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I wasn't a big Kylie fan until "Body Language"... I absolutely adore that disc. When I heard this track, I thought she'd released a new album, but I guess it's a greatest hits track with a new song. Since I'm not a fan of her older material, I figured I'd just buy the single for the new song and skip the compilation. I'm pretty sure I made the right choice for my interest in her music.
This is an import two track single. Both are electronica tracks and are similar to the music found on "Body Language". In fact I wouldn't hesitate to include them on a extended version of that album. They'd be right at home.
'Giving You Up' is the first track and the single from the album. It's got the deeper slower beat of the two tracks and it's phenomenal. I quite like it. 'Made Of Glass' is the second track and it's also well written and enjoyable. I'm glad I picked this single up and I hope she records more music in this genre. If you're like me and you've enjoyed this new direction she's taken with her music, by all means, pick this one up. It's worth owning.
My final words: EXCELLENT SINGLE RELEASE WITH TWO GREAT TRACKS!
KYLIE - GIVING YOU UP
01. Giving You Up
02. Made Of Glass
The Crystal Method are a Vegas band who went to LA to get famous. They came out of that same electronic music movement that spawned The Chemical Brothers. In fact, they are most often compared to The Chems. I remember the days of Napster... And Limewire... People used to list TCM tracks as Chem tracks and vice versa. Always somebody who wants people to think they've got something no one else has. Or to trick people into listening to a different group.
I discovered TCM on the local Las Vegas Alternative Rock station. Xtreme Radio actually played them back in the 90's right alongside Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and Nirvana.
Over the years, I've purchased a lot of their material. My opinion of them is a bit skewered. Because they're so heavily compared to the Chems, I get caught up in comparing them as well... Which, is stupid because they're actually very different bands. I think the only thing they might actually share in common is the equipment they use and the fact they're both mostly electronic bands.
The Chems seem to be influenced by math and anthem stadium rock. They're psychedelic. TCM is another creature entirely. With TCM, I hear the distant influence of house music floating in the background, but what really sets them apart is the fact this band is focused on the beat. They're songs are written with rhythm in mind and the beat is often the biggest part of the song. Everything else takes second place. On the other hand, what sets them apart is the soul I hear when I listen to them. They incorporate a lot of R&B/Soul sounds in their songs. From vocalists to beats, you can hear it bubbling up. Let's face it, they're funky. And that's where their edge comes from.
The first song on "Tweekend" is 'PHD' and it's a groove if ever there was one. I think this is a great opening track because it doesn't overload you, but it reeves the engine and gets you going for something more substantial like track #2, 'Wild, Sweet And Cool". This is one of the funky numbers and they don't so much play the song on the album so much as blow it up in your face! This is the game changer song. It immediately flips you on your ear and sets up the rest of the disc. 'Roll It Up' keeps the beat rolling along. This is another great tune and one you could imagine yourself blasting out the window of whatever vehicle you're driving.
'Murder' features former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman, Scott Weiland on lead vocals. It's a decent track. I feel like it sorta drops the bottom out of the momentum though. Still, it's got a deep bass sound if you pump your speakers up. The next track is probably the strongest on the disc. 'Name Of The Game' is the reason this disc gets a parental warning sticker so if you're listening to the disc with your kids, you might want to skip this one. Even though the song is kicking and the best on the album.
'The Winner' is a track that starts off slow, but has a decent build and eventually gets the sound back on target. I actually think this song would've been better if they'd put it right before 'Name Of The Game'. You'd have the breakdown bit where everything seems to slow down. This track would gradually bring the tempo back up and the punch of NOTG would've been much more exciting. 'Ready For Action' pounds in like a military maneuver from Call Of Duty. It's just so dang funky once the beat solidifies. 'Ten Miles Back' tones everything down and actually starts off sounding like TCM are sampling sounds from old Casio Keyboards, but then their rich, textured beats jump up and you're deep in the track. I love this one too. The female vocalist is subdued and her levels are perfect for the track. She's singing about something left behind and her vocals can sometimes sound distant. At the pace this track moves, it's not hard to imagine you've left something behind. It's followed by 'Over The Line' and this groove is one for chillin'. You can listen to this number while relaxing and it will get your feet stomping without making you move your butt. It's just a nice, calm groove. Sometimes, these are the best kinds.
'Blowout' is up next and it starts off sounding like the opening theme to a science fiction series. There's some drawn out keyboard notes playing over and over until Boom!!!! The beat drops in and suddenly, you're off! This is another one of those funky beats that make TCM so groovy. It's a driving machine of a beat. 'Tough Guy' is the last track on the disc and as it starts you suspect it may also be the only ballad on the disc. And you'd be partly correct. The track is ambitious in that it's constructed of a series of movements rather than a straightforward beat or song structure. And each one has its own tempo. Still, it's probably my least favorite track on the disc even though I appreciate it the most.
"Tweekend" throws you a final curve in the form of a remix of 'Name Of The Game' as a hidden bonus cut. That's always a treat and I like it when groups do stuff like that. Bonus tracks are always awesome!
I quite like this disc and I like TCM so it's not a huge surprise. I don't think they're doing anything unique or different in electronic beat music. But they are the best at what they do. They're out to make you dance, not challenge preconceptions and that being the case, I think they succeed famously. My final words: GOT NOTHING TO DO THIS WEEKEND? TRY TWEEKEND!
