Review: Billy Idol - Devil's Playground
Holy Shit!
Billy Fucking Idol!
I'm writing this because I've been in this super gothy mood for the last week and Daniel from Dead Metaphor finally called me out on it. I was planning on writing a big Damned review to make up for that shitty last post, but that wouldn't have got me out of my goth funk. However, this super happy new Billy Idol CD totally has. Fuck yes for posi music.
I fucking love Billy Idol! I don't know Generation X at all, so let's get that hate mail flowing for liking a punk rockers mainstream shit but not knowing his real punk rock at all and what not. Come on I'm a sellout cashing in on your revolution and all that.
Anyhow, the new record seriously kicks ass. I didn't expect it to be awesome but it is.
It starts out with a song called Super Overdrive, which is a super fucking catchy powerpop-ish song. As soon as it started playing I started bopping my head, and unintentionally felt my lip curl. It's got that early UK move up the fret after you've strummed thing going, if I played guitar I'd use the term, but I don't, so fuck off. It's not straight up punk rock, or even straight up powerpop, but it's close enough that you purists might be able to listen to it without calling it mainstream faggot music. Next up is a song that kinda reminds me of Dropkick Murphys, it's called World Comin' Down and it keeps that kinda vibe up until the chorus, when it goes total singalongy pop. I can't fucking wait to see this shit live, it's gonna be awesome. A super slow start to Rat Race is broken up by a typical rock chorus and then has it's acoustic guitars replaced by distorted electric ones. Thankfully it doesn't lose it's ballad tone because I really enjoy most of Billy Idol's slower songs (Catch My Fall and Flesh For Fantasy especially). I haven't done a lyrical investigation of this album yet, so this song may disappoint me in the end, but right now I like it in a Nothing Else Matters by Metallica kind of way. This doesn't have the nostalgic appeal though so I'm inclined to think that it's a better song. Sherri is up next and starts out with a Mony Mony ish drum beat, and then settles into a decent pop love song. It's totally happy. I could put this record on with the Epoxies and never be sad again. Plastic Jesus is up next, and it makes me laugh. I didn't know it was an old folk song to begin with so I just found it funny. Now that I know, I still find it funny. This version is better because it's Billy Idol. Scream is up next and starts out with the best Billy moment on the record. A "Yeeeeeeeah" that totally puts this record in place with anything he did in the 80's. The song is totally awesome in the same way that Shock To The System was awesome. Fuck anyone who disses that song, the rest of the record wasn't so good but that song rules. It's a fist pumping arena rock song. If you wrote this song you would get chicks. If you listen carefully, right before the solo he quietly says "suck it." That rules, I don't know why, and if I did I probably wouldn't tell you because you'd be too fucking dumb to get it if I did. HA.
Next up... WHAT THE FUCK? A Christmas song? You've gotta be kidding me? A dysfunctional comedic Christmas song? Holy shit! It's amazing. Yellin' At The Christmas Tree. Fuck, I love it.
Romeo's Waiting, another catchy pop tune. Not much else to say about it. Body Snatcher is next and is a rather dark number for the album. I totally dig it, it just seems kind of out of place right after a poppy love song. However it does transition nicely into Evil Eye, so I guess that's why it's there. Evil Eye is pretty slow and moody. I think I only like this song because it's Billy Idol. It goes into a weird electronic thing at the end which is probably the better part of the song. Yeah yeah, goth, raver, bar dude, fuck off I'm enjoying the record.
Lady Do or Die is up next, and is a mellow country-ish number. This was the song that convinced me that this whole record was good. That it wasn't just a wave of nostalgia, and that while this record wasn't going to be as crucial as some of the early Billy songs, it's still awesome. I can see actively seeking this song out instead of just waiting for it to come on. I'm sure it will have heavy rotation at some point in my life when I'm a little more bummed than I am now. Cherie sounds like it could've been written at the same time as Brown Eyed Girl or something. Listening to this kind of stuff makes me sit back and smile and be cheesy and think about ex girlfriends. It's done up 2005 style, but still has that old feel to it. Summer Running, totally blew me away the first time I listened to it and I won't say why. But it's awesome. A good closing track.
All in all I'm totally stoked on this record. I'm really glad Billy Idol put it out, and I'm really glad that he's still stoked on making music. I'll probably even crack and buy this record even though it's on a major.
