Modern Rock Radio re:Play: Issue #2

Posted by Ben Czajkowski on 06.15.2007

This Week, Ben Czajkowski offers his opinions on the top three Modern Rock singles. Does he flame or embrace new Linkin Park, Papa Roach, and Smashing Pumpkins? You'll find out inside. Plus, props and mailbag!

And Now A Word From Our Sponsor…

Welcome to Week Two of this new column. I want to thank everyone who sent me feedback these last few days. I think I received more opinions and odds and ends about Issue #1 than I think I ever did, to date, for All You Cannot Live Without. I haven't gotten a lot of hatemail there recently. Then again, I've really toned down a bit, too. I've tried to become more mature with that stuff. But here, I actually get to flame stuff. Cool!

Anyway, I want to specifically thank a few people for their thoughts. First off, I want to thank Ford S. for his email, even though he told me exactly what everyone else did. "This song sounds like Franz Ferdinand's ‘Take Me Out.'" Hey, I never said the song was original. Secondly, I want to thank Steve W. for the intelligent conversation that we had via email. I think he said some of the things best, that sums up last week's response. Quoting:

It's cool to see that you brought back Horvath's old format. I always enjoyed reading it and I've missed it since it's been gone. You did a good job with it and I'm looking forward to checking out more of these in the future.

I've got to disagree with you on a couple of things though.

1. That White Stripes song sounded pretty damn awesome to me. I agree that a lot of that random keyboard noodling needs to go away but other than that it sounded like a good rock track to me, nice and loud in the kind of style that I like. Maybe the words suck, but when you're drinking beer and rocking out it doesn't really matter that much, and it sounds like that's what this song will be good for.

Yeah, I took some shit for thinking that "Icky Thump" was just dumb rock, which it still is. Whatever. My opinion. And that should give Horvath a little ego boost there. "Dumb rock it might be," Steve continues, "but sometimes that's not a bad thing. Substance is a good thing, but there are times when it's nice to not have to think too much about your music." I'll drink to that.

Lastly, I want to thank Michael Horvath for his blessing to continue doing this column.

Turn It Up or Turn It Off?

Papa Roach – "Forever" Listen | Watch | Download
Papa Roach. What can I say about this song. My mind is currently drawing a blank. So, I'll tell you a little story.

I went out to the bar early this week, and my friend, who I was with at the time, bought a bunch of songs to play on the Jukebox. The first track was "Paralyzer" (fuck you to everyone that hates it) and the second she put on was "Forever". I titled my head, as I nursed my Guinness, and I thought, "This song has been sitting at number 2 on the Modern Rock Charts for so fucking long. It's stuck behind Linkin Park." And then my friend yelled at me for thinking outloud.

Well, anyway, it's been on this chart for 21 weeks. The rest of the tracks that have been on anywhere near that are quickly spiraling downward. So, what does that tell you about "Forever?" It tells you that it's going to be on the charts for-fucking-ever. This is probably the best track from Paramour Sessions, and it deserves a lot of the attention that it's getting. This album was supposed to be a "comeback album" for the band…" Not quit sure why it was touted that way, but whatever. i'm not a huge fan of the verses to this song; however, I do adore the refrain. It's quite catchy, and it's a piece of writing that can stick in my head for days at a time. What really helps move this track is that the music explodes at the chorus! "Because days come and go/but my feelings for you are forever." It doesn't help that this song makes me pine further for my ex. Le sigh. 4/5 Turn it way up

Linkin Park – "What I've Done" Listen | Watch | Download
Oh man. Oh man. Oh man. How many of you emo kids are happy that Linkin Park is back? Yeah, lemme see those hands. Even I'm happy they're back…though, I have friends who would argue that I'm emo. Alright, most people were happy to hear that Minutes To Midnight was due out a month ago. It's sold a lot of records, but not nearly as Meteora did out the gate, but I guess that's forgivable, right? Of course, Minutes to Midnight is well on it's way to being a platinum-selling album.

For as terrible as it is.

