Rod Stewart ~ Still The Same: Great Rock Classics (album review) ... But, not with the same old charm!

(Click heading to visit official website.)
Style: hard rock, country
Label: J Records
Year: 2006
Home: Los Angeles, California

Members: Rod Stewart ~ vocals
Dean Parks, Tim Pierce, John Shanks ~ guitars
Leland Sklar, Paul Bushnell ~ bass
Patrick Warren, Jamie Muhoberac ~ keyboards
Kenny Aronoff ~ drums
Lenny Castro ~ percussion
Julia Waters, Maxine Willard Waters, James Grundler ~ backing vocals

The problem with this album is not the music, which is better than expected, but in what I remember Rod Stewart doing in the past. I grew up inheriting my mom's Rod Stewart album collection, which I later added to, & loved singing along with his trademark rasp wanting a voice like his & the ability to write such great songs. I even learned "Maggie May" on guitar. I loved it all from the Small Faces to "Do You Think I'm Sexy". Still The Same lacks the punch of those old songs. It's a commercial appeal cluttered with unnecessary layers while Stewart's voice no longer has the range or the rasp. Of course, part of this is from his 2000 cancer operation & natural aging. I don't have a problem with that. The Rod Stewart I know has always been old. I don't remember the wild young rocker my mom would tell me stories about, explaining the meaning behind his Unplugged & Seated. I grew up with an already mellow 80's MTV rocker with such softer hits as "Forever Young", "Rhythm Of My Heart" & "This Old Heart Of Mine". I loved his Unplugged ... & Seated. But, after that something changed. I'm reminded of Eric Clapton who also hit a peak with Unplugged only to follow it with albums that were a shadow of himself. It's as if Stewart & Clapton didn't get the youthful audience they wanted so gave up on trying & settled back into adult friendly soft soulless rock. I like a few songs from Stewart's Human & recommend the under-appreciated Unplugged follow-up A Spanner In The Works, but the jazz albums that followed remind me too much of Kenny G ... jazz for non-jazz fans or passive jazz with no personality. I give Stewart kudos for reinventing himself for his aging fans like noone has done before, something just beginning to be imitated by Robert Plant &, though younger, Jewel with her reinvention as a country singer. In terms of reinvention this album is a welcome addition, in terms of Rod Stewart classic rocker this is just another declining moment while some of us wait for him to do what he does best. The song collection is superb, including: Creedance Clearwater Revival ("Have You Ever Seen The Rain?"), Elvin Bishop ("Fooled Around & Fell In Love"), The Pretenders ("I'll Stand By You"), Bob Seger ("Still The Same"), Bonnie Tyler ("It's A Heartache"), Badfinger ("Day After Day"), John Waite ("Missing You"), Cat Stevens ("Father & Son"), Eagles ("The Best of My Love"), Bob Dylan ("If Not for You"), Nazareth ("Love Hurts"), Bread ("Everything I Own") & Van Morrison ("Crazy Love"). While Stewart turns in a great, if not excellent, performance which is far more comfortable & relaxed than his jazz outings. I've always thought that after his operation he lost some of the rasp & became a technically better singer, but for me the rasp also equalled soul. He lost some soul & the music doesn't offer any. Still The Same might be named after a Bob Seger song but ends up being a description of the predictability & facelessness of the music. Decades ago Stewart would have wrapped himself up in these songs & made them his own, but here he sounds like he's a session singer called in for another anoymous gig. He's lost his soul & personality. What I found particularly suprising is the country flavor that underlies some of the songs. Maybe this is where he's going down the road? He did jazz, more jazz, more jazz, more jazz, rock, Motown & soul, even more jazz, why not country? Albeit, I'd prefer the blues, which is where Stewart started from. This is an album targeted for those too old to rock ... folks who tell their kids about Jefferson Airplane but don't play them the music because they believe their music is out of dated or their too old to share in the listening pleasure ... forgetting that great music is timeless & for any generation, let alone it keeps youth alive inside. If you're interested in hearing what the older Stewart can do but isn't doing hunt up A Spanner In The Works. It's a warm & personal album with a great collection of soft rock songs covering a ranging of styles but never letting the mood down & it reeks of personality. & when Stewart sings an ode to past musicians ("Muddy, Sam & Otis") you believe he means every word ... considering he co-wrote the song he very well might ... while on Still The Same he's just, well ... many critics have called these days Stewart's night out at karaoke. I hate to agree, but I understand.

Kelly Greene ~ I Wish I Was Alive (album review) ... Bottle of crazy!

