Music A to Z 09.04.09: J is For…
Posted by Chris Crowing on 09.04.2009
...Jamiroquai, John 5 and Judas Priest, plus quick thoughts on Five Finger Death Punch and Musical Evolution
I just couldn't resist the temptation to put the videos for "Virtual Insanity" and "Painkiller" in such close proximity, perhaps hoping there would be some awesome alchemy and the ‘new sound' (as sought by the Mighty Boosh) would become apparent and Classic Parisian Heavy Funk Metal would be the breakout genre for the next decade. Perhaps not…
In any case, it seems I've got a little less to say about the bands starting with J than I have in the past, so I've got a few thoughts about Five Finger Death Punch and how the music you play can change with your band-mates for some added value.
Five Finger Death Punch
OK, so I could well be a long way behind most people in discovering this band – indeed it was only them winning several Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards and the fact that some of my mates were buying tickets for their tour in November that piqued my interest – but they could well turn out to be my find of the year.
There seems to be a great deal of argumentation about their relative place in the metal universe, with some naming them hard-core, some metal-core, some even dredging up nu-metal and others deriding them as a hellish pop band.
Yes, the lyrics are often infantile and there is a seriously pop sensibility going on with the hooks-to-chorus dynamic going on, but does that have to be a bad thing? Reminding me in various parts of Slipknot most of all, but also HIM, Hatebreed, Limp Bizkit, sundry commercial nu-metal, Machine Head and Killswitch Engage, this band are a lot of fun, and I fully expect to have an absolute blast getting all bruised and broken at their gig with Shadows Fall in November.
Not the most credible of metal acts, despite their entertaining riffs, and perhaps an excellent example of the difference between ‘Good' (they're not) and ‘Fun' (IMHO, they are.)
Do The Evolution
I'm currently basking in the glow of a series of very productive band practises, with 2 songs bounding fully formed into existence (minus lyrics, but that is the EASY part) in as many practises. This sudden emergence from practises being a grind that didn't seem to achieve much into an exuberant, productive pastime is a glorious one , but it has (as you will notice many things do) in a reflective mood – I've been playing guitar for something like twelve years and been playing in bands since 2002, why hasn't it felt like this before?
The first answer is that my first band (well really two bands, the improbably monikered Liquid Storm and Firechild, but they kind of ran together) was absolutely shit, and I was complicit in that low quality. My technique was sloppy, my song writing exceedingly derivative and my singing of variable quality and I certainly lacked in confidence.
The even more worrying thing was I was easily the most talented in the band! With a bass player who had NO theory (such instructions as ‘keep time on the low E' were met with blank stares and a reply of ‘what?') and thought that throwing poses and slapping away on the strings made him a player on the level of Fieldy (from Korn.) I have never met anyone else similarly who seemed to lack the basic sense of rhythm you should be able to draw from your heartbeat, if nothing else…
Our drummer was on of those who espoused a love for Slayer, Cannibal Corpse and such bands, and attempted all that flashy drummer stuff, but lacked the basic ability to KEEP TIME, which is a pretty notable failing in a drummer.
Lastly our guitarist was very talented but a little too fond of his recreations if you know what I mean…
That band fell apart due to the usual squabbling and nonsense that destroys most ‘first bands' and I spent a few years working on my acoustic playing and then went looking for other bands to play in. I twice fell in with bands led by egomaniacs who had a powerful musical vision – you know the type, the guys who basically want their band-mates to be glorified session musicians, who criticise any ideas you bring to the table, your technique and loudly proclaim their band to be the next big thing in metal, despite not managing regular practises or even getting close to being in gig trim.
Needless to say I didn't remain in either act for any length of time, and I'm pretty damn amused that neither band had any kind of stable line up, never played a live show and are both no more. Mwahahahahahahahaha. Arrogant pricks…
After a year or so doing pretty well nothing musical, I started jamming with a workmate (guitarist) under the idea of having a ‘straight up rock band' and quickly recruited a drummer and bass player. However due to financial and scheduling issues, then the bass player we originally recruited quitting we achieved pretty well nothing in the best part of a years jamming, except getting one song I'd had kicking around for years down tight.
At the start of this summer I recruited a new bass player, and as we got into the swing of practises, the guitarist was AWOL for a month with Swine Flue and when he came back, he decided we had got too heavy and left. I wasted no time in replacing him, and that led to the current line-up of the band, which is working out so well.
