On the Shelf 159: The Cult
Mar. 1st, 2016 07:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedsitter23In 2012, seemingly out of nowhere, The Cult's "Choice of Weapon" became one of my favorite albums of the year.
I have been a Cult fan for many years, but don't think people expected much as the band trying to reinvent themselves for the 21st Century with a trilogy of like-minded albums starting with 2007's "Born Into This". Still, I probably wouldn't have thought of looking it up if it hadn't been so trumpeted by the British press.
Hidden City is the next album in that series. The good part is that what made their last album so good is here. Ian Astbury has long had to stand in the shadows of Jim Morrison, but the truth is he has a good set of pipes. He brings his influence of blues, goth, and metal and does channel the Lizard King when he grabs the mic. The Cult's most popular moments are the simple riff driven tacks like "Fire Woman", "Rain", "Love Removal Machine", etc, but when given the chance, he has been able to explore some of his more adventurous sides.
The good news is while these qualities are there, the bad news is that City never quite makes it to the level of Weapon. I might blame Astbury who of course has his struggles with lyrics (Che Guevara and a garbage can?) but there also does not seem to be any song that nails that memorable single tag.
It's not a bad album and fans of the band should get some enjoyment out of it, but I consider it a bit of a downer in that it never reaches the potential of Weapon, which really grabbed the best of the band's styles.
I have been a Cult fan for many years, but don't think people expected much as the band trying to reinvent themselves for the 21st Century with a trilogy of like-minded albums starting with 2007's "Born Into This". Still, I probably wouldn't have thought of looking it up if it hadn't been so trumpeted by the British press.
Hidden City is the next album in that series. The good part is that what made their last album so good is here. Ian Astbury has long had to stand in the shadows of Jim Morrison, but the truth is he has a good set of pipes. He brings his influence of blues, goth, and metal and does channel the Lizard King when he grabs the mic. The Cult's most popular moments are the simple riff driven tacks like "Fire Woman", "Rain", "Love Removal Machine", etc, but when given the chance, he has been able to explore some of his more adventurous sides.
The good news is while these qualities are there, the bad news is that City never quite makes it to the level of Weapon. I might blame Astbury who of course has his struggles with lyrics (Che Guevara and a garbage can?) but there also does not seem to be any song that nails that memorable single tag.
It's not a bad album and fans of the band should get some enjoyment out of it, but I consider it a bit of a downer in that it never reaches the potential of Weapon, which really grabbed the best of the band's styles.
