Something you might expect to hear on “Pimp My Ride” is “Getaway” featuring Kool Keith. It’s not just the profound lyrics that speak of a struggle to get away from the ghetto and to be accepted for it, but also the deep, booming bass and cool, desolate vocals that make this tapestry of music so penetrating.
Then there is “Your Neighborhood Spaceman,” featuring Jel and, for a second time, Odd Nosdam. A Lou Reed meets Ziggy Stardust creation and Jel’s influences are very obvious.
“Caipirinha” featuring Bebel Gilberto has a much more chilled-out feel with serene, soft, velvety vocals and an unmistakable Latin feel. The kind of track you listen to while drinking Mojitos on the beach at sunset.
“Celebrity Death Match” is a surreal collection of celebrity names strung together in a talking-to-the-voices-in-my-head, avant-garde fashion that is whimsical and entertaining. And in “We’re Not Alone” (remix only on Peeping Tom; look for the original ["Not Alone"] on Dub Trio’s album New Heavy), you will feel a strong Faith No More influence on this hard, fast, prayer of a song.
If this album has a weakness, it could be a lack of cohesion; however, each track does stand up well on its own and this could almost be a singles album. Make the most of shuffle play on your MP3/iPod. In addition, the album may have an inability to find common ground with its audience. Some of the tracks have moments that could alienate many of the pop/trip-hop listening public. That’s a shame, as Peeping Tom is a musical party that everyone should be invited to. It is the grooviest album this year, bar none!
Also it’s worth noting here (with mounting excitement from me because someone has finally taken notice of us MP3/iPodders) that this album sounds much better when listened to through head/earphones. If you don’t have them it doesn’t lose anything on regular speakers but there are subtle nuances that are best appreciated with head/earphones. Thank you, Mr. Patton.
You can hear some of the tracks reviewed here at Peeping Tom’s MySpace webpage.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Guppusmaximus
Cool Review... I'm not a fan of Hip-Hop and the likes but Mike Patton always adds something wild to all hs projects, so, I am kinda biased. I would much rather listen to his contribution than,say,The Black Eyed Peas...*Smirk*.
2 - A.L. Harper
This is no Hip-Hop album. It is Trip-hop Ghetto-Tech. This album must me experienced to be understood or appreciated.
I dearly recommend it.
3 - Guppusmaximus
*Uh-HUH* Yup... I listened to this before I commented. All I was saying was if it was produced by someone else I probably wouldn't have given a rat's a$$. I can respect this release but it still doesn't hold a candle to his other projects.
4 - johnathan
That was the worst review I have ever read and I love Mike Patton. Did this AL harper even go to school, this sounds like a high school A but a real life F. Go do something else I can't believe it. The best thing said was " album sounds much better when listened to through head/earphones" Go do something else.
5 - MBN
Since you talked about Norah Jones, here is a little Norah Jones related news. This just broke.. She has finished her next album ( not one of the side projects ) but due to her movie schedules, the album may not be released for a while...
See here at norahjones.com
6 - A.L. Harper
Thanks for the news MBN. That's interesting.
7 - Styb
THIS ALBUM JUST ROCKS! LOVED IT! May be weird to most people out there, but hey he's got their very own style. Come on, for those who doesn't like it, don't brainwash others' mind OK!
8 - A.L. Harper
I can see you feel very enthusiastic about this album. It is very good! I'm glad you liked it.
9 - Jeffrae
My Only beef is that Get Away sounds too much like Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz. I hate lenny.. and The Chorus of this sound has the same sound as fly away.... :(
10 - A.L. Harper
I think have a slightly similar guitar riff but other than that they don't sound alike to me. And I have just spent the last 5 minutes comparing them.
It is a brilliant album!
11 - Jeffrae
The Getaway PArt in the chorus sounds almost the same..
Great Album though..
Good Job Patten and Co..
12 - adegamisou
this album fucking blows cock. this album along with most of the shit he does lately, proved to me that mike pattons good days are long gone....
13 - mr. T.
STYB [Edited] WROTE "May be weird to most people out there".... whats weird about it?LOL! its fucking pop you tool! i bet my mother would like this record.
14 - A.L. Harper
My mother didn't. You're mother must be much more fun than mine.
15 - daniel
fuck man... mike patton has become a real fucking loser. what credibility will the new tomahawk or fantomas have after the release of this steaming pile of dog shit? its just sub-par, out-dated pop by a bunch of hipsters... at times it sounds like eminem would have fit into this embarassment of a cd perfectly.. i will never buy this cd and i doubt i will ever buy anything patton related again.
the guy is a sellout. not a genius.
