MUSIC REVIEW: SERJ TANKIAN TRULY GOES SOLO ON HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM
By Rafer Guzman, Newsday
Modesto Bee, CA
Oct 26 2007
PM Serj Tankian, lead singer for System of a Down, may be one of
the most politically active figures in music – a member of Amnesty
International, an advocate of free speech, a vocal critic of the
current administration – but even he can get tired of democracy. "With
System, it’s a process where four people have to agree on what songs
to use," Tankian said, explaining his decision to release his first
solo album. "When you’re doing it by yourself, all the decisions come
and go with you." He’s not kidding: "Elect the Dead," due Oct. 23,
features almost nobody but Tankian.
Though System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan appears on one song,
and a handful of session musicians sit in on other tracks, nearly all
the instruments – piano, guitars, bass, synthesizers – were played by
Tankian. He produced it himself and is releasing it on his own label,
Serjical Strike Records. In some ways, the album is a natural sequel
to "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize," the two wildly ambitious albums
System of a Down released in 2005. Once again, there are plenty of
hard-rock rhythms, operatic arias and the melismatic vocal lines that
reflect Tankian’s Armenian heritage (which he shares with all the
members of System). There are also some tough issues at hand. The
song "Unthinking Majority" asserts, "I believe that you’re wrong,
insinuating they hold the bomb," a reference to Iraq or Iran or
"perhaps both," Tankian suggested. And the album’s overall lyrics
reflect a deep dissatisfaction with current events. But the disc is
also fairly introspective, often conflating the personal with the
political. When Tankian sings, "Why do we sit around and break each
other’s hearts tonight?" (on the song "Saving Us") it’s hard to tell
whether he’s addressing a lover or all humankind. Speaking by phone
from his home in Los Angeles, Tankian described this album as "more
philosophical than political." His thoughts, he said, tended toward
larger ideas of civilization, history and the sustainability of life
on the planet, though he tried to avoid preaching. "I never use the
words `global warming,’" Tankian said. "Any time you use cliches or
key words, it raises thoughts and feelings that you think or don’t
think. I’d rather have you come in with a clean palette." So what about
the title track, "Elect the Dead?" Despite its title, it sounds almost
like a love song. "Death we know comes for us alive," Tankian sings,
"but all I want is you." "I’ve heard a lot of interpretations on what
`Elect the Dead’ might mean," Tankian said. And though he didn’t offer
his own, he cited one of his favorites: "Maybe the people who are the
victims of the epitome of civilization should be the ones who elect
our next leaders."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
