|
|
|
BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About
LOTD
|
Electric Poem:
The Crystal Mind
Back in the 1960s, the so-called sexual revolution was really just an excuse for promiscuity. Far from empowering women, as it often gave itself credit for, it merely provided men an easier way into their bedrooms. Although colored in acid-drenched hues, the sexism of the hippie movement could be easily detected in much of the eras rock music. The worst offenders bands like the Doors, for instance would on the one hand sing about women as if they were goddesses of some sort (not quite human and beyond full comprehension), yet on the other hand address them as if they were little girls who needed to be led on some sort of mystical journey to true knowledge by an enlightened male guru. I bring all this up because Electric Poem is essentially an 00s version of the Doors, only not as good. The Doors well, Jim Morrison, really could be infuriatingly pretentious and embarrassingly faux-deep, but the band did write some damn good tunes, and at times Morrison was able to keep his BS under wraps long enough to get a few truly poetic lines down on paper. He also had an incredibly sexy voice. On The Crystal Mind, Electric Poem tries to invoke the 60s with watered-down psych rock and shout-outs to their soul sister[s] and soul brother[s]. The album is chock-full of empty musings on life, death and the meaning of it all. Lead singer and primary lyricist, Thomas Luke, aims to paint a portrait of the dark side of utopia much like Morrison did. Calling himself a psychedelic warrior and his band a philosophical fantasy, he sings of places like the Love Cemetary [sic], where he and his baby are gonna die tonight. Hes clearly on a crusade to rescue his girls soul, though, as he explains in Poets Rage: Im the worlds lost savior / A vision without time . . . /Girl you know I love you / Cant you understand / We could be eternal, baby / Like the seeds of sand. I cant wait. Making matters worse, Lukes voice often goes off-key, and even at its best, has none of the decidedly seductive qualities of Morrisons. He even attempts those cringe-inducing vibrato warbles that far too many B-grade singers seem to love. The albums nadir, Sexual Crime has Luke expressing concern over some apparent prostitutes loose behavior (Blood, fall into their arms / Your ass your lucky charm / Its rush that youre feeling only), only to repeatedly pine, Shes a sexual crime / Shes on all of our minds / Shes one hell of a time. Perhaps Im being too hard on Luke. He really wants to empathize with these poor creatures. I know that youre feeling lonely, he offers. But when he extends his love like its some sort of divine flotation device, saying I want you, I want to show you how your world has grown so small / Remove those blinders, girl, you cant see at all . . . / Dont you think my love will ever stop, Im utterly unconvinced hes anything other than a total prick. The band chugging along in the background is competent enough. They certainly wont impress you with their songwriting, and in fact will often have you thinking, this sounds like X, Y or Z, but they can play their instruments and do their best to create the ambiance Luke is so desperately after. But the spotlight belongs entirely to their lead singer and his lyrics, and that means The Crystal Mind is anything but an Electric Poem.
This album can be purchased at CD Baby Electric Poem Official Website About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
