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"
Rea
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oh my God..."
* Cue 27 NPS shredding *
So starts
Giant Robot, Buckethead's second album and considered by many to be one of his best. These people do not think this in vein- this is a fantastic record, filled with many different genres of music, funny voice samples, a spattering of guitar shredding, and some classic Buckethead tracks that he still plays live to this day.
Giant Robot is like a rollercoaster ride. It is filled with an endless supply of 180-degree turns within the songs themselves, making this CD infinitely listenable. The creativity displayed on here is stunning, along with the musicianship.
After the short intro "Doomride" (which is almost a practical joke in itself- forcing you to turn up the volume to hear the quiet voice sample, and then assaulting you with machine-gun riffs and incredibly fast guitar shredding,) comes the first track "Welcome To Bucketheadland". What many don't realize is that this is a redo of 'Intro- Park Theme,' off of Buckethead's first album,
Bucketheadland. While the original version had more of a dance vibe (with the drum machine and rawer riffage), this one is more of a rock song, with some added voice samples and a less complex solo. This one feels a little dry to me- probably because of the dumbed down solo and overall polish of it. Another highlight is "Warweb," which in my opinion should have been the opening track ("Doomride" to be left on the cutting room floor). It features a chilly organ line behind a little girl talking, and creates an extremely creepy and goosebump-inducing atmosphere. While maybe a little long, it manages to create one of the most apprehensive feelings on the whole record.
"Aquabot," "Robot Transmission," and the brief "Chicken" are all essentially funk tracks- the latter sounding like a very weird attempt at beatboxing (A.K.A. an unnecessary track). "Binge And Grab [Instrumental Version]" is an instrumental version of a track written by Buckethead's first band, the Deli Creeps. This is one of the best of the album, as it manages to retain an 80's rock-feel without transcending into ripoff-territory. It also features one of the best guitar solos off the whole record. "Pure Imagination," "Pirate's Life For Me," and "Star Wars" are all short cover songs from movies. "Pure Imagination" makes good use of the rarely-used vocoder for a surprisingly emotional piece, and Buckethead just perfects the Star Wars theme on the unsurprisingly-titled "Star Wars." Finally, the beautiful "I Love My Parents" starts out as a lone guitar ballad which, about halfway through, morphs into a full-on orchestral piece. Absolutely fantastic- I wish Buckethead would utilize stringed instruments more often on his new releases.
A zany and undeniably entertaining listen,
Giant Robot manages to hit (almost) all the right notes and is infinitely listenable because of that. It's only real problems are some of the plodding riffs, which just go on for too long on some tracks; "Buckethead's Chamber Of Horrors" and "Post Office Buddy" spring to mind. Also a small issue are the inclusion of a couple of unnecessary tracks, such as "Chicken" and intro "Doomride." Still, this album is one of the most fun listens I've ever had, and is worth checking out, Buckethead fan or not.
