Finding the right balance of being heavy and melodic isn’t as easy as you would think. There are many bands over the years that have mastered it and there are others that just miss the mark.
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Month: April 2018
Album Rank: Oasis
Since I heard Liam Gallagher’s solo album As You Were, I’ve been on a kick of listening to all things Liam and Oasis. While listening to all these albums I’ve really come to realize how truly great Oasis was. I did have the pleasure of seeing them live back in 2007 before they announced their break up. It was a great show with a really good set list. Needless to say I’ve put together an album ranking of Oasis’s albums from not their best to the absolute best.
Heathen Chemistry:
Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants:
Don’t Believe The Truth:
Be Here Now:
Dig Out Your Soul:
Definitely Maybe:
What’s The Story Morning Glory:
Song Battle: Alice In Chains vs The Stooges- Dirt
Two very different bands and both have a song entitled Dirt. This is going to be one of the most interesting same name song battles I’ve posted. I love both bands. Alice In Chains a bit more obviously but, there is no denying the impact The Stooges had on inspiring countless amounts of bands over the years, Alice In Chains included. The Stooges song dirt is off their album Fun House which I must add is one of the coolest albums ever! Alice In Chains song “Dirt” is from their masterpiece of a 2nd album of the same name. Both songs are so different but due to my love of Alice, I’m going to have to pick theirs but, The Stooges song is friggin great too.
Alice In Chains- Dirt (from Dirt):
The Stooges- Dirt (from Fun House):
Album Review: A Perfect Circle- Eat The Elephant
It’s been 15 years since A Perfect Circle has released an album of new original material. I don’t count their covers/remix album. That was absolutely unnecessary to even be released in the first place (but that’s for another day and debate). Enter 2018 and the release of Eat The Elephant. Despite being back in a live setting for one off shows since 2010, the groundwork for this album only started to come to fruition a couple years back. This project has always been mainly Maynard and Billy with the occasional input from other members of the band way back when (mainly Josh Freese). This new one is purely Billy and Maynard with the help of producer David Sardy (Far, Oasis and so many other bands he’s worked with). The sad part is the end result of their work.
This is not the A Perfect Circle you enjoyed when they first came out with Mer De Noms or The Thirteenth Step. What you have instead is a strange grandiose album that is at times pretentious and seems like one giant inside joke. The album’s lyrical content is very topical to the times we live in giving the album a very NOW feel. Musically though gone are the riffs and drums which are replaced with dramatic layers upon layers of keys and electronic elements. The only song on the album with that similar “classic” is “The Doomed” and even that song is very flat in terms of dynamics. That’s not to say that there aren’t moments throughout the rest of the album that have a presensce but that mainly comes from Maynard’s lyrics and delivery. Songs like “TalkTalk,” “Feathers” and “Hourglass” certainly have spots that shine. One song you might recognize a bit is “By and Down The River” which was released a few years back on a sort of best of/live album. The song has been reworked a bit but it’s still that song you heard. “Disillusioned” has a very lullaby feel. Actually the majority of the album feels like one big lullaby. The song “So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish” sounds like it could be on a Coldplay or Imagine Dragons album. I could go on and on about this album but I’m not going to.
Needless to say as a fan of the band, this is a let down. After 15 years without new music from A Perfect Circle and this being the end result is not worth it. Something else that the album lacks is the performances musically. Newer members Jeff Friedl and Matt McJunkins, while they are solid musicians they just lack the “feel” and “vibe” that made A Perfect Circle so impactful. This doesn’t feel like an A Perfect Circle album after listening to it a few times. Some of you out there might really love this new side of the band, which is perfectly fine. There are also those out there that will just eat up what ever Maynard serves and hold it as gospel. Put it this way, this album isn’t for everyone. Instead I’ll wait patiently for the new Tool album, which after almost 13 years, better not be a let down like this is.
Overall Rating: C-
A Perfect Circle- Eat The Elephant:
Worst Cover Songs: Avril Lavigne (Metallica)- Fuel
Yesterday I shared a really awesome cover with you all. Today I wanted to remind you all of this atrocity that happened at the MTV Icon Metallica show in 2003. This is probably one of the worst things I’ve ever heard in my life. I still remember cringing when I watched this.
