G'n'R Part Deux
I listened to "IRS" and "The Blues" from the upcoming Chinese Democracy album from Guns'n'Roses. Needless to say, there was little there to stir my heart or imagination. I would not say that the songs were bad -- they seemed well-written and well-produced. Axl's voice sounds the same as it did back in the late 80's/early 90's. The guitar tone was classic G'n'R, and the absense of Sir Slash was barely noticed. But the tracks definately did not carry the visceral weight of early G'n'R. Perhaps I'm just getting old and jaded.
Guns'n'Roses introduced me to danger in rock'n'roll music. They were not safe and slick like, say, Def Leppard or Bon Jovi. Their decadence and nihilism was palatable; their music smelled of the grime of Hollywood's underbelly. They were not clownish in their debauchery like Motley Crue or the countless other Sunset Strip glam metal bands. Guns'n'Roses gave a young kid the sense that something was out there, something forbidden and tasty, something that would ruin you. I suppose that the words I use conjure up the immediate responses of "sin" and "temptation," but these are often consequences of a life lived instead of hidden. G'n'R felt real. They did not feel like a cartoon or like a pre-pubescent gutteral fantasy.
The overbloated and overblown rock music world wasn't quite ready for G'n'R in the late 80's, and now their darkness seems like a pale tint to cynical, irony-seeking eyes. But more than anything else, G'n'R sounded like Los Angeles. Maybe my perception of boredom and irrelevance at the new tracks stems from my rejection of LA as the city of nihilistic urban dreams. I'm actually happy to be as far removed from LA as possible, both geographically and spiritually.
So cheers to you, Axl. I applaud your perseverance in continuing to make decent-sounding records and attempting to harness some of that danger for the kids who only know rock music as a cheeky joke. Maybe their ears are still looking for a seedy LA underbelly to wallow in for a while.
Guns'n'Roses introduced me to danger in rock'n'roll music. They were not safe and slick like, say, Def Leppard or Bon Jovi. Their decadence and nihilism was palatable; their music smelled of the grime of Hollywood's underbelly. They were not clownish in their debauchery like Motley Crue or the countless other Sunset Strip glam metal bands. Guns'n'Roses gave a young kid the sense that something was out there, something forbidden and tasty, something that would ruin you. I suppose that the words I use conjure up the immediate responses of "sin" and "temptation," but these are often consequences of a life lived instead of hidden. G'n'R felt real. They did not feel like a cartoon or like a pre-pubescent gutteral fantasy.
The overbloated and overblown rock music world wasn't quite ready for G'n'R in the late 80's, and now their darkness seems like a pale tint to cynical, irony-seeking eyes. But more than anything else, G'n'R sounded like Los Angeles. Maybe my perception of boredom and irrelevance at the new tracks stems from my rejection of LA as the city of nihilistic urban dreams. I'm actually happy to be as far removed from LA as possible, both geographically and spiritually.
So cheers to you, Axl. I applaud your perseverance in continuing to make decent-sounding records and attempting to harness some of that danger for the kids who only know rock music as a cheeky joke. Maybe their ears are still looking for a seedy LA underbelly to wallow in for a while.