Album Swap

The Strokes - Is This It (Review: Dan)

2009-11-29T21:11:00.005Z

What do you get when you cross Franz Ferdinand with The Killers?
The Strokes.

I've listened to Is This It a few times now and I like it a lot. It's a really great indie record, and you can tell that it is a major influence on indie music of today. You can hear The Strokes in almost any indie track on the radio right now, so I suppose it comes as no surprise that Is This It was such a success.

In terms of the content of the album, it has some brilliant and catchy riffs, which I'm sure have been stolen by The Killers. I really like The Killers by the way.
Matt was right also by saying that I'd recognise a few of the tracks. Obviously Last Nite is the biggest indie song of all time. And rightly so, it's great. My other favourite tracks are Barely Legal and The Modern Age. Singer Julian Casablancas reminds me a lot of Franz Ferdinand singer Alex Kapranos. There doesn't seem to be too much to his singing, it just works I guess.

Looking at my notes for this album I have two bullet points:

Good
Sounds like Killers + Franz Ferdinand

This hasn't given me much to work with. At the end of the day, The Strokes have made a really good album which I'd say has been used as a mould for successful indie bands of today. However, I think it lacks lasting appeal, and there are some tracks that would be great at a party and everyone would love it, go home, listen to the album and then put it back on the shelf until the next time Last Nite comes on. 4/5

Sorry it's short.

Dan

Edit: I just logged into Last.fm and Franz Ferdinand are now on my recommended artists, similar to The Strokes and Editors.

Enter Shikari - Common Dreads (2009)

2009-11-25T18:51:00.003Z

I have been asked by Ben to post his recommendation for The Chief this week as his not-so-lovable landlord has sold his house and therefore he has no internet.

Ben is recommending Enter Shikari's second album 'Common Dreads' for The Chief. The reason that he chose this album is that The Chief enjoyed their debut album 'Take to the Skies' and will be going to see them live in December. His personal highlights are Step Up, Solidarity and Step Up. I, too, will vouch that these are all good songs.

Enjoy, sorry for the delay.

Dan/Ben

Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)

2009-11-23T18:58:00.004Z

I don't think Ben has listened to this album, although I know Elliott loves it so he may well have done. If so Ben, then contact me on Facebook and I'll switch it to another one.
Anyway Grace is one of my favourite albums ever and I think its safe to say that Buckley is the greatest vocalist I've ever heard. This album shows his broad skill in many different styles of music from blues, to rock, to sombre piano pieces. This album also contains Hallelujah, originally by Leonard Cohen, which I'm sure you all know well from the pitiful x-factor cover. Buckley's version is the best I've heard as he puts such emotion in to the lyrics like the original and other covers such as John Cale's can't do.
The music on the album isn't really amazing but thats not the point, it could be the best music in the world and still be overshadowed by these vocals, Buckley is that good.

http://rapidshare.com/files/143449324/Jeff_Buckley_-_Grace.rar - disc 1
http://rapidshare.com/files/124156665/Jeff_Buckley_-_Grace__Legacy_Edition__CD2_Part2__320.rar - disc 2

The Strokes - Is This It (2001)

2009-11-23T17:44:00.003Z

So, Mr Nevill, I see we are trading this week. After seeing what you've offered me, I decided that I too would go for something a bit different and unexpected. I know you want me to give you Immortal Technique, but just listen to it yourself. You shall be listening to an album that the NME recently described as the best of the decade, and is included in every sort of 'You must listen to these albums before you die!' list you will find. Despite reaching somewhere around 40 in its homeland's billboard, the album was huge in the UK and in particular 'Last Nite' is a song you should have heard before, because it's awesome.
For me this album is a precursor to the overwhelming rise in popularity of indie music in recent years, and what's more its a personal favourite. Enjoy.

GZA - Liquid Swords (Review: Matt)

2009-11-23T17:18:00.003Z

I quite enjoyed the prospect of this album, until I read that it was going to be 'grimey'. After chuckling at the Wiley reference and wondering how the term 'grime' can mean two quite different things within the hip-hop genre, I started to worry. I don't have much experience with listening grimey sounding hip-hop, and this is for a very good reason. It's just not good. I'll admit, I'm a bit of a production whore on Hip-Hop, and often I find that albums with bad production stand out as unlistenable. The only artists I've ever really enjoyed with this sort of sound are Q-Unique and Ill Bill, but they have shit production because they are poor. Whats GZA's excuse?

