6x****
What the high number of total stars in my rating doesn't reflect is how inconsistent this album is. Big Hit "The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret"****, "Auto Pilot"****, and "In The Fade"**** have hooks and sound pretty good coming out of the car radio, while more mysterioso tracks such as "Better Living Through Chemistry"**** set up the barren sound of the scorched desert. Oliveri's "Tension Head"**** makes up for its general lack of tune with a tough, syncopated riff, but his "Quick And To The Pointless" is one of the most shrill and objectionable compositions I have ever heard. "Monsters In The Parasol" doesn't start off bad, but changing keys lets the song write itself in to a corner and it completely falls apart. The acoustic drone "Lightning Song" doesn't go anywhere past the generic vaguely Zeppelin opening riff, and even the opening title track is a monotonous list of recreational drugs recited repeatedly. Fortunately the creepy closer "I Think I Lost My Headache"**** starts and concludes with an odd-timed riff that's like a trip into a nightmare carnival maze (which is even creepier played by the oom-pah band).
Comments