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Remember me? That Culture Dog feller who used
to ramble on and on about DVDs and other shiny products? Well I’m back, but
this time I’m going to try something different and ramble
on about DVDs and other shiny products. The key difference is that
I’m reviewing a few instead of supplying a calendar of upcoming
releases. So that means this is stuff you can run right out and
buy/borrow/usurp today! We’ll be rocking for the most part,
but I’ll throw in a mellower disc at the end for a proper
chill-out moment. Enjoy!
Clutch – Blast Tyrant (DRT Entertainment) Clutch is one of
my favorite bands (and are a mind-blowing group to see live), so
a new release from them is always more than welcome. For the uninitiated,
they’re a splendid mix of Mountain-style 70s power rock,
Frank Zapper psychedelic with a sprinkling of funk here and there.
Their past catalogue contains stunning examples of Space Rock,
Redneck Rock and even Civil War Rock. The new release flies closer
to the former, with tales of a bizarre tyrant hunting down wormlike
creatures with his ship the Swollen Goat. But fear not, this is
not a concept album where style drowns out the groove. Nope, the
tunes are the number one priority, and this has to be one of Clutch’s
accessible efforts.
Vocalist Neil Fallon still sound as if he gargles with Drano on
occasion, and he continues to stun as one of the most imaginative
lyricists around. (Though my favorite line at the moment is still
the simple “Condoleeza Rice is nice, but I prefer A-Roni’)
The guitar work from Tim Sult is some dirty, mean stuff – all
originating from vintage Orange amps and effects pedals. And for
the first time ever, he lays down two tracks with copious amounts
of acoustic guitar. It works well, and hints that Clutch still
has plenty of unexpected moves to make in the future. The drumming
from Jean-Paul Gaster is always in the pocket, and Blast Tyrant
is no different. Though their earlier, self-released album Jam
Room contains a drum solo track that hasn’t been topped yet.
The fifteen tracks go by quickly, and that’s the point. Clutch
is here to park their van, rock you for an hour and move on to
the next gig. Throw in some nifty artwork on the digipak and a
bit of CD-Extra material, and you can’t go wrong. Old school
fans may gripe that they’ve wimped out in later years (their
earliest releases flirted heavily with hardcore), but I think the
band has been soaring ever since they spaced out and expanded their
musical horizons. So many bands out there can bludgeon you with
riffs, but how many hardcore bands can rock your world and your
imagination? Well, sure, Hanson comes close but… Never mind.
Clutch rules. Check out Blast Tyrant and your ears will thank you.
Probot – Probot (Southern Lord) I understand that this is
heresy, but I’m really not all that bothered by the music
world’s loss of Kurt Cobain. Because with him out of the
way, I can truly appreciate just how talented ex-Nirvana drummer
Dave Grohl is and be thankful for the fact that he rocks my world
on a regular basis. Okay, he’s got that Foo Fighters gig
going for him, but he also showed up pounding skins for Tenacious
D on their eponymous debut. Then he shows up destroying the skins
on the last Queens of the Stone Age album. Then he pops up once
again as part of Killing Joke on one of their best releases ever.
And if those last three examples hint that Dave likes to rock a
bit more than is evident from his Foo Fighters material, Probot
is the release that seals the deal.
First whispered of as a rumor in 2001, Probot was supposed to be
Dave Grohl’s metal project, in which he would collaborate
with numerous luminaries of the genre. It was dangerously close
to being a ‘one of these days’ project, until the head
of Southern Lord records gave Grohl a record deal and the kick
in the pants to get it all going. So cut to now, and we have a
heavy, heavy release with Grohl performing much of the instrumentation
by himself (remember that bit last paragraph when I said he was
talented?). The vocals he left up for grabs, and manages to convince
tons of metal gods to add their own touches to the record. Sepultura/Soulfly
frontman Max Cavalera helms a pre-9/11 warning in “Red War’,
while Motorhead’s Lemmy does his thing on ‘Shake Your
Blood’, the first single from the project. Other folks include
members of D.R.I., Celtic Frost, Venom, Voi Vod and Mercyful Fate’s
legendary vocalist King Diamond. Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich
(who also appeared on Clutch’s last album) from The Obsessed
throws in his two cents as well. You may need to be a fan of 80s/90s
metal to get the full effect of what makes Probot work so well,
but give it a shot. Dave Grohl is a marvelously passionate music
fan, and I look forward to seeing what he does (or who he works
with) next.
Beth Gibbons & Rustin Mann – Out Of Season (Sanctuary
Records) Okay, you’ve rocked too much, your neck is sore
and you need to take it down a notch or five. Beth Gibbons is the
heinously gifted vocalist from the trip-hop (I hate that word… sorry
I used it) ensemble Portishead. If you’re wondering when
their third studio effort will hit shelves, well so am I. In the
meantime, Beth has loaned her beautiful vocals to this collaboration
with ex-Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb (aka Rustin Mann). This disc
was available for a while as a pricey import, but the stateside
release has finally arrived with a bonus live track and a video
for the opening track ‘Mysteries’.