After listening to the album once, I suspected my initial thoughts were correct. However its clear to me after a few more listens that the production isn't poorly done at all, and in fact sounds nothing like I expected to. While I see the similarities between the production on this and on other grimey albums, I think RZA has made it his goal here to provide mesmerising and hypnotic beats, and these beats allow the pure brilliance of GZA stand out. I don't know who gave him the name Genius, but it was certainly earned in this album. His lyrics are astounding and whilst I could pretty much pick lines from any song to show you and prove it, I'd rather leave it to you to listen for yourself. He writes magical metaphors and wonderful wordplay with astounding alliteration, and carries it off with fantastic flow.

GZA is clearly a very talented artist, yet I still find it strange it sold so unbelievably well, selling over a million in America and peaking at 9th in the Billboard 200. The album sounds, by todays standards, far too intelligent and underground to possibly have been a chart success. Perhaps in 10 years time people will say the same about Lil' Wayne, but I personally can't see it. Before this album I had listened to the solo efforts of ODB, Method Man, Raekwon and Ghostface, and with the exception of Raekwon's 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx', they pale in comparison.

This has been an amazingly short review I now realise, but that is because I really can not pick out any stand out tracks to talk about in particular. Once the music takes you in, the delivery of GZA's wordplay and punchlines does the rest, and there is not a point in the album when his skills aren't evident. The many guest appearances also add a lot to the album, and in particular Inspectah Deck's verses on DOTIM and Cold War are fantastic.

However I have, as previously mentioned, always been partial to a decent bit of production to go along with a decent MC, and for that reason I can't rank this album along side my favourites from the genre. I will, however, grant it a very well deserved 90%.

Atreyu - Lead Sails Paper Anchor 2.0 (2008)

2009-11-23T14:47:00.004Z

This album is for Matt this week. I actually picked this completely on a whim when I saw it on my iTunes. However, it's a shockingly good album and something I used to listen to a lot. I also know that Matt enjoyed Atreyu at Reading this year whilst The Prodigy were busy being shit. Atreyu aren't particularly popular but they have a few well known songs and a Greatest Hits album...They've recently released a new album and I have not heard anything about it.
I'm pretty sure Matt will be hooked from the very second opening track 'Doomsday' starts. They also have a singing drummer so that's a plus. Hope you like it, I'm listening to it now aswell. And it has a cover of Epic by Faith No More. What more could you want? Hopefully this was a pleasant surprise.

Track Listing:
[1]Doomsday
[2]Honor
[3]Falling Down
[4]Becoming the Bull
[5]When Two Are One
[6]Lose It
[7]No One Cares
[8]Can't Happen Here
[9]Slow Burn
[10]Blow
[11]Lead Sails (and a Paper Anchor)
[12]The Squeeze
[13]Epic
[14]Clean Sheets

and you can download it from here: http://rapidshare.com/files/117092520/PnL_Atreyu_-_LeadSailsPaAn.rar

Nov 23 - 30 Albums

2009-11-22T22:24:00.005Z

Here is the cycle for next weeks album swaps.

This weeks cycle will be:

Dan recommends to Matt (Lead Sails Paper Anchor 2.0 by Atreyu)
The Chief recommends to Ben (Grace by Jeff Buckley)
Matt recommends to Dan (Is This It by The Strokes)
Ben recommends to The Chief (Common Dreads by Enter Shikari)

2 albums reviewed from last week, Matt's review on GZA/Genius will be up tomorrow. Haven't heard from Ben regarding Tonedeff today, but I'm sure it will get sorted out.

Enjoy

Dan

Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (Review: The Chief)

2009-11-22T21:21:00.003Z

I seem to have noticed that on every Prog Rock album I have listened to in the past, there has been a section where we hear a phone being dialled or ringing. Prog Rockers clearly find this an exciting sound...Sadly, I dont.

