Bubbles, Ricky and Julian say “you’ll be back for more” when you try one of their own branded Dill Pickle Potato Chips. Do we agree?
Reviews
REVIEW: Wolfsbane – “After Midnight” (1991 CD Single)
WOLFSBANE – “After Midnight” (1991 Def American CD single)
It was 1991, and though Wolfsbane were on Def American records, their second single from their second album Down Fall the Good Guys failed to chart. Though the critics were consistently positive about the UK quartet featuring one Blaze Bayley on vocals, it was not translating into sales. “After Midnight” is the name of the track, but its lack of chart performance is not a reflection upon the song. Brendan O’Brien was the producer, which boggles the mind that Wolfsbane didn’t have more success in 1991.
“After Midnight” has a slight country & western feel, which comes unexpected. This was a style that was becoming popular for American rock bands to throw into their tunes for some radio play. “After Midnight” would fit in with any of those better known tracks: acoustic-based with electric guitars for soloing and accent. The easiest comparison is another Def American act, the Four Horsemen, but with a baritone.
This CD single is valuable for the inclusion of three non-album tracks. “Idol” has a tricky little guitar part, but with a punk-like energy and thumping bass. The chorus has potential. “Win Or Lose” is a high-speed rock and roll blast, but without any significant hooks. Good for headbanging or air guitar, but not for singing along. The best track of the B-sides is an acoustic (self-produced) rendition of “Hey Babe” from their prior EP. It was always a pretty good ballad, and this version is stripped back to the basics. Hand-played percussion replaces the big drums, and it has the feeling of a campfire singalong.
Nothing particularly outstanding on this single, but a good collectible nonetheless.
3/5 stars
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REVIEW: Judas Priest – Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed and Remastered)
For my original Rocka Rolla (1974) review, click here.
JUDAS PRIEST – Rocka Rolla (1974 Gull, 2024 Exciter Records Remixed and Remastered)
How did he do it?! Somehow, by some digital miracle of the master tape gods, producer Tom Allom has remixed Rocka Rolla, and transformed it from one of my least favourite Priest albums of all time, to one of my favourites.
Generally I can’t get into the remixed versions of albums. Even if the remix is objectively a better release, such as Rush’s Vapor Trails or Marillion’s Radiat10n, I always find myself coming back to the flawed originals.
Not this time.
For context, Tom Allom didn’t originally produce Rocka Rolla, and this is not the first remix of it. Rodger Bain produced, but his name appears smaller than Allom’s on the new back cover. The Rocka Rolla (full album) remix that appeared on Hero, Hero (1981) was helmed by Bain, less effectively. Tom Allom is best known for producing the run of Judas Priest albums from Unleashed in the East (1979) to Ram It Down (1988). What he has done with Rocka Rolla is somehow give it a makeover to sound more like a real 1970’s Priest album. Sonically, it now has thickness. There’s a real beefiness to the mix, but not in the sense that you immediate say “oh yeah, this is different.” It just sounds like the album always sounded that way, and you just got your stereo system upgraded.
The track listing is unchanged. “One For the Road” still opens with a groove, but now that groove hits different. You can better appreciate the guitar fills at the end, and the songs goes well past its old fade-out. This is a trick that remixed album should do more often.
“Rocka Rolla” remains a metal delight, but there is new shimmer to Rob’s vocals and the song chugs with more edge. It’s all very objective and subtle, but once again Tom Allom took a Priest classic and made it sound like it was always this weighty.
The “Winter” suite is the most altered of any of the tracks. Notably, Allom chose to separate the tracks from the suite format, and leave them as individual songs.
John Hinch’s drums sound crushingly Bonham-like on “Winter” itself, and the backing riff far more weighty. The biggest change is that it no longer fades into KK’s guitar showcase “Deep Freeze”. You can hear more of KK at the end, with some experimental playing that was inaudible before. The track fades out past its previous point, and “Winter Retreat” stands on its own as a song. In the 70s, Priest were experimenting with acoustics and psychedelic sounds from time to time. “Winter Retreat” can now join those songs as something that sonically fits in better. Finally, “Cheater” always was its own song really, and now it’s just heavier. Rob’s harmonica is more prominent, which of course recalls the heaviness of Black Sabbath.
