asking burning questions
To quote Axl Rose, I've got a burning feeling there's something wrong today. And it's not that I'm quoting a Guns 'N' Roses song, either. For one thing, that fabled Chinese Democracy album actually got released. For another thing, people actually care that there's a new Guns 'N' Roses album. And not just because of that free Dr Pepper deal, either. They care in the way that they're actually buying it and listening to it and asking me about it at work. They're serious. And all I can do is stammer and wonder what the hell for.
This is probably where I should fess up and admit that I'm not, nor have I ever been, a GNR fan. However, having grown up in the late 80's/early 90's in East Van and having had a hard rockin' cousin, I heard them a lot. Look, I'll give you Appetite For Destruction. Even nine-year-old me could tell you that that shit rocks. And I'll give you a few songs off of each of their later albums. But this new record? No.
Granted, I haven't heard it in its entirely--I'm not wasting my money or bandwidth on this--and what I have heard is, like, ninety second samples from the first five tracks, but what I have heard is very telling. It, much like Axl's overdubbed voice, sounds stale and old. It's missing much of what made GNR good: the guys in the band. Songwriters like Stradlin and lead guitarists like Slash (yeah, he's a tad overrated, but the dude had a top hat and matching pants made of leather--a look that requires equal amounts of talent and balls to pull off.) Most importantly and unforgivingly, it doesn't rock. Nothing in these samples grabs me or shakes me. Yeah, I know: I'm not a fan. In fact, there's tonnes of music that I'd rather listen to than GNR. But when something has been so anticipated, so hyped, and so joked about, shouldn't it at least be decent?
Then again, it would have taken a miracle to deliver a GNR record that lived up to the hype and expectations. Because nothing ever lives up to its hype. As anyone could tell you, the best music always catches you by surprise, like a yowl in the dead of night.
Of course, I could just be bitter because being Canadian and all, I don't even get a free Dr Pepper out of the deal. Bleah!
This is probably where I should fess up and admit that I'm not, nor have I ever been, a GNR fan. However, having grown up in the late 80's/early 90's in East Van and having had a hard rockin' cousin, I heard them a lot. Look, I'll give you Appetite For Destruction. Even nine-year-old me could tell you that that shit rocks. And I'll give you a few songs off of each of their later albums. But this new record? No.
Granted, I haven't heard it in its entirely--I'm not wasting my money or bandwidth on this--and what I have heard is, like, ninety second samples from the first five tracks, but what I have heard is very telling. It, much like Axl's overdubbed voice, sounds stale and old. It's missing much of what made GNR good: the guys in the band. Songwriters like Stradlin and lead guitarists like Slash (yeah, he's a tad overrated, but the dude had a top hat and matching pants made of leather--a look that requires equal amounts of talent and balls to pull off.) Most importantly and unforgivingly, it doesn't rock. Nothing in these samples grabs me or shakes me. Yeah, I know: I'm not a fan. In fact, there's tonnes of music that I'd rather listen to than GNR. But when something has been so anticipated, so hyped, and so joked about, shouldn't it at least be decent?
Then again, it would have taken a miracle to deliver a GNR record that lived up to the hype and expectations. Because nothing ever lives up to its hype. As anyone could tell you, the best music always catches you by surprise, like a yowl in the dead of night.
Of course, I could just be bitter because being Canadian and all, I don't even get a free Dr Pepper out of the deal. Bleah!