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March 17 - About time!
Just in case I haven't mentioned it about a hundred times already... the new Tesla album is friggin' brilliant.
If you don't believe me, go check out these reviews:
Revelationz
MFN Rocks
Metal-Reviews
Sacramento Bee
Dealtime
And you should also go check out the review posted on
They Will Rock You. No direct link to the Tesla review because the whole site is cool and it'd be worth your
while to head over and snoop around a bit before you read their review of it.
To those of you who've already picked up a copy, you've done a good thing. First
week sales were a little over 30,000, and that should put them in the top 40 for Billboard's album chart. Not too shabby for a
band that had any kind of success in the 80s, especially when they're on a pretty small label (compared to their
former label, that is).
Although I'll try to sum up how each song strikes me, I've gotta be honest - this
isn't really a collection of singles. It's an ALBUM - meaning, you're supposed to get an impression out of the
collective work, and not just from each 4 minutes or so of time that I'm gonna talk about here. Anyhow, as promised,
here's my reaction to the cd, track-by-track:
Into the Now - Strong song. Starts off with a clean, mellow introduction. But just
a few seconds in, you realize that it isn't "The Great Radio Controversy". For much of the album, songs are punctuated
with more percussive guitar riffs and laser-point notes - not the freeform guitar style of the earlier songs. This song
also has a bridge that features an almost-medley of modern style - even a faux-dj scratch. Of course, that's really
just Frank running his hands across the strings, so don't worry about a sell-out... Anyhow, the cd starts off strong
and heavy.
Look @ Me - Another modern-sounding song, the introduction feeds off the previous song's ending, almost
sounding like a live album.
What A Shame - Jangly pop song. Starts off with what sounds like electronic drums, but quickly redeems
itself and turns into a catchy strong point.
Heaven Nine Eleven - One of the tracks that radio has picked up, it alternates between crunchy and
melancholy - a cathartic chorus filled with both longing and rage, and a subtly ironic message of hope. It's almost
hard to try to analyze the song's message - is "Heaven's looking better everyday" a call for Christian unity, a plea
for divine intervention to solve the world's problems, or an indictment of society as a whole, in which death is
the only way out? All in all, probably the best-written song on the album.
Words Can't Explain - A love song - musically, it reminds me of "The Way It Is".
Caught In A Dream - Probably the most old-school Tesla sounding song, this one's actually done well
on the radio.
Miles Away - Starts off with a heavy groove, turns into both an introspective apology for putting life on the
road ahead of life at home, and a warning that life on the rock-n-roll merry-go-round isn't what it's cracked up to be.
Mighty Mouse - This one just doesn't do it for me - reminds me too much of that Audioslave song that was
overhyped last year. Sounds like there was potential, but I didn't like how this one turned out. Sorry!
Got No Glory - The heaviest song on the record. Tesla at their most aggressive. The scream at the beginning
sets the tone for the song, and it features some nice solo guitar work. I challenge anyone to listen to this one quietly -
it can't be done. You WILL turn up the volume for this one, and you should. To me, this is the strongest track Tesla's ever
done, and it resonates like a giant middle finger - "What I feel is what I say" and "I'd rather die than have my word be insincere",
i.e., deal with me how I am and shove it if you don't like it.
Come To Me - Catchy pop song - Jeff's delivery sounds a lot like Steven Tyler in parts.
Recognize - Another one that didn't do it for me - it's not bad, but it doesn't develop the way
I was hoping it would. To me, it sounds like three different song ideas pasted together. Each of the three songs
could have been strong, but the result sounds a bit watered down.
Only You - Hauntingly beautiful and elegant in it's simplicity, it's just an acoustic guitar and Jeff's vocals. A nice string section
provides background, but the song ends in such a way that it never really feels like it's over. You feel the
need to start the record over again.
And that's exactly the way a great record's end should make you feel.
All in all, this is a masterpiece. Though I miss the freeform style guitar work from the
days of "Cumin Atcha Live" and "Edison's Medicine", the songwriting is top notch and the production is stellar. Furthermore,
Tesla's set out to prove that not only can they compete with modern bands, but they can beat them at their own game while
still remaining true to what they've accomplished over their career.
I'm convinced.
As long as you're here, go check out my Tesla photo gallery.
There are also galleries for Soulmotor, Kaleidoscope,
Frank Hannon, and Bar 7. |
