Reverend Horton Heat - Rev

Rev is Reverend Horton Heat's eleventh(!) album. It was released in 2014, five years after Laughin' and Cryin'. I was quite nervous about this album, because Laughin' and Cryin' was such a stinker IMHO.

But thankfully Rev sees the band back in fine form. There's nothing here we haven't heard countless times before, and not just generally speaking about rockabilly, but also many of the songs are very similar to songs on previous Reverend Horton Heat albums.

But that is just fine by me. Victory Lap / Smell Of Gasoline is a pretty close copy of Big Sky / Baddest Of The Bad, but this energetic instrumental rockabilly gets me every time. It's a similar familiarity and enjoyment for Spooky Boots, Scenery Going By, Longest Gonest Man and Chasing Rainbows.

Recording quality? Low-fi seems to be a rockabilly badge of pride, and sadly this one also lives up to the reputation. Flaws include a boomy double-bass and a snare sounds that's being belted mercilessly in a shed somewhere. 

Instrumentally, Never Gonna Stop It is pretty generic (still fantastic, though), but the highlight is the wonderfully provocative lyrics about abuse of government privilege:
They can profit off a deal from a patriotic tax
While sitting on the board of Golden Slacks*
Cheat on their wives with a cute intern
History's lesson they'll never learn
 
Charge us a tax to build a road with a toll
But they're never gonna stop it
Rock and Roll

* Goldman Sachs, of course. But the record label probably didn't want to get sued...

The cheeky double-entendre lyrics of Let Me Teach You How To Eat make for a light-hearted yet engaging pop song. Musically, it gets a bit tired towards the end, but the jokes keep things entertaining. Similarly, the narrative of Hardscrabble Woman are a treat. It perfectly tells the tale of a tomboy who fixes her own pick-up truck and picks bar fights. Not to mention the hillbilly instrumentals, which add a nice bit of variety to the album.

Favourite songs

Victory Lap, Smell Of Gasoline, Never Gonna Stop It, Spooky Boots, Scenery Going By, Let Me Teach You How To Eat, Longest Gonest Man, Hardscrabble Woman, Chasing Rainbows

I diggit?

Strangely, yes. Often when a band churns an album that doesn't cover any new ground, I find myself preferring to just stick to the original. But somehow with Reverend Horton Heat, I'm always keen for more of the same psychobilly goodness.

Muse - The 2nd Law

This is the sixth album from Muse. It was released in 2012, three years after The Resistance.

After thoroughly enjoying Muse's first four albums, I went out on a limb and purchased The Resistance and The 2nd Law without having heard any of it. There were many warnings that the albums had "sold out", yet I thought that the same band that had produced those four wonderful albums would surely produce follow-up albums with some kind of merit. Yet I'm now left wondering what changed; why is Black Holes & Revelations one of my all-time favourite albums, and The 2nd Law is...ahem... not.

As an aside, the comparison in recording quality between The 2nd Law and its predecessor is quite interesting. The two albums sound very similar (i.e. overblown stadium rock with a thousand overdubs) but somehow The 2nd Law is crisper and provides better separation between instruments. This minor tweak elevates The 2nd Law into being album that I really like the sound of. 

Anyway, the 2nd Law feels like a grab-bag of lame pop rip-offs, such as Skrillex (Follow Me and Unsustainable), Radiohead (Animals), Queen (Survival, although it does build up very nicely), U2 (Big Freeze)and Foo Fighters (Liquid State). Worst of all, Explorers is arguably a poor attempt at Muse itself (their earlier albums). But it is completely uninspired and predictable, so it's not a patch on the brilliance of Uno, etc.

To end on a brighter note, Supremacy has some great pop hooks, especially the bangin' violin riff. It would make a very fine James Bond theme song. Finally, for a pop ballad, Madness has a wonderfully unique style.

Favourite songs

Supremacy, Madness 

I diggit?

Nope.

Muse - The Resistance

The Resistance is Muse's fifth studio album. It was released in 2009, three years after Black Holes & Revelations.

There's no doubt that this album takes a much more pop-focussed approach than previous Muse albums. And it does a very good job of it, because the songs are brimming with great hooks. Therefore, there are two ways I can approach this album: either enjoy the catchy pop fun without over-thinking about it, or get on my pretentious high-horse and bemoan the dumbing down of Muse. Of course... I choose the latter!

