CD Review: 30 Seconds to Mars - A Beautiful Lie
Published March 15, 2006
"Was It a Dream" is a huge change up. It's a moody ballad that shows yet another side of the songwriter and the band's ability to carry the listener somewhere different without breaking with the flow of the CD. The emotional pain is still there, just conveyed in a different style. My favorite lyrics on the whole CD come from this song,
Your defenses were on high
Your walls built deep inside
Yeah I'm a selfish bastard
But at least I'm not alone
It is the core message of the theme to A Beautiful Lie that looks at the demons of the human spirit; those that exist inside us, and those that plague our relationships. This is a stand-out track on a CD that shines pretty bright as a whole.
Leto continues to show his range on "The Fantasy." A portion of the lyrics are sung with a throaty and seductive whisper befitting the subject matter. He weaves this in and out with rich, pleading moans that assemble and build until they explode with climax, and then it all abruptly ends ... powerful stuff.
A Beautiful Lie was produced by Josh Abraham who won a Grammy for his work on the Velvet Revolver album. He did an amazing job with this one as well. The CD as a whole has a flow that rises and ebbs like the tide. Emotions climb and fall with a natural feel. The changes are not abrupt, and the songs themselves are weaved and intertwined, but not over manipulated. There is still a raw edge to it that is pure rock.
After spending eight months in 2005 opening for such bands as Audioslave, The Used, and My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds to Mars started out on their own headlining tour. "Forever Night Never Day" began March seventh in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It will run through May and carry them through 44 cities. Below is a list of dates for the rest of this month. A complete list of dates can be found on the artist's website.
30 Seconds to Mars is a Blogcritics Featured Artist. Look for upcoming coverage in the next month.
Tour Dates for March
March 16 - Ft. Lauderdale - Culture Room
March 17 - Orlando - House Of Blues
March 18 - Atlanta - Masquerade
March 19 - Norfolk - Norva
March 24 - New York - Avalon
March 25 - Washington DC - American University
March 26 - Buffalo - Town Hall
March 28 - Pittsburg - Mr. Small's
March 29 - Cleveland - House of Blues
March 30 - Toronto - Opera House
March 31 - Toledo - Headliner's
Our coverage of 30 Seconds to Mars continues:
Featured Artist: 30 Seconds to Mars looks at the history of the band and their two CDs.
Concert Review: 30 Seconds to Mars looks at the band's March 31 appearance at Headliners in Toledo OH.
Wife, mother, aspiring novelist, and music editor at BC Magazine, Connie Phillips spends most of her time in a fantasy land of her own creating. In reality, she writes about music, television, and the process of writing, when she's not cheering on her kids at equestrian events. Contact: Phillips.connie@gmail.com
- CD Review: 30 Seconds to Mars - A Beautiful Lie
- Published: March 15, 2006
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Hard Rock
- Part of a feature: Featured Artist
- Writer: Connie Phillips
- Connie Phillips's BC Writer page
- Connie Phillips's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
I just downloaded their first (self-titled) album from iTunes yesterday. Haven't had the chance to listen to it yet, though. I'm having a hard time turning this one off long enough to listen to anything else.
yawn
I was introduced to 30 Seconds to Mars last year...and I immediately fell in love with their music. There's something about the raw edge in both albums that makes you feel like the song was written just for how you're feeling. I'm taking the opportunity to see the band live next month and I am really stoked. I think the main reason why I never paid attention before is because the thought of actors becoming singers makes my skin crawl....Wicked Wisdom, The Bacon Brothers, etc...
Jared is a talented actor, but somehow I prefer his singing above all else and the fact that he isn't using his acting credits as a way to push the band further into the spotlight is commendable. In fact, he wants both to be separate, and he does a good job of doing so. These guys have won my heart, and I still can't decide which album I like better....they're both so good!
Thanks Janine,
I'm also going to see the band in a couple weeks and am looking forward to it. Both CDs are strong, if I had to pick one over the other, it would be A Beautiful Lie. I love how deep and personal the lyrics are.
BOTH OF THESE ALBUMS/CDS ARE FABULOUS.I LOVE THE WAY CONNIE DESCRIBES A BEAUTIFUL LIE ABOVE, I LOVE THE VOCALS AND ARRANGEMENT (THE DRUMS ARE GREAT) ON "FROM YESTERDAY". IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD EITHER ALBUM I RECOMMEND BOTH. BUY ONE THEN THE OTHER, BOTH WILL HOOK YOU, THEN YOU WON'T WANT TO STOP LISTENING. THESE GUYS MAKE GREAT MUSIC!!!!! I HAVE SEEN THE BAND AND THEY ARE GREAT. 30 SECONDS TO MARS FOREVER NIGHT NEVER DAY TOUR-WHAT A BLAST!!! PROVEHITO IN ALTUM
Thanks Rev, As I said I was listening to A Beautiful Lie pretty obsessively the last couple weeks. After seeing them perform at Headliners in Toledo last night, I think it's only going to get worse.
Stay tuned for a review of that show and my interview with Tomo and Mathew in the next week or so.
I quite enjoy Jared Leto as an actor. I think actully that he is one of the underappreciated actors, that he has alot of range and depth in his acting. I bought the first album and I liked it alot, but the second one "A beautiful lie sounds alot like the first. He has a haunting beautiful voice, it sounds like you're hearing the music from inside his head or as if he was projecting it down to you from a long way off but his melodies sound too much alike, and all seem to convey just one type of emotion. I like that sort of breathy thing he does in parts of his songs, but because he does it so often after a while it loses the cool effect. My favorite songs on the album are, a beautiful lie, Was it a dream, and Story.
Hi Jennifer,
I agree about Leto being under appreciated as an actor. I thought he was fantastic in Lord of War.
I also like A Beautiful Lie better then the self titled first CD. I think it's much more personal.
Its good to know i'm not the only one obssesing.He truely is A dark angel.
Jared Leto is certainly an incredible talent, not only as an actor but as the driving force behind 30 Seconds to Mars!
they are just simply irrisistable..Love the band to pieces.
30 seconds too march is the best band
ok!!! no se english pero
les escrivo en spanish
I love Jared Leto
too, i dont know ingles well mas o menos son un grupo genial me gusta su musica hablan de lo que en vdd kiero escuchar sigan asi 30 seconds to march
for me it's one f the best rock band i ever heard in my live, one of the best, couse the best it's linkin park
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Yeah, this is a really good album. It's actually better than the band's debut album, which is good too.