, that too by an artiste that has always had quirky ways of working with and against labels. With his “Grey Album”, he had irked EMI enough to make sure he would have problems with this one. Not one to take it down so easy, he teamed up with Sparklehorse and David Lynch and created an album, only to distribute it through non-conventional methods to avoid legal disputes. Methods, which include giving out blank CDs minus music as part of the release! The three of them have worked with a variety of artistes on this record, each lending a unique flavor to each track. Ambient electronic music in DM style but treated with a difference owing to SH’s presence ensures that there are sounds as quaint as blaring traffic horns and passing aircrafts present. David Lynch, the genius that he is, contributes not just his voice, but some surreal images as well which form part of the record package. What remains to be seen though is how long the night lasts.
The precision with which progressive metal stalwarts Dreamtheater play their compositions isn’t something unknown. Had these guys not been making music, they would have been involved in some hallowed scientific or engineering pursuit, where exactitude is the key parameter for execution – quite possibly. Crafting meticulously timed melodies has been Dreamtheater’s forte. Their previous album “Systematic Chaos” may have digressed from their standard fare, but “Black Clouds and Silver Linings” promises to take their stature to another level. DT has mostly enjoyed a cult status, and it doesn’t seem they are unhappy with it either. After all, an album which has most songs crossing the fifteen minutes threshold doesn’t do much good in the name of radio and chart friendliness these days. The epic duration of the songs allow them to play out to their (and the fans) content, with each band member exemplifying some mammoth musical finesse in their contributions. Portnoy, apart from being the time keeper, lends his voice in the form of syncopated growls on some tracks, acting as the perfect foil to LaBrie’s soaring vocals. Petrucci on guitar and Rudess on the keys are who lead from the front on most tracks. Both of them showcase some blistering solos, kickbacks into unison, and getting back onto shredding apart the music, literally. Myung, as always, continues to provide that foundation on his bass guitar for the song structure. Multiple time signature changes abound the album, which never allow you to reach that zenith of pleasure. It rather shifts direction just before each zenith to result in successive peaks, all aggregating into an entire range of gratification.
There are few bands which are able to put together all their varied musical influences together like 311. This band has something for everyone – punk, metal, rap, ska, reggae. Their ninth studio album “Uplifter” is no different either. The difference this time is that they have collaborated with the heavyweight production values of the legendary Bob Rock. Anybody who has the slightest inkling of acts like Metallica and Motley Crue would know the heavy hand with which Bob deals his music. And the influence is markedly visible in the heavy riffs which are present through the tracks, specially the soaring guitar solos which make up tracks like “Never Ending Summer” and “Two Drops in the Ocean”. 311 sticks true to its original sound, with staccato reggae beats timing most of the tracks, right from the opening track “Hey You” which begins with jarring guitar tones making way for uptempo beats, upto the finale on “My Heart Sings”, a low tempo love song. All isn’t as swell though, with the utterly lame juvenile attempt at “Mix it Up” and the rap laden “Something out of Nothing”. The rest make up for some likeable listening, especially if you want your music served as mashed up as it can get.
Death has a way of living itself through Life. At least that’s what you feel when you listen to “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King”, the latest album by Dave Matthews Band. Released after the untimely exit of their cofounding member LeRoi Moore who acted as a solid pillar of musical strength with his adroitness on the sax, you can hear his spirit wandering amongst the pieces. Affectionately called GrooGrux, the album works as much a tribute to his death as his life. The album cover puts something of this sort in perspective as you see the large illustration of the ‘GrooGrux King’ set amongst a street filled with revelers. Fittingly, the album begins with a melancholy note from his sax on the instrumental “Grux”, but immediately makes way for the uptempo funky notes of “Shake Me Like a Monkey”. Just like you would pay tribute to a departed soul, but then remember all those good times in his life. The times which made him what he was. With electric guitars taking on a full time vocation, and the stripped down acoustic sound taking a backseat, the album sounds much more ‘fuller’ than any of their previous albums. Much of this could be credited to the production values bought forth by Rob Cavallo who has largely worked with ‘heavier’ bands like Green Day and My Chemical Romance. In no way does this undermine the character of their ‘sound’ built over all these years. Sample the aggressive banjo on “Alligator Pie”, the craziness on “Funny the Way It is” or the restrain on “Time Bomb”, and you would know why this album is so different, yet so much like any of their previous work. Mighty slices of the bow on the violin accompanied by pounding skins and thrashing cymbals set to shredding riffs, and you have this masterpiece of an album. GrooGrux would sure be happily smiling up there.
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Tongue N' Cheek - Dizzee Rascal
Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice - HIM
