Rush-Caress of Steel Review

      1975's "Caress of Steel" is a very controversial entry in the Rush canon. Most hardcore Rush fans agree that it is a lost masterpiece, while the public largely ignored it. In my opinion, "Caress of Steel" is a true lost masterpiece of progressive rock and deserves the attention of anyone remotely interested in the genre as well as Rush in general. Let's take a look at this misunderstood album and see what makes it so great.

     The album begins with the semi-famous classic "Bastille Day". The homage to the French Revolution is probably the most well-known track on the album. The song is fairly standard for early Rush in terms of sound. Numerous time signature changes permeate the song, resulting is a tremendous racket of thumping bass, thundering drums, and jagged guitar. The "anthem-like" section at the end of the song adds a regal quality. Next, Rush continue to get the "Led" out on the Zeppelin-esque "I Think I'm Going Bald". The song is a fairly straightforward rocker with not nearly as much complexity as later Rush material on this album and over their career in general. The song is about confronting the aging process in your own way. It's hard to believe that a group of young men could write such a genuine song about aging when they had barely reached adulthood themselves. Next is "Lakeside Park". I personally love this song, and it recalls long-weekends on "Victoria Day" in Canada. The song is about the fireworks, music, and celebration of early spring in Canada amid family and friends. A true Canadian classic with beautiful and honest lyrics from master bard Neil Peart. 

   Side one concludes with the controversial "Necromancer". The song is considered one of Rush's first major conceptual works. The song is certainly not for the faint of patience. At almost thirteen minutes, the song is certainly an earful. The song begins with an eerie spoken voice, narrating the story of the titular character. This song is Rush at their most Dungeons and Dragons-like. The fantasy-inspired lyrics draw to mind the works of Tolkein and other fantasy writers. After the slow mostly instrumental first movement, the song picks up with a heavy riff-based second section that echoes battle in a musical form. Then, the second movement concludes the epic musical "battle" by reaching a crashing climax of rapid drum pounding and lightning-fast guitar and bass. The third and final movement is a "Sweet Jane" like mellow groove of a song about the aftermath of the successful battle that the heroes engaged in.The Necromancer is Rush at their nerdiest. Seeing that most of their fans (myself included) are nerds, there is nothing wrong with that and this style of lyrical content works quite well for them. A great song.

    Side two is where most of the controversy concerning this albums lays. The whole side is a six-part conceptual titled "The Fountain of Lamneth". The song concerns a young man's journey to find a mystical fountain. The various sections deal with the different stages of the journey. The story of each section tells a small part of the overall story. The first movement is by far the mostly musically pleasing of the six parts. A short and mostly acoustic number, it tells us the story of our hero as he is born and sets out on his voyage to find the fountain. At almost twenty minutes, "The Fountain of Lamneth" is at times beautiful, at times baroque, and at times downright frustrating both lyrically and musically. However, the song was a bold experiment at the time of its release. Rush were truly pushing the limits of their audience and themselves both musically and lyrically. I quite enjoy an occasional listen-through of this song, although I would not recommend it for those who shun progressive rock and fantasy. "The Fountain of Lamneth" is a great companion to "2112" and other side-long conceptual tracks by Rush.

  In conclusion, "Caress of Steel" is my favorite Rush album. It represents their accessible side (Lakeside Park and Bastille Day) as well as their complex and conceptual side  (Necromancer, Lamneth) equally. I think it is their most balanced effort in terms of showcasing their complex and varying sides. Highly recommended for those with a love of either Rush, prog rock, fantasy, or any combination of those elements.

Rating-9.5/10


   

Alice Cooper-Dada Review

     Recorded in 1983, "Dada" represents the culmination of Cooper's "New Wave" period of the early 1980s. While by no means a total dud, casual fans of Cooper's music probably won't find much to like about this odd duck. Let's take a look at this very overlooked entry into the master of horror's very large discography.

        The hand of producer Bob Ezrin is everywhere on this album. The first track, the titular "DaDa" is a spooky synthesizer instrumental that would not sound out of place on a horror movie soundtrack from the same period. The track sets a very different tone from the material that follows, and I doubt that Cooper had much say on the inclusion and composition of this track. Next is "Enough's Enough, which sounds like a Talking Heads b-side in a way. The song is very repetitive and annoying, but the groove does stay in your mind for hours after. Not bad.

