58

Diet for a New America (Beyond)
by Scott Hefflon

58 is ex-Mötley Crüe bassist/songwriter Nikki Sixx’s new band. I’ll call this modern rock simply cuz the phrase brings nothing to mind, and neither does this. Another post-glamster’s attempt at getting caught up and doing something relevant (usually by lifting now-passé styles and still not doing them well), Nikki and the boys mix “equal parts pop, glam, hip hop, rock, funk… and a car crash,” which all sounds fine until you hear the surface scratching they do of each. While too much is forced bluster, failed attempts at “rockin’ the house” or something, and other tunes are obviously just “let’s throw some weird sounds in here so no one’ll notice there’s no song going on” (actually, I give ’em too much credit: it’s my experience that most of these ex-high-lifers are so out of touch, they have absolutely no judgement left to gauge what’s good and what’s laughably derivative, but no one’ll tell ’em that), I’m pleased to say I do like two of the 11 songs presented here. And they’re the two that made me groan the most upon first listen. “Piece of Candy” (what passes for a single) and “Queer” are part Beck/G. Love and part “Walk on the Wild Side” Lou Reed – from an aging rocker perspective, that is. The songs are silly, not all posturing and trying to prove something, and that’s what makes ’em easy on the ears.
www.beyondmusic.com