Filed under: Magazine, Music, Review, Sound The Sirens | Tags: A Perfect Circle, Album Review, Audioslave, Brad Wilk, Magazine, Matt Cameron, Maynard James Keenan, Music, Out Of Exile, Rage, Sound The Sirens, Soundgarden, Tool
The sophomore album is a critical release for any band, even one labeled as a supergroup since its inception; it is through this LP that we are able to hear the direction that the band will be taking: capitalize on the same, proven sound or push the boundaries with innovative, fresh music. Audioslave has chosen the former.
There are traces of Soundgarden and Rage in the album but they fuse together to create the sound that was Audioslave’s debut and is Audioslave’s sophomore effort. Lacking the groundbreaking grunge rock from Soundgarden and the heavy attack, both musically and lyrically, that defines Rage Against The Machine, Out Of Exile is nothing more than a collection of songs you’ve already heard from other contemporary alternative/post-grunge rock acts.
All in all, this is a strong release from Audioslave as the majority of their fans won’t think twice about adding another twelve tracks to their already repetitious catalogue. The opening track “Your Time Has Come” is respectable; a steady single-string riff holds the song together but it goes in circles, never leading anywhere, a perfect representation of what is to come. Nothing changes until the tenth track: “Dandelion” offers a break from the album’s relentless attack of tightly constructed riff-driven pieces with its light psych-pop feel and is its only saving grace.
I can’t help but question myself as to whether or not I am rating the already low-scoring album higher than I should simply because of the past achievements of the group’s members. Much like A Perfect Circle and Tool frontman, Maynard James Keenan, I <3 Brad Wilk … but I want Matt Cameron back.
Filed under: Chicago, Magazine, Music, Review, SHEER | Tags: Chicago, Concert, Franz Ferdinand, High Speed Scene, Magazine, Max Hart, Metro, Music, Review, Ross Millard, SHEER, The Futureheads
Date: 2005.06.10
Artists: The Futureheads | High Speed Scene
Venue: Metro
Location: 3730 North Clark St. | Chicago, Illinois
Time: Doors: 6:00 P.M. / Show: 7:00 P.M.
Type: All Ages Show
I went into this concert hoping that the tale of The Futureheads was not to be a simple reiteration of what has become a modern trend: debut album, hit single, appearance on “The O.C.,” and then a fast paced retreat into musical obscurity.
The English band headed by vocalist/guitarist Ross Millard opened for European contemporaries Franz Ferdinand and now they’re headlining a tour of small but highly respected venues. Back-to-back supporting and headlining tours without releasing any new material since 2004’s self-titled debut could be suicide and I thought it was when, right before the scheduled time for the show to start, the floor was less than crowded – much less.
Seeing as how by the time Millard and crew took to the stage the venue was packed I’m guessing this lack of people at the beginning could have been due to two things: first, the other fans actually had to pay for their tickets and therefore felt they could make an appearance at any time rather than feeling obligated to be present for the entire show or it was because they had seen the High Speed Scene perform before.
A physically and musically unappealing band, High Speed Scene took to the stage to open for The Futureheads more than thirty minutes after the scheduled show time. Singer/guitarist Max Hart said it himself more than halfway through their set, “A forty-minute set is insanely long for us. We’re accustomed to basements, living rooms and liquor store parking lots, if you will. This is as big as it gets for High Speed Scene.” I’m not Nostradamus but my prediction is that it will forever remain that way. While instrumentally competent, repetition is not the way to win over fans when the sound you are repeating isn’t creative or, well, good, and High Speed Scene has yet to discover that.
The Futureheads put together the most elaborate light show the Metro has ever seen which, granted, was not that elaborate but it was a nice change from dry stage performance. There were the standard string breaks and a few mess-ups here and there but overall the act was sound and entertaining. The most surreal moment was when the crowd split into two to sing both Millard’s and bassist Jaff’s parts for an extended version of “Hounds Of Love.” Following their set the band was “Oh-Oh-Oh”-ed back onstage for a three-song encore of equally gripping confidence and power.
My only advice is to not milk the debut album for too long or the public will forget; they are ruthless. The only time they will remember you is when they shuffle through their old t-shirts and find ‘The Futureheads’ stuck somewhere between Jet and Fountains Of Wayne who were also really cool at one point.
I believe that The Futureheads offer both a refreshing and energetic sound that will allow them to stick around at least long enough for people like myself to criticize the always difficult sophomore LP. After hearing some new material, much like the old, I highly anticipate the next album from The Futureheads.
