Friday, November 30, 2007
This is just a little reminder that my seventh annual Best Music countdown kicks off tomorrow. It's a big, 24 day extravaganza, so be sure to come back here every day, right up to Christmas Eve!
I'll continue to post links to my articles when they appear online, so watch for that in the right margin.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Big update today, lots of stuff to mention. First off is my latest column, which centers on Megadeth's whole oeuvre, if you will, using the recently released Warchest compilation as a starting-off point. I couldn't bring myself to do a straightforward review of the five-disc career retrospective, but the weird thing was that I had no idea how to go about it. So I just started writing, and I got a bit ensconced in the Peace Sells... album, namely "Wake Up Dead", and before I knew it, I was well on my way to devoting 1500 words to that one song. The further I went into the track, though, the more I realised that particular song perfectly embodies every cool aspect of Megadeth's music: the eccentricity, the technical prowess, and the power of the groove. The piece that I wound up with turned out pretty well, I think. It was fun to immerse myself in Megadeth's music once again. Oh, and Warchest makes a great present for the headbanger on your Christmas list. It bravely tackles even the lean years, but it doesn't dwell on them too much, and the two live discs are phenomenal.
If there's one CD I was absolutely not expecting to enjoy as much as I have been, it's the tie-in album for the Metalocalypse TV series. The cartoon, about fictional death metal band Dethklok, is really well done (the DVD is highly recommended), and the songs they do work well in the 15 minute episodes, but what's most impressive about The Dethalbum is how well creator Brendon Small fleshed everything out. These songs are funny, but they're also very good, credible heavy metal. Not quite death metal, but it's certainly more true to the fun spirit of classic metal than the recent albums by Manowar and Iced Earth, that's for sure. Small, who created the series, also wrote and performed on all the songs, with the great Gene Hoglan handling drums, and he shows he's just as credible a metal musician as a comedy writer. So read my review, go buy the Season One DVD if you haven't seen the how yet, run out and find the CD, and crank "Hatredcopter" nice and loud.
I also reviewed the latest Queensryche compilation, which basically tries to improve upon all the other Queensryche comps out there and does a decent job. The special edition comes with a bonus disc with a bunch of cool early demos that fans will find fascinating, but unfortunately, that second CD was padded by a bunch of bonus tracks from the 2002 remaster series, which those fans most likely already have. So it's a bit of a rip-off, but as an introduction to the band, it's probably the best one that's out there. Though I'm still very annoyed that the tragically underrated Rage For Order continues to get the short end of the stick.
I first saw Chiodos at this past spring's Taste of Chaos debacle, and as I think I noted back then, they were one of just a few bright spots in what was a shambolic display of corporate emocore at its most contrived and cynical. So I was quite interested in hearing the band's new album, and I'm glad to say it doesn't disappoint. It's as maudlin and melodramatic as you'd expect, but musically and production-wise, they've really stepped it up, going for total bombast, but not letting everything spiral out of control. The arrangements are gaudy (stings everywhere), but somehow tasteful. If "A Letter From Janelle" was released as a single, it might have contended for my year-end singles list. As it is, though, as my review states, it's a fine record. Though I don't like how they quote Charles Bukowski and Rod McKuen word for word on a couple of occasions...not only is it disrespectful to the late poets, but kids will end up thinking the band is more profound than they actually are. Not nice.
Lastly, I reviewed the outstanding recent EP by Welsh orch-pop goofballs Los Campesinos! for Static. When I first gave the CD a spin, I wound up putting the 16-minute disc on repeat, playing it about a dozen times over. In a year where indie rock couldn't be more boring, this was a welcome breath of fresh air, highlighted by a cover of my favourite Pavement song of all time and the rousing single "You! Me! Dancing!". Their new album comes out in early 2008, so expectations are very high. I think they'll come through with a great CD.
I was slow to catch on to Tool. Around the time of Opiate, I was indifferent. When Undertow came out, I was only mildly intrigued. When Ænima became insanely popular, I couldn't figure out why. Then in 2001, I found a used copy of Lateralus, and it finally clicked with me...I loved it so much, it got a deserving not in my top ten list that year. I saw them in October of 2002 (check the archives for my post-show review), and was further blown away. When the five year wait ended a year and a half ago with the release of 10,000 Days, I liked portions of it, but was less than enamoured with others, but I still craved seeing them one more time. Thankfully, unlike the Radioheads of the world, who rest on their laurels and play only large markets, Tool goes everywhere, and it was only a matter of time before they came out my way again. That show was last night, and man oh man, not only did it not disappoint, but the band blew away the show from five years prior.
I made it out to the arena, through the ice and snow (our winter has started full blast this year, with tons of snow and severe cold), and got there with plenty of time to spare. My seat seemed like it was far away, six rows up from the floor on the stage left side, just past the sound booth, but if you've ever been to a Tool show, there's really no bad seat, and that would certainly be the case on this night. Post-rock outfit Trans Am opened, and they were very good, a refreshing change from the usual underwhelming openers bands toss out. I'd only recently heard 2007's Sex Change album, which I find to be quite enjoyable, so I didn't know any of the songs they played, but the combination of synths, bass, and drums sounded more powerful than I'd expected. In fact, the sound was impeccable, the synths rumbling the floor to the point where my feet became numb when I tried walking after the set. Good stuff.
Tool was the reason all 7 or 8,000 of us were there, though, and they treated us to an unforgettable show. They never move around much, bassist Justin Chancellor and guitarist Adam Jones doing their thing on the stage, with drummer Danny Carey and singer Maynard James Keenan on risers near the back, but they always keep the visuals enticing, and they sure go for broke on this tour, with six video screens (several of which backlit Keenan and Carey), a very cool, mobile light rig, and as we'd see during the last 50 minutes, lots and lots and lots of lasers. As usual, not many songs were played, but that's always misleading, the show going on for two hours. Keenan, who was normally clad, sporting a cowboy hat (a far cry from his blue-dye look last time) seemed to be in good spirits, and although his vocals needed to be a little further up in the mix, he was still strong. Carey, who won the crowd over with his Roughriders jersey, absolutely destroyed on drums, especially on the crushing performance of "Lateralus". The clear highlight of this night was the 20+ minute suite "Wings For Marie (Pt 1)"/"10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2)", which was made all the more stunning by the aforementioned lasers, which managed to add to the sombre mood of such a powerful song. Closing with "Vicarious", the guys did their trademark group hug at the front of the stage, and we all headed out into the brutal cold to try to warm up our frozen cars and icy limbs, and battle the insane traffic int he world's most ineptly conceived parking lot. It took me 40 minutes to get out of there! Inexcusable! Thousands of cars, and only a pair of two-lane entrances. Whose brilliant idea was that? It's like trying to drain the Hoover Dam with a pinhole. But I digress. Amazing, awesome show, by one of the best live bands going right now. Here's the setlist:
Jambi
Stinkfist
Forty-six & 2
Schism
Rosetta Stoned
Flood
(Intermission)
Wings for Marie/10,000 Days
Lateralus
Vicarious
Monday, November 26, 2007
18 years...
Friday, November 23, 2007
One new review appeared this week, and the album in question is a good one. I only just heard of Ottawa's The Acorn when hearing the name being bandied about by my fellow Polaris jurors, and when I sampled the music, I was impressed by their lively take on indie folk/pop. The new album Glory Hope Mountain is even more intriguing, thanks to its source of inspiration (see the review for the full details), as well as the band's more adventurous choices in rhythms and musical styles. The last three songs tend to play it a bit safe, but other than that, it's a very strong disc, which considering my increasing indifference to increasingly stagnant new indie rock, manages to command my attention from start to finish.
And speaking of that growing indifference to indie, while Montreal's Miracle Fortress put on an energetic, pulse-pounding performance last night opening for Stars, but for all the frantic beats by the two drummers, as far as the actual songs are concerned, I still had a tough time connecting to it. They're much better live than on record (which is good but not as amazing as some might want you to believe), but I kept waiting for each song to hit that big melodic climax, but aside from the last song, it didn't exactly happen. They sound good, they play well, but it feels like they're holding back just a little.
The same can't be said for Stars. They're consistently one of the finest bands in Canada, and along with the New Pornographers, Metric, and Broken Social Scene, they are absolutely adored in this city. I still consider myself a bit of a new fan, when Set Yourself on Fire finally clicked with me a few months after it came out, and I will forever regret not going to see them and BSS play the local university pub in early 2003, a show that attracted only a handful of people, unbelievably. My history with Stars goes back even further actually, as back in 2001 I heard early single "My Radio" on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, but stupidly, it took another three years to be completely swayed. Now, I'm an unabashed fan, and catch them whenever they visit, which is often. And they're such a strong live band, that each new show is in front of an even bigger audience, as this occasion had them playing to close to a thousand punters at the Odeon.
