popwreckoning

Until last summer, I didn’t know much about drum and bass band Pendulum, except that young people in the UK (the main audience of BBC Radio1) adored them so much that anything as much as a hint to new Pendulum material would cause mass shockwaves through Twitter. No one I knew on this side of the Atlantic knew who they were, and I expected a similar lack of knowledge in Scandinavia. But wow, what a reception the band got at Roskilde Festival last summer. I witnessed a manic crowd reaction, but in a way, I expected it: the genius of Pendulum – and also of Immersion, their most mainstream release to date – is the combination of heavy guitars and drums and quick-tempo emanating electronics that interest guys with dance beats and lead singer Rob Swire‘s sexy vocals that have proved quite popular with girls.

Here are the basics: Pendulum started out in Perth, Australia as a drum and bass band in the early Noughties. The group – then just Swire, bassist Gareth McGrillen, and DJ Paul Harding – soon relocated to the UK, the ancestral home of rave music (they’re now based in London). This turned out to be a fateful move, as after gaining several bandmates, the band released their 2005 debut album, Hold Your Colour, which contained their first UK singles top 40 hit, the double A-sided “Slam” / “Out Here.” Their second album, In Silico, was their first release in America. Coming up later this month, their third album, Immersion, will be released stateside, more than 6 months after the UK release of the album and its reaching #1 on the UK Top 40 albums chart the week of its release. Immersion reflects a more electronic-heavy, dance-driven sound than its two predecessors.

“Genesis” is the opening track of the album, and it begins not unlike something you’d hear on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. It sets the stage for the grandeur your ears are going to experience next, mixing right into instrumental “Salt in the Wounds.” Halfway through, the songs break down, making you think it’s going to mellow out for the rest of the 6 minutes, but in the 4th minute, it’s clear Pendulum is not done making your heart race, going back to frenetic, thudding beats. This song, along with singles “Watercolour,” “Witchcraft,” and “Crush,” are ones that make you jump up and down in a packed club of sweating bodies. Or at an open air music festival, as I witnessed at Roskilde.

But the best part of this album are “The Island – Pt. I (Dawn)” and “The Island – Pt. II (Dusk)”, two halves of a sonic masterpiece. Part one is a Rocky-esque pump-up kind of song, with programming and beats not too soft and not too heavy – just perfect. Swire’s expansive vocals, as if calling out across his homeland of Australia, are alternately sweet and sweltering. “Close your eyes / let’s forget again / as you drag me down / I will take you in / what are you waiting for? / just surrender here tonight / what are you waiting for? / as we go towards the light…” – gulp. I could listen to this track all day. Rob Swire, call me. Then part two takes over, as the electronic wizardry take center stage, the track concluding with more conventional tropical beats.

The album also has some interesting and high-profile guests. Liam Howlett of seminal big beat English electronic group the Prodigy lent his cowriting and production talents to “Immunize”; while it’s no “Breathe ” or “Invaders Must Die,” it’s still pretty good. Prog/psych band Porcupine Tree founder Steve Wilson cowrote and sings on “The Fountain,” which sounds neither proggy or psychedelic and is instead the most unique track on the album, driven by piano along with the electronic beats and drums.

Metalheads will enjoy the more instrument-driven “Comprachicos” as well as “Self vs. Self,” a more straight-forward collaboration (vocals and traditional band instruments) between Pendulum and Swedish death metal band In Flames. Understandably, the latter features more aggressive (and in my opinion, quite scary) vocals from In Flames‘ Anders Fridén. This, along with “Set Me on Fire,” with vocals sounding vaguely Will.I.Am reggae, are probably the only numbers on Immersion that feel out of place.

Immersion is the kind of album that if you are into electronic music at all, you’ll appreciate the attention to detail this band has put into every single track. A couple weeks ago I was reading a UK electronic music magazine’s interview with Swire, and there was a photo of a small sampling of the complicated electronic equipment used to create the Pendulum sound. It’s astonishing what musicians and producers can do with electronics these days to make truly exciting music. If you get the chance to see Pendulum live this year, do it – you won’t be disappointed, I promise. The band make a special live appearance at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival at the end of March; I imagine surrounded by their peers and loads of fans, that would be the ultimate way to experience them.

Immersion will be released on Atlantic Records on January 25, 2011 in America.