- Originally published: SHEER 2005.06.11
Filed under: Magazine, Monsters & Critics, Music, Review | Tags: ABBA, Ace Of Base, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, Magazine, Monsters & Critics, Music, Review, Rilo Kiley, Shout Out Louds, The Hives
The Shout Out Louds hail from Stockholm, a place fairly well known for its music scene, third only to the United State and Great Britain. Sweden is responsible for crafting, over the past four or five decades, distinct sounds in the music industry that are now associated with the country: ranging from the folk/polka days of the generation before ours to the pop sound of ABBA, Ace Of Base, and others and more recent heavy metal influences and rock sounds, such as The Hives.
Despite their roots holding firm in a country complete with its own clear and individual sound Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, produced and mixed by one of Sweden’s most wanted producers, Ronald Bood, who has worked with The Plan, Mandi Diao and Keane, along with the input and work of others, opens with the emo-infused lyrics and light summertime pop reminiscent of the modern Los Angeles folk-inspired indie-scene. The drawling guitar on “The Comeback” evokes memories of Jenny Lewis and Co.’s sophomore release The Execution Of All Things.
The most obvious difference between Howl and anything released by Rilo Kiley and other self-declared indie counterparts is that the Shout Out Louds don’t stress their pseudo-intellect with meaningless song titles and overblown, dramatic photo-shoots complete with outfits that make it seem as though the band writes and performs for the scene: the Shout Out Louds are in this for the music and it is there they express the attitude and feelings illustrative of the scene they have been tossed into, indie pop. For example, the lyrics in “Please Please Please” are draining and dim until singer Adam croons, with a sense of optimism, “but we’re all happy ‘cause the streets they’re always there for us and it’s quite scary when you wake up in the same old clubs.”
The majority of Howl Howl Gaff Gaff is comprised of various singles released since the band was formed four years ago, which is perhaps the reason it is good throughout. Nonetheless, this method of picking and choosing already hit songs is still respectable and the album is different and exciting with each passing track until the very end. When the needle strikes the penultimate track of “Shut Your Eyes” we immediately recall the bubbly bass line and rapid tempo of previous songs; the emotion goaded by these Swedes wears off in the last few minutes and we are left with an album that doesn’t end fitting the same standard it sets for itself in the opening tracks.
All in all, the debut album from the Shout Out Louds is better than most. While the majority of the lyrics are transparent and unimaginative, they are arranged brilliantly and possess a melody that drives relentlessly through the entire track list…almost.
Highlights: “The Comeback” and “Please Please Please”
Filed under: Magazine, Monsters & Critics, Music, Review | Tags: Beck, David Bowie, Guero, Low, Monsters & Critics, Music, Review, Sea Change
Opening with an apparently radio worthy track that includes a heavy, distorted guitar introduction and evenly dispersed interludes thereafter, Guero, Beck Hanson’s latest album, hit stores on March 29th as his first official LP since 02s incredibly successful, laid-back and atmospheric Sea Change. Beck is often labeled as a sort of musical chameleon, this particular album sparking memories of David Bowie’s Low; pushing the use of formulated electronics in conjunction with guitar and vocals.Oh-so-90s descriptions before the influx of artsy experimentalism and matching outfits of independent music cite association with low-budget labels outside of the influence of the major record companies and a do-it-yourself attitude as requirements for entrance into a scene that is famous for supercilious elitism.
Guero is Beck’s eighth full length his career now spanning over a decade and, despite his long-standing ties with Geffen, he has managed to stay connected with the individuality-promoting industry throughout. “Que Onda Guero,” the second track on Guero, comes complete with a prominent drum-beat and nonsense rap, reminiscent of Becks first hit “Loser;” recorded in the kitchen of now hip-hop producer Karl Stephenson thirteen years ago.
Sadly, more current definitions stress the present importance of sound and appearance over means of production in indie-rock. Delicate, hypnotic and abrasive are all adjectives, however contradictory, used to illustrate the scene to the uninformed: it always has been a setting for and from outsiders, heavily influenced by otherwise unpopular musical styles. If anything, Beck is not a chameleon as much as an experimentalist who has pursued various musical interests without regard for genre: He has turned a blind eye to restrictions and is now returning to his roots.
From the classic: “E-Pro,” the album’s leading track, brings back the harsh guitar from early 90s rock that started the branch to the original independent music. To the modern: “Scarecrow” opens solely with synthesizers creating whale-like noises that can be found on any Incubus album and is soon accompanied by a drumbeat that immediately conjures the lyrics to “Billy Jean.” Guero runs the entire gamut. Thief.
Through Guero, Beck has proven that he is indie-rock personified, both classical and contemporary. Unfortunately, that rock has become stagnant. Although he is still an eclectic figure, drawing from all forms of music, Beck has shifted dramatically from a wildly unpredictable, creative force in the industry to one who uses repetition to form yet another album. Without the continuous search and discovery that was Beck pre-Guero there is no thrill; its all been done before.
Highlights: “Girl” and “Earthquake Weather.”