It was a cold and rainy summer evening at Sonisphere when I first experienced Coheed and Cambria without laughing at the high pitchedness of Claudio Sanchez's voice. The second they stepped onto the stage they had me entranced, I thought this couldn't be the same band that I brushed off simply because I thought the vocals were a bit funny? Anyway, I'm glad I didn't decide to see Heaven & Hell in the rain instead otherwise. After this I pretty much only listened to Welcome Home and Ten Speed so I'm really glad that Dan decided to put them up.

The album starts with a nice little instrumental that makes a kind of epic orchestral sound, this initial epicness is certainly something that is kept up throughout the album. I have found that sounding epic is a very integral part of Coheed's sound especially as all of their albums essentially is the epic of two people called Coheed and Cambria. But what I especially like about 'Heed is that the listener doesn't need to understand the story line to enjoy the album, to be honest I have no idea what's going on in terms of plot, and this is something that other concept album bands like Maiden can not seem to do. With many Maiden songs I can't really enjoy them if I don't like the concept Dickinson is whining about. I feel that Heebria manage to do this successfully because of a combination of two things: Claudio's voice (which I know thoroughly enjoy) and the brilliant musicianship of the band as a whole, not to mention the pretty tight production. All this allows the band to really show emotion in their songs that can get the audience really into the music (as I witnessed first hand at Sonisphere).

Another aspect of the album and the band as a whole that I enjoy is the combination of genres. Pinning down a band to a genre is always something I (quite sadly) enjoy doing and while its simple enough to call 'Bria a prog rock band it is clear that they are influenced by many other genres. As I've already implied there is a clear Iron Maiden influence (and honestly they do what Maiden do better than Maiden do) but also some punk-popish influences, even some mid-west nineties emo (which is a huge plus) and they manage this while still being able to be very catchy. Overall I just find this band fascinating, from the weirdness of their frontman to the interesting sound they make to the general concept of their albums.

What I've found with In Keeping Secrets is that it is generally much faster paced than Good Apollo which I like because on the latter I found a few of the tracks to be somewhat boring. This is something that Co-Cam have completely avoided on this album and frankly I like every single track it has to offer. I believe this album to be the second best release of the year 2003, second only to Radiohead's Hail to the Thief. 5/5

Muse - Absolution (Review: Dan)

2009-11-18T10:19:00.003Z

Tricky one this.

This is the bit where I would probably lie and say 'I wanted to go into this album with an open mind' or maybe 'I really wanted to like this album' but the honest truth is that I really wanted to hate it. However, when Ben revealed that this was the album with tracks 'Hysteria' and 'Time is Running Out' I became very worried that I'd have to swallow my pride and accept that it was going to be good. Well, here it goes:

I've listened to the album a lot now, yet a part of me still doesn't really feel qualified to review the album. However, at the same time I feel that I'm in as good a position now than i ever will be. The first positive is that I've got a lot to write about this album, it's given me plenty to talk about. Unfortunately that could well be the end of the positives list.
The best place to start, I guess, is the start. The album opens with the originally titled 'Intro' not that I'm marking it down for that. However...It is about 20 seconds long, about 5 of which is silence and the rest is just a clock ticking, which builds into first song 'Apocalypse Please'. Now, I don't see the relevance for this intro at all. I don't understand why they could just make it part of Apocalypse please, as it is clearly meant to be listened beforehand.

Now, Matt Bellamy's vocals are obviously a talking point here. They are high and wail-ey, and very similar to those of Thom Yorke. Now don't get me wrong, I actually think Matt Bellamy is a very good singer. However, this album is begging for any vocalist but him. Where the album tries to be fast-paced and heavier rock, it's credibility is crushed by long, droning vocals from Bellamy. There are even songs which I think are good, so long as Bellamy remains shtum, such as 'Stockholm Syndrome'. I think the only two songs that seem like they have been written so that Bellamy's vocals will fit it (and very well I'll add) are 'Time is Running Out' and 'Hysteria'. These two songs are remarkable, although everyone has heard both of them already(or certainly TIRO).

