Trade the western shade for helter skelter
LJ, I have music to pimp to you, and that is MWK's new EP Luna Espera, available for download on iTunes or Amazon for the bargain price of $4.95. Five songs, each one a unique gem, and I am so impressed with this. The variety in sound that they've achieved here (relative to their earlier albums, at least), the interesting directions they're stretching in, combined with Neal's typically sharp, smart, vulnerable lyrics and Andy's golden voice (pathstotread and I were saying last night on Twitter that we're not sure how Andy's voice just keeps getting more and more amazing all the time, but it does) and, IMO, some of the coolest guitar work Neal has ever done… I had high expectations for this and they were COMPLETELY surpassed. So y'all should go check out the samples and then buy if you like, because wow. I am OVER THE MOON about this. I was listening to it last night while I was making soup and I had to keep stopping what I was doing to TWIRL AROUND THE KITCHEN WITH GLEE.
And for those of you who have heard this already, please join me behind the cut for flailing.
HOLY GOD YOU GUYS HOW IS THIS ALBUM SO GOOD. I have LOVED The Captain, His Ship since the first time I heard it; it's got the same kind of soaring, reaching tension to it that One True Thing does (to the extent that I wonder if Zac Maloy was involved somehow? This is the one bummer about digital releases, you don't get all the writing and performing credits, and I WANT ALL THE THINGS), and I love it more every time. And now that I've heard the whole EP, it works really well as a bridge from their older stuff to the new stuff; it sounds the most like what I would have expected of an MWK song of anything on the album, IMO, but it's got a new flavor, too, so it's a PERFECT way to start. (Also, okay, "The Captain, His Ship." Meaning that the captain here is a "he," yes? And then the song, "You're the captain, he's your ship." So the ship also = he. So… THAT'S INTERESTING. Hee. Not intentional, I'm pretty sure, but INTERESTING. [There is an angsty Neal/Dave/Andy story here that I don't want to write or read, but it's THERE. Heh.])
WITH ME EMPTY. This is not at ALL what I would have expected. It's really 80's-sounding, actually, in a good way, and I LOVE the driving rhythm, and the way the words drive right along with it-I was realizing recently that one of the things I really respond to with lyrics is when the lines are long and the meaning kind of stretches out from measure to measure; this is something I've always loved about Neal's songwriting, and I love that it's still so prevalent even with the very different sound here (though still with such a solid rock riff underneath the synth, and the vintage MWK breakdown in the middle, too). I don't blame Dave for being excited about this, back when they were working on it (and now I kind of want to hear him sing it, NGL, just for fun; I keep thinking MAYBE I hear him on the chorus, but that could just be wishful thinking).
HEAVEN OR WORSE. OH MY GOD. When this song started, I was thinking, "huh, you know, I already know two out of the five songs on this album, that's a little bit of a bummer" and then it hit the bridge and OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT? That sudden dark DESCENT INTO THE UNDERWORLD, oh my god, I got literally weak in the knees, from the guitar especially. Fucking HELL, Tiemann (though Kyle is also doing some REALLY FINE work on this album, omg). I am actually listening to it as I type and I am guitar-gasming AGAIN. FUCK. FUCK I LOVE IT. I kind of miss the "make me a promise" part, just for the harmony, but if you're going to replace it with THAT, then OKAY. Heh. And this is EXACTLY the flip-side of what happened when the Sanctuary Sessions came out and I was so impressed at how different they managed to make the older songs sound; I can hardly believe this is the same song that was on that album, you know? I mean, I love them both, but it's so BADASS the way they're delivering totally different flavors of awesome with the same song. They're just SUCH GOOD MUSICIANS and I am SO PROUD OF THEM. Also I keep thinking I hear Neal on the harmony here, but maybe I'm just projecting from Sanctuary Sessions. ANYWAY. This song MIGHT be my early favorite, though it's damn difficult to pick one, but it BLEW MY MIND.