Style: hard rock
Label: self-released
Year: 2008
Home: New York

Members: Kelly Greene ~ vocals/guitar/keyboard
Jonathan Dale ~ guitar

Additional: Kevin Hanson ~ guitar
Roy Nash ~ bass
Mark Bohn ~ drums

There was a point a decade ago where anytime you saw a female musician the first thought was Jewel or Sarah McLaughlin & the intrinsic looking modern pop-folk scene, but in the last decade women have begun to share the fact that they can rock as hard & rough as any man yet retain personal lyrics that do something other than blandly worship sex, drugs & rock'n'roll. Further, musicians these days, men & women, are returning to the 80's hard rock sound of technical proficiency & melodies, realizing this is still great music with a long life, particularly compared to the number of three-chord punk rockers out there or shallow beat oriented electronica/hip-hop. Her press release cites Pat Benatar & Ann Wilson of Heart, with the comparison not far off for singer-songwriter-guitarist Kelly Greene. Pat Benatar might actually be the best tonal comparison to Greene, with the comparison even extending to her musical arrangements, the blistering guitars of her band & lyrics culling from broken-hearted romances. Greene actually has a soft voice that reaches the high notes without strain, though she uses that talent/effect sparingly, while at times she almost sounds too tender for the gritty music she's laced underneath her on this debut album. Greene has thrown all the traits of good rock album into the pot. Dynamics & unexpected moments are always key & Greene never lets the listener down, nor does she careen out of control with weird progressive interludes that many bands feel is the only way to be unpredictable. One of the keys to a great rock song is the use of dynamics, such as a melody line that actually uses the range of the human voice beyond a couple notes or not having the guitar solo always have to dominate (i.e. "You Are No Angel"), while it's always cool when everything pulls away for some bass heavy moments (i.e. "I Wish I Was Alive"), let a slower song once in a while (i.e. "I'll Miss You When You Go") & even having a song with a funky rhythm that reminds me of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (i.e. "Bottle Of Crazy") is a good way to approach dynamic variety. Following her hard rock roots Kelly evens includes the obligatory power ballads with the acoustic "Stare At The Sun" with chords forcefully strummed & synthesizer strings, followed by the more upbeat acoustic rocker that could very well be a single from the album& "Is It Too Much". 

Rolling Stones ~ Steel Wheels (album review) ... Coming back from dirty work!

Style: rock, blues-rock
Label: Columbia
Year: 1989
Home: n/a

Members: Mick Jagger ~ vocals/guitar/harmonica
Keith Richards ~ guitar/vocals
Charlie Watts ~ drums
Ronnie Wood ~ guitar/bass/dobro/b. vocals
Bill Wyman ~ bass
Additional: Chuck Leavell ~ keyboards
Matt Clifford ~ keyboards/clavinet/harmonium
Sarah Dash, Lisa Fischer, Bernard Fowler, Tessa Niles, Sonia Morgan ~ b. vocals
Luis Jardim ~ percussion
Phil Beer ~ mandolin/violin
The Kick Horns ~ horns
Roddy Lorimer ~ trumpet
The Master Musicians of Jajouka, Bachir Attar Farafina ~ African-Moroccan instruments

Many people forget that the Rolling Stones broke-up in the 80's. Largely spurred by both musical differences in the band, declining sales & Mick Jagger's desire for a solo career the hiatus would give birth to the Charlie Watts Jazz Orchestra & Keith Richards' X-Pensive Winos ... eclipsing Jagger's solo outings & initiating his jealousy to reform the band ... so one version of the story goes. Steel Wheels, jokingly nicknamed 'Steel Wheelchairs' due to the aging band, was their comeback/reunion album. Though the Stones have never been predictable from one release to another, Steel Wheels once again changed the sound of the band. With this reunion the band went all the way with Jagger's desire to turn the band into an arena anthem rock outfit with such big radio friendly songs as "Rock & A Hard Place", "Mixed Emotions" & "Sad Sad Sad" yet surprisingly also gave ample space to the slower sobering ballads sung &/or often penned by Keith Richards (i.e. "Can't Be Seen"). It's an interesting study in contrasts with the ballads getting lost in the shuffle at the time until being revived years later thanks to HBO's Sopranos that featured Keith in the credits. Sadly the arena rock would take priority in later releases, further making the reunion less than a reunion, & making Steel Wheels a highlight of the later Stones output until A Bigger Bang brought the band back to its bluesy roots ... everything in between including the live albums tending toward gluttony if not a sign that the band was a business not a band. Another thing that changed with Steel Wheels was the expansion of the band. There had always been additional musicians outside the official quintet, considering the band was co-founded by pianist Ian Stuart who was deemed too unattractive to be seen anywhere except performing out of sight behind an amp, while after Stuart's death there continued to be numerous pianists in the backing band plus a horn section. But, on Steel Wheels was the addition of backing vocalists from Jagger's solo band along with Sarah Dash from the X-Pensive Winos. The later Bridges To Babylon would see even more studio musicians including numerous guitarists. It didn't help matter that this was the beginning of Jagger's habit of recording & writing separately in a different studio while the rest of the band, & friends, stayed together. This would also be the final album with bassist Bill Wyman whose musical contributions continue to be under-looked. But, all that being said Steel Wheels is loaded with more memorable songs than had been found on the previous few Stones albums (i.e. Undercover, Dirty Work) & some of the best songs they'd produce in the forthcoming decade. As for those that decry the anthem songs luckily they take up less than half the album with the rest being glossy but attractive ballady rockers from a middle-aged band of beloved musicians. There's a few throwaways, but there's never been a Stones album album that didn't have at least one or two. Yes, they've done better albums, but that was decades earlier in a world & with line-ups we'll never see again thus we can either enjoy where the Stones have gone since or just forget about them & ignore some music great without comparison of what came before.

