Under the Scalpel 2.26.09: Blue October, GS Boyz, Depeche Mode

Posted by Mark Ingoldsby on 02.26.2009

Blue October threaten violence with a knife, shovel, insects... and the kitchen curtains, The G Spot Boyz invent a group dance that makes the Electric Slide look like advanced ballroom dancing, and Depeche Mode provides background music suited for a gang of voguish vampires traipsing down a moonlit alleyway. Grab a cold one and check out this week's completely biased reviews done by the sometimes humorous, always heartless guitarist of the rock band A Simple Complex.

"Under the Scalpel: Dissecting Pop Culture One Song at a Time" is a weekly column written by Mark Ingoldsby, songwriter and guitarist for the hard rock band A Simple Complex. For three free tracks that will rock your panties off, check out www.asimplecomplex.com

Blue October – Dirt Room
Refined Rockers Explode With Brash New Single

Cathartic rockers Blue October have taken revenge to a graphic, almost Death Metal, level. Lyrically, anyway.

"Dirt Room," the lead single from the band's upcoming album, threatens the use of a knife, duct tape, shovel, insects and even the kitchen curtains to deliver swift justice upon a thief, leaving him buried alive and breathing through a straw.

"I'll make it comfy for the time wasted making you rich,
I want to cover you in ants, bees and honey,
Then take a picture for the cover of our album!
You think you own me. You should have known me.
You took the future and the food off my family's plate
You think you'll use me. I'm stronger than you.
You take my money, but it's useless, when you see what I do to you."

After hearing the lyrics, I began to wonder if this song was written about a common criminal, as the song's video portrays, or if it's instead about a white collar criminal – perhaps someone in the music industry who did the band wrong? There is a clue in the music video for the song. Lead vocalist Justin Furstenfeld holds up a burning $100 bill with the letters "MR" written in marker on it.

I'm thinking "MR" refers to the bands record label, Universal/Motown Records?

When asked about the song's lyrics, Furstenfeld said in a press release, "It's too dark and personal" to discuss the specifics. But, he added, "It's about fighting back... to put an end to those who think they can hurt the ones you love."

There's been a history of tension between the band and their record label. It's been an on-again/off-again relationship with a fair amount of volatility. "[Universal] said, 'You're a Texas band. You can't have a violin in a Texas band,'" Furstenfeld told the Houston Press. "Then why'd you fucking sign me," he asked, "That's our lead instrument! ... Universal's about money, not about art."

Even though Blue October's music is, of course, not death metal, this song isn't as mellow as the band's previous sadly beautiful singles "Hate Me," "Into the Ocean," "She's My Ride Home," and "Calling You." In fact, this may be their most ferocious single to date with its blaring guitars, twisted lyrics, and gruff vocals. But don't let this convince you that the band has abandoned their signature style. Somber melodies, haunting background vocals, and a gloomy violin solo are a few of the tools used to keep the music feeling more refined than today's typical rock songs.

Blue October also threw some tricks into the mix on this song, one being the use of broken equipment. "Ryan [Delahoussaye]'s amp was on the fritz, and it was making this really weird noise," guitarist, CB Hudson III, told Alternative Addiction, "[So] we recorded that and it's actually the sample that you are hearing right out of the first chorus on 'Dirt Room.'"

Fans of Blue October that can appreciate a more aggressive sound from the band will love this song. And those who typically listen to harder rock, and weren't fans of the band prior, may find themselves digging this track too.

I've put it into regular rotation on my Winamp playlist and recommend that you do the same.

If You Like: 30 Seconds To Mars, Breaking Benjamin, Cold, Seether, Trapt
Rating: **** (4 out of 5)

GS Boyz – Stanky Legg
Now Watch Me You (Part Two)

Now that I'm in my thirties, I don't intentionally go out dancing anymore. But somehow dancing finds me anyway.

Whether I'm at a corporately-enforced Christmas party, a wedding, or a New Years Eve party that I couldn't avoid because my band didn't land a gig, I find myself stuck listening to the exact same dozen or so songs that get played at every damn event I attend that involves dancing. You know the ones.

I swear if I have to sit through "Mony Mony," "I Will Survive," and "YMCA" one more time, I'm going to hang a DJ from a disco ball with a makeshift speaker-wire noose.

But even these songs don't make my blood curdle as badly as those ridiculous group dance songs. The Macarena? No thank you. The Electric Slide? Forget it! Line dancing? I'd rather fall into a septic tank. The Chicken Dance? You'll have to be dangling my corpse from marionette strings to make that happen.

I've memorized the first two notes of every group dance song so if I'm not already in my seat, I can make a beeline to the nearest available chair. The trick, however is to sit far enough away from the dance floor to avoid getting dragged into this nightmare, but still close enough to be able to watch everyone who is too drunk, too rhythmless, or just plain too stupid to keep up with the others.

