Customer Reviews

Out of Our Minds

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is going on my list as one of the best rock albums of 2010 so far. It's a very ambitious song cycle that has some hard rock and prog overtones. It's reminds me in some ways of a 70s art-rock record, which is not always a bad thing. The title track, Isis, Meet Me on the Darkside, and The One are standout tracks. Fathers Grave is a slow burner duet with Danzig. In an era of downloaded singles, this is a true throwback -- a rock record to listen to all the way through.

I've been waiting six long years for Melissa Auf Der Maur to FINALLY put out a follow-up to her brilliant solo debut. And apparently my waiting is over with the release of "Out of Our Minds," a brilliantly incisive, fiery chunk of hard-edged rock'n'roll that leaves your hair standing on end and your ears tingling. Forget those little guitar-swinging teenagers -- this is a true rock chick.

It starts off with "The Hunt," a thumping wild-blooded instrumental that serves as an intro to the rest of the album, but is a little weak on its own. Then there's the sinuous title song, with Auf der Maur crooning languidly, "If you're listening, come in/If there's a fire, I need a desire..."

And after that, it REALLY takes off -- Auf der Maur roars through sensual bass-rockers, languid twisting guitar melodies that blossom into epic rockers, a bouncy powerpop song or two ("Follow the Map"), darkly alluring hard-rock ("Meet Me on the Darkside"), a yearning flickering little rock song ("The Key"), wild mythically-flavored stretches of bass'n'drums, and a spiky finale full of flames and grime. And she even has a couple of bittersweet songs that rest on acoustics, such as the soft slow buildup of "This Would be Paradise."

The best part of the album: "1000 Years," which starts off slow and simple, but expands into a supernova of white-hot wildness ("Before Adam/Before Eve/the lizard sang this melody/now it's twisted/and it's town/by felines and all you BORES!"). It's no "I Need I Want I Will," but it's still a brilliant song.

After six years you'd expect Melissa Auf Der Maur to sound a little different, and she does -- "Out of Our Minds" isn't as heavy and raw as her self-titled debut, which was basically a shot of pure hard-rock right into your veins. The bass is a little more muted, and there are some quieter, more contemplative moments instead of wall-to-wall rocking like last time.

So, fair warning: This is not "Auf Der Maur" reheated. Where that album boiled over, this one simmers and steams.

That said, it was a little hard to warm up to the slower-moving instrumentals like "Lead Horse" or "This Would Be Paradise" -- they sound like B-sides tacked into the album. The rest of the album is good stuff though, with heavy ringing riffs twining at the heart of songs like "Isis Speaks" and "Meet Me On The Darkside," spurts of flaming bass, sharp drums and flickers of keyboard. There's a storm in the heart of these songs, and when it breaks out Auf der Maur is nothing short of brilliant.

And her voice is utterly lovely -- she can sneer, snarl and murmur her way through the songs with a note of mockery, but she sounds even better when she just bursts out and sings (such as at the climax of "Father's Grave"). Her lyrics are the weakest part of the album -- they're not bad, but they are still kind of clumsy ("Suspect I've rejected/I have wounded/Truth be told/I've been bad/ashamed, to blame...").

I don't know if Melissa Auf Der Maur is out of HER mind, but "Out of Our Minds" is a solid, strong sophomore albm -- and here's hoping she doesn't take six years to put out her third!

Its a good album, it needs a few listens though to really appreciate it! If ur a fan our madm then u should really enjoy it, if not I suggest getting her first album (which is amazing) then buying out of our minds!

I can't categorize this type of music. It's a combination of rock, fusion (or what I think is fusion), pop, indie, etc. But it is totally awesome. For some it would take a few cycles of listening to appreciate this album as it is way more diverse compared to the first album. The change in feel between the 2 albums is similar to A Perfect Circle's Mer De Noms and 13th Step.

This album is just pure magic. MAGIC!

Melissa is a great singer and songwriter and that was apparent with her first album. This album is 10 times better then her debut album. That should say something in itself. Hr music is very dark, midevil yet beautiful. Her lyrics and duets on this album were incredible. I recommend this album highly!

