Reviews by krill_42

It took me a goddamn long time to unlock and appreciate the magic of this (partly because I despise the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and John Frusciante seems to be a mean little copycat of George Clinton's ravaging guitar fury on the title track). While I do enjoy some good scattered, all-over-the-place records, the pendulum on Maggot Brain swung a little too fast for me to catch up. Still, minus a few points of the production choices, such as the ultra-heavy delay on the drums in "You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks", the metallic dings on "Back in Our Minds" and, ofc, the farting noises on the closer. Sure, a good fart can make one laugh harder than the hardest-hitting joke, but a "joke" doesn't get better when told a bazillion times over. Too much "humor" tends to ruin the listening experience for me (mainly because it wears off so quickly), but there's still so much to like on Maggot Brain nevertheless.

Yes, I get it. This was huge when it came out, and System of a Down were right there, riding the alt-/progressive-/nu-metal wave that Korn had initiated five years prior, at its apex. Thanks to the interplay between Daron Malakian’s guitar playing and Serj Tankian’s idiosyncratic vocal style (his staccato delivery with occasional growling outbursts), System of a Down created a unique sound, unmistakably their own. The thrash-metal-influenced riffing is mostly unforgiving and brutal; the lyrics, while often dadaistic or opaque, contain strong political statements — in short: the basics are killer. At its most weird, the record sounds like Frank Zappa fronting a hardcore band (Sugar).

However, even considering the relatively short run time (40-something minutes) for a late-1990s major-label release, one gets the feeling that they pull their signature feat just a little too often. Take Mezmerize, where System of a Down managed to fully diversify their songwriting palette - and were all the better for it. A solid debut (with a quality many bands would kill for), but still lacking that little something that makes a record truly special from front to back.

Undoubtedly iconic in every way. Even though a centrepiece, I am not particularly crazy about the It Ain’t Easy cover or Mooanage Daydream. The latter has got a great feeling to it and was probably an amazing live show staple, but I am slightly underwhelmed from a songwriting perspective given Bowie’s generational talent. It will probably grow on me… However, that’s nitpicking and the highs of this record (basically every other song), elevate this project to the top of Bowie’s - and mostly everyone else’s - oeuvre.

Knotty and witty social commentary and musical gem. More messy than the Beatles, less bougie and pretentious than the Stones (amazing middle ground). Blueprint for so many Bands I love (GBV for example). Sprawling psychedelic pop marvels that don’t shy away from gritty textures. Nods to the bygone Victorian age - not only by virtue of the lyrics (perks and fall of the Empire and post-war England) but also when it comes to the feathery instrumentation (cembalo). Fades in urgency towards the end of the record; maybe it would have benefitted from a different sequencing (such as a somewhat more uptempo song to close the collection). Incredible and versatile record.

Classic rock cliché monstrosity. Mostly, it’s pleasant and occasionally fun to listen to but the lyrics just fall so flat. Obviously there are guitar solos galore. Sometimes they even make up a centre motive of a song - see Hitch a Ride’s simultaneous lead guitar solo. Foreplay has got to be one of the most annoying intros ever. The one thing that is actually charming to the record is its proto power pop character in some of the songs (cf. Peace of Mind). Hitch a Ride is a song where the genres (classic rock and power pop elements) come together quite well. Overall, better to stomp your feet than to pay close attention to the tunes. Sometimes (of course, that’s my retrospective impression) the songs are just so boilerplate, it hurts (esp. rock’n’Roll Band). I feel like that the band didn’t have much to say at all. With 38 minutes, the record is still too long - it could have been trimmed and it would have probably ended up being a more concise and enjoyable experience - that holds especially true for the B-side.

Stevie Wonder is not hiding his message(s). Undoubtedly skilful and passionate execution. The mid tempo soul ballads (You and I, Lookin’ for Another Pure Love, …) leave me somewhat underwhelmed - partly because of their “on the nose” lyrics. Album sounds vibrant, but has too less edges for my taste; esp. those aforementioned ballads. Maybe Your Baby and Superstition have a killer, driving backbeat. While there are superb melodies and harmonies elsewhere (keys/synth on You’ve Got it Bad Girl or the vocals on Blame it on the Sun and I Believe), the record would have benefitted from some more “gut punching” uptempo sections making it a more varied, dynamic collection of songs. Sadly, the amazing final section of the album (prog-soul outro of I Believe) ends abruptly and the style isn’t spelled out over these 10 tracks very often.

Intriguing lyrics with obscure religious motives. Music itself lacks punch; sits comfortably somewhere between Siouxsie and a post-punk tinged version of the college rock of R.E.M. (The Killing Moon, Seven Seas) - way more interesting when it gets more arty and dissonant (cf. Thorn of Crowns). Creative (and to some degree weird) string flourishes add a pleasant and a memorable touch to the melodies but let the songs seem a bit tame here and there. Superb vocal performance on the closing track.

Pleasant and well-executed mid-tempo songs; organ, guitar and drums sound overly lush. Album drags a bit towards the end. If you’re neither familiar with nor into the American songbook, the songs probably don’t reveal their societal and political meaning as well as the undercurrent that revels beneath their saccharine execution. Best when Nelson leaves the comfort zone and turns to more interesting vocal melodies (unchained melody). In sum, I lack to the understanding of the originals to appreciate the value of this collection of covers.

This feels like a restrained version of The Flaming Lips. While “Yoshimi” is a cleverly dynamic and shorter follow-up to The Soft Bulletin. Even though despite its shorter run time, it cannot be labelled concise.

The album somewhat struggles to uphold the quality of its first songs in the second half and overall has some lengthier moments (In the Morning of the Magicians, Are You A Hypnotist?, It’s Summertime).

Yet, for every slight dud, there is a clear standout moment: One More Robot/Symphony 3000-21, Ego Tripping At the Gates of Hell, Do You Realise?? and the overall sound and feeling of the record is cohesive and oddly upbeat psychedelic with pulsating drums and bass front and centre (cf. Are You A Hypnotist?).

The production is punchy but sometimes ideas get buried in the mix (the flute and trumpet in Ego Tripping […]) and you will miss them if you’re not paying utmost attention.

The lyrics cryptically evolve around motifs such as Karate, robotics/machine learning and - how could it be any different - death. It seems, however, that Wayne Coyne did not aim to make this a concept album strictu sensu, which is a good thing in this case.