Review The Music Your Listening To

:confused: Well I figure we might not get a "Reviews" subforum put in each world so this thread is as close as we can get. Maybe it can open up the idea to the Mods or Admin. ;)

Feel free to request a review if you notice someone has an album your interested in, or feel free to post a review of an album/single your currently listening to or have listened to in the past.

Old and New music welcom, All music genres welcome, All styles of reviewing welcome, and of course all forum members welcome!
Maybe we'll all get to see those great paws of CrumbCat once again. :D


:book:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

I'll keep this short and sweet. Tracklist as follows:

01 Same Direction 3:15
02 Out Of Control 2:42
03 What Happened To Us? 4:00
04 Escape 3:44
05 Just One 3:19
06 Lucky 3:00
07 From The Heart 3:03
08 The Reason 3:52
09 Let It Out 3:18
10 Unaffected 3:33
11 Never There 3:03
12 Disappear 5:06
13 Never Saw It Coming (Bonus Track) 3:20
14 Open Your Eyes (Bonus Track) 3:44

First thing I noticed is that this CD is very short. 48 minutes? We have another Linkin Park on our hands. This CD includes two bonus tracks, available only on the Japanese release... so the american version will be even shorter, about 40 minutes. Disgusting ain't it? Anyway, track 1 is decent, track 2 was is the new single. 3 is heavy and tight, 4 is a ballad. Track 5 reminds me a bit of Blindside... The unique Hoobastank sound is back, nice and tight. Overall, its a decent rip, I'd give it 8 out of 10. So far so good... anyone else care to comment? ;)

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...10324k65ma.jpg

1. Vaseline
2. Down
3. Wicked Garden
4. Big Empty
5. Plush
6. Big Bang Baby
7. Creep
8. Lady Picture Show
9. Tripping' on a Hole in a Paper Heart
10. Interstate Love Song
11. All in the Suit That You Wear
12. Sex Type Thing
13. Days of the Week
14. Sour Girl
15. Plush [Acoustic Version]

OK first Thing its not relay a good idea to review greatest hits Cd's as there is no point

however I will review some aspects of this.

First thing I poped in the disk and say the time 58 mins?? I find most greatest hits go for 70+ first thing I noticed 4 of their big hits ain't on there!!!

Meatplow
Art School Girlfriend
No Way Out
Sex and Violence

I ask myself why?? they still had another 22 minutes left to fill the CD up, as for the 2 tracks I hadn't heard before Plush (acoustic) and Suit that you wear,

Plush acoustic Of course the song that was a big influence eon me growing up as a teenager I used to play that song in bands and do our own acoustic version which has some killer chords Scott sings the acoustic version with such emotion on this the new single?? Well not sure what year it was but Scott's got his old Harsher voice happening in this song which is great.

As for being a greatest Hits CD i feel no point in rating it

http://www.chinkii.com/uploads/album...ntialCover.JPG

This is a three disc set with the majority of the material already released disc 3 has material that was previously unreleased. I haven't stopped listening to the third disc in this set since the day I bought it. All of these songs are B sides and live performances that Bruce has done over the years. All the songs are classic Bruce Springsteen with the except of Missing witch has a very different sound. The last song is a very different version of Countin' On A Miracle from The Rising which has a country blues kinda and I didn't even recognize the song at first. All in all its a great album no matter if you are a fan or not.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Gutter@3 December 2003 - 10:09
Maybe we'll all get to see those great paws of CrumbCat once again. :D

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As requested........and thanks for the great topic!

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Swell - Whenever You're Ready

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...04667l1y2q.jpg

Artist: Swell
Album Title: Whenever You're Ready
Date of Release: Sep 9, 2003
Genre: Indie / Rock

01 Soon Enough 02:33
02 Next To Nothing 05:06
03 War Comes Down 03:46
04 Convince Us 04:02
05 So Easy, So Cool 03:50
06 In The Morning 04:17
07 Say Goodbye 03:41
08 Sunny Sun Son 04:13
09 Everyday Comes Everynight 05:13
10 Better Than Oil 05:15
11 Word Gifts 04:13
12 Miss It 05:19
13 Sun (Reprise) 02:58
14 Always Everything 07:11
15 California, Arizona 04:23
TOTAL TiME: 66:00 min

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While this is the first album I've heard from this band of indie rockers from San Francisco, Swell released its first album in 1990 and has kept a small following among college students and indie rock fans ever since, while staying relatively under the radar.

