What?: The ninth album from Norwegian Black Metal band Dimmu Borgir.
Why?: I heard somewhere that if I wanted to hear a good example of orchestra being used with a metal band, I should check out Dimmu Borgir. I googled and found a video from this album of the purely orchestra version of one of the tracks, and my immediate thought was "this would make a great metal song", and of course it was one, so I bought the album.
Tell me more!:
I was a bit dismissive of this after the first few listens and I quickly put it down. It wasn't dark enough for what I was interested in at the time, not brutal enough, too pop.
On this recent re-listen I thoroughly enjoyed it. Unlike the majority of "orchestra with metal" albums I've heard, it feels like the orchestra was a major instrument in the main composition, not tacked on at the end. It fits wonderfully in most of the tracks, with horns or violins or numerous other orchestral instruments filling the gaps in songs that might otherwise be filled with a guitar riff or drum fill.
The mixing is great. The orchestra is right there with the guitars. The guitar, bass and drums haven't been mixed low to leave room for the orchestra; they're all up loud where they belong.
The four or five tracks flow brilliantly. "Gateways" in particular, with Agnete Kjølsrud sharing vocals duties, is a favourite. I love the way it turns into this huge epic chorus only at the end of the track. I'm a sucker for a poppy build-up.
The album drags towards them end though. The middle to end tracks don't stick in my memory, and I actively hate the last track ("Endings and Continuations"), the vocal track (by Garm, of Arcturus, a band I've been known to like) is just awful. I even tried listening to the album from the middle but it didn't help. Great start, sliding toward a bad end. Pity.
6/10
Saturday 26 April 2014
[1998] Counting Crows, "Across a Wire: Live in New York City"
What?: Live double-disc album from Californian's Counting Crows.
Why?: I loved their first album. It's one of those albums I know off by heart. I knew that CC liked to heavily rework their songs live and thought that would be interesting to hear. I also though hearing live versions of the songs from the second album might make me like it more.
Tell me more!:
The two discs are two complete shows, both from TV broadcasts (VH1's Storytellers and MTV's 10 Spot). In today's age I suppose this would be a three disc with the vision on a third DVD disc.
I used to love live recordings. I used to spend insane amounts of money trading cassette tapes of terrible quality fan recorded gigs. Not any more. Today I crave quality, and if I'm to listen to a live recording it has to be of a truly innovative band, like Secret Chiefs 3, or a band I absolute love to death, like Faith No More.
The VH1 recording is interesting for being acoustic, with the songs I know from the first album being heavily reworked with completely different instrumentation and piano accompaniment. Interesting... but good? "August and Everything After" is so ingrained in my skull, that messing with the songs to this degree is just... annoying. I admire a band who takes risks and messes with their songs, even if it's probably because they're well and truly sick of them. But either they went too far, or I'm just not in the mood for it.
The songs from the second album are pleasant enough but unfamiliar, even though I'm sure I've listened to it numerous times.
The second disc is less interesting, being a straight rock-band recording, although they still mess with the compositions a little.
It is strange to see a live album, which often serves as an unofficial best-of, after only two albums, although as a fan of Faith No More I would know this isn't that unusual. Speaking of Faith No More, David Bryson, guitarist of Counting Crows, helped mix Angel Dust. Just saying.
Counting Crows are one of a long list of bands who have recently embraced the idea of selling their live recordings online. I'm sure there are much better recordings www.livecountingcrows.com than these two shows. Although I'm torn, because if they were not released, I'd argue they should be, as because they were broadcast on TV I'm sure they would be heavily bootlegged, which argues they must be popular, and therefore worthy of official release. Right? I'd also argue this would be a much better package with the vision, although I almost never watch the live concert recordings I have...
I enjoyed, briefly, hearing different versions of the tracks I know, but I enjoyed much less than half of this, and I can't really see myself listening to it much again.
3/10
Why?: I loved their first album. It's one of those albums I know off by heart. I knew that CC liked to heavily rework their songs live and thought that would be interesting to hear. I also though hearing live versions of the songs from the second album might make me like it more.
Tell me more!:
The two discs are two complete shows, both from TV broadcasts (VH1's Storytellers and MTV's 10 Spot). In today's age I suppose this would be a three disc with the vision on a third DVD disc.
