June 20, 2005
THANKS FOR THE CD, PART I
OK, here's how this
works. Since making the transition from local, bright
shiny big gold-lame' fish in a small pond, to even
brighter & shinier big gold-lame' fish in a big pond,
I have been swamped, flooded... hell, deluged (Yeah!
I used "deluged"!)... with CD's from artists,
managers, publicists, and nervous record company execs
waiting for me to tell them what I think about some
band's disc before they go and invest thousands of
dollars into signing and/or promoting them.
It's an awesome
responsibility.
And... at times... a bit
of a burden. But it's a burden... no, a cross... that
I willingly bear for all of you, because how can I
expect any of you to take on a responsibility that I
wouldn't take on myself. How can I can expect this
work to be done, and be done right, if I'm not willing
to do it myself.
No thanks is necessary.
I am merely a humble messenger.
Having said all of
that... you can basically divide the big pile of CDs
I have on the floor next to me into two groups. The
aforementioned stuff that gets sent to me, and the
stuff I go out and buy.
Now, I've I had quite a
bit of luck with the stuff I've bought. It's stuff
that I've discovered on local radio, and took a chance
and went out and bought. Like I said, I've been
lucky. I've made some good purchases and will be
wiring about them in the future.
The other stuff, the
stuff that gets sent to me, is ultimately a mixed
bag. Sort of like "CD roulette". Some of it is
mediocre, some sucks, some has potential, and a few
really excite me and earn permanent places on CD
shelf. These next few reviews would fit under the
latter group.
And because these are
the CDs that I really love, and personally
feel responsible to let the rest of the world know
about, I'm going to do something a bit different and
be a bit more honest in my critiques. Trust me, I'm
gonna' gush about these next few discs, but I'm also
going to tell 'em what I think they need to do better,
or stop doing all together.
Why? Because if I'm
going to do my part to help make these folks future
platinum sellers and hotel room trashers, then I need
to be sure they're going to represent proper!
I think they can all
take the honesty. I think they deserve the honesty.
Believe me, the sidewalks outside the RIYL Tower here
in downtown Minneapolis are littered with the
shattered dreams and egos of wannabe's and neverwas'
who couldn't handle the reality of my truth, and our
CD players and Ipods are safer for it.
These bands needn't
concern themselves with said fate.
First up, some new
friends from Boston, Jake & Wendy, The Cyanide
Valentine, and their debut album Let It Rot.
(Yup', they're already friends. First, because
they've promised me a home cooked meal if I'm ever out
in Beantown. And second, if any of these bands ever
blow up huge... well, I need to properly position
myself to be a true hanger-on in order to bask in
their fame and glamour... as well as make a buck or
two.)
OK, we'll get the
unpleasant stuff out of the way first...
Admittedly, I've never
been particularly well versed in the electronica/dance
genre, but I know what I like when I hear it. So the
opening beats of "Natural Born Liar" hooked me
right away. We're talkin' major pulse. But then I
get hit over the head with lyrics like "...We need
your junk like we need a tumor but we'll take it in
the ass like good consumers... feed us the shit we
always eat..." I get that there's some commentary here
about how in mass market media that's concerned with
making things nice & digestible, we often
allow ourselves to accept a certain level of BS &
dishonesty.
Having said all of
that, it feels like obscenity for the sake of shock
value, and that kind of thing bugs me. It's also a
great way to make sure you don't get played on the
radio (and these guys should get played on the radio,
they have the instincts for it. I'd like to see them
follow those instincts a little more).
Then there's the use of
the word "whore". "Despicable Whore", great song (and
I'll get to that). "My Friend Icarus", another great
song (I'll also get to that one)), that also happens
to use the phrase "dirty whore". It starts to feel
overused, like a crutch. Don't swear just because
you've hit the lyrical wall!
The little voicemail
interludes, don't get those either. Right over my
head. Although I must agree with the second fellow,
if I had left a polaroid of myself with a naked Jenna
Jameson at a friend's house, I'd want it back right
away too. A keepsake if ever there was one.
So, to summarize...
first song, great beat, but the lyrics bug me. Second
song, solid beats, but I'm not hooked yet. "You Are
the Focus" goes by, "Freaks" just invokes "Another
Beats the Dust" for me.
