The setting is October of 1997, two years to the month after the release of the Deftones explosive debut, Adrenaline. Maverick Recordings releases the Tone’s sophomore album, Around The Fur. This time around is even sweeter than the last, and very different from it, as well.
1. “My Own Summer”: In my review of the Deftone’s first album, Adrenaline, I admired the CD’s opener, “Bored”, by saying “what a way to start off a CD”. Well the exact same thing applies here, folks. My Own Summer is one of the few Deftones songs that people who aren’t fans of the band might know. There’s a reason for that; it rocks so hard. The opening guitar line and quiet singing get your attention, and then the chorus riff explodes into your ears. Stephen’s guitar lets off for a minute to let Chi show off his excellent bass playing, and then that heavy riff hits you again. The pre-chorus is sweetly sung by Chino, but then desecrated by the chorus once again. Awesome song, in total.
2. “Lhabia”: This is where the change starts to begin. Chino’s lyrics go from the usual angry rap to borderline twisted and psychotic mumbling. The song is quite obviously about rape…”Look at what it’s doing to you, but that’s ok cuz look how it feels”. The chorus is very catchy, and afterwards, Chino shows off his trademark scream.
3. “Mascara”: I don’t think anyone who got hooked by Adrenaline would expect a song like this. The influence of new wave bands like The Cure and The Smiths on Chino is quite evident on this song. A quiet opening guitar riff is joined by a slow beat and bass. Chino whispers the verse, and sings the catchy chorus. The song doesn’t pick up like you might expect it too, but stays dark and slow. I’ve come to like this song a lot after many listens.
4. “Around The Fur”: A great beat by Abe gets this song going as Chino sings over Stephen’s palm mutes, and you can tell it’s just building up. Finally the chorus hits, exploding into a great guitar riff and some screaming, which hasn’t been all that prominent in the last couple songs. The bridge goes back to a quiet theme as Chino softly mumbles, and you can once again tell that it’s going to get heavy pretty soon, which it does. Chino takes the song out perfectly with his aggression.
5. “Rickets”: Another review for this song said that it could have easily been placed on Adrenaline, and I definitely agree. This one kicks off heavy and never really lets up, save for the verses, but they’re short. I wasn’t a big fan of this song at first, but I now definitely appreciate its heaviness. You’ll have fun rocking to this one.
6. “Be Quiet and Drive”: Oh man, don’t get me started on this song. This is the best Deftones song, if not the best SONG, I have ever heard. It’s such a change from the hard sound the Deftones do so well, and is a pre-White Pony track for sure. A sweet chorusing guitar line breaks into an amazingly catchy verse riff, which is used for most of the song. Chino’s singing is absolutely beautiful, and creates the atmosphere of just needing to get away from everything perfectly. A very simple song, but so damn beautiful, you’re guaranteed to love it. I think I’ve listened to it everyday at least once sine I heard it last summer, and it is my girlfriend and I’s special song. I would buy the album just for this song, but the rest support it very well.
7. “Lotion”: I’ve never been too big on this song. It kills the mood from BQAD by getting very heavy again, ala Rickets. A good amount of screaming, but an awesome chorus which is sung very well. The ending gets very heavy, with “I feel sick right here!” repeated over a heavy guitar line. It’s alright, in all.
8. “Dai The Flu”: I’ve heard a lot of people say that they don’t enjoy this song, but I definitely like it. An emotional song with almost no screaming, just excellent vocals over nice, complimenting riffs by Stephen. The chorus of “What’s the surprise? I was right here, going on, going off” will be in your head for a while. I can see this one on White Pony, personally.
9. “Headup”: Here we go…as soon as the feedback intro starts to get louder, you know something’s up. Then a simple riff comes in for a minute with grunting in the background. All of a sudden, boom. The cymbals crash and that riff gets powerful as furious rapping ensues. It pauses for a moment, then it hits you again, leading into a powerful chorus of screaming. It might seem like it’s over after the second chorus, but then the bridge musically punches you in the face. “Walk into this world, with your head up high!”…It gives me chills every time. Ending just as furious as it began, you’ll feel like a tornado just went through when it’s over. Definitely comparable to “Engine No. 9” off Adrenaline. So good.
10. “Mx”: The beginning comes out of silence with a slow, catchy riff. Chino slowly croons out the verse, with lyrics about admiration of a girl. Abe’s wife Annalynn makes a guest appearance doing background vocals during the pre-chorus. Then it gets heavy, and the lyrics turn dark. “So I can, so I can, shove her over railing”. Maybe he doesn’t admire this girl like we thought. The song carries on like this, and is almost like a good book. Quiet then heavy over and over, a trademark of most Deftones songs.
11. “Damone”: Around The Fur’s hidden track. Like “Fist” from Adrenaline, it’s an emotional song, but much heavier, though on the lighter side compared to some songs on this album. You have to skip through a lot of time after “Mx” to get to it, but it’s totally worth it. One of the catchiest songs on the album, with Chino’s distressed singing and screaming contrasting perfectly. The chorus will stick with you for a while. Then some of the best lyrics behind near silence as the chorus drops off…”this feeling gets old, and so do your eyes, this is why…I hate you…”, and the chorus hits once again. An awesome way to end this amazing disc.
Around The Fur is quite simply a pleasant and fresh change from the rap-metal style of Adrenaline. A couple of songs bring you back to it, but most of them are an awesome new sound that is built on amazingly well with their next album, White Pony. I recommend this album very highly, so get it if you don’t got it.
Favorites: “My Own Summer”, “Be Quiet and Drive”, “Headup”, “Damone”.