I used to love live recordings. I used to spend insane amounts of money trading cassette tapes of terrible quality fan recorded gigs. Not any more. Today I crave quality, and if I'm to listen to a live recording it has to be of a truly innovative band, like Secret Chiefs 3, or a band I absolute love to death, like Faith No More.
The VH1 recording is interesting for being acoustic, with the songs I know from the first album being heavily reworked with completely different instrumentation and piano accompaniment. Interesting... but good? "August and Everything After" is so ingrained in my skull, that messing with the songs to this degree is just... annoying. I admire a band who takes risks and messes with their songs, even if it's probably because they're well and truly sick of them. But either they went too far, or I'm just not in the mood for it.
The songs from the second album are pleasant enough but unfamiliar, even though I'm sure I've listened to it numerous times.
The second disc is less interesting, being a straight rock-band recording, although they still mess with the compositions a little.
It is strange to see a live album, which often serves as an unofficial best-of, after only two albums, although as a fan of Faith No More I would know this isn't that unusual. Speaking of Faith No More, David Bryson, guitarist of Counting Crows, helped mix Angel Dust. Just saying.
Counting Crows are one of a long list of bands who have recently embraced the idea of selling their live recordings online. I'm sure there are much better recordings www.livecountingcrows.com than these two shows. Although I'm torn, because if they were not released, I'd argue they should be, as because they were broadcast on TV I'm sure they would be heavily bootlegged, which argues they must be popular, and therefore worthy of official release. Right? I'd also argue this would be a much better package with the vision, although I almost never watch the live concert recordings I have...
I enjoyed, briefly, hearing different versions of the tracks I know, but I enjoyed much less than half of this, and I can't really see myself listening to it much again.
3/10
Friday 25 April 2014
[2010] Nachtmystium, "Addicts: Black Meddle, Part II"
What?: The fifth album from "psychedelic black metal" Chicago band Nachtmystium.
Why?: One of the many albums I borrowed from a guy at work. I absolutely loved about 10% of them, this being one of them (others being albums from Agalloch, Absu, Katatonia, Melechesh and various other not-mainstream metal bands). I finally got around to getting the CD only recently. I love it to death
Tell me more!:
I love this album. It's brilliant.
For years... a decade or more even... I avoided most black metal because it's all just screaming and super fast double-kick isn't it?
It's bands like Nachtmystium (and many others I've since discovered) that grab my attention though, by mixing in everything from straight 70s-rock-n-rock, The Cure, Ministry and generous use of keyboards, into their black-metal soup.
If it were not for the guttural and screaming vocals, and occasional black-metal drums, with different mixing, this really could be a The Cure album in every way. It has pop choruses and dark engaging and sometimes-silly lyrics. A band like "Ghost" (aka. "Ghost B.C.") have made a whole career out of songs like "Nightfall", only Nachtmystium's singer sounds a lot less like Weird Al.
As an album it flows well, is varied enough to keep me listening, full of great melody and chorus, and short, at only 48 minutes.
I didn't enjoy the album after this anywhere near as much, but I must dig up it's predecessor ("Assassins") as many suggest it "more coherent", which may, or may not, be a good thing.
9/10
Why?: One of the many albums I borrowed from a guy at work. I absolutely loved about 10% of them, this being one of them (others being albums from Agalloch, Absu, Katatonia, Melechesh and various other not-mainstream metal bands). I finally got around to getting the CD only recently. I love it to death
Tell me more!:
I love this album. It's brilliant.
For years... a decade or more even... I avoided most black metal because it's all just screaming and super fast double-kick isn't it?
It's bands like Nachtmystium (and many others I've since discovered) that grab my attention though, by mixing in everything from straight 70s-rock-n-rock, The Cure, Ministry and generous use of keyboards, into their black-metal soup.
If it were not for the guttural and screaming vocals, and occasional black-metal drums, with different mixing, this really could be a The Cure album in every way. It has pop choruses and dark engaging and sometimes-silly lyrics. A band like "Ghost" (aka. "Ghost B.C.") have made a whole career out of songs like "Nightfall", only Nachtmystium's singer sounds a lot less like Weird Al.
As an album it flows well, is varied enough to keep me listening, full of great melody and chorus, and short, at only 48 minutes.
