I purchased Diamond Eyes on cd today. I'm pretty much thoroughly impressed with it, because of the singles, alone. You've Seen the Butcher is my favorite so far, but Diamond Eyes, Rocket Skates, and even Sextape, are really cool. Those songs alone are worth purchasing the album for. I've heard all these songs cause they've all got videos, already! And they're all awesome!
And... listen, I really sound like I'm advertising this band, like they paid me to do it or something, but... I'm just that into it. Ok? Yes, I'm that into Deftones. It's not juvenile! This album is really good. The production and the performances are top notch.
The style is at once new, and a revival of their past work, in just a few delicious parts. Too much old-style revival would not suit me so well. I'll openly admit I'm not a big fan of their first two albums anymore. There are good moments, but it's not anything I want to hear at this point in my life. I'm older, and they're older. Their maturity shows in their newer music. DE is romantic and beautiful without dolloping on lumps of sugar, and it's heavy and bracing and lovely, and doom, separately and all at once, all without devolving into cliche.
Ever since "White Pony", these motherfuckers can do no wrong. "Deftones" and "Saturday Night Wrist" are all awesome in my mind. But I think I'm into Diamond Eyes more than any of them, even "White Pony".
DE contains a lot of what made Type O Negative great, in my mind, believe it or not. It's the romance angle. The dark beauty of love and lust and sensuality. I'm listening to Beauty School right now; that's what's giving me this feeling. It's sort of ambient, but guitar-based. The vocals are beautiful. Chino's got this really fucking emotive voice that will bring you to tears and catch you off guard. It's almost as if he pulls one over on you, like, deceptively like.
One of my other favorite things on this album is the guitar work from Stephen Carpenter. I don't know if he's playing a 7-string guitar, or just tunes it down really far, but it's low as hell. And he's got this... sort of minimal thing going on...
Holy crap, Prince could totally have been on "Around the Fur", but it's better than most of the songs on ATF, (not My Own Summer (Shove It), tho, THAT SONG OWNS) Prince is structured like an ATF song, or two or three. Steph and Abe, those guys are the rhythm section that make this band rule. Chino along with them is perfect. Somehow they struck gold.
I'm glad they overcame the tensions of the SNW recordings. I'm glad they ditched "Eros" and decided to rerecord an entirely new album. You can tell the whole band had been through something real, with Chi getting in that car accident and entering a near-conscious state, where he still lies. In cases like these, you can't just put out something you're not completely proud of. In these cases it's time to lose all your walls, and all the bullshit and write from your heart.
And somehow, they made it poppy and metal at the same time. It's what they had to do to make what they needed to. Chino can still scream like a motherfucker, like a banshee from hell, even though he threw his voice out, five or so years ago. It's really awesome.
Rocket Skates. "You're red, soaking wet. I'll be right next to you." Dah-Dah-DAH-Dah-Dah-DAA" Need I say more? Okay, how about "GUUUUNS!! RAZOOOOORS!! KNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES!! WHOOOO!!"
ROCKET SKATES OWNS
Sextape is quite beautiful. Lovely. The video accents it well.
One thing Deftones' videos have much of is skinny model-looking women. I always think that glamor models people have no place in music videos, and it always weirds me out. That's just me. I like art videos. I like a music video that pushes the boundaries of its medium and makes me feel something. Deftones' videos don't always achieve that.
But the video for You've Seen the Butcher, which has lots of "hot chicks" in it, it still is an amazing video. The women aren't doing anything indecent, and they do look hot. I love the shot of the woman in the chair, watching books fall slowly outside the dusty window, legs crossed, foot dangling there. And the blood... the blood. Makes me cry, all that blood. You've gotta watch it, you'll know what I mean. Go to their YouTube channel.
The last two songs on DE remind me of the way Billy Corgan ended Ava Adore, with the last four tracks. It's got the same vibe.
Keep in mind, if you ever give DE a thorough listen, that all the while the band performed every song on it, they had the near-loss of Chi to think about, or try not to think about. If that doesn't make a heavy album, I don't know what does. They sound like they took it hard and it's an appropriate album to deal with their pain. You can hear it, lying just underneath its porcelain skin.
