Album: Megaton Robotic Apple Pie
Year: 2005
Style: Post-Grunge, Alternative Rock
Similar Bands: Built To Spill, Janes Addiction, Jesus Lizard, Alice In Chains, Winston's Dog, Candlebox.
"One Word" Review: Slimy-Sludge-Rock
Based Out Of: L.A.
Label: Blame It On Mobeaky
Megaton Robotic Apple Pie - Cover, Back & CD
Megaton Robotic Apple Pie - Liner Notes & CD Tray
Megaton Robotic Apple Pie (2005)
- Frontline 3:52
- Troubled 3:30
- Numbered Days 3:41
- Whiskey Song 3:00
- Highway 61 2:52
- One More Lie 4:22
- What You Wanted 3:14
- Tijuana 3:28
- There is a Place 3:53
- Weight of the World 2:49
Album Rating (1-10): 3.5
Members & Other Bands
Bruce Lomet - Vox, Guitar, Producer
Dan Cudahy - Guitars, Producer
Collyn McCoy - Bass
Dave Weinstein - Drums
Mike Milchner - Recording, Mixing, Mastering
Kat Portie - Photography
Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of these guys. I got the CD in the package of cast offs from a friend. The artwork of power lines would suggest that their music is high energy. The red color also notes energy. The album name is quirky, and seems to show a fun playful side to the band. This might be ok. It might be horrible too…
Album Review: “Frontline” feels like a type of song that a friend’s old band used to play. The vocals are rushed and a bit static, the song is driving, but features a slow breakdown, where it feels a bit like Alice in Chains. It is dark and droning.
“Troubled” is aggressive and driving. It is more skuzzy rock, you can feel the sludge and stink coming from the audio.
“Numbered Days” feels like a heavier Pearl Jam style song.
“Whiskey Song” features vocals as if the singer has a nasal infection, but not in a good way. The groove is that of alternative rock, and feels like it is right out of 1995.
“Highway 61” has a melody that reminds me of the same friend’s ex-band. The vocals are deep and annoying for my taste. It feels like Candlebox or something equally grungy.
“One More Lie” is their rock ballad. The vocals are lighter and the acoustic guitar is used in full force. The vocals pick up weight toward the end and become more confident.
“What You Wanted” has little bright spots of fast guitars and drums in the chorus, but for the majority of the song, it feels like a slimy alternative medium paced head nodding jam.
“Tijuana” is another song in the vein of Alice in Chains. It’s heavy, droning, and meandering. The use of the title in the song is abrasive and obvious.
“There is a Place” is creatively different from the rest of the album for the first minute. It is more melodic and feels like a bad Life Of Agony song with the energy placed on the vocals in the early verses. It uniquely builds, but the vocals return to a poor man’s imitation of 90’s grunge.
“Weight of the World” ends the album with a mid tempo, positive prog number. Sections it are lighter and more uplifting than the rest of the record. And the song ends in the chorus of vocals repeating the title over into a fade out.
I really did not like this record. It is a good example of much that I do not like about 90’s grunge. It is not interesting and it feels overly complex than it has to be. Perhaps this is music for musicians, and it just dose not keep me entertained.
“Troubled” is aggressive and driving. It is more skuzzy rock, you can feel the sludge and stink coming from the audio.
“Numbered Days” feels like a heavier Pearl Jam style song.
“Whiskey Song” features vocals as if the singer has a nasal infection, but not in a good way. The groove is that of alternative rock, and feels like it is right out of 1995.
“Highway 61” has a melody that reminds me of the same friend’s ex-band. The vocals are deep and annoying for my taste. It feels like Candlebox or something equally grungy.
“One More Lie” is their rock ballad. The vocals are lighter and the acoustic guitar is used in full force. The vocals pick up weight toward the end and become more confident.
“What You Wanted” has little bright spots of fast guitars and drums in the chorus, but for the majority of the song, it feels like a slimy alternative medium paced head nodding jam.
“Tijuana” is another song in the vein of Alice in Chains. It’s heavy, droning, and meandering. The use of the title in the song is abrasive and obvious.
“There is a Place” is creatively different from the rest of the album for the first minute. It is more melodic and feels like a bad Life Of Agony song with the energy placed on the vocals in the early verses. It uniquely builds, but the vocals return to a poor man’s imitation of 90’s grunge.
“Weight of the World” ends the album with a mid tempo, positive prog number. Sections it are lighter and more uplifting than the rest of the record. And the song ends in the chorus of vocals repeating the title over into a fade out.
I really did not like this record. It is a good example of much that I do not like about 90’s grunge. It is not interesting and it feels overly complex than it has to be. Perhaps this is music for musicians, and it just dose not keep me entertained.
Stand Out Track: What You Wanted
Links:
Thanks for reviewing our record. Although you're clearly not a fan of our music, we appreciate you taking the time to give it a spin and review each track. We happen to love grunge, and if you're not a grunge fan, then you probably won't take to the record. Our first album called "you might like this better than me" is more indie punk and worth checking out. PEACE - Bruce from CHINASKI
ReplyDeleteBetween all of the albums that were forwarded to me during Music Underwater’s hiatus, I was the most excited about this one. Jesus Lizard influence? Early 90’s alternative rock sound? This could not fail, because this is the sort of rock I loved so much that nobody was fucking playing.
ReplyDeleteAs far as openers go, they sure as hell deliver on the prospects they raised in those comparisons. “Frontline” is a killer, frantic, and heavy piece of rock mayhem. Just listen to the lyrics - “Strappin’ on the semtex, driving in the nails/Running to the bus stop to catch a ride to Hell/God fearers to the left, scene-stealers to the right/Smile for the camera, babe, you’re looking dynamite.” Does that not epitomize rock or what? There’s something laughably absurd about the imagery “Frontline” presents, just as there’s something sinister, and everything falls into a weird sort of place that’s been missing from pure rock albums. It’s as tongue-in-cheek as it is brutal, and that’s the way to suck somebody in. You never know what to expect.
“Trouble” starts out slow, but throttles into a killer chorus of “You can’t stop me now!” It may not be completely original, but it’s a hell of a lot more fun to listen to than The Arcade Fire. Singer Bruce Lomet’s passionate vocals make the most clichéd line of lyrical angst sound as threatening as the devil’s music of old. This ain’t Linkin Park, kiddies. “Numbered Days” calls Fugazi, “Whiskey Song” is a funk-tinged slaughterhouse of sludge (with the album’s catchiest chorus), and “Highway 61” hits the album’s rolling, guitar-driven peak.
The entire first half of Megaton Robotic Apple Pie is so strong, so full of nonstop rock pieces that the second half pales a bit in comparison. “One More Lie” is a noble attempt at an acoustic-driven number that comes off a bit too nu-metal ballad for my tastes, although when it gets heavy near the end, it’s a flawless transition that separates these boys from the Finger Elevens on the world. “What You Wanted” is a bit of a disjointed stab at math-rock, and while “Tijuana” picks things up a tad, only the explosive closer “Weight of the World” matches the intensity of the album’s first half.
Of course, there’s nothing bad about Megaton Robotic Apple Pie at all. The album’s first five songs take their influences to the batting cages. For anybody who’s looking to hear an album that just isn’t afraid to rock out, Chinaski will meet your expectations for the most part, and for the first bits, exceed them tremendously. Check it out, rock crusaders.
author: Music Underwater site
(Posted by CHINASKI as another perspective on our album)