Whenever You're Ready was a pleasure to listen to the first time through, and it just seemed to get better each time I played it. The album is perfect indie rock. While it's easygoing on the surface, there is also complexity heard throughout the album. Each of the 15 tracks on the album is worth listening to.

As for standout tracks, I have to admit I equally enjoyed each song on the album. This is one of those Cds that you put in the player and let it play through in it's entirety. It is perfect for those times you want to relax with a nice glass of wine, or have the guys over for a evening of playing pool - it plays well in the background yet has a way of keeping your constant attention to hear what the music is doing.

The songs on Whenever You're Ready don't sound quite like anything on today's mainstream radio, and that's always a plus in my opinion.

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CrumbCat's rating:
http://www.piczonline.com/client/crumbcat2/cc08.gif
8 out of 10 Paws

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This review has been brought to you as a courtesy of CrumbCat.
© Copyright 2003 by CrumbCat, all rights reserved.

Some reviews:

This is related to music so I'll post a review here:

Peter Gabriel - Growing UP Live DVD

The latest DVD release from Peter Gabriel somewhat failed to meet my expectations. It's obvious that there was a lot of effort which went into the making of his live shows but it doesn't transfer well to home video. For example there were a lot of visual projections that I don't think you can appreciate without being there in the audience experiencing them. I will give you that they looked amazing but it just doesn't seem that imersive when I'm watching it on my home TV.
The concert was great although I was disappointed that I didn't get to hear a lot of the songs off of the UP album (I Grieve, No Way Out etc..) but the fact that Mercy Street was on the DVD makes it all worthwhile.
The picture and sound quality are indeed perfect.
The extras aren't at all that bad. The Elbow Remix of More Than This is stunning.
It comes with the extra Noodle program which allows you to remix Growing Up (I can't tell you whether or not it's good because my graphics card won't let me install the program).

But my rating:
:) :) :) :) out of Five smilies.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Jibbler@3 December 2003 - 11:52

First thing I noticed is that this CD is very short. 48 minutes? We have another Linkin Park on our hands. This CD includes two bonus tracks, available only on the Japanese release... so the american version will be even shorter, about 40 minutes. Disgusting ain't it? Anyway, track 1 is decent, track 2 was is the new single. 3 is heavy and tight, 4 is a ballad. Track 5 reminds me a bit of Blindside... The unique Hoobastank sound is back, nice and tight. Overall, its a decent rip, I'd give it 8 out of 10. So far so good... anyone else care to comment? ;)

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OK ok here we go.... MY version of this cd, since i happen to love them so so very much :) .....

great opening song, lots of energy...

"Out Of Control" is, of course, the single, which rocks....it seems as if theyre straying away from the so-called rumour of an Incubus-wannabe that was apparent on their first album...

"what happened to us" sounds alot like a song that couldve gone on their first album and fit right in...though it DOES have some nice effects that werent present on "hoobastank"

"escape" sounds almost like theyre trying to outdo themselves, they shouldve left those electronic drums out of it....

"just one" reminds me of, yes, blindside and a few other bands...got some punk acentuations in there...

"lucky" is a lovesong, which hoobastank seem to have alot of...got a nice "fuel" sound with the guitars..

"from the heart" is a good, solid Hoobastank song, very characteristic of their overall sound, combined from their first and this cd...

"the reason" ......hmmmphhh...i cant put on a finger on it....nice ballad...another "love" song

"let it out" , nice nice... i cant get over his vocals, fucking awesome..

"unaffected" the type of song that i can fall asleep to...i cant really say much else except that hooastank seem to be tightening up their sound, refining it, very nicely if i might add :)

"never there" again, very characteristic of the hoobastank sound... the fast power chords, and i think the guitarist seems to be experimenting with alternative chords...i cant explain it, id have to show you in person, cause i really dont know the correct term for it...adding a note thats a whole step up from the rest of the chord makes it sound fuller and richer...but you can notice a difference if its not there..

"disappear" ..... his voice almost has "the calling" tone in his singing...btw, the switching to acoustic and back is very nice, gets all quiet with just his vocals and the acoustic....then brings in some band instruments, sounds like a violin and something else....

