Customer Reviews

Rise to Your Knees

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

 

 

It's great to hear the reunited Kiekwood brothers. Personally, I liked the last incarnation of the Puppets on Golden Lies. And Curt's other ventures, Eyes Adrift, Volcano and his solo cd, were all very good. But the new album, Rise To Your Knees takes the band to a new level. The current Puppets are a little more serious and laid back. Songs like Spit, Stone Eyes, and The Ship are simply beautiful. Upbeat songs like Radio Moth and New Leaf are welcome additions, however a different version of New Leaf recorded by the previous members from Golden Lies was previously released on the Meat Puppets complilation a few years ago. I would like to have heard Chris' bass and vocals a little more, but this album is definately well worth buying.

Having had a few days to digest the first proper release by Meat Puppets in twelve years, I feel I have reached a verdict. First off, let me state up front that I hold this band in extemely high regard. To me, they are legends who have had a profound impact on my musical sensibilites. I enjoy all of their albums, with my favorites being Up on the Sun, Meat Puppets II, and Forbidden Places. Prior to the release of Rise to Your Knees, I read several reviews which invariably compared this release to their SST catalog and essentially all reviews reached the conclusion that it didn't hold a candle to those albums. One American socio-political publication which masquarades as a music magazine went so far as to give it only one-and-a-half stars out of a possible five. However, I came across an interview with Curt Kirkwood in which he expressed his love and enthusiasm for Rise to Your Knees. Now being a huge Puppets fan whose word am I to take? Obviously, Curt's and boy am I glad I did because this album rocks. In true Puppets fashion it is inventive, imaginative, and endlessly creative. All of the familiar elements are present- cosmic guitar riffs, trippy sonics, and surreal lyrical imagery. There is a reflective theme throughout, perhaps attributable to aging and/or Cris' struggle with substance abuse. By the way, we're all rooting for you Cris, you rock so hard! Anyhow, if I had to compare it to other Puppets records I would say it most closely resembles Too High to Die and No Joke. Songs run the gamut from traditional Puppets rockers (New Leaf, Disappear, Radio Moth), to poppier fare (Enemy Love Song, Island) to ghostly space rock (The Ship, Fly Like the Wind). Many songs find a groove and ride it into the ground in a way reminiscent of the 1986 song Out My Way. All in all the brothers Kirkwood and new drummer Ted Marcus have created another unique masterpiece in classic Meat Puppets fashion that will provide years of listening enjoyment for those dedicated to this wonderful band. I leave tomorrow to see them play in South Carolina. Can't wait...

"Rise to your knees" was well worth the wait. There isn't a song on this album to skip. From the first song to the last, this album is complete gold. The Kirkwoods are still at their best, and new drummer Ted Marcus fits perfectly as a puppet. Buy this album now, you won't regret it. I would go as far as to name it "Best album of 2007".

As a devoted Meathead and someone who has been disgusted with the downturn in pop music since the mid-90's, I was very excited to find that Kurt and Chris were recording together again. Just knowing that Chris was alive and well after all he's been though was great news. When Kurt Kirkwood released his solo record, "Snow", I figured the Meat Puppets were officially done recording. "Rise to your knees", while not the best work by the Brothers Meat, is certainly a strong record and reflects appropriately on their work over the past 25+ years. The new recording of "New Leaf" is beautiful in its symbolism. "Fly like the wind" is a standout song on this record, while other tunes (Tiny Kingdom, Spit, Light the Fire, etc.) carry the weight of the album. If you're familiar with the Meat Puppets extensive song catalog, this record will be sound familiar and comfortable. If you haven't spent the last 20 years listening to the Kirkwoods' music, this is not the record to start with (go with Meat Puppets II, Up On the Sun, Forbidden Places, and Too High to Die). With the Puppets once again recording, rock music may just remain relavent, for at least some of us, for at least a little while longer.

I have to say I was skeptical when I purchased this album but soon after I was reassured that the Meat Puppets are still the Meat Puppets. These guys can never do wrong it seems, and I love them for it. Every track is chock-full of Meaty goodness. Also, I saw them live 3 days ago and the tracks sound even better live than they do studio. This album proves that even after 11 years and a ton of drugs, these guys can still rock.