16 - A.L. Harper
It always amazes me that people call anyone a sell out when they dare attempt to stretch their artistic wings a little bit. If you know like the music or if it doesn't conform to your narrow minded ideas of that a particular artist is supposed to be they have suddenly sold out.
I would be willing to bet money that you have never allowed your tiny, narrow ideas to leave the safety of your drug addled mind.
17 - daniel
hey [Edited]. if you think that peeping tom needs an open mind to listen to, i bet your fucking head would explode if you listened to the stuff i listen to. THIS IS POP [Edited]. you dont have to be very open minded to listen to it. thats why 12 year old girls listen to it... every song on this album could be taught to a fucking chimp.
18 - A.L. Harper
Now... now... language child! What I think you'll find I said (if you actually read my comment) is that you think Mike Patton sold out because he is no longer conforming to the pigeon hole in which you put him and that is where you are most comfortable with him. If this is the direction that he wants to take artistically than he has every right to do that. It doesn't make him a sell out.
And as accessible as this album is I doubt you will find any 12 olds listening to it.
19 - JayC
I have to agree that this album does have a bit of a pop undertone, however, I will completely disagree with you Daniel. This is an excellent album and quite out of the ordinary for Mike. To be honest I have to say I almost prefer this album to alot of stuff that Faith No More did.
I am also interested to hear the kind of stuff that would "Blow" someones mind. And yes, this album does need a bit of an open mind to appreciate because, however simple and basic some of the insturmental are, the lyrics (as usual) are very good (as random and obsqure as they may seem at times.
20 - feminist_deepthroater
to prefer peeping tom over faith no more is like blatantly stating that your taste in music is very poor. peeping tom is a failure and i hope that patton comes to his sences and dumps on the whole act. he has done much better things in his career, albeit, most of his recent works are quite bad to say the least... peeping tom is just unacceptably bad in my opinion, and i know that im not the only one who will entirely dump on patton if he continues to release shitty albums of this fashion.
its not acceptable for someone who started out playing obscure death metal, fusion, and avante garde experimental music to end up rapping to pop like some run of the mill wigger. its not being closeminded, its my lack of appreciacion of someone who sells out. its a good trait to have...now if you're a person who will blindly follow him because of his past acheivments, no matter how bad he has become today, i feel sorry for you and your frail mind.. the underground music industry is jam packed with underrated bands that take complexity and musicmanship to levels that would have patton bow down to and spitshine their boots with his gimmicky rico-suave pimpin white suit sleeve.
21 - A.L. Harper
It is narrow minded. You are denying him not only his artistic freedom and his choice to move through any genera of music he chooses to but you are also saying that there is no other valid form of music.
I just interviewed him again and you'll be not so happy to hear that there is another PT coming out next year. And he is very excited about the continuing Peeping Tom for a while to come.
22 - feminist_deepthroater
im arguing about music with a woman?. LOL. shame on me. in my defense, i didnt know... well, now i know why you are so hyped about this new shitty release. its because mr patton is an arrogant prick. a trait that you women LOVE in a man, that plus the music has a beat that you can move your asses to... thats really all women want in their music. its been proved to me too many times for me to accept any other explanation... well i thought you were a guy, but its totaly okay for women to listen to this crap. afterall its better than fergie's shit or pink ect. a lot better actually. so i can appreciate it from that angle.
23 - Ben Cleuch
Re feminist_D: My god you sound bitter. What's the matter? Not getting any? Ever?
Never mind, I'm sure there's nothing physically wrong with you. You just need to work on your personality.
So someone doesn't agree with your puerile opinions of music - big deal (and hardly surprising). But to turn that into a rant against women - now that is funny!
24 - feminist_deepthroater
lol. thats the response i get from EVERYONE when i speak my mind about things that are still taboo to most morons. that i dont get any, that im bitter, im a misogynist ect.lol, well im no womanizing stallion but i assure you that i get my share.... my getting some doesnt help my "bitterness" though. oh well, i guess the woman isnt the miracle cure she's cut out to be. what a surprise...
now what i find funny about you, benny, is that you still measure how cool you are by how many women you get. think about it you dork...its really pathetic, isnt it?.. you're the fucking joke if you ask me.
25 - Ben Cleuch
WTF are you talking about??
Who mentioned number of sexual conquests? The fact that you leapt to such an assumption is very telling.
If everyone is telling you that you sound like you're not 'getting any', maybe you should ask yourself why that is. Is it because you seem bitter, spiteful and aggresive? You sound like you desperately need to release some of your tension - whether with a woman, a man or your own hand (and please don't tell us which - nobody is interested).
To get back to the point though; that you don't agree with A.L.'s review. A.L. is as entitled to her opinion as you are to yours. It is great that you want to share your opinion with us, but to make fatuous remarks about a reviewer's sex is as unhelpful as it is offensive.