They sure didn't disappoint, either, playing a near-marathon show. These days too many bands play for too short a time, but Stars went on for about two hours, and so deep their catalogue has become over the past seven years, that it was just gem after indie pop gem.The stage was adorned with paintings and bouquets of flowers, and the band appeared humbled by the huge reception they got when they strode onstage. They're an incredibly tight group musically, but it's all about the dynamic between co-lead singers Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan, those trademark boy/girl vocals creating an ongoing dialogue in the music The set focused heavily on both Set Yourself on Fire and In Our Bedroom After the War, with a pair of fan favourites from Heart and a surprise selection from the debut Nightsongs. I was hoping to hear "Look Up" again, but "Heart" justifiably got the nod, since it's such a crowd pleaser in Canada. Pleasant surprises were "Bitches in Tokyo", which benefited hugely from the roaring guitars, an electro reinterpretation of "Sleep Tonight", and "In Our Bedroom After the War", which brought the main set to a rousing conclusion. So enthusiastic was the crowd, that the band came back to play a five-song encore, highlighted by a loose performance of "On Peak Hill". Campbell had dived into the crowd (his very first crowd-surfing experience, according to Millan) and lost his ear monitors, and he valiantly sung the song without them, the lighthearted tune bringing the festivities to an appropriately casual finish. A fantastic show as usual, and I say this every time, they can't return soon enough. Though we'll forever wish we could see them at cozy Amigos one last time. Here's the setlist (I think the order is mostly correct, give or take a few):
The Beginning After the End/Take Me to the Riot
Set Yourself On Fire
Elevator Love Letter
The Ghost of Genova Heights
Bitches In Tokyo
One More Night
Personal
Heart
Soft Revolution
Midnight Coward
Window Bird
Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
Reunion
Sleep Tonight
Ageless Beauty
In Our Bedroom After the War
Encore:
The Night Starts Here
What I'm Trying to Say
My Favourite Book
Calendar Girl
On Peak Hill
At the show I managed to finally pick up a cheap copy of Nightsongs, which is impossible to find in stores. The album still holds up very well (it's a charmingly intimate record) and despite its more electronic inclinations, it'd be nice to hear the band play more tracks from this one in the future.
One of my most anticipated new albums of 2008 is Goldfrapp's Seventh Tree, and whaddya know, but an early unmastered leak has surfaced. really early. Like, not-out-for-another-three-months early. And of course, I couldn't resist. It's a good album, but as the recent press has described, it's a big departure from the electro-pop of her last two albums, and even a stretch from the eclectic sounds of Felt Mountain. There's more of a pastoral feel dominating the entire album, acoustic touches going neatly with Will Gregory's surprisingly subdued production. The focus seems to be more on Alison Goldfrapp's voice, which is in perfect form as usual. It's going to take a few listens, but early on, "A and E" is already shaping up to be one of the duo's best songs to date. Drop-dead gorgeous, and very single-worthy. However, those who bought Supernature for the dance pop and expect more of the same will be very, very disappointed. It's fitting that Goldfrapp continues to be unpredictable, especially after admittedly sticking to the same formula for two albums in a row.
I'll be too busy doing my year-end recap to discuss the Decibel top 40 albums of 2007, but since the list has surfaced a little early, why not do it now? All in all, a very strong list this year, with 12 titles getting my vote (as opposed to about ten a year ago). The titles I don't really agree with are the Pelican and Down, and A Life Once Lost, while a good album, is not top ten-worthy, but those are just minor gripes. There are some fantastic inclusions (like Graf Orlock and Trap Them, two albums I loved but couldn't squeeze on my ballot), and the top nine is pretty much perfect. I can't see any other metal mag matching the quality and eccentricity of this list. He said, boastfully.
Oh, and speaking of one of those top picks, I didn't get around to mentioning my review of the new Portal album, which is an incredibly intense, disturbing, and flat-out creepy death metal disc from Australia. Not for the weak-hearted (I'm serious!), it comes with some of the best art design I've seen all year. So here's the review...listen if you dare.
Friday, November 16, 2007
As promised, my big review of the Dillinger Escape Plan's masterful Ire Works is up today. When I heard the album for the first time back in September, I was continually thinking, have I completely lost my mind or is this thing absolutely brilliant? Three years ago the band stunned the world with the melodic "Unretrofied" from Miss Machine, but I wasn't prepared for the kind of leap(s) the band would make this time around. After all, Ire Works bombards us with falsetto vocals, riffs and beats that border on funk, IDM and glitch-inspired electronic beats, horn sections, piano ballads, all melded so seamlessly, it's shocking. This shouldn't work...if there's anything the atrocious new Avenged Sevenfold album proves, it's that in less capable hands, eclecticism in metal music will end in complete disaster, but this is DEP we're talking about, one of the leading bands in American metal, and they pull it off with astonishing ease. Anyway, the more I heard this record, the more I got into it. First I was obsessed with the ultra-catchy "Black Bubblegum", then it was the rampaging groove of "Milk Lizard", and now it's the majestic, climactic track "Mouth of Ghosts" that has me blown away. And when I finally picked up the CD on Tuesday, I had to concede that for all the great metal albums that have come out in 2007, this is the clear choice for the very best. Brave, technically awe-inspiring, epic, catchy, and accessible, Ire Works is a marvel, and you owe it to yourself to buy it and give it a spin. Make that multiple spins.
Also up at PopMatters is my review of the new one by the Donnas. When I first heard that the band was going to release their new CD on their own label, I was optimistic, as lead-off single "Don't Wait Up For Me" was an ace rawk tune that hinted that their watered-down major label stint was a thing of the past. Unfortunately, that's not the case at all, as the ladies have never sounded more tired on record. It still has the odd good moments, like the aforementioned single and "Save Me", but for the most part, they're going through the motions. We expect them to be formulaic, that's what makes the Donnas so fun, but here they're just being lazy. A pretty darn big disappointment.
It took a while, but I'm thoroughly enjoying Girls Aloud's current single "Call the Shots". It's nice to have them and Sugababes consistently provide me with quick respites from the heavy stuff with their own clever, brilliantly produced pop. Though the Girls' cover of "Teenage Dirtbag" is surreal...it's weird hearing them sing about Iron Maiden.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
So sorry for the lack of updates. There were a number of reasons, basically my massive burnout that happens every fall, my subsequent scrambling to catch up with the writing assignments, my increasing susceptibility to Little Kids' Germs, my bitterness about Saskatchewan citizens collectively deciding to become Alberta Junior, and the fact that no new writin' had appeared in the last two weeks so there was nothing really to plug. Oh, and, erm, also because I was nerdily enjoying Guitar Hero III whenever I had spare time.
Things are getting back in full swing, though, with a ton of reviews coming up, plus a gigantic new column, not to mention a couple of very cool shows in the next week or so. And actually one of those newly-written pieces has already appeared, that being my positive review of the fun new album by Arch Enemy. I had high expectations with this one...talking to Mike Amott back in April when they were starting the recording process out in Gothenburg, Sweden, he was going on about how excited they were to be going away from the rather mechanical sound of the last two albums in favour of a looser, more intense approach with famous producer Fredrik Nordstrom. And man, does he ever deliver on his promise, as it's the band's best album in years. Mike and his brother Chris (rejoining the band after a couple years off) remain in my mind the best guitar duo in all of metal, and they are scorching on Rise of the Tyrant, delivering their trademark tight thrashy riffs and fluid, melodic harmonies and melodies. Most impressive, though, is vocalist Angela Gossow, who has been freed from the restraints of the more rigid double-tracking process, turning in a dominant performance, her screams and growls sounding more powerful than ever. As last year's live DVD showed, Gossow is a formidable vocal presence in concert, and she finally gets to strut her stuff properly on record. There's nothing new to this album, but Arch Enemy excels at what they do, and this disc has them in fine form. "Blood on Your Hands", "I Will Live Again", and "revolution Begins" are all kindsa awesome, I tells you. I only wish they'd come to my city, I've been wanting to see them for a very long time.
I quickly mentioned the new Dillinger Escape Plan album a couple of months ago, hinting at the brilliance therein, and since then, it's been growing on me more and more, to the point now where I'm convinced it's the finest metal album of 2007. Which, if you've been privy to any of my innumerable rants about how great this year has been for new metal music, is no small feat. My big rave review appears tomorrow, so I'll go into further detail then. For now, make sure you give this sucker a listen, the band has completely outdone itself.
