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Music box: Second time lucky
The Tension and the Spark is the sophomore album of Darren Hayes, star singer of Savage Garden, which split in 2001. His debut solo album Spin all but tanked, selling a meagre two million records compared to SG’s record of about 28 million sales for just two albums.
Compared to the first one, the second record is a big leap forward. The album overall has a groovier feel to it than its predecessor, yet at the same time it is darker and more mature: a potpourri of oscillating moods. Gone is the saccharine sound of Spin. Although his predilection for introspection has been dragged here ad verbatim from the earlier work, the lyrical matter is markedly more sublime. Written and produced by Hayes himself along with Robert Conley with some deft mixing by Mark Spike Stent (Madonna, Kylie Minogue), it also seems to have drifted further from the Savage Garden hallmark, suffused with an electro-synth presence. So don’t expect anything in the way of trademark SG love ballads like Truly, Madly Deeply and I Knew I Loved you. True, he may still be an inconsequential spot on most critics’ radar, but do a google search on him and you’ll find a huge fan base of his in cyberspace.
“I’m willing to sleep my way to the top, I wanna be pop-pular,” is the tongue-in-cheek Popular, where Darren lays bare the mantra of the who’s who of the music industry. Light could have been much better had not the myriad instruments used produced too ornate a sound, which has even eclipsed Darren’s voice. A bittersweet love ballad aided by tantalizing guitar riffs is Dublin Sky. Darkness has the retro feel of the ’80s embellished by Hayes’ alluring voice, or in the words of a critic, “slightly whiny voice.”
Unlovable and Void seem to bring out a different side of Hayes; such is the intensity with which he exudes the anguish embedded in the lyrics. Feel has the same melancholic air sans the electronic hype so that Hayes’ plaintive voice dominates the proceedings. There’s only so much you can do with the electro-effects and Ego is a clear-cut example of that.
The album may not be in sync with the commercial formula for a platinum work, and not exactly radio material, but it’s good enough to at least have a peek at.
Roach motel
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Papa Roach swayed the rock scene with their phenomenal debut Infest, followed by a mediocre sophomore disc Lovehatetragedy. With monster hits like Last Resort and Time and Time Again, it was always going to be a titanic task for the band to satiate the lofty expectations of Roach fans world-wide. But the band has ably managed to do just that with its latest record: Getting Away With Murder.Spread over 12 well-defined tracks with appealing lyrics, Getting Away With Murder is the cup of tea every authentic rock fan ordered. The ghastly sound quality of which we complained about in the previous album has been replaced by supreme precision by the production line-up. The tracks are well distributed throughout the comparatively short 38-minute rock opus.
The album kicks off with the kinetic oomph of Blood (Empty Promises) provided by the awe-inspiring introductory vocals and stunning drums all the way till frontman Jacoby Shaddix chants the anthemic chorus, “Does it run in your blood to betray the ones you love?” It is followed by similar gritty numbers, Not Listening and Stop Looking/Start Seeing. The latter is when Papa Roach return to their traditional roots of rock-rap fusion, though with varying degrees of accomplishment. This synthesis only worked in the debut album with capricious success.
Done With You (in the vein of She Loves Me Not from their previous album) is the saga of a broken heart which recites, “Help me, save me, tell me that the end is near! I am done with you.” Although ballads aren’t Papa Roach’s forte, one is fairly surprised to see that they do not sound out of place at all on such ventures. The ballads Scars (“My weakness is that I care too much!”) and Sometimes excavate the band’s softer and gentler nature. Papa Roach’s lyrics stand out throughout the album because they sound earnest and heartfelt. This quality of their music earns them an edge over Limp Bizkit and P.O.D. Other listener-friendly tracks include the addictive Be Free, the rather mysteriously titled Tyranny Normality and the banging Blanket of Fear.
This is Papa Roach’s comeback disc and it has every right to be designated so. For the moment, the Roaches have returned and they are getting away with their share of success!
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