Tracklisting:
01. Genesis
02. Salt in the Wounds
03. Watercolour
04. Set Me on Fire
05. Crush
06. Under the Waves
07. Immunize (feat. Liam Howlett [the Prodigy])
08. The Island – Pt. I (Dawn)
09. The Island – Pt. 2 (Dusk)
10. Comprachicos
11. The Vulture
12. Witchcraft
13. Self vs Self (feat. In Flames)
14. The Fountain (feat. Steve Wilson [Porcupine Tree])
15. Encoder

Tour Dates
Jan 20 – Bank Atlantic Center / Sunrise, FL*
Jan 22 – St. Pete Times Forum / Tampa*
Jan 23 – Philips Arena / Atlanta*
Jan 25 – Joe Louis Arena / Detroit*
Jan 26 – United Center / Chicago*
Jan 28 – Xcel Energy Center / St. Paul*
Jan 29 – Sprint Center / Kansas City*
Jan 31 – Wells Fargo Center / Philadelphia*
Feb 01 – TD Garden / Boston*
Feb 02 – Guvernment / Toronto#
Feb 04 – Madison Square Garden / New York City*
Feb 05 – Irving Plaza / New York City#
Feb 07 – Bell Centre / Montreal*
Feb 08 – Air Canada Centre / Toronto*
Feb 10 – Verizon Center / Washington, DC*
Feb 11 – Mohegan Sun Arena / Uncasville, CT*
Feb 16 – Ogden Theatre / Denver#
Feb 17 – In the Venue / Salt Lake City#
Feb 19 – Showbox SoDo / Seattle#
Feb 20 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver#
Feb 23 – Fillmore / San Francisco#
Feb 25 – Wiltern / Los Angeles#
Feb 26 – House of Blues / Las Vegas#
Mar 25-27 – Ultra Music Festival / Miami
#with Innerpartysystem
*supporting Linkin Park

Pendulum: website | myspace

Welcome back, readers!  I hope you enjoyed last week’s Michael Jackson Tribute post to “Human Nature”.  With the shock of the gloved one’s death still flooding news channels and papers regarding his tragic passing, star-studded funeral service, and talks of tribute concerts, it’s increasingly difficult to focus on any other musicians right now.  And I’ve really been enjoying radio stations playing copious amounts of his latest and greatest hits for my daily commute.  In any case, I’d like to dedicate Under Cover to MJ for the next few weeks until things calm down, the toxicology reports are in, and the masses go back to discussing Kim Kardashian‘s behind, Heidi and Spencer‘s latest fame-whoring project, and whatever get-over-yourself comment Megan Fox dishes out to the press.  You know, the usual hard-hitting journalism this country loves to dole out from its celebrity-obsessed Pez dispenser.

This week we shall focus on “Beat It”.  My sisters and I used to do the dance sequence towards the end of the video when the two gangs bust out the moves in sync with Michael.  Well, we attempted them before stumbling to the floor in bouts of laughter and excitement.  A lot of people think “Thriller” had their favorite choreography, but I always preferred the steps from “Beat It”.  That Eddie Van Halen guitar solo, the West Side Story cliche street toughs, and MJ coming in to save the day by proving dancing can solve any kind of street fight.  See, if Nancy Reagan had hired Michael to choreograph her “Just Say No!” anti-drug campaign, maybe she would have made more headway?  Because let’s face it… Michael was right.  We  “don’t wanna see no blood, don’t be a macho man!”  It don’t matter how funky and strong your fight is, just beat it punk!
–

Michael Jackson – “Beat It” (original, 1983)
“You’re playin’ with your life, this ain’t no truth or dare!” What a timeless video of epic proportions!?  Even if you’re not partial to this track, I find it hard to believe anyone would not at least enjoy watching this.  The grittiness of the music video complements the edgy, rockier feel… and talk about diversity!  It’s always nice to know the thug game is equal opportunity. Watch here!

Weird Al Yankovic cover (1984)
“Eat it, eat it, get yourself an egg and beat it!” If Michael Jackson is/was the King of Pop, then Weird Al would be King of the Parody.  No stranger to covering MJ, “Eat It” is probably his most famous cover.  It’s actually pretty hysterical.  I love how the gangs fight each other with spoons (unlike knives in the original) and the expression ons his face at 1:09 mark, where he gets up angrily from bed just the way MJ does… he’s even wearing the same music notes t-shirt and red pants, ha!  Silly goose. Watch here!

Metallica cover (2003) – 1:35 mark
Dude alert!  Guitar aficionados everywhere will get amped over this little snippet of MJ appreciation.  I hope Michael was somewhere watching this VMA’s performance, just smiling about his incredible musical reach.

Fall Out Boy (featuring John Mayer on guitar) cover (2008)
Before you yell at me for wasting precious moments of your life you will never get back, at least give Fall Out Boy props for choosing an unlikely cover song.  The video is.. strange.  The cover is… utterly pointless and non-sensical.  But an MJ tribute is still a tribute.  Decide for yourself, then beat it (beat it, beat it). Watch here!

