Customer Reviews

Auf Der Maur

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In the modern music scene, too often female pop singers are relabelled "rock." Here's the real thing: Melissa Auf Der Maur -- formerly of the Smashing Pumpkins and Hole -- debuts with a blast in "Auf Der Maur," pushing aside pop-rockers with her robust, bass-heavy rockers.

It opens with a bang in the swoopy, searing, catchy "Lightning is My Girl," which adds a rather confusing spoken interlude before the sweeping buildup of "Followed the Waves." From there on, she gets into the cycling hard rocker "Real A Lie," the softer "Taste You," the bass-heaving roaring "Beast of Honor," and the playful rocker "I'll Be Anything You Want." It rounds off with the sprawling "I Need I Want I Will," which starts on an ominous gothic note, before falling into silence, and blossoming again.

Listening to this album, it's not hard to see why Melissa Auf Der Maur was in the Smashing Pumpkins -- she has the heavy, roaring complexity that many other rockers could benefit from. There's an air of confidence around "Auf De Maur," which seems to come from Auf Der Maur's past experience, and her undeniable talent as a bassist and singer.

Auf Der Maur has a solid voice that rises above her music. Don't expect her to do any vocal gymnastics, but her vocals are assured and confident, as if she's fully in tune with her music. Her songwriting needs lots of work ("Take one look at your cook/Feed yourself, I'm on a hook"), but it has some raw promise ("I'll see you in my dreams/Electrified and cherry red") and very evocative imagery.

She was also the bassist in both the Smashing Pumpkins and Hole, so needless to say she plays a mean bass on her own album -- complex, dark, heavy, and sinuously flexible. Her old bandmate James Iha and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme offer their own talents, with Homme cowriting and playing solid guitar, and Iha offering his talents to the solid "Head Unbound."

Melissa Auf Der Maur's debut shows the polish of many years in other people's bands, but she's strong on her own two feet, in her own unique sound. An imperfect but solid debut, and one that promises good things yet to come.

After the likes of Hole and Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur has known the ropes enough to crank out a mediocre record... better for anyone reading this, she cranked out a near perfect CD. There is definately a profound element of songwriting going on here, as Auf der Maur incorporates her songs to the guest performers such as Queens of the Stone Age's Nick O, Smashing Pumpkin's James Iha, Mariyln Manson's Twiggy, and A Perfect Circle's Paz Lenchantin just to name a few.
Anyways, this album is absolutely incredible. It's a rock album for rock fans. Songs such as "Lightning Is My Girl", the first single "Followed The Waves", "Beasts of Honor", and "Realalie" all perfectly embody a rock alias, while the more subtle and emmotional numbers like "Taste You" and "Would If I could" completely blow you away with their song writing.
Melissa has always been in the shadows of stage and attention hungry Courtney Love and Billy Corgan, but she has turned her experience with them into a better album than either could crank out.
The closing number, "I Need, I Want, I Will" is the album's most haunting tune, the band jamming out while Auf der Maur sticking behind her signature bass guitar and telling a spoken word story over a perfectly conducted band.
The only unneeded song on this is close to the end "Overpower Thee" where the album loses steam and will probably become the track most skip over not to lose the driving power inbetween two of the albums most powerful songs "Would If I Could" and "Skin Reciever".
Buy this now.
Tracklisting:
1.Lightning Is My Girl
2.Followed the Waves
3.Realalie
4.Head Unbound
5.Taste You
6.Beasts of Honor
7.I'll Be Anything
8.My Foggy Notion
9.Would If I Could
10.Overpower Thee
11.Skin Reciever
12.I Need, I Want, I Will

Okay, the lyrics are dumb, true, and rock history hasn't been kind to secondary members of famous groups trying to strike gold on their own (just ask Andrew Ridgely, Jane Wiedlin, or even George Harrison)--though this seems to be less true in alt rock (just ask Kim Deal or Dave Grohl)--so maybe Melissa Auf Der Maur, former Smashing Pumpkins and Hole bassist, has rock genre on her side. Auf Der Maur's debut is a potentially great hard rock/metal/alt record--part Zep (and, by default, part Heart--check out the "Barracuda"-riffed "Skin Reciever"), part Pixies (and, by default, part Breeders-check out Melissa's dead-on Kim Deal imitation on "Followed the Waves"), oh, and, of course, part Billy Corgan-70's-influenced arena hard rock. A handful of songs here do rock politely, but me, I'd like to see Melissa make the H.R. Geiger reference in the CD finale literal and bring this monster to life. Why not unleash the metal beast and let listeners be trampled underneath, begging Melissa for the forgiveness she apparently craves so much if you read her lyrics? Why not let Melissa's monotone yet girly voice fight against the onslaught of metal guitar chomp? I dunno, but can you imagine what a great record? I'd buy that CD. This CD, I like, but I'd also sell it for two bucks when the bank account ran dry and I needed beer money.

