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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 8, 2012 21:33:28 GMT -5
Someone check my MedicAlert bracelet. I need to be resuscitated after that game. Whew.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 8, 2012 16:33:42 GMT -5
2. Rest in Peace
Track 2 continues the theme of war and peace. While the first track was ironic and satirical, this one is sincere and direct and far more intelligent than how other bands would treat the subject. This was the one single from the album, and it didn't do much on the charts. It was just too straight-ahead rock with great harmonies and a Queen-like guitar solo for the grunge era.
The Music: "Rest in Peace" begins with a string quartet. It isn't some synth violins playing easy chords, it's a well-arranged classical piece with contrary motion; like something George Martin would have added to mid-era Beatles. It doesn't come back at all during the song, but it signifies where the album is heading: this isn't brainless hair metal; it's sophisticated and impressive. When the guitar kicks in, it kicks hard. Another great Nuno riff over some very simple drumming leads into a very pop-oriented, funky verse melody. The back-and-forth between the lead vocals and harmonies is amazing once again, and leads to some nice power behind the lyrical theme. This song is just one hook after another. The guitar solo reminds me of Brian May and ends with Nuno quoting the "Voodoo Chile" riff, which is a nice Woodstock reference, since the lyrics both affirm and question the hippie ideology of "Make love, not war". The end of the song fades out and comes back in with a nice nylon string repeat of the chorus with some fun "da da das" that reminded me of the "bap-a-da-das" in Danger Death Ray. They throw in some bucolic sound effects to capture the musical image of peace on earth. It's a little goofy, but it feels right to me.
The Lyrics: The main idea on this one is that quotes like "Give peace a chance" and "Make love, not war" are well-meaning, but ultimately too weak to make any real difference. Such simplistic platitudes don't fix the tendency of those who push back with selfishness when the cost gets too high...which is all of us. We need something more than bumper sticker peace to really change the world. Instead, as the lyrics state, "Let's not pretend to justify, rather [let's] amend where treasures lie. Straight through the heart, peace can be found. That's where you start, not all around." The only solution to achieve peace on earth is through the hearts of selfish people, not slogans or cliches. But how can we do that? The suggestion in verse 1 is that it will take a miracle, since "It's just as complex as water to..." It's not that the hope for peace is dumb, it's that overly-simplistic solutions and slogans just expose our own hypocrisy.
Favorite Moment: My favorite moment is in the second pre-chorus, when Nuno adds a triplet pick-up to the chords under the phrase, "Don't tread on me." It's the little things that impress me.
The only version I could find on YouTube is the official video. It's goofy and makes the band look very dated and mockable. Try to tune out the visuals and focus on the audio. [/quote]
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 7, 2012 23:09:29 GMT -5
Here's my advice: Get a copy of Back in Black, learn the riffs, BOOM! You're a rock star.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 5, 2012 16:17:43 GMT -5
I watched it last night and loved that the style and tone was the same as series 1. It's a shame they don't make more than 3 a year, but it's so dense and stylized, maybe if they made more, the quality would suffer. Mrs. Atari said it's like getting a great trilogy of full-length movies once a year. I loved the humor in this one. "I hear 'Punch me in the face' every time you're speaking, but usually it's subtext." And I really like the way Gatiss writes and portrays Mycroft. I kept expecting a reveal that Adler's phone contained stuff about him. My one complaint is that Sherlock is becoming way too much of an action hero. The way he disarmed the CIA operative with the aerosol can and a head butt was clever and made some sense. But infiltrating a Pakistani terrorist cell to pose as the executioner and turning the sword on the bad guys? No way. That was a dumb twist.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 4, 2012 16:45:34 GMT -5
So....playoff picks?
Wild Card Round:
Steelers over Broncos 31-10 Bengals over Texans 24-14 Saints over Lions 48-45 Giants over Falcons 27-20
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 4, 2012 13:34:06 GMT -5
1. Warheads
The album explodes with...well, explosions. "Warheads" opens with a drill instructor barking orders at some poor sap, who we discover is a small child. Then the helicopters and air raid sirens come in, quickly followed by a killer Nuno Bettencourt riff over machine gun drumming.
The Music: Musically, this is the most like Extreme's previous output. It's a fast-paced, shred-riffic, energetic anthem with a sing-song chorus. There's some great chord moves and you can hear the classical influence in the solo, but there's also plenty of bluesy bends and funky chord voicings, especially leading into the chorus. The percussive punctuations underneath the solo are a ton of off-time fun. The harmonies in the bridge ("Blackheads, whiteheads, redheads, deadheads...) always make me smile. I also love the arrangement of the vocals in the chorus, notably the back and forth between the gang vocals and Cherone's lead. Gary Cherone's voice has just the right amount of grit and metal edge, without sounding strained. At first blush, this might sound like a run-of-the-mill hair metal opener, but it's all the little things in the arrangement and harmonies that really set it apart. And once you recognize them, you'll be impressed, too.
The Lyrics: This is the first track in the section called "Yours", which focuses on the worldview of the masses. It satirizes the jingoism that we pass down to our kids, especially the Rambo-ism in the '80s that became the morass of the Middle East in the '00s. It's also a valid criticism of terrorist principles, where extremists train their children the value of violence. "Hey kid wanna have some fun? Choose a side and here's your gun." "Ramboy, it's us and them, just like your daddy in Vietnam. Monkey see, monkey do; you're boy's grown up just like you." The silliness of the Dr. Pepper chorus "I'm a warhead, he's a warhead, she's a warhead, would you like to be a warhead too?" is the perfect tone to make a serious point about how flippant we are about a horrible thing like war. Like all good satire, I imagine that some people don't recognize the irony and blast this song from their pickup trucks as a rallying cry for violence. What Sledge Hammer! was for TV, "Warheads" is for music.