Heart ~ Red Velvet Car (album review) ... On the road with their hair blowing in the wind!

Style: hard rock, classic rock
Label: Legacy
Year: 2010
Home: Seattle

Members: Ann Wilson ~ vocals/flute
Nancy Wilson ~ guitar/autoharp/dobro/mandolin/vocals
Craig Bartock ~ dobro
Ric Markmann ~ bass
Ben Mink ~ guitar/lap steel/viola/b. vocals

Opening with an acoustic number ("There You Go") that is reminiscent of the Wilson Sister's 90's group the Lovemongers one doesn't know if Red Velvet Car is going to be something old & heard before or reinvigorated new ... but that is forgetting the path Ann & Nancy Wilson have taken under the Heart banner for the last 40 years. They've done an amazing job at recreating themselves to match the times, never quite letting go of the past though. In the 70's they were sexy demons of hard rock, their role greatly under-rated in rock histories, while in the 80's they became AOR synthesizer-laced rockers, when grunge hit they were there most prominently on the Singles Motion Picture Soundtrack with an acoustic interpretation of Led Zeppelin's "Battle Of Evermore" that fit in perfectly with the new music scene. While Red Velvet Car might open with something expected the second track "WTF" brings us right to the present with a blaze of glory thanks to jagged dirty guitars & even vocals obviously reworked behind a computer. Ironically, it's not that far from the music that Heart chugged through the 70's with so this is probably one of the most comfortable sounding albums Heart has done for awhile, not about the radio or commercial success but playing what they're best at. Red Velvet Car is full of catchy songs, mixed with highs & lows (i.e. "WTF", "Red Velvet Car") of wandering guitar sounds the band hasn't played around with since the 70's & well-thought out & unexpected arrangements & as always great lyrics. But, while the sound might sound both fresh & classic its also obvious that it's been 40 years. The songs are a bit slower & Ann is no longer the singer she once was ... & I'm not referring to her obvious weight gain as I still see the lusting beauty she always was & one of the reasons I bought my first Heart album in high school. The dynamic voice that once could have brought own buildings with a single cry has lost some of its roar & it's high range, falling into a mellow deeper range. Her tone is still as beautiful & tender as ever & she has a recognizable phrasing that comes through, but its not the same voice as is immediately obvious from the first song. There's an obvious throaty strain on "WTF", perhaps why the voice is hid behind echo, though maybe this is Ann's imitation of Courtney Love. But, letting go of past voices, the album is a delightful listen that far outweighs any weaknesses. It's also full of that trademark Heart diversity, something lost in their 80's output & pushed almost too far in the 90's. The title-track opens with strings to bring in the guitars later with a short & rough solo that never overruns the mood. It's a soft ballad a la their classic Dog & Butterfly & even ends with delightful church bells echoing in the background clinching the mood. The key to Heart has always been the understated aspects of their music. Yes, they used to play Led Zeppelin's "Rock'N'Roll" in concert & yes, they've had some real all out rock songs but Heart was never about in your ace guitar rock though they are definitely one of the first female fronted hard-rock bands, let alone with one of the first male rock guitarists, but it was always about texture often lost in the hard rock genre. It was about moods over riffs, ambiance over attitude, sex over ... well, heavy metal guys aren't always known as sex gods. Red Velvet Car never rocks out too hard, which might be said to keep the music safe, but this is rock for adults more than 18 years. Heart knows whose probably going to listen to the album so it's not full of over the top guitars & wild three chord cliched punk rock that's become the standard. Red Velvet Car has everything you thought was missing from modern music: memorable melodies, key changes, melodies over riffs, lyrics you can understand, well played parts, layers of sound & textured rhythmic variations. Unlike older Heart albums in the last few decades Nancy Wilson has discovered her singing voice, that is more suited to a folk sound than rock. She sings the acoustic rocker "Hey You" that has a slight country under-pinning. A soft interlude much like the Keith Richards sung songs on a Rolling Stones album. Also like Keith who takes an obligatory two tracks, Nancy returns on the similar "Sunflower" only to end the album on a folksy acoustic rocker ("Sand") bringing it all back home. When you listen to this album you'll probably feel compelled to break out your old Heart albums. So, make sure you have a day free! As for is this a great Heart album? Yes, Ann's voice is not at its best, but on the other hand it's hard to compare because everything they do is so different. I'd just say go & get it cause it's definitely a highlight. You won't regret it.

