It's Throwback Thursday time once again, and this week ("last week", for all you "time is linear" types) I'm going with another perennial throwback favourite of mine. This year will see At the Drive-In back together, if only for some live shows, so why can't 2016 also see the return of the Rage?
Your Rage Against the Machine song this time around is "Ashes in the Fall" from 1999's The Battle of Los Angeles, an album that I'm digging more and more the older I get. I think Evil Empire is still my favourite Rage album, but no longer do I rank Los Angeles number three out of hand. From its dentist drill guitar intro through its bass-driven, space guitar verses, "Ashes in the Fall" is a kind of a microcosm for the variety and willingness to experiment that marks The Battle of Los Angeles as a forward-thinking record that's held up very well indeed. Have a listen and get your rage on.
Showing posts with label The Battle of Los Angeles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Battle of Los Angeles. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 February 2016
Friday, 26 September 2014
Album of the Week: Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
Grab your shovels and miner's headlamp helmets, kids, because today we're digging deep into the mountain of history for your Album of the Week. I know, I know, this one's not exactly topical, but it's just one of those albums that's completely badass, and possibly (but hopefully not) unknown to you young 'uns.
Fans of Rage Against the Machine will debate endlessly the question of which album represents the band's crowing achievement (trust me, I've been involved in several such debates over the years). But for my money there's really no question: 1996's Evil Empire is where it's at in terms of Rage.
Sure, the 1994 self-titled might have more youthful rage, and 1999's The Battle of Los Angeles might be the band's most polished, creatively varied work. Evil Empire, however, exists in the sweet spot between the two, in more ways than just chronologically: it's more confident and focused than Rage but it still retains some of the venom and rough edges that feel a little more absent from Battle.
Evil Empire, for me at least, is also one of those "all killer, no filler" albums: there aren't any tracks I skip, and every one is memorable for me. Maybe it's just because I grew up with this record and have been rocking it for more than fifteen years now, but all those riffs are locked in my head. I'm a terrible drummer, and I feel like I could play a lot of Evil Empire, the beats ingrained in my brain that deeply. Hell, I can't typically remember rap lyrics (or any lyrics...) worth shit, but I can still keep up with Zack on some stuff, all these years later.
So for the next week or so, do me and you both a favour and revisit this classic nineties record. Then have your own debate about which Rage album is best -- just as long as you're supporting Evil Empire.
Fans of Rage Against the Machine will debate endlessly the question of which album represents the band's crowing achievement (trust me, I've been involved in several such debates over the years). But for my money there's really no question: 1996's Evil Empire is where it's at in terms of Rage.
Sure, the 1994 self-titled might have more youthful rage, and 1999's The Battle of Los Angeles might be the band's most polished, creatively varied work. Evil Empire, however, exists in the sweet spot between the two, in more ways than just chronologically: it's more confident and focused than Rage but it still retains some of the venom and rough edges that feel a little more absent from Battle.
Evil Empire, for me at least, is also one of those "all killer, no filler" albums: there aren't any tracks I skip, and every one is memorable for me. Maybe it's just because I grew up with this record and have been rocking it for more than fifteen years now, but all those riffs are locked in my head. I'm a terrible drummer, and I feel like I could play a lot of Evil Empire, the beats ingrained in my brain that deeply. Hell, I can't typically remember rap lyrics (or any lyrics...) worth shit, but I can still keep up with Zack on some stuff, all these years later.
So for the next week or so, do me and you both a favour and revisit this classic nineties record. Then have your own debate about which Rage album is best -- just as long as you're supporting Evil Empire.
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name
It's a Thursday night, which means only one more go at the grind before the weekend is upon us. What better place than here (what better time than now) to give a big "fuck you" to the week gone by than to do some raging against the machine?
When I was in high school and my buddies and I used to jam together on a pretty regular basis, we used to play a lot of Rage Against the Machine. The reason for this was likely twofold: Rage had a rebellious energy that teenagers can't help but relate to, and the songs aren't super hard to play to boot. Actually, make that a three-fold reason: those relatively simple songs with their rebellious energy are also pretty goddamn kick-ass.
Sometimes the music of your youth doesn't hold up over time, or only holds up because of the nostalgia value. Not Rage Against the Machine. I still put Rage on every once in a while and genuinely rock out to the combination of rap, rock, metal, funk, politics, and the kitchen sink -- like I did driving home from work today.
Evil Empire might be the band's finest moment (although I have some friends who argue strenuously, and somewhat convincingly, for The Battle of Los Angeles) but their 1992 self-titled debut has an intensity all its own. Zack and company come out swinging like they have something prove, and prove it they do. Crank "Killing in the Name" if you don't believe me, but consider yourself warned.
When I was in high school and my buddies and I used to jam together on a pretty regular basis, we used to play a lot of Rage Against the Machine. The reason for this was likely twofold: Rage had a rebellious energy that teenagers can't help but relate to, and the songs aren't super hard to play to boot. Actually, make that a three-fold reason: those relatively simple songs with their rebellious energy are also pretty goddamn kick-ass.
Sometimes the music of your youth doesn't hold up over time, or only holds up because of the nostalgia value. Not Rage Against the Machine. I still put Rage on every once in a while and genuinely rock out to the combination of rap, rock, metal, funk, politics, and the kitchen sink -- like I did driving home from work today.
Evil Empire might be the band's finest moment (although I have some friends who argue strenuously, and somewhat convincingly, for The Battle of Los Angeles) but their 1992 self-titled debut has an intensity all its own. Zack and company come out swinging like they have something prove, and prove it they do. Crank "Killing in the Name" if you don't believe me, but consider yourself warned.
Friday, 7 September 2012
Song of the Day: Rage Against the Machine - Calm Like a Bomb
I know, I know, Rage Against the Machine is neither terribly heavy nor terribly new, but they're still getting the Song of the Day nod today. Why? It's a bit of walk, but here goes. I've had people tell me that The Battle of Los Angeles is the best Rage record, to which my reply has always been (as it usually is) "No way! The old stuff is better!" or something similar. And while I still like older Rage better, today I finally get what my friends are talking about.
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