Hello degenerates,
heathens, weirdos, deviants, pirates and privateers. I am
the Rock Otaku, and I’m here to show you worlds such as hard rock, metal, punk,
alternative rock, movies, TV, anime, video games, and anything that makes us
scream, shout, and save the galaxy again.
Today, I review a
movie that I’ve recently seen that both fits my interests alongside my
standards of high-octane, high-caliber blockbusters: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
If you’re not sure
what this is, here’s a brief history. In
1967, the ride Pirates of the Caribbean,
one of if not the final ride observed from start to finish by Walt Disney in
its development, opened in Disneyland, becoming one of the most acclaimed
attractions in the park with its theming, atmosphere, charm, and state of the
art Audio-Animatronics. It later got
versions in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park, Tokyo Disneyland, and
Disneyland Paris. The ride would
continue the interest of piracy and its legends to the current day, leading to
everything from The Secret of Monkey
Island to the manga One Piece. Then in 2003, a film adaptation from Walt
Disney Pictures, known as Pirates of the
Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, with Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun, The Rock, Armageddon) as
producer, Gore Verbinski (The Ring)
as director, and starring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, and Orlando Bloom, was
relased, becoming a massive hit for the company, making Depp, a character actor
known for his work with Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam beforehand, a superstar
and pushing boundaries for the family entertainment-based company with its
focus on swashbuckling action and adventure in a PG-13 format (yes, this movie
was Disney’s first film with that rating not released under the Touchstone
label), leading to later films and releases such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe
under their distribution as well as the current crop of Star Wars films (all the current ones released under the Disney
brand were rated PG-13). Obviously, it
got sequels, with Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End, and On Stranger Tides being released in 2006, 2007, and 2011
respectively, the first two helmed by Verbinski. And while the series is successful, each one
is notorious for getting worse word from critics and general audiences not
caring as much successively, and now we’re at the fifth film, which has two new
directors, Espen Sandberg and Joachim Ronning of Kon Tiki and Bandidas fame, at
the helm with Disney hoping to continue the franchise while also breaking its
curse of lesser returns and acclaim than the last film while also making it
more like the first in execution. Did
they succeed?
First, the plot. The film follows the adventures of notorious
pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he’s put in a scenario where he
has to find the legendary Trident of Poseidon to prevent the evil Captain
Salazar (Javier Bardem), who escaped the Devil’s Triangle, from eradicating
piracy from the Caribbean with said item.
Along the way is Henry (Brenton Thwaites), a sailor familiar with the
myths and who has some history through his family with Sparrow as well as
Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a female astronomer who knows how to get to the
Trident. Along the way are several friends
of Jack, including Gibbs (Kevin McNally) alongside the British Navy being a
pain in the Captain’s nautical arse as per usual and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey
Rush), who loses his power on the high seas to Salazar. Ensuing is multiple swashbuckling battles,
sword fights, ship battles, and bizarre mythology, as per usual in the
franchise.
Is it any good? That’s the million dollar question. And my answer is… uh, I feel two ways about
this. While a good chunk of the film is
pretty standard for the series, with only one or two, possibly three or four,
moments that are truly memorable. And
yes, Henry is Will Turner’s and Elizabeth Swan’s son, so his motives involve
trying to rescue his father from his curse, bounding him to the Flying Dutchman
since the third film. And that’s where
the film arguably stumbles. While I can
say, because I’ve seen all 4, now 5, that I can follow the plot a little and
understand each detail, I can’t say that about everyone else, considering that
the filmmakers are trying to go back to basics here. What I mean is that, like with COTBP, the
film’s primary antagonists are a bunch of ghostly cursed sailors (gee, where
have I seen that before), you have the British Navy as co-antagonists, the
focal point of the main plot is a Turner with Jack Sparrow as the wild card comic
relief (while he plays a major role in the overall plot, driving the bad and
good guys mainly), there’s a headstrong female co-lead (who I’ll get to), and
some of the moments feel like they came straight out of the first film,
including an execution scene that may include a fun little moment but, due to
its placement in the story, doesn’t have any stakes. But if I have to give the filmmakers credit,
they finally have a scene with sharks trying to kill our heroes, which is
something that I didn’t realize I needed (even if the closest thing to it
earlier were mermaids and, wait for it, a cursed pirate crew).
