Customer Reviews

Golden Lies

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have read reviews that are negative about this CD because Bostrum and brother Kirkwood are no longer in the band, reviews that claim it is not the 'real' Meat Puppets. I have been a fan of the Puppets since the the mid 80's and I have got to tell you, this is 'real'. I haven't been this impressed with a new release from the Puppets since Monsters. As I listen, I find myself smiling with amusement and enthusiasm at the direction this album takes the Meat Puppets. It is different, but all so familiar. Just goes to show that the person steering this band in all it's different creative directions all along was Curt Kirkwood. Do yourself a favor and buy it!

Sometimes the misery and healing that comes with five years of personal struggle can rejuvenate. Other times it can send one onto a downward path to despair and self destructiveness. In the case of the resurrected Meat Puppets, it has done the former. Curt Kirkwood's songs look to the past and the future for their inspiration but never lose sight of the road once traveled. Tarantula resembles the song structure of Huevos with its fretboard work, and Push The Button harkens to the earlier threesome. But the must listen to songs on this recording are the revealing and beautiful Endless Wave and the dark and lovely Pieces of Me. Unfortunately, the single Armed And Stupid may be the worst track here with its dull radio ready hooks resembling Scum from No Joke. But there are enough reasons to recommend this release to long time fans and introduce this band to the uninitiated.

For me, this is the Meat Puppet's best effort since leaving SST, slightly edging out Too High To Die. Endless Wave is every bit as good as Backwater, and would deserve to have reached the same success. If you are into the Meat Puppets last couple of albums, I can't see how you wouldn't get into this one. The new band is excellent and should be accepted on their own terms. The lyrics feature the same style of absurdities and anomalies mixed with existential pondering which has been commonplace to the band since they began using real words. Don't be stubborn! Believe in the Lies!

I'm really tired of hearing all the old-school Mup's fans dragging this album through the mud. Oh sure, it's different. Even 'slickly produced', if you had to. But... is 'different' a big surprise coming from Curt Kirkwood? I mean, the guy changes musical directions like Pete Townshend changes his mind. But, he almost never fails to bring a wonderful record to back up whatever his latest vision may be... and "Golden Lies" is no exception. Lots of other reviewers have hit the nail directly on the head concerning the individual tracks and overall sound, so I shant dwell on that too much. I can tell you this, though... it's an acquired taste. The record will not jump right out at you with it's indolent beauty all at once. Give it a few weeks.

And try to forgive the band for the disappointing tour that followed this record's release. Blech.

The return of the legendary guitar hero, Curt Kirkwood, to the recording studio is marked by the fine release "Golden Lies". This effort is a variation of the original Meat Puppets lineup, without bassist Cris Kirkwood or percussionist Derrick Bostrum, but a quartet, including guitarist Kyle Elison.

"Golden Lies" showcases Curt's outstanding songwriting ability, and is a certain improvement over 1995's "No Joke". Sounds range from hard driving riffs, as on "Armed and Stupid", to sweetly soaring melodic tracks, such as "Lamp" and "Endless Wave". "Tarantula" may be the finest cut on the CD; a very appealing timing with superb drumming, which is accented by haunting guitar leads. The new Meat Puppets even venture into the world of rap, demonstrating continued mastery of a plethora of music styles.

This CD is a must buy for Meatheads, as well as for those unfamiliar with the material of the now classic 1980's heyday of the Meat Puppets.

The Pups are back! New band, but it's still Curt Kirkwood as singer/songwriter/guitarist, and they sound just like we last heard them on two of the greatest albums of the '90s, TOO HIGH TO DIE and NO JOKE. Psychedelic post-punk with surrealist lyrics: "Raise the glass, raise it high to all the unnaturals -- nothing could own us." This could serve as the Meat Puppets Manifesto. Kirkwood and company have been building their own galaxy for 20 years now, and more people should explore it -- it's a much better one than the Consensus Reality most people seem to be plugged into... GOLDEN LIES has a few tracks I program out, songs that seem to be belatedly jumping on the FNM/RHCP rap/metal sound. But notwithstanding those flaws, it's a solid effort, unfairly written off by some Pupheads.

