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Continued from page 24
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these ( Adamstown ) places affordable for people . But to write a song about something so negative and turn it into a positive ?” He chuckles at his own chutzpah . “ That was something I just loved .”
With “ Crushed ,” the singer says , he wanted to remind everyone in America that at some point in our family trees , we were all immigrants . “ Reptiles ” was written before Trump came into power (“ Or should I say ‘ Abuse of power ,’” he counters ), and taps into the protest marches he witnessed as a lad in Ireland , proof positive that people getting together behind particularly strong causes can truly unite a population and turn the cultural tide . The Catholic imagery in “ Guns of Jericho ” he culled from his seven years spent in church as an altar boy , “ Where I was brought up thinking there was an angel on your shoulder , always there watching your every move – I ’ ll never forget that ,” he says . There are no visible signs that allow you to gauge the honesty of a stranger , he adds , not afraid to sound like Moliere ’ s skeptical The Misanthrope . “ But like we were talking about before , at least if you see somebody walking around with a dog , you sort of know what kind of person they are .”
King will sorely miss his daily walks with Django – he ’ s steeling himself against the heartrending loss . But he has no other exercise or diet plans in place , he swears . “ I think running around onstage like a chicken with its head cut off each night keeps me fit ,” he says . “ So there ’ s no gym routine or health food involved – I basically do whatever I want . Because life ’ s too short , you know ?” He still likes his Guinness , and the legendary Irish brewery even attempted to tie itself in with Flogging Molly at one time , he reports . “ They were going to pay for our tour buses and things like that , but they only wanted to promote the shows as 18 and over , and we were like , ‘ no way !’ On this last tour that we did , there were kids at every show – kids with their parents at every concert . And they were singing along with all of our songs – it was unbelievable .”
As King and Regan prepare to pull up stakes for a grueling world juggernaut that won ’ t see them back in Detroit until September , there ’ s only one question that ’ s – ahem – dogging them : When , exactly , to pick out a new Irish wolfhound puppy to hopefully take Django ’ s place . “ We will not do it until we ’ re completely done , because it ’ s just unfair to the dog ,” King has decided . “ It ’ s getting into our busy time , so we ’ re just going to focus on our careers right now . Then we can wind down and try to have a normal life with a dog . And a cat . Or dogs and cats . And who knows ? Possibly some goats …”
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Continued from page 28 anthology A Very British Synthesizer Group is a fine overview of the savvy , synthetic pop group , whom David Bowie once called “ the future of pop music .” The vinyl version of the set includes 30 tracks on three platters , lovingly mastered at Abbey Road Studios . 1981 ’ s essential androgynous-pop album Dare including British # 3 hit “ Love Action ( I Believe in Love )” followed two albums and the departure of founding members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh . Singer Philip Oakey initially regarded “ Don ’ t You Want Me ” as filler , and was unhappy that it was to be released as the album ’ s fourth single . The song became The Human League ’ s international breakthrough and first US # 1 , featuring Oakey ’ s character as an icily vain but jilted Svengali and then-teenaged Susan Ann Sulley as the faithless ladderclimber . By all reports , Oakley ’ s position has changed to one of pride . The group again found success with 1983 ’ s dancefriendly EP Fascination ! The propulsive “( Keep Feeling ) Fascination ” and Motown ode “ Mirror Man ” were fixtures at radio in 1983 . Oakley revealed that the latter song was written about ‘ 80s contemporary Adam Ant . The Minneapolis-based production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis finished work on Janet Jackson ’ s Control and transitioned to Human League ’ s 1985 album Crash . Their lush “ Human ” and its story of infidelity and regret gave the group its second US charttopper . A William Orbit remix of “ Heart Like a Wheel ” represents the band ’ s final Virgin Records album Romantic ? The wistful and pining “ Tell Me When ” from 1995 ’ s Octopus was the band ’ s final US Top 40 single .
The set continues all the way through to the robotic pop of 2011 ’ s Credo , featuring singles “ Never Let Me Go ” and throbbing clubbing anthem “ Night People .”
– Jeff Elbel
7
SATAN TAKES A
HOLIDAY ALIENS
( Despotz )
The 11 tunes that grace Satan Takes A Holiday ’ s fourth full-length album , Aliens , are as eclectic as its band name . With a mix of ’ 60s garage rock , ’ 70s groove / punk rock and ’ 90s alt-rock , the Swedish power trio oozes charisma . Opener “ Good Cop Bad Cop ” is a slinky retro-rock combination of Rival Sons meets Foxy Shazam meets Foo Fighters . However , it doesn ’ t really represent the band ’ s overall sound and the following tracks are even better . The punky , doo-wop vibes of the " The Beat ," the warped Hawaiian-esque guitar melodies of “ Get You Girl ”, the hard-driving The Cramps-esque grimy rockabilly and
“ Queen Mother “’ s thick as mud riffs will keep the listener thoroughly engaged . In addition , the band ’ s Beatles cover “ Why Don ’ t We Do it in the Road ?” is given an added boost of furious power and grooves . Every tune is short and sweet , never exceeding the 3:11 mark , which makes the listening experience less than 30 minutes . Imagine walking down the hallway at work and random choruses just fly out of your mouth — to the amusement of fellow co-workers . That ’ s how infectious Aliens is , and it will have you hitting the repeat button again and again .
– Kelley Simms
9
MASTODON Empire Of Sand
( Warner Bros .)
Mastodon has released concept albums about the deep sea ( Leviathan ), the mountains ( Blood Mountain ), time travel ( Crack The Skye , space travel ( Once More ‘ Round The Sun ), among others . Apparently it was time for a desert-themed album , and it may be the band ’ s best to date . These Atlanta-based progressive metal rockers keep evolving while proving to be the most creative and delightful outfit in heavy metal . The album ’ s story concept loosely involves a character pondering mortality while wandering a desert ecosystem . The richly arranged tracks once again truly show a band that is the sum of its individual parts , with three of the four members contributing vocals to songs ( often multiple singers on the same track ). “ Steambreather ,” with drummer Brann Dailor on primary vocals , features a catchy mid-tempo , arena-rock guitar riff that would make Soundgarden proud , mixed with a trumpet-like synth chord for an off-kilter touch . “ Show Yourself ” may be the most accessible Mastodon song ever recorded . Instantly singable with an upbeat pop rock arrangement , it will win over mainstream fans who may otherwise be turned away by Mastodon ’ s earlier harder metal sound , one they have gradually evolved away from during seven studio album releases . The last two and a half minutes of “ Roots Remain ” comprise one of the most memorable movements on the album . Poignant
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