Mechanical Animals - Marilyn Manson

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3. Mechanical Animals
- The title track of the album. The first true 'rock' song of the album- a thumping drum and guitar intro. Manson takes time to comment on his incendiary nature- 'I was a hand grenade that never stopped exploding'. The chorus here is brilliant; the song is stripped down to Manson's vocals and an acoustic guitar (a rare MM moment). The song finally erupts at the end into full-blown rocking. A great song.
...ours.

Mechanical Animals is one of Manson's best works to date. It is certainly superior to his more recent material with, aside from a few tracks, has been pretty poor. The album is diverse and intriguing- it has immediate songs and those that take a while to enjoy. A fine piece of modern electro-rock music.

Label:Interscope

Info: www.marilynmanson.com
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The artist formally known as Brian Warner returned to terrorise our airwaves in 1999 with a new image, new sound and more accessible product to offer the general public. Of course, he was still highly controversial- the front cover of the album feature Marilyn in a mannequin-esque female body with all the relevant 'parts'. Lyrically, the album also remained equally rebellious and vitriolic- tales of sordid sex, anti-religious digs and radical comments on society. However, never before had Mazza compiled a collection of songs that were as catchy and, quite frankly, 'poppy' before. Indeed, many of the songs made it as singles.

There is certainly a strong argument that if you want to change the way society thinks, you can't achieve anything from the outside; you have to spread the 'virus' from within. Well anyway........

Musically, there is a great deal of electronic synths and electric percussion used throughout the album giving it a semi-industrial feel. Manson does his usual 'dual vocal' style croak with the occasional scream thrown in for good measure. Although no one can really argue that Manson possesses one of the best voices in rock 'n' roll, his ability to convey utter contempt, sarcasm and arrogance through his delivery should be commended.

Now the songs,

1. Great Big White World
- Deals with the race issue in no uncertain terms here (notably how we live in a world controlled by white people). This song is full of anger, disillusionment and negativity- 'I'm not attached to your world, nothing heals, nothing grows'. The verses are slow and downcast. The chorus is powerful and thought provoking.
7 out of 10

2. The Dope Show
- The first single of the album. A truly classic Manson song. A slow, big fat bass line creates a rather 'sleazy' feel and this is supported by the lyrical innuendos- 'Cops and queers....to swim you have to swallow'. The song mainly deals with the self-disillusionment of drug abuse and the hypocrisy of a society that denounces narcotics and yet relies upon them in so many ways (for more, info, see Michael Moore!). The chorus is certainly memorable and catchy. Manson at his best.
9 out of 10

3. Mechanical Animals
- The title track of the album. The first true 'rock' song of the album- a thumping drum and guitar intro. Manson takes time to comment on his incendiary nature- 'I was a hand grenade that never stopped exploding'. The chorus here is brilliant; the song is stripped down to Manson's vocals and an acoustic guitar (a rare MM moment). The song finally erupts at the end into full-blown rocking. A great song.
8 out of 10

4. Rock is Dead
- One of the most immediate songs of the album. Featured on the original soundtrack for The Matrix. Hardly surprising with a chorus that simply repeats 'Rock! La, la la la la la!' (its not hard to sing along to). Riff and drum heavy, there is nothing to clever here; but its loud and fun. Leaves us to reflect upon the fact that 'God is in the TV'.
8 out of 10

5. Disassociative
- Slow, downbeat start. Simple, electric drumbeat kicks in below minimalist musical arrangement. Manson seems to 'moan' the verse here 'The world was killing me'. The chorus is fantastic- a flurry of panic and claustrophobia ('I can never get out of here'). Really sinister and tense.
8 out of 10

6. The Speed of Pain
- Acoustic guitar intro accompanied by some 'spacy' sounds. Manson's vocals are heavily affected by effects here to sound 'distant'. Bizarrely, features gospel singers singing 'oooooo' underneath the line 'The crack inside your f*****g heart is me'. A song of great sorrow and regret. Takes a while to get your head round this one, a bit of an oddball.
7 out of 10

7. Posthuman
- A highlight of the album. A very fast-paced dance-beat start leads us quickly into a sharp verse and pulsating bridge. Once again, witty anti-God comments galore- 'God is a number you cannot count to'....or perhaps you prefer 'God is just a statistic'? Either way, this song is a real thunderbolt which will have you dancing around in no time. Very cool mid-song dance breakdown.
9 out of 10

8. I Want to Disappear
- Manson reverting back to his hedonistic nature here 'I was a virgin...grew up to be a whore'. The vocal on the verse has great bite, Manson practically spits out the lyrics. The chorus is a bit boring- the guitar riff is good but the melody is poor. Interesting instrumental interlude.
6 out of 10

9. I Don't Like the Drugs
- Coined the infamous line- 'I don't like the drugs but the drugs like me'. This song is slow and very, very sleazy. It is also gloriously rock 'n' roll- a full-blown heavy guitar riff is accompanied by an anthemic chanting chorus. The song is brilliantly cheeky whether you actually endorse the message or not. The real highlight comes when a gospel choir join Manson to sing the main refrain. Oh, the irony!
9 out of 10

10. New Model No.15
- Very bouncy and poppy; this song has to rate as one of the catchiest on the album. The intro is comprised of a powerful guitar riff accompanied by rhythmic handclaps. Lyrically, a sardonic take on the superficiality of the modelling industry -'I'm the new model, I've got nothing inside'. Very repetitive....will almost certainly get stuck in your head.
8 out of 10

11. User Friendly
- Probably the nastiest song on the album. A song about 'using' someone sexually. The lyrics, as expected, are rather graphic. A tamer example- 'Use me when you wanna come, I beg just to have a touch'. Uses cheesy female 'noises' to add emphasis. Blunt, and not particularly clever.
5 out of 10

12. Fundamentally Loathsome
- This song is very un-like Manson. Based around a piano ditty, it almost sounds like a ballad. The mood is certainly gloomy-' When you love you know it's not real'. However, adds real diversity to the album. The repeating outro is fantastic....should have really ended the album.
8 out of 10

13. The Last Day on Earth
- The verse here sounds very much like some of the other songs on the album. Finds Manson in a very pessimistic frame of mind (you can kinda tell from the title). The chorus here is weak, there is no real tune, just a noisy drone that fails to inspire.4 out of 10

14. Coma White
- Another single of the album. The video for which featured Mazza replicating the JFK assassination. The song itself sounds very much like 'Great Big White World' and is pretty standard Manson material. The main theme is once again, drugs- 'A pill to make you numb, a pill to make you dumb'. An uninspiring, drab, ending to the album.
5 out of 10

There has of course been a lot of controversy surrounding Marilyn Manson over the years. The ironic thing is that the man is very much a parody of himself. There is no way he takes himself seriously. I guess, in this way, he's quite similar to Eminem, who, by the way, is ALSO laughing all the way to the bank off the wave of public outrage. I have been fortunate to have seen a few interviews of Manson and am convinced that this highly intelligent man knows exactly what he is doing. Musically, Manson has never been as 'intelligent'. Yet, his provocative approach to his 'art' often provides me with the refreshing reality-check that I need in this ever-deceived society of ours.

Mechanical Animals is one of Manson's best works to date. It is certainly superior to his more recent material with, aside from a few tracks, has been pretty poor. The album is diverse and intriguing- it has immediate songs and those that take a while to enjoy. A fine piece of modern electro-rock music.

Label:Interscope

Info: www.marilynmanson.com
 

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