Lupology

He used to scare the crap out of me in my early years of high school. Then Mechanical Animals came out and I did a complete 180. I couldnt get enough, it was and still is a brilliant album. Marilyn Manson had some hits after that, but most of his albums since have gone under the radar. Most of which really deserved more praise. Golden Age of The Grotesque was glitchy and dark…it was great for those F U days where I just wanted to run around like the meathead im not and break stuff. Eat Me, Drink Me was pretty good too. With songs like If I was Your Vampire and They Say That Hells Not Hot, It got quite a lot of spins in my car and apartment. But it lacked some inspiration at times. Its strange to say this, but I felt like it lacked heart. This new album, The High End of Low, is something else! Its got this apocalyptic cowboy vibe on some songs, like Four Rusted Horses. Although I have only listened twice, this is one of the standout to me. Then theres the dark beat and growl I have come to love from him on WOW and 15. The sensitive yet gutter-y feel of Running To The Edge of The World. Then the anthems! Arma-goddamn-muthafuckin-geddon and Were From America just make you want to pump your fists and throw yourself around. I feel like getting out the guy-liner haha. Lyrics like “everyone will come to my funeral to make sure that I stay dead” and “forbidden in heaven and useless in hell” shows that he still writes from that dark, absinthe soaked, loathy corners of his soul. If you havent payed attention to his music in quite some time, this would be a great album to reintroduce yourself with! I dig it. The video for the first single, Arma-goddamn-muthafuckin-geddon, is a bit uninspired but looks like a mix of 90’s manson videos meets videos from the post mechanical animals era. It not horrible at all, but I was hoping for some a bit more rage-y. OH and i totally dig the billy idol guitar (sort of) sample in the song…love it!

Enjoy…

Oh yeah, still wearing out the new tori cd. Just got my tickets today…very excited.

 

 

 

Synths, drum machines, strings, haunted voice, the stories…Tori is back. Abnormally Attracted To Sin is great everyone! I have loved her work for so long, was a bit underexcited about scarlets walk..not terribly, but the beekeeper..almost terribly..American Doll Pose was a large glimmer of hope…AATS is beyond the tori we loved so much for albums like Pele and Choirgirl..Little Earthquake…even Y Kant Tory Read…haha seriously, i love that cd!

heres my breakdown..as I am listening to all the songs from start to finish for the first time…

1.Give- brilliant..dark..confident..instantly grabbed me. top 5 FOR SURE i can tell.

2. Welcome to england-not the best first intro to the album(single or whatever), pretty, very  a sorta fairytale.

3. Strong Black vine..wow! hello strings..love the rhythm of this song..the energy makes you wanna slither around

4. Flavor-one of my faves, stunning song

5. Not Dying Today-eh, not my favorite..great lyrics..strangely kate bush-y in a less ethereal way

6. Maybe California- tears within the first minute, playboy mommy and then some!

7. Curtain Call- Dark, very underwordly undertone…it makes me feel like wanting to get revenge. LOVE when she says “it is not personal, although it never is”..chills. I love how she sings Curtain call lowly then climbs with the following lyric..incredible. This sounds like the child of a little earthquakes ballad.

8. Fire to Your Plain- this reminds me of a song that wouldve been on the Y Kant Tory Read album.

9.Police me- Umm what?! hot groove Starts out really sexy!! kind of carnival like, love the electric guitar reminds me of her cover of heart of gold from strange little girls..but not as hypnotic…towards the end i got a wee bit bored…then i thought it ended, but it didnt and the bridge(i guess) was interesting..

10. That Guy- loved the sample on itunes instantly when i heard it on itunes a while back. Its different, theatrical, has a hopeful, epic, movie like vocal.

11. Abnormally attracted to sin- Yep another top song for me, so sexy, strong..i just bobbed my head..u cant help but get caught up in the vibe of this song..it has its own environment..you go there. AND THEN THE BRIDGE…she is really experimenting..its refreshing! She isnt playing it safe like some of the other iconic artists about her age..(ehemm Madonna! haha) Just makes me really believe she sacrificed her artistry a bit for the last few albums by the demands of her label. The last minute is mezmorizing…very dub steppy like i mention about the sample..would love to hear a hard dub step remix…thatd be so rad!

