Although Iggy Pop collaborated with newer artists like Sum 41, Green Day, and Peaches on “Skull Ring,” the album has a general classic feel.
“Little Electric Chair” almost sounds live, partly due to Pop’s jagged vocals and the way the electric guitars, not the percussion, carry the song. The complete opposite can be said about “Perverts in the Sun.” With the ability to identify different studio methods in this song, it relies more on the production that Pop.
The title track, “Skull Ring,” has the most classic tone to it, and is also the perfect scare-tactic with its spooky vocals.
From the moment “Private Hell” begins, it is obvious the song was built with Green Day in mind with its anxious opening. They appear again on “Supermarket,” which is a faster song but has the same type of climatic first few bars.
You’ve got to be a loyal fan of either Pop or Peaches to like “Rock Show.” To sum it up: 2-minutes of the same chorus over the same chords.
Sum 41 guests on “Little Know It All,” but it sounds more like Iggy Pop singing a Sum 41 song than a collaboration. The vocals of the Canadians are almost unheard. Then again, almost all the collaborators are somewhat unheard, but that’s what makes this an Iggy Pop record, not Iggy Pop and friends.
3*
Virgin
