Chris Pitman, who recently finished co-writing and co-producing Chinese Democracy, has finally released his first new music since Lusk’s Free Mars, a 1997 collaboration with current Autolux mastermind Greg Edwards and ex-Tool bassist Paul D’Amour. Pitman also played synth guitars on Tool’s Aenima. Fans of Lusk, hoping for Pitman to revisit the futuristic pop sounds of Free Mars, may be a bit disappointed. Although SexTapes does contain several tracks that have a similar sound to that record, most similarities begin and end with Pitman’s vocals.
Although Pitman has added texture to the song arrangements, creating a more layered sound that was present in Lusk, lead guitarist Kelly Wheeler and bassist Marko Fox have composed most of the music. Wheeler is noted for playing bass in pre-Jane’s Addiction bands with Perry Ferrell in the 80s, while Fox supplied the vocals for Tool’s “Die Eier Von Satan.” While most of the new music is an acceptable alternative to what you find on today’s rock radio, there are too many bland guitar riffs that scream 80s hair band. It’s there that SexTapes lost me a bit, as I couldn’t help but reach for my out-of-print Free Mars disc.
The album is not a complete waste of time. The opening track, “Medicine Man,” does contain one of the coolest guitar riffs of recent memory. And Pitman’s vocals sound as good as ever. He just has one of those voices that sends chills down your spine. “Trainwreck” contains some heavy bass lines, reminiscence of Tool, and the guitar play is equally interesting. The chorus on “Worklords” is the closest the album gets to Lusk. It all just sounds like it was done before. I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy “Paranoid Freak.” Although the guitars are rather bland on the track, the vocals are pretty entertaining, as Pitman rips some poor schmuck a new one:
MAN.. YOUR.. JUST A..
JUST A PARANOID FREAK
NO ONES OUT TO GET YOU MAN
NO ONE FUCKING CARESI MEAN…. YOU AIN’T GOT SHIT DUDE
YOUR JUST AN IDIOT.. AND YOU SMELL LIKE SHIT
YOU DRINK YOURSELF INTO OBLIVION
AND YOUR A FUCKING DUNCE
I have to call out the band on the track “Crawlspace,” which sounds too similar to Tool during the first minute and does so each time the chorus ends, which wanders off into some kind of Twisted Sister rant. There is no surprise these guys hang out with Tool on regular basis. Although it’s nice to see Pitman deliver his best impersonation of Mayard, I never get the sense that the band has found its own identity. Overall, I was disappointed with what was a highly anticipated release for me. However, I don’t intend to stop listening to the record’s first two tracks anytime soon. Earth to Greg Edwards: release the new Autolux album before I lose my mind!