My seventh annual Best of the Year countdown is a couple weeks away, and it's going to be an interesting one. I have never been less enamoured with indie rock more than this year, I have no patience for the majority of it, especially the stuff coming from the US, but that said, there is no shortage of list-worthy contenders from all genres. In fact, this could be my strongest top 20 list to date, and the singles list is looking good too, so watch for it, updated daily starting December 1st, ending on Christmas Eve.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
A pile of new reviews to mention today, as I come off a few days of R & R before getting back to the grind. First of all, I reviewed the incredible new album by Between the Buried and Me for PopMatters...I finished it a month later than I originally hoped, but it's a disc that needs time to settle in, considering it's a continuous, hour-long opus that is musically all over the place. I tend to have little patience with such efforts (Mars Volta being a big example), but BTBAM have figured out a way to make it memorable and genuinely hooky in spite of its convolutedness. They are without a doubt one of the most exciting American bands going today, and (you guessed it), this CD is yet another title that warrants the "One of the Year's Best" tags.
Over at Static, there's my review of the new Nightwish disc. As I've mentioned before, it's a deeply flawed album, but for all its negative aspects, I still can't help but like it. I like new singer Anette Olzon a lot, and was not the least bit surprised when the band hired a more straightforward rock singer, and I can't find any fault in her singing on Dark Passion Play. The main culprit is keyboardist/songwriter/producer Tuomas Holopainen, who continues to let his massive ego to dominate his music. One song is a cheap shot at fired singer Tarja Turunen and another song is a cheap shot towards Turunen's husband, but that's nothing compared to the extremely ridiculous "The Poet and the Pendulum", a 14 minute track that inexplicably kicks off the album. Musically, it's strong, possessing the wickedly catchy melodies that Holopainen is so skilled at, but his lyrics are beyond ridiculous, putting himself front and centre, imagining his own death and never shutting up about how tortured an artist he is. And poor Anette, the new girl has to sing this tripe and make it sound convincing. But she does a good job of it, the song a prime example of how Nightwish often sounds exciting and cringe-inducing at once. They're coming to Western Canada in May, and I have every intention of seeing them, either in Regina or Edmonton. Probably the latter.
Also up at Static is my review of last week's Ozzy show. It's basically a polished version of my post here, but it still does the job. That was an amazing show.
Lastly, Decibel has been updated for November, and I have just three pieces this month (at least as far as online content goes). The biggie of the bunch is my piece on the terrific new Agua de Annique album, which I've written about at length both here, and on my column. Then there's my bit on the new Alchemist CD, which had been on the back burner for a few months...it's an enjoyable record, but as you can see in the review, I was (and continue to be) a little preoccupied with just how much it sounds like Killing Joke. Third up is my review of Ghoulunatics, a funnily-named band from metal-rich Quebec, who churns out enjoyable, albeit unoriginal death & roll in the vein of Entombed and Grave.
A couple of quick news items I hadn't gotten around to yet:
- Yes, Oink was a great thing, and I'm going to miss it. And of all the comments I've read, it was actually Trent Reznor, a former member, who put it best.
- Stylus has ceased publication as of yesterday, and it's going to be missed as well. Before cokemachineglow came along, it was known largely as Pitchfork's snarky, list-obsessed younger sibling, but over five years, it managed to carve out an identity of its own, anchored by a cadre of strong writers, a couple of my faves being Andrew Unterberger and Cosmo Lee. I spent all of 2004 contributing to Andrew's massive I Love the 90s project, and was honoured to be included...it was quite a slog, but was great fun to be part of.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
New review! Witchcraft! Their best album yet, and one of the best of the year! Really, this thing is killer...I liked their first two albums, but they sidestep the retro doom just a touch on the new disc, bringing in more pychedelic, prog, and garage rock. They still sound directly out of 1970, but they've brightened up the sound a considerable bit thanks to that diversity, as well as some very strong singing. So go look for it, it doesn't disappoint.
Also, I've had the new Through the Eyes of the Dead album for quite a while now, but hadn't noticed the sticker on the front until yesterday...it turns out my Decibel review is quoted on it, which is really cool. I've had quotes in plenty of print ads, but not on a CD sticker, until now.
Ozzy/Zombie was tonight, and what a great show it was. I'd gotten my ticket the day they went on sale, the seat a good one, about tenth row, centre ice, but when it was announced that In This Moment was opening, I thought I'd see if I could finagle a pass as well, since I know the folks at their label really well, and they're always offering to hook me up with shows, but nothing ever comes here. The ticket that was waiting for me was actually better than I'd expected (third row on the side adjacent to the stage, parallel with the front row on the floor), so I went back outside to quickly find anyone interested in a freebie, or at least a cheapie, but had no luck. Usually there are some sad folks running around outside arenas hollering for extra tickets, but not on this night. So I just shrugged and headed back in with the very rare luxury of having two seats to alternate between, and that set-up turned out to be absolutely perfect. The centre-ice seat was good, but while the other one was really close, it was obstructed by a ten-foot wall of amps, so you couldn't see the drum kit and a fair chunk of stage left. So that means if I'd been there during Rob Zombie's set, I would have missed out on half the visuals...and man, were there a lot of those, including arguably the Greatest Drum Riser Ever. So for In This Moment and Zombie I sat with brother and sister-in-law further back, and went way up close for Ozzy, which happened to be on Zakk Wylde's side of the stage, so I got to see all those solos, poses, and pinch harmonics from less than 30 feet away.
An opening slot on an arena triple bill is a thankless job, as bands are stuck playing to a half-empty venue, largely consisting of apathetic people, and it was no exception for In This Moment (a band that feeds off mosh pits, performing in front of a seated floor crowd was akin to the proverbial fish out of water), but the energetic five-piece, led by charismatic blonde bombshell Maria Brink, clad in a blue Cinderella dress, no less, actually managed to win over much of the crowd during their all-too brief four song set. Their debut album Beautiful Tragedy is one of the most enjoyable metalcore discs to come out in the last couple years, thanks in large part to Brink's unique combination of piercing, Angela Gossow screams and lower-register cleanly sung vocals, and surprisingly, she displayed the very same range she does on record, "Beautiful Tragedy" and "Prayers" full of both visceral power and impassioned melody. Their painfully brief setlist:
Next Life (I think)
Daddy's Falling Angel
Beautiful Tragedy
Prayers
After that good little teaser, though, everyone got a full dose of metal theatrics thanks to Rob Zombie, who rendered the euphoric audience to putty in his hand, thanks to a wickedly cool, smoke-spewing drum riser that Zombie emerged from (made out to be a gigantic cartoonish devil's head), loads of fireballs, and video images of everything from cartoons, to classic horror flicks, to Russ Meyer films, to hentai, to The Munsters, to his own movies (ever the shill!). Toss in a pair of fantastic go-go dancers, Zombie's manic stage presence, and of course, a mighty impressive back catalogue of tunes, and you've got a killer set bent on giving maximum bang for your buck. And the man and his three-piece band energetically delivered hit after hit, each greeted with massive cheers and sing-alongs: "Superbeast", "Dragula", "American Witch", and "Demon Speeding" all went over huge, as did the older White Zombie nuggets like "More Human Than Human", "Living Dead Girl", and the always great "Thunderkiss '65". The setlist:
American Witch
Demon Speeding
Living Dead Girl
More Human Than Human
Superbeast
House of 1,000 Corpses
Never Gonna Stop
Thunder Kiss '65
The Devil's Rejects
Dragula
Ozzy's set was the one people were there to see, though, and after a lengthy intro clip of Osbourne poking fun at himself through clever inserts into such films and shows as The Sopranos, Wedding Crashers, and The Office, the familiar strains of "Carmina Burana" kicked in, followed by a surprisingly rambunctious rendition of 2007 single "I Don't Wanna Stop". Flanked by swaggering bassist Blasko and the burly, ever-present guitarist Zakk Wylde, Ozzy, who is 58 going on 80, was more spry than most people expected, and as the night wore on, the more it became apparent that he's still in fine vocal form as well. Never the most flamboyant performer, he depends on the strength of his supporting band, and the foursome (including keyboardist Adam Wakeman and drummer Mike Bordin) sounded air-tight during staples like "Bark at the Moon" and "Crazy Train", as well as rarities like "Fire in the Sky" and "I Don't Wanna Change the World".