      In terms of highlights, the album's sole single "I Love America" is definitely the highlight of the album. The satirical track shows the ironical side of Cooper that had been missing from a lot of other recent albums. The song is very catchy, and easily one of  Cooper's best 1980s albums.Other than this track, few songs really capture your attention. "Fresh Blood" is as creepy and funky as anything from Cooper's classic 70s period, but feels slightly muddled and rushed. Not bad.

     "Dada" is an interesting curiosity in the vast Cooper discography. Those who have a casual interest Cooper would be best to look elsewhere. Those looking for a deeper look at his career, could do worse than this album. Cooper would emerge in 1986 with "Constrictor", a much more commercially successful album written after a period of extensive rehab from alcohol abuse. "Dada" is not horrible, but the fact that Cooper does not remember recording it does not surprise me.  This album is forgettable in almost every way.

Rating-5.5/10

Deep Purple-Burn Review

     

Released in 1974, “Burn” was the first album by the mostly new "Mark III" lineup of Deep Purple. The album sold considerably well and has gained strong critical acclaim throughout the years. Let’s take a look at “Burn” and see what makes this classic work so well. 

                The first difference you will surely notice with the “Mark III” lineup is vocalist David Coverdale, latter of Whitesnake fame. I have always enjoyed Coverdale’s vocals, and they often surpass Ian Gillian in terms of bluesy swagger and cocky sexual bravado. Additionally, lead and backup vocals are provided by Glenn Hughes of Trapeze fame. The power of two lead vocalists is quite interesting, and makes Burn quite a unique album. Title track “Burn” is a fairly standard Ritchie Blackmore composition, revealing the sound that would arrive very shortly with Blackmore’s next project “Rainbow”. The song does not really deviate from any other Deep Purple/Rainbow rockers, but does contain quite strong vocals and a lengthy organ and guitar solo respectively. The classic elements are nothing out of the ordinary, but Blackmore and Jon Lord really make the most of elements of classical music during their solos, it is quite interesting. Next, Deep Purple step fully into blues and soul mode with “Might Just Take Your Life. The swirling organ of Jon Lord drives the song along, and the Hammond playing on this album is simply some of the best rock organ work I have heard. Although a fairly standard 1970s rocker, the alternation between Hughes and Coverdale is quite enjoyable, not unlike other multi-vocalist bands like the Band. Lay Down, Stay Down sounds very much like a Whitesnake song.  Centred around a Zeppelin-esque riff, the song is quite a stomper. Although both singers take turns here, I think that this very bluesy tracked is much more suited to Coverdale’s raspy blues howl. Hughes’ voice is a tad too high during this track, sounding somewhat comical and over-the-top. It is almost as if both men are fighting for dominance of the track, somewhat distracting. Additionally, like many of the songs on the album, the solos are simply way too long and get boring quite quickly. Although he is no doubt a great player, Blackmore’s playing had started to become quite bloated in terms of length.  Deep Purple get funky with “Sail Away”, with keyboards sounding somewhat lifted from Stevie Wonder. The song is quite dark sounding, with a funky but murky bass/organ and effect-masked lead guitar. Coverdale delivers one of his best Purple vocals on this one, and has an intensity and strength in his voice that Hughes could only have hoped to have. Great song. 

                Side Two begins with the very 1960s sounding “You Fool No One”. The song reminds one of Cream, and the team vocals definitely start to become somewhat annoying at this point. However, it is on this track that Hughes really lets loose and shows quite a bit of range with a soaring vocal on the chorus. The lengthy solo did not really hold my interest, and sounded somewhat like a Santana knockoff. Overall, not a highlight at all. “What’s Goin’ On Here” is a very conventional blues rocker, sounding very 1950s inspired.  The piano sounds straight out a blues club, but lies quite low in the mix, buried beneath Blackmore’s guitar until the piano solo. I think the song would have benefitted more from a screaming organ, and the piano just feels quite underpowered.  The song is very standard, and feels like a quick jam cobbled together in a short time in the studio. “Mistreated” again reminds one of Whitesnake. The bluesy lament about lost love is a theme visited many times by Coverdale. The slow and plodding riff is quite well-suited to the vocals, which reek of sorrow and desperation. A great breakup song. My only complaint is the hefty solos by both guitar and organ. The song is a little lengthy, and did not need to be this long at all. The album closes with “A” 200, a more spaced-out adventure into recording. Synthesizers are accompanied by a marching-like beat sounding almost like a fanfare. An interesting instrumental, but the lack of vocals s simply cannot be forgiven with vocalists as good as Hughes and Coverdale in the roster. Blackmore does come in with some guitar solos, but it is too late to save this lame duck. 

