Through The Darkness (Columbia, 1999) marks a partial return to form,
although this heirs of the Ramones sound a lot more like a cross between the
Smashing Pumpkins and the T. Rex in Helpless and like a cross between
Siouxsie and the New York Dolls in Only A Ghost,
and in the end we are again left with the feeling that their authentic passion
is for the power-ballad, the genre that triumphs in the desperate lyrics of
Rise And Fall and Lonely.
Chrome Locust, formed by ex-members of D-Generation (drummer Michael Wildwood) and Murphy's Law (guitarist Todd Youth), debuted with Chrome Locust (MIA, 1999), a collection of old-fashioned rock'n'roll rave-ups a` la MC5.
Jesse Malin formed Bellvue which released To Be Somebody (Golden Seal, 2001). Fine Art of Self Destruction (Artemis, 2003) was his first solo
album, followed by The Heat (Artemis, 2004), whose apocalyptic crowd
reinvented him as an hyper-realist bard in the vein of
Lou Reed and
Bob Dylan.
Jesse Malin's solo album Glitter In The Gutter (2007) was a mediocre
summary of his career and message. It was followed by
On Your Sleeve (2008).
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Through The Darkness (Columbia, 1999) segna un parziale ravvedimento,
ma questi eredi dei Ramones suonano come un incrocio fra gli
Smashing Pumpkins e i T. Rex in Helpless
e come un incrocio fra Siouxsie e i New York Dolls in Only A Ghost,
e alla fine rimane di nuovo l'impressione che la loro vera passione sia per la
power-ballad, quella che trionfa nei versi disperati di
Rise And Fall e Lonely.
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