It seems to me the difference is that in the band now I am a player among players, where our tastes overlap but we bring different influences in to the band. I am ‘just' a cog in a machine which seems to be getting up to speed. I am no more a band leader, out of my depth, unappreciated and stressed before my time, before my skills or confidence could cope. I am no more having my taste, contribution and technique derided by an egomaniac. I am no more trying to limit my contributions towards the ‘classic rock' template my song-writing partner obsesses over. We each bring whatever we've got and it melds together into something more. For the first time, I am really a member of a band, and that is a grand feeling.
It's weird that after wanting to be I a progressive, yet accessible band (along the lines of the Deftones or A Perfect Circle) for years, I had all but given up and set my cap at just managing to have a decent rock band, then circumstances conspire to hand me a band with just those disparate qualities I had always wanted. Awesome...
We have a gig lined up for the end of October, and will probably record a demo around then. We have four original songs, two of them coming in the last two weeks and should have more soon. We are aimed dead centre at playing live, having a CXD of our very own, and after that…who cares? Were having fun, don't have any illusions about fame or fortune and just want to get onstage and kick some ass. I love it…
* Please note, all 'Best...' designations are merely this writer's 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.
Jamiroquai
What: Crossover funk superstars From: England In the Beginning: Following a failed audition to sing for the Brand New Heavies Jay Kay formed a band of like minded musicians. Debut single "When You Gonna Learn" attracted the interest of Song BMG and debut album Emergency on Planet Earth was released in 1993. International breakthrough came with Travelling Without Moving in 1996. Best Album*:The Return of the Space Cowboy, Travelling Without Moving, Synkronized Best Song*: "Space Cowboy", "Virtual Insanity", "Deeper Underground", "Canned Heat", "Little L" Recently...: Last album Dynamite released in 2005, with a greatest hits in 2006. The band is currently producing a new record to be released on Universal records.
As a British child of the 90s, Jamiroquai are indelibly linked in my mind with the sounds of the time, and despite all logical cognition to the contrary, I have a burning desire to name them as an indie band. This is simply not correct though, as they are essentially a funk band, best suited to playing in the background while James Bond has his first, sarcastic encounter with the villain, or as the backing track to Dirk Diggler's best work.
That said, they managed to embed themselves in the national consciousness for the late 90s alongside Oasis, Pulp and the concept of Britpop, which is impressive enough for a band who are cool in such an old school way that you would have expected them to be deeply uncool in the 90s. Somehow, Jay Kay's enthusiastic dancing and impressive hats made all the difference.
The band even achieved a level of fame allowing them to go head to head with the (in hindsight atrocious) megastar combo of Jimmy Page and Puff Daddy on the Godzilla soundtrack, and come away with the far more satisfying song.
Damn, it turns out I don't have much more to say abut Jamiroquai and this inclusion is more and excuse to throw in some swank videos that make me want to dance like a fool. Ho hum, enjoy...
OK, in truth this band appeal to the side of me that likes music to be fun above all other things, and getting some world class musicians to provide a funky backing track while a charismatic, slightly crazy, monkey dancing singer sings on about something that sounds very witty, but were not really paying attention 'cause were dancing so much is a winning formula....
John 5
What: Guitarist From: Grosse point, Michigan, USA In the Beginning: Floating about through various projects, including playing for Paul Stanley, Dave Lee Roth and in 2wo, 5's mainstream coming out was when he replaced Zim Zum in Marilyn Manson's backing band for the Mechanical Animals tour. Best Album*:Songs for Sanity, The Devil Knows My Name Best Song*: "Damaged", "the Washing Away of Wrong" Recently...: Since leaving Manson's band he has played with Rob Zombie and has released 5 solo instrumental albums.
Probably best known as the guitarist for one of Marilyn Manson's most successful periods (1998-2004), I had known about John 5 from when he joined Manson's band largely because of the reporting of Zim Zum's departure (and degradation on the sleeve notes as ‘pitifully predictable'.) The next I remember was an article in some guitar magazine about his first solo release Vertigo and what really caught my eye was the way he talked about bluegrass and metal technique, and it really opened my eyes regarding how supposedly incompatible guitar techniques (and musical taste in general) can actually complement each other.