Finally, the guys got their act together. Mike Shinoda did that side-project thing. What was that band called again? Was it Linkin Park Pt. 2? No, that wasn't it…Ah, it was Fort Minor. I will admit, for a hip-hop album, it was quite amazing. Chester Bennington did some stuff, too, but none of that was released since he put it on hold to come back and do more Linkin Park. And I'm sure Mr. Hahn played with his turntables. I'm just too lazy to look up what he did right now. If you care about it, you already know.

So, "What I've Done" debuted on the Modern Rock Charts at number 1, if records serve me correctly. It's been sitting pretty up there for 10 weeks now. Ten fucking weeks. Which means, every time I turn on the goddamn radio, I hear this song. Yeah, it was nice the first few times. Yay! New Linkin Park! I can jam to this! But now, I gotta change the fucking station. It's quickly becoming "Hanging By A Moment," for me, and by that I mean, there was a span, a few years back, where every station I put on was playing that song. It didn't help that it's seen the highest radio play in history. Regardless, "What I've Done" needs to be done. For me, it's the only listenable track on Minutes To Midnight, so that means I can't listen to the CD without wretching. Yes, the song is good, and it's a good return to the band's nu-metal---wait, I can't use that. They said their not nu-metal anymore—pop-rock sound. There, that's better. It's a worthy single, and yes, it does deserve the radio play that it's getting. For as much as I bash it, I like it. 4/5 Turn Way It Up…but if it's the third time I've heard it on the radio today, turn it off.

The Smashing Pumpkins – "Tarantula" Listen | Watch | Download
So, everyone's favorite bald asshole is back to his roots, the band in which he grew up his sound. Yes, I am talking about Billy Corgan. After much shrouded speculation and doubt, the Smashing Pumpkins took shape, yet again. Corgan tried striking it on his own, first with Zwan and then as a solo artist. And let's be honest, guys and gals. That stuff was just crap. Pure, unadulterated audio garbage. I don't think I've ever found one person that really liked Zwan. And I know, with that statement, I'm going to get someone to email me and say that they enjoyed that band. And I'm going to say, you're off you're fucking nugget, bub.

"Tarantula" is the first single from the newly formed group, which lacks it's semi-original members D'Arcy Wretzky and James Iha. Okay, and to make everyone happy…Melissa Auf der Maur. The long and short of everything…Back at the end of May in 2000, Corgan announced the band's demise. Now, the band consists of Corgan, original drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, Jeff Schroeder, and Ginger Reyes. This has really generated some mixed reactions from hardcore SP fans, some of which cannot seem to look past the replacements…Judging before Zeitgeist even hits the shelves.

Overall, I still don't know how I feel about the track. I don't love it, I don't hate it. It sky-rocketed up the charts, jumping 25 places in one week and is holding strong at the number three position. I like the sound that they band has developed. I think it's a step in the right direction. The lyrics are a bit trite, and I don't like the way Corgan's vocals fit with the band. "Everything I want is in your eyes," Corgan whines. "I want to be with you when you're happy/I want to love you when you're sad." However, the tune is catchy enough to bear listening to a few times. I've caught it on the radio a few times, and how it breaks from being hard and driving for a moment into the soft, velvety sound…Pure Smashing Pumpkins. I honestly think this is a good single to bring the band back with, but I don't know if it's Corgan's best work. I'll definitely give Zeitgeist a shot, though. 3.5/5: Nudge the Volume Up A Bit

Chart Toppers

Tracks to really look out for in the future, both here and on the radio:

1. Velvet Revolver – "She Builds Quick Machines"
2. Incubus – "Oil And Water"
3. Korn – "Evolution"
4. The Killers – "For Reasons Unknown"
5. Interpol – "The Heinrich Maneuver"

Top 5 MP3s of the Week In My iTunes

5. Cold – "Remedy" (For some reason, it just got stuck in my head)
4. Devildriver – "Not All Who Wander Are Lost"
3. Smashing Pumpkins – "Tarantula"
2. Black Light Burns – "Lie"
1. Lifehouse – "First Time"