Music A to Z 07.03.09: A is For...

Posted by Chris Crowing on 07.03.2009

AC/DC, Alice in Chains (with new song) and Alec Empire/Atari Teenage Riot, plus thoughts on Michael Jackson's passing, Papa Roach and more...



Welcome to the first edition of the Music A to Z. Each week, I'll select three acts who's name starts with that week's letter, and hold forth on their achievements, worth and throw in some pretty videos and such for your delectation. All this in addition to my usual commentary on recent events and fielding your ever-welcome and enlightening comments.

Who loves ya baby!



Pop is Dead

Michael Jackson's passing shocked everyone, made a lot of people cry and possibly even more people strive to think of the best snide comment. I was never the biggest Jackson fan, but even in my most cynical 'I-like-metal-and-nothing-else' days I would have happily accepted Jackson's contribution to popular music.
To my mind his mental and physical decline in recent years, including his inappropriate behaviour with children (whether you believe it was genuine pedophilia or merely innocent play by a socially disassociated individual) was likely caused by the loss of his own childhood to the pressures of fame, a punishing touring and recording schedule and the plethora of yes-men and excess that comes with it.

In the same breath, I would say that none of this can alter Jackson's massive impact on popular music, and there are simply NO pop or dance bands today creating songs as good as Jackson in his prime, or putting on a show to equal his at his commercial peak.

At his best, Jackson produced popular music that blew away all accusations of it being bubblegum and throwaway and has a greater hits catalogue to better all but the very best groups from any other genre.
Michael Jackson should be remembered as a titanic musical icon, one of the greater singers, composers, all round musicians and choreographers or our time. However he should also be remembered as a signal warning to the dangers of fame and the damage that can be done by going too far, too fast and getting too much, too soon.

Papa Roach's New Single

I'll freely admit to liking Papa Roach ever since they first appeared on the international scene with "Last Resort", and while they have managed to survive the death of all things nu-metal by adapting into a modern, TV-friendly adaptation of a sleaze rock band in possible the most overtly commercial remodelling (from nu-metal upstarts, to emo-friendly sleaze rockers) I have ever seen, I STILL like them.



It's like a guilty pleasure, liking a band who are evidently only slightly better than competent from a technical standpoint, who's lyrics are entertainingly amusing yet utterly banal and obvious and who's look is so contrived as to be beyond belief. Sometimes, you have to remember that music is meant to be fun, and rock music in particular is about jumping around shouting cliché's like a loon, because it makes you feel good. This song is a great example of that.



* Please note, all 'Best...' designations are merely this writers opinion, and stand as a recommendation for new fans, rather than an attempt to make a definitive statement. I'll likely change my mind by next week anyway.

AC/DC

What: Legendary Rock Band
From: Sydney, Australia
In the Beginning: High Voltage released in 1975, Singer Bon Scott died in 1980 and the band hired Brian Johnson to replace him for that years Back in Black album.
Best Album(s)*: Highway to Hell (1979) or Back in Black (1980)
Best Song(s)*: A list of greatest hits as long as your arm. This writer recommends "Whole Lotta Rosie", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" and "Hells Bells" at this point in time, my selection would change by next week. Listen to them all...
Recently...: Black Ice LP released in October 2008, the band are currently touring the biggest stadiums in the world, supported by the Answer.

I couldn't start off the A to Z with any other band than AC/DC. Sure, I could have picked Aerosmith, but they mean far less to me than the archetypical Aussie rockers. Maybe next time.



AC/DC are arguably the most influential rock band ever, if you regard influential in the sense of causing more people to take up guitar than any other. We can all stare in awe at "Stairway to Heaven" or "Voodoo Chile" but they are clearly the work of evil alien robots designed to make us feel bad.

On the other hand, AC/DC were always quite clearly just normal, sort-of-ugly blokes, who happened to have the fire of rock in their veins, and many of their songs at least seemed incredibly easy to play, and were certainly easy on the ubiquitous air guitar!

From the boisterous pomp of the Bon Scott era, to the driving, air raid siren wail that characterised much of Brian Johnson's tenure, AC/DC have always been the party band of choice, that hard rock band that are always FUN. It could all have gone wrong so easily. They could have been tempted by the fashion of the times at so many points in the career and adopted glam rock, punk, or even grunge.



However, these boys just wanted to Rock, pay homage to Rock and inspire others to Rock - the Capitalisation is deserved. In a musical scene which so often strays over the boundaries into depressive gloom or alternatively irritating glam poseur, AC/DC have always stood tall in the middle, needing nothing but a BIG stack of amps to make their statement.

Sticking to your guns, and staying successful for thirty years and more is a tremendous achievement in this business and deserves respect from every one of us.


When Angus hangs up his shorts and Brian hangs up his cap, it will be a very, very sad day for rock music...

Alice in Chains

What: Cult Grunge/Alternative Rock Icons.
From: Seattle, Washington, USA
In the Beginning: demo the Treehouse Tapes (1998), demo EP We Die Young (1990), debut major release Facelift (1990), found fame as part of the grunge wave, although continued success was curtailed by singer Layne Staley's 'illness' and eventual death in 2002.
Best Album(s)*: Dirt (1992)
Best Song(s)*: "Would?," "Down in a Hole," "Rooster,"
Recently...: Reformed on the festival circuit in 2005 with celebrity singers such as Metallica's James Hetfield and Down's Phil Anselmo before recruiting new singer William DuVall. A new album Black Gives Way to Blue is set for release in September 2009.

