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This is easily the most overhyped record of the year, if not this century. Musically it is not something I would typically review here. So why give it more press? Because in all the hype and all the reviews I have not seen my viewpoint represented. The best review I have read is by the great Chuck Klosterman. He liked the record more than I did, but it is by far the best written and he makes some great points. I am loathe to even link to it because it just illustrates how bad my writing is…but here goes: http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/chuck_klosterman_reviews
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From this point forward, this album will be the very definition of the term “over-produced.” It is as if Axl was trying to keep the production on pace with the hype over the last 15 years. Rumor has it that the album cost $13 million to make. At least it sounds like it. There are actually a few places on the record where you can hear 4 separate and unique lead guitar parts all playing at once over the top of each other. It really is an amazing listen on headphones though, with layers and layers of vocals, guitars and wide assortment of sounds and rhythms.
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The album opens with a bang as the title track slams you with a bombastic array of rock guitar that sounds great turned up loud. Lyrically it is a miss with some bad relationship analogy, no political insight here. The irony is that there is probably more democracy in present day China than there ever was or will be in the band Guns N’ Roses. It is Axl’s own larger than life vision and ego that gets in the way, but that is only if you try to approach Chinese Democracy as a Guns N’ Roses record, because it is not. This is not the same band that made the rock classic Appetite for Destruction. This is an Axl Rose solo album with a bevy, a veritable plethora if you will, of guest musicians and studio players. The credits in the 24 page booklet provide an entertaining read, with multiple guitar players on each track.
Axl’s vocals are hit and miss, with each track sounding completely different. We get the melodic and layered 70’s rock vocals (“If The World”), and we unfortunately get the over the top scratchy Ethel Merman on acid vocal sound (“Street of Dreams”). The real story here is the variety, the production and the guitars. Oh the guitars…it is a rock guitar lovers paradise that will have fans of players like Vai, Buckethead, Satriani and May drooling. I haven’t heard guitar solos this good on an album in years…and years and years. When you get to track 10, the moody but moving “Sorry,” you may think the album is winding down. Then “Madagascar” comes in at track 12 and it is a perfect album closer with Axl showing his most moving vocal performance of the album over a bed of strings and weeping solos. Unfortunately Axl didn’t see it that way and two more tracks of strings and musical closure follow, extending the drama, and by the time you get to the overly mellow-dramatic album closer “Prostitute” you will be beyond ready for the album to end. Axl apparently doesn’t know the meaning of “less is more.”
As an Axl Rose solo album I would give it an B+ and as the overhyped long awaited Guns N’ Roses album I would have to give it a D. That is quite a range, but there is also a very big difference in reviewing it for what it is versus what it is supposed to be. No matter what I think, kids of all ages will still have fun rocking out to this album.
It's another episode of Are You Really Experienced! Lifestyle recovery expert Michael Wright (of NiceFishFilms) and I talk about the new Guns N' Roses album since no one else seems to be talking about it... yeah, right! We review Chuck Klosterman's excellent review of the album and the record breaking online streaming of the full album on MySpace. We also talk with Joe Kirk of NoiseTrade about the Mashable.com Open Web Awards. NoiseTrade.com is in the finals in the music category and I strongly urge everyone to vote for this great site.
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On this weeks episode of Are You Really Experienced, Michael Sean Wright of NiceFishFilms pays tribute to Mitch Mitchell, talks to Tommy Nast and covers some other music tech topics. Then as an add-on bonus on this recorded version of the live show, I join Michael towards the end of the show to talk about the Brian Wilson concert. It's all good!
Please give it a listen and post your comments and thoughts.
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Adam and I got to hang out backstage with Brian Wilson tonight! The concert was amazing. Brian and his band are even better this time around. Adam's first major concert...he loves The Beach Boys!
Here we are with the great American songwriter...
Episode 13 of the ObviousPopCast is here! You will hear new music from Keane, Starflyer 59, Self, Snow Patrol and more! Plus an ObviousPop Exclusive Unreleased track! Download the high quality DRM free MP3 and listen now!
Download it now: ObviousPopCast Episode 13
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(If you use the link to download it to iTunes, it may go into your podcast folder or possibly be listed in the main music library under the title: ObviousPop or the artist name: Dr. Tony Shore.)
Songbird vs. iTunes, CD's vs Downloads and more on the new episode of ARE YOU REALLY EXPERIENCED!