Character-wise, the
performances are pretty interesting, but with a few weak points. First is Brenton Thwaites, who’s definitely
the hero and takes from Orlando Bloom in the swashbuckling hero department, and
manages to have a few decent moments, even if he ends up being less important later
on. However, I have to say it, while
Johnny Depp is great as Sparrow, and will definitely be remembered for it, even
he’s getting a little tired in the role and showing signs that the freshness of
the character that made him so loveable is starting to weaken, and it’s causing
me to not care as much whether he makes it, even when he manages to bring a few
funny and charming moments in the film.
Also, we get to see a younger Sparrow, created through de-aging effects
like what’s been seen in other tentpole films by Disney (they seem to really
care about continuity and iconography lately), in a scene where he’s arguably
more interesting and engaging than in the present, since it’s the moment where
we are revealed the villain’s motives and reasons for his curse. Speaking of, while Javier Bardem can be a
great villain actor (with No Country for
Old Men and Skyfall showing this
perfectly), the character of Salazar, probably due to the writing, the
characterization, or how similar his role is to COTBP skeleton Barbossa, is not
as menacing, terrifying, or memorable as previous villains. I mean, while his appearance is cool, and it
really captures just how screwed up he and his crew has gotten thanks to the
Devil’s Triangle, it’s not as scary as a skeleton Geoffrey Rush, a half-squid
Bill Nighy, or even Ian McShane hamming it up as Blackbeard. And while his ship does have some cool
aspects, such as the ability to destroy ships by simply sailing over them, and
then there’s the otherworldly aspects of his crew, he’s not as threatening or
as dangerous as the previous antagonists.
Seriously, I’d like to see a Pirates film where the British Navy are the
true antagonists for a film (At World’s
End barely counts), and the character is played by a modern British actor
with some true menace.
But not every
character is a disaster, as Barbossa is pretty entertaining as usual, and is
arguably one of the better characters here.
Also in that running is Kaya Scodelario’s Carina Smyth, a brilliant
astronomer and horologist who’s trying to complete a puzzle set by her father
in a diary containing clues that’ll get the characters to the trident. And she’s memorable because she’s a woman of
reason and the smartest character in the movie, which leads to a dumb running
gag of the rest of the characters calling her a witch due to her intelligence,
since woman aren’t expected to be smart (ah, 18th-century sexism,
how do I not miss you). Seriously, that
gag, which only has plot relevance for the aforementioned execution scene, is
so half-assed that I think that the filmmakers wanted to give us a reason to
root for her but couldn’t think of something as clever as her. But what she does bring is a sense of logic
and reason, and being able to find some of that in the mythology of the Pirates
franchise. No seriously, she’s
ultimately the most important character in the movie, as she’s the one that
solves all the plot-relevant stuff going on.
But there’s also a twist with her backstory that weaves into one of the
more notable characters in the film, but I’m not going to completely spoil it,
despite the fact that I can admit that it leads to her having some dumb moments
before she figures out what the audience did beforehand. And finally, she does have some funny lines
addressing the outlandishness of the moments she’s in, despite some of the
weirder aspects of the series causing her to act out of character.
But while the
characters are important and all, what about the action, which is why I’m sure
you’re going to check this out. First
off, the shark scene is arguably one of the better moments in the film. Second, the execution scene does have a funny
moment that involves a certain execution device developed in the movie’s time
period and a few close-calls due to its notoriety. Third, there’s a few moments where Salazar’s
ship does some weird things that are cool but not as memorable. Rather than that (as well as a moment that
comes right out of Fast Five), it
feels like the movie is built around a greatest hits montage of the best action
scenes and beats from the previous films, from the sword and ship battles to a
moment where it involves the ocean doing some weird stuff. It’s not as memorable as when it was done the
first time, but if you’re looking to turn your brain off and enjoy the
explosions and pirate action, then it’s fine.
