lambchops's Full Review: Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson
Known for his personality, appearance, and on-stage antics as much as his music, Marilyn Manson is among the most visible musicians to appear in the last fifteen or so years. At first, he was just a lanky hard rocker with an ability to create metal music with an industrial edge while appealing to disenchanted teenagers. Around the time of the release of Antichrist Superstar (1996) something changed--his visage became darker and his performances more intense.
Still something about the former Brian Warner appeals to me. I love the fact that he challenges society to actually listen. Sure his physical being is unique, but his music has something to say--and it has nothing to do with Satanism. His music is actually compelling as has been proven on the majority of his releases; many of which have yielded hit singles. From Portrait of an American Family (1994) through breakthrough release Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals (1998), Holy Wood (2000), and even the less convincing The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003) my admiration for the performer has grown. I like Marilyn Manson. He is among my guiltiest of pleasures. His songs are some of my favorite to crank in the heat of summer with my car windows rolled down.
Mechanical Animals is an excellent follow-up to the successful Antichrist Superstar. While the 1996 album gave the world booming rock tracks like Beautiful People, Tourniquet, and Antichrist Superstar Mechanical Animals gifted fans with gems including The Dope Show, I Don't Like Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me and Rock Is Dead. There is more to the album than mere singles--this is a nearly fully realized work of an ambitious and misunderstood artist.
Manson's fourth full length release is actually something of a concept album. Using David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust as a model, he morphed into a sexless alien he dubbed Omega (or "The End"). His unlikely combination of glam and goth elements works visually. His menacing, bleak, and aggressive music crosses paths with other adjectives like playful, strange, and theatrical to create something wholly entertaining. After all, aren't songs supposed to be fun?
But back to the actual tunes--I've already mentioned the obvious choices. The Dope Show oozes a dark sensuality that is very, very appealing to me. I love Manson's seething vocals and the cacophonous, thumping instruments. Rock Is Dead is also a memorable selection. The guitars and noise are definitely reminiscent of the best tracks on Antichrist Superstar but the overall tone of the song seems somewhat less serious. The chorus is energetic not to mention chock full of noise. I like noise. Finally I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me) is a groovy song compete with a seventies edge. Of course as envisioned by Manson (errr "Omega") it is a guttural, emotionally detached, and ominous song.
There are plenty other songs that get under my skin. Album opener Great Big White World is tightly crafted and alternates between uncharacteristically restrained performances and Manson's sneering voice. The slow, plodding pace sets the tone for the rest of Mechanical Animals. Album ender Coma White is also rather toned down. I love the melodic elements and the fact that Manson proves his worth as a singer not to mention songwriter. There are some tracks which are performed by "Omega" while others are by his counterpart "The Mechanical Animals." I'm not positive which party is singing about Coma White, but suffice it to say that the song is among the most lovely of this album. And by lovely I mean beautiful in a nihilistic, crazed, edgy way. The lyrics speak to drugs--and in the words of our narrator "A pill to make you anybody else--but all the drugs in this world won't save her from herself."
Between the first and last song, there are plenty of others worth mentioning. In particular I'm drawn to the surprisingly acoustic and placid The Speed of Pain. Of course Manson never really rests on his laurels. Even when a song seems on the surface to be one thing, the lyrics reveal something else. Posthuman features Manson's raven haired former girlfriend Rose McGowan as the character Coma White. Very much in contrast to the softer songs of Mechanical Animals this is a very fast, very heavy song. As with many of his songs prior and since, this one makes dismissive remarks about god. In his words, I hear echoes of Nietzsche (who Manson obviously has read). User Friendly is the final song I really, really appreciate. It is probably the darkest offering on this disc.
Mechanical Animals actually rose to the number one position on the Billboard 200 and has sold to platinum levels despite the skepticism that surrounded Manson's talent because of his previous professional friendship with Trent Reznor. While the fact it is a concept album ala Ziggy Stardust is obvious, I actually prefer to ingest these songs as an album rather than the intended story. They work better for me that way. There are a few tracks along the way that aren't as great but by and large this is a worthy album for fans of Manson and fans of rock in general. Oh yeah, and it actually makes me happy. Go figure.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Great Big White World
02. The Dope Show
03. Mechanical Animals
04. Rock Is Dead
05. Disassociative
06. The Speed of Pain
07. Posthuman
08. I Want to Disappear
09. I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)
10. New Model, No. 15
11. User Friendly
12. Fundamentally Loathsome
13. The Last Day on Earth
14. Coma White
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