Filed under: Features, Music, Reviews | Tags: 3eb, Bonfire, Can You Take Me, Don't Believe A Word, Sharp Knife, Stephen Jenkins, Summer Town, The Hideous Strength, Third Eye Blind, Ursa Major
Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major
THE ALBUM – Ursa Major
THE BAND – Third Eye Blind
RELEASE DATE – August 18, 2009
IN A NUT SHELL - After a Guns’ N Roses-esq wait, Third Eye Blind release an album that finally lives up to the promise of their 1997 debut.
“Ursa Major is the bear coming out of hibernation, hungry for spring, ready to feed and thrive.”
I was talking to my friend Yael a few days ago and put this all into perspective – the last time Third Eye Blind released an album I was in my freshman year of University. The last time Third Eye Blind released an album Yael was in High School…we were kids. It’s scary to think about. Life is going by quickly, it doesn’t feel that long ago, but here we are…
Yes, Ursa Major (originally titled The Hideous Strength) has been a long time coming, over six years in fact. And while many have forgotten about that dirty little band who sang about crystal meth and oral sex, the fanbase remains surprisingly (hideously?) strong. Luckily for those of us who stuck around, our faith has been rewarded.
Ursa Major is 3eb’s best album since their ‘97 S/T debut. I don’t think that is one of those Euphoric “I can’t believe I’m hearing new tracks” statements either. The album opens with Can You Take Me, a track that flex’s about as much muscle as Hulk Hogan slamming Andre The Giant. The guitar is heavy, the drums pound and the the lyrics are defiant and are full of the cocky Stephen Jenkins sneer that polarizes people. Those of us who love it will LOVE it…those of us who don’t weren’t really fans in the first place…
Third Eye Blind...Stoked for the new Astro Boy movie
This isn’t to say that the album is full of boisterous Stephen Jenkins arrogance…almost to the contrary. Sure it creeps out in tracks like Don’t Believe A Word and Summertown, but in many cases the lyrics are a beautiful bummer. I’ve always thought that Stephen Jenkins is at his best when he’s at his worst… and it sounds like it may have been a rough six years.
“I confess that so far happiness alludes me in my life” he sings on The Dao Of St. Paul before the band builds into a beautiful slow burning finale reminiscent of Springsteen’s “My City of Ruin.”
While the album is not perfect (One in Ten is an especially bad track that may be the worst song the band has ever recorded) it does stand as a representation of a band at its peak. Hungry, excited to tour, a back catalog full of hits and an even deeper catalog of album cuts that fans love, a great new album and nobody to answer to but the faithful.
It’s a good time to be Third Eye Blind…it’s an even better time to be a Third Eye Blind fan.
Tracks To Check Out: Bonfire, Sharp Knife, Monotov’s Private Opera, Summertown, Don’t Believe a Word, Can You Take Me
Filed under: Music, Must Haves, Reviews | Tags: Cause I Sez So, David Johansen, Johnny Thunders, Mr Nanny, New York Dolls, Sylvain Sylvain, Trash
The (New) New York Dolls
When the New York Dolls reunited in 2004 I was one of the few people who was genuinely excited. The Dolls have always been one of my favorite bands, but their third album in their 30+ year history, One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This, surprised even me. I wanted it to be great, I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, but I didn’t have to. It was a great nod to the Dolls swaggering past without sounding forced, dated, or bad.
As excited I was about One Day… I was equally as concerned about the second Dolls V.2.0 album, Cause I Sez So. My theory was this – The problem with 2/5ths of the original line up soldiering on as “The Dolls” is that everything has to be completely up to par with their heyday. Every riff has to be as catastrophic as Johnnny Thunders ever delivered. Every lyric has to be a brash and cocky declaration.
One Day… delivered, but could lighting strike twice for the reincarnated dolls?
One spin through Cause I Sez So and I discovered that my theory was mostly bull shit.
I was too busy thinking about how The Dolls could live up to their past to see that they’re not interested in that. Cause I Sez So is a step forward for the Dolls, an album nothing like its predecessors that finds the boys flexing their musical range, all while maintaining the cocky swagger that made them one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time.
The (Old) New York Dolls
The closest thing you’ll find to the classic Doll’s sound is the one, two lead off combination of the title track and Muddy Bones. Both songs sound like they just stepped out of the 14th street station around midnight in 1973 Manhattan. They’re sloppy, loud and carry them selves with a strut that has to be heard to be believed. In many ways leading off with these tracks is a dirty trick, but perhaps a necessary consolation to long time Dolls fans who might be left scratching their heads for the next 40 or so minutes. The album quickly shifts gears and listeners are treated to ballads (Making Rain) R&B Shuffle (Nobody got no Business) Southern Fried Blues (This is Ridiculous) and Reggae (The much debated re-working of the Dolls classic “Trash,” originally released 36 years ago).
It’s different, but it all works, and most importantly, it all feels like the Dolls. Nothing feels out of place or forced.
When One Day… was released, it was common for people to say that “somewhere, Johnny, Billy, Jerry and Arthur are smiling.” With Cause I Sez So, the departed Dolls don’t even have to worry about it. David, Syl and company flex their musical muscle and see what they can do without tarnishing the legacy of the Dolls, quite the opposite, Cause I Sez So only serves to enhance the Dolls already impeccable reputation.
I’ll never doubt The New York Dolls again, but if this is their last hurrah, I’m not too worried. If they don’t come back, I’ll just call them on the Ouija Board.
The New York Dolls – Cause I Sez So Live
The New York Dolls – Trash (2009)
Filed under: Books, Reviews | Tags: Downtown Owl, Klosterman, Review, Truro