Of all the virtuoso solo guitarists out there, I possibly like John 5 the most, due to the variety in his work (metal riffs, shredding and bluegrass licks), his willingness to hold onto a riff for a bit and establish a rhythm rather than just being all ‘look what I can do'…
Ok, so there isn't much more to say, so I'll say something contentious. I'm a rock guitarist who is heart and soul given to the riff, to rhythm, to getting heads nodding, feet tapping and most of all pits moving. I value soloists for their contribution to the texture of a song, and admire lead players for their ability to add character to the core riffs and rhythm of a song. As such I tend to view the likes of Vai, Satriani, and especially that pretentious showy prick Yngwie Malmesteen as talented yet essentially pointless players. It is no secret that my greatest musical man-love is for James Hetfield, but the likes of Dave Mustaine, Kirk Hammett, Zakk Wylde, Mark Tremonti, Stephen Carpenter, Wes Borland and Jim Root & Mick Thompson come pretty close.
All of these guys can play solos like their hands were on fire, but they understand the need for the heartbeat of a song, and that the core riff is the truly important thing.
That's not to say I don't appreciate the shreddiness, and many of my musical buddies in real life enjoy their metal very much in the stratosphere, shredding their heads off, keyboard solos and lyrics abut dragons and such (in fact, check Burning Earth and Syth out, they're really good) but they agree with me that all the shred in the world isn't worth a damn without a riff. John 5 understands that…
Judas Priest
What: Heavy metal gods. From: Birmingham, England In the Beginning: Formed in 1969, eventually gaining Halford as singer in 1974, leading to release of debut album Rocka Rolla. Incidentally, the name comes from a Bob Dylan song, "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" - how metal is that not? Best Album*:Sad Wings of Destiny, British Steel, Painkiller, Nostradamus Best Song*: "The Ripper", "Breaking the Law", "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", "Painkiller" Recently...: Priest have been touring in support of the Nostradamus album and also to celebrate the 30th anniversary of British Steel with top support including Megadeth and Whitesnake and a live album A Touch of Evil: Live was released in July.
Like Iron Maiden, I never really appreciated Judas Priest until I'd already been a metal fan for several years, always regarding the stuff I heard, like "Breaking The Law" as (in Lemmy's words) ‘tired old shit' and pretty damned mainstream by my standards. Given that my standards at the time were Pantera and Fear Factory, that is to be understood, but I've come to realise that when talking about classic metal, you have to take the tone of the time into account.
If you compare Judas Priest's early standouts like "the Ripper" to the pop or even the rock standards of the time, they sound like a band on the edge – sure it's nowhere near as heavy or scary as metal would become in the eighties, but as praiseworthy as the likes of T-Rex and the Who are, Priest were a level above and had taken Led Zeppelin's template and moved it in a far more intense and direct…um, direction.
By the time the ‘New Wave of British Heavy Metal' came about, Priest were the grand old men of British metal, and a direct influence (along with the likes of UFO) on the burgeoning scene which included megastar acts in the making like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard. Indeed, you can make a case for Iron Maiden's true big break being their support slot on a Judas Priest tour…
The NWOBHM scene cracked open the mainstream market for guitar based heavy rock, and as Maiden and Leppard made their name, Priest enjoyed their most commercially successful period with big, and eventually iconic hits like "Breaking the Law" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming"…
I'm the first to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of this stuff, but like the way I feel about Motley Crue I always find myself dancing to it and humming the riff for days, and there are loads of neat segments to these songs, and for all the shiny production and mainstream-friendly bells & whistles, there is a good riff at the heart of it, and as such all sins are forgiven.
Unlike many acts, Priest saw the writing on the wall for stadium metal and decided to tack into the prevailing wind and reinvent their style for the new generation. Painkiller is arguably their best, most visceral and important album, and the title track has as much influence as Metallica or Peace Sells… on the soon to predominate metal genre, which would come to be known as groove metal, all riffs and attitude...
However, Priest lost their way and came close to becoming a lost, nostalgia act like Black Sabbath when Halford left/was fired. I've nothing insightful to add about that particular tale, except that it is apparently the root behind the story for the so-bad-it's-good film Rock Star. The image of a stand-up fight between Rob Halford and Marky Mark amuses me greatly…
Priest, like other classic metal acts (notably Black Sabbath in their guise of Heaven & Hell and also Megadeth) have made an awesome return in recent years with Rob Halford back behind the mike stand, with their records Angel of Retribution and Nostradamus making them more valid and interesting than many ‘modern' metal bands. With a new generation of metal fans made aware of bands like Judas Priest through the current vogue for wearing ‘retro' or ‘vintage' band t-shirts and the apparent devotion of current megastars, their future has never looked so bright or so interesting…
bostononemanarmy said Where the fuck is Iron Maiden? and the STY said Yea where the hell is Iron Maiden or even Iggy Pop?.
