The long-awaited Hypnotize
Ah, November 22nd, the anticipated date for the release of Hypnotize - part II of System of a Down's Dual CD Release this year. I picked it up today and the packaging truly made sense in the end. It actually was a really cool approach to the entire concept of the dual CD. The way they were release, and the albums came together was artful. The actual art all over it completed the theme.
Anyway, do I even need to say it? The album is GREAT! The music is masterful and non-compromising as promised. Though as the billboard review of the CD states, it lost it's shock value. Well, if you listen to System for shock, you are missing the genius of it all. The genius is in the crafted music. If you went to a show and wondered why there was no encore, you should have been focusing on the music. If you were waiting for them to talk about their personal lives, should have focused on the music. If you expected anything unrelated to the music, you should have focused. That's what it's all about.
Having said that, Hypnotize comes with a DVD special feature that includes behind the scenes of recording the dual CD. It seemed an unnecessary poor quality addition to a CD that needs nothing else. Some of the discussions they had while making the albums were interesting to hear in that it explains what they were thinking on some of this stuff, but otherwise nothing special. Two videos were also included which is nice, but again, just a distraction from the musical experience.
So I checked into iTunes only to see Hypnotize listed as the #1 selling album of the day. Good for them. Hope you all go out and BUY the album and appreciate it as much as I do.
Anyway, do I even need to say it? The album is GREAT! The music is masterful and non-compromising as promised. Though as the billboard review of the CD states, it lost it's shock value. Well, if you listen to System for shock, you are missing the genius of it all. The genius is in the crafted music. If you went to a show and wondered why there was no encore, you should have been focusing on the music. If you were waiting for them to talk about their personal lives, should have focused on the music. If you expected anything unrelated to the music, you should have focused. That's what it's all about.
Having said that, Hypnotize comes with a DVD special feature that includes behind the scenes of recording the dual CD. It seemed an unnecessary poor quality addition to a CD that needs nothing else. Some of the discussions they had while making the albums were interesting to hear in that it explains what they were thinking on some of this stuff, but otherwise nothing special. Two videos were also included which is nice, but again, just a distraction from the musical experience.
So I checked into iTunes only to see Hypnotize listed as the #1 selling album of the day. Good for them. Hope you all go out and BUY the album and appreciate it as much as I do.
posted by Arsineh at 6:58 AM
10 Comments:
you're saying this is a worthy purchase?
Um... YES! Having a few days to listen more, it is absolutely brilliant. And I just discovered that one of the songs is about the genocide, though the lyrics aren't a total give away. The New York Times review of the album covered that particular song, as it mentions the Arax River, etc.
And for the record, ALL System albums are worth the purchase. Even their worst songs are better than anything else out there right now.
Quick question - Do you think some of the songs on Toxicity are also about the Genocide? I know we are talking about two different groups, but this conversation reminded me about these thoughts I had when I first heard this album.
toxicity was by system of a down too. And system songs are what you make of them......
Toxicity was System's second album, and specific songs were written about specific things. On their first album, P.L.U.C.K. was about the Armenian Genocide. On Toxicity, there were a few songs that may have seemed relevant to it, but as anonymous said, System songs are mostly open to the individual's interpretation. To date, P.L.U.C.K. and Holy Mountain are the only two I know of that were meant to reference the genocide.
And welcome to cilicia.com
Then again, that's my interpretation.
Thanks for the insight. I just saw a commercial for Hypnotize- it was pretty cool, on many levels.
The great thing about all of this is that I work with a Greek girl who is in love with System and is really into their message-anyway, it is way cool that what they are doing is targeting other cultures too!
Arsineh, do you know where I can find that article of Holy Mountains in the New York Times? I heard that song live in L.A on their tour, and I went crazy when I heard it.... it truly hit home. When I went to Armenia for the 1st time last year, I went to Khor Virab, and I took a pair of binoculars with me. The first thing that caught my eye was the Turkish flag. Just made me reminisce that disgusting feeling I got in my stomach.
"...And in "Holy Mountains," an anthem about the Armenian genocide invoking murders by the Aras River, the tone is consistently serious. Nobody pauses to be flippant..."
You can find the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/21/arts/music/21choi.html
Thanks
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