Favorite Moment: My favorite moment in this song is when Cherone is singing, "M-m-m-monkey see, monkey do" and hearing what the Hell, Michigan the guitar is doing in the background. Holy Nuno!
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 4, 2012 12:30:43 GMT -5
PS: Rick Santorum = scum. Hey, hey, hey, easy now. Save that for Observer's Brain or I'll ban your ass. No one's above the law. ;D
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 2, 2012 15:59:36 GMT -5
If anyone finds a way to get the episodes online, post it here. Sia and I can't wait until May.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 1, 2012 15:15:22 GMT -5
Very awesome, plissken. Thanks!
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 1, 2012 15:10:56 GMT -5
Okay, here's the new project. A song by song review of an incredible and largely unknown album. If we're going to do this, I need you to clear your mind and reset your expectations. Forget everything you know or have been led to believe about Extreme. Forget "More Than Words". Forget the era of hair metal. Forget Gary Cherone's mismatch with Van Halen. As the above videos show, Extreme was far more like Queen than Warrant. They were a progressive metal band, influenced by classical music and funk. Their first album was standard technical east-coast '80s metal, with the Mozart-quoting shred single, "Play With Me", that was featured in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Their second release was a concept album that held together pretty well, but featured that power ballad I told you to forget. III Sides to Every Story was their third release and is an incredible work of storytelling, musical performance, philosophy, passion, and has the best arrangement and orchestration on a rock album I've ever heard. (Again, comparisons to Queen are not misplaced.) They recorded it to be a 3-sided album, with each side covering a lyrical theme and a different musical style. The overall theme of the album is worldviews. It asks difficult, metaphysical questions and treats them with honesty, anger, fear, and a humility you'll never find on any other rock album. There's no posturing, no false arrogance, and no shallow party-all-the-time crap. Even the introspective stuff is humble and real, and doesn't come across all whiny. It's like a great novel that challenges how you see the world, but in a way that makes you feel glad for the experience. Side 1 is labeled, "Yours", and it focuses on the world as it is. We go to war over selfishness while peacemakers get assassinated. Governments are corrupt, prejudice is everywhere, and love is easier to mock than to find. The musical style on this section is guitar-centered hard rock that gives the lyrics the crunchy punch they need. Side 2 is labeled, "Mine", and it focuses on the hard questions about life, God, purpose, tragedy and hope. The musical style on this section is quiet, emotive, and sparse. Side 3 is labeled, "the Truth", and it features a 3-part opus called, "Everything Under the Sun". It might be my favorite 20 minutes of music ever written. It's a mammoth piece of orchestration and arranging, where the singer struggles with his faith and cries out for a spiritual connection. The questions raised throughout the album don't get answered because the catharsis comes in the asking. There is a depth to the themes and a mastery of the music that I've never found on any other rock record. But make no mistake-- the precision of the playing takes nothing away from the passion of the performance. The majesty of the music matches perfectly the power of the ideas. It's like listening to a symphony or a Mozart opera, complete with recapitulations and movements, arias and solos, and a huge sweeping finale. And when it's done, I feel full and spent. Ew. So I want to dissect the album one song at a time and highlight the highlights and note the few flaws, and let all of you hear the golden goodness.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 1, 2012 14:10:53 GMT -5
I'm hoping some UK friends will get it on the interwebs for us Yanks as soon as tonight.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 1, 2012 13:25:46 GMT -5
Cringe-worthy as in disturbing? Or cringe-worthy as in embarrassed for the Brains?
If it's the former, it's gotta be dawormface for me.
If it's the latter, I always thought the "Owner of a Lonely Heart" host segment was a dumb idea.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 1, 2012 13:14:35 GMT -5
I forgot to add this post from the original reviews: ________________________________________
Finally, if you're already a fan, here are the B-sides you really need to track down:
"Twilight Alehouse"-- a jazzy/poppy Gabriel number, with GREAT drumming.
"Inside and Out"-- Recorded during the W&W sessions. Could have made the album much better.
"You Might Recall"-- a B-side that's miles better than anything that actually made it on the Abacab album.
"Me and Virgil"-- Phil HATES this song, and has called it the worst song in his career. I completely disagree (cough..."Who Dunnit?"...cough). It's a fun, bouncy story song.
"On the Shoreline"-- A great extra from the We Can't Dance sessions.
"Anything Now"-- A good song they recorded with Ray Wilson.
"Sign Your Life Away"-- ibid.
"Run Out of Time"-- ibid. Seriously, how does such a terrible album produce such good B-sides? I don't get it.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 1, 2012 13:11:59 GMT -5
Thanks, chicken.
You should write the reviews of the live albums. I like the live albums, but mostly for the medleys. The "Old Medley" on The Way We Walk:The Longs is incredible, and I'm always a sucker for the "In The Cage--Cinema Show--Afterglow" medley.
There are parts of Wind and Wuthering that I like, but I just find it too synth-heavy and hook-less. It's good mood music, but it's too meandering for me.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jan 1, 2012 13:03:58 GMT -5
I like you, msmystie. I think you've been bringing some interesting things to the board lately, and I've enjoyed the creativity and passion. I thought the Daddy-O lookalikes was very creative. It just takes a higher level of time and analysis to keep up with that idea than what most people have to contribute around here. It would have made a great contest.
The fangirl-ness is tough because some of us know the Brains personally. So that part is more creepy than fun. But I don't think folks are ignoring you because of that.
But "look-at-me" threads like this one? Not a good idea. Next time, send an Admin a PM and we'll be glad to help you.
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