But it’s still done with a lot of skill and practicality (unless CGI is
involved, which there is a lot of it that looks outright fake), and the set
design, the cinematography, the sound design, and the choreography is clear,
easy to follow, and professional. Also, the
score is the same as you’d expect, with a lot of brass, electric guitar-esque
strings, and pounding drums for the action and softer sounds for the quieter
moments as well as all the musical cues you’d expect in a Pirates movie.
And for the plot, the
biggest issue with is that, despite its attempted simplicity, there’s still a
lot going on here. The weird part is
that it’s simple in concept, but there’s so much going on, with all the side
plots, side motives, multiple character point of views, and the double-crossing
as per usual muddling the story and making the movie feel a lot longer than it
really is. I mean, this is around 2
hours (maybe 2 hours and 15 minutes), and it feels like 2 and a half hours with
the amount of filler in the movie, including several gratuitous moments for the
sake of humor, action, story, or trying to get a cameo in (Spoiler: there’s a
Beatle in the cast, and it’s during a moment that’s there for fan service). As a result, this, while not as exhausting as
At World’s End, is pretty exhausting
and it’s ultimately hard to remember it all.
Speaking of which, I’m sure that my immediate family is still wanting to
see Transformers: The Last Knight
when even the signs that it’s going to be a mess are present.
In short, while this
isn’t as bad as On Stranger Tides or At World’s End, nor is it as convoluted,
it’s still a convoluted film with attempts at entertaining the crowd and pleasing
Jack Sparrow fans. While that is fine
for this movie, this is not one that’s going to survive a drunken bender of rum
after seeing it due to how stale it feels.
But the worst aspect is that it proves that Disney would rather have arguably
one of its most important franchises jogging in motion rather than progressing
into more interesting directions (like Marvel, Star Wars, or even the DCEU) to
appease a very easy market to make movies for (and no, leaning Japanese won’t
allow me to ask China and Russia for why they keep demanding these movies to be
homogenous). But to be honest, I did
like it a bit, and there are some moments where I laughed and was on the edge
of my seat, so this may lead to a much higher score than you’d expect. But if you’re looking for quality, stick with
Curse of the Black Pearl or wait
until Wonder Woman, which is looking
to be the smash of the summer.
Final Rating: 6/10 (Yar
har, fiddle dee dee, this pirate movie is okay to me)
Hello degenerates, heathens,
weirdos, and deviants. I am the Rock Otaku, and I’m here to show you
worlds such as hard rock, metal, punk, alternative rock, movies, TV, anime,
video games, and anything that makes us scream, shout, and let it all out.
Welcome to my Rockin’ Billboard
Chart Watch. Here, I take a break from reviewing classic heavy metal
albums, movies, TV, anime, games, and so on to review what is popular in the
rock scene according to Billboard. Back in the late 19thcentury, the magazine started as a
news source for the entertainment industry back in the day (thus, circuses,
fairs, and burlesque shows were covered), then, when music became a big
business, it started covering music. Then they started having an album
chart, then a singles chart, in the mid-20thcentury, both of which are still going
on to this very day, with changes to accommodate the changes in the landscape
of music distribution. But for the rock stuff, the first chart, which
would be known today as the Mainstream Rock chart, debuted on March 21, 1981,
with the Alternative Songs chart following suit in 1988, the Adult Alternative
chart premiering some time in 2008, then the all-encompassing Hot Rock Songs
chart came to fruition in 2009. Here, I review them all, in order of
either mainstream importance, date of creation, or which songs have the most
material I can cover each week.
While I may not completely
discuss all 4 of those, I will provide my thoughts on this week’s charts.
I’ll provide some of my smooth commentary on the new tracks that came out for
each chart. For the older ones, there are two methods I’m planning: the
first is to edit this entry depending on views while also creating entries
based on charts made earlier in the year based (again) on views. So for
today, I’ll provide my two cents for the songs that came out for Billboard’s June
3, 2017 versions of the Hot Rock Songs, Alternative Songs, and
Mainstream Rock songs in that order. As for Adult Alternative, that would
be more of a special moment if there’s a song everybody reading these things
wants me to praise or tear into.