The only negative aspect of Ozzy's set was the rather safe length of less than an hour and a half. With merely twelve songs and an interminable guitar solo by Wylde, it's a shame Osbourne didn't dip into his huge body of work for just a few more songs, as "Paranoid" was the only Black Sabbath track to be pulled out. Still, there were plenty of crowd-pleasers, including four from the classic Blizzard of Ozz ("Crazy Train", "Suicide Solution", "Mr. Crowley", and "I Don't Know"). Lighters at concerts are as hammy a cliché as Ozzy's repeated exhortations of, "I can't hear you!", but seeing the entire arena lit up during the rather poignant "Mama, I'm Coming Home" still managed to move this skeptic. The crowd bought into Ozzy's shtick, Ozzy bought into the crowd's, and everyone had a blast, the show capped off with a concussive display of fireworks and flames, sending the folks home with their shoes sticky with beer and who knows what else, ringing ears, and the satisfaction of having gotten their money's worth. Here's Ozzy's setlist:
I Don't Wanna Stop
Crazy Train
Suicide Solution
Mr. Crowley
Not Going Away
Road To Nowhere
Fire in the Sky
Bark at the Moon
Guitar Solo (Z. Wylde)
I Don't Know
Here For You
I Don't Want to Change the World
Encore:
Mama I'm Coming Home
Paranoid
Monday, October 22, 2007
After a furious week of writing, I was pretty burned out for a good five days, but with another very busy week ahead, it's time to get back to business, including updating this page. Two interviews to do, more reviews, and a boatload of shows that I might or might not attend. I'll be at the big Ozzy/Rob Zombie show on Wednesday, so expect a full recap that night, and there are some other interesting ones, like Apostle of Hustle with Do Say Make Think on Thursday, The Acorn on Saturday, and Sunset Rubdown next Monday, which I have to decide about.
Anyway, new review time. I did a piece on the new(ish) CD by Bat For Lashes for Static...I was introduced to it last December and immediately liked it, and I actually had no idea it wasn't available in North America until just recently. Singer-songwriter Natasha Khan does a good job walking the tightrope between sincere introspection and pretentious histrionics, drawing obvious inspiration from lots of well-known artists (as I illustrate in the review), yet somehow managing to put enough of her own personality into the music to make it rather original. A comfortably eclectic album, it was absolutely robbed of the Mercury Prize a short while back, when the Klaxons inexplicably won the thing. So by all means, give the album a listen, I highly recommend it.
One release I don't recommend at all is the new Ratt DVD. I've really been having fun writing about the recent pop metal DVDs and compilations by Rhino lately, and I loved the recently re-done Best-of CD a while back. This DVD anthology, though, is quite awful, mainly due to the fact that the band made some terrible, terrible music videos in the 1980s. Ironic, since "Round and Round" was a massive single thanks in large part to its mildly entertaining video, but watching this collection of clips, it quickly becomes apparent that they really coasted after that first one. Not surprisingly, the lack of cutting-edge, fashionable visuals on subsequent clips seems directly related to their gradual decline, hitting an all-time low in 1991 with a pair of overly expensive, horribly out of touch videos that were quickly rendered irrelevant when grunge exploded that fall. Along with the fact that this DVD has very little to offer save for the lazily-assembled VHS tapes the band put out, the overall experience is nowhere near as fun as the actual songs are. Avoid at all costs!
You might want to take a look at the new issue of Metal Edge, as my big piece on Machine Head's Robb Flynn is in this month's issue (no web link, sorry). I talked to him back in July (or was it August?), and it was a fun interview, he was really friendly and honest. He'd just played Wembley Stadium opening for Metallica, and was still amazed by the whole experience. Since there's no link to provide, here's an excerpt from the interview, as Flynn gives a lengthy explanation why he's always tried to experiment musically on each album:
"For me, all of the bands that I've loved throughout my whole life, for the most part, have always tried to mix it up in some way. Slayer from Reign in Blood to South of Heaven was a very heavily criticized stage, a lot of people felt they'd sold out when they went slower and added guitar melodies. Or even like from Kill 'em All to Master of Puppets, or even if you look at Green Day from Dookie to American Idiot, they didn't necessarily go along with what they should have done. And to me, I think that's important. As an artist, creatively, you need to mix up your stuff so your audience doesn't get bored. I listen to some bands, they kind of put out the same record over and over again. In the one sense, it's a plus, because you can sit there and say that it's consistent, but at the same token, as for me and as far as Machine Head wants to do, sometimes when I hear bands like that, it sounds like crappier versions of the song they did before. If you're going to try and write "Angel of Death" over again, man, the next time that you write it, you'd better really kick "Angel of Death"'s ass. I love South of Heaven, and I didn't really like [it] at first, and it's a classic album. It was a change I'm glad they made. To challenge yourself, even if you fail, it opens up a new place that you could go musically, and for example, Slayer did things stylistically on South of Heaven and that allowed them in turn to make songs like "Dead Skin Mask" or "Gemini", songs with great hooks or melodies, but still with that Slayer sound. That's what we hope to do. I still think ultimately you have to stay within what you are, though. And I don't think it's really that possible to digress that far from the way you are. I'm sure Angus Young could try and write a Cure song, but it'd probably still sound like AC/DC. [laughs] I could try and write any style, but it will ultimately end up sounding like Machine Head. Our old guitar player left, he said that we were limited because we couldn't do a song like the Deftones. And I agree, we can't write a song like Incubus or the Deftones, but by that same token, Incubus or the Deftones can't write a song like Machine Head. That's a good thing."
Here's Flynn on being without a record label for the first time, earlier this decade:
"After all this time, withstanding everything we've withstood, negotiating off of Roadrunner, and being unsigned for almost damn near two years, getting rejected by every record label in America, We were rejected by 35 record labels. At first it was kind of hard, but by the time we got to number 32 it was kind of comical. [laughs] And then to build everything back up, to put out Through the Ashes and The Blackening, to have that success, I think we've earned it."
Guitar Hero III comes out in less than a week, and the YouTube clips are starting to surface. The rendition of "She Bangs the Drums" is a bit of a disappointment (Americans can't duplicate that Mancunian accent), the Santana track looks fun, and both Metallica's "One" and Slayer's "Raining Blood" look nest to impossible on Expert. They've clearly made this game a lot more challenging than the last three...
A few weeks ago I forgot to mention my huuuge review of Rhino's Heavy Metal Box. A bit too long perhaps, but I think I managed to keep it interesting enough. For a feature piece, I had to be more thorough than usual. Anyway, as I first wrote here when I first got the set, there were some startling exclusions of key metal artists between 1966 and 1991, and I actually put together a bonus "Disc 5" that would include some of the mroe glaring omissions, which was supposed to be a sidebar. It wasn't used, so I might as well reprint it here. So if you have the box set, and would like to make it just a little better, you might want to hit the P2P and bittorrents, and slap this tidy little mix onto a CD:
Led Zeppelin, "Communication Breakdown"
Black Sabbath, "Black Sabbath"
Scorpions, "The Sails of Charon"
Thin Lizzy, "Emerald"
Witchfinder General, "Witchfinder General"
Ozzy Osbourne, "Over the Mountain"
Riot, "Swords and Tequila"
Mötley Crüe, "Live Wire"
Def Leppard, "Photograph"
Celtic Frost, "Circle of the Tyrants"
Possessed, "The Exorcist"
Guns N' Roses, "Welcome to the Jungle"
Death Angel, "Voracious Souls"
Bathory, "A Fine Day to Die"
Voivod, "Psychic Vacuum"
Godflesh, "Like Rats"
Morbid Angel, "Immortal Rites"
Carcass, "Incarnated Solvent Abuse"
Friday, October 12, 2007
Yesterday the 22nd installment of my Blood & Thunder column appeared, and it's a good one I think, a profile of two of my favourite vocalists, Anneke van Giersbergen, formerly of the Gathering and currently fronting Agua de Annique, and Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg, leader of the highly eclectic Norwegian band Ulver. There were a lot of things both artists have in common, specifically bands who, despite growing further and further away from metal music, still draw the majority of their fanbase from the metal side. It was also convenient, as they were doing interviews two days apart...I'd already agreed to interview Rygg, but when the chance to talk to Anneke popped up, I couldn't pass it up. It was fun talking to them, but as you'll see in the piece hopefully, they were two very different conversations. Overall, I think the piece turned out very well. And both bands' albums, Ulver's Shadows of the Sun and Agua de Annique's Air are outstanding, and often beautiful slices of avant-garde pop, and I highly recommend them. Ulver's cover of Black Sabbath's "Solitude" is particularly spectacular.
