Soooo - I told you that I would make a little feature on this one earlier this week. And now I do!
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bass play whom you might know from the mid 90's where she filled in the slot as bass player for Hole, Courtney Love's band, you know. Hole disbanded, she joined Smashing Pumpkins for a while, she released her self-titled solo debut in 2004 and it's very good. On Auf Der Maur, Melissa and LOADS of famous friends played rock influenced by metal and stoner but still with a glimpse in the eye. Melissa herself called it "heavy romantic rock" which sound kind of stupid but is actually kind of true.
Her brand new album, Out Of Our Minds, is a concept album about vikings. I know that sounds....... uhhhhhhmmm rubbish, but luckily, there's more rock here than there's viking. Where AdM was kinda sexy and a bit happy most of the time, OOOM is darker, more mystic, a bit more gothic maybe and a bit more experimental. The vibe here might be kind of viking.
But, as always, what REALLY matters is the songs, and MadM's songwriting has definately improved. I don't know if it's the six years it took her or if it's because she has improved as an artist, but simply, every song here has a brilliant melody. That means there are no incredible standouts like I'll Be Everything You Want and Followed The Waves on her first album, but this one works WAY better as a whole album and quality is more consistent here. Best listened to as an album, I'll go a bit more specific here.
The album starts of with The Hunt, a 3-minute instrumental that makes for a fine setting for the rest of the album.
First "real" tune is lead single Out Of Our Minds which works better as a single than the other tunes here, but still won't get that much air. The tune itself is fine, shifting rythms blend with a good chorus and make for a solid tune.
Next up is the brilliant Isis Speaks, one of the strongest songs on the album. A dark vibe, a cryptic 7/8 chorus and 3 minute jam is very brave put place as third number on an album, but it works here because you're in the athmosphere from the start.
Other great tunes include Follow The Map with a Queens Of The Stone Age-esque riff, a fine chorus and a text that's inspired by vikings which makes a bit silly, Meet Me On The Darkside which turns up with another great chorus and album closer Mother's Box.
Now, enough text - here's something to listen to:
Listen to the album in its entirety on Grooveshark.Cheers!