I didn't enjoy the album after this anywhere near as much, but I must dig up it's predecessor ("Assassins") as many suggest it "more coherent", which may, or may not, be a good thing.
9/10
Monday 21 April 2014
[2004] dälek, "Absence"
What?: MC dälek and producer Oktopus's (Oktopi's?) third album.
Why?: Ipecac, Mike Patton's label. Beyond that, I'm not sure to be honest. I probably read a review that described it as hip-hop over distorted guitars and was intrigued. Actually, "I bought a couple of albums recently purely on instinct and reputation, something I haven't done for a long while..." [thanks old blog! 21-Jul-2005]
Tell me more!:
At the time I was disappointed, suggesting I might like it if it "wasn't for the banshees."
I can't say my opinion of the album has improved, although "banshees" is perhaps a little harsh.
Ignoring lyrics (which I typically do), all of the tracks are the same. A chorus of guitar feedback acts as the backing drone to all tracks, while beats are rapped over. The description of the guitar feedback element is what interested me initially, but it is beyond interest. The guitars do serve as a distraction though, removing a lot of the impact of the drums and vocals. They guitars could be replaced with a keyboard and you would not lose much, but you might gain some better mixing.
I gave it a read-hot re-listen go but I still don't like it.
2/10
Why?: Ipecac, Mike Patton's label. Beyond that, I'm not sure to be honest. I probably read a review that described it as hip-hop over distorted guitars and was intrigued. Actually, "I bought a couple of albums recently purely on instinct and reputation, something I haven't done for a long while..." [thanks old blog! 21-Jul-2005]
Tell me more!:
At the time I was disappointed, suggesting I might like it if it "wasn't for the banshees."
I can't say my opinion of the album has improved, although "banshees" is perhaps a little harsh.
Ignoring lyrics (which I typically do), all of the tracks are the same. A chorus of guitar feedback acts as the backing drone to all tracks, while beats are rapped over. The description of the guitar feedback element is what interested me initially, but it is beyond interest. The guitars do serve as a distraction though, removing a lot of the impact of the drums and vocals. They guitars could be replaced with a keyboard and you would not lose much, but you might gain some better mixing.
I gave it a read-hot re-listen go but I still don't like it.
2/10
Tuesday 15 April 2014
[2000] Gomez, "Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline"
What?: Compilation of b-sides, live tracks, rarities for Gomez.
Why?: I can't remember. My wife is the Gomez fan. I suspect we bought this cheap, not being aware it was a compilation.
Tell me more!:
My interest in Gomez peeked after seeing them live in 2000 and dropped off after 2004's "In Our Gun". This compilation sits right in the middle of that.
By its nature it's all over the place, with crap unfinished jams sitting next to epic live jams and sub-par b-sides.
The best stuff are the live or remixed versions of songs from their first two albums. The band completely rework "78 Stone Wobble" into "78 Stone Shuffle". "We Haven't Turned Around" (x-ray version) is a fantastic remake with almost all instrumentation removed, replaced with simple keyboard riffs, bringing the vocals right to the front, and the live version of b-side "Rosemary" is epic blues.
Their Beatles cover, "Getting Better", suits the band well, although it's a fairly straight cover. "Cowboy Song" is a bizarre C-64 jam that I like, but mostly due to it being so short.
"Bring Your Loving Back Here" is classic Gomez that I find hard to believe is buried on this album and found nowhere else. Fans love "Buena Vista", and I do like the little echo riff it has but the vocals are a bit grating... but it's the awesome jam that kicks in after 4 minutes that makes the song. I'm a bit of a fan of "Wharf Me" too, the music is so chilled... almost Smashing Pumpkins MCIS.
Much of the the rest of the album is hard to describe... left over... "bits"? They're barely songs. Most are very short (sub 2 minutes). There is some interesting stuff going on, I like the blues-trip-hop of "Steve McCroski", but mostly as an idea, maybe not the execution.
Half a good live/remix album, half an interesting insight into the bits of tape left on the cutting room floor. Listening has re-ignited my love for old Gomez, so I might check out their recently released b-sides album, especially to hear the original version of Rosemary.
5/10
Why?: I can't remember. My wife is the Gomez fan. I suspect we bought this cheap, not being aware it was a compilation.
Tell me more!:
My interest in Gomez peeked after seeing them live in 2000 and dropped off after 2004's "In Our Gun". This compilation sits right in the middle of that.
