Tidal Catalog #32 (Update #1): Marilyn Manson

The fun part of these Tidal catalogs is that they are living documents. As new official records get released, I will go ahead and update them moving forward so that it always stays current. You can reference the original post, here.

• WE ARE CHAOS (7)

Well, Mr. Manson’s new record is interesting. I’m a huge fan and have liked his later period work a lot more than most critics have. So naturally, this record is getting solid reviews across the board for it’s more mature lyrical content and this is the one I don’t like as much. The over-the-top campy lyrics are what makes the man what he is. Taking that away, kind of diminishes what the band has always been about. I end up feeling this record is a bit too safe in the end and frankly, I attribute that more to Manson enlisting Shooter Jennings as the producer and writing partner. A song like “Paint You With My Love” surely feels like there’s a lot of Jennings influence on it and while it’s that more mature sound that critics want, it doesn’t feel like a Manson song at all. And I get that same feeling throughout the record. It’s decent enough but on every other record, I feel like he was the only one that could have pulled it off. On this one, I feel like there’s too much that could be recorded by hundreds of generic rock bands and have the same vibe. And that’s not really what I want from Marilyn Manson records.

Summary: 14 albums, 7.2 average