Tag: Tidal Catalogs

Tidal Catalog #36 (Update #1): Motley Crue (Six Degrees)

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.

  • Tommy Lee – Andro (7)

So if there was ever something that surprised the shit out of me, it’s this record. This is Tommy’s 3rd “Solo” record – if you can call it that since every single track has a guest vocalist or two on it – and his first outside of the Crue since the second Methods of Mayhem record in 2010. I have to admit that I had some preconceived notions coming into this. I had heard rumors that this was one of the worst albums of the year. I had heard a few 60-second samples and it certainly seemed like it was trending in that direction. Then of course, I listened and well, it’s actually pretty solid.

Look. If all you want from this is cock-rock, well, run away. But if you’re open to other sounds and liked Methods of Mayhem, this could be your thing. If you don’t know – Tommy has been touring as an electronic DJ, so an electronic-ish record shouldn’t be a surprise. And there are elements here. There’s no one lane this falls into. It’s nu-metal, it’s pop, it’s rock, it’s EDM. It’s all over the map but in a weird way, it works. And with 14-tracks that clock in at a little over 35 minutes, it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

The guests on the record are interesting – a lot of white rappers, Mickey Avalon, Brooke Candy, South African stripper Push Push, etc… there’s a nu-metal rapper named Killvein on two tracks, R&B singer King Elle Noir on two others and most surprisingly former Rock Star Supernova singer Lukas Rossi on a couple.

It might say a lot that the best song is the Rossi sung cover of “When You Were Mine” by Prince. And that’s not because he’s my favorite artist – in fact, I’m more critical of covers because of that but you know, great songwriting is great songwriting.

Overall, it’s all over the map but it works surprisingly well.

Summary: 31 albums, average 5.2

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