Mean To You! I love the fake-out with the title here, how it doesn't mean what you think it means. Very clever, boys. *g* Anyway, I feel like this is where the EP starts to get all Spanish, in a totally awesome way-it's all desert and moody and then you get the sudden Hotel California-esque guitar that ends suddenly in a much more Guns 'n' Roses place, and seriously, I've always felt like MWK has had such a 90s flavor to it and they are so 80s here, all the GOOD parts of 80s music, it's so interesting. And this is actually a LOVE SONG. MWK WROTE A LOVE SONG. THAT IS (mostly) NOT DEPRESSING. AND HAS SOME REALLY BEAUTIFUL LINES IN IT. And I imagine Neal writing this on a tour bus and thinking about Kira and aaaaaaaaaagh. Neal, there are times when your blatant desire to be a cowboy or join a motorcycle gang or whatever kind of makes me want to noogie you, but this song is EXACTLY in the sweet spot between wanderlust and home fires, and I love it.
Hearts Are For Suckers. Oh, lord, there's a title-that's actually the only thing about this entire EP that I'm not completely on board with, though it is kind of a nice reminder that the emo kid who wrote "you shot me with the heaviest, you shot me with the lovelessness" is still in there, behind this suddenly really mature sound. HEE. ♥ But the SONG ITSELF, the arpeggios at the beginning, the lilting waltz rhythm, oh my GOD. And "faceless angel, try your luck on me," AGH SO GOOD. I love hearing Neal's lyrics with a much more complex musical basis; I will forever adore MWK's earlier work and I can't even say whether I like this new EP better, but it does feel more complete, more polished, not in the sense of being overproduced but just in the sense of having a fuller, more diverse sound. And it's funny, because that complexity was actually one of the things that disappointed me a bit about Andy's latest EP, because I love the simplicity of the first one, but here? YES. YES PLEASE.
Just. IT'S SO GOOD. I AM SO FUCKING PROUD OF THEM. Now PLEASE COME PLAY SOMEWHERE THAT I CAN AFFORD TO GET TO, BOYS, because I NEED to see them live. Gah.
Semi-relatedly, apparently Dave sang "Fade Into Me" last night totally unplugged, no mic, no amps, just him and his acoustic to a theatre full of people? BALLSY, DAVE. I ADORE YOU. I feel like they're really hitting their stride now, trying new things and just KICKING ASS and TAKING NAMES every night like the BAMFs that they are, and I'm also SO DAMN PROUD of THEM. I was (sorry, Dave) underwhelmed by the new album and so it kind of dimmed my love for a while, but I forgot that THIS is his element, really, the live shows, that are silly and sexy and sweet and that let him and the band really show what they're capable of, both musically and in terms of their connection to the audience. And THAT is how he sold so many albums the first time around, by grinding it out and touring relentlessly and giving each audience the most amazing show possible and making people fall in love with him, even against their will. I just respect that SO MUCH, and I know you are all sick of me talking about this (REVENGE OF THE DORMANT FANDOM), but I just have to say that this clip seems like a really good encapsulation of a good portion of what makes him such a great performer:
Just. FUNNY and then GOOSEBUMP-INDUCINGLY AMAZING (and also surprise!Andy, O HAI THERE, LOOKING/SOUNDING GOOD, PSKIB, why is no one filming you/taking pictures of you on this tour, THAT SEEMS TRAGIC), and I LOVE HIM SO MUCH, ridiculous bantering smart funny sexy sweet vocal powerhouse that he is. <33333333
There's also this Whitesnake cover, where he spends the first 25 seconds or so laughing at himself (partially out of nervousness, I think, AWWW; I love that he's just like, "fuck it, we haven't rehearsed this song in a while and we've never played it live, but I'm having fun and I want to sing it anyway," BECAUSE HE'S GREAT), then proceeds to sing the hell out of it, then CURTSEYS at the end. Ironically, sure--I'm still pretty sure that Gerard Way is the only completely non-ironic curtsey-er in rock 'n' roll--but it is ADORABLE nonetheless. Also I love that he's laughing at how cheesy this song is, because DAVID COOK HAS A CHEESE THRESHOLD? THIS IS NEWS TO ME. Heeee.