By its nature it's all over the place, with crap unfinished jams sitting next to epic live jams and sub-par b-sides.
The best stuff are the live or remixed versions of songs from their first two albums. The band completely rework "78 Stone Wobble" into "78 Stone Shuffle". "We Haven't Turned Around" (x-ray version) is a fantastic remake with almost all instrumentation removed, replaced with simple keyboard riffs, bringing the vocals right to the front, and the live version of b-side "Rosemary" is epic blues.
Their Beatles cover, "Getting Better", suits the band well, although it's a fairly straight cover. "Cowboy Song" is a bizarre C-64 jam that I like, but mostly due to it being so short.
"Bring Your Loving Back Here" is classic Gomez that I find hard to believe is buried on this album and found nowhere else. Fans love "Buena Vista", and I do like the little echo riff it has but the vocals are a bit grating... but it's the awesome jam that kicks in after 4 minutes that makes the song. I'm a bit of a fan of "Wharf Me" too, the music is so chilled... almost Smashing Pumpkins MCIS.
Much of the the rest of the album is hard to describe... left over... "bits"? They're barely songs. Most are very short (sub 2 minutes). There is some interesting stuff going on, I like the blues-trip-hop of "Steve McCroski", but mostly as an idea, maybe not the execution.
Half a good live/remix album, half an interesting insight into the bits of tape left on the cutting room floor. Listening has re-ignited my love for old Gomez, so I might check out their recently released b-sides album, especially to hear the original version of Rosemary.
5/10
[2009] Tori Amos, "Abnormally Attracted To Sin"
What?: Tori's tenth album.
Why?: It would take a lot to stop me buying Tori Amos. She's constantly surprising.
Tell me more!:
I think I truly became a Tori Amos fan after To Venus And Back. Part of that was the amazing live album that showcased her catalogue perfectly, but it was also the acknowledgement that she wasn't afraid to completely change her production style album to album.
AATS is a mix of many of the previous Tori production styles. Much of the up-front guitar arrangements remind me of her very early work, some songs are piano/vocals solo, some are the trip-hop of "To Venus".
I'm a big fan of the trip-hop feel of "Give" and "Flavour", the Cure bass-line of "Welcome To England" and the Zeppelin intro to "Strong Black Vine". The "Not Dying Today" beat is almost Sugarcubes. "Curtain Call" has a fantastic background echo guitar thing that I could list to all day, and a great chorus. The little descending keyboard bit before the chorus of "Fire In Your Plain" always makes me smile. "Mary Jane" and "Ophelia" are classic solo-Tori, where we can imagine her playing in the corner of a bar, the clicking of glasses almost drowning her out.
"Lady In Blue" and "Oscar's Theme" are both perfect album enders, bluesy, filthy, jazz-bar stuff. I love how, four minutes in, "Lady In Blue" kicks into a fantastic distorted guitar filled ending which I'd argue would have been a better ending than "Oscar's Theme" which seems a bit tacked on, as good as it is. Although Wikipedia has just told me that "Oscar's Theme" is indeed tacked on as a bonus for Australians, so there you go.
It's a very solid album. I love the varied and interesting production, the heavy use of non-piano backing.
I don't love everything though. I can't stand "Police Me" although I love the attempt. I'm not a fan of some of the choruses, especially "Strong Black Vine". Tori is known for her strange pronunciation of words, but I feel she really ramps it up on this album, almost to the point where I'm sure she's taking the piss. Only Tori could make the York of New York fifteen syllables.
A number of Tori fans don't like this album. Sure it's long and you could probably cut a number of songs out, but which ones? You can bet if Tori was forced to cut the 18 songs down to 12 she'd have taken out a couple of your favourite songs in the process.
7/10
Why?: It would take a lot to stop me buying Tori Amos. She's constantly surprising.
Tell me more!:
I think I truly became a Tori Amos fan after To Venus And Back. Part of that was the amazing live album that showcased her catalogue perfectly, but it was also the acknowledgement that she wasn't afraid to completely change her production style album to album.
AATS is a mix of many of the previous Tori production styles. Much of the up-front guitar arrangements remind me of her very early work, some songs are piano/vocals solo, some are the trip-hop of "To Venus".
