“Commencement (album)”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

Commencement is the debut studio album by American rock band Deadsy, released on May 14, 2002. After initially being suspended upon distribution changes at Sire, the album was officially released through DreamWorks under the Elementree sub-label. It includes the single "The Key to Gramercy Park" which gained minor attention for its music video. Despite featuring various guest musicians and the support of popular industry figures such as Jonathan Davis and Fred Durst, Commencement was a commercial disappointment, and Elementree folded shortly after.

Background

Intended as a much improved edition of Deadsy's first album, Commencement was originally anticipated for a fall 1999 release under Sire Records; a promotional music video for "She Likes Big Words" was filmed from live concert footage. However, the nearly completed record was left in limbo when Sire's distribution deal with Warner Bros. dissolved. Deadsy was soon dropped from the label and given the option of releasing their album underdeveloped or taking the songs elsewhere. During this time, Carlton Bost was added on Ztar and guitar, and "Creature" Ashburn Miller replaced "The Beast" Craig Riker on bass in January 2002. With the support of Korn's Jonathan Davis, the group signed to Elementree two months after their dismissal from Sire. They would soon begin re-recording and retooling some of the tracks for its official release with co-producers Jay Baumgardner and Josh Abraham. Tracks dating back to Deadsy's 1996 effort were included, and entirely new songs were recorded, such as the lead single, "The Key to Gramercy Park". MTV reported in July 2001 that Davis had recorded vocals for the aforementioned track at A&M Studios. This would be his second collaboration with the group.^[1]

Vocalist Elijah Blue described the situation regarding the delay of Commencement in 2002:

Music

Blue has cited Gary Numan, Type O Negative, and Black Sabbath as the album's influences.^[3] While containing obvious electronic elements of the '80s, such as shrill synthesizer melodies and generously reverberated percussion, the album also features deep, purring guitar distortion characteristic of alternative metal and clean, goth-like vocals that have been described as "faintly robotic." Commencement features two cover songs: "Brand New Love" written by Lou Barlow of the band Sebadoh and "Tom Sawyer" by Rush. It also boasts guest appearances by Jonathan Davis (Korn), Troy Van Leeuwen (Failure, A Perfect Circle, Queens of the Stone Age), Jay Gordon (Orgy), and John Taylor (Duran Duran).

Elija Blue stated that, although five of the songs were already over six years old and another six were over four years old, "they are still ahead of the fuckin' curve." He also noted that the long delay "ultimately, for longevity's sake, worked in our favor" and allowed the songs to develop in re-recording.^[2] The material on Commencement received praise from the late Wayne Static of Static-X who compared it to a combination of Type O Negative and Orgy and described the sound as "very melodic, lush, beautiful - yet brutally heavy at the same time."^[4] Regarding its electronic-heavy nature, Blue would later describe the album as "more synthetic" compared to Deadsy's 2006 follow-up.^[3]

Album art

Commencement's album art was designed & directed by Josh Gabbard. Its cover depicts a simple illustration of a mansion behind a fountain of skulls depicted in stark, relatively flat colors. The backside features all five band members standing over a world map, simply illustrated with blank white eyes and their signature color schemes. The CD tray is flat white, a feature uncharacteristic of the metal genre. The disc itself and the liner notes feature a white chain link pattern used throughout the promotion of Commencement. Each member is represented in the liner notes by a signature color (red, blue, yellow, green, and gray), stage name, and graphic.

Variations

There are five known variations of the Commencement album artwork. The differences are slight and no official statement has surfaced on the reasoning behind them.

Touring and promotion

Deadsy opened for Static-X, Stone Temple Pilots, Staind, and Linkin Park on the Family Values Tour in the fall of 2001.^[5] The band also opened for Static-X on a few dates of their own tour. During this time, Deadsy's Elijah Blue contributed vocals to "What's Going On (Reality Check Mix)" a collaborative reworking led by Fred Durst. In May, Deadsy performed with Papa Roach and the following month joined Puddle of Mudd for the US leg of Korn's Untouchables Tour. Late in the summer, keyboardist Dr. Nner allegedly broke both wrists but continued touring. The band played with Taproot and Dredg in August.

