Getting Judgey on New Tunes
I recently ran across two pretty interesting new (or newish) singles from bands I've followed for years. The first was a new shard of metalcore from a reunited As I Lay Dying. The second was the latest single from Weezer. I have nothing better to do tonight, so here are some thoughts that have been bouncing around my head.
This is the first new music we've heard from AILD since 2012. I won't go into details about why this is because all I know is what I've read, but suffice it to say vocalist Tim Lambesis messed up, BIG TIME, ended up in jail and the rest of his bandmates moved on to do Wovenwar. But trespasses have been forgiven and the band has reunited, issuing this tune as a first taste of what they're up to. And I gotta say, I dig it.
"My Own Grave" fades in with layers of guitars before blowing up into a double-time riffa-palooza. sounds just like classic As I Lay Dying, like they never parted ways. Drummer Jordan Mancino is still a hurricane behind the drums. Guitarists Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa splatter melodic, harmonized riffs all over the place, like some kind of heavy metal Jackson Pollack impersonators. The song features a killer guitar solo, along with soaring melodic vocals from bassist Josh Gilbert. And Lambesis sounds positively monstrous. Look, it's a killer comeback track and I'm excited to see what else this band has up its sleeve.
Note: I know there are a lot of people who are never gonna forgive Lambesis for what landed him in jail (and it was exceptionally serious) and, as a result, aren't give anything the guy's involved in now a chance. I don't blame them. But I feel like if the band members Lambesis betrayed can forgive him and give him another chance, maybe I should give the guy another shot, too.
What the fuck, Weezer? Seriously.
Ok, before we go too far, I should say that this tune is a little more energized than most of what we heard on Pacific Daydream, the last Weezer platter. Drummer Patrick Wilson busts out a bouncy, driving beat and Scott Shriner's bass lines are fantastic. Shriner is rapidly becoming the main thing that makes Weezer listenable. The soul-style backing vocals are a nice touch.
But the guitars are either buried in the mix or limited to playing brief chord stabs as accents. And then there's the lyrics. Good God, are they lame. From the line where Rivers tells us he's "an ugly motherfucker but I work hella harder" to the repeated refrain of "Hasta Luego, Adios," a lot of this shit is silly gibberish that sounds good set to this beat. I suppose the song's message about working hard and being proud of your accomplishments is a positive thing to hear, but the way it's delivered? Kinda annoying. And Rivers threatening "Don't step to me, bitch" is unintentionally hilarious.
Bottom line: "Can't Knock the Hustle" isn't the worst thing I've heard from Weezer. (Here's looking at you, "Can't Stop Partying.") But it doesn't make me wanna hear the forthcoming Black Album very badly and it's hard believe that I could be so down on new music from a band I've loved so much.
Oh well. At least I still have Pinkerton.
"My Own Grave" by As I Lay Dying
This is the first new music we've heard from AILD since 2012. I won't go into details about why this is because all I know is what I've read, but suffice it to say vocalist Tim Lambesis messed up, BIG TIME, ended up in jail and the rest of his bandmates moved on to do Wovenwar. But trespasses have been forgiven and the band has reunited, issuing this tune as a first taste of what they're up to. And I gotta say, I dig it.
"My Own Grave" fades in with layers of guitars before blowing up into a double-time riffa-palooza. sounds just like classic As I Lay Dying, like they never parted ways. Drummer Jordan Mancino is still a hurricane behind the drums. Guitarists Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa splatter melodic, harmonized riffs all over the place, like some kind of heavy metal Jackson Pollack impersonators. The song features a killer guitar solo, along with soaring melodic vocals from bassist Josh Gilbert. And Lambesis sounds positively monstrous. Look, it's a killer comeback track and I'm excited to see what else this band has up its sleeve.
Note: I know there are a lot of people who are never gonna forgive Lambesis for what landed him in jail (and it was exceptionally serious) and, as a result, aren't give anything the guy's involved in now a chance. I don't blame them. But I feel like if the band members Lambesis betrayed can forgive him and give him another chance, maybe I should give the guy another shot, too.
"Can't Knock the Hustle" by Weezer
What the fuck, Weezer? Seriously.
Ok, before we go too far, I should say that this tune is a little more energized than most of what we heard on Pacific Daydream, the last Weezer platter. Drummer Patrick Wilson busts out a bouncy, driving beat and Scott Shriner's bass lines are fantastic. Shriner is rapidly becoming the main thing that makes Weezer listenable. The soul-style backing vocals are a nice touch.
But the guitars are either buried in the mix or limited to playing brief chord stabs as accents. And then there's the lyrics. Good God, are they lame. From the line where Rivers tells us he's "an ugly motherfucker but I work hella harder" to the repeated refrain of "Hasta Luego, Adios," a lot of this shit is silly gibberish that sounds good set to this beat. I suppose the song's message about working hard and being proud of your accomplishments is a positive thing to hear, but the way it's delivered? Kinda annoying. And Rivers threatening "Don't step to me, bitch" is unintentionally hilarious.
Bottom line: "Can't Knock the Hustle" isn't the worst thing I've heard from Weezer. (Here's looking at you, "Can't Stop Partying.") But it doesn't make me wanna hear the forthcoming Black Album very badly and it's hard believe that I could be so down on new music from a band I've loved so much.
Oh well. At least I still have Pinkerton.
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