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The Gauntlet: Various Artists |
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Various Artists Album Review
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Tracklist
1. Roses Are Red - Cherub Rock
2. Jelly Belly - A Thorn For Every Heart
3. Soma - Poison The Well
4. Mayonaisse - Emanuel
5. Today - Armor For Sleep
6. Eye - Hopesfall
7. The Everlasting Gaze - A Static Lullaby
8. 1979 - Vaux
9. Zero - 32 Leaves
10. We Only Come Out At Night - Murder By Death
12. Quiet - Eighteen Visions
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Tribute albums are often a shaky proposition. Having said that, 'The Killer In You: A Tribute To Smashing Pumpkins' hits more often than it misses, with an impressive collection of artists assembled to pay homage to one of the most revered rock outfits of the nineties. A majority of the bands on this compilation are emo bands, a wise choice on the part of Reignition Recordings as these bands, for the most part have the chops to tackle these sorts of songs and make things happen in a way manner that makes for a fitting compliment to the works of the famed Chicago ensemble.
Roses Are Red kicks things off here with an energetic version of 'Cherub Rock' that is dead-on. The group displays an intensity on this cover that frankly matches the vibe of the original to a tee. A Thorn For Every Heart that takes the listener on a polished yet intense with their up-tempo version of 'Jelly Belly'. These guys really dig in and give it all they've got here and the end result is one of the standout tracks of the entire album.
A dreamy sounding version of 'Soma' rendered by Poison The Well captures the magic contained in the original, while Emanuel offer a bit more relaxed 'Mayonnaise' than expressed by Corgan's outfit, drifting into the clouds with wide-open harmonies while keeping one foot on the ground with the instantly recognizable guitar riff that underscores the track's more powerful verses. An acoustic breakdown leads into the thick chorded cresendo, putting an exclamation point on a very well done cover version.
Armor For Sleep takes on 'Today' and the result is admirable. It is highly difficult for a group to convincingly pull off such a well-known track, but AFS do a competent job here.
A dirty guitar tone and a tortured scream get A Static Lullaby's version of 'The Everlasting Gaze' going, but unfortunately, this cut is one of the album's low points. Recorded in a very low-fi manner, the track just does not carry the weight of the actual Pumpkins song. Vaux go for their own thing with '1979', which turns out to be a complete sleeper. Can you say dropped like a hot potato? We knew you could.
Many fans will be checking this record out for the solid cover of 'Quiet' by Eighteen Visions that sticks very closely to the original. A recording that is very punchy and focused on maximum overall impact, you get an idea of where the more rock-oriented influences of 18V lie with this cut.
Will all Smashing Pumpkins fans enjoy this record? It's pretty likely, even though there are a couple throwaway tracks. More importantly, will this record make a connection with younger fans that are into the style these bands generally dish out? That is much more certain.
Review by: Erin Fox
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Comments
im ur god now - 2006-01-20 17:00:24
ya.. they should've picked some other songs.. cuz they left out a lot of good ones.. and half of those bands suck ass.. actually more than half..
i'll just listen to the pumpkins play their songs. | Dark Nutsack - 2006-01-06 22:56:06
This is some fawking wack shiznit foo. Burn in hell jha jha jha | plg - 2006-01-06 06:51:27
its aq good tribute album i just wish they wouldve put more stuff on it | sdf - 2006-01-05 06:10:39
sdfsd | the hated - 2006-01-04 00:54:44
Billy Corgan is a homo! |
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