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20 November 2008

Chinese Democracy is here. (MySpace link, streaming audio) After four hundred years and eleventy billion dollars, Axl Rose has given the world 14 bloated, infuriating, pretentious, narcissistic, and intermittently kinda great Guns'n'Roses songs. Chuck Klosterman reviews it for the AV Club. I think much of it sucks, but DAMN are the guitars mixed right.

post by: BitterOldPunk at: 16:46 | 22 comments

Oh, my. *downloads furiously*. I loved Appetite - hey, I was 12! - (and Lies until I actually listened to the lyrics) but lost interest after 'November Rain' dominated the radio and clip shows for what felt like eons. Thanks, BoP!

posted by goo 20 November | 17:26

What finally made him decide, "You know, I've weighed all my options and all their potential consequences, and I'm going with the Mexican vampire accent. This is the vision I will embrace. But only on that one line! The rest of it will just be sung like a non-dead human." Often, I don't even care if his choices work or if they fail. I just want to know what Rose hoped they would do.

I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, and I understand why, but stuff like this is why I love Klosterman so.

posted by middleclasstool 20 November | 17:28

after 'November Rain' dominated the radio and clip shows for what felt like eons

What a time to be alive.!

posted by cillit bang 20 November | 17:53

I want this album to punch me in the face.

But it's more like the Mad Genius who plots and schemes and taunts you about how much hurt he's going to bring you when he finally does.

*reaches for old copy of Appetite, sighs...*

posted by Lipstick Thespian 20 November | 17:55

I remember being at university and talking about the fact that gnr had just entered the studio and that I hoped the album would be better than the Illusion albums turned out to be. Sheeesh. Also at uni, I had a friend who had a major crush on Axl, to the point where she had a 90 minute cassette (yes, yes, it was a long time ago) that was filled with nothing but November Rain. She'd play it all the time. Ugh.

posted by TheDonF 20 November | 18:02

I hate to say it, but this album has no balls. It tries to grow a pair with the title cut, but there's no there, there.

There's no moment when your whole chest explodes like on Appetite - there's no moment right before the storm hits. Just more paranoia rants from Axl.

I really miss Izzy, Duff and Slash

posted by Lipstick Thespian 20 November | 18:08

When I said this two months ago, I was kidding.. I had no idea the album was close to being released.

At one point in my life I'd have been first kid on my block to find a copy, but even the curiosity has really kind of passed. I'll probably pick up a used CD of it when I see one, though.

Does any of it show the influence from his supposed 90s interests in NIN, Moby and etc?

posted by BoringPostcards 20 November | 18:10

I wish I could hear this with fresh ears. 'Cause from what I've heard so far it would be exciting if I could do that. Or at least pretty damned interesting. But it's hard to do.

It is a far cry from what I was expecting, which was most likely an unlistenable mass of overdubbed, overworked sludge. If nothing else it sounds sharp and crisp.

posted by Wolfdog 20 November | 18:11

Yeah, I really like the title track. But. That's about it. LT is right -- there's no moment that makes my head bob involuntarily, moments which Appetite is littered with.

Although I have a feeling I'll be singing some of these songs in the shower tomorrow, so there's that.

posted by BitterOldPunk 20 November | 18:23

here's no moment that makes my head bob involuntarily,

That's what I mean by fresh ears. That's not the only standard an album can be judged by. But it's what you're somehow deadset on demanding from this one.

posted by Wolfdog 20 November | 18:28

You guys should check out a band called The Rockford Mules if you seriously want to get down. They have a song called Step Aside Son that will crush your goddamned mind.

posted by Lipstick Thespian 20 November | 18:36

And I may have said it before, but if you want your "Axl moment" go listen to this instead of CD.

posted by Wolfdog 20 November | 19:19

Y'know there was more to GNR than the vocalist. Slash, Izzy and Duff contributed a lot. With them Axl was a helluva frontman. Without them, he's just another psycho who thinks he's a rock star.

posted by jonmc 20 November | 19:37

ITA, jonmc - that GnR was tight. I'm underwhelmed so far. Is it Buckethead on lead? That's kind of a shame, if so.

posted by goo 20 November | 19:52

NTM, they were kind of a phenomenon of their times: a perfect explication of what it was like to be a adolecent/post-adolescent fuckup in the late 80's/early 90's, and now is not then.

posted by jonmc 20 November | 20:01

It's the Eye's Wide Shut of Guns and Fuckus Roses* Albums.

(As my beloved goth/metal awesome friend described them in high school. She was a righteous Jersey Girl in a sea of snobby Manhattan Preps/Hippies.)

posted by Divine_Wino 20 November | 20:15

Also at uni, I had a friend who had a major crush on Axl, to the point where she had a 90 minute cassette (yes, yes, it was a long time ago) that was filled with nothing but November Rain. She'd play it all the time.

I really, really hope that your friend, wherever she may be, has outgrown this habit.

posted by jason's_planet 20 November | 20:21

Inital reaction? This Sucks. It's a Markov chain of rock, circa 1994.

And it seems the Internets agree. I've graphed the per-track play count as listed on the Myspace page as of 18:30 today:

≡ Click to see image ≡
Am I calculating it correctly that it's an ~80% listener drop-off rate between track 1 and track 11?

posted by Triode 20 November | 21:21

Damn, if people want this thing to fail so badly, I might have to go buy it at Wal-Mart or something.

posted by BoringPostcards 20 November | 21:33

Well, here's some consolation.

posted by BitterOldPunk 21 November | 08:02

I hope you all know your November Rain hating ways will be punished in the next life.

posted by cillit bang 21 November | 10:59

I never liked them and see no reason to change my opinion now. I found my angry music in bands I thought were much better. Music is subjective though, so I hope all you Guns and Roses fans like it because he really made you wait for it. You deserve a good album after this long.

posted by King of Prontopia 21 November | 16:46

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