Mexican moon
| Mexican moon | ||||
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| Studio album by Concrete Blonde | ||||
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Publication |
October 15, 1993 |
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| Label (s) | Capitol Records / EMI Electrola | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, MC |
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Title (number) |
13 |
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running time |
62:03 |
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| occupation |
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Concrete Blonde, Sean Freehill |
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Studio (s) |
Kitchen Sync Studios, Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles |
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Mexican Moon is the fifth music album by the American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde . It was launched as a joint venture between the IRS , which had the contractual right to publish , and Capitol , which wanted to increase advertising . Band leader Johnette Napolitano once said that she doesn't get her energy from hard rock / metal , but from hardcore / punk , but on this farewell album there is more hard rock than punk, which played a role on the debut album Concrete Blonde . During the recording of Walking in London Napolitano continued to write songs, so the release gap between albums number four and five was short. Both previous drummers , Harry Rushakoff and Paul Thompson, were friends with Concrete Blonde, which is why everyone came to his assignment.
Guest musician
The usual clear distribution of instruments is broken up here. Johnette Napolitano and James Mankey operate the electric bass and electric guitar in different constellations, for example both have guitar credits or Napolitano can manage without Mankey's involvement. For this he uses other types of guitars in some pieces, such as the Spanish guitar or a guitar synthesizer . And Napolitano, in turn, has several uses with percussion instruments. Almost a tradition - if you look at the last two albums - the participation of Wall-of-Voodoo singer Andy Prieboy. He was given a piano part in Close To Home and (Love Is a) Blind Ambition . One of My Kind was composed by Napolitano together with Texacala Jones, who is well-known in the LA punk scene and who also performs it in a duet with Napolitano. Most of the helpers expelled from Jonestown . The background choir consists of Andy Prieboy, Jeff Trott from World Party and James Mankey. Industrial ICON Genesis P-Orridge helped sampling of Jim Jones speech. For his " drum programming ", producer Sean Freehill finally got credits.
Track list
- Jenny I Read (Johnette Napolitano) - 5:18
- Mexican Moon (Johnette Napolitano) - 5:03
- Heal It Up (Johnette Napolitano) - 4:21
- Jonestown (Johnette Napolitano) - 6:20
- Rain (James Mankey, Johnette Napolitano, Murphy) - 3:28
- I Call It Love (James Mankey, Johnette Napolitano) - 5:15
- Jesus Forgive Me '(For the Things I'm About to Say) (Johnette Napolitano) - 5:17
- When You Smile ( Steve Wynn ) - 4:18
- Close To Home (Johnette Napolitano) - 3:31
- One of My Kind (Johnette Napolitano, Texacala Jones) - 3:55
- End of the Line ( Bryan Ferry ) - 4:39
- (Love Is a) Blind Ambition (Johnette Napolitano) - 6:10
- Bajo la Lune Mexicana (Johnette Napolitano) - 5:07
Song info
Heavy opener Jenny I Read is about the short career of a model who goes under when her interest in her diminishes.
The art-loving Napolitano is an admirer of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo . She is fascinated by the proximity of Mexico with its influences that extend to Los Angeles. Suffering from lovesickness, she fled to Mexico and wrote the wistful ballad Mexican Moon . The Tears-for-Fears Cover Shout was added to the single . A line of text from it, "Shout - let it all out", she implemented on the next album track: Heal It Up is the cumulative pain of all love disappointments of the last few years. Two previously unreleased songs, including a Bob Dylan cover, complete the CD single edition, as does Jonestown, which was placed fourth on the album . Jonestown itself was given its own release, but only as a vinyl record , with the flock of sheep on the cover depicting the subtitle of the Bible verse of the false prophet in sheep's clothing. The subject of mass suicide in Guyana , which has been dealt with on various occasions in heavy metal , is opened by Concrete Blonde with a one-minute aggressive excerpt from the cult leader Jim Jones and continued with Napolitano's electronically distorted voice, howling guitars and other underlaid Jones statements in industrial metal style .
" Jesus " is mentioned in Jonestown as well as in I Call It Love and Jesus Forgive Me '(For the Things I'm About to Say) . In the first song mentioned, love is the "universal", that which others associate with religion . The address to Jesus is an expression of an ambivalent relationship to religion with recurring doubts about faith and subsequent repentance.
One of My Kind is about feeling different and surprises with funky grooves as co-writer and singer Texacala Jones comes from the punk scene.
With Close To Home , in contrast to earlier critical hometown considerations, an implied declaration of love to LA is represented. The fact that Mankey can sing in a duet with Napolitano is thanks to her composition, which is tailored to his vocal range.
Third-party compositions are When You Smile ( The Dream Syndicate ) and End of the Line ( Roxy Music ). No cover in the true sense is Rain , because it is merely a re-recording of a song from the indie - EP concerns that had been produced in 1983 under the old name Dream 6 (and Capitol for promotional purposes was launched again). It is about the mourning of a past love. The new piece (Love Is a) Blind Ambition strikes the same note . The song that closes the album fits that, because it is a Spanish version of Mexican Moon . Bajo la Lune Mexicana has the shortcoming of being a word-for-word translation without considering grammar . It was made by the bassist of the local Chicano punk band Los Illegals, Jesus Velo.
Artwork
The front of the booklet shows tall cacti set up on a theater stage . Prior to dance two drawn skeletons together Flamenco , which can be recognized by their gender folk dress as a couple. The female skeleton has a heart-shaped hole in her red dress where a living heart beats. A theatrical motif already adorned the Walking in London cover. A skeleton couple was first featured in the text supplement to Concrete Blonde . The heart as a playing card or as a game color had already been incorporated into the artwork of Concrete Blonde , Free , Walking in London and the CD single Ghost of a Texas Ladies' Man . The drawings and photographs for the booklet were provided by Johnette Napolitano, the final design was done by New York graphic designer Brigid Pearson.
reception
The album received 8 out of 10 points from Rock Hard , because " Mexican Moon knows how to please despite some sagging". In the analysis of the trade journal Musikmagazin it is said: "It is consistently noticeable that guitars have come more to the fore and give the music more heaviness." And as a summary: “The eternal insider tip may sound pleasantly non-commercial even on the fifth record.” The control was turned to “3” on the 5-point scale. The Internet platform Allmusic awarded 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Steve Appleford: Concrete Blonde Sets Sights On A Multiformat Success . In: Billboard , October 23, 1993, p. 18.
- ↑ Matthias Penzel : Concrete Blonde. Fairy tales, myths, dreams . In: Fachblatt Musikmagazin , No. 11/1990, pp. 18-19.
- ↑ reb: Witching Hour. Concrete Blonde put a song memorial to a ghost . In: Audio , No. 5/1992, Audio plus p. 10.
- ↑ Wolfgang Schäfer: Concrete Blonde. Mexican moon . In: Rock Hard , No. 80 (1/1994).
- ↑ Thomas Weiland: Concrete Blonde. Mexican moon . In: Fachblatt Musikmagazin , 11/1993, p. 56.
- ↑ Mexican Moon at Allmusic (English)