I'll be the first to admit that I came late to AiC, with my grunge education rooted in Nirvana and Pearl Jam, then more alternative fare like the Foo Fighters and Smashing Pumpkins.

However, I remember seeing the video for "Get Born Again" and being blown away by their layered vocals and the sheer weight of the song - to emphasize, and this is important, it was not the speed, but the WEIGHT of the notes that impressed me.



I went on a mission to discover more, and quickly found a double CD/DVD of their 'greatest hits' and a documentary-come music video collection. I was hooked...

I can quite confidently say that if I had been in my late teens in 1991 (as opposed to being ten years old and oblivious) it would have been Alice in Chains rather than Nirvana who would have been my grunge band of choice. As far as I'm concerned, they are more satisfyingly heavy, yet also used the dual vocal talents of Cantrell & Staley to blow Nirvana out of the water for tenderness and emotional fragility as well. Contentious perhaps, but in my opinion, fundamentally true.



IMHO, Alice in Chains are possibly the best vocal rock band in recent history - other bands have more striking individual singers, but almost none have the depth and texture, or sheer emotive magic that Cantrell and Staley managed to weave between them.

Of course, you cannot mention AiC without mentioning Layne's death, and the decade long hiatus that forced the band into. Layne was the archetypical rock outsider, and while it was oh-so-fashionable to 'hate myself and want to die' in the grunge years (and again in this emo-plagued age), Layne was only reflecting the rotting darkness inside.



A beacon of inspiration for singers looking for emotional impact over supposedly flawless technique and a stark lesson for us all in the dangers of drugs, depression and disassociation, Layne is deeply missed, by his fans, loved ones and the band he left behind.

While I have expressed doubts over the ability of anyone to step into Layne's shoes in the past - provoking a shit-storm of flamage, I'll freely admit that was a narrow minded and reactionary view to express. In fact, it's quite laudable that Alice in Chains took the best part of ten years out of their careers waiting for Layne to heal, and then getting over his death - before they went back to the day job.



While I was sceptical to begin with, but having read several interviews with new singer William DuVall and more importantly (for me) Jerry Cantrell, I am cautiously optimistic as to how good the new AiC will sound. It won't be Layne, but an imitator would be the worst kind of insult. Furthermore, I have every confidence that Jerry is more than enough of a songwriter to craft his songs around his voice, plus one that is different to Layne's and retain some of that emotional depth, with a wholly different soul.



I've been listening to that for a few days now, and it's completely stuck in my head. I can't wait for the new album and tour now. All the doubts are gone!

The bottom line is that few bands (except Metallica) have influenced my personal musical development, style and appreciation as much as Alice in Chains. That's high praise from anyone...

Atari Teenage Riot / Alec Empire

What: Digital Hardcore Pioneers
From: Berlin, Germany
In the Beginning: Formed by left wing minded musicians to counter the prevalence of openly right-wing electronic music in Germany in 1992. First studio album, Delete Yourself released in 1995. Their shows became a byword for intensity, attracting attention for inciting riots and the band themselves assaulting security staff.
Best Album(s)*: 60 Second Wipe Out (1999) or Intelligence & Sacrifice (2002)
Best Song(s)*: "Too Dead For Me" or "Addicted to You"
Recently...: Having kept more than busy since the demise of ATR, Alec Empire most recently released Shivers in May 2009 and is currently supporting Nine Inch Nails across Europe.

Alec Empire has been producing electronic music since his early teens and has produced and performed on well over a hundred releases. In the early nineties, he was angered by the 'claiming' of trance techno by German Nazis, declaring it 'true German music' and started adding funk soul and elements of other 'black' musical subgenres into his releases. Eventually in 1992, he joined with Hanin Elias and Carl Crack to form Atari Teenage Riot, as the trio shared beliefs on punk, electronic music and left wing politics.

The classic line up was completed with conceptual artist Nic Endo joining in 1997. Coming across like a mix between the Stooges, Black Flag and a rough and ready Nine Inch Nails, the bands live reputation swelled due to powerful performances, accusations of riots and violence by the band themselves towards hostile fans and security. That kind of thing always gets you some impressive press...



The band went on hiatus in 2001 as Empire wished to concentrate on production and promotion duties for his Digital Hardcore Recordings. Carl Crack's death later that year, followed by Elias' departure to concentrate on her own label, Fatal Recordings (with the raison d'etre to promote female-only electronic/punk acts) drew a line under Atari Teenage Riot. However this scarcely dented Empire's workload as he continues to write and produce with a prodigousness that makes the likes of Dave Grohl look positively lazy. Continuing to work with Endo, he has remained at the forefront of electronic music, oscillating between guitar-driven punk vibes and more brutal, wholly electronic work.



This is the kind of music I like to hear in a club - dark, sleazy and danceable and it serves as a reminder of how horrifying it is that the likes of Pendulum and MSI are currently the poster boys for electronic/rock crossover music. Gimme ATR and the Shizit any day...



@Ev - It was indeed the gig @ the Carling (now the o2) a few years back. From the balcony, the dry ice was so thick, we couldn't even see the band until three or four songs into the set. I'm so bummed at basically missing them, I'm looking at selling a kidney to get tickets for Sonisphere in August. Of course, Metallica, Fear Factory and Alice in Chains aren't much of an attraction either...

Slainte,
Chris Crowing

Contact Chris Crowing on MySpace and Twitter.

Stay up to date with all the happenings across 411 on Twitter as a whole or for the section of your choice at 411Music, 411Wrestling, 411Movies & TV, 411Games, 411MMA, or last but not least 411Boxing