Like with the last few, I’ll
review the top 10 songs in order from highest charting to lowest with a short
review that’ll provide my thoughts on it as of this week. That and I’ll
discuss songs that Billboard considers having merit, like best increases in
position, sales, streaming, and airplay. But with all of these songs
having already been reviewed, and my focus on how many views I’ll need to
re-review each reviewed track (which is 100 times the ranking the song is in),
that isn’t as likely as of now. That and
the new songs will be reviewed as well, and they’ll definitely be reviewed.
Unless I reviewed it in a previous entry, initially or updated due to it
meeting my viewership goals.
But before we talk about this,
let’s get this out of the way. On May
17, 2017, we lost Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog frontman Chris
Cornell at the age of 52. The reason for
this untimely demise would be determined as suicide by hanging, and other
details would reveal his use of Ativan pills and how they affected his thought
process. But beyond the details, this is
truly a major loss in the rock scene, as Cornell had one of the most
distinctive singing styles across multiple genres from grunge to heavy metal
and from alternative rock to hard rock, with a strong sense of range and feel
to his voice. That and he was one of the
most respected singers in rock music, with strong connections and views on the
world, even with a varied solo career. We
may have many rock singers who will rise after him, but there’ll never be
another Chris Cornell. Rest in Peace,
dude.
Chris Cornell (1964-2017)
Oh, and something about Linkin
Park and Paramore releasing new albums last week. I’ll get to the former in my Let Them Eat
Metal series, but the latter does have several tunes on the main chart. Anyway, let’s begin.
Now for the Hot Rock Songs, in
order of highest position to lowest, with reviews for new tracks:
With the death of Chris Cornell,
it makes sense to look into his music with Soundgarden and others to understand
most of his musical thought processes.
In this case, I’m not sure with the video, even if the song has a
Beatles-on-90s drugs vibe to it. The
slow beat, the soft and moody verses where the guitars are played with an echo
effect, and then there’s the extra intensity with the chorus. There, the vocals go from basic dark to moody
and even belting, leading to a mad guitar solo from Kim Thayil, showcasing his
talents and added weirdness. Plus you
have the bass and drums from Ben Sheppard and Matt Cameron adding to the dark
vibes of the song. As for the lyrics,
I’m sure this is more about emotions rather than tangibility, as the idea of a
black hole for a sun would be disastrous for humanity and the earth in general,
as seen in the video. If there’s a flaw,
it’s the vagueness, the moodiness, and the dark melodies being a hard sell for
most mainstream audiences, even though the 90s weren’t a time for
tangibility. But that’s what made the
90s memorable, and ultimately this a modern classic. Definitely amazing.
But Chris Cornell isn’t just known for Soundgarden. Sometime in the late 90s after the grunge
icons’ breakup, Chris Cornell united with various members of Rage Against The
Machine, including guitar wizard Tom Morello, into starting an alternative rock
supergroup. While not as heavy as the
two bands that this group spun off from, Audioslave manage to be as interesting
and impactful on the scene, being among the best supergroups of all time. And this moody ballad showcases Cornell’s vocal
skills as well as Morello’s ability to go from melodic lines to punchy chords,
then play one of his mind-bending and sound-bending solos, imitating a DJ while
having a noticeable tone on the guitar. That
and the bass and drums are also strong, adding to a great beat. In short, this song is a good alternative
rock tune, even if the biggest flaw is my inability to get a good grasp on what
the song is about. Even then, I do get
the sense that it’s about being in some sort of emotional funk. Even then, this song is pretty good, and it’s
definitely recommended.
Like with the last Soundgarden
track, this is more aobut attitude, emotion, and moodiness in the lyrics than
it is about tangibility. But even then,
the title’s sentiment is a lot easier to digest. As for the song, it’s more on the softer
side, even when it has some serious bite to it.
That opening guitar riff is something that can only come from harder,
angrier rock than from a Top 40 playlist.
And the vocal performance is equally dark, with a moody vibe and some
serious emotion, especially when Chris sings “I wanna know if this could be my
fate.” Plus you have some great bass and
drum work from Ben and Matt. And the
solos from Kim are a great mix of the band’s heavy base and the strong
psychedelic influence on this track as well as the rest of Superunknown in general. And
the lyrics are strong, having a strong base in negative emotion nearly leading
to self-destruction, and wondering if the darker things that have happened are
due to some pre-determined fate.
