When a band you love starts to wear out their welcome, it's a sad thing. Take Weezer, who've released an album that's raking in more pity than positivity. As disheartening as it is, sometimes your favourite bands... well, for lack of better terms, go bad. And, it almost happened to Sloan.
When A-Sides Win, their 2005 best-of was released, it couldn't have come at a better time. Sloan hadn't released a great effort in seven years, with three passable-to-mediocre albums in a row (Between the Bridges, Pretty Together and Action Pact) threatening to thrust them headlong into the dump bins of our hearts. Sure, those albums weren't outright bad, but they just lacked something. Soul, drive, determination. Maybe they knew it, maybe they didn't, but on record the band didn't really seem fully into it anymore. It happens to the best of us.
That best-of seemed to reignite their creativity, resulting in the staggering 30-song set Never Hear the End of It in 2006. It wasn't a bad album at all; to be fair, some of their finer moments are on that album. The problem was, there was such a reckless abandon to the disc's musical direction that it was difficult to find any semblance of flow. After a while, it just became a disjointed, massive orgy of sound that made the experience kind of the audio equivalent of trying to have a conversation with someone across a crowded bar.
Thankfully, they've toned that aspect down on Parallel Play. It's still diverse, but it's stripped down to 13 tracks, making for a more concisely constructed listening experience. The band is still very much versed by classic rock, but it seems as though they've abandoned the practice of previous albums' decade-specific sound (i.e., One Chord to Another was the 60's, Navy Blues the 70's). It's a rich pallet of songs this time around, encompassing all the tasty riffs and soaring hooks of rock's history. Highlights include lead single "Believe in Me", which carries a T. Rex swagger and those awesome Sloan harmonies. "Emergency 911" is a meaty, punk-inspired head-bobber. "Burn for It" is a surprising throwback to early-90's fuzz rock. Then, there's "Living the Dream", an astonishingly catchy acoustic number. "The Other Side" is arena-sized and psychadelic simultaneously. And, if that wasn't enough, Bob Dylan's evoked in "Down in the Basement". At all points in between, there are lots of fun detours through other styles and time periods. However, as far-reaching musically as it is, the old Sloan trademarks are fully intact, especially their impeccable sense of harmony. They're still equal members as a band, too; all four members get at least three songs here (helping influence the album's title), and all four members knock one or two of them out of the park.
It might not have the bombast of Navy Blues, the raw power of Twice Removed or the master songcraft of One Chord to Another, but it's consistence is astounding considering how wildly inconsistent the sound is. Suffice to say, if you're a fan of this band who's been yearning for them to get their shit together, stop meandering and rediscover their passion for music, Parallel Play is a colossal success.
You can stream Parallel Play in its entirety here. Or, check my little friend for a brief career overview.
Seeqpod is Awesome... and Probably Illegal in Some Way Apologies if I'm late to this party, but Seeqpod is an application that... well, basically, it allows you to whore a bunch of songs from the internet, put 'em in a playlist, and do pretty much anything you want with it. Like oh, I don't know, embed it in your blog.
I'll be honest; there isn't anything remotely interesting out this week. The biggest CD release of the week is Usher, and there's no way I'm willing to spend more than this sentence talking about that. Cyndi Lauper has a new one, and I'll listen to that right after I forgive Oasis, Creed and Nickelback for their contributions to music. It's pretty much a sad sight across the board; at least, there isn't anything I'd even consider as an "album of the week". So... why bother posting at all? I dunno, just seemed like something to do, so I'm doing it. But, while we're on a roll, how about a look into the future, where there are actual half-interesting albums being released.
Coming Up for June 3:
WEEZER: The Red Album Song: Pork and Beans
We've already discussed this, so I'm not wasting any more energy on it. I must admit, however, that this is a pretty neat video. How many horribly overexposed YouTube stars can you spot?
OPETH: Watershed Song: Porcelain Heart
This is a very mellow song by Opeth standards, but their trademark melodic prog-metal is still awe inspiring. Some may call it pretentious. It is. But, it's also ridiculously good.
DISTURBED: Indestructible Song: Inside the Fire
To be honest, I stopped caring about this band on album #2, where ProTools might as well have written the fucking songs. I will admit, however, that "Inside the Fire" is a good song, even if they'll never pull it off live.
