|
|
|
|
55,337 posts since 7/17/2002
|
Posted on 5/24/2009 at 12:42:26 PM
|
|
|
The Atomic Bitchwax - 4Review by John Pegoraro (StonerRock.com) MeteorCity/Tee Pee Records (re-release) Release date: 2009 The Atomic Bitchwax's appropriately named 4 was, if I'm not mistaken, the first release by MeteorCity after it changed hands from Jadd Shickler to Dan Beland, who's also the owner of this site and therefore the guy who signs my paycheck. Given that, I made the decision to avoid any conflict of interest by pawning 4 and all future MC releases off to others. But since The Atomic Bitchwax has since moved back to their original label, Tee Pee Records, I figure 4 is fair game. So here we go: What's most surprising about 4 is not that the guitar histrionics of the Ed Mundell-era are gone. Anyone who's been keeping up with either what the band has done or what I've had to say about it knows that as soon as Mundell left and Core's Finn Ryan stepped in, The Atomic Bitchwax has been making a concentrated effort at writing songs as opposed to (admittedly awesome) jams. The kicker here is that if III, the band's debut with Ryan, bridged the Bitchwax of old with Black Nasa, bassist/vocalist Chris Kosnik's other (late) band, and the three tracks off of the studio part of Boxriff continued that journey, 4 goes beyond, even further into poppier territory. In fact, the best songs on 4 are the ones that lay on the gloss (“Revival,” “Wreck You”) or are unabashed in their love of harmonies and good-time choruses (“Sometimes Wednesday,” “Daisy Chain,” “Run”). Instrumental workouts like “Super Computer” and “Giant” seem more like throwback offerings to those who demand that sort of thing. Good tunes, to be sure, but nothing really unexpected. It's not like they're telling us anything we don't already know about the technical prowess of the band. As for the cover of Pink Floyd's “Astronomy Domine,” it's a workmanlike job that doesn't equal III's cover of Deep Purple's “Maybe I'm a Leo.” No, it's the polished approach that delivers on 4. Strip away the backing strings and keys on “Revival” and it'd still be a good song, but the more-is-more approach gives it a little bit more kick. I doubt “Daisy Chain” would've even made it out of the jam room back in the early days, and if it did, it wouldn't have sounded so joyously peppy. And sure, the solo at the end of “Wreck You” is killer no matter how you slice it, but when coupled with the absurdly strong vocal hooks, it's even more effective. I'm generally wary of bands that over-produce – rock is meant to be primal and raw – but damn it, it works on 4. At this point, there's not much in common with the band that wrote “Birth to the Earth” (even drummer Keith Ackerman has moved on; Monster Magnet's Bob Pantella is now manning the kit), but that's going to be a deal breaker only for those who've pledged eternal allegiance to those first two albums. Me, I care about songs that I can remember after listening to them. 4 has that in spades. Recommended.
URL: http://www.myspace.com/theatomicbitchwax
|
Edited 0 Times
|
I`m never going to work another day in my life
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
394 posts since 2/10/2006
|
Posted on 5/2/2008 at 8:56:54 PM
|
|
|
|
The Atomic Bitchwax - 4
Review by Mark Richard(Backer)
Meteorcity (?)
Release date : June 2008
I couldn't wait until June to hear this so I forked over $10 and downloaded the zip file. I was a little unsure after my first listen about what I thought. The music did not immediately grab me like their past releases. The frenzied rock was scaled back with the exception of the albums two instrumentals ("Giant" and "Super Computer.") The pop sensibilities of TAB "3" are more prominent with songs like "Daisy Chain" and the Smithereens s t y l e of "Sometime Wednesday."
However, I decided to give TAB "4" a chance and I am sure as hell glad I did. This record is indeed a grower and the more I hear it, the better it gets! The singing of Chris Kosnik and Finn Ryan continues to captivate these songs with hooks and melody alike. Tracks like "Revival" and the closer "Wreck You" forge some excellent vocals along the lines of QOTSA. They do a stellar version of Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine" and layer keyboards over some songs. The musicianship is top-notch as usual with running bass lines and bluesy guitar leads throughout. New drummer Bob Pantella (Monster Magnet) does a great job as well.
If you are a fan of the Bitchwax, especially of "3" and the studio tracks off of "Boxriff" then you should have no problem accepting these songs. But again, multiple listens are required because one run through will not do.
|
Edited 0 Times
|
When shit turns to gold, the poor will be born without assholes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,549 posts since 5/11/2002
|
Posted on 5/9/2008 at 8:14:11 AM
|
|
|
|
I look very forward to pick this one up. I especially dig that cover artwork. Was that from 2001 or was it the HAL-9000 from 2010?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,200 posts since 12/15/1999
|
Posted on 5/9/2008 at 2:09:25 PM
|
|
|
|
2001.
|
Edited 0 Times
|
Killing threads is my business and business is good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,562 posts since 11/28/2000
|
Posted on 7/10/2008 at 10:42:02 AM
|
|
|
|
I picked up the final product at their show a couple of days ago and, old-school as I am, I like it even more than the download. Somehow I pay more attention to an actual CD or LP.
Songs are great, the whole album works as a unit and I am especially impressed how many ideas and sounds the band puts in 3-4-minute-songs and make them work as songs. A lot of thought went into arrangements and production. The album sounds terrific too and that is even more impressive since they seemed to have recorded most of it at home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,388 posts since 11/24/1999
|
Posted on 7/10/2008 at 3:17:53 PM
|
Edited 0 Times
|
A period of adjustment is to be expected
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16,046 posts since 4/11/2002
|
Posted on 8/1/2008 at 5:26:58 PM
|
|
|
|
This cd rules!
