First of all, congratulations to the boys for managing to produce this in such a time. Second, I want to make something known before I review this album. Any reference that I make to another artist, sound, or song is NOT an attempt to pass off their work as a copy. That is NOT meant to sweep their sound into a pigeon-holed category. I use these references to provide basis and connection for both myself and others, and sometimes it's the only way I know how to. With that being said... Let's get this show started.
STRANGE DAYS (W/ ROBBIE WILLIAMS)- This song really sets up the mood of the circumstances, but not necessarily the album itself. This album was, as we all know, recorded in quarantine during an unprecedented global pandemic. As the cover of another single said, this is "the year the earth stood still". And as we all find ourselves facing a world that is so upside down and inside out from what we knew before, this song displays that perfectly. And yet, it gives a sense of hope. A message of "we'll get through it". It's hard, but put on your tunes, sit back, and let the strange days take their course.
ALL DRESSED UP (WITH NOWHERE TO GO)- This song had me grooving, and it felt like a song that needs to be played in one of two places: either a vintage car strolling through a bright city or on a motorcycle driving a deserted highway in the dead of night. No in-between. The sound gives me a 70s vibe that I can't even really explain, but I know that it made me move and vibe. This song also has a hint of just topical lyrics, with the beginning talking about quarantine and being unable to leave anywhere. In the future, that will serve as a sort of tidbit memory to this time.
DO YOU LOVE ME- When I first saw the tracklist, I snorted and had instinctively begun to sing the KISS song. Little did I know THIS WAS A COVER! This song is so distinct from the original though and infuses this British glam sass to it that Paul Stanley didn't have. Paul had some swagger, some classic KISS party energy. But Luke brings in this pounding sass, as if he were pinning the entire audience against the wall, staring us dead in the eyes and asking "Do you love me?" UGH, I loved this cover so much.
I HATE HOW MUCH I WANT YOU (w/ PHIL COLLEN AND JOE ELLIOTT)- Holy f*ck I cannot begin to even tell you how much I f*cking love this song. It's SO catchy. It makes me kick my legs up like a Rockette during the chorus (not that hard to imagine, seeing as I do the same for Tatler Magazine), and then drop into a headbang during the guitar riff. This song is altogether a whole powerhouse. It's high-voltage, anthemic as always, and I'll be belting it in the shower every day until my roommates kill me.
WILD CHILD (w/ TOM MORELLO)- This song has SUCH a swagger about it that's classic to Luke Spiller. It's sexy, and yet SO electrifying with Morello's guitar work. It's by far the heaviest song that The Struts have done, and being a metalhead and a fan of Tom Morello, I'm ALL here for that. This song also feels like the third installment of the evolution of Luke's character of Sir Rock n' Roll. We began with Roll Up, where he's suave. We pick up with 21st Century Dandy, where he's larger than life, bombastic and living it up as a rockstar. Now, we see Sir Rock n' Roll in a darker, more entrancingly seductive tone. Replace his velvet with dark leather and smoke, and that's where he's at in this song.
COOL- I'll say, I need to listen to this a few more times to really make out how I feel about it. This is just my one-time listen review. This song brings a classic Luke Spiller sway to it; I could literally picture him with his hands up, shaking as he swayed his hips and sang. It's classic. The vibe gave me a really sexy, flirty sound that also had a groove like David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs". And the breakdown in the middle with Luke's spoken word was just the break that was needed in an otherwise long song!
BURN IT DOWN- This song automatically gave me a very smoky vibe, like it was playing on the front porch of an old home while someone was smoking a cigar. Seductively, of course. I love the double meaning of this song. They could burn it down in the sexy, passionate way, give love like they've never experienced. But they could also burn it down, tear it apart. Calling back to the Young & Dangerous album, a love could burn like fire, but everything could turn to ashes. There's a really interesting vibe to this song where you get tastes of both sides. There's the power and seduction of the good meaning, and the smoky dimness in the tempo that gives a taste of the ashes that could be left behind.
ANOTHER HIT OF SHOWMANSHIP (w/ ALBERT HAMMOND)- This song is one I listen to nearly every day now. It's absolutely a song for our times. It's bleeding, vulnerable and personal. Rockstars are people too, and in these trying times, the pandemic doesn't discriminate on who it messes up. It's taken away from everyone. But for a showman, whose high comes from that feeling of being on stage and making connections with an audience, there's a HUGE sense of loss right now. And this song really openly portrays that. There's still a little infusion of hope into it. Even if saying "I'm fine, I'll be alright" is just a means of pushing ourselves through, there's a sense of pleading to just hang on. One more hit, one more little push, and things will work out.
CAN'T SLEEP- Gave me automatic callbacks to Body Talks with the opening, but I also found my mind singing Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet. Mashup maybe?? Anyway. The song develops into this almost Def Leppard style sound, which I think makes sense as Joe Elliott was a collaborator on this album and potential inspiration. There's a great driving beat to this song, and it feels like a song that needs to be played on a road trip with the top down.
AM I TALKING TO THE CHAMPAGNE (OR TALKING TO YOU)- This is perhaps my favorite song on this album. It is SO different from anything The Struts have done before, and it works SO well. I automatically felt like I was in a fortune teller's tent, surrounded by green smoke and voodoo. I felt like the spirit of Carlos Santana possessed this song and cast a spell, and I'm entranced by it. I honestly forgot to write a real review for this because I just enjoyed it. But here's a direct quote from my written notes: "SAX! SAX! SAXOPHONE!"
Overall, this album, like the time we're living in, is so full of different sounds, feelings and emotions. There's up, there's down. There's loud and soft. There are sounds that are familiar and comfortable, classic Struts. And then there are sounds that we've never heard from them before, throwing us into uncharted territory. But either way, I think that given the circumstances, given the timing, this album is quite strong. Some songs and sounds are a bit niche and aren't the kind of songs that are going to be played on repeat like previous Struts songs. But that's GOOD, that's OKAY! That means they're getting more creative, more experimental, and that means progress. Bravo, lads. You've done it again.
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