Curt continues to ponder the meaning, or lack of meaning, of life. "Do I crawl to my own drummer, or am I being dragged along?" he asks, which you may recognize as the age-old puzzle of Free Will or Determinism. Curt, you and anyone else wondering about this should read Elbow Room: The Varieties of Free Will Worth Wanting by the philosopher Daniel Dennett. It settles the question to my satisfaction, (the short answer is, yes, we have free will), and in a way Curt should like, given that it is based on our biological nature. Elsewhere, theology seems to be on his mind, if I'm not reading too much into absurdity. "You love me, my lamb, hovering in the moonlight" sounds more like Jesus than a woman (Jesus, the Lamb of God). And "Fatboy claims he's triplets, I believe each one, if I claim I'm triplets it's knowledge overcome, Super hand of wonder this is fatboy" may be incoherent chemical-induced raving, sure, but couldn't it be the Trinity? (Father, Son and Holy Ghost?)

I first heard the Meat Puppets in Tucson at the DPC in the fall of '92, and I couldn't believe it -- punk mutated with ZZ Top, then blasting off like Garcia fronting Hawkwind... I was a convert as soon as I heard "Flaming Heart" which would appear later on TOO HIGH TO DIE. I always thought that song, not "Backwater," should have been the hit...

OK, sure. Given the choice I would prefer to hear these songs recorded by the original line-up. The thing is, we weren't given the choice. Curt wasn't given the choice. So he put together a new group of guys and they made this record and it freakin rocks.

It's got an aggro energy on a few of the tunes that's a bit more abrasive than usual. But it's also got beautiful melodies and intriguing, surreal lyrics and some of the best electric guitar playing you're going to hear anywhere. The performances and production are top-notch and overall there's an artistic unitas that was missing on the previous record (the underrated No Joke!)

As with No Joke!, I recommend Golden Lies to any fan of latter era Puppets. Now that Cris is back there's no reason to "take a stance" against this incarnation of the band. It's Curt's show but it's damn good so pull the cotton out of your brain and git on down with it.

like all kids brought up on alternative radio in the mid nineties i have been some what aware of the meatpuppets for a long time now. but i have never come across the oppurtunity to hear much by them. thank god that recently that has changed. I have got to tell you that i miss being able to turn on the radio and being able to hear intelligent people expressing real emotions in rock format without being afraid of intimidating their audience with too many SAT words. that is why i am so enamored with this album. its not exactly the most consistant of efforts but the moments that it does have are some of the best i have heard in about six years. songs like,I QUIT, ENDLESS WAVE, YOU LOVE ME, and the hilarious meandering ending track, FATBOY FAT REQUIUM, are all classic alt tracks. when i started listening to music alot around 1993 there was a raging debate as to what constituted alternative music and while i firmly believe that this monicre should not carry stringent boundaries i think this album at its best could be a blue print for the spirit of alternative music. not that anyone really cares anymore. (this album has an even greater legacy in that it inspired me to put more effort into hearing the entire puppets catalogue...good stuff)

I like it. Definitely a few riffs that reminded me of Monsters, which is just fine with me. Some of it sounds really different, but its definitely the Meat Puppets. Hard to say if the difference is the new band or just a more experienced Curt Kirkwood as a composer/collaborator. Regardless: Many Thanks to Curt Kirkwood. Long live the Meat Puppets!!

The album is adventurous and different from any other Meat Puppets album. But you could pretty much say the same thing about any Meat Puppets album. I was saddened as much as anyone that the original Meat Puppets lineup had to disintegrate. But Curt Kirkwood creates amazing music no matter who he's playing with and this album does not disappoint. It takes new directions, but does so well.