                Burn is a good album, however far from classic. There is probably more here for fans of Whitesnake and Rainbow here than for Deep Purple fans. The bloated organ and guitar solos, and the competition for vocal dominance make the album feel a little showy, like the battle of five huge egos.

Rating-7/10

Motorhead-Orgasmatron Review

                Motorhead returned with a new lineup and with their seventh album in 1986. Orgasmatron has generally been cited as having solid songs but lacking adequate production. Let’s take a look at what I believe to be an unsung classic deserving of a little more attention and see if the complaints of production are really formed in fact. 

                The album opens with “Deaf Forever”. The song, like many a Motorhead tune is about blood and stone. The tale seems to concern the battles of the Vikings, and is of course quite violent and gory. The song is fairly standard for the band, but battle samples distract the listener somewhat and don’t really add much to the song in my opinion. Not bad, but not really a classic. The next track is a true pleasure. “Nothing Up My Sleeve” is classic Motorhead, and the minute the insanely overdriven bass kicks in you know you are in for a dose of musical adrenaline. The song is basically about distrustful and slippery woman, of whom Lemmy has surely met many during his adventures. The song has a very familiar beat, basically more of the same thrashy rock that Motorhead had been perfecting for years at this point. New drummer Pete Gill does not quite hit the sticks as hard as regular drummer Phil Taylor but does a more than adequate job here. An underrated Motorhead classic. “Ain’t My Crime” is basically Lemmy telling a cheating and lying woman off yet again. It is here we see Lemmy having little regard or concern for this woman, basically expressing his lack of interest or concern in the failed relationship. Stone Cold forever indeed. Late guitarist Wurzel was added to the band’s lineup just before the recording of this album, but I believe that Motorhead has and will always work better as a trio. Wurzel’s solos often fail to impress, and he did not really add much to the band’s sound in my opinion. The solo for this song feels quite limp, lacking raw energy and overdrive. “Claw” is Motorhead taking the piss a  little. The song is about the power of a man’s ….well… you know what.  In the song, Lemmy is able to lure other men’s women into bed with him to do the  ”horizontal dance”.  No messing around, plain and simple Lemmy is purest rock star on Earth and when he says he will steal your girlfriend, he means it. The double-bass drum work is quite good, and meets the Motorhead standard set by Phil Taylor. The end of the song is slightly goofy, with Lemmy messing around screaming about his “Claw”. Despite the end, the song is very good.  I would like to have heard a longer solo however, and some sampled “block” sounds are totally unnecessary. 

                “Mean Machine” is Motorhead at hyper speed.  The song is blistering fast, perhaps a little bit too much. I could not really make heads or tails of the lyrics, but the song appears to either be about a lost woman or a bomber and its pilot blowing up things. In any case, the song is simply too fast for my taste. The song feels rushed through and almost produces a headache. Drumming is intense and tight, but the guitars sound somewhat tame and processed compared the edgy and raw Punk-like guitars of earlier albums. Skip this one. “Built For Speed” brings to mind the classic sound of the band and slows down the beat to a nice pace. The song is basically Lemmy’s mission statement, proclaiming a long life and a long time spent partying, drinking, and bedding a “million” girls. The song is one of the band’s most “Metal” songs and is fairly crunchy and heavy. The song is quite enjoyable, despite the very simple guitar solos. “Ridin’ With The Driver” appears to be about the power of one of Lemmy’s loves; trains. The song again has quite a Metal feel to it, and the beat sounds like the clacking of train tracks. The verses are quite interesting, and chug along like a locomotive billowing black smoke out into the countryside. However, the chorus is quite an odd stylistic move for the band and does not really work musically for me. The listener begins to notice a difference between the two guitars and their interplay, one guitar is often distorted and the other is quite clean and often uses common 1980s guitar effects like reverbs and compressors. The result is a strange contrast between the two guitars, as in the chorus of this song. This is again why I believe that Motorhead works better as a one- guitar band. 

