Just posted this review on the website- be sure to check it out
Lou Reed, Metal Machine Music
On the forum at Music Banter, I was requested to write a review of Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music. Was this review request a joke? Quite possibly- I understand why few people are able to make it through one listen of this album without losing their sanity. Perhaps a better question is whether Lou Reed viewed this album as a joke. Is this a product of frustration similar to Dylan's Self-Portrait or did he view it as a potential masterpiece? Based on what I've heard of his earlier works, I believe that Reed did not view this album as an intentional insult to his fans and record label, but rather an unbridled experiment in organized chaos.
The music on Metal Machine Music is extremely harsh and polarizing- if you are willing to even call it "music." Perhaps influenced by the incessant screeching of George Crumb's "Black Angels", Reed seems to be exercising his abilities as an avant-garde artist through his meticulous organization of these hair-raising sounds. However, not every part of the music in this album is unlistenable- underlying the constant screeches and hisses of electronically generated patterns is a faint melody that is ever changing throughout the album- a hint of something pleasant masked by howling of excruciating noise. For instance, during the first track electronic bagpipes, or something similar to this, blast alongside hisses and blips. One could possibly view this higher ratio of unpleasant to pleasant sounds as a commentary on society or other things- maybe even the music industry. Perhaps Reed himself is the hint of inspiration clouded by a swarm of uninspired musicians.
Whether or not you decide to breath that much meaning into this album, it is undeniable that Reed was purposeful and true to his artistic desires through his work on his experimental Metal Machine Music. I did not particularly enjoy listening to it and I certainly won't be listening to it again any time soon. However, I can't discount this garbled noise as pure trash. Experiments like this have value. I'm certain Lou Reed wouldn't be as highly esteemed as he is had he not taken a "walk on the wild side" every once in a while...sorry, I couldn't resist.
5/10
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