Standout Tracks: "Lightning is My Girl," "Followed the Waves," "Real a Lie," "Taste You"

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In the modern music scene, too often female pop singers are relabelled "rock," no matter how light their sound. Here's the real thing: Melissa Auf Der Maur -- formerly of the Smashing Pumpkins and Hole -- debuts with a blast in "Auf Der Maur," pushing aside pop-rockers with her robust, bass-heavy sound.

It opens with a bang in the swoopy, searing, catchy "Lightning is My Girl," which adds a rather confusing spoken interlude before the sweeping buildup of "Followed the Waves." From there on, she gets into the cycling hard rocker "Real A Lie," the softer "Taste You," the bass-heaving roaring "Beast of Honor," and the playful rocker "I'll Be Anything You Want." It rounds off with the sprawling "I Need I Want I Will," which starts on an ominous gothic note, before falling into silence, and blossoming again.

Listening to this album, it's not hard to see why Melissa Auf Der Maur was in the Smashing Pumpkins -- she has the heavy, roaring complexity that many other rockers could benefit from. There's an air of confidence around "Auf De Maur," which seems to come from Auf Der Maur's extensive experience, and her undeniable talent as a bassist and singer.

Auf Der Maur has a solid voice that rises above her music. Don't expect her to do any vocal gymnastics, but her vocals are assured and confident, as if she's fully in tune with her music. Her songwriting needs lots of work ("Take one look at your cook/Feed yourself, I'm on a hook"), but it has some raw promise ("I'll see you in my dreams/Electrified and cherry red") and very evocative imagery.

She was also the bassist in both the Smashing Pumpkins and Hole, so needless to say she plays a mean bass on her own album -- complex, dark, heavy, and sinuously flexible. Her old bandmate James Iha and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme offer their own talents, with Homme cowriting and playing solid guitar, and Iha offering his talents to the solid "Head Unbound."

Melissa Auf Der Maur's debut shows the polish of many years in other people's bands, but she's strong on her own two feet, in her own unique sound. An imperfect but solid debut, and one that promises good things yet to come.

This is absolutely a record to love. Even though the regular bassist-gone-solo is not usually a fortunate news to hear, but Melissa Auf der Maur is an exception. She will stun you with her surprisingly powerful and magnetic voice, delievering beautiful, strong, and catchy rock tunes with a touch of edge, along with her unique and wistful lyrics. It's probably too hard a task to pick out a song you don't like. Though you might need to take longer time with several songs that you don't get attached to immediately.
In conclusion, this is definitely one of the best CDs so far, and nobody should miss this bassist out, for Auf der Maur is so much more than just that.
Note : She sounds nothing like Courtney Love.

Having heard the live EP by Melissa Auf der Maur's Black Sabbath tribute band, Hand of Doom, I was bracing myself for a much more metallic experience than this record. As it turned out, Auf der Maur's debut record has much more in common with late-period PJ Harvey and A Perfect Circle than Hole, Smashing Pumpkins, or Black Sabbath.

She may not have the strongest voice in the world, but she uses it with attitude. But it's the arrangements that are interesting on this record, with guitars and bass weaving a thick, sometimes repetitive, almost trance-like tapestry. This record has one of the most interesting sonic textures I've heard since My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. "Lightning Is My Girl"'s moody, soulful guitar sound is addictive, even if it's playing one chord for most of the song; "Head Unbound" sounds like an '80s Goth-pop band; eerie doubled vocals permeate "My Foggy Notion"; and Auf der Maur throws in some poppier moments like "Would if I Could" and the Elastica-like punk pop of "I'll Be Anything You Want".

Auf der Maur may be more well known for being one of alt-rock's cult sex symbols, but she does have some very interesting things to say musically, and she recruited just the right talent (Hole's Eric Erlandson, former A Perfect Circle/Zwan bassist-violinist Paz Lenchantin, producer Chris Goss) to help her say them. A strange record that doesn't have immediate unconditional appeal, but a complex sound that keeps inviting you back.