It's not just that the songs are simplistic; after all, much of Showbiz's appeal is its raw simplicity. However, songs like Uprising and Undisclosed Desires sees these musical ideas are drowning in all kinds of unnecessary instruments, overdubs and effects. Also, I find the lyrics are completely emotionally detached. Muse's nonsensical metaphysical lyrics have always been a highlight for me... but... "love is our resistance", what on earth does that even mean??

Despite all these misgivings, I still thoroughly enjoy Uprising, Resistance and Undisclosed Desires. Argh, the pop hooks are simply irresistible!

The recording quality seems to be aimed at achieving a big sound at any cost. Some of the sweetness and clarity is lost as a result, but the huge scale is definitely achieved.

United States Of Eurasia is some kind of terrible attempt at a Queen tribute. Guiding Light is just overblown, self-indulgent stadium rock. And MK Ultra somehow feels like a poor imitation of early Muse.

On a brighter note, Unnatural Selection is a brilliant rock-opera. It jumps all over the place, but it does it so seamlessly that it's actually adds to the appeal. It is everything I'd hoped for in Muse's fifth album and by far the highlight.

As for Exogenesis, I suspect it would make a wonderful soundtrack to a short film. However, as a standalone artwork, I think it is pointlessly rambling prog-rock which is hiding behind the camouflage of some tacked-on strings. Not to mention the piano melody of Part 3 is pretty much a rip-off of Moonlight Sonata.

Favourite songs

Uprising, Resistance, Undisclosed Desires, Unnatural Selection

I diggit?

This is a very tricky call. On one hand, I think the band have far more potential than this overblown, simplistic tripe. But I do also quite enjoy said overblown, simplistic tripe.

Fall Out Boy - Believers Never Die

Believers Never Die is a greatest hits album for the period of 2001-2009. (It seems I must have been living under a rock for this period, because they were a massive band, yet I only know two of their songs)

Fall Out Boy are masters of the catchy pop-punk chorus. They have such an ability to crank out hit chorus after hit chorus that it is a given, so the success of each song largely depends on how they fill in the time between choruses...

Unfortunately, these time-fillers are often forgettable or disjointed. For example, Saturday and A Little Less Sixteen Candles stumble awkwardly from their verses into the chorus. Alpha Dog is a rare case of having a great energy to the verses, but the composition is messy and lyrics are very cheesy. For me, Dance Dance manages to overcome the handicap of disjointed composition, thanks to the wall-to-wall singalong energy and a wonderfully bonkers pre-chorus (ala Chop Suey).

Grand Theft Autumn is actually the exception that proves the "Fall Out Boy chorus" rule, since this chorus is well below their usual standard. Strangely, the verses are actually quite good, but my reaction to the song is quite lukewarm (perhaps indicating how much pop-punk songs rely on having a catchy chorus?).

Recording quality for the most part is nicely crunchy yet also enveloping. However, in a few songs, the chorus seems squashed down, diminishing its place as the highlight of the song. 

I Don't Care uses a heavy groove (similar to recent Muse) to mix things up, and it works very nicely. And the pre-chorus of From Now On We Are Enemies is wonderfully operatic, which gives the song great momentum heading into the (brilliant, of course) chorus.

The other injection of variety comes from the slower rock-ballads, such as The Take Over The Break Over, I'm Like A Lawyer and American's Sweethearts. I think these songs sound very similar to Maroon 5, which is not how things are meant to be for a punk-rock band!

Now on to my two favourite Fall Out Boy songs: Thanks for the Memories and This Ain't A Scene It's An Arms Race (TAASIAAR). Somehow, the lyrics of Thanks For The Memories don't appeal to me at all, yet there is no denying that the chorus is a stand-out highlight, even amongst the high standard of this album. TAASIAAR shows that a glam-disco beat can be a brilliant addition to a punk rock song, much life The Offspring's You're Gonna Go Far Kid. It brings a nice variety, yet also maintaining the intensity between choruses. I also really dig TAASIAAR's lyrics- I have no idea what they mean, but whatever their assertion is, it sure is delivered with great passion! It's all wrapped together in a song that's perfect for bouncing and singing along to.