I'm a big fan of the trip-hop feel of "Give" and "Flavour", the Cure bass-line of "Welcome To England" and the Zeppelin intro to "Strong Black Vine". The "Not Dying Today" beat is almost Sugarcubes. "Curtain Call" has a fantastic background echo guitar thing that I could list to all day, and a great chorus. The little descending keyboard bit before the chorus of "Fire In Your Plain" always makes me smile. "Mary Jane" and "Ophelia" are classic solo-Tori, where we can imagine her playing in the corner of a bar, the clicking of glasses almost drowning her out.
"Lady In Blue" and "Oscar's Theme" are both perfect album enders, bluesy, filthy, jazz-bar stuff. I love how, four minutes in, "Lady In Blue" kicks into a fantastic distorted guitar filled ending which I'd argue would have been a better ending than "Oscar's Theme" which seems a bit tacked on, as good as it is. Although Wikipedia has just told me that "Oscar's Theme" is indeed tacked on as a bonus for Australians, so there you go.
It's a very solid album. I love the varied and interesting production, the heavy use of non-piano backing.
I don't love everything though. I can't stand "Police Me" although I love the attempt. I'm not a fan of some of the choruses, especially "Strong Black Vine". Tori is known for her strange pronunciation of words, but I feel she really ramps it up on this album, almost to the point where I'm sure she's taking the piss. Only Tori could make the York of New York fifteen syllables.
A number of Tori fans don't like this album. Sure it's long and you could probably cut a number of songs out, but which ones? You can bet if Tori was forced to cut the 18 songs down to 12 she'd have taken out a couple of your favourite songs in the process.
7/10
Saturday 5 April 2014
[1996] The Smashing Pumpkins, "1979"
What?: The second single from third album "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness".
Why?: I loved The Smashing Pumpkins. I really did think they were perfect. That's the fault of growing up on 90s music and not being remotely aware of the 70s. TSP were my Zeppelin, my Yes, my Foreigner. This being the 90s, when singles were still a thing, a thing that included non-album b-sides, I bought all the singles I could get my hands on. Later I bought the "The Aeroplane Flies High" box-set which included all of the singles with all of their b-sides. Last year I bought the re-issue edition of TAFH but I'll review that as a whole later. This review is of this 90s AFH boxset version of the 1979 single.
Tell me more!:
I remember being surprised they released "1979" as a single. I was still into the rock side of Pumpkins and this weirdo experimental drum-machine crap didn't sit well with me. It grew on me, but I'm still not sure I "like" it. It's familiar and glamorised by my fanaticism. Corgan can certainly write a melody, and the song manages to stay interesting dispite lacking a real guitar riff and a monotonous, unchanging drum machine drum-line.
The b-sides are a treat though. The palm-muted, lightly distorted, thick-stringed riff on "Ugly" was hugely influential to my own song-writing at the time, as was the very minimal backing track. I can hear The Cure in it now, and Billy's whiny vocals grate, but I still love the riff and the minimalist drums that could have been completed on a Casio keyboard. Love it.
The clean simple repetitive riffing style on "Cherry" was a huge influence as well. Not surprising as I would sit and play this riff over and over on my acoustic. I could probably find a tape of it. Over and over. Again the background is minimal, with some lovely effected guitar acting as a keyboard, but the chorus is bigger than Ugly.
Both "Cherry" and "Ugly" are similar songs, and both have lyrical themes that I don't much like these days, but I find ignoring lyrics pretty easy, and Corgan has a way of being obscure enough that it doesn't bother too much.
Two b-sides with James singing ("The Boy" and "Believe") is a surprise. Iha sings only on the last tracks of MCIS and both times as a fan at the time it was jarring. James' voice is thin and he struggles to sing high but does anyway. He later released a solo album, which I must remember to track down. Today I like his songs, they remind me a bit of a simpler, less grunge, Imperial Teen. They're poppy and fun, and short. At the time I used to collect bootlegs, and one of my favourite Smashing Pumpkins bootlegs was an acoustic performance they did in France, including James singing David Bowie's "Kooks". It's a perfect example of his kind of music. "The Boy" is a little too cute really, but "Believe" is great and very Smashing Pumpkins.
I always loved the way "Set The Ray To Jerry" started, with bass, accompanied slowly by the perfect flowing guitar riff, but the song is a little too long, and Billy's voice really does go over the top a bit.
