Desicritics Category: Media: Music - Rock

Music Review: Thieves - British India

Aaman Lamba — Sat, 6 Sep 2008 02:49:53 EDT

After their impressive debut album, Guillotine, the evocatively-named Australian punk rock band British India returns with Thieves.

The album begins with some classic strumming on "God is Dead, Meet the Kids" and 'woo-hoo' hums that would not be out of place in a more jejune band's repertoire. As the song proceeds, it gets better (and harder), creating an atmosphere of post-Modernist ruin and neglect, 'neon lights' and 'unspoken truths'

The hard and distortion-heavy "This Dance is Loaded' layers self-centredness ("it's so rare that we need somebody else") with teenage angst about "fucked up dances". This is one song that makes you stand up and shout, tap a beat, and wiggle your ears.

"I Said I'm Sorry" is the first single from the album, a more radio-friendly song and with a traditional rock beat. Everything from the drums to the bass track to the steady vocals indicate a band maturing to its true potential. This is the kind of song that lingers and hopefully makes a lasting impression on the band's future ouevre.

"Put it Right Down" doesn't leave much of a mark, at least for me, being rather generic in structure, yet quite in keeping with the album's tenor. The song attempts to redeem itself in the final third, not to much avail.

"Funeral For A Trend" redeems the band, being a Beatles-esque ballad, the lyrics murmuring about an 'avalanche of golden teeth' and how the singer's 'chest is caving in'. The guitar work and slow-paced drum beat provide counterpoint to the menacing theme of the song. The song evokes the loss of a
great relationship ("Long time no see, where have you been/Before I get to say it you get taken away/You never go but you never stay")

"Airport Tags" is a hopeful ditty about growing up and losing what mattered once, and doesn't any more, about believing that things could revert to a halcyon state and the wishful thinking that "tonight everything's going to change'. The hope ("Airport tags, she was gone now she's coming back/I was worried but it's not that bad/Nothing much has changed") is belied by the reality ("So hang yourself in the bedroom at your parents' house/Watch as all your best friends gather round/And you might feel loved/Tonight everything's going to change")

"You Will Die And I Will Take Over" gives us the anti-establishment line that is de rigeur in punk. The twist is the apparent realization that the next generation is still more of the same ("A clever clone out on his own"), the systems that make us are the ones that keep us ("When your dad had his heart attack we watched it all on videotape/His shirt was ironed, his teeth were white/He clutched his chest like a commercial break").

"Mona Lisa Overdrive", also the title of the final volume of William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy, is a dark song about a crime committed in the heat of passion. The protagonist has been fed some laced drinks ('My mouth is filling with glass/My blood is laced with caffeine"), and he will be 'dead in an hour'. That is more likely an illusion of the archetypal breakup, the final drink, while 'a taxi is coming now'. He has the realization that "I've been through this before, i hoped I never would again/As girls shine like magazines
Avoid us falling like masonry/I had to ask myself, what are you thinking". The music is appropriately enough bass-heavy and the rhythm guitar sneaks in at the end with a few choice chords that wrap up one of the best songs on the album.

"Nic the Poet" deals with the general know-it-all awareness every generation has that its fucked up and powerless to do anything about it. "Twenty thousand kids all on their mobile phones" refuse to accept that "This party is finished, give us xanax and fifteen minutes". The poet's call to "change the station this bottled water generation" will be ignored, after all they're just "four white boys getting high tonight".

The final song "The golden years" is a gentle ballad, giving prominence to Declan Melia's vocals, a memory of growing up and growing away, of wanting to get back to the temps perdu. The mature realization is that "These golden years that we are drowning in, we'll spend our whole lives trying to get to one place we don't want to be.

This is an album, then, of growing up, of coming of age, and by poets of yet another lost generation.

Book Review : Cherry Bomb

Kim — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:00:46 EDT

The entire title Reads - Cherry Bomb : The Ultimate Guide to becoming a Better Flirt, a Tougher Chick and a Hotter Girlfriend, And to Living Life like a Rockstar

I don't read "how-to" books, but the title for this one by Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna had me intrigued and itching to get my hands on it, to read more.

Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna has been a music and entertainment journalist since the last 20 years and is best known for her books on Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, her sex and relationship advice column “Dr. Love” for the Gene Simmons Tongue magazine and her music related articles in People, Billboard, Spin, RollingStone.com and Alternative Press magazines.

The title "Cherry Bomb" comes from the song by Joan Jett of The Runaways. Carrie says "Joan Jett's attitude, style and music has always inspired me so I'm happy to reference the Runaways song (in the title) even if some younger people won't know what it means right away. That's ok because cherries are sweet and bombs are badass and the book is all about being a sweet badass! To me, those two words, sum up the book nicely and it's a killer song to boot!"