Big Mess ~ Big Mess (aka debut) (EP) (album review) ... Life goes on!

Style: punk, hard rock, surf
Label: Mess-O-Matic
Year: n/a
Home: California

Members: Chad Carrier ~ lead vocals/bass
Rex Bailey ~ guitar/b. vocals
Bernie Deal ~ drums/b. vocals

"A nuclear war is gonna be a real blast" sings frontman/songwriter Chad Carrier of Big Mess in "Life Goes On". At first this may sound like a horrid apocalyptical predication but just as apparent should be that the social criticism is held in check by lyrical wit & a large sense of fun. This brief line pretty much summarizes the attitude of punk/rock trio Big Mess. Part of the fun of the band is their comical visuals which I sadly can't relay here but I would encourage everyone to hunt up their video for "Pocket", the opener on this debut EP & a highlight ... that is as long as one only plays that one track as every song is a highlight. With Stooges like rhythms, but without the chaotic distorted wanderings, & even Stooges frontman Iggy Pop-like vocalizing the middle aged boys of Big Mess bring the fun back to punk through upbeat rhythms & social criticisms hid under tongue-in-cheek lyrical humor. Punk has often been seen as youthful with wild slashing guitars but that's forgetting that it's essentially about the attitude of loss felt at the hands of society that can supported by anyone of any age. But, punk is not quite an accurate label of Big Mess as they, without question, make for a great party band as their songs are short on guitar solos, heavy on memorable easy to remember riffs & sing-songy vocalization relying on Iggy Pop or Alice Cooper vocal variations different for each song which are fun to sing along with. But, while opener "Pocket" feels punk it's followed by "Feel Alright" that has an underlying surf riff & "Life Goes On" could be straight off of The Stooges's Funhouse. Iggy Pop might seem like an odd representation but his music is greatly underrated outside of music collectors/critics. When it comes to diversity of topics, fun yet serious & a party atmosphere Iggy is a leader ... & Big Mess is following his example, albeit I'm pretty sure they don't make a bigger mess by jumping into the audience with peanut butter. "Me Myself & I" opens with a dirty bass riff that's the most straight ahead rock sounding song in the collection. For it all to end unexpectantly with a jagged edged "Queen Bitch" by David Bowie that Big Mess have done such a good job at it took me a couple listens before I kept forgetting it wasn't their song.

Singles Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (comp) (album review) ... The soundtrack to end all soundtracks!

Style: grunge, hard rock
Label: Epic
Year: 1992
Home: Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago


Includes following bands: Alice In Chains

Pearl Jam

Chris Cornell

Soundgarden

The Lovemongers

Mother Love Bone

Mudhoney

Jimi Hendrix Experience

Screaming Trees

Paul Westerberg

Smashing Pumpkins

Grunge is one of the more mysterious musical movements, united by geography not sound. At least when one talks L.A. everyone thinks big hair & glam, while San Francisco brings up images of 60's flower power, New Jersey is synonymous with Springsteen, with New York conjuring up ... well, that's always been questionable outside of the Velvet Underground. When grunge first came to national attention it was via the breakthrough overnight success of Nirvana & Pearl Jam that sound nothing alike let alone other bands in the area. Let alone the Seattle music scene was doing quite well before grunge with the label actually being a mis-representation of the diversity of bands playing there, even the bands labeled as grunge. If anything is grunge it might be Mudhoney & the Screaming Trees with Mother Love Bone being the glam side, if one is limited to nationally known bands. But, what it is or is not put Seattle on the map forever. So, to then make a movie about life in the city, even though it's just another city but with a little more rain & some mountains & lots of coffee, is a bit of an odd thing. Okay, so many residents are known for being laid back poets & artists, but that's not enough to make a movie out of. Though, when it comes to music soundtracks based around a mysterious musical genre that for all intensive purposes was around before it became known & died when Nirvana did, this is one of the best rock/metal soundtracks one could ask for. Actually, if it wasn't for the soundtrack the weakness of the movie would be much more apparent. It's much like Eddie & The Cruisers in this respect. Further, this is probably one of the few compilations where every song is outstanding with no weak links. It has a stellar line-up & thus no excuses: Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Chris Chornell solo & with Soungarden, The Lovemongers featuring Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart, Mother Love Bone, Mudhoney, Jimi Hendrix, Screaming Trees, Paul Westerberg of the Replacements & the Smashing Pumpkins, though the last two are from Minneapolis & Chicago respectively but work incredibly well in the mix let alone ending the album perfectly with the distorted "Drown" by the Pumpkins. With both well known songs & some more obscure ones this very well could be a photograph of 90's Seattle. All it's missing is Nirvana ... surprisingly ... and some lesser known bands. Though, except for Hendrix and Mother Love Bone all the bands were making music at the time Singles was released in theaters with a few bands actually finding a big career boost afterwards. The highlights are many, which is why the album is one of the best selling of soundtracks of the 90's, let alone helped solidify the grunge movement. Highlights include Chris Cornell's haunting acoustic ballad "Seasons" which shows what a great singer he is, the Lovemonger's acoustic take on Led Zeppelin's "Battle Of Evermore" that couldn't even be eclipsed by the future Page/Plant reunion, the under-rated Hendrix gem "May This Be Love" from Are You Experienced, along with songs that would become hits for Mother Love Bone ("Crown Of Thorns"), Pearl Jam ("Breathe", "State Of Love & Trust"), Screaming Trees ("Nearly Lost You") & Alice In Chains ("Would?"). Paul Westerberg's material ("Dyslexic Heart," "Waiting For Somebody") is probably the lightest stuff on the album, being his first solo material & still sounding very Replacements-esque, but it also lends a comic balance to the heavy handedness of Soundgarden ("Birth Ritual") & raw distortions of underdogs Mudhoney ("Overblown"). This is one of those rare compilations where the range of styles paints a complete picture not a broken one of mis-matched music. This will get repeated listens where not a single track will want to be missed.

