Static-X

Cannibal

(Reprise)

 

Static-X came to metal fame in the middle of the ‘90s nü-metal craze, but thankfully they’ve moved beyond most of those conventions. On Cannibal, the band’s recent release, there is still  too much electronic wizardry, but none of the rap-rock that doomed the subgenre.

Vocalist Wayne Static, big hair and all, screams his way through the album like an asthmatic teenager trying to be James Hetfield. This would be much worse except that the vocals are never the centerpiece of any track. Static’s voice is mixed down in a manner that benefits the singer’s limited capabilities. What does come to the forefront is Koichi Fukuda’s lead guitar and Nick Oshiro’s drums.

The guitar riffs aren’t spectacular. Instead it is his basic work that stands out while Static keeps his rhythm guitar going, Fukuda manages to sound like the riffs are natural progressions of the melody. Many metal guitarists have forgotten this.  Fukada also seems to have attended the System of a Down  school of guitar.  His work at  playing on the down beat is  reminiscent of  SOAD guitarist  Daron Malakian. Not as perfect yet, but in time Fukuda could rival the fellow L.A. axeman.

Oshiro’s percussion work keeps the driving nature of what Static has called “our most metal album yet.” Even when Static attempts to cover the drums with his Atari-sounding programming, Oshiro doesn’t let it happen. He’s always there, getting the job done.

Cannibal is almost a concept album, in that half of the 12 tracks mention cannibalism of some sort, and the rest could be taken as commentary from a modern Leatherface, one that actually looks normal and goes to clubs.

Static still hasn’t gotten over that programming bug, adding his little flairs wherever he can. They don’t add anything to the songs and would be easily replaced with more Fukuda riffs. It can be done. Also, the record never seems loud enough, even at increased volume. Straining to hear Static’s vocals and trying not to hear the electronic gimmickry only make head banging that much harder.

Maybe the live show will be louder.

 

Static-X, Otep, Invitro will rock the Showbox, Sunday.

Click here to see the new Gossip video for their new single "Listen Up"

I love it. Recognize the background? It was filmed at Capitol Hill hotspot Chapel. Beth Ditto is the shit.

Thanks for the link, Kiki!

By the way- The video was directed by Whitey McConnaughy, the same guy that made this Band of Horses video  and this Visqueen vid as well as this one for The Thermals. Nice job, Whitey.

 

Light In the Attic publicist extraordinaire Chris Estey will be on KUOW's "The Beat" this coming Tuesday, June 5, talking about Betty Davis. The show airs at 2 p.m. So, tune in and hear what Estey has to say about the legendary soul sister!

The above chart represents the number of times that Anna Nicole Smith has been Googled in the past few years, clearly a spike in 2007 as the public went crazy over her untimely death. Google Trends, baby. A handy new Google created website that shows you if the rest of the world cares about your favorite topics.

Talk about a fun toy for the music industry! Are you in a band? Find out if people care about you! You can Google Trend yourself and see exactly how frequently your band has been googled, what regions like your band the most ("We are really big in Japan. No, seriously dude, go ahead and Google Trend us.") and during what time periods the media deemed you newsworthy. You can also compare bands popularity, which can get pretty interesting. Publicists and booking agents, this is going to make your jobs easier. How well will Mogwai do in Croatia? Probably pretty well. Go ahead and book 'em.

Forget about the age-old "meet and greet." These days, it's all about the "eat and greet." Philly quintet mewithoutYou, who come to Neumos tomorrow night, are inviting fans to show up with their favorite home-cooked dishes (and reusable dishes/silverware) two hours before doors open for a pre-show potluck, where they'll be able to "eat and drink and talk and sing and and get to know each other." 

Impress the band with your wicked culinary skills, or lackthereof (you're more than welcome to buy something from the store, but the band prefers "making food vs. purchasing pre-made items").

Maybe the band is sick of the pork 'n beans tour staple, or they're tired of scavenging the kitchen cupboards of whoever is putting them up for the night. The way I see it, the band is getting a feast every night they play, and they don't have to spend a dime.

Precocious local punks Schoolyard Heroes have just inked a deal with the recently formed Stolen Transmission label. What the hell is Stolen Transmission, you ask? It's the new label founded by former SPIN columnist and frequent VH1 commentator Sarah Lewitinn, a.k.a. "Ultragrrl."

The label is putting out the band's third album, the John Goodmanson-produced Abominations on August 28, 2007. Their former label the Control Group will release a limited-edition 7" single- "Dude, Where's My Skin?" on June 19.

Our um, hometown heroes, will begin a national tour with the Horrors next week and return to Seattle to play El Corazon on June 22.

Pitchfork's live review of Sasquatch! throws some serious love towards the Blakes, albeit with one notable error: the Blakes are not unsigned. The Light in the Attic kids snapped them up a couple of weeks ago.

 UPDATE: P-Fork has seen the error of their ways and corrected their entry.

This picture is sort of freaking me out, but I can't quite put my finger on why. Perhaps it's because Frances looks like her mother, but pre-nose job? 

-Bad Dream, Good Breakfast with Blue Checkered Record Player, and Raven & Chimes at the Crocodile Cafe.  

-West Side Story is at the 5th Avenue Theatre.

-The High Strung, the Tripwires, and the Riffbrokers play the Sunset Tavern. Watch the video for The High Strung's song "Real Nice Boy" then go to the show and find out if they are nice boys.

 

This is groundbreaking stuff and I really hope we see more of it. Now all we need is for the Gossip to book a show here, for chrissakes--apparently you'll have to go to Eastern Europe if you want to see them anytime in the next few months.