My heart goes out to you gentlemen in Deftones. Nicely done. The new album is really moving.
And... listen, I really sound like I'm advertising this band, like they paid me to do it or something, but... I'm just that into it. Ok? Yes, I'm that into Deftones. It's not juvenile! This album is really good. The production and the performances are top notch.
The style is at once new, and a revival of their past work, in just a few delicious parts. Too much old-style revival would not suit me so well. I'll openly admit I'm not a big fan of their first two albums anymore. There are good moments, but it's not anything I want to hear at this point in my life. I'm older, and they're older. Their maturity shows in their newer music. DE is romantic and beautiful without dolloping on lumps of sugar, and it's heavy and bracing and lovely, and doom, separately and all at once, all without devolving into cliche.
Ever since "White Pony", these motherfuckers can do no wrong. "Deftones" and "Saturday Night Wrist" are all awesome in my mind. But I think I'm into Diamond Eyes more than any of them, even "White Pony".
DE contains a lot of what made Type O Negative great, in my mind, believe it or not. It's the romance angle. The dark beauty of love and lust and sensuality. I'm listening to Beauty School right now; that's what's giving me this feeling. It's sort of ambient, but guitar-based. The vocals are beautiful. Chino's got this really fucking emotive voice that will bring you to tears and catch you off guard. It's almost as if he pulls one over on you, like, deceptively like.
One of my other favorite things on this album is the guitar work from Stephen Carpenter. I don't know if he's playing a 7-string guitar, or just tunes it down really far, but it's low as hell. And he's got this... sort of minimal thing going on...
Holy crap, Prince could totally have been on "Around the Fur", but it's better than most of the songs on ATF, (not My Own Summer (Shove It), tho, THAT SONG OWNS) Prince is structured like an ATF song, or two or three. Steph and Abe, those guys are the rhythm section that make this band rule. Chino along with them is perfect. Somehow they struck gold.
I'm glad they overcame the tensions of the SNW recordings. I'm glad they ditched "Eros" and decided to rerecord an entirely new album. You can tell the whole band had been through something real, with Chi getting in that car accident and entering a near-conscious state, where he still lies. In cases like these, you can't just put out something you're not completely proud of. In these cases it's time to lose all your walls, and all the bullshit and write from your heart.
And somehow, they made it poppy and metal at the same time. It's what they had to do to make what they needed to. Chino can still scream like a motherfucker, like a banshee from hell, even though he threw his voice out, five or so years ago. It's really awesome.
Rocket Skates. "You're red, soaking wet. I'll be right next to you." Dah-Dah-DAH-Dah-Dah-DAA" Need I say more? Okay, how about "GUUUUNS!! RAZOOOOORS!! KNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES!! WHOOOO!!"
ROCKET SKATES OWNS
Sextape is quite beautiful. Lovely. The video accents it well.
One thing Deftones' videos have much of is skinny model-looking women. I always think that glamor models people have no place in music videos, and it always weirds me out. That's just me. I like art videos. I like a music video that pushes the boundaries of its medium and makes me feel something. Deftones' videos don't always achieve that.
But the video for You've Seen the Butcher, which has lots of "hot chicks" in it, it still is an amazing video. The women aren't doing anything indecent, and they do look hot. I love the shot of the woman in the chair, watching books fall slowly outside the dusty window, legs crossed, foot dangling there. And the blood... the blood. Makes me cry, all that blood. You've gotta watch it, you'll know what I mean. Go to their YouTube channel.
The last two songs on DE remind me of the way Billy Corgan ended Ava Adore, with the last four tracks. It's got the same vibe.
Keep in mind, if you ever give DE a thorough listen, that all the while the band performed every song on it, they had the near-loss of Chi to think about, or try not to think about. If that doesn't make a heavy album, I don't know what does. They sound like they took it hard and it's an appropriate album to deal with their pain. You can hear it, lying just underneath its porcelain skin.
My heart goes out to you gentlemen in Deftones. Nicely done. The new album is really moving.
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