G.G. Allin & Bulge ~ Freaks, Faggots, Drunks & Junkies (album review) ... But, who is bringing the beer?

Style: punk
Label: Homestead
Year: 1988
Home: n/a

Members: G.G. Allin ~ vocals/guitar
Johnny X ~ guitar/b. vocals
Charlie Infection ~ drums/b. vocals
Ed Lynch ~ bass/b. vocals

Additional: Bill Normal ~ keyboards/bass
Mark Sheehan, Erik Mercier, Greg Gonorea, Beth Burrow ~ b. vocals

To some G.G. Allin, born Jesus Christ Allin following his father's belief that his son was a messianic figure, is a iconic eccentric whose blasphemic & extremely pornographic lyrics say more of social anxiety than the Clash, Nirvana & Sex Pistols could ever get the guts to do, while bringing rock'n'roll back to its non-corporate roots. Allin is famous for declaring himself the real god on the Jerry Springer. These fans don't question this assertion. Further, it's hard to deny that there's legitimacy to his criticism of the corporate world, let alone that he has a right to free speech, though he did take things to far with his physically harmful shows. To others he's a historical freak show pushing punk boundaries of anti-authoritarianism & general social rebellion ... even in terms of not bathing regularly, let alone becoming probably the most famous homeless junky. It's a historical oddity that rock's greatest heroes are junkies, considering if we discussed junky businessmen or heroin addicted Presidents or any other profession Allin would be seen as he is - a no talent bum. While to others he's just a homeless hack musician, if one can even call him a musician, whose annual threat to kill himself on stage summarizes the weakness of his messianic madness. To these folks he's just a joke & anyone who takes him seriously needs to get a life. Considering so many of Allin's lyrics deal with rape & suicide one does have to question his die-hard fans sanity. Allin is most famous for his drug fueled performances that would include self-mutilation, defecating on stage, performing naked & mindless destruction of everything in sight, human or machine. The fact that he made music is almost trivial, though he's probably one of the most prolific musicians ever outside of pianist Rick Wakeman. Some might be surprised, who know only his stage antics, that Allin actually recorded a range of music including country (Carnival of Excess), punk (Eat My Fuc), acoustic (The Troubled Troubador) & spoken word ("My Revenge") ... but it all suffers from generally horrible production, dirty playing & Allin's shouting-cum-singing of childish lyrics. Freaks, Faggots, Drunks & Junkies is universally voted the best, including by Allin himself. One music critic famously said that "Allin's entire output ranks as perhaps the worst music ever recorded; this is its clearest expression." Bullseye. Taking away the background information, though the the story of Allin the man is undoubtedly more interesting than Allin the singer, his punk rock ... the musical genre that gained a reputation for lousy musicianship no help from Allin ... essentially sounds no different than the Sex Pistols or some of the Stooges a la "I Wanna Be Your Dog." Actually the Stooges are a apt comparison even in regards to Iggy Pop's equally nude stage antics ... heavily distorted guitars repeating simple & cliched melodies with a rhythm section running through changes that might be more interesting in a different environment. Underneath the bad production a few different styles can be heard including rockabilly ("Dope Money"), hard rock ("Be My Fuckin' Whore") & psychedelic ("Wild Riding"). As for the god himself? "Do what I fucking say or I'm gonna slash your face, you worthless two-faced cunt, put your nose in the air, I'll break your fuckin' nose & shit all over you" cries the first verse of "Be My Fuckin' Whore", demonstrating the extent of Allin's poetic ability and probably some of the most depraved lyrics outside of Satanic death metal. This excerpt is tame compared to some. I will say that Allin does know how to rhyme. Extreme hardcore pornography, that should make Larry Flynt proud, is the name of the lyrical game & so is brainless shallow shock fueled punk rock that has been done far better & with more creativity, for example of the sex Peaches & Wendy O. Williams. Allin does win an award for passionate dedication to a cause even if its to his own detriment. The song titles say it all, besides the aforementioned: "Suck My Ass It Smells", "Sleeping In My Piss", "Anti Social Masterbator", "Last In Line For The Gang Bang", "Die When You Die", "Commit Suicide", "Crash & Burn", "Outlaw Scumfuc", "Cunt Suckin' Cannibal", "Young Little Meat", "I Wanna Kill You" & "My Bloody Mutilation". It's hard not to see Allin as just playing into the brainless stereotype of infantile rock'n'roll where anything goes under the banner of advanced anti-social philosophy. The scary part is seeing interviews of him being normal and polite almost to the point of being taken seriously. It's hard to ignore that he does sometimes have a legitimate point to make against society, while I'll stand by his freedom of speech any day. Allin's music is best enjoyed for the history of it or the philosophy of it, just don't take him seriously when he recommends rape or suicide as the solution.