                “Doctor Rock” is one of the band’s most famous songs.  I have never been very fond of the song, and the song sounds like a cheap Kiss knock-off. The lyrics consist of Lemmy rhyming words such as “ill” and “pill” with each other, and they are dunderheaded even for him. The song is repetitive, and the stupid lyrics are repeated over and over. The song really lacks any bells and whistles, and the lack of a definable solo disappoints the listener. Not a highlight of this album. The album closes with “Orgasmatron”. The song is a Motorhead classic, and for many one of their most progressive songs. The song is basically about a post-apocalyptic situation where the world is suffering at the hands of an evil demi-god. Lemmy adopts the voice of Orgasmatron, and gives a deep growl that he uses from time to time. The song is interesting, and fairly long for the band. 

                Orgasmatron is an interesting album, but non-fans of the band will probably not find much to convince them otherwise here. For those who enjoy Motorhead, this is a fairly essential piece of their canon despite for obvious filler. Good, but not a bona fide classic.  

Rating-7.5/10

The Replacements-Pleased to Meet Me Review

                 

                 The Minneapolis quasi-Punks returned with their fifth full-length album in 1987. “Pleased to Meet Me” is considered by many to be the final true Replacements album as other albums after this would involve minimal input from the rest of the band and were essentially solo albums by singer Paul Westerberg. 

                The album opens with “I.O.U”. Although still retaining some Punk elements, the song actually has quite a Rockabilly feel.  An interesting little song about what appears to be the legal system and punishment. However, the album is perhaps best remembered for single “Alex Chilton”, a fan boy tribute to songwriter Alex Chilton of Big Star. The song is an absolute classic, and shows a nice musical homage to one of the great songwriters of our time, despite the extreme romanticizing of Chilton’s life and career. The song really shows that the Replacements were in many ways becoming a pop band at this time, as this is about as poppy as it gets in their discography.  The song will instantly become lodged in your brain, a great song. “I Don’t Know” shows the increasingly experimental use of different styles  by the band. The song incorporates horns into the mix, although it does not really detract from the overall feel of the song.  The song features bored band members responding to Westerberg’s questions  with little enthusiasm via backing grunts The song really mirrors the famous image found on the cover, a kind of psychotherapy session that shows the band confused about their recent critical and semi-commercial success. “Nightclub Jitters” is an experimental kind of “Cocktail Jazz”   song and easily one of the worst songs musically that the band had recorded. The song is a sordid tale of life at night, and all of the creeps and creatures that come out at this time and drunkenly fill up nightclubs and bars. The lyrics are introspective, but the music is not really a fit for the band and sounds very out of step with its soft-Jazz vibe. Skip this one. “The Ledge” is a tale that was supposedly written about suicide and faced controversy upon its initial release.  Although quite tame nowadays, the song is quite visceral but catchy at the same time. The song moves quite away from the band’s Punk roots and incorporates fairly lengthy guitar solos and guitar effects such as the dreaded chorus effect;  which was quite popular at the time in contemporary music but actually works here musically. 

