BY MIKEY MIGO
With the recent release of "Them Crooked Vultures", I've been having a love fest of sorts for those involved. John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl, and Josh Homme rock the world on this masterpiece. That's not saying that their other work isn't great. If you'd say Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, or Queens of the Stone Age weren't AT LEAST "great" then you're ears need to be retuned.
Still, there are some of their side projects that I've not had the pleasure to listen to. It's not a "not care" issue, it's just my ears and the music have never knowingly crossed paths. If anything, it's my own personal laziness as I've just never put the effort in to pursue it.
This brings us to Josh Homme's project titled "Eagles of Death Metal". I've heard OF them and have seen them mentioned in a lot of magazines, television shows, and other random places online. I've even been told by friends who have their CDs or have seen them live how awesome they are. I'm curious based on the response of respected others and interested because of Homme's involvement so that's what I'm listening to today. I'm going to check out the first three albums of the band today and give my honest opinions. Like they say, it's better late than never.
With a little research I find that there are plenty of contributors and live performers, but it's mainly just two old friends, Jesse "The Devil" Hughes and Josh "Baby Duck", rocking out together and having some creative fun. I'm all for that. With high hopes and open ears, let's take a listen…
Album: Peace, Love, Death Metal
Year: 2004
Duration: 44:40
We kick off with "I Only Want You" and I can already tell that this isn't going to be a bad experience. It's not Josh Homme on the mic, but it's in the same ballpark yet completely different. There's smoothness to Hughes's vocals that complement the groove-rock that it accompanies. For a track under three minutes, the first track already has me kicking myself for lack of time spent with this group. "Speaking In Tongues" starts off with a harder electric guitar and jumps into something that's reminiscing to "rock-a-billy" mixed with "grunge". I'm a huge fan of the guitar breakdown work in this one. "So Easy" feels like it could have been released in the 70's. By that it's got that "classic soul rock" vibe, not that it's overly "retro". "Flames Go Higher" is bad ass. We're told by "The Devil" that "I'm going to set my soul on fire. My heart beats low as the flames go higher." So far, this is my favorite of the album, but we're only four in. "Baby Dream Mama" is a nifty enough foot-tapper, but nothing I'd add to a mix playlist or anything. "English Girl", musically sounds like something that'd be in both the Austin Powers movies and Easy Rider. I mean that in a positive way. "Stacks O'Money" has good lyrics and story, but the music just doesn't capture my imagination. The blues vibe of "Midnight Creeper" gets thumbs up from me, only wished it was longer. I didn't expect a "Stealers Wheel" cover, especially "Stuck in the Middle", which Eagles of Death Metal wisely retitled "Stuck in the Metal". It's a flat out cover, but it's not as raw as the original. Just a tad bit too "contained" for lack of better terms. "Already Died" is an awesome track. It doesn't feel like a 70's cover, but has a good old school groove to it. "Kiss The Devil" is a great rock song. I don't think I need to add a specific genre style to the word "rock". This is rock and roll at its purest form. The winner of the best song title of the album goes to "Whorehoppin' (Shit, Goddamn)". The song is a bit "vulgar" in the content and lyrics, but it would have been good enough to of been a hit single if censors didn't fuck with art. "San Berdoo Sunburn" is a great surf-stoner-rock music. "Wastin' My Time" busts out the organ and makes you want to leap from your seat and praise the air these sounds are traveling through. "Miss Alissa" finishes up the album and ends on a high note. At the end Hughes asks with no backing music "You ain't dancin'?" He knows we are. I like this album a lot. There's about a half dozen songs on here that I'd add to my personal rotation without thinking twice. As a whole, the album flows and will be played in full in the future.
