Vampires have been very good to G TOM MAC over the years. With the cult status of his LOST BOYS anthem Cry Little Sister keeping Gerard McMann forever fresh in the minds of fangbangers and beyond (he even recorded a re-vamped bluesy, TRUE BLOOD ‘swamp version‘ in 2010), it always seems as if there’s an inviting form of darkness surrounding McMann (sometime’s McMahon)’s music. On his latest album, UNTAME THE SONGS, Mac adds to his cinema-ready sonic arsenal with eleven new songs that ride the line between rock and pop while keeping adventure at the forefront. Unlike some other post-2000 releases under the G TOM MAC banner, UNTAME THE SONGS doesn’t feel like a nostaliga-trip or reintroduction. It’s fresh.
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Not Ready to Die opens the record with it’s power-pop mix of fuzzed out guitars and soulful chorus breaks. Fun song for sure, but I wish that Gerard would’ve been able to wrangle a video that didn’t look so… cheap (see above). Watch Over Me is likely the next single, as it follows a similar formula, albeit with a more melodic hook. Where things really start getting interesting is when the guitars of Slave That You Are strike their first chord. There’s a Trent Reznor-meets-Bowie vibe that infiltrates a few tracks on here, and this is where it starts – surfacing again on Killer Head (with some rap-rock as well).
Say It’s Ok has probably scored the most iTunes plays since the album first arrived here at Rock Father HQ, as it’s bouncy as hell. There’s so much going on here at times, that UNTAME THE SONGS has inspired comparisons in my mind to Robbie Williams, Prince, The Hives, and more. There was even a little Zeppelin-esque riffage during Groove At The End of The World.
UNTAME THE SONGS is yet another great 2012 entry that defies traditional trappings while begging for listeners to find it. And, if you were absolutely hoping for some of that classic vampire action, well – I wasn’t completely honest with you before. Listen to the choir on album closer Soul I Bare. You’ll understand.
The Rock Father™ Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
*Note: The iTunes edition features an additional track, a remix of “Watch Over Me” by DJ COTTONMOUTH.
*Sidebar: I always wonder if people like G Tom Mac – that are so identified with an iconic piece of work – ever have days where they run around their houses, crazed and cursing the very cornerstone of their fame, while trashing everything around them like Godzilla-on-Tokyo. I really hope not, because I’d hate for Gerard to have a glance at this posting and storm off saying something about “that #$@! song!”
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Seriously though, one of my adventures found me crossing paths with G Tom Mac briefly at the Los Angeles Convention Center in 2009, where he played a version of this song accompanied by the late Corey Haim. The adventure continues…
