Puddle of Mudd and Riotgod CD Reviews

Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 December 2009 23:33 Written by Jade Baird and Gus Griesinger Monday, 28 December 2009 12:03

Puddle of Mudd 'Songs in the Key of Love & Hate'

    Puddle of Mudd released their 4th album this month. It's a combination of their signature grunge rock sound and softer, more touching pieces. The band has really stepped up its game with this record, and after the last one, "Famous," being such a hit, it's a sure thing that this one will get an equal amount of listeners.
    The first single off the album, "Spaceship," has already received much radio play. In typical Mudd fashion, the lyrics suggest raunchy things and dirty innuendos, such as 'I'm a holy roller and I own a spaceship, so let me take you for a little ride.' That, with the pumping drum loop, and an easy melodic guitar line, the song is easy to get into and start singing along to. On the first listen, you may not notice just how dirty the song really is because it's poppy edge distracts the listener from the message. But as always, Puddle of Mudd somehow make dirty, sexual situations seem classy and fun.
One song that really caught my attention was one of the slower songs, "Keep It Together." It's heartfelt lyrics and overall effect (with wailing guitars and a full string section filling in the background as Wes pleas the listener to never let him go) really grabs one's heart with the amount of emotion being spilled out through the song. With lyrics like 'you know that I would take a bullet just to save your life,' 'so just give it a chance,' and 'even though we are miles apart tonight', you can see the constant struggle between musicians and their significant others. You also see the other, more loving side of the band, in that instead of being all for the nasty, the band members have feelings too and would do anything for their girls.
    The album, with only ten songs, seems a little short, and leaves any fan wanting more from it, or to listen to it again. Wes's voice, and the band's sound, are truly original in style, and it's hard to find anything that they emulate in any other band, which is why they're so much fun to listen to. They add fun rocking sounds and real emotion to their ballads, but still stick to their roots, making them what they've always been, Puddle of Mudd.

Review by Jade Baird

Riotgod 'self titled'

    The new side project called Riotgod is a creation of Bob Pantella (drums) and Jim Baglino (bass) from Monster Magnet along with Mark Sunshine (vocal) and Garret Sweeny (guitar.)  They just released their self titled debut album with 14 tracks on Fulbelly Music. The CD starts off with “Light of the Sun,” which showcases the vocals of Sunshine.  The bass driven “Crusader” has a funky rhythm and vibe to it and segues into the rest of the CD.  “The Time is Now’ probably encompasses what the band is about. A very hard pounding track backed by Pantella with a nice blend of guitar work by Sweeny who doesn’t overplay on any track on the album at all which is refreshing. I loved the way that “9th Life” came together and ended with a mist of passion and fury by the rhythm section of Pantella and Baglino. The spacey instrumental “Omega’ surfaces as the red headed step child of the CD as its unlike all the other tracks and has its own feel. My favorite track on the CD is “Collapsing Stars” which has that hit factor written all over it. It has melody and tone with a catchy hook. All what your looking for in a song. There is a lot of similarity between tracks but Riotgod found a groove that worked for them and went with it. I must say the results were positive!

Review by Gus Griesinger