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When I heard the first single “Minerva” from the new self
titled Deftones album I was anxious to hear the rest of the
album. It was something that I would expect to hear from the
Deftones; hard and soft at the same time. Fans of the Deftones
know that as their albums have progressed that their musical
styling has changed since their first release. I am partial to
“Around the Fur” so I decided that I would pick out their
newest release. I was a little disappointed at first but
slowly I am coming around to it.
When I first bought the CD I was excited at the cover art and
hoping it would be a real hard and heavy CD. Song titles like
“Deathblow” and “Battle-Axe” I convinced myself that it would
be as heavy as songs like “My Own Summer” and “Lotion”
Although the music is distorted and rock oriented almost the
entire album is one giant ballad. I have to give credit where
credit is due, Chino and the rest maintain their edge on songs
like “When Girls Telephone Boys” by screaming through a
distorted microphone and riffs of hard fuzzy melodies.
This CD seems to lack what the older Deftones CDs had. Despite
the fact that I am not the biggest Deftones fan I can
appreciate their music. I feel that this CD was almost too
emotional and sensitive, not that that’s a bad thing but I
think some people may be expecting something else. What I
really enjoyed was the characteristic Deftones “dry guitar
buzz” as I like to call it. One of the main reasons why I
enjoy the Deftones is because of the sound of their guitars.
Another reason I like the Deftones is the fact that they are
(to me and some of my friends) a summer band. For some reason
or another whenever I hear the Deftones I get the sensation of
summer. Call me crazy, but the same vibe is on this CD. If
anyone thinks I’m crazy, tell me of what the Deftones remind
you.
Along with eleven new tracks, included is an Enhanced CD with
film clips from the recording sessions. Unless you are a
devout Deftones fan it’s not a big deal but for the price of
the CD it’s a cool little extra. Of course when purchasing a
CD the most important aspect is the music. After listening to
this CD for a couple weeks my opinion had changed. I found
that I have to be in the right mood to listen to it. Not the
type of mood as to what type of music do I want to listen to,
but more like, what type of rock to I want to hear. Deftones
is definitely not an album that you want to listen to if you
want to get pissed off or to drive fast. Rather, Deftones is a
record that you would want to listen to by yourself or if you
want to relax. I say relax with caution, since it is most
definitely not traditional relaxing music. The same way you
wouldn’t want to listen to Pink Floyd to get revved up, is the
same reason you wouldn’t listen to this Deftones album to get
excited. Don’t take this opinion for all Deftones albums. CDs
like “Around The Fur” are laden with rough and energetic
tracks that are more than enough to get pulled over for
speeding.
As with all albums each song has redeeming qualities. There
are features of every song that I like, and some that I don’t.
For instance, my favorite set of lyrics would have to be from
track four:
Good Morning Beautiful:
"On a day like today, you’d be crazy not to want me to teach
you the way/You should wake up before the wrath comes/(me
and you) could take off before the wrath comes soon./Well I know what you’re like-I’ve read it on the walls/You’re too tired; you choose heaven over earth and me but come
on please."
I don’t know what it is but there’s something that I like in
those lyrics, even though the song isn’t my favorite one on
the record, the same can be said about “History of an
Uninteresting Event”. As far as music goes, I would have to
say that “When Girls Telephone Boys” takes the cake here. The
drums, bass, Chinos screaming, and guitar mixed together
creates an exceptional track worthy of the Deftones name.
Unless you are a die hard Deftones fan I do not recommend
buying this album as a first time listener. Try “Adrenaline”
or “Around the Fur” and work from there. On the whole
“Deftones” sounds less like old Deftones, and seems to be
headed off for another direction. I give this album 3 Planets,
mostly because of the cool guitar work. However what I didn’t
like, even if everyone calls me an idiot, are that the songs
just seem to drag on for a lot longer than I would think. The
longest song is 5:04 they seem longer than that. If you can’t
get enough of the Deftones, get the CD. If you are looking to
try out some of their music, start from the beginning of their
catalogue.
Track Listing:
01. Hexagram
02. Needles and Pins
03. Minerva
04. Good Morning Beautiful
05. Deathblow
06. When Girls Telephone Boys
07. Battle-axe
08. Lucky You
09. Bloody Cape
10. Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event
11. Moana
Jameson Rating:
3 out of 5 Planets
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