Also I heard they played some MWK in their pre-show mix last night? AWWWW. AWWWWWWWW. I don't even know what to call this fandom at this point, with its many tendrils of awesome stretching out into the world, but it feels like a GOOD TIME to be in it. ♥
(I will talk about TV tomorrow, I PROMISE. Just had to get this out there today.)
And for those of you who have heard this already, please join me behind the cut for flailing.
HOLY GOD YOU GUYS HOW IS THIS ALBUM SO GOOD. I have LOVED The Captain, His Ship since the first time I heard it; it's got the same kind of soaring, reaching tension to it that One True Thing does (to the extent that I wonder if Zac Maloy was involved somehow? This is the one bummer about digital releases, you don't get all the writing and performing credits, and I WANT ALL THE THINGS), and I love it more every time. And now that I've heard the whole EP, it works really well as a bridge from their older stuff to the new stuff; it sounds the most like what I would have expected of an MWK song of anything on the album, IMO, but it's got a new flavor, too, so it's a PERFECT way to start. (Also, okay, "The Captain, His Ship." Meaning that the captain here is a "he," yes? And then the song, "You're the captain, he's your ship." So the ship also = he. So… THAT'S INTERESTING. Hee. Not intentional, I'm pretty sure, but INTERESTING. [There is an angsty Neal/Dave/Andy story here that I don't want to write or read, but it's THERE. Heh.])
WITH ME EMPTY. This is not at ALL what I would have expected. It's really 80's-sounding, actually, in a good way, and I LOVE the driving rhythm, and the way the words drive right along with it-I was realizing recently that one of the things I really respond to with lyrics is when the lines are long and the meaning kind of stretches out from measure to measure; this is something I've always loved about Neal's songwriting, and I love that it's still so prevalent even with the very different sound here (though still with such a solid rock riff underneath the synth, and the vintage MWK breakdown in the middle, too). I don't blame Dave for being excited about this, back when they were working on it (and now I kind of want to hear him sing it, NGL, just for fun; I keep thinking MAYBE I hear him on the chorus, but that could just be wishful thinking).
HEAVEN OR WORSE. OH MY GOD. When this song started, I was thinking, "huh, you know, I already know two out of the five songs on this album, that's a little bit of a bummer" and then it hit the bridge and OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT? That sudden dark DESCENT INTO THE UNDERWORLD, oh my god, I got literally weak in the knees, from the guitar especially. Fucking HELL, Tiemann (though Kyle is also doing some REALLY FINE work on this album, omg). I am actually listening to it as I type and I am guitar-gasming AGAIN. FUCK. FUCK I LOVE IT. I kind of miss the "make me a promise" part, just for the harmony, but if you're going to replace it with THAT, then OKAY. Heh. And this is EXACTLY the flip-side of what happened when the Sanctuary Sessions came out and I was so impressed at how different they managed to make the older songs sound; I can hardly believe this is the same song that was on that album, you know? I mean, I love them both, but it's so BADASS the way they're delivering totally different flavors of awesome with the same song. They're just SUCH GOOD MUSICIANS and I am SO PROUD OF THEM. Also I keep thinking I hear Neal on the harmony here, but maybe I'm just projecting from Sanctuary Sessions. ANYWAY. This song MIGHT be my early favorite, though it's damn difficult to pick one, but it BLEW MY MIND.
Mean To You! I love the fake-out with the title here, how it doesn't mean what you think it means. Very clever, boys. *g* Anyway, I feel like this is where the EP starts to get all Spanish, in a totally awesome way-it's all desert and moody and then you get the sudden Hotel California-esque guitar that ends suddenly in a much more Guns 'n' Roses place, and seriously, I've always felt like MWK has had such a 90s flavor to it and they are so 80s here, all the GOOD parts of 80s music, it's so interesting. And this is actually a LOVE SONG. MWK WROTE A LOVE SONG. THAT IS (mostly) NOT DEPRESSING. AND HAS SOME REALLY BEAUTIFUL LINES IN IT. And I imagine Neal writing this on a tour bus and thinking about Kira and aaaaaaaaaagh. Neal, there are times when your blatant desire to be a cowboy or join a motorcycle gang or whatever kind of makes me want to noogie you, but this song is EXACTLY in the sweet spot between wanderlust and home fires, and I love it.