Onpoint (0N901N7) ~ Behold The Robot Rebellion C783RN371C5 15 7H3 FU7UR3 - MU51C 4 R08075 (album review) ... xX154V3NC3IXx, that's what she said!

Style: heavy metal, thrash
Label: self-released
Year: 2009
Home: New York City

Members: Olga ~ vocals
Diesekt D, Muerte ~ guitars

There's a couple things every band seems to want. Guitarists are common, but finding a bassist or drummer can be a struggle. While if there is a rhythm section in place it seems like every band wants a 'chick singer'. Onpoint has two great thrash guitarists & the pot of gold chick singer, but they lack a rhythm section. You don't see many thrash bands without a bassist & drummer & relying on a drum machine both on & off stage. But, what could be a detriment Onpoint, or ON901N7 following their habit of re-writing words, has turned it into a key part of their image as what's more cool than robots? The full title of their work is Behold the Robot Rebellion - C783RN371C5 15 7H3 FU7UR3 - MU51C 4 R08075. Doesn't that say it all? Well, if you speak android-ese it does! Though, Onpoint's music is not as robotic as I'm making it out to be nor as much as they may advertise, as they may rely on electronic drums but it's not a detriment nor a dominating part of their sound. Actually, away from the stage it's not noticeable that they don't have a real drummer. Even the absence of a bassist isn't too big of a loss though it does get sometimes felt by some overplaying to fill up the air. Perhaps its the fact that they're playing over a drum machine & sans bassist but at times having both guitars riffing away, in stereo so listen on headphones for the full effect, comes off cacophonic & muddy. It's hard to tell if it's dueling guitars, interplaying guitars or if they are playing the same riff (for example "xX154V3NC3IXx", "What A Mess"). Though, on the other hand, they are obviously experimenting here with something that mixes the riffs of thrash with the dynamics of power metal as the riffs are anything but heavily repeated lines but actually intertwined bits creating a wall of nuanced little melodies. Sometimes they break into traditional lead & rhythm accompaniment (ie. "What A Mess") & even a single simple guitar line is heard (ie. "Dream (Paralysis)"). I'd recommend more experimentation along this line as it creates a welcomed dynamic. But, perhaps the angular muddy wall of sound is deliberate as Olga's vocals are clear & melodic & cutting across the ocean around her. Though, she's anything but robotic, even with some occasional robotic backing echoes used to good measure (ie. "Indenial"), but soulful with a hint of punk attitude. Lola also shies away from Nighwish-esque opera vocals which is not a reflection of her potential singing ability but happily prevents Onpoint from sounding like many other bands. Onpoint have become known for covering Nine Inch Nail's "Wish" in concert ... maybe someday they'll consider paying the royalties & head into the studio to cover their own version because they do a great thrash arrangement ... you'll have to check it out on youtube in the meantime ... considering NIN is perfect for bands with electronic drums.

Android Lust ~ The Human Animal (album review) ... When woman meets machine!