Something that makes sense if you came from or lived in a crappy town
like Seattle. Seriously, it’s dark and
cold there, and I don’t see a lot of ultra-happy glam metal bands coming from
there. Bands with an influence from it,
but not straight glam. And Soundgarden
is an example of why.
But Audioslave isn’t the only
known supergroup Chris Cornell in.
Alongside several members of Pearl Jam, with those guys originally from
Mother Love Bone (Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard, specifically), we got this
grunge tribute to the closest thing to a glam rock star from Seattle, Andrew
Wood. But their biggest hit was a song
about going hungry in reaction to the rich and their actions. Yeah, it’s one of those weird songs with
weird lyrics that you have to dig deep into.
However, the mix of singing of Eddie Vedder (despite his overrated
tones) and Chris Cornell is what makes this song work, and the guitars from
Mike McCready and Stone Gossard are also done well, with chords, arpeggios, and
several licks, plus you have Jeff Ament’s bass and Matt Cameron’s drums keeping
things in check. If there’s a flaw with
this track, it’s that, with the benefit of what would happen after this song
hit, it sounds generic, basic, and like the kind of rock out-of-touch dads
would preach as the Gospel. Not to say
it’s really bad, but that it’s not the kind of rock that’d inspire the next
Metallica, Nirvana, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, KISS, or even Linkin Park. It’s a good song for what it’s worth.
19.
Spoonman – Soundgarden*
“Speak the rhythm with your
hands! (Steal the rhythm while you can) SPOONMAN!”
Easily the heaviest single
released from Superunknown, this hard rocker manages to still have the bizarre
look on reality and society that Soundgarden specialized in. Here, this is a tribute to, of all people, a
musician who’s main instrument is spoons.
Spoons!
Seriously, I wouldn’t be
surprised if the band became fans of The Tick if they knew the connections with
this song and that character. As for the
song itself in the music department, do I need to say anything else? The guitars are heavy, thick and aggressive,
so is the bass, the drums are some of the best from that album, and Chris
Cornell’s vocal performance is a rock star performance, with throat-shredding
vocals and powerful melodies, with a lot of belting. The solo here is some of Kim’s best
work. And you also get some of the work
of the titular spoon performer’s musical abilities, adding to the song rather
than being part of some elaborate punchline.
In short, this is a bonafide grunge classic, and a reason that
alternative metal exists.
Yes, there are differences
between this and “Cochise,” but it’s weird just how similar those two songs
sound. Or is that just me? But after listening to that track, I can
mention the differences, even if this didn’t get as much radio play as this
one. But then, this song is a great hard
rock tune from a band that’s known for brainy hard rock. And with those opening guitars lines from Tom
Morello paired with a thick bass and pounding drum line, we get a cool-sounding
tune that makes you feel like a badass when you do things to it. Especially when you get to Chris Cornell’s
vocal performance, with a sense of range and a lot of belting. And we also get some lyrics dealing with,
what I think, having no sense of living and needing a reason to. After getting a life from someone he
knows. But who cares, this is a song
with Morello on guitar, and the solo is as distinctly Morello as you can get,
even when it’s more simple and straightforward, along with the riffs. Is it a brainy tune? I’m not sure, but I know that this is a
badass tune, and one of the best straightforward rock songs from the 2000s
(man, that decade sucked for rock music).
Oh, is it me, or does the drummer
look like the Winter Soldier?
22.
With Or Without You – Hunter Plake*
Is it me, or are we getting a few
songs that came from The Voice. And they are the ones that are essentially
studio and suit-friendly covers of much rawer stuff. But in this case, it’s not too bad, as it’s a
cover of U2’s “With Or Without You,” with the singer, Hunter Plake, being close
in tone to the legendary but overrated Bono.
And even the, there are a few moments from his performance that feel a
little too off and/or missing in tone.
What I mean is that he’s not exactly Bono, and the song is performed by
the backing band competently. As if
they’re just playing a faithful cover of the original song. Beyond that, it’s just a basic cover of a U2
song that’s been given a glossy makeover for our votes. It’s alright, I guess?