Finally, Beat It is a great cover, which might seem a simple task given the excellent original, but often the opposite is true. Anyway, the band have done a great job with this snappy and grunty interpretation.

Favourite songs

Dance Dance, This Ain't A Scene It's An Arms Race, Thanks For The Memories, Beat It, I Don't Care, From Now On We Are Enemies

I diggit?

Yes, there's a lot here to enjoy, which is impressive given that I approached this band largely from a vacuum.

The Shadows - Greatest Hits

This compilation was released in 2004. It features The Shadows' hits from the early and mid-1960s.

Unusually, this CD contains a mono version and a stereo version of every song. This might sound a bit OCD, but the stereo effect is totally over-used, for example sticking the drums in one ear and the rhythm guitar in another. This can be quite disconcerting (especially when listening through headphones), so the mono version makes sense as a band-aid fix for this.

Given modern day rock albums consist of a million overdubs and chorusing effects, it takes some effort to appreciate the simplistic- almost barren - instrumental style of The Shadows these days. But Apache's richly engaging spaghetti-western feel is well worth the effort. The Savage is more of the same, with the added bonus of a more energetic tempo.

Perhaps more pop-friendly are Man Of Mystery and F.B.I., which are immediately infectious, thanks to incredibly catchy riffs.

However, I find The Stranger and Wonderful Land a bit too inoffensive, like the theme song for daytime TV show. Having said that, the guitar sound in The Stranger is wonderful. Other complaints are the tweeness of the alternate style in The Frightened City and the whistling responses in Stars Fell On Stockton. Both elements are deal-breakers for me.

Ballads in a Hawaiian 6/8 time signature (eg Blue Moon) are a dime a dozen, but somehow Midnight still stands out as having genuine conviction. Another oddball, the Latin-styled Guitar Tango stands out with its vivid texturing and mood.

Finally, the upbeat rock'n'roll energy of Quatermassters Stores is a bit out of character, but a great way to finish.

Favourite songs

Apache, Man Of Mystery, F.B.I., Midnight, The Savage, Guitar Tango, Quatermassters Stores

I diggit?

Yes. It's often hard to appreciate in the modern context of rock music, but it's definitely worth the effort.

No Respect - Tunes of Decline

No Respect is a ska band from Germany, and Tunes of Decline is their third album, which was released in 2002.

She Changed Her Mind is a great way to kick things off. Built on a high-energy foundation, it also features wonderfully catchy horn lines and choruses.

On the other hand, Bad Joke is quite amateur-hour protest punk-rock. I quite like the anti-sellout message of the vocals, but the instrumentals let it down. Although, it does redeem itself somewhat towards the end, courtesy great ska section.

This hit-and-miss phenomenon is unfortunately quite common throughout the album. Hate The World and Talk About Rebellion have their moments, but are also frustratingly disjointed. Madness & Normality has some fantastic horn lines and a wonderful energy, but the verses are a let-down and the overall composition is a dog's breakfast. And I have similar complaints for Never Slow Down, Cheap Talk and Tunes Of Decline. It's very frustrating, because the songs are just so close to being very enjoyable.

Another punk effort, Brainwashed, works a treat to inject some variety, and also as an enjoyable song in its own right. My highlights are the nicely integrated horn lines and the contrast of the two vocal styles.

Could Care Less is a superb bittersweet ballad. The subtle yet energetic groove reminds me of early Area-7, and it's topped off with a nicely catchy chorus.

Finally, Back Home In Derry is by far the best song on the album. And an all-time favourite ska song of mine. The amusing premise of the song (a German band singing about being on a convict boat to Australia and pining to be back home in their Irish city) is brilliantly told through wonderfully vivid lyrics. The groove of the song has a huge energy, not to mention the infectious sing-a-long chorus. It's up their with Dropkick Murphys at their best. The horn lines also deserve special mention, for being nicely integrated and adding to the depth and texture of the song. It makes a great change from the typical ska approach of a cheesy horn line tacked on to a song. For much of this album, I've whinged about the band's consistency; well it all comes together in this song and the result is brilliant.

Favourite songs

She Changed Her Mind, Could Care Less, Brainwashed, Back Home In Derry 

I diggit?

Yes. The album is very hit-and-miss, but the hits are fantastic.