So I just got my hands on this gem, and I gotta say, there's a lot to love about it. I'm really getting more and more into his stuff; I've liked SYL since, well, SYL (the album), but this is the first I've heard of his solo stuff.
I gotta say, though, I really feel like it starts off amazingly and then kinda goes in weird directions. "Let it Roll" is beautiful despite its ridiculous lyrics (is that supposed to be "Lassy" like an Irish term for a woman? Or perhaps the dog Lassie?), Hypergeek is pretty rockin', and jesus christ, Triumph might be one of the most soaring and powerful tunes I've heard in a long while (when he comes in with that "knowing" at 1:28, it gives me chills down my spine, and the groove at 2:45 just fucking COOKS).
But then the rest come in. "Babysong" has got some cool melodies in it, but...the lyrics? It seems from reading the lyrics that it's about people having kids to try and give meaning to their lives not knowing what they're getting into (or I might be totally off), but sorry, I don't like wacky satire stuff like that; too Zappa for my tastes. And Pixillate; it's got a great chorus ("Paralyze, Terrorize," etc.), when it FINALLY comes in, but the whole first, like, two minutes are just kinda forgettable, and without any kind of lead line, whether it be vocals or a melody, it feels incomplete. In general, I feel like a lot of the songs (like "Judgement") just go on and on needlessly (I felt this way about some of the stuff on Ziltoid also, like in the last couple of minutes on "Solar Winds" and "Color Your World")
I don't mean to bash Hevy Devy or the album in this thread - more to get the thoughts of the many people here who love it, cuz maybe you all have a different perspective on it, cuz given all the enthusiasm I've seen, maybe I'm missing something?
I gotta say, though, I really feel like it starts off amazingly and then kinda goes in weird directions. "Let it Roll" is beautiful despite its ridiculous lyrics (is that supposed to be "Lassy" like an Irish term for a woman? Or perhaps the dog Lassie?), Hypergeek is pretty rockin', and jesus christ, Triumph might be one of the most soaring and powerful tunes I've heard in a long while (when he comes in with that "knowing" at 1:28, it gives me chills down my spine, and the groove at 2:45 just fucking COOKS).
But then the rest come in. "Babysong" has got some cool melodies in it, but...the lyrics? It seems from reading the lyrics that it's about people having kids to try and give meaning to their lives not knowing what they're getting into (or I might be totally off), but sorry, I don't like wacky satire stuff like that; too Zappa for my tastes. And Pixillate; it's got a great chorus ("Paralyze, Terrorize," etc.), when it FINALLY comes in, but the whole first, like, two minutes are just kinda forgettable, and without any kind of lead line, whether it be vocals or a melody, it feels incomplete. In general, I feel like a lot of the songs (like "Judgement") just go on and on needlessly (I felt this way about some of the stuff on Ziltoid also, like in the last couple of minutes on "Solar Winds" and "Color Your World")
I don't mean to bash Hevy Devy or the album in this thread - more to get the thoughts of the many people here who love it, cuz maybe you all have a different perspective on it, cuz given all the enthusiasm I've seen, maybe I'm missing something?
