iPod Observer

Perverse

Sat, 12 Nov 2005 02:13:46 -0500

When you think of Jesus Jones, chances are you can't remember them at all, or you vaguely remember "Right Here, Right Now" because it has been used in a laxative commercial, or something of the sort.

After being decimated by the British press and forgotten quickly by American audiences, any subsequent releases would probably have been supressed, which is what happened with their third release, Perverse. Believe it or not, Perverse is something of an electronic masterpiece overlooked.

It is the complete opposite of their dancepop hit record Doubt; darker, seriously intense, and massively aggressive, Perverse was way too far ahead of its time for 1993. As a band coming off a small handful of hit singles, the record has none. The opener "Zeroes and Ones" begins with alienatingly shrill computer noise that segues into a set of great songs that are only for the daring.

The tone of the album is so dark and so personal that, legend has it, drove several fans to violence, one even going so far as to stalk the lead singer. While the album's production does not hold up twelve years later as being cutting edge, this one is classic, even if your friends do laugh at you.

Playing the Angel

Sat, 12 Nov 2005 01:59:32 -0500

Oddly enough, Playing The Angel is a return to form for Depeche Mode, even though it may well be argued that they never truly deviated from their roots in their more recent offerings. In their strongest and most well-rounded release since 1993's Songs of Faith and Devotion, the band makes dark sexy and dirty danceable all over again with a collection of infectious and hypnotic tunes.

Starting off as a sinister party record, Playing The Angel progressively turns emotionally sour, with lyrics becoming murkier amidst songs in minor keys. As with most Depeche Mode albums, this one is not without its superfluous artsy deviations, but they never draw the listener too far out of the vibe.

The success of Depeche Mode is largely attributable to their mixing cold electronic sounds with the unexpected warmth of those that are very organic. Playing The Angel underscores that idea.

Machine Gun Etiquette

Mon, 29 Aug 2005 02:15:33 -0400

Punk rock is mostly associated with three chords and a bad attitude, but the Damned were one of the few bands of the era bent on bringing musicianship and a good sense of humor to the scene. And while they never attained the legendary status of some of their contemporaries, the band is just as vital, influential, and probably even better than the rest. 1979's "Machine Gun Etiquette" is often regarded as the band's seminal record, brimming with energy and cynicism. The songs are catchy, entertaining, feature some great guitar work from lead guitarist, Captain Sensible, and spooky vocals from singer Dave Vanian. The album opener, "Love Song," begins with a spoken line from an elderly gentleman, "ladies and gentlemen, how do?" and fails to slow down until the end.

Abnormal Anonymous

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 01:07:34 -0400

Very few albums manage to capture snapshots of a quality of life in the manner that Congo Norvell's sophomore record, "Abnormals Anonymous," does.

Comparisons to the Velvet Underground are obvious, with a Lou Reed/Nico dynamic between principals Kid Congo Powers (ex-Bad Seeds and Cramps) and chanteuse Sally Norvell, and a vivid narrative depiction of a gritty, Victor Hugo-esque Alphabet City world of sex, drugs, and rock n roll. As a raw experience, the songs transition from roaring to wailing through extremely well-executed songwriting and production.

For anyone who has even the slightest inkling of enjoyment of the pre-punk hard scene or the newer, watered down stuff, Congo Norvell is the perfect place to stop and listen.

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Tue, 09 Aug 2005 15:59:17 -0400

U2's latest entry is a mostly underwhelming collection of songs that does very little to sound any different from its equally pedestrian predecessor, 2000's "All That You Can't Leave Behind." While certain tracks such as the bombastic "Love and Peace or Else" and the eerie, Lou Reed-eqsue "One Step Closer" are excellent, the album reeks of a band desperate to stay relevant.

Bono's voice and lyrics are stronger here than they have been in recent memory, but the rest of the band does very little to move beyond the easy way out, and punctuates many potentially great songs with gaping missed opportunities.

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is not a terrible album, as there is nothing rotten about it. U2 certainly still "know how to do it," but unfortunately, this record isn't going to blow anyone away.

Suspended Animation

Tue, 02 Aug 2005 02:46:16 -0400

Mike Patton may well be one of the hardest working men in showbiz these days, and his latest with Fant�mas underscores just about how far out he is willing to travel.

Suspended Animation is thirty tracks, each named for a day in April of 2005 in which the listener is repeatedly assaulted by an orgy of cartoon samples, metal, and electronic beats and beeps, where accessible music arrives for maybe only ten seconds at a time.