THE CRYSTAL METHOD - TWEEKEND
01. PHD
02. Wild, Sweet And Cool
03. Roll It Up
04. Murder
05. Name Of The Game
06. The Winner
07. Ready For Action
08. Ten Miles Back
09. Over The Line
10. Blowout
11. Tough Guy
12. Name Of The Game (Remix)
My copy of the slip was one I had to order online. I think Trent Reznor gave the album away for free, but if you wanted to own a CD copy, you had to buy it from his website. Which I did. Not only did I buy it in advance, I got the Limited Edition with the bonus DVD.
I later went and saw the tour that accompanied this release and it was phenomenal. I loved every minute of it.
Although I enjoy this album a lot, it's by no means Reznor's best work. It's still above average by any means, but it seems a bit disjointed. At least to me. For collector's and fans, "The Slip" is the 27th Halo.
As with previous releases, "The Slip's" opening track, '999,999' is a cresting wave of sound seguing into the first actual song on the disc. It's an ambient pulse that gradually gets louder until the pulse pounding drums kick in for '1,000,000'. This song makes me think of that moment in life where you look in the mirror and wonder, "How the heck did I get here?" It's the realization things haven't quite happened the way you wanted them to. Even a rock star like Reznor can feel this sense of detachment. It's followed by 'Letting You'; which is basically an outcry against the political lies politicians of the day used to drag the US into another war. He cries in disbelief that even when we know the truth, we let the people who deceive us get away with it and we still follow their direction. It's a song raging against apathy and a battle cry for accountability. In cases like this, I think Reznor is probably one of the few artists who can be political without crossing a huge moral line. Mostly because what he's calling out for isn't revolution or a change in government, he's calling the listener out to hold people responsible for their actions. In other words, we have to stop letting people get away with bad behavior.
In its own way, 'Discipline' continues the theme. This incredible track blazes forward like a funky train rolling down the tracks. He finds himself unable to find a thread or way to organize his thoughts. He finds that in another person. Maybe a sounding board he can share his thoughts with. It's in the sharing that he finds a structure. A way to shape what he's feeling into something more than abstract thought. It's this discipline of his audience/confidant to preserve his sanity. To focus his rage. His anger.
'Echoplex' is a more complicated concept. Live, this was one of my favorite performances of the tour. On the album, it's a thought provoking song. It seems to aspect 'Discipline' in a strange way. Where the listener is the one who brings structure to his thoughts, 'Echoplex' is his way of viewing them from the distance of the stage or from his position in live. He wonders just how effective his influence is and just how powerful it could be as well. Interesting subject matter. 'Head Down' kicks in with a stuttering drum track and some distortion ripping over the top of it. I feel like this song is Reznor telling his public that the image we have of him isn't really who he is. It's a facade. A character he plays. It's just a fantasy. But it's not real. This is an idea you hear from other artists like Alice Cooper or Marilyn Manson. I believe it only to a certain degree. The music he creates and shares with the public obviously comes from a very personal place and he shares honest feelings and thoughts. Because of that, it's hard to divorce a character from the real person underneath. I see Nine Inch Nails concerts as being filled with special effects that enhance the reality of the music and the song writer. In that sense, there is a distortion covering him. But what's underneath is still real.
'Lights In The Sky' is a terribly sad song. Of all the tracks on this album, this one feels the most personal. It's a farewell of sorts to a specific person. We may never actually know who, but there are so many metaphors for death in this tune, one can only speculate... This is a simple piano and vocal track. Very effective and minimalist. The next number is the longest on the disc. 'Corona Radiata' is one of the soundscapes he's been working on lately. It could've easily fit on "Ghosts" or on the soundtrack to one of his film scores. It starts off like a note held in an infinite loop. Sound is filtered, and layered around it, but it doesn't change until midway through the song when it devolves into a painfully slow distant beat. It trudges along and sound begins to swell up and surround it. This is a remarkable soundscape. One of his best. The crescendo is magnificent and haunting.
'The Four Of Us Are Dying' builds on a small sounding beat and more subtle noises to create a something that sounds like a satanic carnival rolling into town. There's something sinister moving through this track and it's remarkable. It flows into 'Demon Seed', the final song. He finally realizes what his purpose is. He has to use his influence to destroy the system of control governing our world. He must rage and fight against everything that champions as right that which is actually wrong. And quite frankly, we're given the choice to go along with the ride or get out of the way.
There's an amazing theme running through this disc and I could actually discuss it in depth for hours. Even though I think it pales in comparison to his other works, this is still an exceptional record and shouldn't be discounted. It feels more like a personal period of reflection and epiphany for Reznor. He took it and turned it into music and shared his journey for his fans to hear.
For those of you lucky enough to go for the ride, it's a thrilling experience. For those of you who didn't, you really missed out.
The DVD contains 5 songs from the album recorded live from the rehearsals for the tour. They were filmed in June of 2008. It's a short set, but one that's enjoyable to watch. You see the band perform the music without all the special effects of the live stage. It feels somehow more genuine even though the stage show was incredible.
My final words for "The Slip": WITHOUT A DOUBT AN INCREDIBLE RELEASE! A MUST HAVE FOR EVERY NINE INCH NAILS FAN AND THOSE WHO ARE CURIOUS ABOUT REZNOR'S WORK! AN UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE!
NINE INCH NAILS - THE SLIP
AUDIO
01. 999,999
02. 1,000,000
03. Letting You
04. Discipline
05. Echoplex
06. Head Down
07. Lights In The Sky
08. Corona Radiata
09. The Four Of Us Are Dying
10. Demon Seed
VIDEO
01. 1,000,000
02. Letting You
03. Discipline
04. Echoplex
05. Head Down