Style: industrial
Label: Synthellec Music
Year: 2010
Home: New York City

Members: Shikhee ~ guitar/vocals
Christopher Jon ~ synth
Bret Calder ~ bass
James Light, Steve Kefalas ~ guitar
Additional: Nathaniel Johnstone ~ violin
Jerome Dillon, Anthony Baldino ~ remix

From electronic beats to sound effects found in NYC subway stations to Marilyn Manson-esque rhythms torn down to their barest & most sparse form with a mourning voice that sounds like its trying to sing in between moments of agony ... that's the first description of Android Lust that comes to mind with the opening track "Intimate Stranger". Further, I can honestly say that I loved what I heard when I first discovered Android Lust months ago & requested a promo to review to still loving it months later. This industrial rock outing, primarily a one-woman force, might not be a household name but should be in the ipod of every goth & industrial fan. With a fourth studio release Android Lust have fashioned an understated industrial mix that aims for the more ballady seductive side of the genre as hypnotic as when Trent Reznor whispers on Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine only to then jump like a cat. Also, like Reznor, singer/songwriter Shikhee has fashioned a journey through her psyche. Though it has moments of distorted electric guitars running through each song (for example, "Intimate Stranger", "Saint Over", "God In The Hole", "Into The Sun") Shikhee keeps it reserved & doesn't fall into creating a guitar onslaught, going for slow melodic movements & intense hypnotic arrangements of synths & beats over speed, fury or energy or guitar-driven rock. It's a great defying of expectations. Albeit, the big difference between NIN & Android Lust is that NIN clearly sounds like a man in a fit of angst. While Shikhee's music & lyrics reminds me of the female android in the wonderful 1927 film Metropolis - playful & alluring but yet slightly wicked or least considering the potential of such while emotionally a bit reserved. A cold steel android is a lot scarier than hot human anger. One is unpredictable while one cools down. It also helps that the android is one of the sexiest to ever grace a movie screen & the music of Android Lust is ... well, for the right folks this is good foreplay music. Yet, there's an organic feel to the album as it never goes completely electronic or industrial. I'm reminded of the later releases by David Bowie such as Heathen for comparison. Cold & clinical but yet human. Keeping a warmth to the music is often lost in this genre, realizing that the real emotion of the music is the stark human warmth crawling underneath the electronic beats. & the Nine Inch Nails comparison isn't off, though that was my feeling before looking at the album, as the final track is a ghostly remix of "God In The Hole" by former NIN member Jerome Dillon. Shikhee knows what she sounds like, but while Reznor went off into audio onslaughts she still knows that the magic is in being subtle.

Rotfront ~ Emigrantski Raggamuffin (album review) ... From the other side of the Berlin wall!

Style: punk, ska, rap, ethnic
Label: Essay Recordings
Year: 2009
Home: Berlin, Germany

Members: Yuriy Gurzhy ~ guitar/bass/vocals
Simon Wahorn ~ bass/guitar/vocals
Dorka Gryllus, MadMilian ~ vocals
Dan Freeman ~ sax
Max Bakshish ~ sax/clarinet
Daniel Kahn ~ accordian
Anke Lucks ~ trombone
Jan Pfennig ~ drums

What comes to mind when you mix together the musical aggression of punk with the funky backbeat of ska? Probably many bands, actually, including the famed No Doubt that helped make ska mainstream. How about when you mix acoustic European gypsy music with free flowing Klezmer horns & female vocals lines? Probably that ethnic album of gypsy violin music your NPR listening uncle likes to play but you only find chaotically & exotically strange. Okay, now the challenge question. What about when you mix the ska, punk, gypsy & klezmer together & even through in a dash of hip-hop? No, I'm talking about a joke album by Weird Al, though considering some of his experiments that might be a good guess. I'm actually referring to the popular German group Rotfront that does indeed mix all of the above, & quite successfully, creating something that I would highly recommend seeking out. Founded in 2003 by DJ's/guitarists Yuriy Gurzhy & Hungarian Simon Wahorn, Rotfront, or in its full form, the Emigrantski Raggamuffin Kollektiv RotFront, is as much a political-musical movement as it is a cohesive band with its rotating door of musicians depending upon the desired outcome & gig. It's half party band with a ska backbeat behind Klezmer-esque horn solos & a rotating line-up of male & female singers & occasional rapper ... a distorted rock guitar appears only in the bridge of "Klezmerton" ... but at the same time is clearly a punk band with a socially relevant message underneath the fun. It's a bit easy to even dismiss the message as the music is so upbeat & the singing careful & often comical ... everything but angry ... but the disgruntled feelings with society are clearly there & hidden just enough to catch you off guard. Though, it should be noted that the songs are in either German, Russian or Hungarian, so one has to assume that the few English songs share similar themes as their foreign brethren. "Sovietoblaster", one of the best English songs which verges on hip-hop, paints a deceptively content yet dismal picture of the Soviet Union with underground contract killers. Or another example is the chorus of "Red Mercedes" with "the world is going mad, it makes me feel bad ... my red Mercedes will take me away ... everywhere I go I smell destruction, but who remembers what they're fighting for", or from "Rotfront FM" with "no heating on a winter morning, is a sign of global warming ... making love is the only thing we can still enjoy for free." It's hard to let that bit of woe slip past your ears unnoticed. Some songs are more punk sounding ("Kemenyek A Fenyek") while others take a more gypsy-esque free-flowing approach ("B-Style", "Berlin - Barcelona") that creates for a diverse array of music that never gets dull or predictable. The closet band I can think of to compare are the equally musically diverse yet socially relevant Chumbawumba, who had a single hit in America but are much bigger in England, who create upbeat music filled with cutting social criticism. Like Rotfront their music is deceptively not angry sounding. It's the complete opposite of death metal bands that try to make everything angry sounding ... but it's the contrast that is the missing key ingredient. While at times (i.e. "Red Mercedes", "Devil") I recall the socially relevant Jewish hip-hop ramblings of Matisyahu with his fast rapping style. The only thing missing are guest vocals by J-Lo. She would fit in perfect. For those curious, Rotfront is German for 'Red Front', or the 'Red Front Fighters League' that was a paramilitary branch of the Communist Party of Germany that engaged in street fights with the Nazis before being banned in 1932 ... but not before having their raised arm salute borrowed by Nazis. I should also clarify that it's not necessarily gypsy music Rotfront play but more a Mediterranean style, but my American readers know immediately gypsy sounds while Mediterranean would only lead to them scratching their heads.