Album: Death by Sexy
Year: 2006
Duration: 38:48
"I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)" starts the second album off and doesn't waste any time rocking my ears off. "I Gotta Feelin (Just Nineteen)" is about just what you'd imagine… hooking up with a nineteen year old girl. Unlike the cheesy "She's Only 17" song from the 80's, this one feels dirty. Odd considering we're talking a whole different legal issue, but still. "Cherry Cola" follows and it's pretty fun, but a tad hokey. Well, maybe just bordering on hokey and awesome. With this listen, I can't decide. I can easily make a decision on "I Like To Move In The Night". It's a fist shaking groove that makes you want to binge on sleaze and swim in a cesspool of pleasure. Maybe that's a little "poetic" in terms of reviewing a single track, but that's the honest vibe I'm getting here. "Solid Gold" starts off pleasant enough till you realize that it's a song about "working out". I bet that's a metaphor for something says Captain Obvious. We're about half way through when "Don't Speak (I Came to Make a Bang!)" hits. It's not a long song, but the guitar work managed to sneak into this furrow track is superb. "Keep Your Head Up" continues the groove, but doesn't grab me. I found myself getting lost in thought as the track played. I'm not sure if that's a good sign or not. "The Ballad of Queen Bee and Baby Duck" is only about two minutes, but does the job of getting my attention back into the music. "Poor Doggie" has a rocktastic groove-rock/"Mojo Rising" by The Doors thing going for it, but all in all it's probably my second favorite track on the album, behind "I Like To Move In The Night". "Chase The Devil" is a bit chaotic and hyper-billyesque. "Eagles Goth" has the normal groove, but vocally it's more daunting and eerie. It sounds great. "Shasta Beast" is a "dance in your seat" kind of song. The album wraps up with "Bag O' Miracles". It starts off with an acoustic guitar and goes into a bluesy down tempo song that has not only clapping, but whistling! Can't get enough whistling! I liked the first album a lot, but this one was even better. I didn't expect to be taken so much to this band. Sometimes new music just clicks with you; this is one of those times for me.
Album: Heart On
Year: 2008
Duration: 41:24
"Anything Except The Truth" starts us off. It's a harder song with a lot of rhythm and harder edge to it than the prior material. The awesomely written "I never smile when I tell a lie" stands out. From the looks of how the song has been used commercially, "Wannabe in L.A." might be one of their most known tracks. I don't recall hearing it, sadly enough. It's just over two minutes, but the organ, feedback, and bounce to it makes it a great tune. "(I Used to Couldn't Dance) Tight Pants", coolest title on the album and all, has a filthy groove to it that has my head banging in the early morning. The drum breakdown alone gets your soul tapping. "High Voltage", while nothing too extravagant, reminds me of what it would of sounded like if Jim Morrison and Freddie Mercury worked together. My zone out track of the album is "Secret Plans". It's solid, but doesn't grab me. "Now I Know" is a great down tempo track, which would have made for a great single. I consider this track a gift in two senses. First, it's a great track and second it gives your neck a bit of a break from rocking out. At track seven we get the title track "Heart On", I continue to have my mind blown. There's tons of clichés and wisely worded one-liners in the lyrics, but it's handled with a 70's vibe that forces you to light a cigarette even if you don't want one. "Cheap Thrills" is a gritty rock track that mellows you out. The opening of "How Can a Man with So Many Friends Feel So All Alone" pulls your ears in and gives you a thirst for whiskey. "Solo Flights" has a vibe to it that forces you to stomp your foot along. It's a strong track lyrically and vocally as the music grooves and drones at the same time. "Prissy Prancin'" starts off with a cautious acoustic opening and then kicks right in to a song that seems to be about trying to get a dead club/party dancing. It's as bluesy and gritty as anything else on the album, but almost feels like a disco song based on the lyrics and delivery. The down tempo guitar break down in the middle is what keeps it from that area completely. The building chaos of "I'm Your Torpedo" makes for an interesting closer. It does not disappoint. Nothing here really does. This album throws some relatively short songs at us like ice hard snowballs. If you manage to stay on your feet while getting bombarded with these snowballs then you're pretty much dancing already. It's got the charm and party mood of the prior two albums, but with a sterner punch. There is really not a point in this album where you're not bouncing with the groove. It's got tons of flavors from classic blues rock of the 70's, but this album still feels ahead of its time. It's not as rough on the neck as the first two albums, but it can make you smoke like a chimney and reevaluate your stance on alcoholism.
The Verdict
Band: Eagles of Death Metal
Discography Duration: 2 hours/5 minutes
If the use of metaphors is a measuring stick of how much I like something then this is pretty favored. I expected something "stoner rock" and I got something "stoner rock". By "stoner rock" I mean something that could have been around when the land was covered with hippies. It's basically psychedelic shit with a good and dirty groove. I just so happen to have a spot in my ear hearts for just this type of music. It's just I can't just pin that easy stereotype on this band. Hughes and Holmes put together some great throw back blues and groove rock songs with charm, witt, and a fresh vibe. Their style and eccentric ways on some of the tracks kind of reminds of a modern update of "Talking Heads". The thing specialized in here is the groove. You can't help but nod your head and get lost in the musical expedition. Like any band at any success level, some songs aren't as good as others. The great over shines the good and the good completely covers the bad here. You can hear the band grow within its range and develop with each album. Most discographies fluctuate in quality, but this one penetrates. It's almost like that jug band from "The Andy Griffith Show" discovered ecstasy and Corvettes on the same day. Friends and loved ones, beware. I'm going to be talking about this band a lot in the future.
|
