Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 02/27/2007
Based on the rapid rate that bands in the 2000s recycled the sounds from previous decades, such as '70s
post-punk and '80s
new wave, a revival of early-'90s
grunge and
alt-rock was due right around 2007. Enter
Pagoda, the project of actor/musician
Michael Pitt, who played a tortured, suicidal
rock star in
Gus Van Sant's
Last Days, which was inspired by
the tortured, suicidal
rock star,
Kurt Cobain. While it's too easy to draw a parallel between
Pitt's and
Cobain's music just because
Pitt played a
Cobain-like figure -- and too convenient to dismiss
Pagoda as an actor's musical vanity project -- it's hard to deny that
Nirvana are a major inspiration on
Pagoda's self-titled debut album.
Pagoda are more
experimental and expansive than the definitive
grunge band's work (with the exception of
"Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip"), but
Pitt's nasal, raspy vocals and the lunging chord changes that dominate the album feel directly descended from
Cobain and company. That's not a bad thing in and of itself, but large stretches of
Pagoda just don't work. Too much of the album spends a lot of time doing very little with the band's sound, but when they pull that sound into focus,
Pagoda have potential.
"Lesson Learned" and
"Sadartha" have a visceral pull despite
Pitt's occasionally grating vocals, and the cellos on these tracks add depth. The
ballad "Death to Birth" (which appeared in
Last Days) is a highlight, as is
"Alone," which takes the band's brooding in a heavier direction.
"Fetus"' looping song structure and tempo shifts and the
noise rock collage of
"Fear Cloud" hint that
Pitt and crew might have more ideas than the rest of this album displays, but they need more development.
~Heather Phares, All Music Guide
;)
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Number of reviews: 1
