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THE MAKERS' GREATEST ALBUM YET

jane | Los Angeles | 10/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Strangest Parade is easily The Makers' greatest album to date. The negative reviews I've read are way too hung-up on clothes and whatever is currently considered "hip". The Makers have always been 2 steps ahead of any trend or style. Once again, they've proven to be in a league of their own. "Strangest Parade" is beautiful, scary, honest, and dare I say IMPORTANT. Ten years from now, all the hipsters will be listening to this one. If you're expecting "All Night Riot" then you're going to be disappointed - besides, who wants to hear that same record over and over anyway? You need to take in the entire Makers history of work to understand what this album is all about. It's about magic, loss, disillusionment and death which isn't exactly the kind of cotton candy the White Stripes are getting rich from. These guys have never wanted to be David Bowie - only the most casual rock 'n roll tourist would make that ignorant comparison. The Makers are the undisputed KINGS of garage rock and one day they'll get their due."

Pitchforkmedia Review

treblekicker | Houston, TX | 07/26/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"A flawed follow-up to the flawed concept album that was the preceding Rock Star God, Strangest Parade shows the Makers 'maturing' from full-on glam rock excess into ordinary rock excess with little of the attitude, and less of the energy, that made them even remotely appealing in the first place. Yes, it's dark and serious and musically competent, but why should that be a recommendation of a band once known for their snarling, no-holds-barred noise and the somewhat mythical badassitude they derived from their skid row storyline and predilection for onstage anarchy. The only evidence of a sense of fun or humor on this album are the band's clothes, which, if the album cover's any indication, may have been purchased at a combination Rod Stewart/Queen garage sale circa '77.Strangest Parade is basically devised as a two-part concept album, separated into a long first half and a shorter second half by two short creatively titled introductions (respectively "An Eternal Climb" and "Death and the Mad Heroine"), and a simplistic stylistic division-- the first part tends to drag anthemically; the second half comes closer to straightforward rock 'n' roll. The album is set up as a mock concert, concluding with "Wide Wide World of Girls"-- a largely acoustic, almost Neil Young-inspired ballad complete with harmonica, dobro, and twang-- an interactive encore, wherein the music is overlaid with periodic stadium-sized audience applause and band introduction.Though this conceit irritates me as a rule, it's only a mild violation when compared to the over-the-top Bowie-aping that dominates the bulk of the album. With moments of cribbed "Space Oddity" (the acoustic segue "Wild Gray Wonder") and such blatant examples of ersatz Ziggy Stardust as the anthemic "Calling Elvis, John and Jesus" with its falsetto backup choirs and spacy guitar lines, or the whacked out confessional piano ballad "Calling My Name," it's awfully hard to lend them credence that they're anything other than a veiled tribute band-- let alone that they wrote these songs.The best moments on the album recall The Makers' more raucous past. Sometimes these occur almost inconspicuously: the unabashed crunch of the guitar on parts of "Hard to Be Human," is nearly lost in the glam theatrics and sound effects. Likewise, the great Nuggets-era pop of "Suicide Blues" is hampered by the bizarre inclusion of what sounds like a children's choir at the chorus. Other tracks show the initial energy of what could be wild ass rock 'n' roll (the build-up alone on "Addicted to Dying" raised my heart rate), but draw back abruptly as if weighted by the maintenance of the album's conceit.I respect The Makers' desire to grow and evolve as musicians, even if-- in fact, especially if-- it seems both aesthetically and economically ill-advised to do so. But ask yourself: do we really need another uninspired T.Rex retread, and if so, do you really want the Makers to be the ones doing it? Me neither.-Alison Fields, July 26th, 2002"

Quite possibly the best yet

K. Christians | United States | 01/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are truly a fan of the Makers, or truly a music fan - you'll find this album is leaps and bounds ahead of anything they, or any other band these days, has ever done. Sure, they've taken some criticism for this album being different...but how many albums that sound the exact same can you really stand? This album shows true progression in song-writing, in style and in their personalities. From "Laughter Then Violence", which is about being in a band for years - to "Addicted To Dying", which is about doing everything like it's the last thing you'll ever do...this album is a diamond in the rough. Do yourself a favor and buy it."