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SERJ TANKIAN TRULY GOES SOLO ON HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM
by Rafer Guzman
PopMatters, IL
Oct 16 2007
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."
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/news/ article/49894/serj-tankian-truly-goes-solo-on-his- first-solo-album/
by Rafer Guzman
PopMatters, IL
Oct 16 2007
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."
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/news/ article/49894/serj-tankian-truly-goes-solo-on-his- first-solo-album/