"never saw it" , why is it a BONUS track, it belongs on the cd with all the others... :)

"open your eyes" is this a cover song?? it sure as hell sounds like one....it sounds vaguely familiar, but i dont know who...


there, thats much more complete....sorry i had to listen to the cd twice over to write this....

the word "sophomore effort" comes to mind, usually a band's best cd.... a MUST-have for all hoobastank fans...
if youre not into hoobastank, then you might not give this cd a very high rating....its really nothing like their first cd, short of a few inflections in some of the songs...
for example, him raising his voice and almost yelling in some of the songs, most notably "same direction", are very charateristic :)

btw.... though this has nothing to do with the review, i've met all the bandsmates before....at McDonalds, believe it or not..... :) :D

blink-182 - Untitled - 2003
tracklisting and cover taken from Amazon.co.uk

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P...2.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

1. Feeling This
2. Obvious
3. I Miss You
4. Violence
5. Stockholm Syndrome
6. Down
7. The Fallen Interlude
8. Go
9. Asthenia
10. Always
11. Easy Target
12. All Of This
13. Here's Your Letter
14. I'm Lost Without You
15. Not Now (UK Bonus Track)
16. Anthem Part Two (Live UK Bonus Track)
17. Feeling This (Video)
18. Obvious (Video)
19. Down/The Fallen Interlude (Video)
20. Violence (Video)

blink-182 have been around since the early 90's. In recent years they have lost a lot of respect from "true punk rockers" (is there such a thing?), amid cries that "they've sold out!!!!omg!!wtf!!". This is true in a lot of ways ,including literally - as their tours are invariably sponsored by some corporate outfit or another, like Honda for example. but a band shouldn't be dismissed just for being on MTV and accepting the big bucks, we're here for the music.

So the current state of play - Blink get mocked by many, but the flip side is that they have many fans who adore them. it shouldn't be forgotten that Blink helped enlighten many young kids that there was more to music than Britney or Christina. (although some would argue that they are just as mainstream).

Anyways, onwards to the review of the latest album.

Initially i didn't think much of this album, but persevered and gave it another listen. It's an album you really have to listen to all the way through a few times.

blink-182 have dropped the immature humour that was a feature of Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001) (referred to as TOYPAJ from here on.), and this can only be a good thing. sure, immature can be funny, but they were scraping the barrel on TOYPAJ. This definitely can't be labelled even pop-punk now.

The old blink sound creeps in here and there (old as in Enema, not as in Buddha or Dude Ranch), familiar hooks and riffs are scattered throughout, but on the whole the general 'sound' of the album is different.

Lyrically, the album is much darker than previous efforts, though not in a whiny, emo way. You won't hear anything about Grandpa's and hot dogs anyways. (actually, not strictly true, there is a letter read by a woman written by Mark Hoppus' grandfather during the 2nd World War to his lover, which is quite moving actually).

Stand-out songs are Stockholm Syndrome and All of This (featuring Robert Smith of The Cure on vocals).

This is definitely a "studio" album, i don't think the songs will fare well in a live setting.

Overall, this album is highly listenable, and i don't find myself skipping tracks like i do on some albums.

The Faceman's rating

3 and 1/2 STFU's out of 5.

http://imageshack.us/images07/stfu.jpg http://imageshack.us/images07/stfu.jpg http://imageshack.us/images07/stfu.jpg http://imageshack.us/images07/stfuhalf.jpg

Quote:

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Originally posted by the_faceman@4 December 2003 - 22:48
The Faceman's rating

3 and 1/2 STFU's out of 5.

http://imageshack.us/images07/stfu.jpg http://imageshack.us/images07/stfu.jpg http://imageshack.us/images07/stfu.jpg http://imageshack.us/images07/stfuhalf.jpg

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:lol: Now that's original :lol:

The Streets - original Pirate Material

http://www.chinkii.com/uploads/album...inalpirate.jpg

Tracklist

1. Turn the Page (Skinner) - 3:15
2. Has It Come to This? (Skinner) - 4:05
3. Let's Push Thing's Forward (Skinner) - 3:51
4. Sharp Darts (Skinner) - 1:34
5. Same Old Thing (Skinner) - 3:22
6. Geezer's Need Excitement (Skinner) - 3:46
7. It's Too Late (Skinner) - 4:11
8. Too Much Brandy (Skinner) - 3:02
9. Don't Mug Yourself (Skinner) - 2:40
10. Who Got the Funk? (Skinner) - 1:50
11. The Irony of It All (Skinner) - 3:30
12. Weak Become Heroes (Skinner) - 5:33
13. Who Dares Wins (Skinner) - 0:35
14. Stay Positive. (Skinner) - 6:17

courtesy of allmusic^.

