- Prof Ric.
#1: Tricky – False Idols
As one of the founding fathers of the
erstwhile “trip hop” genre, Tricky (aka Adrian Thawes) has been
peddling his brand of minimalist hip-hop for nearly twenty years
across ten albums. Tricky has returned to his roots on many levels,
including resurrecting the haunted sprawling vibe of Maxinquaye
on his new record False Idols. By now it is no surprise to
anybody that Tricky himself doesn't feature too heavily on this album
- prefering to take the role of band leader than lead singer. Still,
his breathy drawl is as mysterious and engaging as ever, and holds
the narcotic anthem 'Is That Your Life?' together as he drags in
lines from 'Kingston Logic'. The main thrust of the album is that
even though trends and styles have changed immensely since the mid
90s, Tricky hasn't. The clattering beats of 'Bonnie & Clyde' are
him all over and the contrast between the wounded falsetto and
cronking guitars on 'Parenthesis' recalls some of his greatest work.
There are no concessions to modern electronic music. No drum n bass.
No dubstep. Just the reigning king of downbeat. Tricky always gets
the last word, “Nothing's changed / I still feel the same”.
Rating: A-
Recommended tracks: Nothing Matters,
Parenthesis, Bonnie & Clyde
#2: Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – Mind
Control
Uncle Acid are a retro-doom rock band
hailing from Cambridge, England and they are here to frighten your
children and poison your livestock. As with many throwback acts their influences are readily
felt; shades of Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, along with the VHS
horror-show vibes of White Zombie. What do all three of these bands
have in common? An obsession with the occult. Uncle Acid take that
idea – dose it up with a splattering of vintage LSD - and run with it.
After the punishing slog of epic opening track 'Mt Abraxas', 'Mind
Crawler' explodes in a shower of smoking guitar amps. This vitality
and the ability to switch tempos on a dime helps them stand out from
the increasingly passe doom crowd. The atmosphere is uniformly thick
with grime but 'Death Valley Blues' toys with a tripped out Beatles
stomp, leaning heavily on their psychedelic tendencies. John Lennon
would be proud. Proud, and scared, and zombified. While many hard
rock album bandy around a ballad or two just to water down the
bravado, Mind Control chooses instead to venture into hippie jams
such as the buzzing 'Follow The Leader'. This album is not about
reinventing the wheel but the wheel you get is damned fine one
regardless.
Rating: B-
Recommended tracks: Mind Crawler, Death
Valley Blues
#3: Alice In Chains – The Devil Put
Dinosaurs Aside
There is nothing that music fans hate
more than the idea that there is a lesser, unauthentic version of
their favourite band out there. If a key member dies, most would
rather that everyone just call it quits. Imagine everyone's surprise
when Alice In Chain's 2009 comeback album Black Gives Way To Blue
was actually really good! When it comes to Alice In Chains you tend
to get exactly what you expect: down-tuned guitars by the bucket
load, ominous sludgy grooves, and those oddly soulful vocals. Current
singer William DuVall continues to silence the critics. He is no
Layne Staley but he more than holds his own here. Tracks like
'Hollow', 'Stone', and the grunge requiem 'Hung on a Hook' are a
great showcase for this group's well-earned second coming. In case
you were wondering the album's name refers to the Christian-bating
title track. It mocks Creationists, Fundamentalists, and even the
causal believer with biting lyrical indictments. “The devil put
dinosaurs here / Jesus don't like a queer” is sneered like the
ridiculous slogan it is. Ridiculous title aside, this album is a
solid outing for the band nobody thought could recover from the death
of their iconic singer.
Rating: B
Recommended tracks: Hollow, Hung on a
Hook
#4: Christopher Lee – Charlemagne: The
Omens of Death
Christopher Lee: thespian, Sith lord,
white wizard, metal head? At the tender age of 91Lee has just
released his second heavy metal album, a sequel to 2010's
well-received Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross. It too
took many listeners by surprise and sent imaginations running wild.
If the world of metal can entice such an iconic actor into their
ranks then who could possible resist its charms? With such a
powerful, recognizable voice, such almighty subject material this
album was always going to be ridiculously epic. Lee obviously handles
the numerous spoken word sections that carry the story forwards but
he also sings in a more traditional fashion as well, along with a
series of guest vocalists. The arrangement of the music is managed by
Richie Faulkner (ex-Judas Priest) so this is no flight of fancy, all
parties involved are deadly serious. Think of Charlemagne as
an opera with guitar solos and power metal touches. That kind of pomp
and theatricality suit the tale of the original Holy Roman Emperor
down to the ground. Unfortunately outside of the novelty (and it is a
doozey) there is little reason to come back to this album. This will
not go down in history as the greatest record of all time but, given
the age and reputation of the man in charge, it will be remembered as
one hell of a historical curiosity albeit a highly camp one.
Rating: C
Recommended track: Judgement Day
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