Songs For The Deaf
★★★☆☆
Preface
1h 5m, 17 tracks, beautiful album cover. It’s the journey of a guy on a road switching between radio stations—great idea for a concept album. A bit too American for me. No significant musicianship except for Grohl’s drums; however, the result is an overall recognizable sound with a solid mix.
Review
Starts weirdly, with a radio—very annoying and loud. It’s a concept album. No One Knows, the second track, has an amazing riff. The album has a great mix: headbanging bass and drums. I think the album is a critique of the music industry—“songs that sound like everyone else,” “so many rules, this and that, these and those.”
I think it could be shorter. It’s very riff-based, with simple guitar rhythms (but still precise and on point), and very creative drumming—especially during the intro for Songs for the Dead, my favorite so far. Super kick-ass and heavy. With tracks 4 and 5, I feel like it’s about a broader topic: the music industry.
Life’s the study of dying
Feels more mellow in The Sky Is Fallin’, more melodic. Vocals are quieter than the music. It turns more sad and nihilistic:
Close your eyes and see the skies are fallin’
The radio once again reminds me we’re still not done with the album. Six-Shooter isn’t my favorite—too angry, noisy, and weird. Although it’s only one minute long. The previous track mentioned “death metal all the time”—this is the death metal. Hanging Tree sounds good. Still simple guitars, but more progressive. The guitars are still too loud.
Apparently these are the different radio stations! Each plays slightly different genres, but since it’s one band performing, “they all sound like everyone else.” Wow. That’s why Six-Shooter was so different.
The tracks don’t feel annoyingly long. The album is one hour, but it feels alright since each track is relatively short.
It’s so safe to play along,
Little soldiers in a row,
Falling in and out of love,
Something sweet to throw away
It’s starting to feel boring with Gonna Leave You. I want it to end soon. The only song so far with a solo, very distorted and dirty. It fits the atmosphere.
I like the singing in Do It Again. God Is In the Radio sounds scary, with a great solo and a marching rhythm. Another Love Song sounds smooth and more listenable. The vocals feel more raw.
You’re just another love song
The ending in that song is odd and rather creepy. It gives me BDSM vibes.
This is WOMB, The Womb.
And if you, my pets, learn to listen,
I’ll let you crawl back in.
Here is something you should drop to your knees for, and worship.
But you are too stupid to realize yourselves.
The title track! Great buildup. The album ends here, though a few “hidden songs” exist at the end. Mosquito Song is calm, Celtic, and quiet. Very beautiful chorus. Sounds like the exact opposite of the rest of the album: every instrument plays its role. Slightly mysterious, more acoustic. Reminds me of the beginning of the album when a Mexican guy talked on the radio. My second favorite track. Although I think it’s almost offensive that my favorite track is a hidden one, isn’t it?
The other two songs are live performances that sound more like the album. Not much to add—though it feels like a cool breeze, a smooth goodbye as you put the disc away.
I’m taking my song to the grave.
I almost didn’t like it, except for the few songs that sounded heavy and good for headbanging. I gradually liked it less while listening since those few headbanging “sounds” also started to wear off and sound a bit boring.