Marilyn Manson - Golden Age of the Grotesque

I’d love to see Marilyn Manson try what Trent Reznor did for the album Still, (part of the deluxe NIN live CD package) which was to strip down all the industrial layering and digital distortion and write a simple album with good songs and no production gimmicks. I say this because Manson’s new album has some interesting ideas and some good songs, but ultra-loud, over-produced industrial guitar/vocals and clichéd samples cover up anything that is potentially well written. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of all his previous work, but Golden Age of the Grotesque comes off as a bit underdeveloped and over-layered. Incidentally, the album is self-produced with the production help and drum programming of Tim Skold (KMFDM, MDFMK). The title track is probably my favorite off of the album because it sticks out as the only track that doesn’t try to be the "most rockingest rock song" ever. The concept of the album revolves around a mix of Da-Da and Impressionism, the German art scene right before World War II. Manson sings about doppelgangers, bulletproof bizzop, doll-dagga buzz-buzz ziggity-zag, and the dirty word "Reich." When the album sticks to this kind of goofy vernacular it is extremely successful; musicians who try to be serious all the time (errr… Metallica) tend to fall apart. The album feels as though Manson was trying to mature into something fresh, but second-guessed himself and stuck with the outdated shock rock facade. At least he’s trying out new styles of writing and looking for new areas of inspiration. In addition to the more interesting lyrics, Manson also sings about “memorizing the words to the porno movies” and why “the women of the world list their reasons for fucking me,” which unfortunately ruins the album. When Golden Age of the Grotesque sticks to being silly (the central concept of Da-Da-ism) it’s good, but when its bad it’s really, really bad. Also, the additional DVD film by Marilyn Manson is one of the dullest, most mind-numbing things I have ever seen. If you’re interested in this album, buy it without the bonus DVD, because it really is THAT BAD. Regardless of whether you love or hate him, Manson gets bonus points for reverence towards a very interesting art scene. He also gets bonus points for taking a stab at Disney. “I’m the leader of the club, and I’ve shrugged off my mouse ears, we fly No-Class Dumbo jets, and drive hardcore-vettes, we wear lawsuits when we get high, high, high.” [www.marilyn-manson.net]