dire straits brothers in arms
Sunday, March 23rd, 2008
Big man, big sound, big album. This is the big guy from New York’s 15th album since his debut in 1995 (Booty And The Beast) and it is easily his most coherent and complete; anyone who loves Noooo Yaaawk Blooze should lap
Video of the day Bob Sinclar - Together feat S.Edwards
this up immediately.
Video of the day Bob Sinclar - Together feat S.Edwards
Chubby either has a sense of humour or a serious hard attitude and the track listing bears out his attitude with titles like 'I’ll Piss On Your Grave’ or 'Oh Rock & Roll, You Heartless Bitch’ but he also tempers them with 'Grown Man Cryin’ Blues’ so you can see we are dealing with a complex personality here! In the meantime he is delivering Blues based rock with real swing and punch and with Popa C’s slightly Meatloafish vocals it all rolls along having a good time and dragging the listener with it. Unlike some of the one paced albums that have been pushed out lately he mixes it all up with some funkiness – 'Money Isn’t Everything, It’s The Only Thing’ or a rockabilly-esque 'theme From The Godfather’ and he even manages a passable bit of reggae with 'Woman In My Bed Dub’! There are also a couple of videos included for the PC and they definitely set you right about whether the man is all he suggests.
The band are all that Mr Chubby needs – Chris Reddan & AJ Pappas form the rhythm section and Dave Keyes pops up on Hammond organ and piano – but you are listening to the front man and he really is all you need to focus on.
On the back of the sleeve is an instruction to 'PLAY IT LOUD!!!’ When a six foot nine inch man weighing 330 lbs gives you that kind of suggestion, what are you gonna do?
Timbaland teams up with the one who could sing from the Pussycat Dolls for some naughty pop.
Video of the day Bob Sinclar - Together feat S.Edwards
Nicole Scherzinger and new R&B star Keri Hilson seductively sing about screaming over heavy rhythmic breathing and crunchy rock guitar riffs.
And if the innuendo wasn’t clear enough the song closes with a deep, male voice imploring us to keep on going and sit on his lap. The song is a grower. But it’s not a classic. It’ll grace the clubs for a couple of months but it won’t be remembered this time next year. Timbaland does make good music – he had the biggest selling singles from 2007 with They Way I Are, Apologize, Give It To Me and Ayo Technology.
Muse have always been one of those bands who I feel have always been a better live proposition than they have on record. Its not that there’s anything wrong with their expansive soundscape, or anything unlikeable about their prog-leanings, but in general it’s a sound that seems made for an occasion like this. Sure, the first record is very much inspired by Bends/OK Computer era Radiohead, but like Coldplay (and the two couldn’t sound anymore different) they have transcended that, and are scene leaders in their own right. It is still quite a strange proposition that a band who has so, dare I say, discreetly gained popularity, to be playing a show as huge as Wembley Stadium, and even more so that they managed to sell out two nights. This DVD has come straight from one of those shows, and
Video of the day Bob Sinclar - Together feat S.Edwards
it’s a real treat for fans and casual observers alike.
Video of the day Bob Sinclar - Together feat S.Edwards
Anyone who has seen Muse in the last couple of years will attest to their ability to produce 'a show’, a concept that few bands seem to understand even now. When you see Muse live, you get a great audio AND visual experience, in the tradition of some of the great stadium bands, especially U2 and the aforementioned Coldplay. It is something the band appear to takes great pride, and derive much enjoyment from, and it is clear from the off on the DVD that a lot of effort has been put into providing not just a live show, but something to go back to again and again.
It’s the things that you might not notice standing in a stadium that make the DVD great, like seeing a little robot come from the side of the stage with Matt Bellamy’s guitars, rather than a guitar stack. Being 20 feet from a stage 15 feet from the ground, fans may not be able to see the pure joy on the face of each band member, and yet its one of the things the many close-ups of the band highlights. The recording also provides an actual focal point for your viewing pleasure, something that can often be difficult at a show with so much going on. The sound is absolutely amazing as well. Admittedly, I did see the recording in a cinema screen with a great surround sound system, which amusingly often made me want to stand and cheer for more, feeling like an actual part of the show, down to the screaming girls behind and around me.