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ON AIR - Musings on Ima Robot.
BKPOST0020031017dzah0001o
1175 Words
17 October 2003
Bangkok Post
2
English
(c) 2003

Onsiri Pravattiyagul

ABSOLUTION: Muse, Taste, 2003: Muse is one of those bands that people either really love or loath to the core. Thanks to the melodrama of frontman Matt Bellamy's claim that he's in communication with the dead, haters are in abundance. Detractors even smirk and have called the band more than once "Radiohead wannabes".

But then again, whose musical wet dream doesn't involve Thom Yorke and Co?

There are, however, reasons to swoon over Muse. As the third outing, Absolution proves the prog outlook and grandiose mini rock opera scheme can be absolutely intoxicating.

Sure, sound-wise it doesn't travel far from the previous works, but this benign stubbornness results in a more substantial, obvious pain and universal anger through a very straightforward delivery.

Muse doesn't want to hide anything. They don't want to be cryptic, trying to sound intelligent. They just want you to understand and to feel the thorns in their sides. Strangely enough, you do feel them and feel for them.

The scope of the lyrics is as wide as, say, the universe, trying to make sense of the world and beyond. Have they come to an answer? That, you have to see it for yourself. See what these 25-year-olds have to be weary about.

Matt Bellamy is clearly the man behind all of this. He re-instils the rock'n' roll insanities back to the book with his guitar handling and meticulous craftsmanship. Bellamy has been compared to Rachmaninov, and it's true that he is at his best while on the piano.

The record opens with an intro of military stomps. Apocalypse Please manifests its statement of purpose through disharmonised piano and operatic guitar. Time is Running Out falls from the sky and will get you singing in no time. Its thundering basslines and emotional crescendo represent old time rock tricks that work only too well.

Stockholm Syndrome combines burning riffs and classical piano while Falling Away With You fools you into thinking that it's gonna be a nice acoustic piece before splashes of intense instrumentation. Blackout is remarkable with the orchestral grandeur but the fuzzed-out guitar manages to sneak in anyway.

Butterflies & Hurricanes builds up insanely toward perfection. You get distortion, grand piano and haunting backing vocals while the message can't be simpler. "You've got to change the world/And use this chance to be heard," Bellamy sings.

It doesn't matter whether Muse has to sing for absolution any longer as the way things seem, they've been absolved.

- Perfect for: Audio absolution.

IMA ROBOT: Ima Robot, Virgin, 2003: If you're looking for pedigree and recognition, Ima Robot's bassist Justin Meldal-Johnson and drummer Joey Waronker have been in Beck's touring parties for a while already. Other members have also been session musicians at one time or another.

So Ima Robot's crazy, punked up debut is not short on the production process. This self-tilted debut is simply slick, and any fool can tell that the programming is executed under a very capable hand. These Californians know their ways around the studio and the instruments. No one can disagree with that.

Judging from the above lines, you might have jumped the gun and assumed that the album is sort of dry and too airbrushed.Well, not a wee bit! Ima Robot is full of zest that seems to basically tumble out of the stereo.

They are fun, loud, and rambunctious and just can't care less what you think.

So when you combine such confidence with technical mastery, you can only get a worthwhile and truly spiced up record that doesn't come your way very often.

Such a funky result might have stemmed from the boys' love and understanding of the music from the past years. Some might say that their influences are oh so easily identified and you might as well hate them for it.

They probably spend lots of time studying punk, new wave, new romantics, glam or even metal to produce an extremely seamless musical blend. Ima Robot's brand of electro punk and dance rock is truly something to sing along and mash to in the current state of melancholia.

But this doesn't mean these five men are all about being kitsch and weird. The core of every single track is a shimmering, accessible pop hook that just gets dressed up a bit. Vocalist and lyricist Alex Ebert yelps his way through and projects a psycho rush upon the world with his spastic vocal chords.

The lyrics appear free flowing, mainly discussing sex and the city, in this case Los Angeles. They are obscenely funny yet reflective all the same.

Dynomite inclines toward the danceable bits of punk. Song #1 which comes second is super glam with a lot of make-up while Scream offers an affecting chorus as the hidden piano echoes surprising sweetness. But then Ebert adds in a little bit of perversion in the way he says "scream".

A is For Action is decorated with power chords and plays with cheerleading chant. For Ima Robot, P is for paranoia.

Possibly the most exciting track, Dirty Life's lyrics are about, er, a dirty life, floating over spaced-out dance. Philosophofee comes with ferocious shot out hooks.

Bonus track Black Jettas melds hip hop with punk effortlessly. You'd never know that a silly song about an ex-lover could be so much fun.

But then again, most of the time Ima Robot is fun, fun and fun.

- Perfect for: Fun loving.

Other (sort of) recommended listening

SILENCE IS EASY: Starsailor, EMI, 2003: They were the first to work with Phil Spector in years. They were the last to work with him before he allegedly shot a girl. But they weren't happy with what the legendary wall-of-sound producer has to give them so they scarped half of it.

Well, silence would have been easier on them as this sophomore effort is just ridden with banality and crappy penmanship. Stay silent.

OFF THE WALL - TEN YEARS OF WALL OF SOUND: Wall of Sound, 2003: This double CD is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the label Wall of Sound that has given precious gems to the world for a decade now.

So you get all the interesting artists like Propellerheads, The Bees, Royksopp and Agent Provocateur and their best works.

A must-have album, if you want to be cool!

THE NEPTUNES PRESENTCLONES: The Neptunes, Star Trak, 2003: You just can't get away from The Neptunes. They're everywhere from idiotic pop princes and princesses to street rappers.

Pharrel Williams and Chad Hugo must be super busy, but still they manage to find time to release an album under The Neptunes name.

But unfortunately, it's nothing that hasn't been heard before. A much more adventurous album is expected out of these two.

- Comments or suggestions? Email onsirip@bangkokpost.co.th.