Moving on to side two, “Never Satisfied” finally has the punch it always felt like it had inside: A little more echo on this this vocal line, a lot more weight behind the drums, more texture on the guitars, and a few things made audible for the first time. We now have the definitive version of this song. With the impressive soloing mixed in just right, this becomes a long, jammy Priest thumper as it always should have been. If Rocka Rolla sounded like this when I was a kid, I would have got it immediately.
“Run of the Mill” takes time to build as it always has. It has a long instrumental section, with some mindblowing guitar playing, and now it’s all finally hitting right. The bass isn’t just sitting there. It’s picking you up and taking you along with the groove. The keyboards in the background are more ominous. Everything about this is just so much better than the original.
Perhaps the only song that still bores, for the first half anyway, “Dying to Meet You” is similarly upgraded but benefits less from the treatment. That is until it picks up midway in the “Hero, Hero” section. This part of the song still cooks, but has a different, more spare feel. Finally, the light instrumental “Caviar and Meths” really benefits from the remix treatment. The drums, once again, really add atmosphere to it.
As an added attention to detail, the front cover of Rocka Rolla is now as three dimension as the music. The water drops are now tactile. You can feel the bumps with your fingers. A perfect topper.
What did Tom Allom do with these master tapes? Did he conjure some kind of heavy metal spell and make a two dimensional album sound big and beefy? Only Allom knows, but now I do believe in magic.
4.5/5 stars
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REVIEW: Marvel Lego Spiderman Advent Calendar 2024 [24 VIDEOS Day-By-Day]
Merry Christmas! Here is a special set of 24 videos, one for each day on Lego’s Spiderman Advent Calendar.
MARVEL LEGO SPIDERMAN ADVENT CALENDAR 2024
I used to enjoy candy Advent calendars as a kid, since they helped us pass the boring December days a bit. As an adult, I enjoy them as something to look forward to during a December at the office. Regardless of motive, I didn’t enjoy the Lego Star Wars calendars as much. Too many fragile mini-ship builds.
I thought I’d give Spiderman a try in 2024, and I enjoyed this one a lot more. There were a lot of parts and settings that might work well in future customs. It could work as a “Christmas village” of sorts. There were come cool minifigs and accessories. Lots of webbing to play with, and a lot of spare parts.
As for value? These packages are not cheap, so don’t expect a lot of parts for your money. What you will get are some rarer minifig parts like an ugly Christmas sweater and a neat Spider-Gwen, not to mention her drum kit.
3.5/5 stars
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REVIEW: Deep Purple – “Lazy Sod” (2024 CD single)
“Recently, a young journalist asked me how many songs I had written in my life. I replied that the last time my assistant counted, twenty years ago, it was over 500. I felt quite accomplished until she pointed out Dolly Parton’s 5,000 songs, calling me a lazy sod.” – Ian Gillan
DEEP PURPLE – “Lazy Sod” (2024 Ear Music)
Since Deep Purple’s =1 album was my #1 album of 2024, it should be no surprise that I love the single “Lazy Sod”. It exemplifies what Simon McBride brings to Deep Purple on this new album. His smooth playing is loaded with feel and perhaps he adds just a tad more hooky riffiness into the band. “Lazy Sod” is a fantastic track, a shorty at 3:40, even loaded with solos by Simon and Don Airey. No fat, just like those old Deep Purple Machine Head firecrackers from the early 70s.
Back when we reviewed the =1 box set, we speculated why a live version of “Highway Star” with Simon McBride wasn’t included. Same with “Lazy”. Here they are. “Highway Star” (Milan, October 17 2022) is pretty damn energetic and features the Simon stuff that we were waiting for. His sound might be likened as somewhere between Steve Morse and Ritchie Blackmore, but what he brings to the table fits perfectly, without copying either.
“Lazy” (Sofia, May 23 2022) is the lengthy one, at 8:33. Don Airey opens it with some meandering organ soloing, before playing some more familiar notes. Then it’s Simon’s turn, sending out a delightfully original solo for “Lazy”. He throws it back to Don like a game of ball, and Don slays it some more. “Fun” doesn’t begin to sum it up. There are old Deep Purple versions of “Lazy” where it does not sound like they are having fun. This does, for Don and Simon in particular. The rest of the band have to be able to feed off that. Ian Gillan doesn’t enter the picture for over five minutes. He turns in a performance more like a lounge singer, but with some screams towards the end.
Another great single from the Purples. Thanks for keeping the format alive. It’s limited to 2000 copies but hopefully that’s enough for the collectors who want it.
