Motley Crue, Sigur Ros Return With Anticipated Works

MOTLEY CRUE — "Saints of Los Angeles" (Eleven Seven Music): The last time the original members of Motley Crue went into the studio, the foursome came out with 1989′s "Dr. Feelgood," the glam-metal band’s seminal release. "Saints of Los Angeles" is not even close to on par with that album.

In the 19 years since "Feelgood," the Crue has put out live albums, discs with singers other than Vince Neil, a studio CD without drummer Tommy Lee and countless singles, books and compilations. "Saints" is at least a true studio album with all the original members and all-new material. But unlike the group’s previous works, this one’s predominantly written by song doctors and bassist Nikki Sixx, and the results are bland as you might expect coming from folks who write for countless bands just like the Crue.

"Saints" opens on a high note with the raucous sing-along "Face Down in the Dirt," which features processed Neil vocals and pounding percussion. It could have been off "Shout at the Devil," and is easily the best track on this spottyat-best release. Things begin to go downhill immediately with the bland "What’s It Gonna Take," a mediocre number that tries way too hard to capture that whole debaucherous aura the Crue has capitalized on for years. Heck, "Down at the Whiskey" tries to recreate the band’s heyday in the mid ’80s down on the Los Angeles strip, except the tune comes off as neutered metal. There’s nothing dangerous or fun about it.

Even on the Crue’s best works, the second half always disappoints relative to the first half. And "Saints" is no different; in fact, it’s an even more pronounced downhill spiral. The pseudo-ballad "Just Another Pyscho" is embarrassingly dull and all over the place, while "Chicks=Trouble" is as sadly pathetic as the title implies.

"Saints" attempts to recreate a time period that is long gone, a period when Motley Crue ruled the Hollywood strip with big riffs, pounding drums, sing-along choruses and a persona that just emanated sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. But now some of these guys are more famous for their offstage antics, from Lee’s boat fun with ex-wife Pam Anderson, to Neil trying oh-so hard to lose weight on a reality show. And guitarist Mick Mars looks every bit of his 57 years, and more. Only Sixx has avoided losing his reputation, and only he writes for this album, which will be a treat for old-school fans, but is absolutely nothing more than a novelty, a chance to tour.

Sigur Ros — "Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust" (XL Recordings): For the better part of four studio long-players, Icelandic band Sigur Ros has created lush, string-fueled soundscapes that feel alien. With lyrics sung in Icelandic and, sometimes, the gibberish Hopelandic, the quartet relies on its music, not lyrics, to give it an emotional push. And, most of the time, the results amazed.

But after 11 years and four somewhat similar releases, Sigur Ros needed a change on its fifth disc, and "Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust" (translated as "With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly") provides that. With more sunny arrangements and 11 songs, many clocking in at a popfriendly four minutes or less, the disc shows off the band as an actual band, not an orchestra making lush, inaccessible music. There’s actually pop on here, including the beautiful and catchy "Gobbldigook," which leads off the record with a sound that almost conjures up images of The Shins.

That song is immediately followed up by "Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur," a genuine guitar-driven pop song that is also so much more upbeat and pleasant that anything Sigur Ros has done before. It’s just one of 10 tunes sung in Icelandic. And for the first time, on "All Alright," singer Jonsi delivers his lines in English, not that you can really understand what he’s singing. And it doesn’t matter a bit.

"Med Sud" is easily the band’s second-best work after 2002′s masterwork "()," a record that presented the group at its most obtuse. This one’s the complete opposite, and it’s the right direction for a band that was beginning to get boring and predictable.

Liz Phair — "Exile in Guyville" (ATO Records): Born in New Haven and raised in Chicago, singer/ songwriter Liz Phair never really reached the potential she showed on her debut, 1993′s "Exile in Guyville," a supposed song-by-song response to the Rolling Stone’s "Exile on Main Street," although this is not really the case. And while the album will most likely always stand as her best work, this CD/DVD reissue clearly shows that the majority of artists will never top this genre-defining, generationinspiring masterpiece.

With hard rock mixed with solo piano pieces and acoustic guitar dirges, "Exile" touches on a handful of genres while still mainting a distinct low-fi sound that become a touchstone for a lot of music that came after it. Phair’s witty, direct and often profane lyrics inspired countless female and male musicians in the years that followed, but what may seem like a bunch of swears and sex talk is actually very intelligent and illuminating. Phair was speaking to a group of people, young women in their 20s trying to make it a male-dominated world, that usually got ignored in indie rock.

"Exile in Guyville" topped many best-of lists upon its initial release, but has since gone out of print. And that’s why this re-issue is so long overdue. The package contains four unreleased tunes, two of which ("Say You" and "Art In Alaska") are essential, copious liner notes, interviews with everyone from Phair to producer Brad Wood to actor/music fan/Chicago native John Cusack. Simply put, this is a must-have album for any music fan. Any.

Gavin Rossdale — "WANDERlust" (Interscope): When his 2005, post-Bush band Institute failed so miserably, the now Mr. Gwen Stefani, Gavin Rossdale, must have been so scared that he ran off and immediately started writing "WANDERlust," an oddly titled disc about being content that sounds a heck of a lot like an old Bush disc, which is a good thing for fans of, um, Bush.

Never really known for his music, Rossdale became an immediate sex symbol when the English band Bush first hit success on this side of the Atlantic with the Nirvanalite disc "Sixteen Stone," which isn’t that bad a record, but rather a mediocre work with a few very good songs. But that really was the last of Rossdale’s very good songs, as subsequent Bush records got worse and worse until the group called it a day.

But this isn’t the Bush-like music of the early days; "WANDERlust" aims at the sappy ballads and middle-of-the-road dribble of the later years. This is clearly Rossdale’s attempt to grab the kind of success his wife got going solo. But Stefani made her move when No Doubt was still a household name, and Bush hasn’t had a real hit single in well over a decade, so Rossdale probably won’t succeed. But he’s trying here, trying desperately to make a hit single.

—–

To see more of New Haven Register, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.nhregister.com.

Copyright (c) 2008, New Haven Register, Conn.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call  800-374-7985  or  847-635-6550 , send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.