October 07′ Rehash
Oh, I’m getting there. I really am. November and December to go. October was a good month, some goodies from Dave Gahan, Rob Zombie, Serj Tankian, Siouxsie and others.
The Cult - Born Into This (New Wilderness/Roadrunner)
It’s been a long time coming. Billy Duffy and Ian Astbury once again join in each others company. With a new cast joining them, the group waste no time getting down to business. The end result is a tug-of-war between diverging music styles with neither quite winning out. Songs drawing from the pre-Electric days stand out at the top of the pack, while the more rocking numbers aren’t exactly top-notch, The Cult still manage to raise them above mediocre status.
Dave Gahan - Hourglass (Mute/Virgin)
The second solo album from the Depeche Mode main man finds himself once again the master of his domain. While most were pleasantly surprised at how his first solo effort turned out, and the tracks he has since written for the last Mode release “Playing The Angel”, “Hourglass” finds Dave once again exploring his electro side. Whether God or a sad existence be your vice, Mr. Gahan has served it all here for you to see in a nice little package. He has once again proven he can emerge from the monstrous song-writing shadow of Martin Gore to stand steadily on his own two feet.
Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light (Interscope)
Always on the move to escape the pigeon hole that awaits most artists, the latest Jimmy Eat World album finds them once again popping out pop-punk anthems to titillate the masses, and revel in some power-pop that made them big before Myspace, girls pants and eye liner were all the rage. They have always been forerunners and a step above the rest of their emo brethren they helped spawn so many years ago, and “Chase This Light” proves no exception.
Rob Zombie - Zombie Live (CD) (Geffen)
Where is the polish? Not here. It is rough and raw. Rob Zombie has completely thrown out the conventional overly polished and produced live CD’s in favor of a realistic sound. The kind of sound you hear in the seats. Zombie has always put on one of the top live shows around, and while nothing can do that justice (the upcoming DVD will come a bit closer), the end result of this disc shows off the fine talents of Rob and the guitar intricacies of modern day guitar hero John 5 (and no I won’t forget those guys on drums and bass).
Serj Tankian - Elect The Dead (Serjical Strike/Reprise)
Culled from tons of bits of and pieces of music, Serj mostly sticks to what everyone knows him from best and material loosely styled upon his work with System Of A Down. It is chock full of quirky vocal takes, catchy melodies, and ever present political themes. He doesn’t stray far from the well traveled path, but I don’t count that against him. Enough diversity exists and subtle nuances amongst the album tracks set this apart as a solo work of worthwhile scale, unable to be looked over, and much like his “day job”, unable to be pigeon holed.
She Wants Revenge - Is This Forever (Geffen)
Most people didn’t even know She Wants Revenge had a new album out. I’ll admit, I didn’t either until maybe a few days before it was to come out. It is pretty much everything you’d expect from this group that they’ve already done before. Good or bad, take it as you will. It is catchy, it is dark and brooding, and full of all the heart break that has become Justin’s signature fascination. Maybe because it still has a new shine to it, but as a whole, “Is This Forever” ranks a bit higher then their self-titled as far as overall quality.
Siouxsie - Mantaray(Decca)
She’s a free woman now. No Budgie. No Banshees. No Creatures. Just Siouxsie…. and it is good. Brimming with attitude and confidence, and sounding better then she has in years. Glam, rock, pop… it’s all here and in your face. The album is true to form classic Siouxsie and holds up well against a catalog that has earned legendary status.