By David Thomas
August 31, 2004
I know you guys are bummed I haven't been writing every week but it's been a
pretty dry summer for new music and I'd rather save up for a good column
than write two big piles of steaming you know what. Like I said there is
some good music out there. I've gone back through my piles to catch up on a
few of interest.
Pick of the Week
SPARTA, Porcelain (Geffen)
Like the first SPARTA record, I had to give Porcelain some room to
breath. This time out I did know what to expect a lot more than the first
time this half of AT THE DRIVE-IN went out on its own and that should've
gotten this review to print much faster. But I still wanted to wait it out.
I always hate writing a review one or two days after getting a disc only to
have my opinion change considerably with repeated listenings.
A few years of touring under their belt has certainly upped the
cohesiveness of the group's songwriting. There's no lo longer a sense that
the band is being timid in putting out their own vision. That allows a
SPARTA "sound" to emerge much more on Porcelain then before. "Hiss
The Villain" stands out as the archetypical song for the band. There are
lots of frenzied drums; Jim Ward's screaming vocals and really well
assembled background vocals on the choruses.
Along with .AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD, SPARTA seems to be
one of the few bands to take the evolution of rock music seriously. Unlike
every rock act we saw on the MTV Awards the other night, SPARTA is doing
something unique and artistic while still producing extremely easy to listen
to songs. "While Oceania Sleeps" takes things a step slower and allows Ward
and company to shine. The relaxed tone creates a nice groove and emits
something that most new bands don't, feeling.
Indie Pick of the Week
ATREYU, Cursed (Victory Records)
It seems every other band I receive is a hardcore act. I have no idea if the
new crop of kids going to hardcore shows is large enough to support so many
acts on the road but it supply doesn't usually outgrow demand so quickly in
the music world.
Luckily ATREYU is one of those bands that does modern hardcore right. When
you say "modern hardcore" that means they add a bit of heavy metal to the
whole thing. And unlike a lot of the bands coming out these days you can
actually bang your head in rhythm to ATREYU.
As amazing as it sounds that's the main reason this disc is so good. Sure
the vocals are mostly undistinguishable from English, but when the clear-cut
choruses shine through this is one of the strongest records of the year.
"Bleeding Mascara" starts things heavy and the intensity doesn't drop down
from there.
Derivative Picks of the Week
NEW TRANSIT DIRECTION, Wonderful Defense Mechanisms (Some Records)
This disc has slowly grown on me. It's not a favorite pick but for some
reason has ended up at the top of my listen pile lately. There's not too
much original going on in this pseudo intellectual hard rock band. Plenty of
AT THE DRIVE-IN influences mix with both QUICKSAND and lighter fair like
PINBACK. The interesting mix delivers for the most part but there's still
too much ambivalence going on here to really pick the group out of the pack
of countless others.
RESIDENT EVIL:APOCALYPSE, Original Soundtrack (Roadrunner)
Most people point to SINGLES as the movie that brought movie soundtracks to
the forefront. While the songs on that album are still some of the best to
accompany a movie, the film that really established the mold for all since
was THE CROW soundtrack.
To this day the songs by THE CURE, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and NINE INCH NAILS
are some of the best in their catalogues. It also brought a more diverse mix
of acts to the table than the grungier SINGLES. Unfortunately it also set
the bar for every movie soundtrack since. Thus we're left with RESIDENT
EVIL: APOCALYPSE, a mishmash of hard rock that leaves us popping in the CROW
DVD.
Surprisingly the opening track, "Vermillion" by SLIPKNOT, isn't that bad. I'
m not a fan of the costumed metal act but this reminded me of before metal
slipped downhill a few years into the OZZFEST era. Unfortunately everything
goes downhill from there. THE USED's track is well orchestrated but nothing
they do in the studio can hide their lack of talent. An even worse offender
is THE CURE. While they produced one of their best songs for THE CROW, "Us
or Them" is a stab at hard rock that is so misguided Robert Smith should
call it quits, again.
A PERFECT CIRCLE adds a remix, displaying this album doesn't even deserve a
B-side from one of the bigger names on the track listing. It segues into a
decent track from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE but the few highpoints aren't enough to
keep you from hitting the skip button. CKY adds a track from their last
record and the DEFTONES donate a cover of DURAN DURAN's "The Chauffeur"
which isn't half bad.
But overall this album will sit in my stacks for months as strictly a
reference tool and not anything I'll want to listen to.
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