It's all about the love, don't you know, and the trust, is what she's explaining to this hormone-riddled youngster. Anyway, I'm saving myself for The Duke, motherfucker.
Sorry, Avril, but The Duke is taken is the facts of the matter. Hey, it's ok, we can still be friends. Come on, now.
The comparisons between Miss Lavigne and Mr. Billie Joe Armstrong, genius front-man with the aforementioned Green Day, are on occasion strikingly apparent. He Wasn't, for example, sounds like it could easily have slotted inconspicuously alongside anything else on Dookie's tracklisting.
This is no bad thing, by the way.
There have been yackings in the music press also about how this was Avril Lavigne's "Marilyn Manson" record. It's a little perplexing, trying to figure out what exactly these folks were listening to at the time of writing. There's very little here that will drastically upset fans of Let Go, or anyone who happily bops along to that current single. There's no grossly distorted howls of rage against Middle America. There are no hints that blow-jobs might be administered to the guitarist from Nine Inch Nails anytime soon. She makes absolutely no claims anywhere that she is The God Of Fuck.
This is a much more satisfying album than Let Go, and deserves to do just as well as far as the selling-of-the-CD's goes. In contrast to her diva-esque, self-obsessed peers, Avril seems endearingly down-to-earth. Also, while it would be a mistake to assume this was in any way less manufactured than Britney's latest offering, Under My Skin at least has some semblance of genuine emotion within, and now and again it threatens to rock as righteously as Christina Aguilera's fucking jaw-breaking 2002 album, Stripped.
Album closer Slipped Away is incredibly tender and affecting, not because it was engineered in some laboratory where combinations of G minor and F # were ran through machines in order to determine the ultimate in poignant pop-smithery, but because Avril sounds authentically heartbroken. "I didn't get to kiss you", she sighs, "goodbye on the hand", her pronunciation of "hand", the sharp sting of the "d" being especially armor-denting.
Then, of course, you discover that she's not singing about some pubescent romance of some sort, but is in fact lamenting the death of someone painfully close to her. Sure, it's not a masterpiece of lyrical subtlety, but it's disarmingly matter-of-fact, and a perfect end to what may go on to be the best pop album of 2004.
Good work Avril.
Keep it up, is what The Duke is suggesting.
The Duke resides at Mondo Irlando
Contact The Duke Via Electronical Email
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
Exceptional review Duke, really enjoyed it and it made me see Avril in a different light: seeing the young lass through the Billie Joe prism sheds much light. Thanks!
2 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Thank you, Eric!
I think Avril gets a bit of a hard time mostly due to all those articles in Smash Hits and such that proclaim her some kind of punk heroine. She's not, but she writes incredibly effective pop songs, and is deserving of our collective nodding, is what i'm suggesting.
Again, thank you! I really apreciate the supportive words!
3 - Mark Saleski
great review duke. i'm kindof an avril fan.
heck, i can even forgive her use of efex on that line in sk8er boi because the song is way too much fun to get hung up on stuff like that.
more billy joe parallelisms: they both use fake british accents (avril occasionally, billy joe, all the freakin' time). what's up with that?
i in fact listened to Let Go on my way to work today because i'm so friggin' tired i wanted to avoid driving off the road & hittin' a cow or something.
4 - Shark
I love this girl. I thought she had that spark the first time I heard her work.
I think she truly has a ton of talent and might outlast the initial shot of 15 minutes of fame -- unlike the other 99% of the hotshots the music industry spits out.
Could she turn out to be a generation's version of a Joni Mitchell, constantly evolving and expressing those changes for others?
I think she is probably that good. (and I'm an old male fart !)
(Caveat: of course, I also think the same of *Hanson, but I've yet to be proved right on that one -- still waiting tho, so let the reader beware.)
*gawd, yall pullleze don't mock me, 'kay...?