While I used the bulk of Rygg's quotes (the dude is very direct), I wound up with a bunch of quotes from Anneke that I couldn't squeeze in (she's a really, really nice lady). Here's the best of the ones that didn't make the article, where she's talking about the art design of her new album:
"I'm kind of obsessed with stewardesses. Of course, I romanticize it, but the classical form of the stewardess is a very unique profession, it's all about being serviceable and nice and clean and beautiful and neat and tidy, all the things I'm not! (laughs) I'm really intrigued by how this works and how she works, and how she looks and how she acts. Also, the thing with us as people, we all have good inside, and especially in the western world, we all believe we should only show our good side, and so half of us gets neglected, and that's not a good thing. You see in South America and the Middle East the people really embrace the dark side of life, you know, death and hurt and drama and all those things get attention as well. And for some reason I'm always busy with this, who am I, what are my good things, what are my bad things, and how do I work with that, and of course I can make music and show all these things. I can out it. There are lots of people also who are struggling with this fact, why can't we cry, why aren't men allowed to cry, or small things like that. The stewardess for me is the embodiment of this, she's always so perfect. I kind of wait for her to lose her temper or to slip in the aisle or do something that shows she's actually a person. And so these things all combine into this idea, and if you see all the pictures, you see that in the beginning the stewardess is really nice and friendly, but down the line she's kind of falling from her pedestal, and she's kind of losing it, she's drinking, smoking, and wondering all in subtle ways, and in the end, she's kind of lost it."
After finally seeing this month's Decibel, I realized I forgot about the little news piece I did, about Full Blown Chaos vocalist Ray Mazzola, whose day job is actually being a licensed minister. It was quite interesting, and the little piece turned out nicely. Unfortunately, it's not on the mag's website, so you'll just have to check it out in print.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
It was fun hanging around the internet last night, witnessing the online kerfuffle over the new Radiohead album on the night of its release, but as skeptical as I was (after the disaster that was Hail to the Thief, I wound up very pleasantly surprised by In Rainbows. It's nowhere near as dour as I'd expected, and in fact it gets shockingly sensual at times, little R&B beats creeping in, genuine emotion (not just the usual moping) coming from Thom Yorke and his lyrics, and best of all, actual songs, unlike the self-indulgent meandering that plagued the last record. Early faves include "15 Step", "Bodysnatchers" (cool little Can vibe going on in that one), "Nude", and "House of Cards". Is it a great album? Tough to tell, but it's certainly going to be a lock for the Pazz & Jop and Idolator polls. It's a very good album by a very good band. Best since Kid A? Maybe. What a pleasure it is to say that, too, because for four years I was wondering if Radiohead had completely lost the plot. It's nowhere near the case.
The really interesting thing will be what will happen when the actual CD hits stores in three months. If Radiohead can debut at #1 with a completely self-released album that everyone has already heard, it's going to cripple the big record labels, big time. I'm willing to bet they're going to pull it off, as In Rainbows is going to generate serious buzz, not just among the legions of fans, but also the casual music consumers who will see this title at the top of many Best of 2007 polls and think, "well, it looks like I have to hear this," and it's going to fly off the shelves, just watch. I'll be there to buy it, too.
Anyway, on to the pile of reviews I have to mention. The first one's a biggie. In the summer of 2004 I became an instant fan of Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman, first with his Rocky Dennis and Maple Leaves EPs, and then with his debut album When I Wanted to be Your Dog, and now, two years after his excellent Oh You're So Silent Jens compilation comes album number two, which ranks as his best piece of work to date. It basically takes his existing formula and perfects it even more. Not a throwaway on the entire album, just the usual sumptuous melodies and incredibly endearing lyrics. "A Postcard to Nina", "Shirin", and "Your Arms Around Me" are the best tracks, in my opinion. This will be in my 2007 top ten, no question. Anyway, go read my review, and check out the two free downloads, as well as the video. This is an album you need to own.
Decibel's site has been updated, unfortunately it happened before I got the actual issue in the mail. Hate it when that happens. Anyway, it appears I have just three pieces in this issue, all of them reviews. Two albums are very good, the other is an outright stinker. Litmus is a UK band bent on completely recreating the sounds of late-70s Hawkwind, and they succeed mightily on their new one, which, although really, really long, is hugely enjoyable. The first half hour is simply amazing, and is worth the price alone. Willowtip is a consistently reliable record label dealing in technical death metal, and Visceral Bleeding is their latest, a good combination of tight musicianship and plenty of entertaining, gore-obsessed lyrics, especially on the rather grisly (even by gore metal standards) "Rip the Flesh". Lastly, the stinker, that being the latest overblown opus by Iced Earth. I loved the compilation that came out a few years ago, but this CD rarely if ever lives up to any of those older tracks, save for "The Clouding", which I loved. It's nothing more than Jon Schaffer and his hired hands coasting along, a complete waste of time, one of the year's bigger disappointments. Oh, and the promo CD had THE most annoying voice-overs I have ever heard.
It's been a while since I've had something up over at Static, as my summer was a bit nuts, but I'm back on the horse over there, and will have a pile of reviews appearing in the near future. The first of which is the new solo album by Kevin Drew, he of Broken Social Scene notoriety. Lots of reviews have been glowing, but I see the album as more of a haphazard collection than one cohesive whole. It's full of brilliant moments ("Lucky Ones" is as good as anything off the last BSS album), but it's not without its share of duds, too. So approach this one with caution...you might want to sample before buying.
Five Reasons Why the New Within Temptation Album is Better Than the New Nightwish:*
1. Sharon Den Adel is a better, more emotive singer than Anette Olzon.
2. Nightwish brings the hooks, but they try too hard to impress. WT's melodies are less bubblegummy.
3. The ballads are far better. Nightwish's "Eva" and "Meadows of Heaven" are unbearably trite, while WT's "All I Need" is downright gorgeous.
4. Nightwish goes too far over the top, far too bombastic, while WT employs the same gimmicks (orchestra, dialogue samples, theatrical touches, etc.), but does so with an air of dignity.
5. Within Temptation isn't bitter. Nightwish's "Bye Bye Beautiful" is a petty diatribe against Tarja Turunen...they should have taken the high road.
* nothing against the new Nightwish, I like it plenty. I just happened to spin Within Temptation immediately after, and was struck by how much better The Heart of Everything is than Dark Passion Play
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
New review up again...this time, it's my bit on the new disc by Richard Hawley, which I actually mentioned here a couple weeks ago. I think it's his best album to date (yet another to add to the list of 2007 contenders), and it's cool to see him do so well over there, as this album hit #6 on the album charts. Now if only more people over here would discover his incredible music...
I've been missing so many 3 Inches of Blood shows in my city, that it's almost become comical. I think I've missed four shows over the years...they've come here time and again, and I've either forgotten to go, or just had crummy luck, as when they were supposed to open for the Motorhead/COC show, but weren't allowed because of some hassle. Besides, I was only an admirer of the Vancouver band, not a huge fan, but that all changed with Fire Up the Blades, which turned out to be a colossal improvement in musicianship and songwriting, and when it was announced last month that the boys would be coming down yet again, I made sure I wouldn't miss it. Other people had to be thinking the same thing, too, because Amigos was packed to the gills, the hot air inside hitting you like a wall. I was actually wondering if they'd draw well with it being a 19+ show, as a major percentage of their audience are children, but nope, the oldsters dig 'em plenty, too, which was good to see. Plus, the absence of the kiddies meant the brat factor was nonexistent, with no karate kicking hardcore idiots ruining everything. Anyway, after waiting for a local crust band to end their interminable set (a terrible choice for a classic metal show), I found a good spot by the wall, and thoroughly enjoyed an hour-long set by 3IOB. The set focused on the new album, including such songs as "Through the Horned Gate/Night Marauders", The Goatriders Horde", "Trial of Champions", "God of the Cold White Silence", "Forest King", and "Demon's Blade". Staples "Deadly Sinners" and "Destroy the Orcs" were brought out, as well as a couple others (no "Balls of Ice", sadly), but hearing the new songs back to back with the older ones, it was clear how much more powerful the new material really is. "Deadly Sinners" went over huge, as is expected, cos it's so darn awesome, but a song like "Goatriders Horde" absolutely killed. And man, can Cam Pipes scream...he definitely lives up to his name, hitting the highest notes with astonishing ease. The great thing about Amigos is that the crowds can get enthusiastic, but they're always civil, with no security throwing their weight around. Just a good time had by all. Wee need more metal shows there!
Got a nice little surprise on the doorstep the other day, as Megadeth's new Warchest box set arrived. First of all, the packaging is incredible, with an elaborately embossed cover with bullets and whatnot, which opens up, book-like, to reveal four CDs, a DVD, and a snazzy little book featuring a mighty fine essay by noted metal writer Ian Christe. The first three discs offer a cool career overview, original tracks mixed with rarities and studio outtakes, the highlights being a very early version of "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due" and a demo version of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK", which has a very neat segue into the Pistols' "Problems" midway through. I haven't gotten to the DVD, which contains a show from London in 1992, but the live CD scorches. Recorded in 1990, the band was at its absolute peak, and you can hear it, as they rip through old faves like "The Conjuring" (probably my all-time favourite song of theirs) and "Skull Beneath the Skin", as well as classics to be like "Holy Wars" and "Hangar 18". There'll be a full piece on this set in my November column, so watch for it!