We had a great show tonight! This is a web cast that is recorded live using TalkShoe. Michael Sean Wright of Nice Fish Films is the host and I join in as co host and we have some fun talking music and the internet.
LISTEN TO THE NEW EPISODE OF ARE YOU REALLY EXPERIENCED!
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Listen live to ARE YOU REALLY EXPERIENCED tonight at 9:30pm Central Time. It's a live webcast about music, the internet and you! Host Michael Sean Wright and I will talk about Songbird vs. iTunes, MySpace and Warner Bros., CD Sales vs. Digital Sales and so much more.
Just click here: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/24710
Video did not kill the radio star. The advent of MTV and music videos in the early 80’s actually fueled album sales and radio airplay. Radio was alive and well in the 80’s and 90’s and I think videos only added fuel to that fire. No, what killed radio was the Telecommunications Act of ’96 which allows one corporation to own all the major stations in any given market. In most major radio markets the top 10 stations are often owned by one of only 4 companies. It was the homogenization of terrestrial radio that killed it. Actually the beginning of the end started in the 70’s and was partially due to the consulting team of Burkhart/Abrams who were largely responsible for the advent of the Top 40 Format as a replacement for the FM album format. Before Burkhart/Abrams pushed for tight formats and top 40, most FM stations allowed their individual DJ’s to each have their own style and sound.
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We know what killed the radio star, the bigger question is, what killed the video star? Like newspapers, magazines and radio, it would be easy to blame the decline on the internet. The problem with that is, MTV stopped playing music videos (at least to any degree of regularity) long before the internet took over our lives. The advent of more cable channels and satellite TV should have only fueled it. So what gives? I believe the number one culprit is MTV itself. Yes, the same cable TV channel that fueled the music video revolution helped bring it to an end by simply not playing videos. What would happen if tomorrow Amazon.com decided to stop selling things and switched to only talking about retail goods? For awhile at least, internet sales of consumer goods would drop drastically because Amazon is the number one online retailer…by a long shot. Of course sales at other sites like target.com and walmart.com would pick up, but overall internet sales would stay down for awhile. Now imagine that Amazon was the ONLY online retailer and they stopped selling things. It would grind to a halt instantly, and that’s what happened to music videos. We (here in the US anyway) only had one full-time music video outlet and that was MTV. Those lucky enough to have satellite eventually tuned into the Canadian channel Much Music where they got to see tons of cool videos for awhile, but even Much Music changed and was very hard to get.
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For a moment it looked as though YouTube might bring music videos back, but the quality of posted videos is usually horrible, many of them have clipped intros or outros and you have to wade through a lot of other junk just to find them. I’m not a fan.
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Fear not because there’s big news for music fans…Music videos are back! MTV took a giant step this week towards righting the wrongs they have committed by introducing MTvM (mtvmusic.com). MTvM is a music video site. It is simple to use and you can make your own video mash ups and embed music videos on your blogs or website. Check out the video I have embedded below. You can search for any video on MTvM and they have a great selection, including multiple videos from Sparks, Crowded House, They Might Be Giants, Split Enz, Fountains of Wayne, ELO, Yes, Jellyfish and much, much more. I did stump it though and if you get too obscure or out of print it probably won’t be there. Here’s hoping this takes off and that even more videos are added.
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Keane may never top the subtle pop brilliance of their debut Hopes and Fears. Their sophomore effort Under the Iron Sea was almost as good though and even had a couple of tracks that surpassed anything they had done, which brings us to Perfect Symmetry. This is a departure and a surprise. The first 5 tracks sound almost nothing like the first two records, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because they still incorporate Tom Chaplin’s wonderful voice and the great vocal production that is the centerpiece and highlight of any Keane song. These opening tracks are pure 80’s synth-pop, much more upbeat and bouncy than the Keane of yore. There are two really great tracks on this one, the hooky and 80’s-like “The Lovers Are Losing,” and the equally 80’s “Better Than This.” I like this record but there is something keeping me from loving it and I am still not sure it will even make my year-end top ten. Nothing on Perfect Symmetry hits me the way “Somewhere Only We Know" did and while I think that both the production and style are amazing, the songwriting isn’t quite up to the level of their past two releases. That said there is plenty to love here, including the title track and the surprising “Spiraling.”
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