For the hundreds of times I've had to endure this sadistic party ritual, I've come to accept that some people truly do enjoy the synergy of doing the same dance together. But, it's really a win-win situation. I love to see it when some poor sap inevitably jumps up, lands facing in the wrong direction, then looks around awkwardly to see if anybody noticed. Yes, yes I did.

Fortunately for the ‘coordinationaly-challenged,' the G-Spot Boyz (or GS Boyz) have come up with a group dance so simple, you could be falling down a flight of steps and still get it right. It's called the Stanky Legg. It's real easy to do. Check it out. First you spread your feet apart. Then start dipping one knee toward the floor.

Congratulations. You've just done the Stanky Legg.

No need to remember if your hands go on your hips before going behind your head or the other way around. No need to worry about touching your thumbs to your middle fingers four times before clapping. Just drop your knee and start moving like your foot is stuck in a bear trap.

This song consists of a slow electronic beat, some computer beeps, and a bunch of people shouting gibberish. It's almost identical to Soulja Boy's "Crank That," but instead of "Watch me you!" one zillion times, we get subjected to "Do da Stanky Legg!"

Two zillion times.

To give an idea of how this annoying, mindless, repetitive song compares to other annoying, mindless, repetitive songs, "Stanky Legg" is slightly worse than "Crank That," but not as irritating as the mind-numbing monstrosities, "Whoomp, There It Is!," "Tootsie Roll," and "Daisy Dukes."

"Stanky Legg" debuted a week ago on the Billboard Hot 100 at #86 and moved up to #77 this week. This should scare you as much as it does me, because the next time I have to go to a party, I will be dreading the thought of having to suffer four agonizing minutes while two dozen jackasses dip their knees and yell, "Do da Skanky Legg!"

So if this song really takes off like the Electric Slide or Macarena, several DJs may be found dangling from disco balls. That's all I'm really trying to say.

If You Like: 69 Boyz, Soulja Boy, Tag Team
Rating: * (1 out of 5)

Depeche Mode – Wrong
Let's Have A Black Celebration

I was introduced to Depeche Mode by a British friend of mine in the late 1980s. My first listen left me with the same facial expression one gets when sucking on a lemon. For a die-hard Van Halen and Def Leppard fan, it was odd music that I had no initial interest in pursuing.

But like most bands that eventually have become my all-time favorites, the more I heard them, the more intrigued I became. Years later, despite the steady diet of hard rock and heavy metal I listen to, Depeche Mode is still one of my favorite bands and an inspiration for me as a songwriter and musician.

So when I chose to review the band's latest single, "Wrong," I decided not to let my personal idolization of the group bias my review. I could easily grab a megaphone and begin shouting this song's praises like a curbside preacher on the corner of 42nd and Broadway, but hopefully cooler heads will prevail and I can analyze the song from an unjaded point of view.

Aw, to hell with it. Pass the megaphone.

This song kicks in with a dark, hypnotic groove made from haunting synthesizer melodies and a plodding rhythm that would make the perfect soundtrack for a gang of voguish vampires traipsing down a moonlit alleyway.

"Wrong" has a good mix of the style of earlier Depeche Mode tracks like "Stories of Old" and "Lie To Me," mixed in with the more refined sound from songs from their peak years, like "Clean," "Walking In My Shoes," and "I Feel You."

For those not familiar with Depeche Mode's catalog, "Wrong" could be described as a slower Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" or a less-screamy Nine Inch Nails' "Terrible Lie." Lyrically, it empathizes with the Pet Shop Boys track "It's A Sin" while coming off a bit like Dr. John's repetitive "Right Place, Wrong Time".

The song's chorus consists of only one word (take a wild guess) chanted loudly and mechanically. This word is used several times in the verses as well, putting into effect the words of Robert Collier, "Constant repetition carries conviction." It is an anthem for the misled, misguided, unwanted and/or rejected who have been made to feel that everything they've done or ever will do is... wrong.

"I was marching to the wrong drum with the wrong scum,
Pissing out the wrong energy,
Using all the wrong lines and the wrong signs,
With the wrong intensity,
I was on the wrong page of the wrong book,
With the wrong rendition of the wrong hook,
Made the wrong move, every wrong night,
With the wrong tune played ‘til it sounded right."

Too dark to play well with others in today's ultra-cheery pop music scene, this song is unlikely to climb high on the charts, or stay there very long. But for those who require more than bouncy love songs, goofy party hits, and rappers with nothing to say except how great they supposedly are, this bitter synth-pop tune is a great alternative to the cookie cutter hit machines filling the airwaves lately.

As for me, I will be purchasing the deluxe box-set edition of Depeche Mode's upcoming album, which will contain three CDs and a DVD. Because everything counts in large amounts.

If You Like: Eurythmics (1983-1984), Gary Numan (1979), Nine Inch Nails (1989, 2005-2007), Pet Shop Boys (1990)
Rating: ***** (5 out of 5)