BAG
When your CD is the first release from Gene Simmons newly-resurrected
Simmons Records, and you produced a few of the tracks on the
Demon's last solo disc,
you know you've got something special. BAG is the South American-born,
Canada-based one-man band whose self-titled debut is one of the most
impressive releases I've heard in a long time...and I say that because
Bag not only wrote every song on this extremely well-rounded disc, but
plays every instrument and sings every vocal track on every song.
One fact that is immediately apparent is that BAG is a fan of melody.
He knows that without a killer, memorable hook, a song isn't much else
than noise. I know this review could potentially get very cryptic very
quickly, so I'll try to stick with references that are identifiable.
The most similar artist I could compare to this guy is BECK. One minute
he's hip-hop, and the other, he's rock, and then he shifts over to
ballad territory. BAG is very difficult to pigeon-hole, and that's
going to either help him tremendously with a crossover hit, or hurt him
in the long run because music fans (at least in the U.S.) like to
categorize their music into cookie-cutter categories.
The first single, "I Can't Stand Your Face" (
Check out the UNCENSORED Video HERE)
is a catchy rocker that could very easily click with the
too-cool-for-the-room crowds, but I don't know WHERE that video is
getting played (in the U.S. anyway).
Check out "Afterlife" for a complete change of pace. It's a slow,
emotional, etherial, acoustic ballad that sounds like an unexpected ode
to a suicide. It's also another indication of Bag's ability to be a
musical chameleon. He has no intention of sticking to any musical
convention or trend, so that should help him if he intends to carve out
a little niche for himself.
"I Can't Shut My Mouth" is another rock-oriented tune with a QUEEN
influence throughout the song. This guy has so many influences, they're
nearly impossible to list.
As music becomes more and more homogenized, it's artists like BAG who
are going to stand out from the rest of the pack...which, in my
opinion, is a very good thing.