4/5 stars
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REVIEW: Max the Axe – Live In Ontario! (2025)
MAX THE AXE – Live In Ontario! (2025 maxaxe)
Kitchener Ontario’s Max the Axe has several studio albums and EPs, plus a “best of”, but never before have they released a live album. Until now!
Recorded in 2006, 2017, and 2018, the album features a spread of Max classics new and old, including favourites like “Scales of Justice” and “Gods On the Radio”. Each song features Eric “Uncle Meat” Litwiller on vocals.
“But Mike,” you ask. “I thought Meat joined the band later than 2006.”
True. While we won’t get into details, if you consider Kiss Alive to be a great album, then you should have no problem with Live In Ontario!
The first six tracks come from a 2006 recording called Heads or Tails, recorded in Etobicoke Ontario. The lineup includes Litwiller, Mike “Max the Axe” Koutis on guitar, Tom Cole on bass, and Jeff Slauenwhite on drums. These tracks are heavy on bottom end. The guitars are pure sludge. Opener “Blood Runs Red” sounds great with Meat singing; a fantastic vocal performance. The familiar “River Grand” follows, and once again the vocals stand out, with Eric adding twists that aren’t on the album versions.
“Labyrinth” has distortion and groove. Max wrings some cool sounds from his axe on this frantic, messy, punky classic. It’s very shambolic, definitely with a punk rock appeal. Back to a more metallic sound on “Immortal” (subtitled “I Feel the Sun”). The vocals are more tentative here, as the song was less familiar when recorded.
“Mexican Standoff” opens with the traditional Mexican sounding guitar lick, and then it’s off to the races with Meat in peak voice. This version lacks the shouted backing vocals, but is cool nonetheless. Max throws some wah-wah on during a noisy interlude. One more song from this gig is the Metallica-like “Space Marine”. It is great to finally have versions of these older songs with Meat singing, tentative as some are.
Onto the next batch of songs from 2016 at “The Farm” in Woodstock Ontario. This was the very first gig with the new (and definitive) lineup: Mike Mitchell on bass and Dr. Dave Haslam on drums. Having never played live before, and with a batch of brand new songs, the gig sounds much as you would expect. It’s energetic and engaged, but good as the songs would come to be, they are not there yet. The set features a number of compositions that would later appear on the Status Electric album, plus “I Don’t Advocate Drugs”, the first version available with Eric on vocals. He cranks it up a couple notches.
A very cool band intro leads into “The Other Side”, a very embryonic version. The parts are all there, but it’s not tight yet. “Loose” is a good word to describe this live album in general. There’s also an extended guitar solo. From there, Eric asks the audience if anyone out there owns a snake? Which means, of course, that “Scales of Justice” is up next. It’s not as crunchy as the album. If anything, maybe it’s a bit more Zeppy. Yet those vocal hooks are there, and Meat is in peak voice. This track needed some work before it was album worthy, but it is fun to hear these early versions, flaws and all.
“This is a song about gambling,” explains Eric. This means the “Next Plane to Vegas” is about to land. It barely hangs together, but it’s over in a flash. Finally, “Gods On the Radio” closes the set with Max’s best song. Again, it’s not quite what it would become on album yet, but the bones are there and the vocal hooks are 100% intact. It doesn’t have the drive of the album version and unfortunately the drums are hard to hear. The guitar solos also haven’t evolved yet.
Finally, “Randy” from 2018 was recorded on a cell phone by your’s truly. While a limited run of one (1) single picture disc was made, this is its first CD release, and in much better sound quality. In terms of performance, this is by far the best track. All the songs were by now well rehearsed by the band, as the album had been completed. The difference between this and the Farm tracks is clear.
It is a shame the whole 2018 Boathouse set was not recorded. That said, you do the best with what you got. In this case we have a 2006 recording of an early band lineup, with the older songs. Then you have the 2017 recording of the definitive lineup, but with songs that they were still honing. So it’s not a perfect situation, but it’s history recorded. Something to remind us that albums don’t come fully formed. They must be worked on diligently, and if anything, Live In Ontario! makes us appreciate Status Electric that much more.
“Randy” on the other hand could be the best version of that song, period.