Billy Fucking Idol!
I'm writing this because I've been in this super gothy mood for the last week and Daniel from Dead Metaphor finally called me out on it. I was planning on writing a big Damned review to make up for that shitty last post, but that wouldn't have got me out of my goth funk. However, this super happy new Billy Idol CD totally has. Fuck yes for posi music.
I fucking love Billy Idol! I don't know Generation X at all, so let's get that hate mail flowing for liking a punk rockers mainstream shit but not knowing his real punk rock at all and what not. Come on I'm a sellout cashing in on your revolution and all that.
Anyhow, the new record seriously kicks ass. I didn't expect it to be awesome but it is.
It starts out with a song called Super Overdrive, which is a super fucking catchy powerpop-ish song. As soon as it started playing I started bopping my head, and unintentionally felt my lip curl. It's got that early UK move up the fret after you've strummed thing going, if I played guitar I'd use the term, but I don't, so fuck off. It's not straight up punk rock, or even straight up powerpop, but it's close enough that you purists might be able to listen to it without calling it mainstream faggot music. Next up is a song that kinda reminds me of Dropkick Murphys, it's called World Comin' Down and it keeps that kinda vibe up until the chorus, when it goes total singalongy pop. I can't fucking wait to see this shit live, it's gonna be awesome. A super slow start to Rat Race is broken up by a typical rock chorus and then has it's acoustic guitars replaced by distorted electric ones. Thankfully it doesn't lose it's ballad tone because I really enjoy most of Billy Idol's slower songs (Catch My Fall and Flesh For Fantasy especially). I haven't done a lyrical investigation of this album yet, so this song may disappoint me in the end, but right now I like it in a Nothing Else Matters by Metallica kind of way. This doesn't have the nostalgic appeal though so I'm inclined to think that it's a better song. Sherri is up next and starts out with a Mony Mony ish drum beat, and then settles into a decent pop love song. It's totally happy. I could put this record on with the Epoxies and never be sad again. Plastic Jesus is up next, and it makes me laugh. I didn't know it was an old folk song to begin with so I just found it funny. Now that I know, I still find it funny. This version is better because it's Billy Idol. Scream is up next and starts out with the best Billy moment on the record. A "Yeeeeeeeah" that totally puts this record in place with anything he did in the 80's. The song is totally awesome in the same way that Shock To The System was awesome. Fuck anyone who disses that song, the rest of the record wasn't so good but that song rules. It's a fist pumping arena rock song. If you wrote this song you would get chicks. If you listen carefully, right before the solo he quietly says "suck it." That rules, I don't know why, and if I did I probably wouldn't tell you because you'd be too fucking dumb to get it if I did. HA.
Next up... WHAT THE FUCK? A Christmas song? You've gotta be kidding me? A dysfunctional comedic Christmas song? Holy shit! It's amazing. Yellin' At The Christmas Tree. Fuck, I love it.
Romeo's Waiting, another catchy pop tune. Not much else to say about it. Body Snatcher is next and is a rather dark number for the album. I totally dig it, it just seems kind of out of place right after a poppy love song. However it does transition nicely into Evil Eye, so I guess that's why it's there. Evil Eye is pretty slow and moody. I think I only like this song because it's Billy Idol. It goes into a weird electronic thing at the end which is probably the better part of the song. Yeah yeah, goth, raver, bar dude, fuck off I'm enjoying the record.
Lady Do or Die is up next, and is a mellow country-ish number. This was the song that convinced me that this whole record was good. That it wasn't just a wave of nostalgia, and that while this record wasn't going to be as crucial as some of the early Billy songs, it's still awesome. I can see actively seeking this song out instead of just waiting for it to come on. I'm sure it will have heavy rotation at some point in my life when I'm a little more bummed than I am now. Cherie sounds like it could've been written at the same time as Brown Eyed Girl or something. Listening to this kind of stuff makes me sit back and smile and be cheesy and think about ex girlfriends. It's done up 2005 style, but still has that old feel to it. Summer Running, totally blew me away the first time I listened to it and I won't say why. But it's awesome. A good closing track.
All in all I'm totally stoked on this record. I'm really glad Billy Idol put it out, and I'm really glad that he's still stoked on making music. I'll probably even crack and buy this record even though it's on a major.
posted by Robbie Crash at 12:54 AM
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