But then along comes a
tune called "Let it Rot." Starts off basic enough, a
sort of pre-programmed Casio keyboard backing track
(not a slam, just what it reminds me of), but its Jake
Zavracky vocals that grab me. A sincerity and
vulnerability that wasn't there before. The song
becomes a confession, and admission of guilt, from
someone who can't hold up their end of a
relationship. With Zavracky's guitar playing invoking
a classic punk/rockabilly feel, it just adds to the
honesty.
But just as my head and
foot really start boppin' to the tune, it just ends
abruptly. Don't do that to me!
On "Number 4", Jake and
Wendy go all Zeppelin on us (think "Stairway.."). The
first major departure on the album, and proving they
don't need the machines (but then they go and repeat
the phrase "let me rot", which they just sang about in
the last song, and sho don't feel like a reprise!
ACK! Quit it. Sorry, I'm just to easily jarred by
it. Again, repetitive.)
And then we got our 3
punch combo to end the album...
"Despicable Whore"...
my previous criticism doesn't apply here. This song
works so well. Great beat, great melody, fun
lyrics, everything that just makes for a great pop
song. Even better, the song's about what we all wish
we could get away with; feel sorry for ourselves, get
pissed, and tell the whole world off. Some of us have
the guts to do it, a lot of us don't. A pure guilty
pleasure, especially when it indulges our more
selfish, not-so-acceptable impulses. Hacked off about
something or someone? Put it on.
... then another abrupt
ending to a tune I was digging. Stop it!
"The Icarus Song" is
just the opposite. Remember the video to REM's
"Everybody Hurts"? Michael Stipe tells all the really
sad people, "We love you. Don't give up. Just get
out of your cars and for a walk and everything will be
better.", causing a mass transit nightmare. Well, a
few hours later, along comes The Cyanide Valentine
(probably in helicopter, because traffic ain't going
no where), and they tell all sad people, "We love you,
but knock this crap off, get back in your frickin'
cars, and go get some real help." That's the "The
Icarus Song". We need more tough love ballads that
invoke classic mythological metaphors, especially when
the chorus has a cool Sgt. Pepper vibe going
on.
One reviewer called The
Cyanide Valentine "schizophrenic", and I guess "The
Icarus Song" would be an example of that, but I think
what it really shows is that Zavracky has a lot of
depth both to his writing and style.
Finally, we have
"Deeper".
Whoa... I mean...
whoa.
How best to describe
this song...
Get your favorite action
movie. Fast forward to the most intense fight scene.
Turn the sound off. Play this song, and watch the
scene.
That's "Deeper". I have
no idea what it's about, I just know it kicks your
ass. Its serious adrenaline, with one the best riffs
I've heard in along time (sounds kinda' like violin
stapled to a set of bagpipes, plugged into an amp with
all sorts of distortion). On top of that, there's
some instrument called a "Ringo Drum Loop" in the song
too. I don't have the first frickin' clue what that
is, but I know I want to hear more songs with that in
it. Maybe that's just the Sgt. Pepper vibe
carrying over...?
"Deeper" proves that
electronica can rock, and if there wasn't another song
on Let It Rot that I liked, "Deeper" would
still have made the whole damn thing worth while to
me.
One review stated that
The Cyanide Valentine invoke a "pre-pedophilia Michael
Jackson." To the reviewer, I say "Fuck That!" (Yes,
I know I was previously critical of the band's use of
profanity, but I'm more of a "do as I say, not as I
do" kind of reviewer). Pre and/or Post pedophilia,
these guys don't need that kind of associative
albatross hung around their necks. The last thing you
want people to think of when they grab your CD, is
Michael Jackson.
Jake and Wendy clearly
have taken great pains to preserve their K-tel record
collections. (Ahhh K-tel. Keep your damn NOW albums,
I'll take Blast Off, The Beat, or
Hot Tracks any day! We all wanted our Bow
Wow Wow, Flock of Seagulls, & Musical Youth, we just
didn't want their whole album. Thanks K-tel!) They
wear their 80's influences on their sleeves ... and
more bands should... but they owe more to 80's New
Wave and Punk, than they do to Michael Jackson.
You can pick up Let
it Rot through Cyanide Valentine's MySpace site,
CDBaby, primaryvoltage.com, and now you can get the
whole thing through iTunes ($9.99 for the whole thing,
or $0.99 a song).
Roll the dice, take a
chance. I think you'll like it. I know I do.
... now do I put it with
the T's for "The", or C's for "Cyanide"?
Peace Out Y'all!
