Customer Reviews

Scorpio Rising

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

 

 

I'm actually shocked that some reviewers are calling this release redundant or say it's containing filler material. Nothing could be further from the truth in my opinion.I was anxiously awaiting the release of this CD and I wasn't dissapointed one bit.I had already purchased the 2 "Hands Around My Throat" single CD's & DVD and SCORPIO RISING lived up to my anticipations.
"Leather" is an instrumental(most groups don't have the intestinal fortitude to release instrumentals at all)that starts out as annoying fuzz and ends with annoying feedback turning into fuzz that becomes the opening of the second song, "Girls". What more could anyone ask from a song? "Leather" builds to an eighties underground pop(yes, there really is such a genre)feel.
"Girls" builds itself with electronic and vocal layering until it becomes a fast-paced worthy of any dance floor and then BAM...DIV masterfully brings it down to minimalist style to end.
"Hands Around My Throat" is the first song on the CD to actually feature vocal leads. It starts out with the irksome(read that as great) click of a scratched vinyl disc which soon becomes part of the beat.This is a tremendous song.
"23 Lies" is a slower paced offering with some great vocal work by Susan Lillane.
The title tune, "Scorpio Rising", is reminiscent of a drug induced journey back to 1966 and the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. Liam Gallagher's vocals add the perfect touch here.
"Killing Smile", featuring Hope Sandoval on vocals, fits the style & sound of the music to a T."Killing Smile" is a bit of bluegrass meeting the underground with a little classical reinforcement.
"Nalja" certainly isn't filler material by any stretch of the imagination. DIV has always dared to be eclectic. You never know what's coming next, but you can always count on the musical excitement it will bring you, without fail.
"So You Say You Lost Your Baby" is a true classic that never made it.Paul Weller stops in to add his vocal touch on this 35 year old gem originally written and recorded by the late Gene Clarke of the original Byrds. This is another great trip back to '66 Hollywood.
"Living Horses" slow moving, moody sound accentuates Dot Allison's beautiful vocals. This is another masterpiece not to be missed.
The final song "Help Yourself" had Hope Sandoval returning to do the singing. This is yet another great song that builds in just the right places at just the right times, right up through the stylish, softened conclusion.
I don't know what DIV fans were expecting, but I fail to see how this CD could be much better than it already is. There's absolutely nothing wrong with looking to both the past and future at the same time, and this CD does just that. The mix and production could never be improved upon, and for me to say that is almost unbelieveable in itself. "SCORPIO RISING" is a major music lesson for all who dare listen.

The last LP by Death in Vegas is like a last minute essay.It has some interesting points but because of lack of time, these points are not well presented, and in order to fill the wordcount, it is stuffed with useless, meaningless paragraphs. To the point: there are 3-4 tracks which may not be unforgettable or future classics but at least they are interesting, like the 10 min last one with a repetitive melody which goes strait into your head and stays there. The rest of the LP is like elevator music for someone who likes music with a twist. The guitars are there, the chunky bass line is there, high calibre guests are there, heavenly female voices are there (which manage to be the protagonist of the LP, underlying the weakness of the music). What is missing is inspiration and character. It is not incidental the fact that some of the tracks sound like they are really old, no freshness at all. And the worst track of all by far is the one with Galagher in it. It is too bad even for an OASIS song, let alone played by Death in Vegas. Mercy!!! Recommended only for hardcore Death in Vegas funs or environmentalists who like to listen to recycled music.

I have to start with the last song in the album. It is a master piece. With vocals by hope sandoval this (over 10 min long) song makes you understand the true power of music. you have to hear it to understand what i'm talking about.

and now to the rest of this great album:
the first song "Leather" is like a brilliant long opening to the second song "Girls" which is very good. "Hands around my throat" and "scorpio rising" are the most radiofriendly songs and they are really great. the rest of the album (with the exception of "natja") are songs with an alternative feeling and a great sound.

this is one hell of an album.
buy it.

Ever seen Swervedriver live? Like walls of sound? Dig it all thrown in a blender? This band would be popular if they would just stop recording such amazingly diverse albums. So, really, shut up, and listen. You'll be glad did. P.s. The 2nd disc live album is worth the price of admission alone. iPoders make sure you listen to the whole album in one motion.

This album gets 3 stars for "Hands Around My Throat" and the last track alone. Other than that, what we have here is a band that seems to be trading in musical innovation for redundant experiments in psychedelia. It almost makes the gutsy "Contino Sessions" LP look like a fluke. It's tough to tell if they'll pull it together for the next album, and for now I'm just going to assume they recorded this album while on a very bad, very extended mushroom trip. Because they really have proven themselves to be a great band in the past. Check out "Contino Sessions" and "Dead Elvis." They don't disappoint the way "Scorpio Rising" does.

.........if you MUST criticize DIV for being too 'retro' because of an appearence by Liam Gallagher (hipsters LOVE to hate Oasis) at least prove to me you can spell his name correctly. No, it's not spelled 'Galagher'.......but thanks for playing.

As for my two cents on the album - it's top. It mixes electronic and transient-style to create an aural ambience all it's own. Blending 60's psychedelica (GASP! How COULD they?) on some tunes and more modern noise on others, it's a winning combo.

Cameos by Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star) Paul Weller (the Jam) and yes, Mr. Liam Gallagher are all first rate: It's Liam's punk rock-style that hits home hardest to me on the title cut "Scorpio Rising." He sings with a venom he hasn't had since `Definitely Maybe.' Awesome. Weller's cut, a re-working of Gene Clarke's "So You Say You Lost Your Baby" is another gem. In fact, it's one of the strongest Paul's put his vocals to since his solo career started. Hope Sandoval contributions are angelic yet rough, creating just the type of contrast DIV want.

Make no mistake - this isn't retro (and if we're using that godawful label, isn't ALL music really retro?) at all - DIV are doing their own thing, which to me, can only be right.

Don't listen to detractors who can't even spell the name of the artist they're bashing. Just check the album out and judge for yourselves.

This album offers a great mix of musical styles, though some of the songs occasionally sound a bit to much like fillers in between the better tracks. Hand around my throat is a great old style track and I even liked the beatlesque title track with a cameo by Liam Gallacher.