Review

Defining british garage/hip hop, the streets are funny while interesting and true to life. songs about drugs, problems with "birds" not bitches as mike skinner puts it so elegantly.
I can associate with most of the songs on this especially the song "too much brandy" which has the line "in its own little way my body was trying to say that you better stop drinking brandy".

original as the title of the album says, mixing jungle beats and hip hop style mc'ing with the whit of mike skinner, this album is a sure fire hit. it hit the shops in 2002 if you don't own a copy i'd advise you to get it now.

Spider_dudes Rating

http://www.chinkii.com/uploads/album/misc/spider4.JPG

Dizzee Rascal - Boy in da corner

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...02444mxliw.jpg

1. Sittin' Here
2. Stop Dat
3. I Luv U
4. Brand New Day
5. 2 Far
6. Fix Up, Look Sharp
7. Cut 'Em Off
8. Hold Ya Mouf
9. Round We Go (Ain't No Love)
10. Jus' a Rascal
11. Wot U On?
12. Jezebel
13. Seems 2 Be
14. Live O
15. Do It




Review
This years mercury music prize winners first album is a true masterpiece. innovative and exciting dizzees lyrical style is like a hyperactive child. dizzee wrote all the music for the songs while still at school, he was a hyperactive child and found peace in music, so the school allowed him to spend his days in the music classroom.
When asked what the future of british music was, the streets mike skinner simply replied - "dizzee Rascal".
He is not to everyones taste but then who is?, he certainly does have a distincive style and his beats are off the page.
His music like the streets is about everyday street life, including the troubles of being a slag (track 12. jezebel) and not to look at him the wrong way (just about every song).
having been stabbed 6 times in ayia napa last year, dizzee knows the dangers of being a "rudeboy". there are reports that it was members of the so solid crew who stabbed dizzee after he felt lisa mafias arse, and jumped on a moped. to all the yanks who dont know who lisa mafa is here is a pic.

http://www.chinkii.com/uploads/album/misc/lisamafia.jpg
not so sure about her music but i don't blame dizzee for what he tried.

anyway Spider_dudes rating is

http://www.chinkii.com/uploads/album/misc/spider5.JPG
5 out of 5

hoobastank- out of controll- kick ass song :D

http://www.spiralarchitect.com/pix/s...over_japan.gif
Artist : Spiral Architect
Album : A Sceptics Universe
Genre : Progressive Metal (I Guess?)

Track List

01 - Spinning
02 - Excessit
03 - Moving Spriit
04 - Occams Razor
05 - Insect
06 - Cloud Constructor
07 - Conjuriing Collapse
08 - Adaptibility
09 - Fountainhead

Review : Hmmmm... This is a really weird album but i think its pretty kool, awesome musically. The vocals arent the best but they are still pretty bitchin, woo. Id say 4/5

Quote:

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Originally posted by TheCanuk@5 December 2003 - 16:37
hoobastank- out of controll- kick ass song :D

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Your should go to Rolling Stone with that review

KISS - music from "The Elder" (1981)


01. "The Oath" - Paul Stanley
02. "fanfare" (instrumental) - Bob Ezrin, Paul Stanley, T. Powers
03. "Just A Boy" - Paul Stanley, Bob Ezrin
04. "Dark Light" - Ace Frehley, Anton Fig, Lou Reed, Gene Simmons
05. "Only You" - Gene Simmons
06. "Under The Rose" - Eric Carr, Gene Simmons
07. "A World Without Heroes" - Paul Stanley, Bob Ezrin, Lou Reed, Gene Simmons
08. "Mr. Blackwell" - Gene Simmons, Lou Reed
09. "Escape From The Island" - Bob Ezrin, Eric Carr
10. "Odyssey" - T. Powers
11. "I" - Gene Simmons, Bob Ezrin



the tracklisting on the remaster of this album is somewhat different, I'd advice you to change the tracklist to the list above to get the most outta the album...


This was KISS major flop in the eyes of the album-buyers.
It's currently one of very few KISS-albums that never made gold.
KISS was trying to make kind of a rock musical and the earnings from the album was going to be used to make the movie, but since the album didn't sell that many copies the movie never happened...

The album is about the fight between good and evil, and a young boy who is chosen to lead the good in battle against the evil powers of MrBlackwell (hey!) and the struggle within' the boy to believe in himself.

Musically this is undoubtfully one of KISS very best albums, lyrically it's also a masterpiece for those young at heart with low self-esteem.

I, unlike many other KISS-fans, happen to like this album alot, but still it doesn't stand out like a classic KISS record. This is kind of like a KISS-album for those NOT into KISS.

