When it comes right down to it, these guys have made 4 albums—one in
each decade of their existence (1988, 1990, 2003, 2011) over a span of
30+ years. The first two are alt-rock classics; the other two, well…
In short, not the best batting average out there.
As someone who is still under the spell of those aforementioned classics (Nothing’s Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual) all these decades later, their subsequent output has been both deflating and disappointing. Their last time out, they essentially left behind their classic sound and with TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek on board, contributing to the album on bass guitar and songwriting, they aimed for a darker but less aggressive and less intense sound than they are known for. If Shocking and Ritual were beacons shining thru a fog, The Great Escape Artist is the fog itself.
After his triumphant return to the band, a decade after his departure, original bassist Eric Avery decided his stint would be limited to live performances and voiced his disinterest in recording new material with Farrell, Navarro and Perkins. (Did he hear these new songs and bail? Hmm…) Enter GnR’s Duff McKagan, who spent nine months with the band but left before the recording of this album due to creative differences. (No, really.) He did, however, work with them during the writing phase and contributed to two of the album’s songs. This is one of them.
I guess this was just a long, drawn out way of saying that this is the only thing on the album that caught my ear. And if they continue with their release pattern and put out another album during this new decade, I might check it out for old time’s sake, but my heart belongs to those first two records that blew my mind and remain their greatest musical statements.
Who knows? Maybe they’ve got another great one in them. I’ll wait in a comfortable chair, tho.
