Spinnin' the record for the 1000th time!
Since highschool, I have been obsessed with a somewhat well known band called Deftones. From their garage produced 1995 record, Adrenaline, to the sleek, paranoid and cocaine ridden album White Pony and to the soaring ethereal atmosphere of 2012's Koi No Yokan, this band has gripped me for more than 5 years. Though one record of theirs resonates me more so than any other record in history. That is their 2006 LP Saturday Night Wrist.
This album is regarded as one of the bands most disjointed, chaotic and messy records within their discography. Coming off of 2003's self-titled album, Deftones were in an incredibly difficult position. Self-titled received middling reviews and poor sales compared to its predecessor, White Pony. It was a dark and angry record that just did not have the commercial appeal of their previous albums. One would think the band would make the effort to bounce out of that hole and get back on track to making songs with tight grooves and slick hooks. They would be very much wrong with that assumption, even massive fans of the record such as myself will tell anyone, it's a challenging album that won't click for everyone. For me however, it just did. Between the production, lyrical content and the foreboding songwriting, if you look at this record with an open-mind, I very much believe it can stand next to records such as The Cure's 'Pornography' and Joy Division 'Closer'.
Saturday Night Wrist
Let's take it back to 2004, right after the release of self-titled the band was in complete disfunction and the main dilemma revolved around front-man Chino Moreno. During this time, Moreno was struggling with a severe addiction to cocaine and other narcotics. As a result of this, fights would commonly take place in the studio and during writing sessions for the record. Initially, the band was coming up with nothing. The records production was moving along slowly, with producer Bob Ezrin struggling to get ahold of Moreno and the rest of the band intentionally missing recording sessions and only coming in one at a time. In 2005, with the new record still in turmoil, Moreno left the band suddenly to go tour with his shoe-gaze inspired side-project 'Team Sleep'.
This caused tensions in the band to sore even higher, with band members stating that at that time they were considering kicking Moreno out of the band entirely. Once Moreno returned however, most of the instrumentals were recorded and with new producer, Shaun Lopez, he was able to finish recording the album. Now obviously, there is a fair more amount of band drama to be discussed, but this is an album review after all so how does it stack up? Well, let's take it track by track.
The album kicks off with opener 'Hole In The Earth', a 4 minute and ten second track that has a mix of heavy, chugging riffs and soaring guitar leads. This is the perfect opener, as it begins with a mix of static and synth, akin to a malfunctioning transmitter or radio, and instantly punches in with a simple but powerful riff. From there, the main difference with this record as opposed to their previous ones is made apparent. Moreno's vocals sound strained, yet he's exploring his range far more often here. In previous records, Deftones gained quite the reputation for using the dynamic of soft whispers, to ear-piercing screams in practically every song. Here however, Chino's voice sounds much more vulnerable which bode well with the personal lyrics which reflect the turmoil the band was going through at the time. So much so that it's as blunt as...
"I hate all of my friends, they all lack taste sometimes"
After Hole in The Earths soft guitar refrain, we blast quickly into 'Rapture' with quick, staccato guitars and strained screams. This song is the first instance of grower on the record. This is a vastly disjointed and jarring song, with the veracity being the main component here. It's a song that commands you to listen to its pummeling riffs and complex drum rhythms.
The song that follows is by far the most complex and easily my favorite off of the entire record. Whenever I find myself in a challenging period, this is the song I turn to as it is the quintessential Deftones track. Soaring lead vocals? Check. Pounding riffs? Check. Sad boy lyrics? Check. It has practically everything that makes up a good Deftones song and more. That track is titled 'Beware', a six minute banger. The song begins with a crisp breath in, followed by a harrowing drum beat which is topped off with two simple synth keys. This is all followed by Moreno's best vocal performance of the record, underlined by some slow-paced guitar picking. The synths pick up as Moreno gets more intense and the chorus slams everything down with the refrain of 'Beware The Water'. This repeats three times throughout the track before a pummeling breakdown to close out the song. I cannot say enough good things about this track. Every element is perfect, and the band themselves have gone on record as to say this is their favorite track on the album.
Cherry Waves is up next and even comes close to topping Beware. What stands out about this song is the lyrical content, pulling the listener in the waves, so to speak. This track also features a nice bassline from late bassist Chi Cheng and some wicked insane drumming during the bridge courtesy of Abe Cunningham.
Up to this point on first listen, one would argue this is Deftones most consistent effort, almost up to par with White Pony, it's a shame that what comes next is 'Mein.' Aside from the drumming and the bizarre appearance of System Of a Down's Serj Tankian, there is nothing significant about this track. It was released as a single over Cherry Waves which is why I believe this album is so overlooked. The commercial role-out of the album was lacking to say the least, though the band just wanted to put this project behind them.
Following the sleeper single, Mein, is another odd experiment that turns out beautifully. U U D D L R L R A B Select Start is a brisk and moody instrumental track, the only one in Deftones entire discography and I wish they did this more. It really shows the atmosphere and dynamic this band has when they dial back the loud, chugging 8-stringed guitars and let their keyboardist, Frank really take over. Speaking of Frank, he is absolutely all over this entire album and I personally love it. His contributions drench the entire record in a melancholy sound that only he can provide which is exemplified in the sixth track, Xerces.
Xerces is technically the ballad of the whole record. It's meant to pull on the heart strings and once again features immaculate production and sound staging. Every instrument is meticulously placed to sound a certain distance away from the listener. This is apparent when the guitar solo begins towards the end of the track. It sounds distant but manages to remain intensely powerful and resonates with the listener even as Chino rings out that last "Goodbye." Next up is Rats Rats Rats, the heaviest track on the album. Chino's performances isn't the greatest however he does convey a lot of anger and the instrumentation on the track is easily one of their most brutal compositions. I'll just say that Pink Cellphone is an underrated song but when comparing it to the demos the band has leaked from the Wrist sessions, it certainly doesn't fair nicely against those.
Combat comes in with an interesting synth lead from Frank, caked with various radio samples and suddenly the drums crash through the gate and the track explodes. This is my second favorite track on the album. Chino sounds alive and vibrant, angry at the person the song is directed at, the guitars and melodies all flesh together well. Paired with Kimdracula this is my favorite one-two punch tracks on the LP.
We close off with Riviere which is one of if not their best closer. It leaves the listener feeling as though they are floating, which is the perfect way to summarize the entire record. It's a moody, heady listen which may not be everyone's cup of tea. That's understandable. However if you are going to take a listen to this album, be prepared to listen for some ambient textures that may have been previously un-tapped in their works. Even compared to their newer releases Saturday Night Wrist remains a beautiful and eccentric outing in their lengthy discography.
Fun fact: This is one of the only records I own where I can get a clear reflection!