Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators Release New Song “The River is Rising”
What differentiates a “good” hook from a “bad” one? There might be scholars who could break it down on a scientific level, but for a layman like me, there’s something subjective and ineffable about a good hook. It hits your ears in just the right way so as to be memorable or it doesn’t. It is as frustratingly simple as that.
I was thinking about this as I listened to “The River is Rising,” the new single from Slash’s Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators Featuring Slash (Guns N’ Roses). I can’t really point to an aspect of this song and say “THAT is the problem.” I can’t even say there is a problem: moment-to-moment, I’m onboard for the ride.
But during the verse that separates the first two choruses, I completely forgot how those choruses actually go (even the solo is kind of forgettable, which is pretty amazing, because Slash’s entire career is built on great solos). There wasn’t a sense of anticipation, like a second lap on an already-thrilling rollercoaster; it was more like being on Space Mountain, where you’re in the dark most of the time and don’t really know what’s going on, except if Space Mountain’s dips, spins, and climbs were all pretty mild. The ride ends and you’re like, “Oh, was that it? Neat. Well, that was fun. Should we get lunch?”
Perhaps you’ll find the song more memorable, though? Listen below and see for yourself.
The song will appear on the band’s new album, 4, which comes out February 11. It will be the inaugural release on Gibson Records, the new label from Gibson Guitars.
This summer, Guns N’ Roses released two new songs, “Absurd” and “Hard Skool,” which marked Slash’s first time recording original material the band since 1991’s Use Your Illusion albums.
Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators Live Dates
Feb 08 Roseland Theater Portland, OR [tickets]
Feb 09: Paramount Theatre Seattle, WA [tickets]
Feb 11: Cache Creek Casino Resort Brooks, CA [tickets]
Feb 12: The Warfield San Francisco, CA [tickets]
Feb 15: Arizona Federal Theatre Phoenix, AZ [tickets]
Feb 16: Harrah’s Resort Southern CA Valley Center CA [tickets]
Feb 18: YouTube Theater Los Angeles, CA [tickets]
Feb 19: Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, NV [tickets]
Feb 22: Delta Hall Eccles Theater Salt Lake City, UT [tickets]
Feb 23: Paramount Theatre Denver, CO [tickets]
Feb 25: Arvest Bank Theatre The Midland Kansas City, MO [tickets]
Feb 26: Mystic Lake Casino Mystic Showroom Prior Lake, MN [tickets]
Feb 28: Riverside Theater Milwaukee, WI [tickets]
Mar 02: Riviera Theatre Chicago, IL [tickets]
Mar 04: The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor, CAN [tickets]
Mar 05: The Vine at Del Lago Waterloo, NY [tickets]
Mar 07: House of Blues Boston, MA [tickets]
Mar 09: The Fillmore Silver Springs, MD [tickets]
Mar 11: Tropicana Atlantic City, NJ [tickets]
Mar 12: Beacon Theatre New York, NY [tickets]
Mar 14: Dominion Energy Center Richmond, VA [tickets]
Mar 16: Grand Ole Opry Nashville, TN [tickets]
Mar 18: Coca Cola Roxy Atlanta, GA [tickets]
Mar 19: Durham Performing Arts Center Durham, NC [tickets]
Mar 21: The Fillmore Charlotte, NC [tickets]
Mar 23: North Charleston Performing Arts Center, SC [tickets]
Mar 25: Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL [tickets]
Mar 26: Hard Rock Live Orlando, FL [tickets]