5 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Thanks for the comments Mark N' Shark (sounds like a beat combo. Mark N' Shark Plus 5!) Mark, i hope no bovine were harmed on your journey. Poor poor bovine. Always getting hit with cars, trees, tractors and so on.
As to the british accent carry-on, yes indeed. I guess in Billie's case it was a result of growing up with The Clash and The Jam blaring from the speakers, and in Avril's case, well, she had Green Day, so...
I remember shortly after Kurt Cobain's death, Kerrang! did a highly insensitive and tasteless news item, where one could telephone and hear Kurt's message from beyond the grave. Part of his message was "and tell that guy from Green Day he's not British". Bad taste for sure, but remarkable in its ridiculousness.
Shark, i'm actually listening to Jagged Little Pill at the minute, and Alanis jumps with remarkable ease between Joplin-tics and Jefferson Aeroplane style word-alterations. If Avril goes on to be something aproaching Joni, then maybe Alanis is the Janis. Let's hope she doesn't do the whole drugs thing, or start listening to the doors.
Thanks guys!
6 - Zinon
Does avril regret her mistakes of the past? One of them was a movie which she has sex in 2000.
7 - Ani rox
Come on Shark, how can you call Avril "this generations Joni Mitchell?" Sure, Avril is a good singer and her songs are kinda cachy. However, Avril is not a poet. Joni Mitchell was a poet who wrote all her own songs. Her lyrics were original and not just about "guy problems" or other lyrical cliques of this generation. Avril is not a true song writer because she merely co-writes her songs. Joni Mitchell wrote all of her songs and she sang about her perspective on humanity and nature through poetry. Joni also played guitar during almost all of her songs, showing true skill. Avril has a nice voice, but she's no Joni Mitchell. If you're looking for "this generation's Joni Mitchell," I suggest you give Ani Difranco's music a try. Ani writes songs (all of them) in a manner similar to Joni Michell (through eloquent poetry and quirky guitar playing.)
8 - BRICKLAYER
Because, unlike the Beastie Boys, Avril is oozing with creativity and originality! Why, she is pushing, nay, RIPPING open the envelope on what humans had previously thought possible in the field of sound!
HOT RUMOUR: Avril is collaborating with 3/4's of Pink Floyd, the bassist of Neurosis, drummer Josh Freese, and the guitarist from Lillix on a rock opera chronicling the life of child actors, specifically the boy who played Richie Rich (I forgot his name). I have some MP3's they are demoeing, and they are fantastic. I hope her label doesn't put the kibosh on it, and suppress her from continuing to grow as an artist!
9 - Joe
I don't think there is a more appropriately named musician out there today than Advil.
10 - Avril Bandaids
Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin Review
Avril Lavigne appears clad in a black tutu on the cover of her new album, Under My Skin. While on first glance this looks to be nothing more than a generic album cover, further analysis will reveal a poignant insight into the psyche of Avril and the theme of the record. For, externally Avril might appear standoffish, dark, rebellious, and â€"anti-everything†(as portrayed by the pseudo-goth duds), beyond the media misinformation she is simply a shy, vulnerable, impassioned little girl searching for her piece of a fairytale (hence the tutu).
There are songs on Under My Skin that play to both sides of Avril. Don’t Tell Me, the first single, quite obviously fits in the former category. Co-written by Avril and her guitarist Evan Taubenfeld before Complicated was even released, Don’t Tell Me is a pro-abstinence power anthem designated as a bridge single to bring fans of Avril’s old material into her new, more mature sound. Other members of this group include the following: He Wasn’t – touted Sk8er Boi part II; Who Knows – an utterly catching song with all the markings of a radio hit; Freak Out – a divinely innocent track reminiscent of Green day; and I Always Get What I Want – Avril’s attempt at poking fun at her media image.