Count me as another satisfied customer. I'm a long-time puppethead who gave up years ago on the hope that I'd ever hear the Kirkwoods playing and singing together again. If this album sounded like complete crap I'd probably still treasure it. But it doesn't...it's really really good.

It's true that there is a higher than usual ratio of midtempo numbers to rockers. I read in an interview with Curt that the album was mostly written before he got in touch with Cris to work together again. My suspicion is that many of the songs were intended for Curt's next acoustic album, which may explain the tempi. Personally I'd have saved "This Song" for a B-side to improve the overall pacing but hey, they're the puppets and I'm not.

Overall the songs are very strong. There are at least five tunes that are up there with the best of the band's output. And while the psychedelia is toned down a bit listen to the ride-out of Light The Fire. If that doesn't slap a perma-grin on your mug it may be time to invest in some Kenny G CDs.

Lyrics are great. Singing sounds better than ever. Buy it now and dig it.

UPDATE: As I continue to listen to Rise it continues to grow on me. I love every song on the record, including This Song (which took the longest...but listen carefully to the guitar solo and the ride-out. Damn!)

Adore "Rise to Your Knees". Every track is fab--it's been in my truck for weeks and I can't get sick of it. Wish I woulda been listening to their ealier stuff, but I was too into hardcore punk :\ Oh well, time flies when you're getting old. Rock on, muchachos :*

P.S. Wish they were coming to SF, CA :( :( :( WHY LA????? Waaaaa.....

These dudes sure have done a lot of drugs. You'd have to to be making music this weird. But don't worry, it's weird in a good way. I would recommend this album to almost anyone. I think it's appeal is broad enough to be appreciated by anyone with an open mind. You'd have to be pretty fragile to get scared off by this one. It's totally mellow, fun and often wacky. You can't hear much of the punk rock roots in this album, the screaching and screaming vocals of their earliest records from the 80's and early 90's are long gone, and they found a nice niche in this album. On a couple songs you can hear their classic country bluegrass sound, which is nice. The banjo pickin' on "Tiny Kingdom" made that song an instant favorite of mine. My other favorites are "Fly Like the Wind", "Stone Eyes", and "Island" because they are just so damn catchy and the lyrics are pure Meat Puppets goodness. I also love "Enemy Love Song" for its wacky upbeat sound. So if you are a Meat Puppets fan and don't have this one, it's a must have. If you're new to their sound, you might want to check out their hit album "Too High To Die" first, so you can here the sound that made them famous. It's another one of my favorites.

In 1994, the Meat Puppets released one of my favorite albums, Too High to Die. After the misstep of their next album, No Joke, and recovery from drug addiction, the Meat Puppets return. Unfortunately, it is not a reunion worth waiting for.

The first thing I notice is the horrible recording quality. In the days of affordable computer-based studios, it's shocking that a CD could be made of such horrible quality. Most demo CDs by unsigned bands sound better. It sounds like it was done over 2 days with a few mics set up in a warehouse studio.

Next, the album just meanders on and on through the midway point. There are no catchy hooks, no great guitar work or quirky charm. It's just terrible. By the middle, it sort of hits its stride and has a few pretty good songs. But, they are ruined by the sound quality. Songs like "New Leaf" and "Disappear" are probably excellent live. But, horrible EQ, reverb, and balance between the instruments suck all the life out of these songs.

Finally, the vocals and lyrics have always been a love it or hate it trademark of the band. Curt Kirkwood by all rights shouldn't sing but has the ability to somehow squeeze out some great performances. On Rise to Your Knees, he mostly fails to bring out the charm and hooks of previous work. Coupled with uninspired guitar-work in many songs, his vocals just don't cut it this time around.

Sad to say I'm very disappointed with this effort and hope for better material in the future.

I'm giving this 3 stars because I'm not a fan of meat puppets, but New Leaf is my favorite song of 2007