The album covers everything from a orchestrated fanfare to "big" productions with string-arrangments to heavy, almost metal-ish, rock and roll tracks

I reccomend this album to everyone, especially the ppl who think they know everything about what KISS is about

http://www.springmanrecords.com/spri...ockyHorror.jpg

Various Artists
The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show
here we go track by track:

01 - Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - Science Fiction - Double Feature
First track to kick it off is by the kings of punk rock cover songs, as always an excellent cover to kick the
album into high gear.

02 - Love Equals Death - Dammit Janet
Still somewhat of a duet but this time faster and punk. The vocal sound of this band is similair to the vandals

03 - Alkaline Trio - Over At The Frankenstein Place
A slow rock version, good melodies and great piano placement. Sounds very much like Bracket.

04 - Groovie Ghoulies - Time Warp
One of the great songs from this film covered quite nicely without losing any of the fun parts. Not too fast
but still ear catching.

05 - Apocalypse Hoboken - Sweet Transvestite
you have to listen to this track it WILL leave you waiting with Antici..






















......pation. Seriously this album hasn't got me bored yet. this song is great.

06 - The Independents - Sword Of Damocles
This upbeat, heavy keyboards, and steady rock cover keeps the pace of the album going.

07 - Pansy Division - I Can Make You A Man
This track is more of a script reading with a few rock parts for the chorus. Could have used a drum beat during the
spoken word or at least a continuing bass line.

08 - The Phenomenauts - Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul
Did Meatloaf do this song? It cracks me up to hear the computer text reading voice at the begining of this track.
a great sing-along chorus and crazy ending solo.

09 - The Secretions - I Can Make You A Man (Reprise)
Ah here's the full punk rock version of I can make you a man. Great crazy vocals with a fun solo to end this one also.

10 - The Chubbies - Touch-A. Touch-A. Touch Me
Female vocals are AMAZING, on the edge of getting caught by your girlfriend listening to this
tell her you got the track for her.Good enough excuse. Once again love the female vocals on this track.

11 - Big D And The Kids Table - Once In A While
Starting out sounding like the score to an old private eye film nior flick, then some very smooth male vocals leading it
into a reggae/dub style song. Very heavy echos on a few of the vocals but it sure doesn't ruin this song.
It's ska song at heart, it's slower and longer but I still love this track.

12 - Swingin Utters - Eddies Teddy
I believe this track was on Swingin Utters first album but don't look down on this track it IS an updated version.
And if you like MFATGG you should enjoy this track.

13 - Tsunami Bomb - Planet. Schmanet. Janet.
Bouncy with some funny screams added in the background. Great song and they even act out the
full lines from this part in the film, Hularious.
Well done by Tsunami Bomb!

14 - Luckie Strike- Rose Tint My World - Floor Show
You could possibly call this track Punkabilly, it's another one of these duet tracks, lovely female/male
vocals and of course a few horror screams thrown in for good measure.

15 - Stunt Monkey - Fanfair - Don't Dream It
Did I accadentaly rip a video game soundtrack? ah no there's the punk rock. Steady and upbeat this album should
get synched up with the film. A great "building" ending to this song.

16 - Gametime - Wild And Untamed Thing
Great rythm changes and very pop punk sound. You shouldn't be skipping the tracks on this album at all, you
don't wanna miss any part of this album.

17 - The Migraines - I'm Going Home
Sounds a lot like The Dickies to me, I could be wrong but great back up "woooo's"

18 - Ruths Hat - Super Heroes
Getting to the end of the film, and this album. This track is steady with no rythm changes but another great track
slowly ending.

19 - The Ataris - Sciene Fistion Double Feature (Reprise)
Recorded Inside a tin garbage can with steel strings not meant to be on an old acoustic. I would think The Ataris
would have attempted to rock this version but MFATGG's version did that. This version is just a short fairwell,
slightly annoying back up vocals

This was more of a track by track description but I hope you all enjoy this album as much as I am.

http://www.springmanrecords.com/spri...s/rockyad1.gif

Nice review Gutter - I'm gonna give it a listen after Spider's radio show.

CC

tatu
and all russian band :=)

Quote:

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Originally posted by taty@13 December 2003 - 20:41
tatu
and all russian band :=)

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i like your review, very insightful.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Spider_dude+13 December 2003 - 16:48--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Spider_dude @ 13 December 2003 - 16:48)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-taty@13 December 2003 - 20:41
tatu
and all russian band :=)

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i like your review, very insightful. [/b][/quote]
another future rolling stone employee