3.25/5 stars
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REVIEW: Dennis DeYoung – Back to the World (1986)
DENNIS DeYOUNG – Back to the World (1986 A&M, 2013 BGO reissue)
Though his solo debut Desert Moon was a moderate hit, Dennis DeYoung took no time off and was back with a second album two years later. Still using Tom Dziallo on guitar, Dennis also added C.J. Vanston on keyboards. With Dennis being an acclaimed keyboardist himself, was this too much of the instrument? Once again, DeYoung wrote everything himself, with no cover tunes this time.
Opening the album is the theme from The Karate Kid II, “This Is the Time”. Fortunately the song is a lot better than the film. With emphasis on saxophone and keyboards, this is a pleasant, anthemic light rock theme. With some exposure, it could have been a minor hit, but fortune was not with Dennis this time. The track only made it to #93, while the album peaked at #108.
“Warning Shot” has a bombastic Styx-like opening, though with less emphasis on guitar. Dennis’ singing here is top notch, employing a lovely falsetto when necessary. When the chorus hits, it feels like this is the Dennis we have been waiting for. A spectacular guitar solo brings it into a classic rock realm, but really “Warning Shot” is all chorus. A host of backing singers join in and the song launches into the stratosphere. It should have been a single.
The biggest hit, the ballad “Call Me”, was the single, which hit #5 on the Adult Contemporary charts, where no Styx fans were likely to hear it. It has some nice saxophone textures, but it’s unremarkable and will always live in the shadow of Dennis’ better known ballads. It’s just too light. “Unanswered Prayers” is better, with some lyrical guitar work in the intro and solo. This slow number feels like a nice one for a slow dance, but the album needs a jolt of energy and this isn’t it.
Opening side two, “Black Wall” is darker and harder edged. It’s a slow burner with focus returning to the guitar. It is not exactly the energy injection we need, but at least it is a change of direction. The “Black Wall” in the title refers to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, in Washington D.C. The powerful music is suitably dramatic and deliberate, with the soulful backing vocalists dominating the chorus.
A bluesy harmonica solo introduces “Southbound Ryan”…but the electronic tom tom drums just jar you when they come in. Fortunately once that’s out of the way, we’re onto one of the best tracks on the album and the shot of energy we so desperately needed. A smoking horn section blasts forth, and the tempo is finally hot! That horn section is like the jelly in a PB&J! So sweet, so good, just the perfect punch for a song that deserved it.
Fortunately, the tempos and horns remain on the next song, “I’ll Get Lucky”. We’re definitely in the 80s now, with more keyboards and programming at the forefront. Notably, C.J. Vanston contributed a rocking instrumental section in the middle. The song is a bit jerky, going from dense sections to sparse ones, and it feels bumpy compared to the prior one. Would it have been better had Dennis just played it simple instead of trying to get so clever with the production? Once again, Dennis produced the album himself.
The final song, “Person to Person” has a Styx-like vocal and might have worked on one of the later albums. It’s a little too savvy for a pop record, which is a good thing. Had Styx done it, hopefully it would have less synth and corny toms, but it was 1986 and that was the sound to have. At least Dennis closed the album on an uptempo note, and a song with a memorable chorus.
Had Dennis employed an outside producer, perhaps his first two studio albums would be more even. Back to the World and Desert Moon share this problem. Both albums sag in spots, and despite some awesome songs throughout, there are not enough of them.
3/5 stars
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REVIEW: Dennis DeYoung – Desert Moon (1984)
DENNIS DeYOUNG – Desert Moon (1984 A&M, 2013 BGO reissue)
Alas for me in ’83, Styx were coming very close to an end. Tommy Shaw didn’t want to sing songs about robots (or something) but what it really came down to was Dennis DeYoung’s vision vs. his. Dennis was the theatrical one, and Tommy was the rocker. That’s putting it in simplistic terms, but by the end of the tour, Tommy was out. The other three members of Styx wanted to replace him and carry on, but Dennis was not interested. In 1984, Styx issued their live album Caught in the Act, and said goodbye. Less than six months later, Dennis DeYoung was out of the gates with his debut solo album.
Desert Moon demonstrated that Dennis was full of new ideas. He wrote seven of the eight songs, with a Hendrix cover in the mix, and no co-writers. Not that Dennis needed co-writers before, but he did often share credits on early Styx tracks with his bandmates. Guitars on Desert Moon were handled by Tom Dziallo, who also programmed drums when necessary. Dennis takes care of all keyboard duties, augmented by saxophone on some tracks.
