Grinspoon - New Detention

When Grinspoon were first Unearthed by Triple J in 1995, they were angry adolescents out to make noise, and although this attracted loads of other angry adolescents, it did nothing for anyone else. However, with the release of New Detention, Grinspoon showed a maturity and ability that was absent or only hinted at in there previous albums and EP's. With great guitar riffs, aggressive drums and grungy bass lines coupled with fantastic (if sometimes bizarrely cryptic) lyrics and song writing, Grinspoon haven't changed their sound, they've improved on it, and the mainstream success of New Detention demonstrates this exactly.

The album opens with an instrumental Intro, and quickly moves into Anyday, Anyhow and, true to form, the lyrics seem to be mostly unrelated but strangely compelling, the guitar is almost hypnotic and the drums are pretty much the same. The second song (third if you include the Intro) Is Lost Control, again a brilliant fusion of over-driven guitar, heavy drum beats and a dirty bass line. However, what separates Lost Control from previous Grinspoon songs is the lack of Angry Tantrum. Angry Tantrum is a phenomena rampart in grunge and rock music everywhere, and is characterized by screaming and swearing a lot. This song, and this album in general, stays away from Angry Tantrum, with intelligent lyrics and a genuinely good voice with just enough edge to engage the listener.

Just like any good album, New Detention is surprising, creative and down-right Awesome and no song demonstrates this better than Chemical Heart. Unlike most other Grinspoon songs, Chemical Heart's guitar isn't over-driven for most of the song, the drums aren't heavy and the bass is subtle, but this is exactly what makes it such a great song. With lyrics of confusion and uncontrollable emotions, Chemical Heart also strays from the usual lyrical style of the band, that's not to say the the lines completely make sense, but they are definitely less cryptic and more ballad-like than other songs on the album. Boltcutter is the next song on New Detention that really stands out. In some ways, Boltcutter is a return to the older Grinspoon style, mosh-pit material definitely, but rather than a regression, this song turns into more of a reinvention, almost a protest song about freedom, rights and standing up for yourself.

The final song on New Detention, Hate, is another ballad, complete with strings. For me, this last song was probably the best way to finish a fantastic album, with a song that really shows the bands intelligence and contrasts perfectly with the first song. The last line of Hate is, ironically, Its so good to be in love again and its not just the last line of a brilliant song, its the last line of a brilliant album.

However there are some brilliant albums that, no matter how great they seem the first time you hear them, are impossible to listen to again and again. On the other hand, there are some Cd's, and New Detention falls into this category, that you can hear a thousand times, not necessarily in a row, and still love. What this really comes down to is variety and originality, both of which this album has in spades. From light weight rock (No Reason), to something a little more Grunge (Killswitch and Damn Straight), to heartfelt ballad (Chemical Heart, Hate), New Detention shows exactly how versatile, original and skilled Grinspoon really are.