First off, this album is similar in feel to the style of Beth Orton
and a bit of Nick Drake, but can be even more fragile… so
TURN IT UP! This really has to be played loud to be enjoyed. Fans
of Portishead may be a bit befuddled at first, but by track five
(Sand River) you should be suitably entranced. ‘Spider Monkey’,
the sixth track is probably my favorite at the moment, but that
could change as every listen seems to yield new information and
melodies. The instrumentation is spare, so just because P-Head
mainstay Adrian Utley is on board for some tracks doesn’t
mean that his John-Barry-in-a-dark-alleyway guitar twang is present.
Soft acoustic guitar and bass are the main focus, and Beth’s
vocals weave their way in and out of the arrangements. Sometimes
her voice sounds so fragile that it threatens to evaporate at any
given moment. And that’s a good thing. So if you’ve
had a long night at the clubs and need something to take the edge
off of the wee hours, slap this puppy in the player and feel free
to melt into a couch of your choosing.
And since as a Culture Dog I deal extensively with the world of
DVDs, I’ll throw down a little on two of my favorite music
DVDs to have come down the pike this year.
Opeth – Lamentations/Live At The Shepherd’s Bush Empire
(Koch/Music For Nations)
Stockholm, Sweden’s Opeth are one of the biggest metal bands
in the world. They’re also one of the best prog/mood rock
bands in the world. Sound like a bit of a contradiction? They are,
but are all the more popular for it. Opeth began as purveyors of
Swedish death metal, blasting double bass drums and croaking out
demonic vocals with the best of ‘em. Yet their music was
well written and often experimental. That style evolved over the
years, and they eventually joined forces with a certain member
of Porcupine Tree. (bait for editorial commentary ?) (and here
it is: a note from yours truly, the psychedelic, ambient princess…aka
the editor: I found this band because of Steven Wilson’s
work as producer, etc. I was hooked because these masters of metal
are so much more than just purveyors of dark, fast thrash, they
are truly interesting, melodic, masters and beg for the attention
of more than your usual metal fan.) This DVD mainly focuses on
their more melodic material, with the addition of a keyboard player
helping things along. I’ve yet to sample the other supplied
sound options, but the 5.1 DTS Surround track is simply stunning.
Mikael Akerfeldt’s guitar sounds like it’s in the room
with you, and these guys are playing for keeps during this performance.
Mistakes are nowhere to be found, so enjoy listening to a superb
live performance with excellent audio quality. The only drawback
is the constant urge to turn it up even louder, thereby angering
neighbors and/or cattle. Visually this disc is stunning. The rich
colors from stagelights are often hard to convey on video, but
this release does it extremely well. It’s one of the best
live DVDs I’ve ever seen. As an extra you get a documentary
on the making of the albums ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Damnation’.
I always love the fact that guys from death metal bands always
seem to be such happy people in general. And you’ll be happy
too if you purchase this cheap, marvelous DVD.
Tenacious D – The Complete Masterworks (Epic Music Video)
I name-dropped these fellers earlier, and I’ve reviewed it
with Kevin on a past segment of Culture Dogs, but let’s make
this clear – Tenacious D rocks! Yes, they are the acoustic
metal maestros known as Jack Black (of ‘School of Rock’ fame)
and Kyle Gass. And if you’ve been rocked by their awesome
riffs via their full-length 2001 album or their numerous HBO shorts,
then this release is a no-brainer. Disc one contains an entire
concert from London’s Brixton Academy, in which they play
most of their material in the original dual-acoustic D style. They
also unveil a killer rendition of Queen’s theme to Flash
Gordon. Rock!
The remainder of disc one contains all of their ‘Mr.Show’ era
HBO mini-movies, in which the D search for Inspirado, Sasquatch,
or just do mightly metal battle with a shiny demon who yields to
their mighty axwork. A fave bit is when Kyle steals JB’s
beloved, a record shop clerk who is into Satan, spinal piercing
and clogging. Disc two (labeled ‘for psycho fans only) reveals
more HBO shorts in even worse taste, most of which are helmed by
Sifl and Olly co-creator Liam Lynch. Also included are D appearances
from Mad TV, Crank Yankers and Late Night With Conan O’Brien.
Not to mention Spike Jonze’s video for ‘Wonderboy’,
Liam Lynch’s video for “Tribute’ (both with making
of segments – check out Dave Grohl as Satan!) and Spumco’s
gutbusting animated video fro FHG. Throw in two documentaries about
touring and recording and you’ve got a killer DVD release
from the greatest band of all time! Bow in their presence and bask
in their afterglow!
And that’s it for me this time out. Thanks for reading and
hopefully something I’ve covered will pique your interest.
Rock!
Copyright©WWUH: May/June Program
Guide, 2004 |