It is in the latter grouping of songs where the heart of the album can be found. Under My Skin opens hard and heavy with Take Me Away. This track reveals the inner conflict within a girl wanting to protect her heart from being broken, while letting her love â€take her awayâ€. Next is Avril’s personal favourite, Together. The only mot juste for describing this song is â€"perfectâ€, although perfection hardly does the song justice. It is here that Avril defines herself and establishes a sound that is distinctly hers. Another such track is Forgotten – a raging tirade that will rape you of your soul and leave you incensed, unhinged, and yet fulfilled. My Happy Ending, the second single to be released shortly, illustrates Avril’s romantic inner-self, and the failure of her partner in meeting her idealized standards. While some passion is lost in the final production of the song, this is a brilliant example of Avril’s growth since Let Go.
The four remaining songs are softer, slower, but still forceful. How Does is Feel is a subtly emotional and beautiful ballad that pulls at your heartstrings with each of its many rises and falls. Then there is Nobody’s Home – a collaboration with Ben Moody formerly of Evanescence, and a likely next single. This is the only song on Under My Skin where the subject is not Avril herself, which seems to grant Avril the freedom to create a despondent character and employ imagery beyond her usual capacity. Fall to Pieces is another romantically inclined ballad expressing Avril’s desire to keep alive the flame of a failing relationship. The album ends with a magnificently painful ode to Avril’s recently passed-on grandfather entitled Slipped Away. You can hear the tears in her voice, and anyone equipped with a heart cannot help but shed a tear at this sonorous eulogy.
Under My Skin is an emotional, dark, and rapturous creation that, in a mere 45 minutes, captures many of the thoughts we find impossible to express. In this more organic sophmore attempt, Avril proves her talents when she is given the artistic freedom to create an album free of external pressure. Those who explore the CD for themselves will be rewarded with an intelligently written and well-executed album, which is sure to become the soundtrack of a generation. As the promotional tag says, â€"Avril Lavigne’s Under My Skin is sure to get under yoursâ€.
11 - possy
i want a tutu but where do i find 1 :(
12 - chris wilson
WOW!!!!!! what an album by Avril, if you thought let go was good under my skin is sublime. Go buy it NOW! right now i'm listening to don't tell me one of my favourites from the album. Have you also heard Avril's version of knocking on heaven's door? It is stunning. Anyway she looks and sounds just like Joni Mitchell. She IS the Joni Mitchell of the 21st century
13 - eileen
AVRIL LAVIGNE IS NOT JONI MITCHELL. SHE DOES NOT "LOOK AND SOUND JUST LIKE JONI MITCHELL" BY ANY STRECH OF THE IMAGINATION! SHE DOESN'T EVEN WRITE ALL OF HER OWN SONGS. JONI MICHELL NEVER WROTE AN ALBUM WITH THE ASSISTANCE, OF A GROUP OF PROFESSIONAL SONG WRITERS CALLED THE MATRIX! Avril may have an okay voice, but her lyrics are bland, corporate friendly, and no where NEAR as witty or poetic as Joni Michell's. If you like your slickly marketed pop princesses, that's fine, but please, puh-leaze don't blaspheme the name of real poets and musicians in the process.
14 - Angry person
Oh yeah and if you want to see who the "Joni Michell of the 21st century" is, give these women a listen.
Ani Difranco
Tori Amos
Sarah Mclachlan
...and many other mature musicians. Even Vanessa Carlton or Michelle Branch are closer to Joni Michell than Avril ever has been.
15 - Shark
Will you people calm down.
I used the Joni analogy as someone who expresses and evolves along w/her generation, and who has enough talent to span a few decades.
We'll see, but meanwhile, shut the fuck up. I WAS NOT -- and I don't believe anybody WAS -- dissing Joni.
16 - rebecca lei
hey avril!i luv ur songs so much. when r u cumin 2 tornto again. ummmmmmmm....my friend luvz the song "happy ending". well bye!
17 - ash
i got told she does not write the songs she sings but ill still luv her
18 - ash
she has style, attitude hot guys all round and i would love to b her 4 just one day. i liked the
let go albumb but under my skin is amazing har voice is so strong and high i love it
luv ya alwayz grl ashhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh