Album Reviews

[Mr Walker]

...plus the new Opeth record, ...

I'm currently catching up on things that I've neglected during the holidays... Opeth's 'Heritage' finally clicked with me today... great album. Probably one of those albums that annoys their fanbase, but I don't care... I really like it.

[binnie]

I think it's a very impressive album, I just can't say that I love it. Honestly, I can't even get a handle on it (otherwise I'd have reviewed it).

They've got some balls - I respect bands who grow....

[binnie]

From the vaults: The Scorpions - Virgin Killer (1976)

'Sexy? What's wrong with sexy?' quips Spinal Tap guitar-God Nigel Tuffnel in response to record company objections to the artwork for their forthcoming record - 'Smell The Glove' - during a pivotal scene from the 'rockumentary'. Well, the cover the 'Virgin Killer' - featuring a naked teenage girl holding a piece of glass in her, erm, 'special' place - is exactly what's wrong with 'sexy'. It's also what most people think about when they remember this record. As horrendous as the cover is, focus on destracts not only from the quality of the music here; but also from the fact that this record marked a crucial stage in The Scorp's evolution - the chrystalization of their sound into short, sharp blasts of pulsating heavy songs from its origins in the free-flowing blues rock Hendrixisms of their earlier discs.

It's all here in the fizzling energy of opener 'Pictured Life'. Sounding a little like The Sweet, this takes us back to a time when 'metal' was really just pop music with raucous guitars - a series of huge hooks, sinewy harmonies and pulsating chop-chop guitars drives a long a belter of a tune featuring solos which you can whistle. Sure, at this stage in their careers Klaus Meine's voice was still somevat 'Do yoo vant a vittle vock and voll?' but it all adds to the charm. 'Backstage Queen' revels in the cliches, and is closer to the punchy, sleazy pop-metal they'd evolve into a decade later; whilst the title cut - the most aggressive track here - anticipates 'Blackout': if you're hunting for moments of proto-thrash, check out the unbriddled fury of the chorus!

The softer moments are stronger - or at least more focussed - than they had been in the past, too. The mid-'60s folk feel to 'In Your Park' reminds us that before they started penning the sacahrine dogshit powerballads of the '80s, the Scorpions could really be quite touching. 'Crying Days' is a sense to opposite: overstated, glorious in its pomp and with a series of explosive and tender leads. Indeed, what strikes you most about 'Virgin Killer' is the evolution of Rudolf Schenker and Uli Jon Roth's ability to play off one another; the trading of licks made for a big guitar sounds, something which later-day Scorps albums would lose.

There are certainly some ugly ducklings here. 'Hell Cat' (which sounds like Hendrix's 'Gypsy Eyes') isn't a bad song, it's just out of place, a feature compounded by Roth's vocals. And 'Catch Your Train' feels like a generic moment, for all the gusto of the band's performance. But then, 'Virgin Killer' importance doesn't rest upon it being perfect - there are certainly better Scorpions records. But I'm not sure there are any which capture the sheer sense of fun at the heart of that band like this one does.

[Mr Walker]

I never found myself getting into pre-Lovedrive Scorpions. Maybe one of these days. I just got a new vinyl rip of 'Lonesome Crow' yesterday.

[ThrillsNSpills]

I never found myself getting into pre-Lovedrive Scorpions. Maybe one of these days. I just got a new vinyl rip of 'Lonesome Crow' yesterday.

try Taken By Force !

[binnie]

Or, better yet, the 'Tokyo Tapes'.

[Mr Walker]

Or, better yet, the 'Tokyo Tapes'.

I had, or probably still have, the double lp. I bought that back in the day, probably after I bought 'Blackout'. Maybe since there was such a difference in styles between the two (the 70s hard rock of Roth-era v. the poppier sleaze rock of the 80s Jabs-era) it never grabbed me and never found myself going back to rediscover it. I've listened to VK, TBF and LC over the years, but if someone was forcing me to sing one of the songs off those albums at gunpoint... I'd be a dead man.

[binnie]

Dude, seriously, crank the 'Tokyo Tapes' - don't listen for what's NOT there, but for what is.

[binnie]

From the vaults: Hanoi Rocks - Self Destruction Blues (1982)

They say that chimps share 99% of their DNA with humans: but that 1% - 1 frickin' percent - makes all the difference. Nuances can be pivotal. And so it proved with Hanoi Rocks: there are a million blues-based, debauchery glorifying rock 'n' roll bands - but not one of 'em sounded like this. Truly great bands, it seems, transcend their DNA.

'Self Destruction Blues' - the Finn's third album - was really more of a compilation of EPs and B Sides. But you'd never know it: 'We're gonna make this a BIG ONE' yells Michael Monroe in his patented Jager-drawl as the record opens. 'Love's An Injection' sounds like the Stones if they'd taken amphetemines rather than heroin, a ramshackle rock 'n' roll accentuated with a brass section. This must have been what G'n'R were striving for on the flabby sections of the '...Illusions' records.

