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68 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Patton does pop?, May 30, 2006
One of those projects whose anticipation will likely lead to extraordinary dissapointment on the part of many fans, Peeping Tom is Mike Patton's take on pop music. Admittedly, it seems highly unlikely we'll be hearing any of this stuff on the radio anytime soon, but the project has been cooking for the past six years-- Patton's desire to largely perform it on his own augmented by a consideration at pursuing a major label for its release (it ended up coming out on Patton's own Ipecac Records) and Patton's endless array of distractions (i.e. every other band he's involved in) resulted in this taking several years to complete, finally seeing release.
The concept on the record is pretty simple-- Patton by and large tackles most the instruments and vocals, with an array of guests either in a production role (Dan the Automator, Amon Tobin, Jel, Odd Nosdam, Massive Attack, the Dub Trio) or performing role (Kid Koala and DJ Disk on turntables, Dale Crover of the Melvins on drums, beat boxer Rahzel, Doseone and Norah Jones on vocals as well as instrumental contributions by all the producers) providing assistance, but this is clearly a Mike Patton record. While it is more rhythmically founded in pop than anything Patton has done in quite a long time, the rather detailed arrangements and production result in a depth of instrumentation that keeps this from being a real pop record-- there's too much going on at any time, and Patton's proclivity to odd vocalizations does shine through here. Net result-- it's significantly more commercial than Fantomas or Mr. Bungle, but this isn't exactly the Backstreet Boys...
So how is it? All this anticipation and all? All in all, it's pretty mixed-- there's a lot going on here, a lot of energy and a lot of different sounds and ideas, and I suspect it'll be one that'll reveal itself in different ways with further listening. It betrays pretty readily a heavy industrial/alternative vibe to it-- lots of industrial guitars and distorted basses mixed in with the hip hop beats and the layered synths-- but in this vein, it succeeds only moderately, like much industrial music, the endless production gets in the way of the energy of the piece ("Celebrity Death Match") and ends up creating a number of somewhat unmemorable pieces ("How U Feelin?").
On the other hand, when it's good, it can be fantastic-- leadoff single "Mojo" comes equipped with pulsing rhythms, a fine Middle Eastern vibe and a great explosive chorus (that, when presented live on Conan O'Brien, really cut loose), "Caipirinha" is almost beyond explanation-- breezy guitars offset with a strained vocal until the industrial energy catches the chorus, and for anyone who's been waiting for Patton to return to the sounds of Faith No More, "We're Not Alone" will probably make you happy-- it's as close as he's come to that vein in a long time. Also of interest are a couple pieces where Patton's usual oddities come shining through-- the odd vocalizations of opener "Five Seconds" and the totally unexpected 1972 Miles meets Thrill Kill Kult of "Your Neighborhood Spaceman" come immediately to mind.
A couple things deserving note: the artwork-- it looks like a sort of slipcase, but you pull this piece out and the CD tray pops out the other side-- it's pretty goofy but I certainly enjoy some inventiveness with packaging. Also, iTunes has an exclusive track as the "b-side" for the "Mojo" single that fans will want to seek out.
I'm not disappointed I bought it, but certainly there's a lot of Patton's other material that I enjoy a whole lot more than this-- some fans will give this glowing, five star OH MY GOD OF COURSE ITS GREAT IT'S PATTON reviews, but quite honestly, comparing this to his past couple albums, it's quite listenable but "General Patton vs. the X-ecutioners" and "Suspended Animation" set the bar awful high.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Patton's Peeping Tom, August 3, 2006
I bought this album the day it came out. It usually takes me awhile to fully love an album. I listen to it non-stop, then I take a break from it, then I start listening to it again to gain a fresh perspective. I realize that the critics get an early copy, but I don't know how they can properly review an album on just a few listens. My first instinct was that Don't Even Trip was the weakest song on the album, and though I've gained greater appreciation for the song on repeated listens I stand by that instinct. Five Seconds is the best by far. The refrain, counting seconds backwards from five, make me want to run through a wall. I recently saw Peeping Tom in concert, and that song was the standout for me. Capirinha is my second favorite song. It's a sultry tune that reminds one of Sade or Maria Muldaur's Midnight at the Oasis. How U Feeling is the one that crept on me. I've only recently started getting into this song. Then there's Mojo. Another excellent concert song, but if you're reading this I'm guessing you already know this one. I'm not sure why Pre School was left off the album, because it is far better than Celebrity Death Match and Don't Even Trip. As another reviewer said, seek this song out. You'll love it. Kill the DJ is a good song, great beginning, average refrain and the ending drags a little. Getaway is a little disappointing, but it's better than 100% of the songs lining up on Billboard charts. Sucker is awesome, but I'm not one of those who is awestruck by the use of cursewords when used in a song--even when they are sung by Norah Jones. I've always found swear words a distraction from the beauty of a song, but artists feel a need to add them to give their listeners a sense of the artist's rage against the machine.
I've read some reviewers claim that the lyrics aren't up to Patton's usual standards. While I will admit some of them are cheesy, and some of the (Will and Grace?) lyrics are downright stupid, Patton's music has never been about the lyrics. The lyrics have always been a secondary concern to the man. His lyrics are written to flow with the music.
Overall, the album doesn't kill like some of the projects that Patton has taken part in. If you're wondering, I'm talking about his Mr. Bungle albums California and Disco Volante and his Faith no More album Angel Dust. Having said that, this is probably a better place to start for the uninitiated. Once you've spun those CDs a couple hundred times, check out the rest of his Faith no More work, the Mr. Bungle album, the Tomahawk work, his Fantomas work, his Lovage work, and the various other projects to which he's lended his vocal skills such as on the John Zorn projects. You will not be disappointed.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Patton... need I say more?, May 31, 2006
Mike patton has done it again, creating a multitude of ambitious soundscapes draped across a tapestry of lounge and pop, and for the most part, it works.
Being a fan of his more "Avant garde" wok, such as Fantomas and Mr.Bungle, I approached this album with more than a little trepidation. Although most of his output is consistently amazing, I have been greatly disappointed from time to time (Maldoror, anyone?)
I'd heard a few demos on the net, and instantly fell in love with them, but news that Patton had leaked them onto the net to misdirect fans as to the TRUE direction of the record kind of dampened my anticipation. For some reason i became convinced it would be a gansta rap album. complete with obligatory bling necklace adhered to the packaging.
Thankfully, this wasn't the case and, to my surprise, two songs (5 Seconds and Neighborhood spaceman) are tidied up and tweaked versions of the demos I loved so much.
So, how does the rest of the album stand up?
Well, it is extremely poppy, that's for sure, but not in the traditional sense. Think watching eurovision on a bad acid trip with dirty industrial beats subtly humming in the background.
The first three songs made me sit up and pay attention straight away, but mid-way, it felt as if the record was lagging. I switched it off for a few hours and came back to it and recommenced and the latter half suddenly didn't seem as trying as it had earlier. This is definitely an album that deserves more than one listen, although some songs do sound slightly repetitious, and the demo version of "Spaceman" is far superior.
All in all though, a pretty aweome album by one of the most versatile musicians in music today, and well worth a listen.
Oh, and I agree that the last song sounds like vintage Faith No More, especially the chorus.
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