Well guys, I've already written about Iron Maiden at length this year which you can read about HERE, although I'll admit maybe I would have been better talking about Iggy Pop than In Flames, and I offer this video as reparation.
Which leads to regular commenter AndrewCrow's contribution FIY, Reroute to Remain is the turning point for In Flames heading into nu-metal territory. Their new work is universally despised by the true metalheads of the world, but they serve as the Gothenburg equivalent of Metallica (early work's amazing, later work is shit).
I skipped last week for the very fact that Hatebreed was mentioned, and they may be the one heavy band I despise the most (outside of the obvious fashioncore groups).
Like I said, im not the biggest In Flames fan in the world, but I wouldn't call Reroute to Remain a nu-metal record. For a start, it isn't fun and bouncy to listen to, but I'll bow to your superior knowledge on the topic of true metal on this topic.
Like yourself, I tend to look askance at much Hardcore, because of the simplistic, overly aggressive and often downright right-wing nature of much of the scene. However, an infectious chorus is an infectious chorus…
However, I continue to debate that all of Metallica's later work is shit. The Black Album is OK, but not as good as the hype, the Loads are good alt.rock records (shit metal ones though), St.Anger was a promising experiment which would have been a triumph if it was a few tracks shorter, James had written all the lyrics and they'd got a modern or competent producer in, and Death Magnetic remains my favourite record of this decade.
We've gone over this ground before, and shall continue to agree to differ...
Jcon comes up with some wisdom...Yo Chris, I really didn't mean any offense from that Creed comment. I actually enjoy their stuff also. I believe Alter Bridge blows them out of the water just because of the Stapp's limitations (and prickery)but besides that they're a pretty good mainstream rock band. Nobody should hate a band just because they aren't well received
I didn't think you were being sarcastic, but being British, I almost always assume people ARE being sarcastic, and think too much about the possible hidden meanings in seemingly suppportive comments. I agree that Alter Bridge are MUCH better than Creed, largely due to having a much better singer. That said, your closing comment is genius and shall be repeated in the form of a shout. NOBODY SHOULD HATE A BAND JUST BECAUSE THEY AREN'T WELL RECEIVED or in my words... Fuck Fashion.
Guest#2106 missed my point about Fun and Good and said there are several virtuoso performers that are technically sound, but i wouldn't consider their music 'good'.
If someone is technically amazing, they are by default GOOD - at least technically, but often they lack song writing, charm, passion - so they are good in one facet of music, but lacking in another. If you can see that they are talented but you do not enjoy them, then in truth you do not consider their music FUN, but you must appreciate that they are GOOD. See? For a personal example, the likes of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani are amazingly talented and undoubtedly GOOD, but they bore me. Arguably less talented, but with a better sense of 'song' instrumental groups like Russian Circles are also FUN in my eyes.
GOOD is arguably qualitative but FUN is all about your personal taste, and my main point was that people seem to confuse the two with astonishing regularity.
Lastly, skinead_bufty (who is in truth somebody I know in the real world) disagreed with my take on the Lockerbie bomber release. As he says this is a music column, and as such I'm not gonna get into it, suffice to say that I'll agree he has a point, although it was still politically stupid beyond belief. We'll discuss this over some ale's at your birthday Charles...
Yo man, it was interesting reading about your band. When you record that demo put a link up or something, would like to hear it. And thanks for the recognition on last weeks comment. You're the man!
Posted By: Jcon (Guest) on September 04, 2009 at 09:37 AM
Good column this week. If you didn't put Judas Priest I would have bitched again but you did so good for you (and me)! For next week I suggest the Kaiser Cheifs because I assume you've already done bands like Killswitch Engage and Kiss.
Posted By: The STY (Guest) on September 04, 2009 at 10:14 AM
True Metal? Everyone knows 'true metal' is something like IRON. Come on.
Posted By: Gah (Guest) on September 06, 2009 at 05:37 AM