The band do some lovely live versions of "Set The Ray To Jerry" and "Ugly", as well as many other b-sides, in their 1995 Double Door shows, some of which is included on TAFH 2013 re-issue.
The fan-bias and nostalgia is very strong in this review. The riffs on the b-sides are great, and my new found appreciation for James Iha is a nice surprise, but 1996 era Billy's vocals jar badly these days, and "1979" itself, while poppy, isn't amazing. Just wait until I review MCIS.
6/10
Why?: I loved The Smashing Pumpkins. I really did think they were perfect. That's the fault of growing up on 90s music and not being remotely aware of the 70s. TSP were my Zeppelin, my Yes, my Foreigner. This being the 90s, when singles were still a thing, a thing that included non-album b-sides, I bought all the singles I could get my hands on. Later I bought the "The Aeroplane Flies High" box-set which included all of the singles with all of their b-sides. Last year I bought the re-issue edition of TAFH but I'll review that as a whole later. This review is of this 90s AFH boxset version of the 1979 single.
Tell me more!:
I remember being surprised they released "1979" as a single. I was still into the rock side of Pumpkins and this weirdo experimental drum-machine crap didn't sit well with me. It grew on me, but I'm still not sure I "like" it. It's familiar and glamorised by my fanaticism. Corgan can certainly write a melody, and the song manages to stay interesting dispite lacking a real guitar riff and a monotonous, unchanging drum machine drum-line.
The b-sides are a treat though. The palm-muted, lightly distorted, thick-stringed riff on "Ugly" was hugely influential to my own song-writing at the time, as was the very minimal backing track. I can hear The Cure in it now, and Billy's whiny vocals grate, but I still love the riff and the minimalist drums that could have been completed on a Casio keyboard. Love it.
The clean simple repetitive riffing style on "Cherry" was a huge influence as well. Not surprising as I would sit and play this riff over and over on my acoustic. I could probably find a tape of it. Over and over. Again the background is minimal, with some lovely effected guitar acting as a keyboard, but the chorus is bigger than Ugly.
Both "Cherry" and "Ugly" are similar songs, and both have lyrical themes that I don't much like these days, but I find ignoring lyrics pretty easy, and Corgan has a way of being obscure enough that it doesn't bother too much.
Two b-sides with James singing ("The Boy" and "Believe") is a surprise. Iha sings only on the last tracks of MCIS and both times as a fan at the time it was jarring. James' voice is thin and he struggles to sing high but does anyway. He later released a solo album, which I must remember to track down. Today I like his songs, they remind me a bit of a simpler, less grunge, Imperial Teen. They're poppy and fun, and short. At the time I used to collect bootlegs, and one of my favourite Smashing Pumpkins bootlegs was an acoustic performance they did in France, including James singing David Bowie's "Kooks". It's a perfect example of his kind of music. "The Boy" is a little too cute really, but "Believe" is great and very Smashing Pumpkins.
I always loved the way "Set The Ray To Jerry" started, with bass, accompanied slowly by the perfect flowing guitar riff, but the song is a little too long, and Billy's voice really does go over the top a bit.
The band do some lovely live versions of "Set The Ray To Jerry" and "Ugly", as well as many other b-sides, in their 1995 Double Door shows, some of which is included on TAFH 2013 re-issue.
The fan-bias and nostalgia is very strong in this review. The riffs on the b-sides are great, and my new found appreciation for James Iha is a nice surprise, but 1996 era Billy's vocals jar badly these days, and "1979" itself, while poppy, isn't amazing. Just wait until I review MCIS.
6/10
[2012] The Mercy House, "A Broken State Of Bliss"
What?: Debut album, London band, championed by Metal Hammer/Classic Rock.
Why?: It came free with Classic Rock (or was it Metal Hammer?). At first we received an EP of a few songs, and later the full CD.
Tell me more!:
Being free I probably gave it less attention than I normally would. When I buy an album, even randomly, I give it a lot of attention, even if I don't like it. I like to try to justify my purchase, find something to love, even if I despise it.
I don't despise this album, but I don't like it. It's received a LOT of love in reviews. Everyone loves it. I would have loved it in my youth. I really would. This is one of those debuts that should gain a lot of fans, as long as they haven't first heard and loved anything from the 90s.