23.
I Was Wrong – Jesse Larson*
You know, if this was going to be
a cover of the Social Distortion song of the same name, I’d have my hopes
up. However, this is a cover of the song
by Chris Stapleton, and based on this basic, corporate version featuring a
decent singer in Jesse Larson, I might like the original. With its bluesy approach and chill vibe, this
could easily be a song I could just kick back and relax to, even with the
guitar solo that’s performed in this track which is a lot more technical than I
would have liked (even if it’s appreciated).
But beyond that, I should probably give the original a shot to see if
there was a reason to cover this, or if Jesse Larson was following trends.
Okay, so the version from The
Voice might be decent, but the original by Chris Stapleton might have to be the
better version. The production is
fantastic, being raw and unfiltered to match with the ruggedness in Chris
Stapleton’s voice, and while the lyrics really don’t have a clear narrative
like basic country music, it’s still better songwriting than most country out
there, fitting the bluesy vibe of this track.
And the solo is actually pretty good, fitting the low-key feel of this
track. And his voice. His voice.
If this is my true introduction to Chris Stapleton, then this might be
the saving grace country music seriously needs.
Enough with Sam Hunt; give this guy the record for best-selling country
single of all time.
24.
Lust For Life – Lana Del Rey Featuring The Weeknd
So to end our run of nostalgia
for the career of Chris Cornell, we end with the track that probably sums up
his life. With this low-key song, we get
a clean guitar performance that, alongside some decent bass and drums, adds to
Chris’ soulful performance in making this song deal with the sense that he’s
not someone’s puppet; he’s the highway.
And yes, this is the kind of song that, due to its lyrics, ends up being
riffed by guys like Todd in the Shadows for its weird reference points. But here, let me say that this song is a
great rock tune with strong country influences throughout, from the lyrics to
the tone of it all. And the guitars are
done well here, with great use of acoustics and electric guitars, and with all
of this adding to a great guitar solo by Tom Morello, showing that he’s able to
do more soulful soloing than his more traditional experimental gimmick, giving
him more range than shown in RATM. And
Cornell is at arguably his best with his crooning and belting, showing everyone
in the rock scene how it’s done. And now
he takes the highway to Rock ‘N’ Roll Valhalla, and he will be missed in
Midgard.
From the 90s to a former emo act
channeling the 80s, we get to one of 5 tunes by Paramore premiering on this
chart. And this song has me in
conflict.
I am a sucker for 80s-style pop
and rock, which is probably one major reason why chiptune and hair metal (or
any combination of the two) will catch my attention if you use them. And Paramore does a good job with a more
retro, new wave-inspired style. The
guitars are great, the bass is catchy, the drums are fun, and Hayley Williams
continues to show why she’s such a talent in the overall music industry. And the lyrical focus is great as well,
matching with that vibe.
The band is known for tunes like
“Crushcrushcrush” and “Misery Business,” and this is in direct contrast with
that style. It’s as if Paramore is
trying to say that we should forget about their first three albums, as this is
the band now. But it’s hard to bash that
when they do a better job at making sugary pop than a certain other band. When I get to then, I’ll explain my position.
So Linkin Park has been going
around lately and telling us to stop demanding them to make another Hybrid Theory. And they’ve been getting crap about it since
they did that. Yet there is a reason
they should be listening to their long-time fans. It’s not that their new stuff isn’t like that
classic album. It’s that their new stuff
is crap. And the pop/EDM influences are
the start, with the guitars, bass, and drums, aka the stuff that makes them a
rock band, is put into the backmix with the mainstream effects pushed into the
foreground. And to add to that, the
vocals are put into a bunch of bad effects, making them sound robotic and less
authentic. But there’s good electronica
and EDM out there, so why is Linkin Park making bad music? Because this is BORING! It’s white noise. Even with some of the guitars in the
background barely getting some skill and a very fake drum machine, this song
could have worked and showed that this direction was worth it if it had any
punch or emotion. This isn’t
experimentation or pushing your sound into new directions. This is selling out. And the worst part, because of how bored even
Chester sounds, it makes the fact that this is a sellout move is made
worse. This is about as bland and
inoffensive as most modern pop. Jeez, no
wonder why Todd is suddenly depressed.