I only recently heard that Melissa Auf Der Maur was releasing a solo album, so I instantly became eager to hear what she would sound like both vocally and musically. It's always a risk when a lesser-known band member (in Melissa's case, Hole and Smashing Pumpkins) goes solo; will they be able to escape from the shadow and make an impact alone? Well in Melissa's case, it has worked. I've listened to this album several times now and I can safely say that I'm impressed. But just a word of caution: you might not like it that much at first. This is definitely one of those albums that in most cases will require repeated listenings for the songs to grow on you. Be rest assured though: once they do, they REALLY do. Songs that I didn't like at first are now stuck in my head, especially "Real A Lie." There's something spooky about that song, and in a good way. Actually, "spooky" might pretty much describe this album as a whole, and again, in a good way. There's just something uniquely moody and dark about it, both in terms of the songs themselves but also with the production. At first I didn't care much for the production; but after several listens I've noticed that the album's raw sound really compliments the atmosphere of the songs.

I definitely recommend this album. It probably won't work for those who only like mainstream Top40-ish Rock, but for those of you who can appreciate a unique and ecclectic album, give it a listen. And on a side note, there's a hidden bonus track of the song "Taste You" where Melissa sings in French. Good stuff.

This is the American version of the debut album by Melissa Auf der Maur. Melissa auf Der Maur used to play bass in an indie Canadian band called Tinker before replacing one of Hole's bassist due to the death of heorin overdose. Melissa Auf der Maur toured with Hole, then recorded 'Celebrity Skin' with Hole. Did some more tours with Hole. Then left Hole in 1999. Just as soon as The Smashing Pumpkins finished recording 'Machina I & II', D'arcy, the original bassist of The Samshing Pumpkins left to persue other interest. Billy Corgan immediately recruited Melissa Auf der Maur to fill in for their final tour. The only song Melissa Auf der Maur has recorded with The Smashing Pumpkins was "Rock On". It's featured on the limited edition second disc of The Samshing Pumpkins 'Greatest Hits'.

Last week, Melissa Auf der Maur came down to Burlington, VT (USA) to the WBTZ 99.9 FM "The Buzz" studio and performed an acoustic version of "Followed The Waves" and "Real A Lie" along with an interview with the studio staff. In the interview, she mentioned that she loves Burlington, VT (USA) and has came down to Vermont on November 2, 1991 to see The Smashing Pumpkins in Burlington, VT (USA) when they opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers. That concert in Vermont was where she met Billy Corgan backstage. My brother and I were both at that same concert and might have bumped or passed by Melissa Auf der Maur in the mosh pit without knowing it.

Anyway, Melissa Auf der Maur is an excellent female bassist who went solo after performing with Tinker, Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins disbanded. The only album Melissa Auf der Maur has recorded with Hole was 'Celebrity Skin' and was in fact produced by Billy Corgan. Melissa Auf der Maur went on an aproximately 4 year hiatus working on this solo album. She has put a lot of creativity and texture to her solo work on this album. She not only plays bass on this album. She also plays guitar and keyboards.

This album features quite a few well known guest musicans. It features Brandt Bjork (Kyuss), Eric Erlandson (Ex-Hole), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Paz Lenchantin (Ex-Perfect Circle, Ex-Zwan), James Iha (Perfect Circle, Ex-Smashing Pumpkins), and Mark Lanegan (Ex-Screaming Trees) as well as other guest musicans. This album really blows me away! All of Melissa Auf der Maur's work on this album is a thumb in the nose to Courtney Love in comparsion to Courtney Love's solo work. I highly recommend this album to all die hard fans of the above guest musicans. This album will do Billy Corgan proud and you will not be disappointed.

Melissa Auf der Maur guides us through the dark mysteries of love on her debut album "Auf der Maur". The songs have drive, and interesting melodies which are very refreshing. The lyrics are good, but sometimes very obscured. Melissa mixes between rock/pop and hard rock. Her passion for music shines through, and I have great respect for her making an album without having a big company breathing down her neck and telling her what music is supposed to sound like. "Overpower thee" should never have been on the album with its simple melody and poor lyrics, but all in all this is a very good debut album from a promising artist. Buy the album, and let the songs grow on you before you decide whether you like it or not :)

This band sounds like A Perfect Circle/The Cranberries mixture, which is a fantastic sound, Melissa's debut is defintely worth picking up, all the songs are great, though some need a few listens.