Customer Reviews

Quicksilver Meat Dream

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After a four-year layoff and the process of writing (and scrapping) the new album they were making, I Mother Earth finally returns a new band - in more ways than one. This album has a pseudo-concept, pointed out by the title and the opener (which refers to a strain of e-coli), and is quite unlike the other three albums in mood. Also, this disc is FEROCIOUS compared to the others. The result is the darkest, heaviest, and most gripping album of their career.

Mostly, this album goes in a totally new direction, with the band bringing along their old selves in their back pockets. Quite often, the electronic atmospherics of Blue Green Orange are in evidence, but they set the tone more instead of being the icing on the cake as before. Vocalist Brian Byrne makes the biggest leap ahead. The quality, range, and explosiveness of his voice have improved to the point where he's gone from being a replacement man to THE MAN. Guitarist Jag Tanna occasionally (but not always) writes more subdued music here, with simpler, more rhythmic arrangements that give the undertone of intensity to every song; otherwise, the band is tested with various time-shifts and multiple song parts. More often, though, the music is in the form of Bruce Gordon playing a series of stop-start bass lines, which weave skillfully in and out of the classic IME guitar riffs. The trademark jams are fewer and farther between here, but when they occur, they display a guitar-bass shred unlike that even seen on their debut, Dig. Or, to put it another way, each of the more progressive songs could be seen as one long 6-8 minute jam, flavored with vocals. Christian Tanna is an absolute workhorse on the drums, and he has to be; the Latin percussion of old is gone, occasionally replaced by electronic backbeats. The fills he creates and the way he works the toms make you wonder if he's trying to make up for the lack of backing percussionist(s) all by himself. His lyrics are markedly different, with his usual trippy wordplay sprinkled over (gasp!) some more straightforward phrasing, and while his humour isn't lost, it's darker along with the other themes.

On the whole, the album is particularly striking for its intensity, and regains the listen-straight-through quality of the first two albums. While IME have always had a rep in the press as a heavy-rock band, now they're a HEAVY rock band. Yet, they pull it off without really getting into nu-metal or neo-grunge territory. For fans who said Dig was the real deal, here's the new deal. Highly recommended.

I'm not a reviewer as such, so I'll just give you my story. I was a long-time IME fan, and stuck to my guns that they were as good as ever with Blue Green Orange. After waiting so long for a new album, I wasted no time buying the Quicksilver Meat Dream, just out of loyalty. I was immediately taken aback by how much heavier the sound was, how the Tannas and Bruce Gordon could still combine catchy and challenging, and how great Brian Byrne was vocally. Still, when I put the CD back in its case, my first words were, "I think I wasted my money on this". Maybe I was put off by the relative darkness of the album, especially compared to the feel-good vibe of Scenery And Fish. Maybe the increased progressiveness of a few of the songs was too much to handle. Maybe they were trying to be something they weren't.

Still, something compelled me to listen to it again. When I did, I noticed that IME really IS somewhere inside those tunes (maybe even all over them), and that, just as in albums past, repeated listenings made the songs catch on with me. The instrumentation and song craft blew my mind, and the vocals were always phenomenal, maybe the best on ANY IME record. This record is amazing! These songs are now firmly planted in my brain, and I wonder how I could've dismissed them in the first place. They have depth and feeling. They make a cohesive collection in which skipping tracks is not only unnecessary, but is cheating you as a listener. Maybe best of all, they rock in a way that should silence everyone who said IME "wussed out" with their last album. In short, these songs could make this the most underrated major-label album of the year. Buy it and see why.

I bought this CD the day it came out a few years ago. I loved it the moment I turned it on.

I've always been a fan of I Mother Earth, but I'm not one to like an album just because I like the band. I am a classical pianist, violist, conductor and choral singer, as well as a composer of music in all genres, including rock, pop and jazz. I also have played drums and bass in rock bands for ten years. This album is the most artistically satisfying rock CD I've ever encountered, and is never for a moment pretentious (Tool, Mars Volta, et al).

If you're a lover of "rocking out", then buy this album. If you're a lover of music in any genre, or even someone who truly appreciates artistic intent and values, then buy this album.

I especially love the track "God Rocket". Dire realism combined with the highest level of optimistic creativity...