Hearts Are For Suckers. Oh, lord, there's a title-that's actually the only thing about this entire EP that I'm not completely on board with, though it is kind of a nice reminder that the emo kid who wrote "you shot me with the heaviest, you shot me with the lovelessness" is still in there, behind this suddenly really mature sound. HEE. ♥ But the SONG ITSELF, the arpeggios at the beginning, the lilting waltz rhythm, oh my GOD. And "faceless angel, try your luck on me," AGH SO GOOD. I love hearing Neal's lyrics with a much more complex musical basis; I will forever adore MWK's earlier work and I can't even say whether I like this new EP better, but it does feel more complete, more polished, not in the sense of being overproduced but just in the sense of having a fuller, more diverse sound. And it's funny, because that complexity was actually one of the things that disappointed me a bit about Andy's latest EP, because I love the simplicity of the first one, but here? YES. YES PLEASE.
Just. IT'S SO GOOD. I AM SO FUCKING PROUD OF THEM. Now PLEASE COME PLAY SOMEWHERE THAT I CAN AFFORD TO GET TO, BOYS, because I NEED to see them live. Gah.
Semi-relatedly, apparently Dave sang "Fade Into Me" last night totally unplugged, no mic, no amps, just him and his acoustic to a theatre full of people? BALLSY, DAVE. I ADORE YOU. I feel like they're really hitting their stride now, trying new things and just KICKING ASS and TAKING NAMES every night like the BAMFs that they are, and I'm also SO DAMN PROUD of THEM. I was (sorry, Dave) underwhelmed by the new album and so it kind of dimmed my love for a while, but I forgot that THIS is his element, really, the live shows, that are silly and sexy and sweet and that let him and the band really show what they're capable of, both musically and in terms of their connection to the audience. And THAT is how he sold so many albums the first time around, by grinding it out and touring relentlessly and giving each audience the most amazing show possible and making people fall in love with him, even against their will. I just respect that SO MUCH, and I know you are all sick of me talking about this (REVENGE OF THE DORMANT FANDOM), but I just have to say that this clip seems like a really good encapsulation of a good portion of what makes him such a great performer:
Click to viewJust. FUNNY and then GOOSEBUMP-INDUCINGLY AMAZING (and also surprise!Andy, O HAI THERE, LOOKING/SOUNDING GOOD, PSKIB, why is no one filming you/taking pictures of you on this tour, THAT SEEMS TRAGIC), and I LOVE HIM SO MUCH, ridiculous bantering smart funny sexy sweet vocal powerhouse that he is. <33333333
There's also this Whitesnake cover, where he spends the first 25 seconds or so laughing at himself (partially out of nervousness, I think, AWWW; I love that he's just like, "fuck it, we haven't rehearsed this song in a while and we've never played it live, but I'm having fun and I want to sing it anyway," BECAUSE HE'S GREAT), then proceeds to sing the hell out of it, then CURTSEYS at the end. Ironically, sure--I'm still pretty sure that Gerard Way is the only completely non-ironic curtsey-er in rock 'n' roll--but it is ADORABLE nonetheless. Also I love that he's laughing at how cheesy this song is, because DAVID COOK HAS A CHEESE THRESHOLD? THIS IS NEWS TO ME. Heeee.
Also I heard they played some MWK in their pre-show mix last night? AWWWW. AWWWWWWWW. I don't even know what to call this fandom at this point, with its many tendrils of awesome stretching out into the world, but it feels like a GOOD TIME to be in it. ♥
(I will talk about TV tomorrow, I PROMISE. Just had to get this out there today.)