|
Continued from page 6
pense one final sarcastic salvo on “ Fancy Sauce .” “ Watch the evening news ‘ cause it ’ s my favorite cartoon ,” sneers Armstrong on the thundering downtempo anthem . “ Everybody ’ s famous , stupid , and contagious ,” sings Armstrong , cribbing from Kurt Cobain before the song brings Saviors to its conclusion with a stratospheric jam .
The band ’ s feral energy may have been tempered by a notch or two with age , but the band ’ s savvy and songcraft are reliably intact . Saviors isn ’ t Green Day ’ s masterpiece , but it ’ s an effective and caustic companion to American Idiot that deserves to be racked alongside respected efforts like Insomniac and Nimrod .
– Jeff Elbel
7
|
even his most complex math-rock time signatures into something more easily digestible . “ Like A Banshee ” kicks the door open with a watery , gelatinous goth bass line . Vapor-wave standout “ Druidic ” makes its presence felt with woozy glissandos and seductive vocals . Allen Epley from The Life and Times ( and Chicago ’ s Blue Man Group ) takes the reins for “ Throwing Dice ,” offering up a hypnotizing lead vocal . At a brief 31 minutes , the album quickly engrosses the listener and leaves you wanting more . All this makes Animal Math a total success and a perfect place to start for any Zadorozny novice .
– Andy Derer
8
|
L I S T I N G S |
April 20 , 2024 |
||
|
BLINKER THE STAR Animal Math ( Self )
The cold metallic soundscapes found on Animal Math reflect the cold winters of Pembroke , Ontario . Skylark Park , Jordon Zadorozny ’ s home studio , is itself a meditation on isolation . Tucked away in snowy acreage , the studio finds the creator without a distraction , fully freed of unnecessary chaos . A true utility player , Zadorozny is at home in collaboration , working over the years with dozens of musicians like Sam Roberts , Ken Andrews , Danny Carey , Eric Matthews , Melissa Auf Der Maur , and even Mandy Moore . In 1997 , he relocated to Los Angeles and lent his songwriting talents to Hole ’ s universally lauded coming-of-age album Celebrity Skin . After being courted and then released from major labels like A & M Records and Dreamworks , he returned to Ontario to create Skylark Park . Leagues away from the scrappy lo-fi of Blinker The Star ’ s self-titled debut , Animal Math sizzles with a high-tech intensity more in debt to the industrial music pumped out by the Wax Trax Records imprint than anything resembling modern pop rock . A love letter to the late ‘ 80s era when bands like Killing Joke were experimenting with blacklight atmosphere and jagged electronics , Animal Math casts Blinker The Star as a slick , robust machine . Bringing Paul D ’ Amour ( Tool , Ministry ) on to add textures of guitar gives Animal Math a crackling intensity especially on tracks like “ Swimming In The Same Fire ” and “ Foundlings .” There ' s an economy in Jordon ’ s songwriting that helps sweeten
|
FRANK ZAPPA
Over-Nite Sensation 50th anniversary 2xLP
( Zappa Records / UMe )
Originally released in 1973 and credited to The Mothers , Over-Nite Sensation is often considered an ideal entry point into Zappa ’ s vast catalog . The album ’ s seven tracks , including “ Montana ,” “ Camarillo Brillo ,” and “ Dinah-Moe Humm ,” made frequent appearances in setlists through the remainder of Zappa ’ s touring career . The album was more accessible than anything Zappa had released to that point and eventually earned gold record status , but the music remained a challenging mix of progressive rock , classical compositional rigor , and jazz fusion . Including himself , this album ’ s iteration of the Mothers included eight highly proficient musicians who covered conventional rock band instrumentation , keyboards , strings , brass , woodwinds , and percussion . The result gave Zappa the power and versatility of a compact orchestra . Over-Nite Sensation was signified by more of Zappa ’ s own lead vocal than any prior Mothers of Invention album , as well as Zappa ’ s pole position as the album ’ s only guitarist ( with a raft of impressive solos that set the bar for freewheeling concert improvisations ). Zappa ’ s lyrical themes included heady and topical subtext while leaning into the absurd and raunchy . Songs like “ Dinah-Moe Humm ” were made to absolutely not be played for your parents . The song ’ s funky soundtrack , however , overflowed with top-tier playing . Ralph Humphrey ’ s agile and precise drumming locked tight to Tom Fowler ’ s rambling bass and George Duke ’ s soulful clavinet . Zappa ’ s irreverence for societal norms and willingness to provoke are evident throughout the album , including the firstperson encounter with the mystical woman in the melodic and tuneful rocker “ Camarillo Brillo .” The song is punctuated
|