Cherry Bomb is an alphabetized reference from Absinthe (the new Drink of Choice for the Rock and roll set) to Zig Zags (The Cool Way to Roll a Joint) with Celebrity Pick-up tips, Fetishes, Infidelity Pacts, Orgasms, Piercings, Strip Tease and Tour Bus Etiquette in between .

The tips and techniques are invaluable to a rock chick. There are tips and detailed instructions on how to tie a cherry stem into a knot (using just your mouth- no hands), how to get backstage without being a whore, using bottle service to buy VIP status at the hottest nightclubs, how to perform a striptease (by Burlesque star - Ditta Von Teese) The tips are practical and easily doable, no matter who you are or what kind of budget you are on.

Being in the music industry as a writer and as a wife to a Grammy winning Rockstar - Chris Vrenna who plays keyboards with Marilyn Manson and drums with Gnarls Barkley- Carrie is more than qualified to write this guide. Most of the tips come from her own real life experiences. For the few areas that she did not have first hand experience with when she started writing, she enlisted the help of her celebrity friends including
Cherie Currie of THE RUNAWAYS (on "Cherry Bomb," the song that influenced the book)
Tori Amos (Life Advice)
Betsey Johnson (Breast Cancer Awareness and Personal Style)
Anna Sui (Fashion Inspiration)
Dancing with the Stars' Cheryl Burke (Dancing Tips)
Celeb hairstylist Dean Banowetz (Rockin' Up 'Dos)
Master Chef Dave Rubell (Black Vodka Recipes)
and Stylist Cynthia Freund (Rock Chick Style Tips) among others.

My favorite guest how-to chapter is the one by Peaches' drummer Samantha Maloney on how to play the Drums. It re-ignited an old flame and I just might be inspired enough to go out and get myself into classes and buy myself a drum set. My favorite chapters by Carrie are Jet Setting, Jobs, Money and Networking.

I always thought I had a more than fair knowledge about rock music and rock stars, but on reading Carrie's book, I know I have a lot more to learn and a lot more musicians that I need to listen to at least once. Her list of songs at the end of some chapters seems to be a good place to start. The lists are mood based - songs to Vacuum fast To (the Anger Stage), songs to Eat a Pint of Ice Cream to (the Depression Stage), Funk Fixers etc.

For the Relationship kinda quiz addicts, there are a couple of quizzes as well, to check if you are rockstar girlfriend material and which rock chick you are most like.

The illustrations by Liz Adams are apt and cute (not a word you would associate with rock, but thats truly what they are.)

There is something for everyone in this book. Men can find a lot of the chapters interesting and relevant too. The title hooked my husband and he browsed through the book and loved what he read.

You don't need to be in the rock industry or dating a rock star to use these tips. These tips are great for any independent, confident woman who is comfortable with herself and who she is. From a gangly pre-teen to a grandmother in her 60's, any woman with self assurance can find something of value in this guide and for someone who lacks self assurance, Cherry Bomb is a great place to start.

This book is due for release on the 5th of August 2008 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon. For anyone who has ever been interested in the lives of Rock Stars and been envious of their lifestyle, this book is a definite must-buy as it shows you step by simple step how to lead their life with panache and confidence. Cherry Bomb delivers on all its promises and does impart relevant and easy to follow tips on how to become a better flirt, tougher chick and hotter girlfriend.

Music Review: Accelerate - R.E.M.

Aaman Lamba — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:39:29 EDT

In a near-perfectly timed statement, R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe came out as 'queer' in an interview with Spin magazine, although this had been common knowledge for many years, and also released a video at PEOPLE magazine, where he acknowledged his fellow band members as being 'straight' and promised to support them in this difficult time.

This sets the stage, as it were, for their richly complex new album, the first in four years. While Around The Sun had a layered, keyboard-focused sound, Accelerate goes for a strong guitar-based effect. Some of the fixation with chronicling people and places is retained, part of the wanderlust that has defined R.E.M. from their beginnings as a Southern alt-rock band in Athens, Georgia.

For those who reveled in Around The Sun, this brief set (34 minutes) will take some getting used to. There is much intensity in the album, though, appropriately suited for our age of turbulence. From the first notes in 'Living Well is The Best Revenge', we are thrust into the passion and anger. The song mocks 'sad and lost apostles', refuses to "sit and spin, 'cause living well is the best revenge", and most aggressively, demands 'don't turn your talking points on me/history will set me free'. The guitar sets its own insistent refrain, the chords falling on each other in a memory of wall-of-sound effects from that late great period of protest, the '70s.

