dan's jams - music reviews

Pure classic. On this album, the Rollins band manage to almost perfectly balance equal parts Hard Rock, Jazz, Alternative, and Prog, and not have it turn into a messy mish-mash of crap. Quite the contrary, this album hits hard and leaves an everlasting impression, quite probably the apex of Henry Rollins' output to date. And really, what is Henry doing here? Screaming about the stuff he screams about best. That's great, but he's almost always "on" in that regard. The rest of the band however, are hitting it on every turn, compressing the intensity in one stretch and stretching the melancholy the next. Grooving down one song and geeking out the next. Hammering one song home with punishing intensity and decorating the next in gorgeous tones and harmony.

Rollins lyrical paths, on most albums but most assuredly this one, are some of the most positive, thought-provoking lyrics you can buy set to music. On "Low Self Opinion" he's illustrating the pitfalls of negative thought. On "Grip", it's an exercise of self reliance. "Tearing" is essentially about recognizing and ending a destructive relationship. "Another Life" is a walk through drug abuse. While these lyrics are specific and direct enough that extrapolating their meanings isn't a master's thesis project in poetic imagery, their frank and earthy forthrightness carry a poeticism all their own.

If you ever hear Rollins speak about the timing and ouring of this album, many of his comments are somwhat disparaging, mostly in the respect that thei were touring lollapalooza, opening early to trendy fans waiting to see the big name acts, and it's really a painful picture to imagine. This album deserves every accolade, and all those people who didn't see it should be whipped.