Review: Placebo - Battle for the Sun

"Battle for the Sun" is Placebo's sixth proper studio album, a strong follow up of their rather poppy album "Meds", which was received by both fans and critics with mixed feelings. Their new album is a departure from the more electronic based sound and a fine return to the classical alt-rock style for which the bands has been numerously praised.

This is the first album to feature new drummer Steve Forrest, who took the place of Robert Schultzberg, and which some fans considered as a sign for an eminent change in Placebo's style. For good or for bad Forrest has really brought a change, which to me is quite positive. "Battle for the Sun" sounds as a whole, with clear structure, adequate emotional balance and almost no fillers. The album demonstrates a heavier sound with the prevail of loud and emotional drumming and the fast and determined guitar riffs back and forth.

Molko has done some improvements of himself demonstrating more complex lyrics with a clearer message in them. Of course, the puns and the riddles are present and nothing is ever to be understood to its fullest when Brian is the one responsible. The topics are various from substance abuse to emotional battles through personal doubts and search for new experiences. He has done quite a fine work with the writing and the majority of songs are thoughtful, clever and provoking with a pinch of wit and playfulness.

"Battle for the Sun" definitely surpasses "Meds" by quality and easily matches by diversity and complexity "Sleeping with Ghosts" and "Without You I'm Nothing". The chosen up to now singles "Battle for the Sun" (promotional) and "For What It's Worth" (official) are not the best pick-ups but demonstrate the exquisite variety offered by the 13-song track-list.

Songs to hear: "Kings of Medicine", "Ashtray Heart", "Breath Underwater", "Julien" and "For What It's Worth"

Personal rating: 8 out of 10

Review: Marilyn Manson - The High End Of Low

Has Manson reached the high end of low of his career? Could this be the agonizing downfall of one of the most iconic names in the alternative music scene? Only time knows, but Marilyn Manson is slowly and surely changing uncertain directions, favoring a rather more rock-based style than his well-known industrial metal sound. If you didn't like "Eat Me, Drink Me" "The High End Of Low" is going to be a new disappointment to you. Despite the new release being compared to the ground-breaking "Antichrist Superstar" it lacks the power and genuine electro-industrial rhythm passed throughout the whole album.

After a series of personal lows and the rather negative way his last work was received by both fans and critics, Manson decided to go back to his roots, teaming up once again with Twiggy Ramirez, after parting company with Tim Skold, who decided to concentrate more on his work with KMFDM. However, no major differences are noticeable, especially if you manage to reach to the very end of the album.

I have never been very much into exceedingly long album and and the new release makes no exception. The impressive 72-minute length of "The High End Of Low" is no actual compensation for the rather mediocre quality of the whole product. More likely to be left with the impression that Manson decided to include absolutely everything recorded during the session period, probably as a generous gesture to the fans. Thanks, Marilyn, but it would have made a great gift for us if the album was worth listening from start to end. Don't get me wrong, Manson is a talented musician, but he has spent too much time self-pitying and whining about unsuccessful relationships, crying out ponds of black tears, while struggling to get out of his lovey-dovey depression and get back to the Valley of death.

Once holding the title of the Prince of shock, now Marilyn Manson could only shock you with the enormous amounts of sick depression he generates on an album-base. Although a few of the songs deal with his favourite political issues and the Antichrist crusade to the downfall of organized religion, they stand quite odd and alone in the whole tracklist and lyrics lack any distinguishable originality. Throughout the whole album Manson is trying to convince us and himself as well that he has come up with a brand new record, filled with anger, despair and black lust, but it turns out to be his career slowly town apart by the canny tricks of love.

Despite "The High End Of Low" being at least an idea ahead of "Eat Me, Drink Me" it is more of a desperate attempt to stay above the surface. In my opinion this is probably his most commercial release up to date striving to be radio-friendly and less based on actual shock values. Probably the 00s is just not Manson's decade...or just his high end of low.