12. 500 miles-ERRRR, eh..not for me, not right now..just doesnt fit the album so far…i feel this song has been around a while..she just didnt find a place for it on the last 3 albums. This is the type of style that turned me off a bit from her last few cds. The sore thumb thus far..

13. Mary Jane-hahaha i read a review or sumthin that said this song was about the relationship between a kid and his mother…ON WEED! “son u want to permeate and discover the realms of the unknown with mary jane” COME ON!? she has got to be a cool mom..like amy poehler…this could be a Pele tip of the hat.

14. Starling- LOVE the beginning..trippy..lyrics, lyrics, lyrics…I love how some of her songs I think “what the H is she talking about?” and others I just get them. I get this song.

15. Fast Horse- Scarlet’s Walky…a bit of that americana type thing she did on that album. Lyrics are good, fun! I picture a bar in some po-dunk southern town with a distressed mother/wife, about to have a breakdown or a liberation..or both…sweaty hair, hot whiskey/warm budweiser, bowl of peanuts with shells everywhere..pink fluffy tank top, white wash jeans or whatever..haha! but i really like it even though that description was kind of scary.

16. Ophelia- Epic piano, yes anastacia..garlands..maryanne..”cosmic flavor”…she solidifies the tone with that song when she sings those words.

17. Lady In Blue- eerie! painted a great visual for me…starts to lose its eeriness..then takes a melodic turn for the bridge that has this call that she sings…it sounds like a tori improv…she just jams, its pretty cool. She is such a gifted musician.

18. Oscars Theme- havent heard it in full…this advance I have doesnt include it. Will  touch on this after next weeks release! (yeah i pre-ordered it!)

 

Overall Pros: Electronic music influence!!! its darker, she takes more risk again, its apparent she has control. Its a strong album from start to finish. I swear she would make each cd 50 songs if they let her…but then itd be mp3 format or whatever probably..nevermind hahaha. But im not complaining, i’d rather have too many songs than not enough…9 song LPs..REALLY?! Id listen to a 50 song album if it was high quality. Anyhoo, This album is gonna grow on me and get a lot of ear time. Im digging it alot.

 

Overall Cons: Its still too polished, sometimes i wish the “band” wasnt there..the guitar works really well sometimes, but others can be a bit dated/middle aged session player trying to be a rockstar-ish. Still miss her letting her voice flail! I wanna her “huh, hah”, “God knooooooows i know” and “mooooooooore, give me” again…(thats from professional widow, blood roses and hotel..right?). I miss that.

Its well worth getting..if youre a long time fan(with every album or even minus the last few) you should really give this a couple spins! I listened in darkness, on good speakers and a glass of cheap white wine…ok, two glasses.

Please excuse typos and parts that may mumble or not make sense..I didnt re-read it or spell check or anything. Just typed now I am gonna publish.

 

Remember Texas? I had their song “In Our Lifetime“(The Hush) stuck in my head the other day, randomly. Then I remembered “Summer Sun“(The Hush), then “Say What You Want” from the album White On Blonde. I Went crazy over those two albums, yet that have 5 more studio albums and a greatest hits. Red Book and Careful What You Wish for are the other two I own. These have more of the sound I love from Texas. The kind of shiny pop, that has this epic feeling to it. Which is what i LOVED so much about Summer Son, its a sexy pop song then once the first chorus hits, it has this darker undertone, even under the claps. It really feels like your being delivered, “here comes the summer son, He burns my skin, i ache again….im over you”,  And those bells or whatever they are in the chorus, damn! Such a great song!

 

Sharleen Spiteri, the lead singer released a solo album last year. I just discovered that. OF COURSE its not on the US Itunes. I don’t have it, but heard the 3 tracks on her Myspace. It sounds really good. Here is the video for “All The Time I Cried“, I love the beginning because she does a bit of acting, and you get to hear her adorable accent!

 

What was the point of this blog?? To reintroduce people to a band you probably liked back in the 90’s early 2000’s but forgot about. “Say What You Want” was a hit here! So rediscover! Take a listen to her Solo stuff! I LOVE going through my giant cd collection and pulling out stuff I may not have listened to since graduating high school in 2000. Texas, although I probably got their cds out last in 2004, is a great pop band, one of the best. I am so glad to be listening to them again.