I don't listen to them all that often, but whenever this Los Angeles quartet gets into my rotation, I always come away impressed and glad I gave them yet another listen. Like with Mr. Bungle, I was introduced to Rage Against the Machine by a trumpet playing college friend who had great taste in music that was then woefully under-appreciated by me. He came from more of an alt-rock background and... let's just say that I hope I'm more open-minded to different musical perspectives now than I was in the early 90's. As a result, it took me a few years before I really gave their 1992 self-titled debut a chance. Better late than never.
RAtM is often referenced as the pinnacle of rap-metal and the chief influence of the nu-metal genre that took off in the late 90's, and while those plaudits are true, I think they sell the band a bit short. You can definitely hear the influences of earlier rap-punk bands Beastie Boys and Urban Dance Squad, as well as those of metal acts Anthrax and Faith No More, but you can also hear a distinct beatnik jazz influence in the vocal and instrumental rhythmic approach, and of course in the exaggerated, idealized poetry of the lyrics. Add to that Tom Morello's unique approach to guitar solos, a super-stanky funk groove, and an extremely enthusiastic, energetic and earnest performance style, and you've got a wholly unique and convincing metal act. Early on, I had a tough time with what I saw as outrageously over-the-top lyrical content, but over time I've come to appreciate it as, like a lot that I love about metal, an output of expressionist art that's simultaneously embarrassing and essential to the success of the music, and now they are to me a landmark band, as impressive and listenable today as they were over 20 years ago. You probably remember the following songs, as they certainly weren't "underground", but they're a couple of favorites of mine, so here you go. "Wake Up" was featured in transition to the closing credits of the great action/sci-fi film The Matrix, and besides a great groove and some interesting rhythmic shifts, features a spine-tingling crescendo to the coda where vocalist Zack de la Rocha screams desperately at the listener to "WAKE UP!". And probably their most famous song, largely thanks to the shock value, "Killing in the Name" follows a similar formula - I'll close with a compelling live performance of it. Just in case you somehow arrived here unawares and are sensitive to strong language, be warned: there is no hesitation on the part of this band to gleefully deploy f-bombs with frequency and heartfelt emotion.
No comments:
Post a Comment