Point-Counterpoint: AC/DC - Iron Man 2 Soundtrack

Braeden


I've never said this out loud before.  (And I guess this is written, so I've still never said it out loud.)  I'm a closet AC/DC fan.

In fact, I have been for years.  In fact, I've mostly ridiculed them when other people have mentioned them.  Never have I liked them enough to buy an album or anything (mostly because, let's be honest - an AC/DC album is mostly filler, with a few really shining moments of awesome).  But I don't need to anymore.

Thanks to the Iron Man 2 soundtrack.

This has compiled all of the AC/DC songs that are worth remembering and listening to into one compact little package.  And it is a doozy - it's got "Highway to Hell", "Back in Black", "TNT" and "Thunderstruck", among others.

And it isn't until you start hearing them all together in this way that you see how pervasive AC/DC is as a band.  You know the riff from just about every song on the album - they've been heard in just about every time and place imaginable.  It's nothing complex or technical, but it's darn fun - and I can legitimately say that it's really great to drive with.  You feel just like Tony Stark (that is, if Tony Stark drove a Hyundai Accent).

Final verdict: Adore it (just don't get pulled over while cruising to it)

Peter


The Iron Man 2 Soundtrack.  "Okay," says I when my partner in writing suggests this.  I head to Amazon.com to check it out, and it has some big AC/DC title on it.  So I read up a bit.  Turns out, someone must have wanted to save time and make a little extra cash on the side.  'Cause guess what folks?  This is a cheap cash grab, nothing more.

Sort of a "greatest hits" group of tracks here, what you have are some classic AC/DC tunes, mixed in with some not so great songs.  There is no question that tracks like "Back in Black", "TNT" and "Thunderstruck" are classics.  But do you really need to hear them again?

I mean, any track worth listening to on this album can be heard in any 90 minute span on any classic rock or rock radio station.  And if you aren't so familiar with them that you kind of throw up in your mouth every time you hear them, well then I think you are the type of fool they are looking for.  You know what they say about a fool and his/her money. . .

Final verdict: Ignore it (as the blatant money grab it so obviously is)

Point-Counterpoint: Gordian Knot - Emergent

Peter


I came to Gordian Knot in a roundabout sort of way.  I first became familiar with Sean Malone due to his stellar bass work on the first OSI disc.  I then came (far too late) to the party that was Cynic.  I was blown away.  I had to hear more.

Enter Emergent, the second album from Gordian Knot.  The band really is Sean Malone's project, with a rotating cast of supporting players.  At the heart of it, you have a jazz inspired rock/fusion.  There is no shortage of electric guitars and dynamic bass playing.

However, Sean Malone isn't afraid to really embrace the jazz aspect.  There are plenty of moments that have an organic, jam feel to them.  Other moments feel very thought out and focused.  And while there certainly is rock, rock isn't the only side to the music here.  "Mutterspache" is a fantastic way to kick the album into high gear after a lovely bass intro in "Arsis".  For me, though, the highlight is the achingly beautiful "Grace", a live version of a song off the first album.  It is sweet, plaintive and simply one of the most memorable and sublime songs I have ever heard.  While the first Gordian Knot album was lacking in a few areas, Emergent is a fully realized, moving and powerful record.

Final Verdict: Adore it (and make sure to take the time to let this sink in)

Braeden


Everything Peter said about this album is true - it is a great fusion album, filled to the brim with impressive musicianship and meticulous songwriting.  Malone is a bassist unlike most others, with a sense toward jazz style and improvisation that most rock bassists wish they could have and never will.

Moreover, the guest musicians that Malone brings in are cream of the crop people with years of experience in progressive rock and other media.  We've got Steve Hackett of Genesis fame, Jim Matheos (mastermind behind that all-important archetype of progressive metal, Fates Warning), Bill Bruford - who has spent time playing with both Yes and King Crimson, among others.  Each of their contributions can be felt in little ways in the overall style of the record, from the more psychedelic stuff to the heavier aspects.

And it all just works together so well.  At heart, this album is truly a jazz record; the fact that they use rock instruments and musicians does nothing to deter the fact that it has all the style, grace, and sophistication of basically any other great jazz fusion album.  In the classic tradition of Miles Davis' Bitches' Brew, the Weather Report's eponymous album, or Chick Corea and Return to Forever's seminal Light as a Feather, Emergent combines everything I love about jazz - the fluidity, the improvisation, the exploration - with the tropes of great rock.

Final verdict: Adore it (and sit back, zone out, and enjoy)

Essentials of the last decade: Alternative Rock

It's time for another installment of my series of articles dealing with the best albums of the last decade.  Today, I wanted to focus my attention on my first true love in music - alternative rock.

I cut my teeth on alt rock - the local alt rock station, x96, has been basically the only thing I've listened to over the airwaves other than NPR.  Like, ever.  Consequently, I have a lot of love for this genre, even if it's not one I listen to much these days.

Regardless, there have been some resounding efforts that have impressed me in the last decade.  (Keep in mind, I still have to do indie rock, so it could be that what you think may be missing from this list could show up there.)  But enough lolligagging!