The Mercy House sound like Alice In Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots, and Soundgarden, and Guns'n'Roses, and like they have Faith No More's Bill Gould on bass. The production is huge. The bass is up-front and interesting and sometimes even solo, which always gains extra points for a band. The guitar riffs are awesome.
The vocals sometimes work, but they don't vary enough throughout the album. His big STP 90s whine might be news to some, and it's a nice change to most modern singers, but it quickly bores me. It gets a little too Marylin Mason at times, and by that I mean rough and a bit out of tune (sounding) in the lower range.
Weirdly I hear a little Load era Metallica in there... I hear that a lot in recent music, and older music. I think I might have a problem. Metallica were clearly hugely influenced by Dio era Black Sabbath, and I guess a lot of modern bands were influenced by them too, and by Metallica. I LIKE the Load album, but that's a review for much later my friends...
The Mercy House should be huge, they've thrown everything at this album, they've received an amazing leg-up getting the magazine-cover, and I can only assume they sound great live (I must YouTube them...).
There is a lot to love, but I don't. After the first few tracks I just lose interest, and after numerous listens I just can't get past the dull vocals. Sorry guys.
3/10
Check out "Greed", a song which not only shares a name with a Faith No More song, but a bass-slappin' sound as well.
Why?: It came free with Classic Rock (or was it Metal Hammer?). At first we received an EP of a few songs, and later the full CD.
Tell me more!:
Being free I probably gave it less attention than I normally would. When I buy an album, even randomly, I give it a lot of attention, even if I don't like it. I like to try to justify my purchase, find something to love, even if I despise it.
I don't despise this album, but I don't like it. It's received a LOT of love in reviews. Everyone loves it. I would have loved it in my youth. I really would. This is one of those debuts that should gain a lot of fans, as long as they haven't first heard and loved anything from the 90s.
The Mercy House sound like Alice In Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots, and Soundgarden, and Guns'n'Roses, and like they have Faith No More's Bill Gould on bass. The production is huge. The bass is up-front and interesting and sometimes even solo, which always gains extra points for a band. The guitar riffs are awesome.
The vocals sometimes work, but they don't vary enough throughout the album. His big STP 90s whine might be news to some, and it's a nice change to most modern singers, but it quickly bores me. It gets a little too Marylin Mason at times, and by that I mean rough and a bit out of tune (sounding) in the lower range.
Weirdly I hear a little Load era Metallica in there... I hear that a lot in recent music, and older music. I think I might have a problem. Metallica were clearly hugely influenced by Dio era Black Sabbath, and I guess a lot of modern bands were influenced by them too, and by Metallica. I LIKE the Load album, but that's a review for much later my friends...
The Mercy House should be huge, they've thrown everything at this album, they've received an amazing leg-up getting the magazine-cover, and I can only assume they sound great live (I must YouTube them...).
There is a lot to love, but I don't. After the first few tracks I just lose interest, and after numerous listens I just can't get past the dull vocals. Sorry guys.
3/10
Check out "Greed", a song which not only shares a name with a Faith No More song, but a bass-slappin' sound as well.
[1983] Yes, "90125"
What?: YES's 11th album, the return of Jon Anderson on vocals and original keyboardist Tony Kaye.
Why?: I originally got into Yes via the previously mentioned "essential prog albums" list which included "Close To The Edge". Last year I found a single-CD best-of Yes in a bargain bin and found I really liked the 80's era Yes, eventually buying "Drama". This CD was in a 5-for-$20 Yes box-set.
Tell me more!:
John Farnham, The Police, Vince Dicola, 80's hard-rock, AOR, Foreigner, Madonna!, 80's movie soundtracks... prog.
All in a blender.
It's an amazing album, full of cheese and beautiful 80s production and technical proficiency, huge choruses, naffness.
There isn't much love for the 80s Yes, and many disown this album as much of it began life as a solo album for new guitarist Trevor Rabin. I don't know a lot of 60s and 70s Yes, other than "Close To The Edge", but this album certainly has the Yes feel that I know. I suppose most who grew up with the early era can't get past the 80s-ness at the soul of this disc, and fair enough...
