In a land of indie dance and electronic, NYC’s Weapons have resurfaced the Bowie glam rock era with a slightly grungier cross-dressing style, mixing glitter and makeup with Converse and flannel in a sort of ‘street glam’ that’s enough to stand out, yet not too much to brand them as all-shtick.On the “Monster Ball” tour with Lady Gaga—the album’s executive producer as well as a fellow NYC rock n’ roller—the Weapons are thrilled with their progress this year, says Tranter: “We spent three years driving ourselves around in a murder van to play bars EVERYWHERE, I mean we even played a sports bar in Waterloo, Iowa. Now in the last three months we have made an incredible record that we are proud of, and are on a tour bus playing arenas all over the world with Ms. GaGa! Hard work and magic.”
The magic of the Weapons is nottheir music per se, but in knowing what a beautiful mess they are. For ears unfamiliar with Bowie’s “Major Tom” or, at least, the film soundtrack for Velvet Goldmine, the Weapons may sound like another Jet or The Hives, with heavy guitar and tambourine. Basically, rockin’ songs like “Magnetic Baby” and the beautifully-glam ballad “Leave Your Pretty to Me” may be taken differently if there’s no accompanying image of Tranter working the stage like Marilyn Manson on the other side of the looking glass. –By Julia Dodge
With their modernized New York Dolls look, the Weapons’ sing about diamonds and champagne, being glamorous and adored, and you’ve got to love them for their choice lines: “Sometimes I cry because it makes my eyes look bluer/Sometimes I bleed because red is a good color for me.” Fuckin’ poetry.
You Love You is out on June 22. The Semi-Precious Weapons stop by the HP Pavilion in San Jose on Lady Gaga’s “Monster Ball” tour August 16 & 17.
No comments:
Post a Comment