"The Key to Gramercy Park" was originally released alongside "Mansion World" as a double A-sided single in late 2001.^[6] It was then re-released in anticipation of Commencement and to coincide with its music video. The video was directed by Fred Durst at Hayvenhurst Studios in Van Nuys, California and debuted on April 31{{Dubious|reason=only 30 days in April|date=March 2012}}, 2002. Durst, who became after a fan after hearing Deadsy's earlier material, praised the band's willingness to shoot extensively in a cloud of CO2: "I laid down in it for 10 seconds and my throat dried up and I was feeling nauseous. These guys have been in it for three hours... This is their first video and they are seriously taking a beating." The haunting video has each member associated with a specific color and graphic. Frontman Elija Blue noted that it "has sort of a remedial context to its visuals. It kind of explains a little bit about the band." Blue also described the song as "kind of the Trojan horse of the record... We feel like this is simply a good rock jam. It's very impressionistic. It's very powerful and simply in your face."^[7] The song did not manage to chart.

A remixed cover of Sebadoh's "Brand New Love" would serve as a follow-up single in October 2002. It, too, had a music video released in November which contained concert footage with brief cameos of numerous tour mates. Like its predecessor, "Brand New Love" would not land on the charts. Deadsy had reportedly wanted to release "Winners" or "Mansion World" as a third single, but this did not occur.^[8]

A live performance of "Tom Sawyer" was included on the Family Values Tour 2001 compilation released in May 2002. A remix of the track "Mansion World" by trance music group Deepsky was included on their 2002 album In Silico, titled "The Mansion World (Deepsky's Trippin' in Unknown Territory Mix)."

Reception

Critical response

One stand-out review of acclamation came from Alternative Press which noted "Deadsy's mix of electronics, death-metal distortion and lugubrious vocals offers something magnificently alien, yet familiar." Allmusic's Robert L. Doerschuk gave a somewhat positive review but emphasized the band's retro influences, stating, "A guest shot by Korn vocalist Jonathan Davis on "The Key to Gramercy Park" reminds listeners of the band's currency, but it's easy to mistake Commencement for an '80s artifact."

Commercial success

Deadsy's association with Korn and Fred Durst and critical tour slots gained them mainstream exposure and significant press attention. However, despite the support of the nu metal flagships, Deadsy's moment in the spotlight was somewhat fleeting. Neither single managed to chart, and Commencement did not meet sales expectations. SoundScan reported that the album has sold more than 175,000 copies as of May 1, 2008.

Track listing

Charts

Personnel

Deadsy

Additional personnel

References

1. ^D'Angelo, Joe Korn's Jonathan Davis Sings On Deadsy Track MTV.com (July 31, 2001). Retrieved on 7-02-11.
2. ^¹Brink, Robert Elijah Blue Allman Deadsy Interview Uncensored! RobBrink.com (August 2002). Retrieved on 7-02-11.
3. ^¹Matlock, Kelly Deadsy interview - Lollapalooza '06 Lumino Magazine (August 8, 2006). Retrieved on 7-02-11.
4. ^ConcertLivewire's exclusive interview with Wayne Static of Static-X ConcertLiveWire.com (November 14, 2003). Retrieved on 7-02-11.
5. ^vanHorn, Teri Static-X Join Family Values Tour As Itinerary Shapes Up MTV.com (September 10, 2001). Retrieved on 7-02-11.
6. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Deadsy-The-Key-To-Gramercy-Park-Mansion-World/release/424408|title=Deadsy - The Key to Gramercy Park / Mansion World|accessdate=2011-02-10|publisher=Discogs}}
7. ^D'Angelo, Joe Deadsy Hold Their Breath For Durst-Directed Video MTV.com (April 3, 2002). Retrieved on 7-02-11.
8. ^News DeadTV (September 2002). Retrieved on 7-02-11.
9. ^{{cite web|last=Doerschuk |first=Robert L. |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/r430213 |title=Commencement - Deadsy |publisher=AllMusic |date=1999-09-28 |accessdate=2012-02-10}}
10. ^¹{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/commencement/critic-reviews |title=Critic Reviews for Commencement at Metacritic |publisher=Metacritic.com |date= |accessdate=2012-02-10}}
11. ^{{cite web|author=Jim Farber |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,237289,00.html |title=Commencement Review | Music Reviews and News |publisher=EW.com |date=2002-05-17 |accessdate=2012-02-10}}
12. ^{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/110894 |title=Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews |publisher=Rollingstone.com |date= |accessdate=2012-02-10}}
13. ^Deadsy - Commencement Metacritic. Retrieved on 7-02-11.