                Side Two opens with “Never Mind”, what appears to be a breakup song. The song is about the hopeless disintegration of a relationship that appears to be beyond the point of repair. Acoustic guitars give the song a more folky feel, and the song is definitely mellower than earlier songs by the band. Nice female backing vocals again give the song a sentimental and emotive feeling, making the sometimes abrasive music of the band a much sweeter pill to swallow. A nice short and sweet song by the band. “Valentine” is a kind of love letter to an object of infatuation. A love song, showcasing the bands more gooey and gushy side. Tommy Stinson’s bass is of particular note here, with complex fills that Mike Dirnt of Green Day and other Punk bassists spent the better part of a generation trying to emulate. Again, quite mellow and sappy, but never fake or contrived. “Shooting Dirty Pool” is a classic bar anthem, another tale from the seedy underground; a place that the bands frequented more than a few times. The song has some warped slide guitar and soloing, a rarity for the band. The song again adopts a kind of rockabilly feel, but updates the sound with modern production and effects. The song is a tad short, and feels more like a joke song than a fleshed out idea. “Red Red Wine” bears no relation to the UB40 original, instead it is a love letter to the red stuff; name checking various companies that produce the stuff and detailing other forms of alcohol abuse. The band was no stranger to alcohol abuse at this point, and it makes sense to write a song about one of their favorite past times. The song is again fairly rockabilly, and sounds somewhat like the direction that was adopted by Social Distortion and other Punk/Rockabilly bands making an impact in the late 1980s.  Although meant to be somewhat ironic, the band was intend struggling with substance abuse that even culminated in the ejection of guitarist Bob Stinson in 1986, so not really a laughing matter at all. “Skyway” is a sign of things to come, a very poppy and folky acoustic number about vagrancy, passing glances, all wrapped into a soft and gentle song really about love in unlikely places. The track is quite different, but those who enjoy Westerberg’s solo output are sure to find something they like here. The album closes with the very famous “Can’t Hardly Wait”. The song is classic Replacements, cold like a Minneapolis winter in terms of instrumentation, but bursting with emotion lyrically. The song is quite catchy, but the horn and string sounds produce a kind of unnecessary bombast that I feel was totally overdone and somewhat tacky. The song is about love and failure, good intentions gone wrong constantly in terms of love. Our hopeless protagonist wants to express his love for someone, but is constantly meet by roadblocks.  “Naked” versions of the songs can be heard by Westerberg solo, as all of the fancy bells and whistles in the production were a tad annoying for me. Otherwise a great song. 

                “Pleased to Meet Me” is without a doubt the final classic Replacements album. Although having more than a few blemishes, people could do far worse than purchase this album. Despite the lack of Bob Stinson on guitar and the often cheesy horn and string sounds, the album is still a classic piece of 1980s alternative and a fitting entry in the band’s discography. 

Rating-8.0/10

Korn-The Path of Totality

    The veteran "Nu-Metal" band return with their tenth album and a radical new musical direction. The Path of Totality was produced a venerable smorgasbord of "dubstep" producers including almost household name Skrillex. Let's take a look and see if the much-hated band took a dubstep in the right direction, (sorry, could not resist that joke).

        The album opens with "Chaos Lives In Everything", and really shows the massive stylistic shift the band have undertaken. Long gone are ultra-distorted guitars and bass, replaced by mostly electronic drum beats and heavily distorted synths. The lyrics of Jonathan Davis remain relatively similar to past Korn efforts, concerned with all things dark and buried within the psyche. The direction is honestly not always terrible, and Korn sound relatively rejuvenated compared to other recent efforts. The song does have a slightly misogynistic hint to it, and some of the language Davis expresses about a woman he wants to kill and rape will make some uncomfortable, but no more uncomfortable than previous Korn albums. Next is “Kill Mercy Within” produced by dubstep superstar Noisia.  The song has a much mellower feel than Korn has ever had, and the guitar is barely even distorted at all. The vague lyrics about hate, open sores, and alienation are fairly standard for Korn, and at this point Korn is sure to be much more appealing to frustrated youth than the now adult generation that grew up with them. Despite the musical evolution, Korn retains the same juvenile lyrics that now sound silly coming from someone over 40. “My Wall” bears no relation to the poem of the same name, and concerns isolating oneself from others. The song is an atrocity. Davis aims for some really high notes here, revealing his vocal limitations. The extremely low backing vocals sound really processed and sound ridiculous instead of creepy. Again, the lyrics are extremely bland and cliché, showing little maturity or evolution. The dubstep production starts to lose its appeal at this point, with each song sounding almost interchangeable with the next. Really quite a dud of a track.