Songs to hear: "We're from America", "Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon", "Leave a Scar", "Running to the Edge of the World" and "Four Rusted Horseman"

Personal rating: 6 out of 10

Classic album covers (Part I)

Despite all the unpleasant album covers that I've already posted I shouldn't be that harsh toward the music guild and after a series of horror and it's time for a few classic album covers. Even if you have never listened to the majority of the albums definitely you have seen them on TV, magazines or music stores. Some of these covers have outlived the songs behind them and have become an essential part of contemporary music, still being copied and reproduced, giving an inspiration for other album sleeves as well.

The first part of the Classic album covers series is dedicated to the rock/metal scene.



The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band



David Bowie - Hunky Dory



Velvet Underground & Nico - Velvet Underground



Led Zeppelin - Houses of Holy



Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon



Radiohead - OK Computer



Metallica - Metallica



Nirvana - Nevermind



Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik



Van Halen - 1984



The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead



The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers



Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine



Deep Purple - Machine Head



Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery



U2 - The Joshua Tree



Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals



Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking



Oasis - Definitely Maybe



Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing



The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

Karen O is back to kick some ass! Three years after Yeah Yeah Yeah's last studio album "It's Blitz" comes to surface as a fresh breath of dance-punk and dream rock. Although I have never been a big fan of the band I dare say most of their stuff deserves a good load of listening and happens to be way better than the majority of wannabe rock bands hailing from the States and Canada. As I am not following their career too much and I had no idea they have had already released the album and got to hear it just a day ago, but it immediately made a good impression...not that I had a bad one before.

From a first listen you can prove yourselves that the album is better in composition, has less stylistic detours and lyrically explores more topics. With this release Karen O shows more singing and less screaming, which is a big plus at least to her vocal abilities. She definitely can sing, but spent annoyingly too much trying to make us deaf. "It's Blitz" is not a leap to a more commercial niche, but rather an example of maturity and taking music for real. For most of the time the instruments create a structural harmony, which was hard to be found with their first releases, which sounded more distorted and less professional. Definitely time has gad its impact on Yeah Yeah Yeahs and "It's Blitz!" proves that even the biggest party-crashers can come up with some genuinely original. Of course, this doesn't mean that Karen O and company have grown into a bunch of old nagging rockers, who hold up to their old rusty glory. Yeah Yeah Yeahs is still one of the most promising alternative rock bands to hail from the States and I am pretty sure that there is more and more to come.

There are a few weak points but they are rather insignificant to the concept of the album, that they could be easily omitted when listening to the whole product. The title "It's Blitz!" may be a direct references to the German word Blitz (Eng. lightning) a connotation of the album's striking content filled with electrifying energy. Karen O is polarizing the whole atmosphere with her aggressively charming attitude towards your brain-cells, which either have to shake to the rhythm or are going to bring you to a dull life.

Songs to hear: "Zero", "Head Will Roll", "Dull Life" and "Shame and Fortune"

Personal rating: 8 out of 10

Placebo with a new album, free stuff and tour dates

"Battle of the Sun" is Placebo's sixth studio album, which is going to be released on 8th June 2009, after three years of silence. This time Placebo have worked with the Canadian producer David Bottrill, who has produced bands like Tool, Silverchair, Coheed and Cambria and Muse. The eponymous first single can be downloaded for free at placeboworld.co.uk. On the 1st June the second single "For What Is Worth" is coming out officially, although it already made its radio/TV premiere on 20th April. I am not very impressed by their new stuff, but I guess I have to spend some more time listening to it before having a final opinion.

The new album will be supported by a tour, which includes 28 dates in 19 countries. Japan is the only country out of Europe to have a concert. For Bulgarian fans information the nearest gigs are in Romania, Greece and Turkey. For more information check http://placeboworld.co.uk/tour/index.html

Stuck in my mind: David Bowie - Starman

David Bowie is among those singers that have influenced whole generations of musicians and has been one of the most important figures in the 70s, 80s and 90s and to some extent even in the 00s. I have never showed any certain interest in his music, but these days I have spent some quality time with production long before my birth (fyi 1987) and David Bowie was one of the top names I had to check out. I am still adjusting to his music, which is quite a diversion from my usual taste. However, after a full listen to his Best of Bowie I could easily pick up songs that fascinated me with their originality and lyrics. For the time being my top favourite track by Mr. Bowie is "Starman" from his Ziggy Stardust era, which brought him to fame in no time.