Customer Reviews

Ahead Of The Lions

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Imagine the Stooges and/or the Dolls bashing away on Jagger/Richards compositions, and you'll have an idea of The Living Things' sound. Unlike some other young bands that recently have been heralded as the saviors of rock 'n' roll (think Strokes), The Living Things have the energy, the smarts and the chops to rip this joint.

For some time now, I've privately lamented that rock music has grown so estranged from its rebellious roots; it's become hard to associate the form with its progenitors. Occasionally, a truly progressive band comes along that puts the "roll" back into the rock, oozing a raw sexuality while maintaining politically based lyrics which displays the turmoil and angst that rock's fan base often swirl around in. The St. Louis-based Living Things is one such band. They breathe new life into music that has been systemically sanitized, corporative, and rendered not so gratefully dead.

It's the kind of band Lou Reed would love- stripped down to its essentials of guitar, bass, and drums supporting brooding vocals with ironic and just plain, low down truthful lyrics. It's the product of the brothers Berlin: Lillian, Eve, and Bosh, with some backup from friend Cory Becker. Throughout the album, the Berlins and Becker pay tribute to many of their mentors. The first two songs, "Bombs Below" and "I Owe" are extremely reminiscent of early Ramones works. From there we get to the hit "Bom, Bom, Bom" and "New Year", which eerily recalls the spirit of 70's glam provocateurs Marc Bolan and T. Rex. Musically, the rest of the album sways gently between some early Brit-punk and Seattle based grunge. But the music, as good as it is, serves a supporting role to Lillian Berlin's writing. Highly esteemed colleagues often compare this band to Nirvana. But if Nirvana spoke to the angst and rage of Generation X, Living Things speaks for a new generation of the young, who've had their rage calmed by legal pushers of Prozac and Ritalin. They've received medically induced teenage lobotomies, without having to undergo the tortuous invasions of the adult world's scalpels. And Lillian would know, having been put on a regimen of those same medications during his teen years. In a country where normal growing pains are sometimes turned into designer illnesses, it's not surprising that Lillian refers to these kids as the "blackout generation".

The disc offers many little surprises along the way. The Berlins self-produced the album, with the assistance of alt-rock recording guru Steve Albini. Many of the songs have very slick production values which at first, was a little annoying for a band that has such tremendous contempt for commercial sensibilities. But their sly humor finally punched through for me. They've concocted a product that is seemingly ready for prime time with a message that in this day and age would definitely be considered unplayable on most commercial stations. Most impressively, Lillian's vocal style increases the pungent sensuality of the pounding bass lines and ritualistic drum beats. Lillian writhes with carnal ecstasy as he opens yet another vein into the world of his psychometric rather than psychedelic drug use. But there is much more going on here lyrically. Many of the songs are meditations on how quickly the world has faded into the morass of military and corporate dominance, and how easily people have sold out their communities for a trip to the new neighborhood Wal-Mart.

Living Things is exactly what it promotes itself to be- a soulful organism awakened to the excesses and negligence of their caretakers, and unwilling to settle for the dreary, zombified, daydream existence that has captivated so many of their peers. "Ahead of the Lions" is a splash of freezing cold water in the faces of today's youth, urging them to stop standing in place, accepting their roles as prey for military and corporate predators.

Lately, the newest "in" rock bands have shown an annoying tendency to rely on attitude rather than musical skills, with a focus on lame '80s sounds that are surely not going anywhere interesting. Not so for Living Things, who combine the strongest aspects of the punk, metal, and glam movements of the past decade with a new-fangled outlook, for a sound that is both solid and fresh. This band has real potential and may just get modern rock out of its current under-achieving rut. The basic Living Things songwriting method is standard punk structures, but they have a nearly metal execution, resulting in a big bold sound. The best examples of this are piled up in the first half of the album, especially in the pummeling "Bombs Below" and the unholy Stones/Ramones marriage of "Bon Bon Bon." Other goodies include the unapologetically metallic "New Jesus" and "On All Fours," along with the hep jazzy rockabilly tendencies of "Monsters of Man." Frontman Lillian Berlin (a dude, as is his brother Eve on bass) needs to become a little more distinctive on vocals, but his continuous anti-neocon lyrics show some real fierce intelligence and worldly wisdom, even if they're a little low on variety. The only real weakness in the Living Things sound is their slower mid-tempo numbers, like "Keep It Til You Fold" and a couple of others, which are sludgy and drab. But otherwise, I think this band is really going places. [~doomsdayer520~]

It's hard to imagine any danger being inserted back into today's sterile rock scene. Sure, there are tons of great artists out there but nothing that gets played on the radio. Do you honestly expect so-called alternative rock stations to play anything other then bland nu-metal acts that came along five years too late? If you answered yes, promptly slap yourself. And this album won't change that. It should but it won't while A&R reps are still soliciting radio stations for airplay.

That's not to speak against the quality of the Living Things as a band. In fact, they're quite talented. And they prove that on their album, Ahead of the Lions.

