Lou Reed + Metallica = Match Made In... eh.

I listened to the new Lou Reed + Metallica album, Lulu, a couple of times.

I feel like the mashup is unpredictable and cool, and that the raw nature of both of their music might, theoretically, be a good match.

Unfortunately, Lou contributed all-new material from a performance-art piece, instead of tailor-making it specifically for this project, and the results are less than great. His best material, to me, has been when he creates standard-form songs, regardless of a theme, rather than experiementing with rhymeless and sometimes unmelodic artsy chazarei. I mean, come on - New York and Transformer - case and point.

Whereas it's an occassional great success for a band to make a first-take only rule in new album sessions (see Farmhouse), the results are not good here. It sounds like two distinct sounds and vibes not meshing together. Metallica constantly sounds lost and trying to keep up with whatever seems to be coming into Lou's drifting and unfocused musical brain.

I've always thought that Metallica's amazingness and true power come from detailed arrangements that they hammer out with painstaking refinement in the studio - they then perform these tight bursts of metal live close to those studio versions. That means their early takes probably suck.

Well, that's what this sounds like to me. Plus, you've got a more-than-he-usually-is out-of-tune Lou fronting them, heading into areas where they're obviously uncomfortable. That could potentially be good, to hear Metallica go into areas they haven't been before - but not here.

K I S S

When you're raised on steady diets of polarity in American folk and Beatles, like I was, as a musician it's hard to recognize the need for simplicity while the Siren's call of complexity beckons - especially when you reach a point where you can manifest what's in your head. To quote Tap: There's a fine line between stupid and clever.

I've been thinking about this for years now. Often, I find myself holding back from going off on a solo or adding extra thumps to a drum or bass part, and opting for what I think will better serve the song. I didn't just make this up - on guitar at least, I think I got it from Brian May, who once said that, when he's prepping his solos in the studio, he thinks first about "serving the song". Serving the song... that's fascinated me forever.

The same goes for songwriting - without going deeper, I equally love 2112 Rush, New York Lou Reed, Smile Beach Boys, and Ringo Ringo.

Here's an awesome example of simple-makes-better - Lou's Dirty Boulevard. Simple in rhythm, simple in tune, simple in arrangement, complex in lyric, and POWERFUL as hell. If you've ever lived in NYC, this song has extra meaning.