[kj] the METRO album review

[Antoni Adamiak]

http://www.metro.co.uk/metro/home/index.html?in_page_id=10 (I can't find the
review anywhere here though)

The METRO is a free newspaper that is distributed at many London tube and
rail stations, so the readership is quite big although most of them are
bunch of bleeding freeloaders (unlike myself of course as I always get my
Daily Mirror too !).
It is part of the Associated New Media group, which includes such other
literary delights the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday & the Evening Standard.
Okay, so to the ratings guide : Excellent *****, Very Good ****, Good ***,
Adequate ** & Poor *.

Amongst the 5 albums reviewed today are The Coral ****, Gang Starr, The
Nextmen & why? who all merit *** from the wonderful Claire Allfree. Sadly
though Killing Joke, reviewed last, merit a mere ** - Miss Allfree states :

"For their 1980s fans, Killing Joke were the inarticulate sound of protest -
a relentless scream of anguish in the form of a bloody storm of guitars,
drums and Jaz Coleman's theatrical screech (Wot ? No keyboards then ? AA).

Fast foward 15 years or so and the original line-up, embellished by Dave
Grohl on drums, are back, releasing in a new album, Killing Joke, as though
the interceding decade in music had never happened (You've never heard OTG,
EDAVRE, PNDMNM or DMCRCY then eh ? AA). Killing Joke have a merciless way
with a tune, which is to say, there isn't one (you silly old Doris - AA) ;
Coleman is as baleful a prescence as ever and Grohl is thunderous on drums.
Coleman can rant on all he likes but really the record's sole effect is to
pummel the hell out of it's listeners, which frankly, it manages
brilliantly".

Okay, perceptive comment at the end there but one assumes the subtleties go
right over her head - a bit like an aeroplane  :o)

The dig about the lack of tune, I find particularly offensive (despite the
brutality of this opus) when you consider Jaz's musical pedigree especially
when you also compare KJ's typical sound to that of their overrated
"industrial imitators" and makes me think she didn't even bother to listen
beyond the first two or three songs - but just think, when he's off
composing for orchestras around the world, she just writes reviews for a
freebie newspaper.  Okay, I'm taking it all too seriously.

For anyone who's particularly outraged and would like to communicate with a
wider audience, you have the right of reply - send to mail@metro.co.uk with
full name, postcode and daytime telephone number.

Regards,

Antoni

* http://home.clara.net/antoni/ *