Whenever I listen to Megadeth, I often think of the first time I heard them. It was very unusual...back in 1986, around the fall, I saw the cassette of Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? in the local store, and loved the title so much, that I bought it, without knowing the slightest thing about the band, not even the Metallica connection (it would be several months before the video for "Peace Sells" would come out and win over a generation of young metalheads). So I get home, pop in the tape, and the first thing I hear is the oddball "Wake Up Dead", which started as a weird love song, then instantly shifted into a wonky instrumental jam that bordered on jazz fusion. It was unlike anything I'd heard before, completely idiosyncratic, and I had no idea what to make of it. Then "The Conjuring" came next, and while it was a top-notch thrasher, I had no idea what the dude was growling about, so incoherent was his strange rasp of a voice. Then "Peace Sells" came on, won me over instantly, speaking to me as a disaffected teen (just like the kid in the video: "This is the news!"), and I was a fan from there, bringing the tape to school the next day to get my metal buds to hear it. And the rest is history...
Friday, September 28, 2007
Over the last couple months, the new Baroness CD had been capturing my attention so much that I was sort of ignoring the new, hugely anticipated album by High on Fire. I'd spun the CD a few times, and greatly admired it, but I was constantly drawn back to the enticing subtlety of the Baroness disc, which at the time I found considerably more interesting. It wasn't until I took the time to give Death is This Communion some serious attention that it started to become increasingly apparent that this could very well be High on Fire's finest album to date, and easily ranks among the year's best releases, either metal or otherwise. I really enjoyed Blessed Black Wings more than two and a half years ago, especially Steve Albini's production, but this new album, produced by Jack Endino this time, packs an even mightier punch. It's epic in every sense of the word, multifaceted more flamboyant than you might imagine, dynamic as all get-out, and most importantly, absolutely massive. This thing sounds huge, and the songs themselves are killer, from the blunt force of "Fury Whip", "Turk", and "Rumors of War", to the more adventurous songs like "Waste of Tiamat", the awesome groove of the title track, and "Ethereal". Anyway, go read my review of the album here, and give the album a listen. You need this in your 2007 record collection.
There's a funny High on Fire-related memory that kept surfacing while digging the new disc...at Sounds of the underground two years ago, for me, High on Fire was one of THE bands to see; along with Opeth and Clutch, I was excited for months to witness this most powerful of power trios, but weirdly, not many other people were. Madball played a good set to please the hardcore kids, drawing a big crowd, but when that set ended, the kung fu dancers took off en masse. At the same time, a huge chunk of the metal crowd was waiting in a long line to meet Opeth up on the arena concourse, so what was left was a smattering of a couple hundred at the most to enjoy the spectacle that is High on Fire, and they completely tore it up. Destroyed. Easily the hugest-sounding band of the entire show. I know meeting your favourite band can be a cool experience, but really, as much as I like Opeth, I'd trade a Mikael Akerfeldt autograph for a scorching HoF set any day. I can't imagine how many folks, be they metal or hardcore, are regretting not seeing that incredible performance.
My good bud Jon Garrett. a dude always with his ear to the ground, first told me about a young all-girl band from France called Plastiscines way back in January or February, whose catchy little album was immediately likeable upon first listen. I should have reviewed it back then, but with my workload, I just couldn't find the time to fit it in. So time passed, and I grew to like the album even more, sassy little single "Loser" ranking among my favourite singles of the first half of the year. When the chance came to be officially assigned the review for PopMatters, I thought that was as good a time as any to get the review done, and since I'd been listening to it for a good eight months, it was very familiar territory. Sooo, in the end, my review went up the other day. But I shouldn't plug the review as much as I should heartily endorse LP1, which is a terrific indie rock album full of punchy tunes reminiscent of the Buzzcocks and the Adverts, sung in cool-sounding French and adorably-accented English. If anything, go to the review page to see the video for "Loser"...you'll be impressed. Well, I hope so, anyway.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Wellity, wellity, wellity, Patrick Watson won the Polaris Music Prize, shocking US music writers, but not us Canadian writers, as Watson has been building some serious buzz up here this year. Still, to have him beat out the much-vaunted Arcade Fire and Feist, critics' darlings Julie Doiron, and my own personal picks Junior Boys and The Besnard Lakes is a huge, huge accomplishment. I wonder if his live performance at the show had anything to do with it...as I wrote back in April after his spellbinding JunoFest showcase at the Refinery, he and his band are absolutely incredible in concert, and it's easy to get swayed by the strength of his band's live presence. His album, though, it not quite as strong...although I like it quite a bit still, it was narrowly edged out of my Polaris ballot. But as a whole, I'm happy he won, even though I would have voted for the JBeez or the Besnards. He's a talented dude, and deserves the 20 grand as much as his other shortlist nominees. Except the Dears. They had no business being nominated.
Bleh, another week of listenin', writin', and interviewin' out of the way. More on all of last week's activities when the pieces go up. In the meantime...reviews!
I really had no business writing about Heaven and Hell again, having written extensively about the Dio/Sabbath reunion in three separate pieces, but I thought I'd go for broke one more time, and make it an even four with a review of the new concert DVD, which was filmed at new York City's Radio City Music Hall, not long after I saw the band in Regina. I was worried that the disc would be a rush job, seeing that it only took five months to put it all together, but the band, camera crew, editor, and director all did an amazing job on the thing. It's tastefully filmed, very well shot and cut, looks and sounds very snazzy, and most importantly, the band sounds great. It's a fitting souvenir for anyone who has seen them this year...of all the hyped band reunions in 2007, this one is easily the most satisfying...the old boys still sound as strong as ever. So read the piece, watch the clip at the bottom, and check uot the rest of the DVD. It's definitely worth purchasing.
When I heard about the new best-of compilation that Ratt was putting out, I was pretty darn excited, because it was high time a new remastered collection replaced the old 1991 one, and as my review states, it doesn't disappoint. All the great singles are there, and they even tossed in an extra album track from the very underrated Invasion of Your Privacy. And although the band petered out as the 90s rolled along, they amassed an impressive stack of quality songs. I especially like how the new disc is sequenced, going for a well-organized mix instead of a clunky chronological approach, which would have really exposed their weak later work. Instead, the way it;s all set up, it starts off strong, then slowly builds to a fantastic wave of about ten classic tunes. Great stuff, and as far as 80s metal comps go, this one's pretty darn essential. Nowhere near as great is the band's new DVD, but I'll get into that once I've reviewed the thing.
I had to compile and submit my 2007 top 20 list for Decibel the other day...I was really dreading it, because I knew it would be an incredibly tough decision, because this year has been the best year for metal music that I've come across in a very, very long time. Coupled with the fact that I've heard hundreds of albums, it's been tough to keep track of all the good music. So after lots of hemming and hawing over the weekend, I narrowed it down to about 50 definite qualifiers, and then whittled it down to a list of 20 that I'm very happy with. I won't print the list, that'll wait until December, but I will say that my top five includes, in descending order, a certain French metalgazer, a Virginia grindcore band, a Georgia band with a singer who does album covers, a british metalgazer, and a veteran Oakland band that put out their best album in ages.
And it's absolutely typical that on the day I sent in my top 20 list, I happened to hear the new album by the Dillinger Escape Plan, which is so amazing, I just might have to find room for it on my list. More on that one later on, but right now, I'm amazed by the audacity of the whole thing. It flies off in so many directions, from their trademark mathcore, to faux-industrial, to mainstream pop (!!!), to mellow jazzy stuff, to even electronic/IDM. I just hope "Black Bubblegum" is released as a single...it's insanely catchy, and I must have played it six or seven times in a row yesterday.
The new Stars album is out today...so those of you who downloaded the album illegally a few months ago, you go and buy the CD now, mmkay? Besides, I bet the accompanying DVD will be pretty cool. Hopefully! Oh, and if you're into the heavy stuff, the new Arch Enemy scorches, I tells you.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
It's been such a busy seven days...where to begin? I guess I should start out with my review of the latest Good Charlotte album. Five years ago, I slammed their album mercilessly, which in turn precipitated a flame campaign of epic proportions directed toward both PopMatters and yours truly. Like I've said since, hell hath no fury like a 13 year old girl with an email account, and man, was it funny reading them all. No hate-filled messages concerning this one, though, as those kids, who are probably out of high school, have probably moved on to other bands...and let's face it, Good Charlotte are simply a terrible band. They do have a knack for catchy little melodies and the odd snappy single, but they have absolutely zero charisma, and are constantly guilty of following whatever musical trend is popular at the moment. Their new CD has some surprisingly pleasant moments, but not enough to make me recommend it. "All Black" is probably the most unintentionally funny song I've heard all year.
