Get Up is the albums ballad with a nice piano intro (Sam Smith like – according to my 14 year old daughter!). A very solid, addictive song continuing the mood and feel of the album.
Creatures is my stand out track with a chorus I was singing for days after. From here on the album turns negativity into positivity. Monsters is the half way point of the album and this is the time when the lyrics and theme come out of the shade and into the light as the individual in the room begins to feel more positive and their confidence starts to return. Pyro is a straight forward rocker sounding a little like Green Day. Kill Your Conscience slows proceedings down a slight touch and is a song about defiance with another superb chorus building into a repeatable and memorable hook. The verses have Brent scowling and sounding very sinister and spitting out the lyrics with real venom. Attention Attention, the title track is a slight departure from what you would expect from Shinedown however, as soon as the chorus kicks in everything the band are known for is there. With an instantly memorable chorus this song is sure to be a live fan favourite.
While it’s fair to say nothing is surprising or overtly new – Shinedown cover all the expected aspects – it is equally fair to point out that each facet of their sound is delivered to a very high level, from the stomping alternative metal anthems of ‘Black Soul’ and ‘Devil’, to the upbeat ‘Darkside’,via the reflective ‘Creatures’ and the inspirational ‘Get Up’.Black Soul continues the theme and urges the person to “Wake up, Its not too late to pull yourself together”. While the energy levels don’t always reach those on …Madness, there is a diversity and bluster throughout. So, with that in mind, it is an absolute pleasure to confirm that the consistency is impressive. In addition, it’s always a struggle, I think, to deliver, high quality from top to bottom on an album that has more than ten songs. Yet, for all the thematic depth, if the songs blow, then Attention Attention fails. Smith has previously thought to inspire and uplift his audience (‘Second Chance’, ‘Bully’, ‘Unity’ for example), but this collection feels like a personal and direct reaching out to some of Shinedown’s audience. While the lyrics may not always quite do what they want them to (‘Pyro’), there aren’t many of mainstream Rock’s arena-filling leading lights being so bold as to embrace such a complex and weighty lyrical subject, or a concept album. Taking a brave approach by undertaking a concept album that discusses mental health, and an unnamed protagonist’s journey through struggles and mental health issues, Shinedown have managed to simultaneously make both a positive statement and shine a light on a pressing and ever more vital conversation, while also upping the ante on the guitars and the consistency of their songs. While those true to the band accepted it was a step down from the previous run of albums that still had its moments, the bands dalliance with overtly mainstream tendencies and some questionable image decisions, allied with the watering down of both quality of their usually strong songwriting and the tone of the guitars, led to inevitable “$ell out” accusations from the casual observers who had found their opportunity to put the boot in, and decry the Jacksonville quartet as inauthentic “Wrestle Metal” got lucky.Īttention Attention calls bullshit on that.
Amaryllis kept things ticking over, adding more anthems to the live set, as the band headed into Threat To Survival (all Atlantic) on a high, and ready to diversify.
Shinedown attention attention songs series#
A perfect storm of energetic heavy, alternative Rock riffing with a distinctive edge and a series of absolutely huge songs, all headed up by a top tier vocalist, Brent Smith, whose earnest lyrics and distinctive delivery helped set the band apart. It has been ten years since The Sound of Madness well and truly smashed Shinedown through the glass ceiling into the higher echelons of mainstream, modern Rock.
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