Looking at the CD for "Nightmare Revisited", I really have to imagine that it was prompted by a Disney executive in a nondescript boardroom saying, "Geez, we ought to exploit this Nightmare Before Christmas property after all these years!". Beloved of spooky kids everywhere, a 'special edition' DVD of the film has just been released, and to accompany it is this album, a collection of covers of the full original soundtrack, I.E. with 20 different artists all covering a different song. Luckily, the album sounds much better than a quick cash-in should (though this can be attributed in no small part to the strength of Danny Elfman's songs). The choice of artists is interesting; although there are exceptions, the album largely splits into straightforward alternative rock on the one hand (Flyleaf, Korn, Rise Against, Plain White T's) and more experimental, hipster-approved bands (Sparklehorse, The Polyphonic Spree, Datarock). I have to say that my preference (at least on this album!) is for the former. Marilyn Manson's bombastic Weimar-metal cover of "This Is Halloween" is clearly cartoonish by design; Sparklehorse's "Something's Wrong With Jack" is insufferably precious, a mess of glittery meandering and falsetto vocals. Definitely a worthwhile album - most of the time - for fans of Jack and Co.-N. Zombie
To be blunt, 'Fasciinatiion', the new album from The Faint (and their first self-released album from their new label blank.wav) is rather disappointing. To be sure, the Nebraska boys haven't altered their 80's-referencing synth-rock/dance sound to any great degree - in fact, none of Fasciinatiion's ten tracks would sound out of place on any of The Faint's last three albums. Still, the album is even more uneven than 'Wet From Birth' was. While "The Geeks Were Right" is a pulsing club banger, other tracks (like "Fulcrum & Lever") are meandering exercises in storytelling, or tedious and overwrought (especially the boyfriend-girlfriend argument tracks "Psycho" and "I Treat You Wrong" as well as "A Battle Hymn For Children"). Hopefully with the distractions of their apparent disagreements with Saddle Creek behind them, The Faint can get back to writing killer dancefloor songs with actual hooks in them.-N. Zombie
Portishead - Third
11 years (!) after their last studio album was released, Portishead have returned with an album that is dark and obscure, an often jarring listen. It is also pretty damn fantastic. This is powerful, intimate music that really asks to be listened to on its own terms - while the trip-hop sound that Portishead helped to popularize became watered down by subsequent followers into inoffensive, background 'chillout' music (Morcheeba, anyone?), "Third" is more tense than even Portishead's previous works. The first few tracks recall the retro-cinema vibe of much of their first two albums, but the band soon move into weirder, more personal territory. 'Nylon Smile' rolls along with a hand-drum rhythm, 'The Rip' is morose and pretty with an acoustic guitar backing up Beth Gibbons (until analog synths and drums wash in halfway through), while 'Magic Doors' is almost defiant. My favourite track, though, is the aptly-named 'Machine Gun' which features a back-breaking drum loop. And of course this should be a given, but it bears saying that Beth Gibbons' vocals are the star of the show on this album. Highly recommended (just don't put it on at a party).-N. Zombie N. Zombie will be reviewing only zombie approved awesome albums weekly, to brighten your dreary existence. Or the opposite. Or whatever. :-)
Oh no! I think its alive! I think its coming this way. I think its wearing a band t-shirt?!A zombie lives with me, and periodically rises from the grave to give you...
Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts
"Ghosts" is a sprawling instrumental double album, an extended experiment in mood and texture. Most of the tracks (there are no traditional 'songs') tend to be a good deal less abrasive than the bulk of the Nine Inch Nails discography and wouldn't be out of place on an Aphex Twin or Brian Eno album. While well-executed, "Ghosts" is less interesting to me as a piece of music and much more interesting as a ground-breaking example of the potential next wave of music distribution. Trent Reznor self-released the album March 2nd without any prior advertisement through his own website and on Amazon as a digital download ($5 for the full album). In addition to offering a number of "real" CD options involving various types of fancy packaging, he also simultaneously made the first 9 tracks available as a free download on The Pirate Bay - take that, recording industry. This is not music for everyone, but it just may represent how we'll be getting our music in the near future.
-N. Zombie N. Zombie will be reviewing only zombie approved awesome albums weekly, to brighten your dreary existence. Or the opposite. Or whatever. :-)
shuffle...shuffle...shuffle....creak.scratch.grrrrrrrrrr.Oh no! I think its alive! I think its coming this way. I think its wearing a band t-shirt?!Introducing, a zombie who lives with me, and periodically rises from the grave to give you...
The Horrors - Strange House
For my first review, how about my favourite album of the past year? This album sounds like pointy boots, smudged eyeliner, sweat, and dark clubs. The Horrors came roaring out of London last year with a distinctly retro sound, filtering '60's rock through blasts of punk dissonance. "Jack the Ripper", a lurching Screamin' Lord Sutch cover, is an impressive opener, and first single "Count In Fives" is led by a driving organ (!) line. The unhinged, crashing "Sheena Is A Parasite" marks the album's high point. Singer Faris Badwan's howling baritone is worth the price of admission alone. "Strange House" is more than a little bit campy, but it's also a bloody good ride.
-N. Zombie N. Zombie will be reviewing only zombie approved awesome albums weekly, to brighten your dreary existence. Or the opposite. Or whatever. :-)
Well, I'm not sure that Tara and Rocko (The cat!) will be totally on-board with this one, but "Board Up the House" was certainly MY favorite heavy album of 2008. Genghis Tron produce a terrific racket for a 3-piece band, but aggressive noise isn't the only thing that they bring to the party. Over the course of 43 minutes, the 'Tron moves between punishing metalcore riffs and screamed vocals on the one hand, and mellow (if ominous) synths and glitchtronica on the other ("Recursion" is particularly pretty). This may be on the more experimental end of the current spectrum of metal music, so it probably isn't for folks who really need sing-a-long choruses in their listening material (or choruses at all for that matter). This is music that is both intense and interesting. Play it loud!
