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Album Review
by Booji Muteh
22-9-2003
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| Peaches: would you date this woman? |
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Various: '4 Rock engines'
(Assorted)
A Perfect Circle, Peaches, Nickelback, Placebo
A Perfect Circle
‘Thirteenth Step’
(Virgin)
Maynard James Keenan’s follow-up to ‘Mer De Noms’ of three years ago sees the Tool frontman’s off-shoot project with some new members: Jeordie White (i.e. Twiggy Ramirez during his Marilyn Manson tenure) and James Iha (ex-Smashing Pumpkins).
‘Thirteenth Step’ is a touch proggy, a bit stoner, a wee futuristic… Accelerating once more, fuelled by the contradictions and controversies of our history, dragging fans into their own disturbed universe, freeing normally hidden forces that drive the globally disintegrating rule of “business as usual”, nothing and no one is spared examination… The solutions, effects of its interventions are left open… ‘Thirteenth Step’ interrogates internal world and the desires, hopes and projections of its audiences.
7.5/10
A Perfect Circle’s ‘Thirteenth Step’ is released 22 September 2003 via Virgin
www.aperfectcircle.com
*
Peaches
‘Fatherf**ker’
(XL Recordings)
Peaches, Canadian via Berlin, shocker and controversial artist rather than a musician. The feeling one gets is that the purpose here is to disturb one’s ethical make-up but all the cussing ends up being like… Similarly to comedy albums, once heard – it loses its worth. And, there are no real songs to make you go back despite guests, one being Iggy Pop on ‘Kick It’.
Peaches deals in exploiting stereotypes, in particular the sexual ones and no taboo is a concept she observes. She doesn’t shun any crowd-pleasing gimmicks, undressing, false-beards and nostalgia are fair weapons. She puts fans to a test by discarding familiar styles and departing only to arrive at the digital zeitgeist. Sleeker, more minimal but as direct and more confrontational than debut ‘The Teaches Of Peaches’, it intensifies, analyses (sometime) traumatic relationships between music and power, art and sex, life and death. Whatever the style, the paradoxes and contradictions of Peaches, she has the power to incite or frustrate enjoyment because – this is no ordinary pop babe. But a cuckoo over a nest.
7/10
Peaches’ album ‘Fatherf**ker’ is released 15 September 2003 by XL Recordings
www.peachesrocks.com
*
Nickelback
‘The Long Road’
(Roadrunner)
One knows what Nickelback do and how they do it; after multi-platinum selling/awards winning previous disc, ‘Silver Side Up’, it wasn’t difficult to guess they wouldn’t be in a hurry to change the formula. Thus, you get plenty of melodic, slow-fast dynamically arranged, guitar rock-pop, with a touch of heaviness and some grunge, plus a few emo-moments.
The digipack comes with three bonus tracks that includes their version of Elton John’s ‘Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)’ that originally appeared on ‘Charlie’s Angels 2’ soundtrack.
7/10
Nickelback’s album ‘The Long Road’ is available now on Roadrunner
www.nickelback.com
*
Placebo
‘Sleeping With Ghosts’
(Hut)
Placebo’s re-releasing ‘Sleeping With Ghosts’, as a special edition, 2-disc version, combines the original album with a covers disc that features some delightful tracks. From ‘Running Up That Hill’ (Kate Bush) to ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’ (The Smiths) to ‘20th Century Boy’ (T-Rex) to ‘The Ballad Of Melody Nelson’ (Serge Gainsbourg) and ‘I Feel You’ (Depeche Mode).
Placebo have always manipulated reactionary tendencies and taunt the PC police who patrol contemporary culture. Now more than ever, they have the courage to remain barbaric, teasing the preconceptions and fears of corruption and contamination and nihilistic fantasies. The point is to accept or reject, condemn or embrace, fans, critics and enemies alike are caught in the web of a spider in the cab.
8/10
Placebo’s album 'Sleeping With Ghosts’ is released 22 September 2003 through Hut Recordings
www.placeboworld.co.uk
Booji Muteh
22-9-2003
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