There's more, but I got shit to do. Maybe later this week we'll take another peek forward.
May 21, 2008
Album of the Week
Foxboro Hot Tubs: Stop Drop and Roll!!!
It's one of the worst kept secrets in rock history, this band is. But, if you really and truly don't know, Foxboro Hot Tubs are Green Day. Can we just get that out of the way and move on to the music, people?
"Stop Drop and Roll!!!" comes as an expanded version of the 6-track EP given away on the net last December. These tracks serve as "Side A" of this album, except here the obscure sound bites are absent (they were rather annoying before every track, but I kind of miss the count in followed by "You're doing it fucking wrong!" at the beginning of "Highway 1").
Now, another of rock's worst kept secrets has, for quite some time, been Green Day's love of sixties rock music. One of their first recordings was a cover of The Who's "My Generation". They later gave a faithful rendition of the Kinks' "Tired of Waiting for You". It shouldn't come as a shock, then, that these two bands are paid highest respects on this, a sixties inspired effort all around (right down to the barebones vinyl-themed packaging). The Kinks are more prominently featured in the sound, especially in "Alligator", the virtual sequel to "You Really Got Me". "Red Tide" bears close resemblance to "Tired of Waiting for You". The Who's moment comes in "27th Avenue Shuffle", first cousin (if not twin brother) to "My Generation".
This could have become a problem on the record, as most of the 12 songs bring to mind another song from rock's storied history. But I, for one, let it slide for two reasons.
Firstly, the record's finest moments sound more like Green Day than any other band. And it's not just Billie Joe's voice that gives them away; it might feature psychadelic keyboards, but just try to listen to "Ruby Vroom" without "Hitchin' a Ride" coming to mind. Then again, that song reminds me of "Stray Cat Strut", so I guess it all reaches backwards.
Which brings me to the second point. Yes, this album might play like a classic rock mixtape, but it's not like this is the true follow up to "American Idiot"; let's not take it so seriously. Face it; Green Day are under enormous pressure to follow up that album. That they took some time out to record these songs speaks to an urgent need to blow off some steam and just rock out. Truthfully, they should be applauded for dusting off their record collections and stepping away from the soapbox for a minute.
Not to say that it's all sunshine and lollipops. The lyrical content on "Stop Drop and Roll!!!", for the most part, counteracts the shimmery grooves and jangly rhythms. There's an ample dosage of live fast / die young litanies, while other common lyrical threads are escape, loss of control and hopelessness. It's a record that oozes as much frustration as it does fun. But, that's always been Green Day's main strength; the ability to make you feel good with the music, even as Billie Joe tells you that he's miserable. And, a good chunk of the album finds him miserable. About precisely what, we can only hazard to guess, but Green Day's proper follow up to "American Idiot" has been penciled in for the fall and, with it, one can't help but think that a lot of eyes and ears at Warner Music Group are intensely focused in Green Day's direction, hoping for another smash record that could potentially save the music industry (a little far fetched... but just a little).
Can they really be blamed for sidestepping the crushing weight of expectation and having a little fun? At the end of the day, isn't that what music is supposed to be all about? Isn't it possible that, by looking to the past and digging through its treasures, Green Day has shown us all why we fell in love with music in the first place? Call me an overexcited, blithering fanboy if you will, but "Stop Drop and Roll!!!" just might be a more powerful statement from this band than even "American Idiot". At the very least, it's a hell of a lot more fun to listen to.
"Stop Drop and Roll!!!" is out (and reasonably priced) now.
May 19, 2008
The New Weezer Album (Probably) Sucks Balls, and They (Definitely) Know It Business first; after a few measly weeks, I've already decided to kill my chart again. Two reasons, actually...