What we have here are a series of tunes penned by rock 'n' roll gypsies who, like the New York Dolls, always found beauty amidst the trash of life. 'Dead By Xmas' is the Boomtown Rats with balls; 'Nothing New' is timeless rock 'n' roll filtered through punk; and the ridiculously good 'Kill City Kills', with it's teasing guitar harmonies, dances its way effeminately into a savage urban - and urbane - blues. Even when the band stretches themselves unsuccesfully on the New Wave-y 'Cafe Avenue' - a dark, delicate tale of desperation - you can still feel it through the cracks.

Monroe wails, sneers and croon - a broken-down street-poet hellbent on touring the gutter; the guitars sizzle and bite; and its lavished with a production that creates so much space between the parts you could drive a truck through it.

[binnie]

The Union – Siren’s Song

Album number 2 from ex-Thunder guitar slinger Luke Morely and Winterville singer Pete Shoulder carries forward the raw sincerity of their 2010 debut. What strikes you most about these 11 songs is that The Union manage to possess so many styles – blues, folk, hard rock, roots – without cluttering their clear sense of self. Featuring a richer and thicker production than the debut album, the songs are beautifully crafted but with enough rough edges to feel human. The acoustic ‘Orion’ features one of the most beautiful melodies these ears have heard in a long while (think Nick Drake), whilst the piano-led ‘If I Could Make You Mine’ shows that this band have the talent to push beyond hard rock into classy singer-songwriter territory. ‘Black Rock’ and Burning Daylight’ are perfect hard rock songs – full of swagger, huge hooks and sumptuous choruses – whilst ‘Make Up Your Mind’ (imagine Bad Company going gospel) and ‘Cut The Line’ (cliché free blues rock) hit you where it hurts.

This really is accomplished stuff. Hard rock free of histrionics and unapologetically about the songs. Morely may have the bigger name, but it’s Shoulder’s voice that shines here – he is easily one of rock’s finest voices. Who knows what heights they can reach.

[Unchainme]

Thought I'd crash binnie's party a bit, I'm sure he won't mind.

Daft Punk-Discovery

I must admit, personally I was never too keen on the whole electronic scene at first. It seemed that from my perspective it was just a bunch of drum machines and some dude pressing buttons on a keyboard. This has recently changed as I've taken a liking to much of the music my younger bro. has introduced me to, and has truly shown me that some of the DJ's out there are some truly great artists and musicians out there.

When I had first Daft Punk it was back in 01 when snippets of the video for "One More Time" were shown on Nickelodeon. I had found the song quite catchy and never really thought much of the group. "Must be some bizarre Japanese pop act". Turns out, no, in fact they're two french dj's who actually started out in a rock group called Darlin' who covered Beach Boys tunes, and featured a guitarist who would later be in the group "Phoenix" (if you've watched NBC's coverage of Wimbeledon, you've no doubt heard their signature "1901". As it turns out, the group broke up, and two decided to give the whole House movement a try.

After great success from the electronic community following their first release "Homework", with tracks like "Da Funk", and "Around the World" being the trademark of the time, the group embarked on their 2nd album Discovey, one that would prove to be unique in that featured music videos cut up amongst a full length animated film directed by Leiji Matsumoto.

The album itself, is very incredible. During a time when the biggest thing going on in rock was the genre of nu metal, and rap was slowly entering a more darkened age, and bubble gum pop was in it's hey-day, this album is incredibly well done, and has aged very well. The album's lead track "One More Time" is a great pop song, that is damn catchy and likely won't leave your head once you hear it that day. "Aerodymanic" features a guitar solo that's incredible (a guitar solo in a dance song? fucking awesome), "Digital Love" harkens back almost to "Supertramp" sort of sound at times (especially during the bridge), Crescendolls, Face to Face, Too Long...fuck I love this album!

The movie to go along with it, while bizarre really ties the music in quite well, and makes it quite the visual treat for a music fans. I won't spoil it too much, but it's worth a watch in bits and pieces.

I think the true tragedy with this album was just the fact of when it was released in regards to where pop culture and music was in the US at the time. This was in the infant stages of the internet, and the point where MTV thought that playing videos was something they were no longer about, and if they were it was generally of really terrible approved pop acts featured in 30 second blurbs on TRL. If this was released 5 years earlier? No doubt you would have seen these videos every couple of hours on the channel.

But as it stands, this is a great album, and one of the few truly awesome things about the past decade. If you're a fan of older pure pop songs, and not afraid of a dance beat give this a shot.

[binnie]

Don't mind at all dude - the more the merrier.

Daft Punk rule. There are a few 'dance' bands worth checking out:

Morcheeba
Portishead
AIR

And then the scary shit:

Aphex Twin
The Prodigy

[binnie]

Dead Letter Circus – This Is The Warning

We normally imagine Aussie rock bands to be as sophisticated Fred Flinstone. Dead Letter Circus, however, take more cues from Jane’s Addiction than they do AC/DC – songs built around programming, multiple melodies, huge hooks, the result of a swirl sound of cinematic proportions. And it is as stunningly beautiful as a rock band can be. ‘Here We Divide’ is aeriel and airy rock, a surreal soundscape which switches from delicate devilish in an instant. Kim Benzie’s impassioned, haunting vocals possess the fragile power of a kiss on the forehead, and through his range the songs seem to grow in front of you, such is their raw power. ‘One Step’ is vulnerable, fragile, and all the more powerful for it, a wave of noise topped with a vicious guitar solo; whilst ‘The Cage’ is the sound of Tool channeling their inner Mars Volta.

