The Nightmare Returns

Welcome 2 My Nightmare - Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper’s latest attack on rock ‘n’ roll comes in the form of a sequel to his 1975 classic album Welcome To My Nightmare. This new release sees him once again exploring his most theatrical and imaginative side which perfectly captures the essence of his earlier work. The shock rock king takes listeners on a whirlwind journey into the depths of a nightmare, proving this album to be so much more than just a collection of songs.

     Opening with the deliciously eerie I Am Made Of You, Alice sets the scene and tone of the record as the nightmare begins. As the album weaves into following track Caffeine, a forceful, chant-worthy number, onto rock ballad The Nightmare Returns, it’s clear that every song on this album is dramatically different from the next. Alice uses every instrument at his disposal, ranging from the delicate tinkle of a piano to the eruption of the guitars, giving the album a true sense of a master at work. Indeed, with Alice surprises are to be expected, so don’t be too alarmed as he raps (that’s right, he raps) along to the disco beat in Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever. But before those lifelong Cooper fans stir into rage at this unlikely metamorphosis in sound and character, you can rest assured that he is quite plainly making a not-so-subtle mockery of the hip-generation; a genre of music which Alice is so forcefully against.

     The rock veteran certainly hasn't developed a soft touch over the years, as is quite clearly shown in the hard-edged first single release I’ll Bite Your Face Off – well the title says it all really. But alongside these straight-up rock ‘n’ roll hits to which Alice is so accustomed, he ventures into uncharted territory in such songs as Ghouls Gone Wild, a delightfully upbeat, and catchy hit that serves to bring a sense of fun and vibrancy to the nightmare, and What Baby Wants, where he collaborates with pop party queen Kesha. It is an unlikely collaboration to say the least, yet it works surprisingly well. The nightmare closes with the appropriately entitled song I Gotta Get Outta Here. It is during this last charade that Alice battles to leave his nightmare world and head back to the land of the living. Yet as the song draws to an end, and Alice pleads to escape, listeners are left on somewhat of a cliff-hanger – is he dead or not? Can he leave? Is it over? Well, I’ll leave that for you to decide yourself.

     Welcome 2 My Nightmare is a theatrical, flamboyant, and unpredictable album that is quite unlike anything else on the shelf – which of course is Cooper’s style through and through. The album is more than simply music; it is an adventure into the dark and mysterious world of Alice, and it has such a sense of grandeur and class that it leaves you in no doubt that this is the work of a true rock genius: a legend.


**As seen in The Motion Online**

Commit This To Memory

Motion City Soundtrack

4 Albums, 2 Nights, 7 Cities Tour 2011 – House of Blues, LA 19-20/08/2011

As indicated by the title of the tour, Motion City Soundtrack have taken on quite a challenge. Covering all four of their albums across two nights in seven different cities across the US, I’m sure the pressure is on. The first leg of the tour brings them to the House Of Blues located on Sunset Boulevard in LA. You would be hard pushed to find a venue quite as quirky as this one. With its rusty corrugated iron exterior (that looks set to fall to pieces at any moment) and its wooden interior, it’s certainly an interesting place to find yourself, yet it seems the perfect place for tonight’s headliners. Much like the venue, the band are no short of character, and both their originality and uniqueness are perfectly suited to this unusual building.

     As the house lights go down and the cheers go up, the band come out in a blitz of high energy sending the crowd into something of a frenzied bloodbath. The first album, I Am The Movie, is met with delighted enthusiasm. Old classics The Future Freaks Me Out and My Favourite Accident go down a storm, with the crowd eagerly snatching the words from singer Justin Pierre, leaving him to stand beaming gleefully. Tonight’s crowd certainly aren’t newcomers to this band, as the first and oldest records are greeted with such almighty adoration. After taking a brief ten minute interlude between albums, the band head back to the stage to power through their second, highly acclaimed record, Commit This To Memory. Openers, Attractive Today, and Everything Is Alright, are greeted with such an ear-splitting roar that the crowd threaten to blow the bloody doors off. The set is a powerhouse of soaring rock anthems and delicious melodies, delivered with such wit and charm, that you leave with a tingle of excitement at the thought of reliving the whole thing the very next day.

     As the second night dawns, the fans are out in force once again for another chaotic, music filled night of frivolity and mayhem which the band doesn't fail to deliver. Launching in to Fell In Love Without You, from the third album Even If It Kills Me, the venue is packed to bulging point with po-going fans, each over enthusiastically singing along to each and every word. Indeed you would be hard pushed to find a more adoring crowd than tonight’s bunch. The band themselves seem a lot more relaxed tonight, with frontman Justin Pierre becoming noticeably chattier and more at ease. Between tracks he frequently shares amusing tales and stories behind the songs inspirations, much to the delight of the sea of gleeful faces staring back at him.

     The band cruise through the mammoth set with ease, showing themselves to be true professionals. Well, they were doing ever so well until Hysteria, a song from their latest album My Dinosaur Life, which managed to throw them a bit off course. Pierre manages to sing the first line before tripping up over his own lyrics and forgetting the words. At this loss of focus he can’t help but laugh at his own misfortune, whilst appearing mildly surprised that he hadn’t messed up earlier. As he prepares to tackle the song again, he stands and ponders the lyrics for a moment which seem to have utterly bypassed him, so he turns to his band mates for help… but that didn’t seem to help much either. With a bit of assistance from the crowd (and the internet!), he gets his thoughts in line and is ready to try again – after he has promised each person a personal apology and two dollars compensation for his hiccup! Of course this didn’t actually happen, but he did pop out to greet people afterwards, where he happily signed autographs and posed for endless pictures with ecstatic fans - now that’s what you call star service!

     The rest of the night went without a hitch, with My Dinosaur Life being received with such fervent enthusiasm, proving that Motion City Soundtrack have simply got better and better with time. Opting to play all four albums back to back over two consecutive nights is a pretty momentous challenge to take on – a task which some artists may not have been able to deliver on, but the band simply rose to the occasion. There simply isn't a bad song across all four albums, highlighting that Motion City Soundtrack are light years apart from one hit wonders with only one decent song to their name. No, if this band is good at anything it is consistency, and their uncanny ability to endlessly deliver more than just one songs worth of good music. And with confirmation of a fifth album “in the bag”, they aren't planning on slowing down any time soon. So keep a look out for this band – they are certainly ones to watch.

Check out some of the videos from the show: http://www.youtube.com/user/clairelaura19

**As seen in The Motion Online**