I just got totally impressed by the Bigger Bang, latest album by the Rolling Stones. Yes, I listened to it several times over last four-five months or whatever, and it showed glimpses of seriousness, great pop skills and some real rock playing. My wife liked it although she does not have rock background. But now, now I’ve put on my headphones and really listened to it, in-depth. These guys are unbelievable! Actually, they seem to be the only real guys left around. Unabashedly so, scarred all over their age-dried faces by the broken love stories, un-fathered children and charred female objects. But, it appears; one becomes invincible if the old friends are still around. And really, in spite of the absence of one woman in one’s life, the house is still tidy, the guitars are shiny, the fridge is full of beers and yes, the scarred life was a true fun. Female objects forever eternal springs of fascination and inspiration and are mighty influence that really makes man ever better and understanding through punishing him for his mistakes. On most of the occasions female actually rise above the object limit and becomes the worthwhile adversary who appears to be winning again and again only to refine a boy’s role as an innocent victim and an indestructible source of life. How far this is this form from the metro sexual object that is constantly loosing even the last chance to assert its credibility. It is funny how this idealized fable of man women relations, placed in the model of brotherhood of knights context rings truer to my generation. This is such a glorious throwback to the times when men were still allowed to run the show that it simply fascinates today as different, but it also impresses with its integrity. Yes, male insensitivities do hurt people, but there is honest and beauty in the consistence and loyalty to predictable values. A couple of songs that are superficially politicking just round-up the cigar-and-whiskey-scented or spilled beer, if you will, male club atmosphere of the CD. I myself learned how to abandon most of the things macho, but the force of acceptance of the simple, true male identity pattern that made male life so simple in the past truly fascinates when presented in such a skillful, humble and highly articulated way. These guys are von Karajans of R&B, they are Maria Calases of the love songs and their accumulated virtuosity is unreachable event for the greats like BB King. I guess only RL Burnside comes close to this force. Besides, this fantastic record has unprecedented melodic inspiration unapproachable to U2, seamless auto referencing, way above the most post modern authors and encyclopedic understanding of all the idiomatic elements that make the great language of rock and roll. Long live the Rolling Stones. Enjoy this one to the full, and if you have some courage, live proudly of whoever you are.