Black Sabbath ~ Heaven & Hell (album review) ... 2 sides of the same coin!

Style: heavy metal, hard rock
Label: Warner Brothers
Year: 1980
Home: England

Members: Geezer Butler ~ bass
Ronnie James Dio ~ vocals
Tony Iommi ~ guitar
Geoff Nicholls ~ keyboards
Bill Ward ~ drums, backing vocals

Few bands have replaced a key member, changed songwriters, updated their sound & found just as much success, particularly bands as musically influential in creating a genre, as Black Sabbath did in 1981 when they brought in horn waving elf Ronnie James Dio fresh out of Richie Blackmore's Rainbow. Dio took not just the vocal spot from iconic Ozzy Osbourne but also the writing spot from bassist Geezer Butler & helped moved the band away from being a gloomy blues based drug band to heavy 80's rockers reaching out to a new generation of fans as hair metal hit the airwaves. Many decried the plethora of changes, though in hindsight many may have forgotten that this reinvention came after Sabbath was on the decline. Heaven & Hell, the first of four outings from the new line-up, isn't strung with classic song after classic song like the 1970 legacy-making Paranoid, but it did contribute fan favorites "Neon Knights", "Children Of The Sea" the title track ... that are just as good as anything that came before & working hard to disprove the fans that said there was no Sabbath without Ozzy. The experimental nature of the later Ozzy albums, a weak point of contention for many fans, was largely retired for a more commercialized sound, while the drug & mysticism lyrics gave way to medieval imagery. It's easy to ignore the albums between Paranoid & Heaven & Hell & forget that this is actually a predictable steady progression of the band, it just came to fruition earlier than expected with Dio's arrival. It's really not a surprising change, nor by far a negative one & definitely reads more drastic than it really is. Tony Iommi's trademark de-tuned guitar lines remain slow & heavy with Geezer Butler's bass still slogging away ... a simplicity that would be lost in future heavy metal that came to believe guitars had to be fast & distorted to be heavy. Iommi plays like a big slow gorilla not a fast colorful tiger. While the lyrical move isn't really that big of a change as its more like two sides of the same coin. Decrying social ills remains a regular theme, with the step from witchcraft to medieval mysticism beyond distant cousins & both lending themselves to visual lyrics. The band couldn't have found a better writer without hurting the band, as would be shown by the weak material that followed after the departure of Dio & Geezer. Further, honestly, Dio is probably the better singer than Ozzy ever was or is. Ozzy has an instantly recognizable voice & style but he essentially just shouts, grunts & vocalizes with none of the range or control of Dio & if it wasn't for some great songs, both with Sabbath & in his solo career, one can only wonder if he'd be so popular as his vocals often sound sloppy. Dio & the boys proved to be a rocky partnership that produced The Mob Rules before collapsing & Dio forming his own band with replacement Sabbath drummer Appice, while successive Sabbath singers found the band at its lowest point, but a shadow of itself with only Iommi as a constant presence. The Dio era, as its called, was the light before the dark. Dio returned to the fold a decade later to produce Dehumanizer, again to see things crumble & eventually lead to a Ozzy reunion that produced only a live album & two weak studio tracks. Dio united again with the band under the moniker Heaven & Hell, making a strong case for the skeptics that still preferred Ozzy let alone that Sabbath was dead, with the powerfully dark The Devil You Know before his unexpected death in 2010. Of the four Dio era Sabbath albums, two are great, two are okay. But, the great ones are good enough to have divided the Sabbath camp into Dio fans vs. Ozzy fans. It's really two different bands. I saw Heaven & Hell/Black Sabbath in concert & didn't mind in the least that not a single Ozzy song was played. They weren't missed.