Review Summary: Sixx:A.M.'s most fun and diverse album.
So, I really like Sixx:A.M. The lyrics are consistantly inspirational, almost all their songs are very catchy, Michael's voice is exceptional, and DJ Ashba is hands down my favorite guitarist because of how enjoyable and memorable his solo's are. What's more, "Modern Vintage" is my favorite album by Sixx:A.M. It has all of the elements that I generally like about Sixx:A.M., plus it is musically their most diverse and experimental album. Now, I would by no means argue that a band has to experiment and explore a wide range of musical territory to be really good. Breaking Benjamin is an example of a band that pretty much always sticks to the same general sound and pulls it off very nicely, in my opinion. But when a group that I like does explore new terrain and pulls it off really well, that definitely says something very positive about them, and I would argue that "Modern Vintage" is a great example of this.
I do realize that I am going against the grain by taking this view. All four of Sixx:A.M.'s other LP's are generally rated higher than this one. Part of this could be because they started out by consistently playing a certain style of rock, and all of their albums besides this one mimic that sound for the most part. Thus, most of their audience may be more inclined to want them to stick to that genre. Also, music is pretty subjective, and it's very common for songs that some view as classic to be simply average or worse by the standards of many others. What it comes down to is that, regardless of the various reactions of others, I enjoyed the album immensely and think that they did a really good job on it.
Lyrically, they touch on a pretty wide variety of topics. Songs like "Relief" and "Miracle" are about trying to find hope during tough times, and "Stars" is a passionate love song. "Give Me a Love" and "High on the Music" are about desiring a passion for a wholesome and rewarding life, and "Let it Haunt You" is about accepting and celebrating yourself in spite of your flaws. "Get Ya Some" is about various kinds of debauchery and trouble that people can get into, "Gotta Get it Right" is about not giving up when the cards are down, "Before it's Over" laments a failed relationship, "Let's Go" is about taking risks, and "Hyperventilate" is about when the demons of the past hold us back. The lyrical variety here is really impressive, especially considering how many artists do albums that really only cover two or three topics.
I would also argue that the lyrics are very consistently well written. "Let's Go" is a little choppy lyrically and I feel like the chorus of "Miracle" could have been better, but the rest of the songs are very solid. "Let it Haunt You" succeeds well at being empowering with lyrics like "Everything that breaks you does not make you who you are." "Stars" uses great language to describe being in love when Michael sings about how a lover "pulled the pin on my heart like a hand grenade." "The more that you take, the more that you need, the more it gets under your skin like a disease" is the observation that Michael makes about the questionable activities in "Get Ya Some," and "Give Me a Love" does a great job of articulating what kinds of love can improve our lives and how important it is to pursue them.
Musically, they are all over the place in a way that doesn't make the album feel disjointed, but instead adds to the album's overall enjoyability. "Let it Haunt You" and "Miracle" go in a disco rock direction, and the only way I can think of to describe "Before it's Over" would be as polka rock. All three are very upbeat and fun songs. Michael has the perfect vocal range for this genre, the bass line in "Miracle" is very catchy, and the guitar solos shine incredibly well. "High on the Music" has a funky rock vibe and "Get Ya Some" has almost an old west feel to it, along with some Latino rock influence. Again, both of them allow Michael to impress us with his versatile vocal abilities, and the guitar solo's (especially the one on "Get Ya Some) are sensational and very memorable. "Gotta Get it Right" has a more classical pop rock feel to it, and is very likely inspired by the sound of "Queen." It's a more simple song, and the only one without a guitar solo, but it's really catchy and Micheal gives hits some really high notes in a very enjoyable way. Their cover of "Drive" is more like the kind of ballad that might appear on another album by them, but also does have more of a cinamatic sound than they usually create. The guitar solo in "Drive" is really creative and is what makes this an superb cover instead of simply a good one. The guitar solos in general on this album impress me more than any of their other albums, and it's definitely the album's musical variety that makes them so much more memerable than usual.
The rest of the album is more or less musically similar to their other albums. "Relief" probably sounds the most like the songs from "Heroin Diaries" and has some haunting chanting in it that works quite well. "Hyperventilate" and "Give Me a Love" are very upbeat rock songs that are sure to get your blood pumping and (need I even mention it?) the guitar solos add to both of them immensely. "Stars" and "Let's Go" have a very heavy and driving rhythm, and work well as solid rock pieces.
To conclude, this album is nearly perfect, in my opinion. "Miracle" and "Let's Go" are the only songs that I think could have been better, but are still both good songs. I would give all the other songs on the album 5's and 4.5's and have nothing negative to say about them. The diversity, vocal talent, solid lyrics, and memorable musical elements are consistantly impressive, and no matter how often I listen to them they never get old. If you have not listened to "Modern Vintage," I highly recommend checking it out. Chances are pretty good that even if you don't like it as much as I do, you will find yourself enjoying much of the album.