This is heavy music, but it’s tempered by a range of reference points: A Perfect Circle, The Cult, The Cure, and the aforementioned Jane’s Addiction, all held together by Luke Williams’s remarkable drumming. What strikes you here is the sheer amount of music in each song - there are a myriad of time-changes (almost every 4 bars is different) – but the hooks are so strong the songs are never overwhelmed by the complexity. ‘The Drum’ sounds like Mastodon exploring their feminine side – an electronica lullaby which ultimately erupts into something monstrous.

A glorious, sonorous, collection of hauntingly delicate progressive rock: heavy but not abrasive, emotive but never sentimental. This is my new favourite band……

[binnie]

From the vaults: Fu Manchu - Godzilla's Eatin' Dust (1999)

More of the fatest slabs of ass-shakin', fuzz-box quakin' grooves on album number 5 from these SoCal stoners. This music is heavy. Heavy in a Sabbath way; a bowel-loosening, Stoogers funk out shitting riff after riff, and penning song after song about driving, making one of life's most mundane activities sound like the coolest thing EVER.

'Shift Kicker' belts stoner into punk, a lead geetar squalin' over a wall of riff. Converesly, 'Orbiter' has a Fun Lovin' Criminals meets Creedence kick-back vibe to it, easing you into the slacker vibe of rockin' for it's own sake. By the time the marraca shake of 'Mongoose' introduces one of THE stoner riffs, Fu Manchu owns you - and it's goooooood. This is music to loose brain cells too. Seriously, it's so simple that Fu Manchu are never in any danger of winning an Ivor Novello award - but sometimes beauty isn't about perfection, it's about feel. And when you're confronted with the weight of the groove behind 'Pigeon Toe' - with it's epic heaviness - you'll find yourself involuntarily grinning; when the bridge hits, you'll weeze 'Duuuuuuuuuuuuude'. Seriously.

It takes something to make a bonafide rock classic one of your signature tunes. But on their slowed-down to a rumble rendition of Blues Oyster Cult's 'Godzill'a that's exactly what the Fus did - its lives on as their set closer. This is one hell of a lot of fun: 'King of The Road' might contain the better tunes, and 'The Action Is Go' might be their epic, but nothing is more pleasurable than listening to this sonic workout.

[binnie]

From the vaults: Michael Schenker Group - Eponymous (1980)

'Are you high tonight, are you feeling right,
Cos I need you now, like I never did before,
Is it hard enough, is It loud enough
Cos if you don't approve,you can use the door......'

The opening to 'Armed & Ready' announces what Heavy Metal was all about in 1980: FUN. It was fight or fuck music - and Michael Schenker's debut was one of its best representatives, an adrenalin fueled, earth-shaking monster of a record. More metallic than his work with The Scorpions or UFO, for a brief moment in the early '80s Schenker - along with vocalist/writing partner Gary Bardon - proved he had the songwriting chops to match his former bands. That's no mean feat. The real shame is that, as with so many solo guitar players, he couldn't keep a stable line-up to capitalize on it.

But this was one hell of a shot at glory. Seriosuly, Schenker was penning solos that were both hummable and face melting - check out 'Cry For Nations'. Bardon's soulful croon is a perfect foil for Schenker's guitar pyromania, but neither sees the songs merely as showcases for their egos. What we have here a songs - great songs. The aforementioned 'Armed & Ready' - with its Priest-esque mucho-macho histrionics - harks back to a time when metal was really just pop with heavy guitars. It's all gloriously anthemic, but it's the nuances which really kill: the harmonies, the epic production, the pile-driving bridge - the God's are watching, and they command you to BANG THY HEAD! 'Victim of Illusion' is full of glorious hooks which make it sizzle and seduce; it's pop-leanings offset by 'Into The Arena', surely one of metal's most luscious and controlled instrumentals; whilst 'Feels Like A Good Thing' - with its monstrous riff, and sticky hook - is metal with bounce, metal you could shake yer ass to.

But this was more than just a cobbled together collection of great tunes. It's so well paced as an album. The ballad 'Tales of Mystery' offsets a tender vocal with a remarkable guitar melody faded into the background, and the whole affair culminates in the epic 'more Blackmore than Blackmore' 'Lost Horizons'. Listening to this record now, you can't help but wonder why it's not more fondly remembered in a way that contemporary discs by bands of the same scale like Saxon or Accept are. But its comes back to you from the ether like memories of a great one night stand - released in the same year as 'Ace of Spades', 'Heaven & Hell', and 'Blizzard of Ozz', Schenker's debut is capable of standing toe-to-toe with any of 'em.

Just a shame he pissed it all away......