Man Ray is a band with an identity crisis. They sound like they would have rocked harder and more precisely, had Grunge never existed. But, it did, so they had to "dumb down" their sound and make it "rough around the edges" so it would be more accessible to the general public. This lack of trueness to one's self is evident in many bands of the post-Nirvana '90s. Candlebox is a prime example. They would have sounded like Skid Row, were they honest and courageous and had simply done what came naturally. Unwittingly, these bands paved the way for acts that were genuinely polished yet "rough around the edges" such as Our Lady Peace or Matchbox Twenty. So do we ridicule them for their lack of integrity, or thank them for inventing a new genre? Either way, I didn't really enjoy this record. Thanks mainly to the vocalist and his "lyrics". The lead guitarist has excellent tone, though, and there are some solid, inspired moments, though not enough to genuinely impress me.
No comments:
Post a Comment