music round up
This has been KISS week around here for some reason. I guess I’m in a mood.
Number one on the list happens to be the new Wal-mart exclusive by the above, Sonic Boom. It’s not bad. Another three disc set ala the Journey box from last year. The new album is decent, the album of rerecordings seems unnecessary but also par for the course, and the DVD will probably be watched once and never spoken of again. Tommy Thayer sounds a lot like Ace Frehley on guitar and Eric Singer could be Peter Criss on vocals, but his drumming has always been a bit too good for this band. Peter is sloppy as hell and that’s a good thing. You can hear the early days of rock in his playing and that is something I enjoy. Singer is a great drummer but to my ears has just never quite gelled with the attitude of the band. He’s more Eric Carr than Peter Criss, and that’s fine, but it just makes me miss Peter. Which is the case with the whole album. Hearing KISS with Thayer and Singer doing their Space Ace and Catman impressions made me seek out the real deal, which leads me to number two…
Frehley recently released a solo album, Anomaly, and it shits on Sonic Boom from great height. You either like his vocals or you don’t, and I do, but even without that small detail it’s a fantastic rock album. And it sounds like a damn rock album, which is rare these days. It’s bigger than life and will kick you in the face. I love it.
Last on the KISS side is Criss’s 2007 album, One for All, which I keep wanting to call All for One, making Google’s job that much harder. It’s an interesting record. For one, it sounds like it was recorded in someone’s bedroom and maybe it was. It’s a very quiet, intimate collection of tunes. I’d say 80% of the album is worth a listen, with the main problems being some strange harmonies and flat vocals on some tunes. I like it though. Clearly, it’s a personal record made for his own enjoyment. I respect that. It really fits well with the mid-70s singer/songwriter albums. It has that very laid back feel. The last 60 seconds of the album is a jam between Peter and Ace. It’s a great way to go out, but, yes, way too short.
On loan from a friend is Paramore’s new one, Brand New Eyes. I like it, but it is VERY slick. To the point that the personality of the band is almost smothered. It’s a shame because it’s good, but could be so much better without the strange American Idol sheen that makes everything sound the same these days.
Speaking of which, that’s something that hit me on a roadtrip this weekend. I have stopped listening to songs just as songs these days and find myself focusing on small details in the production… the vocal reverb, the way the snare sounds, etc. It’s one way to stay interested when you hear the same 15 songs over and over on classic rock stations. The interesting thing is that every song from earlier eras, maybe up to the mid-80s sounds completely different. Not the tunes themselves but the way they were recorded. There was no one recipe that equalled “hit” back then and it really shows. All the songs sound great but they have their own unique sonic personality.
Sadly that is something lost on modern country and pop radio.