I can distinctly remember watching MuchMusic in 1984, when a new Dennis DeYoung video came on, called “Desert Moon”. It was a top 10 hit, and a ballad. I was quite clear in my youth that I did not like Styx for their ballads. I dismissed Dennis as a solo artist immediately. I am sure he was broken-hearted that a 12 year old Canadian kid didn’t like his new direction.
I should not have dismissed Dennis so easily. If I had bought his new album, I would have loved the opening rocker “Don’t Wait For Heroes”. It could have been a Styx song, the upbeat triumphant kind of single that they were known for pre-“Roboto”. Styx fans might have considered it a return to form for the singer. While not as guitar-heavy as the two-guitar band, it does rock, with the drums (by Tom Radtke) in particular driving the song. The melodies evoke “Don’t Let It End (Reprise)” on Kilroy Was Here, but with more edge. The end refrain of “get up, get up, get up!” should indeed make you get up.
Guitars come to the forefront on “Please”, with a riff and a chug. Then on the pre-chorus, Dennis lets the keyboards come out. “Please” is a duet with Rosemary Butler, a singer with dozens of albums on her resumé. A tasty guitar solo continues to keep things accessible to Styx fans, but the duet is really impressive. Butler goes head to head with DeYoung, and blows him away by the end with some incredible high notes.
New wave sounds inflect “Boys Will Be Boys”, which Dennis delivers with spoken-word verses. The fast beats and bouncing synth recall Devo and bands of a similar nature, not to mention that Alice Cooper ’80 sound. There is also a clear 1950s influence on the chorus, with that “dip dip dip dip dow!” The production recalls “Music Time” from the final Styx record Caught in the Act.
You don’t know that you’re listening to a Hendrix cover at first. It sounds more like a slowed down “Peter Gunn”, but then Dennis sings those lines. “You don’t care for me, I don’t care about that…” Only then do you realize you are grooving to “Fire”. Unlike every other cover of it, Dennis all but rewrites it as a slow rock groove. While “Fire” is not an album highlight (think about that a moment), it is one of the most interesting versions you’ll ever hear. It takes guts to reimagine a song like “Fire”, and it takes talent to pull it off so well.
The aforementioned title track “Desert Moon” opens side two. It was the top ten ballad, and it’s easy to hear why. It’s a slow, romantic sounding song with a resounding nostalgic chorus about summer nights, innocence and dreams. The formula worked. In the liner notes of the BGO edition CD release, Dennis credits the arrangement which emphasizes his voice, and therefore the lyrics. The guitar solo is also a thing of beauty, with one sustained note that just sings. A magnificent solo.
Dennis digs into his classic rock and broadway roots for “Suspicious”. It’s a DeYoung trademark, but in light of exceptional material preceding it, it tends to go unremembered. It might be a case of too much synth. “Gravity” uses such electronics as well, but in more upbeat setting. “I wanna climb Mt. Everest, and find my Shangri-La,” sings Dennis. The fast New Wave beats during the chorus are fun but the song struggles to find an identity, and the listener has trouble hanging on.
Desert Moon ends on “Dear Darling (I’ll Be There)”, a final ballad, and just not enough to recover the album from a dip in memorability at the end. It’s simply too much saccharine at the end of the day. Another upbeat track should have ended the album, though at least there is a fine sax solo to dig into.
Dennis suffered an injury while making a music video and never got to tour Desert Moon properly. Would it have made a difference? Unlikely. While Dennis was more than capable of delivering a good album on his own, left to his own devices, it didn’t have the consistency we were used to with Styx. Perhaps a co-producer would have made a difference, since Dennis produced this album by himself. The performances are all excellent, particularly lead vocals, but there needed to be more spark within some of the songs.
3/5 stars
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REVIEW: Andrew W.K. – I Get Wet (2001)
ANDREW W.K. – I Get Wet (2001 Universal)
The early 2000s…they were a weird time, man. Just look at the clothes! One guy who didn’t look like the year 2001 was Andrew Wilkes-Krier. With a dirty white T-shirt and equally dirty jeans, Andrew W.K. came at the dawn of a new millennium. His music was both ultra-futuristically sterile, while also being a throwback to the guitars and keyboards of the 80s. It’s impossible to pigeonhole his music into one genre, possessing qualities of pop, metal, and punk. We do know two things about Andrew W.K.: He likes to party, and he likes to write songs about it.
