Ever since I read the news of Chinese democracy being released, the internet is abuzz with speculations, opinions and reviews so as to what would become of Axl Rose’s behemoth. And needless to say I went through a lot of reviews and articles about the same, oh well..out of sheer curiosity. At this point I’d like to confess that I’ve long evolved from my GnR listening, headbanging, lambada dancing days to make way for other artistes and genres of music and art alike
Like me there are probably a billion people out there who have related with guns and roses at some given point or another, or let me be precise with Axl Rose at some point or time or the other, With his antagonism, anger, sense of urgency, heartache, complaints, maybe even with his famous ego or his maniacal quest for perfection.
So when I heard the announcement for the release date of Chinese democracy, I did take a certain amount of interest, read more reviews and articles and eagerly anticipated the launch of the album.
So now that I have heard the album..well…quite a few times now…I’ve decided to post my review on the album.
I am actually quite full of pity for some of these reviewers because of some really really lame articles that they have written, In my opinion anyone who reviews an artiste and an album, should do so with an open mind, else, he/she should either stick to writing news articles (which is quite different from writing a review) or maybe writing stories (at this point I think I’m not making much sense)
So here’s the thing,
Chinese democracy is a good album, a very well developed and elaborate musical masterpiece though lyrically it sucks.
What I liked about the album:
The music is by far the best in recent times from any contemporary artist, beautiful melodies complimented with equally beautiful guitar riffs and solos
Axl rose’s vocal range continues to hold me in awe
The sheer variety of songs is overwhelming, if you listen to it a few times you will certainly realize that the music in the album explores virtually every style of contemporary popular music along wth offering the traditional Guns n Roses sound and of course with perhaps one of the best sound that I have heard in a long long time
What I did not like about the album:
The lyrics: As against the music which is not only in great variety but also reflective of various moods of the album, the lyrics fail miserably at that
Most of the lyrics are nothing but axl rose complaining how everybody around him is at fault and how he just doesn’t care.
Had it not been for the incredibly awful lyrics that some of the songs seem to have, Chinese democracy in all likelihood would have deserved to be called one of the greatest albums of our times.
And for those of people who are still clung on to the past by comparing Chinese Democracy with appetite for destruction, well you guys seriously need to move on and stop being so opinionated about things.
Another point that I would like to make is When bands and musicians like Radiohead and David Bowie choose to diversify, they are hailed as visionaries, However when Axl Rose does something different people simply call it trash and what seems strange to me is that some of bowie’s songs in his most experimental and diverse works lacked melody, while axl makes up for this deficiency with great ease.
There are some songs that will instantly grab your attention, there are some that will grow on you, and there are some that you will come to love and some that you will simply abhor
P.S. if you are unsure about the sound of this album, I suggest you use some good earphones and not the crappy ipod earphones