"Man-Sized Wreath" expresses surprise that we not yet 'ready to proceed', and demands 'everybody look around/they just don't care.' The guitars here play second fiddle, as it were, especially in the final extended wail of anguish at our world and it's 'pageantry of intent jesters.'

The by-now richly played "Supernatural Superserious" is a critique of the current teenage generation, a world that R.E.M. might have grown up from, but has not by any reckoning left behind. They recognize the "Humiliation/of your teenage nation/No one cares/If your fantasies are/Dressed up in travesties/Enjoy yourself with no regrets." This is classic Stipe, the metaphors layered on each other, which memories of summer camps, how 'you cried and you cried.'

"Hollow Man" slows the paces down to begin with, talking of how he's been 'lost inside my head' and later acknowledging how he's 'become the hollow man I see.' This is reminiscent of auteurs like Michael Mann's recording of the death of masculinity, of the inability of individuals to stand against the superstates that make up the modern system. The song has a final tragic confession that, "I'm overwhelmed/I'm on repeat/I'm emptied out/I'm incomplete/You trusted me /I want to show you/I don't want to be the hollow man."

"Houston" looks at another recent failure of the new, accelerating, world order, from the very first images, "If the storm doesn't kill me/the Government will" to "Houston is in the spell of commerce". The music adds to the discordant mood, with gentle pluckings blended with distortion-rich chords.The disagreement with the current mood is clear, "belief has not filled me, and so I am put to the test."

The title track,"Accelerate" continues the protest notes, "I don't know what I need/I needed time/I need to escape." The realization is that there is no 'rip chord', 'trapdoor', no 'key', no "time to question the choices I make/I've got to find another direction". Guitar-sawing is used once again to reinforce the feeling of things having gone wrong.

"Until The Day Is Done" sets the refrain to mournful organ notes, amidst observations that "the verdict is dire/the country's in ruins." This is as much a critique of the media, the chroniclers of our time, as it is of the time itself. "We've written our stories to entertain/these notions of glory in bull market games/the tele-prompter flutters/the power surge screams." The orchestration is light on this song, to give preeminence to the pungent lyrics. Given the relative brevity of most of the songs, this one seems over-long, all the better to drive the stake in.

"Mr Richards" has a steady bass tone, over which certain 'decisions' are 'forgiven for a narrow lack of vision.' The political criticism at the heart of this song might be of our muteness in the face of a steadily mounting pace of subtle decisions and changes that have disconnected the self from the whole, a not-uncommon meme in post-modern art.

This is reinforced by the next song, "Sing For The Submarine", one intended to connect the dots, as it were. From references to earlier R.E.M. Anthems (Electron Blue", "gravity's pull", etc.) to the great ones like the Beatles, and somewhat more cryptic connections ("Give in To the machine"), this track is the secret at the heart of the cryptology that is "Accelerate". Deconstructing the codes is not needed, though - as Stipe says "I knew that you could not believe me/.../The World as we know it.../we'll pick it all up and start again." This, then, is a message of hope, a recognition of the supernatural superserious efforts that will be needed to right the wrongs, to set it right.

The easy notes give way once again to the rough and tackle of "Horse to Water", a refusal to give in easily, stating badly, "I'm not that easy/I'm not your horse to water" and that "you're only as big as your battles." The fretwork is as demanding as the vocals, and we discern Mills providing the chorus to counterpoint Stipe's incendiary wail.

The final "I'm Gonna DJ" hearkens back to classics like "Its the End of the World (And I Feel Fine)". The drums and guitars set the stage for a final rockin' Armageddon. "Death is pretty final/I’m collecting vinyl/I’m gonna DJ at the end of the world!/.../I don't wanna go until I'm good and ...ready." Appropriately enough, metal will be the final notes of the world,

The album is accompanied by an audiovisual experience, ranging from a mix-your-own array of video clips that then are available on a YouTube channel, to music videos for all the tracks, and Ninety nights of Hi-def video clips directed by Vincent Moon, as well as others on the delux versions of the disc.

The media brouhaha might seem a bit odd, given a disc that critiques easy commentary and lack of change-making action, yet it is appropriate, given the back-to-roots R.E.M., and the critically important content being purveyed. The album launches worldwide soon, and a world tour is already under way.