Beginning with "Bombs Below", the Things systematically assault the listener with a potent mix of punk, metal, and politics. From there it continues song-by-song, the band crafting their own brand of anarchy ranging from the AC/DC-gets-into-a-scuffle-with-the-Ramones anthem of "Bom Bom Bom" to the throat-shredding "On All Fours". It reaches a pinnacle with "March In Daylight", which utilizes one of the best recent hard rock riffs this side of H.I.M.'s "Wings of a Butterfly". Oddly enough, one of the oddities among the assorted chaos is "Mosters of Man". The song itself still maintains the hard-charging emotion of most of the former but it includes horns and distortion, causing it to sound like vintage Love & Rockets. That isn't an insult, either. It just stands out.

Unfortunately, for all the exciting music there is to be found, the album isn't perfect. The band stumbles when it tries to slow things down. Much like retro-rock revivalist brethren Jet, the band just can't write a good slow song. Or at least, the slow songs get buried beneath the noise and adrenaline of the heavier songs.

I love the review from Marinkovich, who states that he likes "straight ahead bar room/garage rock", then dismisses the songs on Ahead of the Lions because none of them "stand out as anything more than standard garage rock". Apparently there are various degrees and shades of garage rock. I didn't realize garage rock was so complex! He's right in that this music is straight ahead and very in-your-face. As for hundreds of unsigned bands out there with more original music than this... well, that's not really the point, is it? The Living Things aren't about subtlety or even originality. Their message doesn't require it. They make no pretenses about being the next Radiohead. Direct messages work better with direct music. But apparently, this kind of approach still confuses some armchair critics out there. I, for one, find the ferocity in this music refreshing. Another reviewer slagged Green Day's American Idiot in comparison. American Idiot has its place, but this assault against corporate and political status quo sounds much more real and lived in, and the result is a more visceral and immediate call to arms. Bravo to Living Things for saying it in a way that at least some of us can understand!

This is a great rock album that I think will have wide appeal. I usually buy an album because I like a song or two and am typically let down by the rest of the tracks. But not with this one! I'm REALLY pleased and rarely this pumped on a new (to me) band. I can actually put this in the CD player and just let it play and listen to every track, instead of skipping to the next song that I like. I enjoyed "Bom Bom Bom" whenever I heard it on the radio and finally got around to picking up the album over a year later. I wish I had bought it sooner. I know this album will be in my frequent listening circulation for years to come -that I won't burn out on it or get tired of it. Why? Because the songs are really well developed, written, played, sung, and produced. I rarely get this pumped on a band. I'm so stoked on them that I'm taking the time to write my first review here on Amazon because 1) I think you'll dig 'em 2) if enough people like The Living Things hopefully they'll stick around and put out future albums as solid as this one.

I hate comparing one band to another band because they of course are not the same, perhaps just similar in one or two small ways -but it may give you a general idea of what they are like. With that said, I'll just say that The Living Things have a rockin' sound and rank up there with some of my personal TOP favorites (who also have an overall rock or even punk sound), for example: Social Distortion, Foo Fighters, Face to Face, U2 (the OLDER stuff), Nirvana, Velvet Revolver.

All the songs are good on the album, but tracks 3, 5, 6, and 9 are the ones that really stand out in my mind: "Bom, Bom, Bom", "God Made Hate", "End Gospel", and "Keep It 'till You Fold". The track sampler on Amazon gives a pretty representation of each of the songs, however it doesn't do track 6, "End Gospel" justice without the energetic, tone-setting guitar and drum intro.
I hope that helps. So, ya, BUY this album.

absolutely great album. i just wish their last record company had the stones to release "black skies in broad daylight" here in the U.S. --> that's the album "american idiot" wishes it was...

trust me, this could be THE album of 2005...

I agree totally with both of the reviewers on this amazing debut album by the Living Things but wanted to clarify that the boys are from St. Louis, not the U.K. which means they have more guts to speak out on the state of this country as it is without any real fear or hesitation. Bravo!

The kids are alright, indeed!! Though it remains to be seen if the music press and/or mainstream tastes (heaven forbid!) can catch up to the Living Things' brand of Robyn Hytchcock-meets-Jesus and Mary Chain-meets-Marc Bolan-meets-Woody Guthrie, there should be little doubt that The Living Things are a truly astounding and ambitious band. In an era in which aging punk poppers Green Day are seen as "radical" and "original" for putting forth the drivel known as "American Idiot", "Ahead Of The Lions" is miles and miles and miles ahead of airheaded MTV-watching tastes and will probably be ignored by that pathetic crowd and beloved by those with more refined tastes.

Either way, let's all do the music industry a favor and buy several copies of "Ahead Of The Lions": give one to your Mom, your postman or your shrink. It'll be worth it, I promise...

If you are to the "left" you should pick up this album for the lyrics alone. If you are anywhere else, but you are mature enough to appreciate good music, you should still pick it up. Otherwise, dont bother.

These guys are truely putting the music in your face. They send a wall of sound at you that sometimes is a little hard to swallow untill you take it a time or two. The fact of the matter is, this band has some real potential to put out politically driven albums the likes of which havent been seen in probably 30 years or so. Right now they still seem like they are trying to get their heads around what their sound really is. Sometimes they break into strait up rock riffs and others they sound like they are about to play a mindless pop punk song (thankfully they always save those).

Potential asside, the album does take a listen or two, outside of "Bom Bom Bom," to really get comfy with. Its very agressive and takes a bit of getting use to. Once it starts falling into place it becomes extreamly enjoyable.

If you are looking for a breath of fresh air, this band is flat out for you.

Key Tracks: "Bombs Below" and "Bom Bom Bom"