Eminem “The Marshall Mathers LP”
Aftermath
Oh dear. Children, cover your ears, because our old friend
Marshall Mathers is back. And he’s one angry mother. On
Eminem’s sophomore album, “The Marshall Mathers
LP,” the 18- track record has richly layered melodic beats
peppered with spoken word tracks and a few token radio friendly
pop-ish tunes. Eminem seems to possess an astute grasp of pop
culture and a brilliant command for writing lyrics about them, but
many of the tracks are so bitter and intentionally offensive that
you wonder what kind of audience Eminem is trying to reach. In an
ostensible effort to prevent saturation, Eminem writes songs that
would give Rick Dees a heart attack. The CD starts off with a
public service announcement that basically tells the listener, who
just spent $18, to go screw themselves for buying the album. Upon
doing so, you realize that the majority of the tracks are brimming
with the most graphically disturbing lyrics that should give any
normal human being nightmares. So what type of audience is Eminem
trying to reach? In songs such as “The Way I Am,”
Eminem makes it very evident that he despises mainstream media and
the boy-girl band frenzy. So he’s just lost 40 million
listeners there. And with songs such as “Kim,” a
terrifying ballad about his estranged wife that ends with Eminem
freaking out and slitting her throat, he not only puts off anyone
named Kim, but also ruffles the feathers of most law-abiding
citizens with a conscience. Guys named “Stan” might
have a rough time with Slim too, with track three being a long,
weepy overture about an insanely disturbed fan named Stan, who,
when Eminem fails to reply to a letter, drinks a fifth of vodka,
ties up his pregnant girlfriend, throws her in the trunk and drives
over a bridge, killing all three. This is not elevator music. So
who does that leave? Criminals? That is the name of a song in the
album, too. Eminem comments about how hard-core his lyrics are and
how no one should take them seriously. In “I’m
Back,” he says “you never heard of a mind as perverted
as mine.” Despite the frightening imagery of some songs, the
impressive thing about this album is that it’s really
entertaining. “The Real Slim Shady” is already a hit,
with its tongue-in-cheek lyrics coupled with a hint of Snoop Doggy
Dogg influence in its beat. “Marshall Mathers,” with a
drawn out beat and electric guitar riffs, comments on how, in the
wake of his immense success, he still keeps it real and refuses to
sell out. Even with the garish subject matter of many songs, the
lyrics are still very sharp and craftily composed. Face it, when
you sift through the dismal and morbid tracks, there are some
satirically funny and fairly optimistic songs that confirm the
trademark sound that has made Eminem so popular. The roller-coaster
ride that “The Marshall Mathers LP” takes you on may
leave you a little queasy, but the rich textures and unique sound
makes it worth the risk. And hey, Britney Spears makes you puke
too, but for different reasons. Sarah Monson Rating: 9Â
Matchbox Twenty “mad season by matchbox
twenty” Melisma/Lava/Atlantic Records Rob Thomas and
crew are at it again with their 13-track sophomore effort. Fresh
from receiving three Grammy Awards for his collaboration with
Carlos Santana on the No. 1 hit “Smooth,” Thomas is
ready to repeat the feat of the group’s first album,
“Yourself or Someone Like You,” which was recently
certified diamond (10 million copies sold). Standout tracks are
“Last Beautiful Girl” and “Bed of Lies,”
both of which showcase Thomas’s vocal talents. Both ballads
are about relationships ““ as is 90 percent of the album.
“Last Beautiful Girl” is about a girl who broke a
boy’s heart, but he realizes that there will always be
another girl. “Bed of Lies” is about the realization of
dishonesty in a relationship and the relationship’s
consequent destruction. But not to worry, the album is not absent
of the radio-friendly songs for which Matchbox Twenty is known.
Although not as catchy as its hit “Push,”
“Bent,” “Leave” and “The Burn”
come close. As the first single, “Bent” is a mixture of
moodiness and distaste, and makes the listener wonder if Thomas,
who writes or co-writes every song, is “jaded,” as the
song states. This album is not without its rough spots, with
“If You’re Gone,” “Stop” and the
title track, “Mad Season,” all notably stagnant in
their arrangements and lyrical accomplishments. Fortunately, these
songs are few and far in between. Even non-Matchbox Twenty fans can
appreciate this album, which is exactly the goal the band set out
to accomplish. Dria Fearn Rating: 7Â
Daycare Swindlers “Testosterosa” Vilebeat
Records
It seems when the Daycare Swindlers decided to make
“Testosterosa,” they went to Barnes and Noble and
bought a copy of “Punk Rock for Dummies,” which quickly
provided them with a list of what to cover in order to be
considered punk. Funny, even though the band followed this
hypothetical checklist with impeccable precision, it still ended up
with an album that is glaringly unoriginal. Imagine that.
“Testosterosa” is an album with an identity crisis. One
second the Daycare Swindlers is a hard-core band, the next
it’s grooving to Rastafarian beats, and still the next it
shows signs of Ska. While many recent artists have managed to
thrive under such schizophrenia (such as the omnipresent Sublime),
the Daycare Swindlers just seem to be going through the motions,
without any real passion, or, unfortunately, much talent. One of
the better songs on the album is “31st and M,” a song
lamenting the case of a man too lazy to work but not content with
life on the streets. With its catchy chorus and a good beat, it
could be radio-worthy. Despite the charming title, “Little
Pussy” is a similarly good tune addressing prostitution. Less
infectious songs include “Donkey Punch,” a song about
the Lewinsky scandal which seems like the obligatory governmental
dis, and “Jenna Jameson.” The second sounds like it
could be cute or funny, but is instead a sadly serious declaration
of mens’ right to watch porn and masturbate.
“It’s this form of stimulation/Shut my blinds for
isolation/Do it all for my gratification/For my
self-gratification.” If mindless two to three minute songs
reminiscent of Guttermouth are your thing, you might want to check
out this CD; it’s not that bad for some background noise.
More serious music fans, however, should probably stay away from
this one. Leila Mobayen Rating: 3