33.
Fake Happy – Paramore
And where Linkin Park’s idea of
changing sounds is abandoning their old sound and trying to act more
mainstream, Paramore’s idea of changing sounds reflects their maturity as well
as maintaining a sense of fun. Even with
the opening lines containing a sense of melancholy and wistfulness, the song
then punches into gear and has a sense of irony, being very happy and poppy but
being about being in a state of despair but not showing it. And to add to that is Hayley’s vocal
performance, showing a sense of sadness within her voice while singing in a
slightly upbeat key, the guitars are rightfully happy and jangly with great
lines throughout, the bass is thick and chunky, the drums are pretty good and
catchy, and the use of synths is welcome, giving this an 80s new wave feel. In short, I don’t have to go any further, but
I can mention that the opening can be a little off for some people, but when
the song goes into good vibes disguising the darkness, it jumps up, leading to
a good song, especially compared to what Linkin Park is doing.
Continuing with the Hayley
Williams Band’s dominance of the rock charts, we get to a song about the sense that
she won’t give this guy some respect after he hurt her. But even then, this song is a deceptively
happy song, in the vein of Tears For Fears, dealing with such dark concepts
here. Adding to the comparison are the guitars
having a jangly vibe similar to their hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” Then there’s also the bass and drum
performance being similar to the aforementioned song alongside the use of
keys. And of course here’s Hayley
Williams, whose performance here evokes the classic new wave vocals of the
80s. In short, this is a great trip to
the 80s in tone, even if the concept is pretty dark.
43.
The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness – The National*
But if there’s a core style in
rock music now that I’d rather not focus on as much, even when it’s merely
good, it’s the massive amount of indie pop.
And this track adds to that style with it’s low-key drum, bass, and
guitar performance, with the latter being the more interesting style here. The vocals are low and loaded with vibes that
come from an awkward baritone, and the lyrics are pretty pretentious, with its
thematic style. But if there’s a saving
grace to this track, it’s the inclusion of a decent and very melodic guitar
solo that gets the melodic identity of this song extremely well, even better
than the singing. And the beat is pretty
bouncy. While I don’t hate this kind of
song, it’s definitely something that I’ll need more time to digest.
44.
Right Now – HAIM*
First, they take a song title
from Cher Lloyd and make a better song out of it. Now they take a Van Hagar song title and
somehow fall short of that rock classic.
What I mean is that this song, on its own, is a decent indie pop tune with
a lot of soul, a decent melody line, and some feelings in the lyrics. And the bursts of guitar add some fire to the
track. But in comparison to the Van
Hagar tune, it’s rather tame, and that was a song of revolution and getting off
your ass to go out and fight. Here, this
is about relationship woes. And I’m sure
that it’s not going to have the impact that the other song had. Such a shame, that tune is a rock classic,
and this could have been a contender.
Even with the bursts of sound, this is tamer. Nothing else to say but meh.
Whereas Taylor Swift wrote a song
about how being 22 is awesome, it’s as if Paramore wrote a song about how much
it sucks to be 26. And it confirms to me
that Paramore’s move into pop is not as bad as one may think. But here’s where this song could have failed:
the instrumentation. Not to trash it,
but it’s going for an acoustic performance that incorporates some electric
guitar after the first chorus alongside some orchestral strings, with some bass
and drums in the mix. And the focus is
on Hayley’s emotional vocal performance, and that’s where this song may be able
to get some tears streaming down. And
there’s a sense of melancholy that’s more pronounced this time, making this a
much sadder song than the other tunes here.
In short, this is a nice song, but not the best of the band on this
album, or their careers.
With the use of what sounds like
a xylophone and weird tubes at the beginning, the song kicks into gear when the
rest of the band jumps in, with the guitars being a driver here, some kickass
basslines, a funky drum performance, and so on.
