Album Review: Hollywood Park
The Airborne Toxic Event, a band named after a chapter from the novel White Noise, recently released their 6th album. The lead singer and founder of the band, Mikel Jollett, concurrently released his memoir, also titled “Hollywood Park.” Jollett was born in one of the most infamous American cults, Church of Synanon, and managed to escape with his mother and brother. Both the book and the album retell pieces of his difficult story and eventual life in the world of music. The album itself goes through a whirlwind of emotions, from intensity and joy to dramatic and painful songs; Jollett strives to capture the emotions of different moments of his life.
The first song of the album, Hollywood Park, focuses on an escape and the tragic loss of home, despite its upbeat and rock nature (with a mix of bagpipes.) With the drums beating throughout the song and a guitar solo, it’s a song you’d imagine people nodding their heads with, and you almost don’t notice the somber and desperate lyrics, unless you’re to the words carefully.
Brother, How Was the War diverges from Hollywood Park completely. Melancholy and nostalgic, the song recalls the turmoil of the Vietnam war from the perspective of a loved one at home. The second half of the song takes a turn with the addition of heavy guitar, adding to the tense undertones. Brother, How Was the War gives another glimpse at a possible moment from Jollett’s life.
The Common Touch has simple, light guitar in the background accompanied by the story of a young person trying to find the answer to how to get through life. Though the accompaniment is light, the lyrics challenge what seem to be the only available methods for someone to get through a hard life if they have said “common touch.” Jollett belts out “I swear I don’t feel a goddamn thing” describing his numbness to life.
The full album is worth the listen, even if it's not your genre, simply for the lyrics. Jollett, both a writer and musician with an intense life story, creates lyrics of poetry, leading to the album being words accompanied by complimentary music rather than the other way around. While the specifics of his stories may not always be relatable, the general emotions throughout the album are.
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