1. I thought to myself, "what does a chart represent in the grand scheme of things but popularity?" Upon further reflection, I determined that a chart is kind of an odd way to recommend music these days. After all, it doesn't really promote you to check anything out as much as it screams out, "I like the new Sam Roberts single more than I like the new Weezer single, so you should like it too!" Of course, this is a bad example, since everyone knows how horrendous the new Weezer single is, but you get my point ;)
2. Nobody looks at the damn thing anyway. When I make a post, I'm guessing most of you read it through my Facebook feed anyway, without bothering to actually visit the blog. I know this because I posted a poll a couple of weeks back that pretty much said, "I'll do a podcast if you want me to", and no one's gone for that option as of this writing. So, with that in mind, fancy stuff on my sidebar is essentially useless, because no one's there to see it.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not bitter or anything; I'd also be inclined to just snag the article from Facebook rather than go through links and new tabs and shit. I'm just saying, I thought it would be a cool thing to do, then had a change of heart on it, and didn't see any indication it was worth the effort anyway. So it's gone.
Onto the article. Feel free to comment, correct or threaten at will. The interweb was all aflutter a month or so back, when it was announced that the new Weezer album would be, like the Blue Album and Green Album before it, self titled (aka the Red Album). Visions of "The Sweater Song", or even "Island in the Sun" started floating above our heads; with the exception of "Pinkerton", the only Weezer records that have been truly great were the self titled records. It had seemed the mighty Weez were on a slippery slope, after the metallic, clumsy "Maladroit" and the self-help infused, synth pop inspired mess of "Make Believe". But, lo and behold, we were being graced with a self titled Weezer record; surely, they'd regained their senses and were set to unleash the beast.
Well, the single "Pork and Beans" popped that balloon in a hurry. It's the kind of quirky/sludgy rocker Rivers Cuomo could write (and sounds as though he sung) in his sleep. Nevertheless, rock radio was all over it, since it was a new Weezer single. Now, Interscope had originally delayed the release of the record a week from its intended date of June 17. Then, last week, it was announced that the record would actually be out on June 3, a full three weeks before what was given as an official release date. As an excuse for the move, they cited "popular demand and the intense reaction to the Pork and Beans single". Now, I know that the popular demand part comes from Weezer's dedicated fan base, who are on the brink of orgasm this close to release date. What's unclear is the "intense reaction" to the single; are they referring to the spins at rock radio, or the hundreds of not-so-glowing reviews on blogs the web over?
More tracks have surfaced in the last week; "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" is a 6 minute boast rap/prog rock/epic singalong combo that's easily the strangest thing Weezer have ever recorded. It hearkens back to the Who's "A Quick One While He's Away" in that it sounds like nine songs in one. That was awesome when the Who did it; I accepted it when Green Day did it. Whether or not Weezer deserves props for it is more of a head scratcher; it's oddly charming, but more keeled toward "odd" than "charming".
Then, there's "Heart Songs". I don't even want to talk about it; it's just sad. Not in the "affects you emotionally" way, but rather the "Rivers, who did what to you to deserve a song this fucking awful" way.
All could be forgiven by "Troublemaker", a rollicking headbobber that's all but guaranteed to be the second single (and probably should have been the first). It's tight, it's catchy, it's classic Weezer, despite and/or because of the trite lyrics. "Everybody Get Dangerous" is rocking too, but with more of a nighttime, "Maladroit" vibe. It's passable, but it's no "Don't Let Go".
And those five songs constitute the first half of the album. So, unless the latter half is a rare beast of the B-side trumping the A-side (see "Back in Black"), the Red Album is shaping up to be somewhat of a dud. Which, as lukewarm reactions pour in, tracks continue to leak and (most importantly) word gets around, pleads a pretty good case for rush release. Because if you give the internet a month to kill something, you better believe it's gonna die a horrible, horrible death.
Three years ago, I had called "Make Believe" Weezer's make or break record. Now, a couple of weeks away from what is likely going to be the band's third lackluster album in a row, I think I can safely say that they're broken. Despite owning all five Weezer records and the Rivers Cuomo demo disc, it looks like I'm finally done with the Weez.
Of course, it's not the first time a band has strung together disappointments; we lose bands to this kind of thing all the time. It just stings a little more with Weezer. If you think back to this time ten years ago, this band had been written off by fans and critics alike after the moody, slow sales performer "Pinkerton" which, in hindsight, is probably their best album. They were forgiven with the Green Album, which is extremely rare in the music biz. Forgiveness from anyone but the hardcore fans after this will be a miracle.
Sloan: Parallel Play