            Lead single Narcissistic Cannibal shows that the talents of producer extraordinaire Skrillex are not really what is being called into question here. The song contains some interesting elements, an interesting organ sound, trademark quaking Korn bass, and some fairly pumping dubstep beats supplied by Skirllex. The song is really not bad, even if the title is quite silly. A good example of this collaboration working. “Illuminati” lacks any definable elements. Despite having a decent groove, the song is fairly repetitive and the chorus really lacks an oomph and feels anti-climactic. The outro shows Korn at its most limp, without any aggression and inducing sleep. “Burn The Obedient” brings back some of the rap elements that Korn helped to introduce into “Nu-Metal”. The rapping segments are barely audible, and production was quite weak on this song. I began to miss the guitars at this point, and this album has basically abandoned the genre that Korn helped invent. Davis sounds like a snarling dog at the end of the song, but this vocal style loses all validity when accompanied by a basic dubstep beat without any “balls”. The lyrics show the twisted fantasies of an outsider, and is sure to appeal to those who still find Korn’s music to be meaningful and deep. For the rest of us, Korn fail to show much evolution and quick simply lack depth and range.

            The album continues with “Sanctuary”, a fairly slow and glitchy song. The song talks about drugs and sedatives, but the song feels more like a sedative itself. The song’s guitars feel tame and buried, and the drums sound terribly plastic-like and outdated. Screaming backing vocals and nasty feedback leave the listener with a horrible taste in their mouth, to use a somewhat cliché metaphor. Really quite terrible. “Let’s Go” is fairly similar to the rest of the album and does little to convince the listener of the validity of this project. However, the song features some decent bass work from “Fieldy”, an underrated bassist to say the least. Guitars however make a welcome return here, and the song is perhaps the most rock-like on this album. However, I believe that Korn has immensely suffered as a result of the lack to two guitarists since the departure of “Head” after a religious awakening. The song has a decent chorus, but the chants of “gotta get away” over and over start to irritate quickly. Average in every way, but slightly better than most of the album. Lead single “Get Up!” is an interesting experiment, and this album works the best when Skrillex has control of the knobs. However, the song’s chorus is fairly boneheaded, but really no more so than most of the band’s previous output. As aforementioned, the song’s “real” instruments feel buried in a mix of electronic soup. I don’t feel that the dubstep direction has added anything to Korn’s sound, and actually detracts from the overall musical experience. Despite the obvious flaws, the song is actually quite catchy and has a nice breakdown where all elements of the song are thrown in a musical blender and chopped and screwed in the way that Skirllex knows best. The warm synths on the chorus  are actually quite interesting, and it is nice to see Korn try something new. “Way Too Far” again incorporates synths into the dubstep mix. Despite the lame grunting verse vocals, the chorus is quite enjoyable and contains some cool dubstep cinematic-like vocals and a nice jackhammer-like dubstep beat. The song is actually not bad, and shows the Korn and dubstep are not totally “out of step” and can exist together. The album closes with “Bleeding Out”, a fairly standard Korn song despite the obvious inclusion of electronic elements. Here, the synths and beats feel totally unnecessary and tacked on. The gentle pianos are not horrible, but the video game synths and dubstep beats are so tired by this point. The inclusion of bagpipes at the end of the track is a curious choice, but not enough to save this track or this album.

            “The Path of Totality” is a bold experiment by a band trying to stave off increasing commercial and critical obscurity. Despite a few clicks, the overall result is not really something  that has staying power or musical appeal. The very hyper-quick nature of the dubstep beats make the listener lose interest very quickly, and the musical direction of the album feels like a gimmick soon after the second or third song. Additionally, Davis has shown little lyrical evolution since 1994’s “Korn”, and in some ways appears to be going backwards. Finally, the songs real instruments are given a secondary focus here, and are sadly missed. Skip this one and get “Follow the Leader” and  “Life is Peachy” if you are in the market for some reason for some “Nu-Metal”.
Rating-3.5/10
       

Neil Young-Trans Review

                A very peculiar effort from Mr. Young released at a time when much of popular music had become increasingly electronic in nature. “Trans” borrows obvious stylistic cues from “Krautrock” artists such as Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream as well as “New Wave” artists and is about as far removed from Young’s earlier folky efforts as one could possibly imagine. Deeply abnormal for Neil Young; however, “Trans” is an partially interesting listen for those with an open mind. 