Then you get to the vocal performance from Hayley, where she sings about
being in an environment where she’s on the verge of falling (or drowning)
emotionally, and using a pool as the comparison point. And to add to that, the performance by all
members is very emotionally charged, with several moments of great melodic
lines and intensity. Alongside that, the
use of the xylophone and tubes, with the synthesizers, is great, adding to the
atmosphere. If there’s a song I’d
compare this to, it the band’s “Ain’t It Fun” that I’d do so with, due to the
song’s vibe and energy. In short, this
song is pretty good, and a good song to have here.
And for this week thanks to deaths
and new albums, here are the dropouts from then:
Sucker For Pain – Lil Wayne, Wiz
Khalifa & Imagine Dragons With Logic & Ty Dolla $ign Feat. X
Ambassadors
I’m sure that this is from that
album they did about how dangerous drones are.
Adding to that idea is the bizarre opening musical elements, going for
electronic bass sounds and wubs that incorporate a few melodic electronic
swells. That being driven by a pounding
set of electronic drums. Adding to that
are some strong melodic lines where Matt Bellamy goes for a throat-pushing
vocal performance. All leading to a
powerful chorus. After that are some
guitars or some extra sounds in the second verse and chorus. And while there aren’t a lot of guitars, they
are all saved for a shredding solo that goes into crazy licks in the final
chorus. Overall, this is a
thought-provoking, hard as heck song from these British prog masters.
28.
Good Morning – Grouplove (Need 10 views to review)
29.
Kill For Candy – Dreamcar (Need 20 views to review)
While the rest of their work
lately, the stuff they previously showed, is based around their punk roots and
classic pop punk sound, this is more of an acoustic performance. And it’s not bad, but isn’t the classic they
want it to be. While I may have
discussed the band before and given them kudos, I have to bring up that their
new singer is no Tom DeLonge, but he’s a decent singer in general, and he does
add to the sound of the band while fitting in like a glove. And this ballad is a good showcase of how his
sound not just fits in the band overall, but his talents as a singer, but at
the same time, it’s a decent but generic ballad about loneliness and the stuff
that non-emo fans used to make fun of in the genre, from the emotive vocals to
the lyrics. In general, this has some
good instrumentation, but that’s also added by Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker,
and it’s a decent song in general. Not
great, not awful, but alright.
Fun fact: I used to like this
band, but their ventures into more industrial, pop-based sounds versus their
earlier melodic metalcore roots is causing me to lose faith in them. However, this song does start with some
decent elements from a good drive and beat as well as Maria Brink’s sleazy vocals
to the eastern influences in the melody.
And the song does get some drive in the second part of the verse. But then the chorus hits, and it’s another
basic nu metal-inspired chorus with the vocalist being the only source of
melody, a plodding beat, and even some generic guitars. And the song after that starts to lose steam
fast, even with the continued aggression.
And, of course, Maria Brink is the best part of the track, with her
vocal performance combining sleaze, anger, and frustration while dealing with
being corrupted by dark forces leading to easily the most memorable aspect of
this track. I don’t know why, but with
the generic guitars, bass, drums, and synths, I will probably forget this track
after listening to death metal, power metal, black metal, j-pop, and Europop as
well as drinking and watching anime, all not in any particular order. But I do expect multiple AMVs of this in the
future.
More music from Chevelle? Sweet.
For this track, this definitely has more of an exotic vibe from the
melody of singer Pete Loeffler. That and
the guitar performance having a flamenco vibe to it, but that’s me. All of that being buildup into a loud,
furious chorus that is loaded with rage and fury. And during this, the bass and drums pick up
to match with the increase in distortion in the guitars here. You also get a great guitar solo (make that
two after a simple section of the bridge literally bridging both solos) as
well. And the production really adds to
the sound and fury, keeping things on the soft side in the verses while going
on full blast in the chorus, making is so that casual listeners end up getting
something from the track after being drawn in by the siren wails of the
verses. In general, this is a great
tune, and an example of why Chevelle are among the best in post-grunge,
specifically the more metallic and progressive side of it. Definitely recommended.
So those were my thoughts on the
charts and the new arrivals. If you feel that I skipped out on certain
songs, then feel free in the comments what songs you want me to elaborate
on. I have plans depending on how this is received for what I will review
next week as well as what is new next week for the chart(s) I ultimately look
at. If you have different opinions on the songs I reviewed, feel free to tell
me in the comments as well.
