Down-Over the Under

 

Caveat emptor: the best thing to ever happen to my favorite thrash metal band, Corrosion of Conformity, was the addition of Pepper Keenan to their lineup, and the best thing about the super group Down is that it is led by none other than Mr. Keenan himself. Also featuring Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown from Pantera on vocals and bass, respectively, to fill out this all-star project are Kirk Windstein (guitars), and Jimmy Bower (drums) from Crowbar. On this third outing, this cacophony of thrash metal monsters has once again created a sludgefest of a symphony that threatens you to play it at a low volume.

 

Once again, leaning more on an updated version of 70’s classic rock format (think of them as the bastard child of Black Sabbath and Lynyrd Skynyrd) than their traditional extreme metal roots, Over the Under is a well polished Aladdin’s lamp of a find not only for fans of the members’ original groups, but also a treasure trove for all headbangers, old and new.  Inspiration can be attributed to Down’s roots, which can be traced to their native New Orleans. Over the Under is a requiem poised as a rebuttal to the multiple tragedies and miniscule triumphs suffered by their hometown since the Katrina catastrophe. Listening to this recording could easily be the soundtrack to the readings from the diaries of post-Katrina lost souls crying out for help to their insensitive, pachydermal government officials. With this third release, Down has finally solidified the fact that what once began as a side project has now fully blossomed into a force to be reckoned with amongst their contemporary gods of thunder.

 

Unkle-War Stories

 

Oh God forbid…James Lavelle recruited Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age. Oh Goddess forbid…he also recruited Ian Astbury of The Cult fame. What part of “experimental hip-hop” did my colleagues not get? Apparently, I must be missing something, at least amongst my music critic peers, because I have read so many negative reviews of this album that I have almost convinced myself that I have lost my Midas touch; meanwhile, I consistently listen to this album and fall more in love with it with each and every spin in the disc player—NOT!!!.  Maybe it is because I am so naïve to the whole trip hop subgenre of music that I can’t depreciate this recording like my so-called peers—NOT!!! Fuck them!!!  I love this album, from its “oversaturated” leanings of desert rock influences, to its subliminal mix of electronica and acid jazz experimentations.  Maybe I love this album for the fact that my peers don’t appreciate socially conscious lyrics set to layered upbeat dance grooves and textured metal riffs—a conundrum that Unkle successfully solves with stellar ability. 

 

I have to admit that I am perplexed by the fact that so many critics have dissed this recording.  Have my fellow musical curmudgeons become too complacent?  Were they expecting a repeat performance of Unkle’s past and when the band failed to deliver their predisposed goods they just lazily wrote it off as a failure?  Personally, I find this album Unkle’s most thorough. Its cohesiveness gives its experimentation a lot of room to move. In conclusion, I have to state that maybe the offensiveness that those entire naysayer critics claim comes from the fact that they don’t know how to adjust to new frontiers; they want to live in their little la-la land where Unkle and DJ Shadow will pigeonhole themselves and only release recordings that are reminiscent of Psyence Fiction and Endtroducing. Note to my peers: look up the definition of experimental!

 

Meat Puppets-Rise To Your Knees

 

Wow! The Meat Puppets? They are still around?  Yes, the Brothers Meat—Curt & Chris Kirkwood—are still alive and kicking…granted Derrick Bostrom is gone, but even though that is a severe loss to the chemistry, newcomer, Ted Marcus does an ample job of mimicking the legacy that virtually got me through my salad days as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, circa 1985 (yes, I am that old!!).  So how retro is this album?  To put it bluntly, now that I have exposed how old I am, this new recording brings me back to my youth…back to the days when Meat Puppets II and Up On the Sun were the only “vinyl” albums that were played in my dorm room…back to the days when the Meat Puppets cancelled their show when they found out they were on the same bill as Mister Mister.

 

Granted, like myself, we have matured, but we have not lost our roots or our souls. The Kirkwoods have returned with their unique ability to write tuneful post-hardcore gems and along the way have somehow recaptured their youthful vigor of yore to bring it back to the future.  The Meat Puppets once again prove that simplicity, melody and originality can create innovative and fresh music, even in these days of corporate rock hegemony. Rise To Your Knees is a pleasant surprise amongst all the other crap that dominates today’s airwaves. Of course, this recording will never make it to said airwaves, so I highly suggest if you want to listen to alternative music that is wholeheartedly alternative and profoundly musical go out purchase this release, because I am sure the programming directors of your favorite radio station will suck up to what the corporate hacks have to say at Rolling Stone magazine and pass over the diamond in the rust.