Enough of the bad music! Let's get to the great stuff. And ee-yikes, did I ever get inundated with a pile of amazing albums this past week. I don't even know where to start. Well, I'll start with a biggie for me, the new album by Agua de Annique, the new band by former (it still pains me to type that) Gathering singer Anneke van Giersbergen. I knew all along there was a good chance I'd like it, but I'm really taken aback by just how strong it is. It was never any surprise that Anneke would go in a more middle-of-the-road direction, as there are hints of Coldplay and Damien Rice throughout, but still, there are plenty of eclectic moments. She's all over the map when it comes to lyrical content, which is no surprise with a singer relishing her newfound artistic freedom, but the tasteful arrangements keep things from flying off the handle. "Witnesses" really reminds me of if_then_else and has some of her strongest singing in years, "Yalin" balances introspective singer-songwriter fare with mainstream pop, "Come Wander is more traditional folk, then you get piano-driven stuff like "Ice Water" and "Trail of Grief", "Lost and Found" is a quality slow-burning ballad, while "Beautiful One" and "Sunken Soldiers" don't stray too far from the Gathering's formula. It's not without the odd hiccup ("You Are Nice" is perhaps a bit too blunt), but it's a very confident debut. In fact, it really feels like a natural progression from last year's Home, which is very high praise. The album's out on October 30 (golly, I wonder whose birthday that is?), so be sure to pick it up.
Richard Hawley's new one, Lady's Bridge is every bit as gorgeous as you'd expect. I'm a big fan of the guy, going back to Lowedges and Coles Corner, and the new record is more of the same, which is really all we ask from the guy. Lots of swoony, croony, 50s pop, with tons of rockabilly/jazz/surf guitar and lush orchestration, and ever-present, that velvety voice of his. The late-blooming Hawley has really become the best male singer-songwriter in the UK right now, and every single one of his songs is original, yet are so warm and inviting, that they instantly sound familiar. And if you're looking for one of the year's finest singles, look no further than "Tonight the Streets Are Ours". Just a wonderful CD.
I'd always been an admirer of Swedish retro-metalers Witchcraft, ever since a colleague turned me on to their debut three years ago, but their new one The Alchemist has turned me into a fan. They've always exhibited a deep fondness, nay, obsession, with the proto-metal sounds of Sabbath and Pentagram, as well as the more psychedelic sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, but while their past two albums have been good, they sounded more like homages than anything else. The new album, though, has them coming into their own as a band and songwriters, and while they remain strictly old school in both approach and execution, like personal faves (and fellow swedes) Dungen, they've finally managed to meld all those influences into a very cool sound. The best way to put it is, they remain retro, as the same influences are present, but the songs sound original, from the rampaging, organ-filled "If Crimson Was Your Colour" and the brilliant title track, a three-part prog rock epic. Stronger singing, catchier vocal hooks, better production...and for the kazillionth time, one of the best albums of 2007.
And speaking of those pesky Swedes, their efficiency knows no bounds, as yet another Nordic band has come along and knocked me out. The latest: a little all-girl band calling themselves Those Dancing Days, who look ridiculously young, but who play some of the loveliest powerpop I've heard in a while. They only have an EP out right now, but it's a good one, highlighted by the uber-catchy single "Hitten", with its breezy synth melody, surprisingly tight drumming, and best of all, the soulful, dulcet tones of mop-topped singer Lianna Jonsson. It's such a good song, I must have played it several dozen times this past weekend, and the video is just as likeable (the part with the girl miming the synth solo with her feet on a stairway is adorable). Highly, highly recommended.
Lastly, for now anyway, is the debut EP by Welsh nutjobs Los Campesinos!. It was only a matter of time before young bands started copying the Arcade Fire, with the rousing orch pop tunes with violins and glockenspiel, but these kids toss in a healthy dose of Art Brut style wit, and when you factor in just how INSANELY catchy the songs are, you've got a pretty darn winning combination. "We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives" is loaded with funny lyrics ("There's red stains all over the place / They're not blood, they're cherryade"), "It Started With a Mix" is instantly relatable with the protagonist's obsession with the perfect mixtape ("Handwritten tracklisting restarted every time the pen smudged"), while the pulsating hipster-lampooning "You! Me! Dancing!" is huge fun. And if that's not enough, they happen to go and cover "Frontwards", my favourite all-time Pavement song. When I popped the CD in, not knowing what on earth this band sounded like, I let that 16 minute CD spin six times. Just as good, too, is "The International Tweexcore Underground", which comes out in a few weeks. A full album is due in early 2008, and you can bet I, and thousands of other indie geeks, will be anxiously awaiting it.
There's tons more music to mention, but that's it for now. Two big interviews in the next three days, and plenty of writin' and listenin'...
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
My new column, which is up today, was such a long, two-week slog, but I'm pretty happy with the results. Back in July, I got a big stack of CDs in the mail from SuperNova Records, including a bunch of stuff related to hardcore/noise/metal greats Today is the Day, and considering how the last few columns of mine have been interviews, it was a perfect time to get back to a good, old-fashioned think piece, so I delved into Today is the Day's extensive back catalogue, and attempted to put together a good dissection of the band's music, centering on 1994's groundbreaking Willpower and the brand-new Axis of Eden, which comes out in a week or two. I also touch on a couple of performances captured on DVD, as well as the highly enjoyable rawk-oriented side project Taipan...the end result, nearly 2500 words that try to make some sense out of the relentless, prolific vitriol and chaos that singer/guitarist/producer/label owner/renaissance dude Steve Austin has no shortage of. Amazing band, and Willpower is an absolutely incredible album. The new one's darn good, too, so I highly suggest you read the piece (I hope it's not too long-winded or convoluted!), and check out the band's stuff if you haven't already. Oh, and massive thanks to Curran, who always hooks me up with great music, and was a huge help while writing this piece.
I also have a new review up today, a piece on the excellent new album by DC melodic death metal stalwarts Darkest Hour. I was a big fan of their last one, and I think Deliver Us is even better. the only problem is, I've heard so many great metal albums this year, I don't think I can squeeze this one into my year-end top 20. They've become somewhat like Arch Enemy, in that the guitar melodies dominate so much, something I'm always a sucker for. It's nothing that At the Gates did differently back in the early-90s, but Darkest Hour works the formula very well.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Barring some crazy unforeseen release that stops me dead in my tracks, my 2007 Album of the Year has been pretty much decided. Just as I was getting into Jesu's Conqueror early this year, around February, someone on the ILX board recommended a new MySpace track posted by a black metal outfit called Alcest. What immediately struck me was how decidedly non-black metal it was...aside from the trebly mix, which is one of several black metal calling cards, this new song sounded more shoegazer than anything, reminding me most of My Bloody Valentine, with its waves of distorted guitar and softly sung, barely intelligible vocals. If anything, as much as I loved the new Jesu album, it was clear that Alcest did it all better, especially on the vocal front, with much stronger, much dreamier melodies. To make matters even more tantalizing, early this summer it was announced that the new album, Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde, would be released in North America by none other than Profound Lore, a label I've enjoyed like no other this year. Talk about a perfect fit! And when I heard the album in its entirety in June...oh my. Jaw-dropping beauty, an impeccable blend of acoustic and electric, melodies hearkening back to Slowdive and Ride, atmospheric touches reminiscent of Dead Can Dance and Joy Division. Nothing groundbreaking, but when the music is this gorgeous, originality hardly matters. I pitched the review at Decibel, and got the assignment. The weekend it was due, on July 21, we had to make the emergency trip to Edmonton to welcome little Julianna into the world, and the next day, the day she was born, I was playing the CD in the car while running errands, just to keep the music in my head as I edited the piece that night. It was then that the album clicked even more, the music elevated to a new level entirely, the epiphanic moment on the astounding "Ciel Errant" hitting me like a punch in the gut. I knew then and there that this would be my top pick, be it for my column, this blog, Decibel, or all the critics' polls I contribute to. Battles might have given us the most ingenuous album of 2007, MIA has given us the year's boldest release, and Pig Destroyer has brought extreme metal to a new level of artistry, but this simple little album, with its innocent cover and starry-eyed music and lyrics, just do it for me like no other CD I've heard this year. My review of the album is now up at the Decibel website, and it's a piece I'm really proud of. It's tough to get a 250 word review just right, but I think I was able to convey just how lovely the record is. Profound Lore is selling it for really cheap, and I strongly suggest oyu order it. If you've been looking for that one obscure album that blows away the competition, this is the one.
