Heads Up: The Dead Weather

Jack White is at it again, but on drums? Yes, it's true, everyones favorite Detroit rocker has a new project, The Dead Weather. Jack White is not the only person of previous fame in this group, in fact it proves to be an all out super group. It has Jack Lawrence of the Raconteurs on bass, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age on guitar, and Alison Mosshart of The Kills on lead vocals. Living up to the trend of the members other work of garage-blues, the Dead Weather's first single, "Hang You Up From the Heavens" does not dissapoint. Having said that, it's far from perfection. It seems that the song tries to use the same old formula that has worked for the musicians in the past but falls short. Oddly, the members are perfect matches for each other but their chemistry isn't as well as it should be. The chemistry between the members seems forced and flat. I believe this band has much potential that we have not seen. 

However,  it's diffucult to judge the band with one original song, and this is one album I will look into when more singles arise. Horehound by the Dead Weather hits store shelves June 8th, 2009. You can hear the bands first single, "Hang You From the Heavens" and their cover of "Are Friends Electric?" on their offical site, http://thedeadweather.com/

Album Review: In Utero

The year is 1993 and for two years the public has been waiting for the overnight success story, Nirvana, to release their new album. But could Nirvana's follow up album jump in the charts and stay there for two hundred and fifty two weeks like its predecessor? Unlike most of the general public of the time, Nirvana wanted to go back to their earlier sound, a grunge sound. After several arguments with their label and a few changes Nirvana released their third album, In Utero.

After listening to this album for the first time the only way I could describe the album as was "a beautiful train wreck". And trust me, this is one train wreck you can't pass by. The album starts of with a track called "Serve the Servants", in which Kurt Cobain tells of his life and the whole "grunge" scene. The verse of the song is edgy and goes into a calm chorus, the opposite of most Nirvana song structures. It starts with the line "Teenage angst has paid of well, now I'm bored and old" which is basically what Cobain felt about his success and the media trying to sell grunge. The next song on the album is "Scentless Apprentice" is a decent attempt at a song, but it does not really fall through. The lyrics are inspired by the German novel Perfume and the guitar riff (made by Dave Grohl) gets repetitive. Despite the fact that the song was made by all members of the band the song loses it charm after listening to it a handful of times. 

The next track is where the album really comes together, "Heart Shaped Box". A beautiful song with extraordinary lyrics that mesh perfectly with the progression of the song. Whether you love this song or hate it you will surely be humming it after you hear it. Surprisingly, the next track, "Rape Me", lives up to its predecessor offering a cool, calm verse and a hard rocking chorus. "Rape Me" is living proof that Cobain can breathe can new life into an overused power chord an make a great song to boot. This album has many different style of songs. Highlights from the rest of the album include "Pennyroyal Tea", "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle", and possibly the greatest song on the album, "All Apologies". This song shows is the ultimate balance, a graceful song, with questioning (and somewhat eerie considering Cobain's death) lyrics and a great finish to this album.

However, not every song on this album is an instant classic. The songs "Tourettes" along with "Very Ape" feel much like filler tracks only existing to give the album a solid twelve songs. Nonetheless this album is still an instant classic and has definitely aged well with time. I recommend this album highly. Lets go through it one more time.

Pros

1. Great melodic song structures.
2. Great lyrics on every track with the exception of "Tourettes" (in which you can't hear any lyrics).
3. A raw powerful energy that is hard to obtain.

Cons

1. Bass is not highly audible on all songs.
2. Filler songs are nice bonus, but not necessary.
   

If you have liked a punk song, a grunge tune, or an alternative jam you must pick up this album. I can honestly say that 9 out of the 12 songs are great, and thats hard to find these days.

Nirvana
In Utero
9/10