                Opener “Little Thing Called Love” is not terribly different from much of Young’s earlier output and does not shock the way that later songs do. The song is a kind country-tinged and sappy song about the singing the praises of love. The song actually sounds more like Young’s later 1980s releases, and sounds very out of place on this otherwise quite experimental album. Catchy, but a slightly average rocker. “Computer Age” at times reminds one very much of Kraftwerk’s “Computer World”. Synthesizers are all over the song, and many of Young’s fan base cringed at this idea. Young’s vocals are processed through a primitive vocoder, a machine that preceded the modern “auto-tune” effect we all know. This effect covers much of the album, love it or hate it. The song is honestly not bad, but feels like an imitation of Kraftwerk’s musical style and it’s a very drastic difference for the mostly organic Young.

                “We R In Control” continues usage of the processed vocals. The song is about a sort of “Illuminati” like organization that is in complete control. Young’s voice is totally unrecognizable and it sounds like a typing program for the mute. Angular guitars remind one of Devo, one of the clear influences on this album. The same lyrics repeat over and over again, and the song sounds way too mechanical and silly. The highlight of the album for me was “Transformer Man”. Beneath all of the studio electronics, the song is actually quite good. Vocoders expand somewhat Young’s limited vocal range and make them a little easier to swallow. Like Kayne West on “808s and Heartbreaks”, young adopts a mechanical alter-ego to give his songs a much different range and a unique persona. The song is really about just that, using machinery and technology to change aspects of human life quickly and easily. A interesting little song and very catchy. 

                “Computer Cowboy” shows again the theme of contrast between old and new life on the album. Besides the vocoder effect, the song is fairly traditional in terms of musical elements.  The vocoder gets really annoying by this point, and actually starts to make the listener frustrated and annoyed.  This is especially apparent here, as the song is otherwise fairly normal sounding. The lyrics concern a sort of cyborg cowboy, roaming cities and range late at night trying to escape technology’s reach. The song includes an electronic facsimile of a horse trotting, a truly lame artistic decision. A total dud of a song. “Hold On To Your Love” is a fairly standard sounding song by this album’s standards. The song occasionally receives airplay on satellite radio, but still contains synthesizers and electric piano sounds; a huge mistake in the eyes of many of Young’s fans. These sounds actually don’t bother as much as the robotic vocals, and don’t really detract despite being fairly thin and cheap sounding. The song is actually fairly optimistic about love, and somewhat sweet and endearing tune. The song continues to explore the cowboy theme on the album, with lonesome slide guitar-like sounds adding some Western motifs. 

                “Sample And Hold” would not sound entirely out of place on an album by “Pet Shop Boys” or other such acts of the 1980s. The song concerns what appears to be some sort of digital dating service, and the creepy element of robotic love instantly reminds one of Kraftwerk. Twisted and distorted lower-end bass sounds really add a sleazy and gritty feel to the song. The robotic vocals actually work here, reflecting the emotional barrier that is produced by human interaction with technology. Young’s processed guitars sound interesting, and show his increasing exploration of distortion.  The song gets to be somewhat repetitive after the four-minute mark, and starts of outwear its welcome. The song could have easily been trimmed in half, and the later four minutes mostly repeat the chorus many times atop fiddling with guitars and drum sounds. Not bad, but too long. “Mr. Soul” is fairly conventional remake, but makes use of a very horrible drum-machine to propel the track along. The song lacks any sort of “low-end”, and it sounds very weak and thin. The song really fails to match the “Buffalo Springfield” original, and is a totally useless endeavor.  Skip this version, get the original classic. The album closes with “Like an Inca”, a Latin-influenced jam that really sounds much more conventional. The song reminds of Carlos Santana in the lead guitar, and shows Young’s more than decent guitar skills the most out of any song on this album. The lyrics concern getting back to the more primal instincts of ancient human societies, and it was nice to deviate from the mechanical theme dominating most of Trans. However, the song is a strong stylistic deviation from the rest of the album. Also, the song sounds quite dated and was actually a leftover from a previous session. Finally, at over nine minutes, the song feels like an extended jam and the listener is sure to lose interest. 

                “Trans” is a mostly forgotten album and an anomaly in the Young canon. “Trans” makes some bold artistic decisions, but really strays too from Young’s folk rock to be really considered. The songs are simply not that strong, and the mostly horrible electronics seem to be trying to mask that fact. Additionally, the albums wears its influences on its sleeve far too much, sounding often like a cheap parody by Liam Lynch rather than a true artistic direction. Avoid this one .

Rating-5.0/10