Band break ups/departures are always really frustrating things, for both the band and the fans. Upon hearing the news, fans will most likely go ballistic, staying up the rest of the night, shot gunning beers and listening to the band again and again and again. While the break up of a band is a tough event to cope through, it’s not like the musicians will just go into retirement. (unless you’re Krist Novoselic) Around the turn of the 21st century, rock supergroups, or bands who have musicians that have already attained fame with other bands, were starting to pop up on the scene. Sure, supergroups have been around since the late 60’s, but the idea has really been put into action the past 6 years. Bands such as The Raconteurs, Angels and Airwaves, +44, The New Cars, Audioslave, Velvet Revolver, are all new to the music seen, but have seasoned veterans who know the music industry like the backs of their hands. Soon, another band will join the league of rebellious supergroups, Rock Star Supernova. Rock Star Supernova, is comprised of four musicians, from all different backgrounds; Tommy Lee of Motley Crue, former Guns N’ Roses guitar player Gilby Clark, and former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, along with Canadian vocalist Lukas Rossi, of the unknown Canadian act Rise Electric.
From humble beginnings.......
Of all the recent supergroups, Rock Star Supernova has got to be one of the cheesiest. I mean, c’mon, combining such different musicians from Motley Crue, Guns N’ Roses, and Metallica? The thought of the music being produced may send cold shivers down ones spine. The other factor that contributes to Rock Star Supernova’s corniness is how the band was started, through a tv show. While Lee, Clark, and Newsted had all secured safe spots within the band, Rock Star Supernova was in need of a vocalist. The result of this thought was “Hey, let’s make a tv show to find a vocalist, while at the same time, make ourselves look like total jackasses. Sounds like a plan!” The show was started on July 3rd, 2006, via the internet. The show found itself on CBS two days after, on July 5th. After two long months of searching far and wide, Lukas Rossi was picked to be the frontman. Straight from their, Rock Star Supernova had to quickly slap together eleven mediocre tracks and transform them into their self titled debut. While recording this album, many trials and tribulations turned toward the band. Though their have been a few events, the climax of this trying period was on October 23rd, 2006. Jason Newsted was trying to catch a falling amp head, but the result was deadly for Rock Star Supernova. Newsted tore an anterior labrum, sidelining him for awhile. The temporary bassist is Johnny Colt, former bassist of the band Black Crowes.
The music made by these four guys is not particularly bad, but it’s nothing special. Every once in awhile, you’ll here a nifty little guitar line, but most of the album is frantic drumming, and bass and guitar parts that don’t suite each other well. In short it’s elementary playing from four mildly experienced musicians that should be producing better sounding tunes. Enter the albums first track, It’s On, and you’ll experience this poor chemistry. Led by not so stellar vocals, and a guitar line that mimics a Neil Young riff from his album “Prairie Wind”, you’ll already be able to tell that this is going to be an album that is not worth while. The only highlight of It’s On may be Lee’s drumming which keeps the song at a sub par level. Another track, Social Disgrace, is a true disgrace. Though the vocals are alright, the instrumentation isn’t structured well. The bass and drums are alright, but the main concern is the guitar, as it is all over the place, leading to the demise of Social Disgrace. On the final song, The Dead Parade there is a horrible cliché jumble up of vocals and instruments. The layering of the guitar, the bass, and the drums does not go well together, adding a cramp to the song. Rossi’s vocals are fairly weak, and the backing vocalists are just there to add reasoning that the song is going to crash into a million pieces. For the most part of this album, the musicianship isn’t that great.
The only worthwhile tracks of off “Rock Star Supernova” are the singles, Be Yourself and 5 Other Clichés, and It’s All Love, as well as one or two others. The title for Be Yourself and 5 Other Clichés well fits the basic gist of the song, cliché. It seems as if the chorus is played over and over 10 times, and the same guitar line is being used (over and over) throughout the whole song. Yet again we get to listen to the blatant vocals of Rossi. On this particular track, it sounds as if he is barking continuously at the chorus and bridges. Though the guitar part may be very repetitive, it is performed fairly well, as Gilby catches all of the rests, riffs, and so on. Newsted’s bass backs up the guitar fairly well. Next, on to the other single, It’s All Love. This particular song calls for a change of pace. An acoustic guitar serenades us at the beginning. After awhile, Lee’s heavy fills and beats comes out to play, as well as Newsted’s newly acquired technique to playing the bass, filling in gaps and holes here and there. Though the song may be more mellow, it becomes more turgid as it progresses, adding momentum to a nice song. Driven by Rossi’s more mellow vocals, one of his best showings of the album, It’s All Love is probably the best and most memorable song of off Rock Star Supernova’s self titled debut.
The last song that is worthy of a glance is Can’t Bring Myself To Light This Flame. A moving orchestra captures the moment of the song in a compelling matter. Both the bass and the guitars layer well to make a protective mesh for the delicate piano. Rossi’s vocals are full of brute force and emotion, adding yet another aspect to this piece. Though these songs won’t be the best song you’ve ever heard, each particular composition acts as a small but much needed punch on this lackluster album.
This debut album definitely lacks in some areas, the lyrical department being one of them. Many of the songs on this album have weak, lacking lyrics that don’t get the point of the song across. The song that may be comprised of the strongest lyrics is Can’t Bring Myself To Light This Flame.
“I’m broken, so deadly, you’re just the one to fix it. You’re calling this early, that feeling god I miss it. Don’t want to live with out, don’t want to stick this out, don’t want to know if it’s the last time I bring you in.
Yes, those are arguably the most moving lyrics on the album. Most of the other songs have generic, boring lyrics that don’t have any pizzazz, thus, putting them into turmoil. Though the lyrics may be generically poor, Rock Star Supernova picked out just the right guy to fill the vocal void, Lukas Rossi. Though on some of the songs his singing is a little to watered down and rusty, he brings out a clean blend of harmony and emotion that is enough to knock you of your chair on one or two occasions. Some may not like Rossi’s vocals, but they are the perfect fit for a band of that is of this caliber.
One thing these guys do well is they don’t drag the sound of any of their previous bands onto this album. Calculating the possibilities of running into a lawsuit filed by Axl Rose would be a sticky situation to get into, so the foursome play their cards right, and don’t sound like a prototype GNR. In fact, they don’t sound like Motley Crue, and they don’t sound a thing like Metallica. What they do sound like is a typical 2006 generic alternative band, filled with wishy-washy drum fills, heavy guitar and bass parts, and mediocre vocals.
When analyzing this ever peculiar album, you can tell that it is eccentric, and you can tell that the media hyped an album that doesn’t really deserve a tone of hype. Though this may not be suitable upon first listen, time will tell with Rock Star Supernova’s debut. This album does share some good qualities, but you can tell that the making of the album was rushed, which contributes to the lack of musicianship and skill. And when it’s all said and done, Rock Star Supernova’s career as a supergroup does not start with a bang. Oh well. Better luck next time, dudes.
2.5-5
Recommended Tracks
Be Yourself (And 5 Other Clichés)
It’s All Love
Can’t Bring Myself To Light This Flame
Headspin