Far easier to parse than 2004's single 75-minute track Delirium Cordia, Suspended Animation is actually quite enjoyable if the listener is willing. It may be one of the most fun avant-garde records ever made, something Mike Patton has spent the better part of twenty years doing.

Never Let Me Down [ECD]

Tue, 02 Aug 2005 02:27:51 -0400

It must be a lonely place to be considered David Bowie's worst album by just about everyone, including the artist himself. As the last album before Bowie "rebooted" and formed the band Tin Machine, "Never Let Me Down" has its problems rather clearly laid out: the songwriting, while not Bowie's best, may be there but the album is virtually obliterated by miserable production. While nearly all of Bowie's other albums have a timeless quality, Never Let Me Down stinks of 1987 pretty foully. Synthesizer choices, far too much emphasis on the inclusion of Peter Frampton as lead guitarist, and gated echoes on just about everything make most of the songs - nearly the entire second half - difficult to listen to. Unfortunately, there are some good songs here, but their individual flair is sadly lost in a generic haze.

Zooropa

Tue, 02 Aug 2005 02:18:48 -0400

This record is perhaps U2's finest hour, yet it has been forgotten as a strange by-product of the ZooTV tour's overload, and is generally regarded by most fans as a poor effort. It is this sentiment that puts this album in league with Bowie's "Low" as heartfelt desire to experiment and break an audience's expectations that ultimately alienates the artist's core supporters. Eschewing the standard anthemic sound for which U2 is known for deep electronic textures and powerfully distant production, Zooropa begins with a series of noncommittal commentaries on the newly minted convergence of media in the early 90s. More surreal than the bizarre sounds coming from these songs, the second half of Zooropa is an exploration of personal anguish that smoothly transitions from sardonic to painfully devastating, and is capped off by an appearance by Johnny Cash singing the part of Christ as a drifter. Quite different from just about anything released by U2 before or since, Zooropa is a must-have for anyone in need of a serious sonic vacation and/or redemption.

With Teeth

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 14:07:04 -0400

In the sprawling post-A&R rock and roll world, there are two camps: the Beatles and the Stones. The Beatles are the artists that like to explore, evolve, and change styles. The Stones are the artists that subscribe to the philosophy that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," and stick to the same formula that got them into the spotlight in the first place.

This is not to say that either grouping carries a negative connotation, but it can be frustrating when certain artists fall into the latter category. Trent Reznor's latest offering as Nine Inch Nails, With Teeth is a sorry testament to just that.

Having grown in leaps and bounds between his first two full albums, Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward Spiral and bridging a gulf separating industrial rock, 80s new wave, and angst-driven punk for a wide audience, 1999's excessive double album "The Fragile" promised evolution, but delivered a boring retread of previous efforts.

With Teeth is essentially more of the same, only six years later, which is plenty of time to have purchased a new set of electronic instrument sounds and come up with some new ideas. Furthermore, it is a bit difficult to stomach adolescent moaning about sour romance from a man of Reznor's age and ritzy lifestyle, more so when he appears to take such joy in screaming four-letter words as if he were an unsupervised troublemaker of a child just given access to a bullhorn.

Despite these major caveats, the record does boast a couple catchy tracks and solid production (especially on the 5.1 mix available on the DualDisc release); the final few tracks manage to hint at a subdued style uncharacteristic for Nine Inch Nails that would have been interesting had the rest of the album not been a chore to listen to.

Another Day on Earth

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 02:21:00 -0400

In his first proper solo release since 1996's relatively cold "The Drop," Brian Eno has constructed a whimsical and ecclectic masterpiece which is arguably one of the year's strongest records thus far. "Another Day on Earth" hits the ground running with the rhythmic "This," a majestic pop piece that is the album's most accessible track. While the majority of the record's more ambient pieces may take a few listens to be truly appreciated, the real highlight is "How Many Worlds," a sobering epic of a song made complete by Nell Catchpole's sublime string arrangement. Lyrically, "Another Day on Earth" is all one would expect from Eno; a fine mix of an amusing and academic mangling of the English language and emotionally distant potency. Taken metaphorically, the lyrics to the title track, "Just Another Day," - One day we will put it all behind / We'll say that was just another time / We'll say that was just another day on Earth" - are therapeutic reminders of how small we are in the face of history.