Music Review: Rejoice - The Sound of Urchin

Aaman Lamba — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:05:56 EDT

Sound of Urchin is a New York based band that has garnered much attention on the tour circuit, after the well-received Diamond (2005). The band members - Tomato (lead vocals, drums), Doo Doo Brown (bass), Rev. B-Ill (guitar) and Seahag (guitar) - have an enthusiastic approach to blending various musical styles, sounding sometimes like the Foo Fighters, other tracks set to a late 80s vibe, and an overall bonhomie that helps set the mood, particularly in live sets.

Their latest as-yet-unreleased album is Rejoice, quite appropriately touted as 'the Return of the Rock Album', which premiered at SXSW this year. The rhythms and vocals are well-produced, along with consistently good lyrics. It feels at times like a gospel-rock set, but there's more here than just that.

"Jesse Tenser" begins with an extended riff on the guitars, before launching into a rant on the impact of fame on the self (you'll remember everything you haven't done/was it that bad or sometimes fun?Did you ever think it would come to this) The stanzas are interspersed with some impassioned fretwork that enlivens the song. The vocals go up a few notches as the song progresses before culminating in a pensive note on how 'it takes you back to selfish acts/and just won't let you be'.

"Dig" keeps the tempo up, a strong thrash-metal beginning gives way to the driving urge that makes human achievement possible and keeps one going (I don't care as long as I can get it/Wheels are turning/I am burning/Can't you see it's a part of me). The thrashing riffs never let up, and the vocals are expertly mixed through the chords, although not quite able to overpower them.

"Shake The Magic Eight Ball" lets the magic roll, friends, feeling and all. The bass and rhythm guitar vie for attention, and Tomato's leads from the front.

"Go To Your Room" has a catchy rhythm and fun lyrics,("I'm hurt/I'm hurt/.../Go to your room/I've had it/And don't come out till 7/I'm tired/...You're rude and ugly and pretty disrepectful/You take up all my time/and suck up all my juice") I intend to play this for my kids the next time they rip the place up with their antics. I love the 'What did I do to deserve this?" riff. Best song on the album - "Black Helicopters Over Brooklyn" status? We'll see.

"The Last From Me" eases the pace somewhat. Its pretty vacuous, though, for all the nifty beats. The final third somewhat redeems the track, but not entirely.

The segue into "Oh My God" is redeeming (pun intended). This is the space the band occupies best. Frenetic strumming, drums, and strong vocals - "satisfaction is guaranteed" I'd love to try this song on Rock Band or Guitar Hero, but doubt I could pull it off.

"Rejoicing The Majesty", from the title sounds suspiciously like another Redeemer track. part of the Vatican Top 10. The lyrics don't change the impression (time to get closer to your sweetness/...Desire/.../reach for the unknown/) and the track covers the gamut of any self-respecting thrash-metal godhead song.

"Don't Walk Me Down That Road" is a rather more traditional rock gospel track, I find the imagery memorable ("and then I get that feeling/my heart has a ceiling/and I can't find the words to speak/.../I can't get my breath to breathe/") The lust for life is portrayed well (the forces of evil gently judge my soul/but I won't go/the floor keeps calling me to come on down/but I'm living my life like I never did before/and I want more/) and if you believe there's more to life than the heat and noise, this song will make you feel that other side all too close.

"I'm Not Surprised" retreats to familar territory. The extended refrains don't seem overlong, rescued as they are by guitar solos.

"Rite To Fire" stays strong, with something resembling an 80s vibe.

"The Rooster Says Good Morning" seems to keep at the same pace. It's another light track, saying much but not quite getting to its goal, going 'on and on/and up and down/and round and round'.

?Hag" is a great track, in the league of some of the best metal anthems around. Its instrumental, building the pace and giving room to all the instruments to blossom on the soundstage. The rhythm guitar enters late in the piece, and yet is the crowning achievement to this masterful number. (*****)

"A Better Place" gives one more chance to build and maintain the heavy pace, providing meaty support to the compelling lyrics. One of the longer songs on the album, it doesn't lose pace along the way.

"Disappointment Has Come Upon Me" seems to take a breath at the beginning, and then returns to strong guitar work with a somewhat cheesy 'la la la' refrain.

"All Reality Has Changed / Nosferatu" is a good book-ender, taking its time to settle into its pace, and deserving of a few listens. The second half (Nosferatu?) is a thrash-metal playfest, never easing up.

The final track "Living Well Lady" sounds like a concert outtake, and quite different from the rest of the album. The piece barely begins and ends, almost an afterthought.

Overall, a good effort, worth the listen, and will help cement the already strong cred of Sound of Urchin in their fanbase. Will it be a breakout album? Perhaps, it should resonate with rock fans, at the very least.