personality vocal style. Patton is at his best,
here, and sounds as good as ever.
Appearing at Riot Fest, Douglas Park,
Chicago 9/11-13.
- Jason Scales
9
PETE TOWNSHEND
Truancy: The Very Best Of
Pete Townshend
(Universal)
For Pete Townshend, solo is the business casual to the wild threads of The
Who. Like Sting and early VH1
Springsteen, Bouncy puts it on when he
wants to ride that tantric Tunnel Of Love to
your heart, or waiting room. Truancy
underscores the softer side of The Who's p
principal songwriter: 15 'light' hits ("Let
My Love Open The Door," chiefly) and
two new toss-offs. He's best on "Let's See
Action" and "Keep Me Turning," amply
remastered for the earbuds listener careful
not to burn out on The Who Hits 50! before
the October United Center concert. The
new stuff marries acoustic 12-string and
drum loops, the direction of a rock star
now averse to volume (for serious medical reasons), and only "How Can I Help
You" sounds as finished as new Who single "Be Lucky," which isn't exactly a compliment. "Guantanamo", an electro-blues
protest skit, should have been left on the
Abbey Road hard drive, for research purposes only. Sadly missing are 1982's
grown-mod "Slit Skirts" ("I don't know
why I thought I should have some kind of
divine right to the blues") and the uniquely reticent late-'80s power ballad "A
Friend Is A Friend"; both are on the double-disc Gold, which, yes, is more valuable
than Truancy.
– Mike Meyer
5
WHITESNAKE
The Purple Album
(Frontiers)
We first caught David Coverdale when
he fronted Deep Purple on the Burn tour
in 1974. 40 years later, The Purple Album
brings everything full circle. Opener
"Burn" has Coverdale and crew replicate
the DP hard rock classic. Coverdale is in
fine form, as expected. Our main curiosity
was how the rest of Whitesnake would
fare with guitarists Reb Beach and Joel
Hoekstra, who both had the unenviable
task of interpreting some of Ritchie
Blackmore's and the late Tommy Bolin's
most famous solos. We shouldn't have
worried. Likewise, if there's one drummer
who's up to the task of filling the shoes of
vastly underrated drummer, Ian Paice, it's
seasoned veteran, Tommy Aldridge. I've
lost count how many bands in which I've
seen him play! One thing often overlooked during that Purple period is the
high register vocals of bassist Glenn
Hughes. I'm happy to report Beach,
Hoekstra, and bassist Michael Devin combine admirably to fill that void. Standout
tracks include "You Fool No One,"
"Mistreated," "Lady Double Dealer," "Lay
Down, Stay Down," and "Stormbringer."
The Purple Album is a fine tribute to a truly
historical era. Now bring on the tour. 9
Appearing 7/17 Vasa Park, South Elgin.
7/18 Star Plaza, Merrilville, IN
– Tim Shockley
9
FAITH NO MORE
Sol Invictus
(Ipecac)
For alternative music fans of a certain
age, there has not been a more anticipated
reunion than Faith No More's recent one:
the 10-track album Sol Invictus represents
the band's first recording since 1997's
Album of the Year. The pioneers of alternative metal exploded on the scene with the
1989 hit "Epic," a song that might be solely responsible for spawning bands such as
Korn and Limp Bizkit. Try not to hold that
against FNM, however, because the band
continued to crank out refreshingly original hard rock albums, never pigeonholed
into the "nu metal" movement started in
the wake of the band's early success, until
they broke apart in 1998. No matter who
the band is, one wonders which effect a
reunion album will have, especially after
18 years: the album will either tarnish the
legacy left or add to it. Thankfully, Sol
Invictus does the latter, and more. It's one
of the band's best ever, vying with 1992's
definitive Angel Dust effort. "Superhero"
and "Separation Anxiety" are the most
metal of the tracks, and perhaps the most
mood-inducing. The first features a trademark FNM keyboard lick that eventually
serves as a backbone to a swirling instrumental jam, all while singer Mike Patton
repeats: "Leader of men/Leader of
men/Leader of men/Will you be one of
them?" The overall effect is quite hypnotic. "Separation Anxiety" features a maniacal vocal style and uptempo riffing
arranged in such a way as to nearly produce anxiety in the listener. It's a thrilling
experience. While "Cone of Shame" is a
quirky, blusey number, "Matador" is one
of the most sprawling, genre-blending
track's of FNM's career. It starts quietly,
dramatically, and builds to soaring outbursts of instrumentation, all while featuring Patton's split-personality vocal
THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX
Gravitron
(Tee Pee Records)
New Jersey's riff 'n' roll trio, The Atomic
Bitchwax (TAB), is exactly what a rock
band who has been steadily creating loud,
sonic waves for nearly two decades should
sound like. On its sixth full-length release,
Gravitron, current Monster Magnet rhythm
section — consisting of bassist/vocalist
Chris Kosnik and drummer Bob Pantella —
alongside fret-burning guitarist Finn Ryan,
have created some raucous '70s rock
infused with swaths of psychedelia and
stoner rock. On its 10 high-energy tracks,
the band creates some memorable
moments through the album's quaint 34
minute
duration.
CD-opener
"Sexecutioner" bursts right out of the gate
with some sweat-induced stoner rock decorated with fuzzy riffs and a driving
rhythm section reminiscent of stalwarts
such as Kyuss, Vista Chino and Clutch. "No
Way Man" continues with some rollicking
'70s rock mixed with melodic stoner rock,
in which guitarist Ryan tears it up with a
blazing solo. Although three instrumentals
are a bit too many, "War Claw," "Fuck Face"
and "Down With The Swirl" will leave you
on the edge of your seat. The album closes
with the T-Rex glam rock-laced "Ice Age
Hey Baby," complete with hand claps,
fuzzy riffs and a great acap [H