So yeah, Decibel's been updated for the month, and I have a few more pieces to mention. I have a little feature on New jersey hardcore band Nora, whose new album is really, really good. The CD was recorded after the death of one of the member's children, so the songs pack quite an emotional wallop at times, and both Carl Severson and Matt Hay were very forthright when I talked to them. It was a real pleasure talking to them, they're both nice guys. Interestingly enough, Severson owns prominent hardcore label Ferret, and Hay is the label's artistic director, and designs covers for tons of bands.
In addition to the Alcest review, I also did a bit on the new one by Italian progressive death metalers Illogicist, whose album is very good. Not a surprise, as whatever Willowtip puts out is usually of the very good variety. Lastly, I wrote about the new album by popular Christian metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada...not only is their band name among the worst going today, but the music isn't much better. They show potential every now and then, but the album reverts to lazy metalcore cliches too often to ignore, and it soon becomes a distraction. So that one's a bit of a dud.
On a side note, it's a pleasure to see fellow metal writer Cosmo Lee, he of Invisible Oranges notoriety, make his Decibel debut this month. The dude deserves it. With all the extraordinary talent on the staff (Decibel has easily the strongest writing staff of any print magazine), I'm going to really have to make sure my own writing measures up!
Regarding my three gripes the other day, my interview happened, and went really well, and best of all, I am VERY happy with the new stereo I got. It looks snazzy (very minimal), and the sound quality is amazing, the best shelf system I've ever had. Totally worth the three hour round trip!
Two Canadian bands I'm especially impressed by these days: The Acorn, and Sunparlour Players. More on their two fine albums in the coming days. Coincidentally, I got their albums a couple days apart, plus both bands are touring together this fall, and will be in my city a couple days before my birthday. How serendipitous...I'm not going to miss it. Interesting fact: the Sunparlour Players sell homemade jams and mustard at shows. And if their mustard is half as good as their album (which bursts with frantic energy), it should be worth picking up!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Well, shortly after mentioning the amazing new Baroness album, my review went up, conveniently on the day it came out. It's an amazing debut, and is sure to get some very good word of mouth once the reviews start trickling in, especially from the other major webzines. I think there's huge potential for a crossover to the indie rock crowd, as I try to elaborate upon in the piece, but of course, once the scenesters start looking for the CD with that cool John Baizley artwork, it's going to scare some narrow-minded metalheads away like a bunch of skittish squirrels, who will then automatically backlash against Baroness, unfairly labeling it as false metal. But hopefully it won't be that bad, and that folks on either side will see how good the record actually is. So if you're a metal fan, enjoy this little window of time where Baroness is still relatively obscure, because it won't be long before the shows will get a little crowded.
Yesterday my review of Botch's near-classic album American Nervoso appeared. Hydra Head gave it the deluxe reissue treatment, including a thorough spit & polish by producer Matt Bayles, who beefs up the sound considerably, as well as a handful of bonus tracks. I was actually really late getting into Botch...when I joined Decibel, I had to scramble a bit, getting to know these late-90s pioneers of metalcore, and listening to this album really showed how well Botch's music has aged over the past decade. We get so many bands copying their style, but like Neurosis, nothing beats the original. The label is planning an even swankier double-disc reissue of 1999's landmark We Are the Romans, and you can bet I'll be all over that like the proverbial monkey on an overturned banana truck.
Gripe #1: I have a feature due in four days, but my interview has been continually put off by the parties involved for the past six weeks. A little professionalism would be nice every now and then, no?
Gripe #2: Why does it have to be so hard to buy a good shelf stereo system, and how can an area with a population of more than a quarter million be served by only one measly Future Shop, with nary a Best Buy in sight?
Gripe #3: There's a Malignancy CD stuck in my dead CD player. It's one of those multi-disc jobbies, and the trays are all empty, so there's a gore-grind CD stuck deep inside. The question is, is the CD worth getting a repair guy to dig it out? Jury's out, I wasn't exactly blown away by it.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Okay, time to update this sucker after last night's post-erasing debacle.
My review of a DVD called Waking Up Dead went up a few days ago. I read about it a while back, and felt I had to see this flick with my own eyes, and write about it. It's about drummer Phil Varone, who played with both Saigon Kick and Skid Row, and how a once promising career slowly turned sour with excessive living, and eventually went into a complete free-fall as cocaine took over his life. The ultimate rock 'n' roll cautionary tale, it started out as a project by friend and filmmaker Fabio Jafet to try to show Varone just how out of control his life had become. Varone's a nice guy, but made some very dumb decisions in life, creating unrealistic expectations the second he got the tiniest taste of success, spending money that wasn't there, losing himself in women and drugs, and creating endless headaches for his wife and kids at home. The access Jafet is given is incredible, as we see Varone doing literally mountains of coke, cavorting with the ladies, and eventually bottoming out: a $900 per week drug habit, no money in the bank, selling his drums to keep himself alive, and the kicker, a near-death experience after a show. It's brave of the now-sober Varone to share this footage with us, a rare documentary that accurately depicts the ugly, seamy side of the rock star-making machine. This documentary should be mandatory viewing for any young musician, a lesson never to fool yourself into believing you're bigger than you actually are, because that business can squash you like a bug in a heartbeat. The trailer is posted at the end of my review...I suggest you give it a look, and if Netflix or zip.ca has it, be sure to add it to your queue.
Also appearing last week was my review of the new Cephalic Carnage album. I liked their last one Anomalies a couple years ago, but they've really stepped up their game on this one, toning down the eccentricity and humour in favour of some good, smart songwriting. It's still the kind of crushing death metal you'd expect, but there's enough restraint to let the hooks get into your head, and before you know it, you're amazed at just how catchy an album this is. There have been plenty of good death metal albums this year, by the likes of Behemoth, Immolation, Illogicist, Odious Mortem, and Laethora (I haven't gotten around to the new Nile yet), but Xenosapien is hands down the best of the lot, guaranteed to make an appearance on my Decibel ballot, which will probably be due in a few weeks.
Speaking of Decibel, if you've seen the September issue, you might have noticed my 1984 mixtape. I'll try to upload the tracks and post them here this weekend. So watch for it, there's some good stuff to hear!
I have yet to post about the new Baroness album...I first heard it around the same time I was getting into the new Pig Destroyer album back in June, but it took a good couple months for it to get its hooks in me, and now I'm convinced it's one of the best metal albums of the year. And the weird thing is, for a metal album, it's very understated, almost innocuous in the way the band finds a comfy little niche in between the post-metal strains of Neurosis and Isis, the progressive fury of Mastodon, the flamboyance of classic NWOBHM, and the more rustic sounds of Southern rock. All the influences are obvious, but the way the band mixes it all into one yummy metal gumbo is brilliant. It's aggressive yet accessible, packing a massive visceral punch, yet at the same time, completely unafraid to step back and let the melodies, be it guitar or vocal, do their thing. And for all the heaviness, there's an indie rock vibe that remains present throughout, as if the band is channeling Built to Spill from time to time. A very accomplished debut, it will place high on all my year-end lists. It comes out on Tuesday, and hopefully my review will be published soon after.
And the new Between the Buried and Me...eee-yikes. They just may have outdone themselves on their new CD. It's no secret they're one of the most gifted young bands out there today, with the potential to take their music into wildly diverse musical territory, and they have completely gone off the deep end on Colors. The thing is, though, they've made their way back to the surface, and instead of letting themselves get carried off into the distance by the riptide of self-indulgence, they're not only treading the torrential waters of progressive metal, but are coolly doing a backstroke, languidly bobbing along (how's that for some terrible writin'?). This album is just freakin' nuts, encapsulated perfectly in a moment on opening track "Foam Born (A) The Backtrack", in which they switch from Dark Side era Pink Floyd to the ornate black metal of Emperor, in a matter of a couple seconds. And the thing is, they make it sound natural. That kind of thing goes on for over an hour, the boys tossing EVERYTHING into the mix, never making it sound contrived, and keeping the melodies strong. No, wait, that 30 second burst of country is a bit condescending, but that's it. I've had the album for a few weeks now, but it's going to take another couple to digest the whole thing. It's absolutely mesmerizing, that I know. Yet another for the year-end list. How am I going to squeeze in all these titles? It's a quandary any music critic would want to find themselves in. What a year it's been for metal music.