I really enjoy this album, but it is far from perfect. Sometimes they really do try too hard for arena-rock-glory, sometimes they wander a bit... but overall it's very solid and a lot of fun.
The production is sublime. The keyboards sit next to the guitars like old friends. Vocals are frequently used as instruments (check out "Leave It"). Random little clean guitar riffs fill what few empty spaces there are. The bass is clear (I love a good audible bass guitar). The drum sound is 90% The Police, but that's fine.
I've found Jon's vocals to be a bit hard to listen to for too long, but they suit this 80s sound perfectly. The hit "Owner of a Lonely Heart" is fantastic, with its random orchestra hits all over the place. It's songs like this that draw me back to the 80s and 70s. I'm always surprised how eclectic pop songs were. Talking Head's "Once In A Lifetime" being another great example.
"Our Song" drove me crazy for a little bit, the introduction keyboard reminded me of something... until I figured out it was Cat Steven's "Remember The Days Of The Old Schoolyard". The riffs aren't the same, but the songs start with a similar feel. They're not at all the same of course because this is Yes' version of pop and it's all over the damn place.
The album ends with "Hearts" and the feeling I get is "Dream Theater", a band clearly influenced by all eras of Yes. It's the most "Yes" song on the album and it's a fan favourite. It's long, complex, and less arena-rock...
Throughout I'm reminded of 80s movies. I think anything from this album ever ended up on a movie soundtrack, but it has that feel. I'm surprised how strong the feeling is.
Your enjoyment of this will depend how much you like this kind of 80s music. I love it. The AOR elements aren't as perfect as Foreigner's "4", but they're close. The prog elements are buried a bit by the arena-rock. It's a bit of a mess really, but I like messiness, especially in music.
6/10
Why?: I originally got into Yes via the previously mentioned "essential prog albums" list which included "Close To The Edge". Last year I found a single-CD best-of Yes in a bargain bin and found I really liked the 80's era Yes, eventually buying "Drama". This CD was in a 5-for-$20 Yes box-set.
Tell me more!:
John Farnham, The Police, Vince Dicola, 80's hard-rock, AOR, Foreigner, Madonna!, 80's movie soundtracks... prog.
All in a blender.
It's an amazing album, full of cheese and beautiful 80s production and technical proficiency, huge choruses, naffness.
There isn't much love for the 80s Yes, and many disown this album as much of it began life as a solo album for new guitarist Trevor Rabin. I don't know a lot of 60s and 70s Yes, other than "Close To The Edge", but this album certainly has the Yes feel that I know. I suppose most who grew up with the early era can't get past the 80s-ness at the soul of this disc, and fair enough...
I really enjoy this album, but it is far from perfect. Sometimes they really do try too hard for arena-rock-glory, sometimes they wander a bit... but overall it's very solid and a lot of fun.
The production is sublime. The keyboards sit next to the guitars like old friends. Vocals are frequently used as instruments (check out "Leave It"). Random little clean guitar riffs fill what few empty spaces there are. The bass is clear (I love a good audible bass guitar). The drum sound is 90% The Police, but that's fine.
I've found Jon's vocals to be a bit hard to listen to for too long, but they suit this 80s sound perfectly. The hit "Owner of a Lonely Heart" is fantastic, with its random orchestra hits all over the place. It's songs like this that draw me back to the 80s and 70s. I'm always surprised how eclectic pop songs were. Talking Head's "Once In A Lifetime" being another great example.
"Our Song" drove me crazy for a little bit, the introduction keyboard reminded me of something... until I figured out it was Cat Steven's "Remember The Days Of The Old Schoolyard". The riffs aren't the same, but the songs start with a similar feel. They're not at all the same of course because this is Yes' version of pop and it's all over the damn place.
The album ends with "Hearts" and the feeling I get is "Dream Theater", a band clearly influenced by all eras of Yes. It's the most "Yes" song on the album and it's a fan favourite. It's long, complex, and less arena-rock...
Throughout I'm reminded of 80s movies. I think anything from this album ever ended up on a movie soundtrack, but it has that feel. I'm surprised how strong the feeling is.
Your enjoyment of this will depend how much you like this kind of 80s music. I love it. The AOR elements aren't as perfect as Foreigner's "4", but they're close. The prog elements are buried a bit by the arena-rock. It's a bit of a mess really, but I like messiness, especially in music.
6/10
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