The past month or so, has been pretty vacuous, music-wise. We'll say that I haven't really done a very good job keeping up with the tunes, but essentially, I've been listening to a lot of Mariah Carey.
Aside from that, I've been lucky enough to keep up with some current discs and behold, I have thoughts on them!
Smashing Pumpkins - "Zeitgeist"
Billy corgan returns with the original moniker prior his solo attempts. Essentially Zwan with a new guitarist and bassist, this new incarnations of the Pumpkins is lacking Melissa Auf de Maur and James Iha, which probably would never happen in the first place. These Pumpkins do howl and snarl heavily, escaping from the ethereal vapors that Mr. Corgan favored with Zwan and churn out some pumping, angry tracks. Essentially displaying their guitar-flavored melodies, the lyrics do tend towards the grand and dramatic, which isn't unexpected, but never get lost in the obligatory hook. I'm impressed, but am hard pressed to find a single song that's memorable aside from the radio single, "Tarantula."
The White Stripes - "Icky Thump"
Blues rock turned up to 11, the White Stripes combine again for a thunderous album combining fewer eclectic elements than "Get Behind Me Satan." Jack White, post-Raconteurs exodus has no doubt re-energized his musicality, as the melodies arrive in bundles. The title track crackles with a progressive flavor favored by the late 90's garage bands, but the synthesized guitar solo pushes it into territory unknown to all pretenders. One always gets the sense that Mr. White makes up lyrics as he goes along, but the improvisational nature keeps the reality in place as diverse tracks including, "Conquest," "Little Cream Soda," and "Rag and Bone" deliver bales of promises over the fence. Meg White's rote drumming seems less routine, but still plays a decent skin on the record.
Air - "Pocket Symphony"
The French duo best known for their ambient soundtrack composition on "The Virgin Suicides" slumps into place with a disc I have the misfortune of labeling as "lounge music." I'd have to say the peak of "Moon Safari" isn't present on their latest, and while it is decent to listen to for long stretches, it meanders about into resultant nap-inducing beats. It would be perfect for music at the latest hipster coffee bar or even while touring an indoor Japanese Garden, it just doesn't seethe with the provocative energy I've heard on their other releases. Even so, I look for them to redeem themselves on the next effort.
Interpol - "Our Love to Admire"
Some may say that if it weren't for the Joy Division, we would have no modern rock. Taking this literally, there are many bands in the vein of Ian Curtis and company, but Interpol still delivers the best re-interpretation and re-discovering of the post-punk melodrama. She Wants Revenge dabbles in gothic lyrics, the Editors have mired themselves in electronic effects, yet Interpol chugs along with amusing lyrics and a drive to grow. Their third major album contains the familiar single, "The Heinrich Maneuver" as an appetizer reminiscent of "Slow Hands," but with each track, you find the group developing something more complex. While some dismiss the glaring guitar rhythms as repetitive, I continue to find something compelling about the narrow stare of their music. There's something to be said of the strange wink of the eye in "No I in Threesome" that exudes an uncomfortable sheen across each track.
Billy corgan returns with the original moniker prior his solo attempts. Essentially Zwan with a new guitarist and bassist, this new incarnations of the Pumpkins is lacking Melissa Auf de Maur and James Iha, which probably would never happen in the first place. These Pumpkins do howl and snarl heavily, escaping from the ethereal vapors that Mr. Corgan favored with Zwan and churn out some pumping, angry tracks. Essentially displaying their guitar-flavored melodies, the lyrics do tend towards the grand and dramatic, which isn't unexpected, but never get lost in the obligatory hook. I'm impressed, but am hard pressed to find a single song that's memorable aside from the radio single, "Tarantula."
The White Stripes - "Icky Thump"
Blues rock turned up to 11, the White Stripes combine again for a thunderous album combining fewer eclectic elements than "Get Behind Me Satan." Jack White, post-Raconteurs exodus has no doubt re-energized his musicality, as the melodies arrive in bundles. The title track crackles with a progressive flavor favored by the late 90's garage bands, but the synthesized guitar solo pushes it into territory unknown to all pretenders. One always gets the sense that Mr. White makes up lyrics as he goes along, but the improvisational nature keeps the reality in place as diverse tracks including, "Conquest," "Little Cream Soda," and "Rag and Bone" deliver bales of promises over the fence. Meg White's rote drumming seems less routine, but still plays a decent skin on the record.
Air - "Pocket Symphony"
The French duo best known for their ambient soundtrack composition on "The Virgin Suicides" slumps into place with a disc I have the misfortune of labeling as "lounge music." I'd have to say the peak of "Moon Safari" isn't present on their latest, and while it is decent to listen to for long stretches, it meanders about into resultant nap-inducing beats. It would be perfect for music at the latest hipster coffee bar or even while touring an indoor Japanese Garden, it just doesn't seethe with the provocative energy I've heard on their other releases. Even so, I look for them to redeem themselves on the next effort.
Interpol - "Our Love to Admire"
Some may say that if it weren't for the Joy Division, we would have no modern rock. Taking this literally, there are many bands in the vein of Ian Curtis and company, but Interpol still delivers the best re-interpretation and re-discovering of the post-punk melodrama. She Wants Revenge dabbles in gothic lyrics, the Editors have mired themselves in electronic effects, yet Interpol chugs along with amusing lyrics and a drive to grow. Their third major album contains the familiar single, "The Heinrich Maneuver" as an appetizer reminiscent of "Slow Hands," but with each track, you find the group developing something more complex. While some dismiss the glaring guitar rhythms as repetitive, I continue to find something compelling about the narrow stare of their music. There's something to be said of the strange wink of the eye in "No I in Threesome" that exudes an uncomfortable sheen across each track.
Upcoming: A compendium of older releases, the like of which I have not had a chance to listen to...
1 comment:
BTW, the reference to the previous Smashing Pumpkins musicians should be D'arcy, and not Melissa Auf de Maur.
Excuse me for blatantly mis-remembering details.
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