Tracks
Also by Stone Sour
People who bought this release also bought
This is one of my favorite Stone Sour albums. I wouldn't have missed about half the tracks if they'd left them off the album, but most S/S albums manage to have about one to three tracks that are to my liking, so this is still a big step-up.
My favorite tracks have always been "30/30-150," "Come What(ever) May," "Through Glass" and "Wicked Game (Chris Isaak Cover)" and I've more recently become aware of "The Day I Let Go." The latter is a huge one for me, since to me it represents very well a really brutal relationship situation in which I've found myself once before, as well as the bad thought-habits that have kept me stuck in a life not of my choosing. It's bleak, even poisonous in its sound. It paints a mental picture of a toxic waste dump, barren and caustic, which seems highly appropriate because of the state of being it describes. The chant-singing at the end, "I let go of my trust... I let go of my trust..." has a fatigued quality about it that reminds me of the exhaustion of holding on to a self-defeating situation.
"30/30-150" is clearly one of Corey Taylor's bitterly-contrary revolution songs. I'd say it's one of the best. It's written heavy in a tonally-simplistic kind of way, but with enough riffing to keep it from getting monotonous. It has a clear and simple message that's conveyed with sophisticated language and lots of implication. I don't know of very many people who can be so overpoweringly contentious and manage to make any part of it sound subtle, as Taylor himself. For example, "I am a dominant gene - live as I die!" Nine words, two sentences and already he's spoken volumes. Our society demonizes strength, erroneously equating it with corruption and the propensity to abuse, and upholds weakness as though it were virtue. In so-doing, we doom ourselves. These are wise and insightful words, however apparently pessimistic.
I'm also pretty proud of the work Stone Sour has done with Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game." It showcases Taylor's broad vocal range and diverse vocal capability or applicability (he's really mastered most if not all of the aspects of his voice) and also conveys the wounded emotion of the song very effectively. I also love that they did it acoustic, and got such great sound quality from the guitars. It's one of those "classic tracks" of my generation, I think.
Then there's "Socio." Paranoia, anxiety, irritability and defeat run strong in this song, but it still contains that will, however weathered, to keep-on-keeping-on ("I guess I'll try again today...") at the end. I also love the groove laid-down by then-bassist Shawn Economaki. It's got this "rise-and-fall-and-rise-again" pattern about it, dropping low with a slide and then walking back up several distinct notes at a time only to slide back down again. It conveys a feeling of struggling to make progress only to find that it seems much easier to lose your footing and regress.
Overall I give this a four out of five. A "true fan" who'd loved most or all of what the band's realeased in the past would probably rate it lower if they found themselves only appreciating half the tracks on the album, but as I said, for me this was the biggest collection of "keepers" I've yet heard from them.
My favorite tracks have always been "30/30-150," "Come What(ever) May," "Through Glass" and "Wicked Game (Chris Isaak Cover)" and I've more recently become aware of "The Day I Let Go." The latter is a huge one for me, since to me it represents very well a really brutal relationship situation in which I've found myself once before, as well as the bad thought-habits that have kept me stuck in a life not of my choosing. It's bleak, even poisonous in its sound. It paints a mental picture of a toxic waste dump, barren and caustic, which seems highly appropriate because of the state of being it describes. The chant-singing at the end, "I let go of my trust... I let go of my trust..." has a fatigued quality about it that reminds me of the exhaustion of holding on to a self-defeating situation.
"30/30-150" is clearly one of Corey Taylor's bitterly-contrary revolution songs. I'd say it's one of the best. It's written heavy in a tonally-simplistic kind of way, but with enough riffing to keep it from getting monotonous. It has a clear and simple message that's conveyed with sophisticated language and lots of implication. I don't know of very many people who can be so overpoweringly contentious and manage to make any part of it sound subtle, as Taylor himself. For example, "I am a dominant gene - live as I die!" Nine words, two sentences and already he's spoken volumes. Our society demonizes strength, erroneously equating it with corruption and the propensity to abuse, and upholds weakness as though it were virtue. In so-doing, we doom ourselves. These are wise and insightful words, however apparently pessimistic.
I'm also pretty proud of the work Stone Sour has done with Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game." It showcases Taylor's broad vocal range and diverse vocal capability or applicability (he's really mastered most if not all of the aspects of his voice) and also conveys the wounded emotion of the song very effectively. I also love that they did it acoustic, and got such great sound quality from the guitars. It's one of those "classic tracks" of my generation, I think.
Then there's "Socio." Paranoia, anxiety, irritability and defeat run strong in this song, but it still contains that will, however weathered, to keep-on-keeping-on ("I guess I'll try again today...") at the end. I also love the groove laid-down by then-bassist Shawn Economaki. It's got this "rise-and-fall-and-rise-again" pattern about it, dropping low with a slide and then walking back up several distinct notes at a time only to slide back down again. It conveys a feeling of struggling to make progress only to find that it seems much easier to lose your footing and regress.
Overall I give this a four out of five. A "true fan" who'd loved most or all of what the band's realeased in the past would probably rate it lower if they found themselves only appreciating half the tracks on the album, but as I said, for me this was the biggest collection of "keepers" I've yet heard from them.
Come What(ever) May is an awesome album. It starts right off with two of Stone Sour's absolute best tracks, 30/30-150 and Come What(ever) May. From there, the album really doesn't go into a downward spiral like so many do. It does, however, offer more variety. Most of the tracks are heavier rock--it is Stone Sour afterall--but ones like "Through Glass" and "Zzyxx Rd." are much softer than their typical tracks. Every song has astounding lyrics, as always, to go along with the great music behind it. Lines like "I can see right through you, so I can ignore you; the story changes but the ending won't bore you" and "Why-is everything contrite-is everything a plight, is everything so insincere and our if sight?" are perfectly delivered.
You won't regret buying this album.
You won't regret buying this album.