MJ featuring Fergie (vocals) and Will.i.am (producer) cover (2008)
Off the Thriller 25 album, this one’s entitled “Beat It 2008.”  Don’t the Black Eyed Peas have a management team?  Who the hell allowed this mess to happen?  Sorry Fergalicious, but Michael Jackson “is so 3008″ and you’re just “2000 and late” for giving up your musical career already!  One witty critic was thankful they kept the Eddie Van Halen guitar solo, but said this cover “holds the dubious honor of making Jackson seem masculine for once, and only in the context of Fergie’s tough-by-way-of-Kids Incorporated interpretation of the tune.” Need we say more? Watch here!

Chipmunks cover
I had to end the feature on a higher note (literally) to make up for some of the epic fail moments in cover musical history.  Hey look, they even put on their most thuggy attire just for you guys.  These Chipmunks have the kind of musical longevity most people in the business can only dream about!

–
R.I.P. MJ!

Heidi working out to the Rocky theme; clich� much? Yet, so starts the 2007 Victoria Secret Winter Fashion Show.

Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas opened the night, performing his very fitting single “I Got It From My Momma.” Meanwhile, as if taking the term “catwalk” literally, each model rocked a kitten covered outfit, sporting tiger stripes, leopard spots, and other cat attire. Lolcats were everywhere! As a final testament to feline fashion, Heidi Klum showcased a bar with “cats eyes” cupping her breasts. I don’t know if this means that her boobs can see in the dark, but if so, that’s a pretty rad super power. Obviously Mrs. Klum is not to be messed with.

The Secret model’s second walk was referred to as a “Chandelier-themed” runway show. Black Chandelier is a popular clothing retailer based in Utah. It was founded by Jared Gold and is primarily aimed at the teen and college-age demographics. Black Chandelier has been featured in Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Italian Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and People. It bills itself on being an alternative to larger clothing retailers such as Gap and Hot Topic. Also, it looks outstanding as Victoria’s Secret wings!

Following the second walk, a feature on the Team Pink Road Trip to the Runway had thirty girls were compete for a spot on the runway during the walk for Victoria’s Secret’s PINK line. A search took place on university campuses nationwide and the lucky chosen thirty practiced in place of models before the show and one lucky girl got the chance to walk in the actual fashion show. Watching these girls strut, there is little doubt that they would have kicked the America’s Next Top Model girls’ asses. Sorry Tyra, but it’s true; winner Katie Wilde certainly brought it.

The third walk rocked a remix of “Get Free” by the Vines. Each outfit referenced a different geographical area of the world with matching license plate garter belt. Katie Wilde was presented to the world as a model. She seemed a touch nervous to begin with, but opened up and played off the crowd a few steps into her strut. Heidi, however, stole the show by sporting a great set of wings made out of old postcards. Artistic meets sexy if I’ve ever seen it.

Next, instead of giving us the Spice Girls song we would’ve preferred, Seal and wife Heidi Klum (lucky bastard) performed a duet. Seal looked like a disco ball and Heidi’s dress was just horrible. The poorly chosen outfits of these two caught my attention due to the irony of this being a fashion show [Ed. note: For underwear!]. But damn! Heidi can sing. Who knew? And kiss! Did anyone else see her cute leg up pose at the end? Swoon.

The fourth walk confused me a little. I couldn’t figure out the theme of this walk, so we are going with the theme of boobs. The Eurhythmics played in the background, and I was still distracted by Seal looking like a glitter fairy. Somewhere in here, I’m pretty sure that Heidi Klum said “idear,” instead of idea. It was both cute and annoying all at the same time.

Walk five featured a theme of surreal art with nods to Pablo Piscasso, Rene Magritte and Dali, among others. The background looked like it belonged in a Tim Burton movie and no, that’s not just my excuse to plug Sweeney Todd. However, the outfits were quite inventive. Dali was present in the large rose atop model’s head who wore green lingerie. A cloud print bra and panty set with a derby hat captured Magritte and Picasso came alive in an asymmetrical outfit featuring his famous guitar. Of all of the featured themes, this one was definitely my favorite.

Finally the time came for the Spice Girls to take stage. It seems, however, that “first American performance,” should have been called “first American appearance,” as lip-syncing was obvious. Lip-syncing aside, the break dancing and retro military outfits made for a pretty strong appearance. The girls still looked super cute, and Posh is still the most beautiful thing ever. It was good to see them back on stage.

To close the evening, the sixth walk took a Christmas theme, featuring a chimney, a tree, a snowflake, a Santa, wrapping paper and an angel. To end the set, Heidi morphed into a show flake while sporting the worlds cutest smile, before the girls collected on a giant Christmas tree to wave their goodbyes.

If there is a Santa, he should know that I would really like to have my very own Victoria’s Secret Angel this year. That’s not too much to ask, now is it?