REVIEW: 58, Diet For A New America (Americoma/Beyond)
- Bill Holmes
It just goes to show that a little musical credibility and name recognition can still get you into the studio where you can try to fool people. If this music is the diet, we're going to starve to death. "The band has evolved into something really magical and fresh" claims Nikki Sixx, "it's strictly art-driven". Personally I prefer ex-Boxing Ghandi Dave Darling's critique: "It's all bullshit - loud, annoying bullshit".
"Piece Of Candy" is one exception, a funky glam/hip-hop tune that sounds like an updated Bowie or Mott tune. It's a good song that seems exceptionally great when surrounded by some of the other failed experiments like "Shopping Cart Jesus" and the well-named "Songs To Slit Your Wrists By". "Stormy" sounds so much like a Garbage song I was amazed it wasn't a cover. But the vocals on several other tracks are grade-Z Eddie Vedder imitations (and considering Ed Ved sucks out loud, imagine what a non-compliment that is). I can't fault the imagination on the record, a swirling mass of rock, funk, metal, industrial and (mostly) beats and scratches. But this record has "unfinished" written all over it.
A beat-box version of "Alone Again (Naturally)" complete with gravely sing-along vocals couldn't have looked good even on paper. One play can be tolerated for novelty status, but at six minutes long even that's a trial. At least they gave ol' Gilbert songwriting credit; I've heard records sample other songs more completely than this with nary a credit to the original composers and performers.
The band, which also includes Barry Gibb's son Steve, is threatening to continue what was originally a one-off project between Sixx and Darling. "Like Steely Dan" says Sixx, "two guys who lived to write music together and made some great records". America - what a country.