Andrew’s debut album I Get Wet is hard to describe. It’s loud and banging, while also feeling like the product of a computer. Though there are deluxe editions and Japanese bonus tracks out there, the core album is just 12 songs and 35 minutes. Maximum bang per minute. There are no songs over four minutes, and two that are under two minutes. The instrumentation is guitars, bass, drums, and “programming”. It’s impossible to know how many guitars, as several are credited including Phil X. It’s a thick sound. There are no solos. There is no musicianship. The volume knob has been cranked right off.
Opening up with “It’s Time To Party”, there’s a simple fun riff to headbang to. Andrew’s yelling/vocals is augmented by keyboards to add melody. If it were just his bare voice, it would sound very different. Vocals, keys and guitars are layered thick and drums are cranked up to maximum bang. It’s in your face, and one of the strangest sounds in rock and roll. But…so damn catchy. Dumb and catchy. Exactly the point.
“Party Hard” was a significant hit. I remember watching Andrew W.K. on Saturday Night Live one night, and my girlfriend looked at me and said, “You like this stuff?” I did, and I still hear what I liked.
‘Cause we will never listen to your rules (No),
We will never do as others do (No),
Know what we want and we get it from you,
Do what we like and we like what we do.
The message is simple: Party hard. It’s a loud sonic mush, with a monolithic melody and if you were going to call this a guilty pleasure, then I guess it’s a guilty pleasure.
A repeating piano line introduces “Girls Own Love”, which almost sounds like you were listening to a Van Hagar hit at maximum volume, with your head under water and you’ve already held your breath for half a minute. The overall melody comes through, but everything else is just loud banging. Even Andrew’s vocals are a mixture between melody and percussion. Good song!
The video gamey keys that open “Ready To Die” are indicative of the simple melodic construction of the song ahead. Of course, the monolith of guitars and keyboards and vocals pile on, but you can’t shake the feeling that this is metal Mario music. It’s a good thing these songs are short, because they usually consist of one or two ideas, rinse and repeat.
The tempos remain on high for “Take It Off”. The formulaic piano keys ding while we wait for Andrew to start yelling. You can imagine a sea of morons bouncing up and down to this song in some weird 2001 setting. You can even envision what they looked like. Then, “I Like New York City” breaks formula by opening with Andrew’s multitracked vocals. Basically just a pop song played on guitars. It’s simple enough to be a children’s song. You can hear, in different arrangements, how these songs could be themes for Japanese children’s cartoons.
One cool song is “She Is Beautiful”. To hell with dynamics; this one hits the mark again with the right combination of melody vs. bludgeoning. It satisfies, but is best experienced with head bobbing. Then, the delightful “Party Til You Puke” re-grounds the lyrical message where it should be. You’ll enjoy the chorus of “Party til you puke, party til you puke.” Probably the hardest song on the album, but it’s a narrow range of choices. Fortunately, “Fun Night” brings things down to a sane tempo and non-deafening volume.
“Got To Do It” emphasises pop side of things. It’s weird to hear a song that had this kind of pop potential, but with Andrew W.K.’s growly singing on top. Without trying to sound like a broken record, it was 2001 and anything goes. Synth horns are a surprising choice for the title track “I Get Wet” but they’re soon drowned out by the mush of guitars and keys. You can exchange this song for “Party Hard”, or several of the others, so similar are they. Finally we end with “Don’t Stop Living in the Red” which starts off like a Journey tune before Andrew’s signature banging kicks in.
Listen, I won’t lie to you. You’re not going to get any smarter listening to I Get Wet by Andrew W.K. You might have to put on some Paganini or Dream Theater to make up for the brain cells you burned. Still, you won’t find anyone that sounds quite like Andrew W.K. It’s such a strange combination of sugary sweet melodies, and excessively loud and layered guitars and yells. Sometimes, it’s just what the doctor ordered. It won’t be an album you play every day (nor should you; consult your pharmacist) but it might just be that perfect drug on the day you need it.
3.25/5 stars
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REVIEW: Paramore – This Is Why (2024)
PARAMORE – This Is Why (2024 Atlantic Records)
So here I am, sitting down to write my very first Paramore review, and this is what singer Hayley Williams has to say to me in the very first verse of the first song, “This Is Why”:
If you have an opinion,Maybe you should shove it,Or maybe you could scream it,Might be best to keep it to yourself.