I love TAB. They always put me in a good time mood.
|
Edited 0 Times
|
"LIGHTS OUT, MEATBALL!!!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,031 posts since 9/15/2005
|
Posted on 8/1/2008 at 11:55:25 PM
|
|
|
|
At $16 I'm going to have to try before I buy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30,419 posts since 12/20/2002
|
Posted on 8/5/2008 at 8:33:10 AM
|
|
|
|
This cd rules!
I love TAB. They always put me in a good time mood.
My thoughts exactly.
|
Edited 0 Times
|
The only time you ever see her sweat is when she eats.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
363 posts since 7/27/2007
|
Posted on 8/31/2008 at 6:20:57 PM
|
|
|
|
I decided to let this album sink in for a while before I passed judgment. Let me preface this by saying that I'm a huge Bitchwax fan; their self-titled is, in my opinion, one of the finest examples of this whole genre.
That being said, I don't much care for "4." Confusingly enough, the album opens with "Pawn Shop," an old-timey honky-tonk number. I haven't got the slightest clue why they thought this was a good idea. "Middle Man," on the other hand, is a return to the classic Bitchwax formula of fast riffs coupled with melodic hooks. This song, along with others in the same vein like "Don't Do It" and the instrumental "Giant" are definitely the highlights of the album for me. "Sometimes Wednesday" would have been a highlight were it not for the most interminable fade out I've ever heard.
Even on "4"'s high points, I was always aware of a certain level of production and studio trickery that's been absent from previous Bitchwax releases. Part of the appeal of the band for me has always been their loose, raw, jammy feel, and they've definitely moved away from that with this album. Keith Ackerman is particularly missed. Pantella does a good job, to be sure, but there's no way he can match Ackerman's manic fury on the kit. If you like poppier rock you might like tracks like "Daisy Chain," "Revival" and "Wreck You," but I can't stand them. Synth and multi-tracked vocals do not belong on a Bitchwax album.
If this had been released as a new project with a new name, I wouldn't have been as harsh in this review, but I feel that "4" being released under the name of The Atomic Bitchwax is extremely misleading, because it bares almost no resemblance to their sublime early albums. Not recommended whatsoever.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,562 posts since 11/28/2000
|
Posted on 9/4/2008 at 7:40:12 AM
|
|
|
|
Get your points but those changes already started with "3" and continued with the studio tracks on "Boxriff". Sure, the band is more Atomic Core Nasa these days but play those records a lot more than the first two albums.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
121 posts since 8/18/2002
|
Posted on 10/3/2008 at 11:21:24 AM
|
|
|
|
Well they finaly got the new player on myspace working a bit better so i put four songs you can download up today, http://www.myspace.com/theatomicbitchwax Revival, Super Computer, Middle Man, Dont Do It
URL: http://www.myspace.com/theatomicbitchwax
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
363 posts since 7/27/2007
|
Posted on 10/3/2008 at 7:51:39 PM
|
|
|
|
Damn, I sounded like a dick in that review. Must have been a bad day. I still don't like the album, but I would recommend it if you like 3 and Boxriff.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 posts since 9/1/2003
|
Posted on 10/4/2008 at 3:07:36 AM
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,043 posts since 3/10/2002
|
Posted on 10/4/2008 at 1:03:06 PM
|
|
|
|
A lot of Core and Black Nasa sounding stuff on this, which is good unless you're expecting it to sound like the 1st 2 albums then you are going to be very disappointed.
The production is a little shiny too, but I don't mind it.
Only two major complaints, the track Pawnshop would have been better at the end and I'd rather have had a different song than Astronony Domine for the cover song, it's done well, but Voivod already did it .
|
Edited 0 Times
|
The word “emo,” of course, was created in 1985 and derived from the Al
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
54 posts since 6/7/2006
|
Posted on 12/22/2008 at 4:47:40 PM
|
Edited 0 Times
|
www.super-giant.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,200 posts since 12/15/1999
|
Posted on 1/2/2009 at 2:39:21 PM
|
|
|
|
I'm not surprised it's a cool movie and album cover.
|
Edited 0 Times
|
Killing threads is my business and business is good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,257 posts since 11/15/2000
|
Posted on 4/24/2009 at 7:16:40 PM
|
Edited 0 Times
|
Reading comprehension is a lost art.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,549 posts since 5/11/2002
|
Posted on 5/24/2009 at 1:30:36 PM
|
|
|
|
I've been on the fence the whole time about picking this one up. While I try to be as open-minded as I can to a band evolving and accepting any given one's "5th" album may bear little resemblance to their "2nd" (hypothetical band) I can and want to generally go on that ride of evolving and growing.
But given that I listen to The Atomic Bitchwax's 3 not nearly as much as 1 and 2, I feel 4 will likely get even less rotation. Arz seems to love it, others don't, but my personal pattern is what it is. Maybe if I have some extra store credit burn...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
55,337 posts since 7/17/2002
|
Posted on 5/24/2009 at 3:12:38 PM
|
|
|
|
It's a tough call. It's a glossy, slick album and as someone earlier said, they might as well have called the band something else entirely. From a song perspective, though, I like what I hear - so much that it overcame whatever reservations I had about the production.
|
Edited 1 Times
|
I`m never going to work another day in my life
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