This is the kind of album that anyone can relate to. Each song with its indiviual yet simliar sounds. The most unique songs i have heard in a while, something really refreshing. Soft Bomb Salad is by far my favourtie, the lyrics are terribly amazing. In fact, each songs lyrics are much different but quite more optimistic then previous albums. It is however a much more intense and dark, but in every sense 'happy'. Each song is sung with such passion and care, that it makes you want to ehtier just relax or rock out on your own. A very personal endeavour.

The Quicksilver Meat Dream shows IME's ability to modify their sound without relying on reuse of old techniques. This album, while difficult to understand and get into at first, grows on you the same way all IME albums do. This has a much heavier sound than ever before and it provides an opportunity for them to show technical ability, without compromising their skill at giving a good catchy tune once in a while (ie. Like the Sun).

If you've not heard this album yet, I urge you to get it and don't tuck it away if you don't like it the first time through, it took me a while to get my mind around it but it was well worth it in the end.

As many fans were, I was a little disappointed with IME's last studio effort, "Blue Green Orange"... not that it was a bad album by any means, but it didn't seem to have the same fire of "Dig" or "Scenery And Fish". That is now the past! "The Quicksilver Meat Dream" excels far beyond my expectations, from the haunting first tracks of "0157:H7" and "I Is Us", to the incredible "Soft Bomb Salad", "Hell And Malfunction", "Meat Dreams", and my favorite right now "God Rocket". Utilizing electronic rhythms as a forefront on many of these songs, it gives an added atmosphere of stability even as the musicians go somewhat "chaotic but still controlled". You still hear the original IME riffs and feel here, but they are expanded with many new moods. Brian's vocals are exceptionally strong on this effort, and in my opinion surpass original vocalist Edwin. Christian's drumming is fired up as well, and Jagori and Bruce are filling in with the right runs at the right time. If this is a preview of the years to come, I think IME will finally get the international recognition they should have gotten many years ago.

This seems pretty different from other IMO efforts. However, it is definitely worth the risk, if you are used to the old IMO. It does take a couple listens, but some of the tracks really blow me away.

This album is nothing like any other IME album. I didn't like it on the first listen. I admit I didn't listen to all of the tracks though.

These guys have clearly been listening to Tool and other progressive bands since they did their last album. Songs like Hell and Malfunction (which I *never* get tired of), God Rocket and I Is Us are just stunning. There isn't a bad moment on this album. If you want something to mosh to in the car, try "Choke". There is some radio friendly songs - Like The Sun and No Coma in particular (the latter has echoes of The Killers - two full years before that band released their album). I Is Us packs incredible tension only to release it in bursts.

I'm not normally one to rave about albums, but yeah, if you like electronic-infused rock with a hint of progressive metal, get this one. If you don't, you probably won't like it.

Like all IME albums, it took me a few listen-throughs to get a grasp on what the new sound was in the latest installment, and I can truthfuly say that this one left the best and most profound impact on me. And I consider myself a big fan, if not one of the biggest of I Mother Earth. Always come to expect a strong poetic presence in their songs, but Quicksilver Meat Dream is a shining example of the amazing mastery of combining such an ancient art with new influences to make pure music. Congratulations to Bryan, Christian, Jagori, and Bruce in a successful step in musical evolution. Listening to this album IS an altering experience!

P.S. Suggested tracks: I Is Us, God Rocket(Into The Heart Of Las Vegas, and No Coma

This is a really good album. I was curious if I Mother Earth did anything after Edwin left, and the answer was clearly yes. This album features a heavier approach to music than we saw previously, although in many ways, there is a very obvious Janes Addiction sensibility to many of the songs. I find this particularly interesting since te last time i saw these guys play (for the Scenery & Fish tour), and hung out afterwards, reporters kept referencing Janes when they were interviewing the guys, a comparison that was pissing them off at the time...and yet here we are a two albums later and the alleged influence has become a reality, lol. Not a bad thing at all, and the majority of this can be attributed to Byrne's voice, which at times sounds a bit Perry Ferrell. Anyway, the album is really good. I think i prefer the Edwin albums, but you really cant go wrong anytime you have Jag ripping on the guitar.

Enjoy!