Avril Lavigne- Fuel:
Cover Song: Shadows Fall (Only Living Witness)- December
I woke up with the Only Living Witness song “December” in my head. While I was looking up different versions, I came across this rad cover Shadows Fall did of the song. Check it out!
Shadows Fall- December:
Only Living Witness- December:
Album Review: Failure- In The Future
In a surprise move a couple weeks back, Failure released a new EP called In The Future. This is the first part of three releases that will culminate into a full length at years end. In The Future features 3 songs and a segue that sees the band exploring a bit of a different territory musically. Well it’s actually not that different, if you are a fan of Greg’s other band Autolux, there are shades of that band bleeding through into Failure on this new material.
Opening the EP is “Dark Speed” an almost throwback track to the bands early days a la Comfort. The vocals are spaced out in the perfect Failure way but also take turn with its more spoken word style. “Paralytic Flow” is what you’d expect from Failure. This song is a perfect example of what Failure does best. The drums on this song in particular, courtesy of the great Kellii Scott are thunderous yet reserved, exploding at the right times to push the song along. The other new song “Pennies” is actually an older song that the band reworked for this new release. If you have the rarities album Golden, you can find the original version of “Pennies” on there. This is the second time Failure has reached back into the vault and redid a song. On The Heart Is A Monster, the song “Petting The Carpet” is also from the Golden album. And then there is the Segue, this one is Segue 10. It wouldn’t be a Failure release without a Segue.
As an EP this release seems a bit disjointed but, knowing that this is just the first part of something a lot bigger, it gives you just the right amount of a taste to tide you over till the next part comes. Failure are true artists in every aspect. They have always played by their own rules and the results have never disappointed. Ken, Greg and Kellii as a unit are unstoppable and this release is just the tip!
Dark Speed:
Paralytic Flow:
Pennies:
Segue 10:
Songs In Film: Placebo in Cruel Intentions
The 90’s are my favorite time in music. So many landmark albums came out and shaped my musical taste and became the soundtrack to my life. Though it wasn’t just music, there were so many great films that came out then too. There was something truly remarkable about the combination of music and film during that time. One such combination that has always stuck in my head since I saw and heard it was the use of Placebo’s “Every You, Every Me” in the opening credits for the film Cruel Intentions. It fits so perfectly and sets the tone ever so dramatically.
Placebo- Every You Every Me:
Band Of The Week: Dress The Dead
One of the coolest things about being a musician is being able to explore different genres and expand your musical palate. For many years now I’ve been a fan of guitarist Craig Locicero. You might recall the bands he’s been a part of from Forbidden, Manmade God and Spiralarms. Not only can Craig rip on guitar, he is also one hell of a songwriter. Which brings me to his latest band, Dress The Dead. This new band has it all, from super heavy riffs and thunderous rhythms but also a great rock voice that reaches the metal heights and soulful elements of blues. Dress The Dead is comprised of Kayla Dixon (voice), Craig Locicero (guitar), Dan Delay (guitar), James Walker (bass) and Mark Hernandez (drums). It’s worth mentioning that the original singer of the band was Peter Dolving from The Haunted. While Peter laid the groundwork for the vocals, Kayla has really stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park (yes I used a baseball reference. It is baseball seasons after all). The best way to describe Dress The Dead is Thrashy Rock N Roll. While it’s “metal” it’s definitely rock through and through. From the songs they have released so far like “Promises & Kisses,” “There Goes The Sun,” and “1969” it’s very apparent that Dress The Dead is going to be one hell of a band.
Dress The Dead- Promises & Kisses:
Dress The Dead- There Goes The Sun:
Dress The Dead- Knives Out (Live):
Dress The Dead- 1969 (with Peter Dolving):
New Release: Hopesfall- H.A. Wallace Space Academy
After a very long break, Hopesfall have returned following a lengthy hiatus. Hopesfall’s new song “H.A. Wallace Space Academy,” is off their upcoming album Arbiter (out July 13th) their first since 2007’s Magnetic North. This new song picks up where they left off but also rekindles the classic style they had on their landmark album The Satellite Years.
Check it out!!
Hopesfall- H.A. Wallace Space Academy:
audioeclectica 