Well, I already started writing to here goes. I don’t think Hayley will have an issue with my opinion in this instance. I’ve long been a distant observer of the band, so it was finally time to check out an album. This Is Why was the only one in stock at the local store, so this is why I bought This Is Why.
The title track demonstrates the immense talent of this trio, augmented by backing musicians. Brian Robert Jones, one of the band’s live guitarists, plays bass for example. Otherwise we have singer extraordinaire Hayley Williams, longtime guitarist Taylor York, and founding drummer Zac Farro. It is Farro who immediately grabs you on the song “This Is Why”, with his complex jazzy drum beat that the song is built on. Meanwhile, York slashes his guitar with echo, plink, and skwonk in tasty ways. Though the song is not straightforward in construction, the verses and chorus worm their way into your brain in short order. It’s hard to describe what is going on here, but I hear funk, psychedelia, power and pop.
Williams is one to the best singers in any genre today, and you won’t find anyone fronting a band like she does. She possesses not only unusual power and control, but also a knack for unique expression. “The News” exemplifies these qualities, while also giving us another crazy Zac Farro drum part. The angry chorus seethes but also soothes. Hayley throws everything she has into these verses. The lyrics also resonate with this anxious age in which we live. “Turn on, turn off the news!” she exhorts. “But I worry, and I give money, and I feel useless behind this computer,” she shares. The chorus is the main thing though. It scorches.
A light but bouncy and dexterous bassline grounds the third track, “Running Out of Time”. There’s a hint of funkiness in the chorus. This song sounds like it came from a strange era from another dimension: the early 70s crossed with the early 80s. You can really move to it. I also love the call and answer vocals: “I’m always running out of time!” “She’s always running out of time!”
“Ç’est Comme Ça” is a fun track with spoken word verses and a bouncy chorus. Farro keeps the beat dancy. York uses layers of guitar to add texture. It’s a short song and over before you know it. The final song on side one is “Big Man, Little Dignity” which is catchier than its title. For those who like guitar hooks, this song has a nice one with a solid bassline that rolls through. The delicate chorus is immanently catchy, because it contrasts with the rest of song. The whole thing is great. A 1970s sound comes through, and the clarinets and flutes are a nice touch. Bass clarinet too! Unique, smooth, melodic in every direction.
“You First” brings the hard edge back. The dissonant guitar line quickly falls into place within the ears. It has a Cars-like vibe, but heavier. The bass is no longer funky, but thumpy. Always interesting though; the basslines on this album are all worth listening to. The chorus on this song is explosive. The combination of Hayley’s lungs and Farro’s snare drum just doubles the power.
Vibraphone opens up “Figure 8” with a bass clarinet. It’s not a softy though. Hayley offers biting verses, but once again when things come to the chorus, it tends to get explosive. It’s at that point that Farro channels his clever drum parts into sheer power, and Williams pushes the limits of the mixing board with her voice. It’s always melodic though, with the song never losing sight of itself.
“Liar” offers a respite, with delicately picked guitar lines backed by understated (but not uninteresting) drums. Hayley’s vocals here are delicate and demonstrate her versatility. Following this, “Crave” amps it up slightly, but also turns up the “melody” knob. The chorus doesn’t disappoint. What surprises is the closer “Thick Skull”, which is one of the softer songs. Musically only, not lyrically! “Only I know where all the bodies are buried, thought by now I’d find ’em just a little less scary.” This song is loaded with texture: different guitar effects, piano, percussion and of course Hayley’s diverse singing styles.
Of note, all songs are credited to the three members of Paramore, and there is no long list of high priced producers. Paramore is a band.
This Is Why is a pretty great rock album with a foot in pop. It works best when the band is playing it upbeat, though the slower songs may prove to be dark horses as time goes by. The album is deceptively busy: the hookiness makes it feel straightforward, but when you listen to the musicianship, they are not playing down to anyone. Farro and York deserve credit for exploring non-mainstream styles in a mainstream band, while Hayley must always be commended for her excellent lyrics and absolutely stunning voice. There are few singers like her, and that’s why she’s the focus of Paramore. However, as stated above, Paramore is a band, and the writing and playing of everyone involved must be addressed in any review. There’s cool stuff in these grooves.
“If you have an opinion, Maybe you should shove it?” I don’t think I’ll keep this opinion to myself. I think Paramore are tremendous.
4/5 stars
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