Sometimes, artists suffer from what's called the "sophmore jinx". The first album is either a classic, or a really good album, and then the 2nd album falters. This is not the case with "Out Of Our Minds". Melissa is in fine form and in my opinion, made a better album than her first! I belive her guitar work and her songwriting have improved. The instrumental "The Hunt" pretty much gets the CD off on it's feet.

Here's my brief track breakdown:

The Hunt - An instrumental kicks the album off. Not too many people can pull this off, but Melissa pulls it off by putting little "ah's" into a song that starts slow and builds up, progressing faster as it blends into...

"Out Of Our Mnds" - Melissa finally travels out of minds, and into our hearts. Lots of nice guitar work on this song.

"Isis Speaks" - Another awesome song. This is one of my favorites on the CD.

"Lead Horse" - Another instrumental, but with with a melodic guitar riff that will get you flowing into the song.

"Follow The Map" - Another great song. It's got a nice beat to it and the more you lsiten to it, the ore you'll love it.

"22 Below" - Ok, things slow down here on 22 Below. This song took a few listen for me, but I like it.

"Meet Me On The Dark Side" - Ok, things go back to a more moving beat on this track. Melissa's double tracked voice sounds pretty cool here.

"This Would Be Paradise" - Kind of an instrumental - put to speaking words. It's different and pretty cool. Only for those into deep Alternative music would like this.

"Father's Grave" - OK, I'm not a big Danzig fan so I'm a little biased against this song. Although I'll give credit where credit is due, pretty cool arrangement and the lyrics sound cool. But i am not into this one.

"The Key" - This song talks about how important it is to find the Key to your destiny. It's a pretty cool song and one of my favorites.

"The One" - Pretty cool song, with a pounding drum beat.

"1000 Years" - A pretty cool closer but beware...the dsong ends at after 5:30 seconds followed by 1 minute and 30 seconds worth of silence..only to hear Melissa fooling around on a piano when she says, "Is it better to be far away than so close??"

I think either way works well for you Melissa!

There are two women in rock who I really love at the moment. Both were members of bands and went solo, and are producing brilliant, original work. One is Charlotte Hatherley ex-of Ash and the other is Melissa Auf Der Maur ex of Hole and Smashing Pumpkins. I loved Melissa's debut album. It had some very strong songs on it. This one is even better. The opener is more a warm up of what is to come than an actual song. The first song proper is a cracker "Out Of Our Minds". The drumming and time signatures are complex. The chorus is catchy. "Isis Speaks", "Follow The Map" and "Meet Me On The Darkside" are very good as well. "Follow The Map" sounds like an obvious single. The chorus is great. I am not a huge fan of the Danzig duet "Father's Grave". It never gets off the ground. Overall though this album is outstanding. An intelligent rock album. Highly recommended

I think this is a great album. I don't care for "This Would be Paradise" and there's a stupid thing tagged on at the end that you can avoid. Otherwise, it's a great album.

It has a lot of good songs, a variety of song styles, and good clarity of musical playing (i.e. the songs aren't a blur or wall of sound). There's definitely some sexiness to the lyrics and the singing. Some of it borders on heavy metal (though not nearly as much as a live performance I saw did).

Melissa flirted with me before a concert outside of a music club she played this winter in New York City. I didn't respond -- my then girlfriend was about to show up. Hit me up you're next in town, Melissa!

Having witnessed Auf Der Maur when she first went solo and during an intimate 2011 show, I can say her live show has gotten tighter.
Her debut had a lot of sensuality and bass heavy dirges, mixed with guitar interludes. Many critics quipped that her lyrics were not memorable, and this new record follows that path. However, I don't listen to Auf Der Maur for the lyrical content. It's the dark, sensual melodies that I enjoy.
Vocally, her live confidence and intensity have improved. The vocal delivery on this new record is more breathy and it compliments the music nicely.
Do not expect this to be like her previous bands of Hole or Smashing Pumpkins. Out of Our Minds is reportedly a concept record, but it doesn't feel overly indulgent or distant. Her focus on the art aspect of music and presentation is admirable.
I don't feel this new record outright rocks like her previous effort, but I don't feel the new direction is a radical departure; which won't distance old fans. Believe it or not, I enjoyed these songs better live than on stereo.
Maybe the setting was more fitting for these songs than my living room.

Melissa just released another good album. Full of her unique ambition, this album is an appreciated break from the monotony of mainstream.