Last month Lou Reed told the Guardian he thinks this new Metallica collaborative album is the “best thing” he’s ever done. But if this first leaked track, and the Soundcloud comments that accompany it, are any indication, longtime fans of neither will agree. As if the name of the project, Lulu, wasn’t awful enough.
Of course, we’ve been expecting dreck from Metallica for a while now. Depending on who you ask, they’ve either sucked for ten years, twenty years, or always (choice C is correct). So what’s Reed’s excuse? What is it with legends nowadays tarnishing their legacy with half-assed collaborations with more modern has-beens? I thought Reed fell off the deep end when he delivered that one-note Killers tune, but here he babbles meaningless playwright-influenced prose over tired guitar crunches, only to have Hetfield step in and remind you what shitty band is delivering the clashing background music. Hetfield, as usual, growls his angsty nonsense in an exaggerated manner, only to have Reed come back and read some more, sounding consistently confused.
Best thing you’ve ever done, Lou? Someone needs to listen to Transformer again.
Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.
37. The Darkness – Permission to Land
You’ve gotta be crazy not to love this. There are a select few albums out there that are perfect, absolutely front to back, for road trips. The karaoke staple that literally no one but frontman Justin Hawkins can sing, “I Believe In a Thing Called Love,” is the highlight, sure, but there are plenty of gems here to keep your fist pumping until your arm falls off. “Growing On Me,” a subtle-at-first ode to sexually transmitted diseases, is a tongue-in-cheek classic. The incredible “Love Is Only a Feeling” is the best ballad from the 1980’s that wasn’t really from the 1980’s. “Get Your Hands Off Of My Woman” is a comically vulgar screech-along from beginning to end.
Yes, it’s derivative. Yes, it’s in on the joke. But to write off the Darkness and Permission to Land as novelty is simply myopic. If a band is going to completely channel the glory days of guitar rock, the glam, the sexuality, the….hair, well, they’ve gotta have the chops to pull it off. And they do. This album rules. Hawkins has undeniable pipes. The guitar SHREDS. The melodies are infectious. Your face melts in 40 minutes.
And sure, their next album was a little more late-Zeppelin and not as good, and then they broke up, and the reunion isn’t really going anywhere thus far, so, yeah, you could argue the Darkness were a bit one-note. That after Permission to Land, there wasn’t much to offer. That they burned out just as quick, that they showed us all their tricks on their first effort.
Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!
Tracklist:
The Rapture – Children
Summer Camp – Better Off Without You
The Joy Formidable – Cradle (Fang Island Remix)
Body Language – You Can (Star Slinger Remix)
A friend of mine and I were discussing the awesome awesome lineup for Fun Fun Fun Fest this year, and recently, they announced their schedule for our viewing pleasure. My friend was excited, but admitted he knew only a few bands. Where, he wondered aloud, could he find a comprehensive rundown of each band, a sampling of their musical chops, so he could further educate himself before the finest weekend of his year? I assume the Fun Fun Fun website has such a playlist, and they do, and it’s cool, but I wanted to make my own. So every Friday, from now until the fest (that’s nine weeks), I will be posting a playlist for your educational purposes for each stage and day, excluding the Yellow stage, which is mostly comedy.
This week’s playlist covers the bands playing on the Orange (Indie) stage on Saturday – Maneja Beto, Future Islands, Joe Lally, The Joy Formidable, Tune-Yards, Tinariwen, Ra Ra Riot, M83, Girls, Lykke Li, and Spoon.
Like there was any doubt who I would be picking this time around. Â Anthony Gonzalez and his crew are one of my favorite bands ever, and the new album is incredible. Â You can bet I will not be missing the opportunity to hear the fresh material live and seeing them live for the first time ever. Â M83 is not only my personal highlight for this stage/day, but the entire fest. Â But for what it’s worth, I’m also pretty stoked for Tune-Yards and The Joy Formidable.
So R.E.M. broke up today. And that’s a drag, but at least they left us a plethora, years and years worth, of awesome music. I remember when I got New Adventures In Hi-Fi, far and away my favorite R.E.M. album, and one of their most underrated. I won a free CD from a radio station, I was ten years old, and I had never heard of the band before. The lady highly recommended it to me, and since I wasn’t particularly interested in anything else they had, I took it. Later that night, riding home with my parents, I listened to it in the car in the dark. From the Western-tinged “How the West Was Won And Where It Got Us” to the hypnotic “Leave” to the mellow “Electrolite,” I was curiously hooked on this album. I love that radio station lady. And thanks to her, I’ll always love R.E.M.
Twelve years is a long time to wait for a new proper Primus album. Trust me, I know. It was 1999, and I was in middle school, when the boys dropped their last full-length Antipop and went on a creative hiatus. They reunited many times, once even putting out a new EP, the highly underrated Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People. And Les Claypool kept busy with his many solo projects. But now that they’re finally back with fresh material, let me tell you…it’s so great to have Primus back.
Green Naugahyde picks up right where the boys left off, if you pretend the Brown Album, and replacement drummer Brian “Brain” Mantia, never happened. The album successfully accomplishes what Anitpop tried with mixed results – a back-to-basics glory days record. So no, there’s nothing progressive here. “Eternal Consumption Engine” is reminiscent of Tales From the Punchbowl, specifically “Space Farm.” “Jilly’s On Smack” features the gloom and doom of Pork Soda. “Lee Van Cleef” is “Ballad of Bodacious” Part 2. “Last Salmon Man” could’ve been a Frizzle Fry or Sailing the Seas of Cheese highlight.
But it doesn’t really matter once you get back in the groove; the return of original drummer Jay Lane (who left before Primus even recorded their first album) has reignited a creative spark in the trio. Ler’s wail complements Les’ signature popping and slapping, and Jay’s presence makes it abundantly clear the guys are having fun again. And the best part? After all these years, Primus still sucks.
Even in 1994, Daft Punk were ahead of their time. Take a listen to “Drive,” the relentless, energetic early track from the French house robots before they were arguably the kings of electronic music. The track is available today on the new Soma Records 20 Years compilation.
Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!
Tracklist:
Class Actress – Weekend
Born Gold – Decimate Everything
ceo – Ave Maria
Cass McCombs – The Same Thing
