''Ahead of the Lions'' is an album by

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Living Things, released on October 4, 2005. The first single is the song "Bom Bom Bom" was featured in a

Cingular AT&T Mobility LLC, also known as AT&T Wireless and marketed as simply AT&T, is an American telecommunications company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc. and provides wireless services in the United States. AT&T Mobility is the th ...

commercial promoting an iTunes-compatible phone. Some of the songs that would eventually be recorded for the ''Ahead of the Lions'' album originated from the band members' childhood. The album was recorded by

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal ...

(

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

, PJ Harvey,

Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...

) and produced by Living Things and Lij Shaw in the Berlin Family Basement in their hometown of St. Louis in February 2005.

Reception

As noted by Robert Christgau in the

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

, "Lillian Berlin is

Johnny Rotten John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and aga ...

with politics. His art would be nothing without his rage; he is possessed by the need to get his point across that he grabs his brothers' music by the throat and makes it bellow his tune. But his rage wouldn't be much without his analyst,which however simplistic-and it is, though at this perilous moment no more so than apolitical cynicism or liberal equivocation-gives shape, purpose, and a referent outside his tortured psyche to feelings that emanate from who knows where." (May 10, 2005) The following is a sampling from other professional reviews of the album: *"One of the most ferocious straight -ahead rock album since "

Nevermind ''Nevermind'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release on a major label and the first to feature drummer Dave Grohl. Produced by Butch Vig, '' ...

" -Brian Rafferty, '' Spin'' April 2005 *"Living Things are a band of fighters determined to make us all feel like winners" 4 stars review David Fricke ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' Magazine Oct 2005 *"...what rock'n roll should be sounding like" Barry Nicolson, ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' *"...an agitprop opus that attacks the apathy, paranoia, and mood-altered gazes of George Bush-era America"- Stephen Mooallem, ''Interview'' Magazine *"It's been a long time since rock music felt remotely dangerous. But along come Living Things-three brothers from St.Louis who mash out an archaic collision of power chords and screaming vocals that feel like a bottle breaking your head. With the simplicity of the Ramones and the fury of

, Living Things would blast of adenoidal angst if it were not for their politics" -Dimitri Ehrlich, ''Interview'' Magazine *"...songs that pair AC/DC's aggression with Fugazi's humanistic fervor"- Jenny Williams ''Spin'' *"They are the hardest new rock band around"- Chuck Eddy ''Village Voice''

Track listing

#"Bombs Below" – 3:00 #"I Owe" – 3:00 #"Bom Bom Bom" – 3:06 #"New Year" – 3:39 #"God Made Hate" – 4:20 #"End Gospel" – 3:25 #"No New Jesus" – 3:47 #"March in Daylight" – 3:36 #"Keep It 'Til You Fold" – 4:10 #"Monsters of Man" – 2:09 #"On All Fours" – 3:50 #"I Wish the Best for You" – 4:21

Personnel

*Lillian Berlin - guitar, vocals *Cory Becker - guitar * Eve Berlin - bass guitar *Bosh Berlin - drums

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahead Of The Lions 2005 albums Living Things (band) albums Jive Records albums