Metallica & Lou Reed - Lulu (October 31st)Music

[prisonermonkeys]

I'm surprised nobody has made a thread about this yet. Metallica have recently annouced their latest project, a collaboration with Lou Reed of The Velvet Underground. It's called Lulu, and it's unlike anything either side have done. It's a concept album based on two plays by German expressionist playwright Frank Wedekind, Earth Spirit and Pandora's Box (which were controversial at the time; the plays are held up as examples of early feminist literature, or deeply misogynistic depending on who you're talking to). The album apparently tells the story of Lulu, a young dancer and her relationships with wealthy men, which spiral out of control. It is implied implied in the plays that while her lovers get everything the need from their relationships, Lulu never does.

Whatever the case, this could be Metallica's most darkly-complex offering. The plays explore themes of emotional abuse, sexuality, poverty, prostituion, murder and suicide, and often all at once. The first single, The View has been released. However, I should reiterate that this is unlike anything you have ever heard from Metallica. Don't go in expecting the thrashfest of Master of Puppets (a lot of the people who commented on it appear to have expected this much). It's difficult to judge, because this is the second single from the album, and clearly tells a part of a larger story.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to it. This could be really interesting.

 

[nizmo_bro]

I'm a fan of Lou Reed, not so much Metallica. It seems odd they would collaborate, and it is different. Interesting.

 

[Prosthetic]

Don't go in expecting the thrashfest of Master of Puppets (a lot of the people who commented on it appear to have expected this much).

I would hope no one expects anything Metallica would do nowadays to be anything anywhere close to thrash. They haven't done that in over 20 years. Although I am intrigued about what will come out of this. I'm glad they are doing something else because what they've done for so long has failed pretty bad.

 

[Horde_R35]

Mettalica fan here. Its strange but wanting to see what this will be like.

 

[Slash]

Hoping it's going to be really good. Never heard Lou Reed before but I was liking what I was hearing on YouTube from when they played Sweet Jane together. I'm a big Metallica fan so if they screw this up I'm going to be angry.



Listening to the first song right now, and all I can think is WTF?



EDIT:


Deeply disappointed. I thought it would have been better. Lou ruined it by talking over the music THE WHOLE TIME. When James sings it's not so bad but Lou destroyed it. 95% of the reviews are negative. It sounds like a '90s garage band, with a band attempt at playing grunge. The guitar solo wasn't on par with the rest of the song and even that wouldn't have redeemed it. Hopefully the rest of the album isn't that bad. I thought nothing could get worse than Death Magnetic.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Talking, as opposed to singing, is Lou Reed's style, so for someone unfamiliar with his work, it can be a little disconcerting. I did warn you that it's unlike anything Metallica have done before. However, since he and Hetfield took turn about in The View, I suspect they'll continue the trend throughout the album. Apparently the next two songs, Pumping Blood and Mistress Dread, are more remniscent of Master of Puppets.

It's weird that they're releasing single from the album, because Lulu is a concept album. It tells a story, and The View will only really make sense in the wider context. Especially since it's the second track from the album.

It's probably best not to think of Lulu as a Metallica album. Indeed, the project originated with Lou Reed.

 

[Slash]

People are thinking of it as a Metallica album, that's the reason why 95% of all comments and reviews are negative. I hope Pumping Blood will be similar to MoP.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Indeed. When S&M was planned, a lot of people were aghast (is that a word I can use to describe metal fans?) at the idea of a metal orchestra. The idea of a concept album is even further out there. A lot of people are concentrating on the riff and monotonous delivery of the lyrics without concentrating on the wider picture. I don't think it's really sunk in that this is part of a larger whole. Just look at some of these lyrics:

"I attract you and repel you, a science of the heart and blood and meaning."

"There is no time for guilt or second-guessing, second-guessing based on menaing."

"I am the truth, the beauty that causes you to cross your sacred boundaries."

"I want to have you doubting every meaning you've amassed like a fortune."

"Pain and evil have their place, sitting here beside me - and I'll offer them, I'll offer them to you."

"Throw it away for (the) worship of someone who actively despises you."

When was the last time Metallica got this dark? Even after the death of Cliff Burton with the likes of One and Harvester of Sorrow, they never ventured into this kind of territory. The View is the thoughts and actions of a serial abuser, someone who manipulates his victim to create an emotional dependency on them. It's systematic, deliberate and degrading, stripping away a person's values until they believe their abuser is the only source of any emotional comfort. Have you ever wondered why a woman who is abused is willing to go back to her abuser, even though she knows he can hurt her? Because this is what abusers do. They make their victims believe that if they leave, they will never be able to find that same level of contentment and happiness that they originally felt, and so they will be willing to take whatever their abuser gives them. It's disturbing and disgusting, and I suspect the band has recognised this, so they deliberately decided to make a track that would be difficult to listen to. You're meant to feel uncomfortable, meant to feel a desire to lash out against the song. Because in this song, the listener is Lulu. We're meant to sympathise with her later in the story.

 

[Prosthetic]

Indeed. When S&M was planned, a lot of people were aghast (is that a word I can use to describe metal fans?) at the idea of a metal orchestra.

"Metal orchestra" is kind of a contradiction. Orchestra are typically come across as beautiful works of art. Metal is the exact opposite despite the fact metal is a copy of classical only with different instruments, leather vests, tattoos. The problem with most Metallica fans, at least the original ones, when Metallica would release a new album, they wanted a thrash album. Not something else. That's why everything released after MoP is looked at as garbage. Which is kind of the case.

Thrash is for a pit of rage, taking a stand and kicking ass. Violence, not depression. You want that kind of darkness, look at the traditional doom bands and read those lyrics. Some of the darkness most chilling lyrics I've ever read, mind blowing riffs and solos that shake rafters just as hard as any thrash bands. For me S&M has too much going on. I'm all for it being pure orchestral but its both and thrash just doesn't mesh well at the same time.

The music was originally meant to be a scapegoat for anger, you just can't do that with S&M. You can't mosh to it, so you stand there and wonder WTF is going on, this is a thrash concert what do I do now. Being confused isn't being blown away. I just doesn't work well. IMO.

For me... I'm not a fan of Lou Reed's vocal style. Its just boring. Reminds me of Bob Dylan, which is not a good thing. Musically its overly repetitive and reminds me so much of Metallica's later days which is full of generic radio rock riffs and fill in the blank lyrics and terrible production. I've heard albums recorded in basements with better sound quality then their later stuff.

Ok, enough with Metallica bashing, because I really don't hate them. But to me it just doesn't work. In fact, I'd rather listen to St. Anger over and over then listen to this. The dullness is worse then a drum kit made of man hole covers. I'm not any kind of metal meat head, but its just boring. I feel like I'm waiting for a shot of Novocaine. Of course, I also hate peace and quiet, I like the rush of adrenaline. I'm a high octane energy drink and a powerbar, not a cappuccino and muffin.

 

[Slash]

For real though it gets kind of hard to take serious when James repeatedly screams I AM THE TABLE at the end.