Slower songs are outrageously boring, but they sound like they want to be beautiful. In fact I think that the album has a lot of 'want' and probably made a lot of promises in the writing or recording stages. I get the feeling that they have tried to make an album that can be known as epic, but they seem to have fallen short of the mark on almost every track. I'm also going to go out on a limb here and say that 'Sing for Absolution' is the worst song of all time. It's just the most awful, cheesy song of all time. And though it has been said before and been met with frustration from fans (and myself) Muse do often sound like they are trying to copy what Radiohead are doing. Their sound is much more suited to the fast, heavy rock songs which we can see that they can do. Some of the songs start off with so much potential only to lose all their momentum by the halfway point.

Another of my main gripes is the 'Interlude' in the middle. Now, when a lot of bands decide that they're going to put an interlude in their albums they will more often than not record a short instrumental that will fill the gap. What Muse have done is just outrageous. It is essentially just a bit of noise that lasts 30 seconds. By noise I literally mean just a static sound. It's more like a theatre interlude than anything, in that the audience just have to sit and wait for the show to resume. Pathetic. Get rid of it.

There are a lot of piano parts in the album, so I did my research to find out just how many people were involved in the album, as I found that in the song 'Butterflies and Hurricanes' there is an absolutely dire piano 'solo' if you will, and it just sounded like it had been ripped straight off of Classic FM and dumped on their track. This, by the way, is another strong sounding song until you reach the middle. But anyway, I found out that the band themselves played all of the instruments on the album so I guess that makes things a bit more acceptable. But then I saw that a certain Paul Reeve had contributed backing vocals to the album. This is his only input to the album. Paul Reeve was the producer of their debut album, but this is now their third. I do not understand where they thought his vocal input was truly necessary. I'm sure there was a large number of people who worked on the album, and I'm sure that at least one of them would have been able to record one line of song for them.

I think that Absolution is perhaps an album that I would sit down and eat dinner to. I guess what I'm saying is that it is tolerable so long as I have something to do in the meantime. I think actually having to sit an listen to this 14 track inconsistency is beyond a chore.

One last point I feel the need to make is that Ben said in his upload post that the album spawned about 5 singles and most of them are still played live, which demonstrates the strength of the album. So, I obviously did my research again and pulled up their setlist from their show at the O2 earlier this month. I'd like to say now, anyway, that it is not unusual for a band to play their singles live. At this gig they played 3 songs from this album. To be totally honest with you, I think in a 21 song set that is below standard. Especially when it is their middle album. They've only had two since so it isn't particularly irrelevant. 1/7th of their set was from this album. I don't think that shows any strength. I guess a positive is that at least they are the best three.

Although I wanted to hate the album, I do feel disappointed by this, because I expected more. I'm sure this isn't what Ben was hoping to read from me either so I feel that is has disappointed on two levels. I'll tell you what though, it isn't necessarily a bad album, but it is certainly not a good one. Normally I find scoring tough, in fear of being too generous or too harsh I struggle to come up with something fair. With this though, I am confident that 2/5 is a fair score for Absolution.

Highlights:
Time is Running Out
Hysteria
Stockholm Syndrome

Dan

Tonedeff - Archetype (2005)

2009-11-16T20:13:00.002Z

Following the recent AS success of PackFM and the not so recent success of Cunninlynguists, I feel I should now usher you towards the man who, in my opinion, is the strongest artist on the QN5 label. Archetype is Tonedeff's debut singles album, and is the album that really turned my head towards underground hip-hop, as opposed to the mainstream tripe I was then infatuated with. Tonedeff obviously has a lot to live up to, with his fellow QN5 artists having a perfect average of 5/5 from Ben, and I fully expect him to do so.

Muse - Absolution (2003)

2009-11-16T17:34:00.004Z

Muse's third studio album is undoubtedly one of the most heralded 'rock' albums of recent times and in my opinion is probably their best album. Spawning the singles 'Butterflies and Hurricanes, 'Hysteria', 'Stockholm Syndrome', 'Time is Running Out' and 'Sing for Absolution', it has so many highlights and the fact that most of these songs are still in their setlist some 6 years later says alot about the strength of this album. I never made a statement that "Muse are better than Slipknot" as Dan suggested as that is purely my opinion. I merely suggested that he may want to consider other bands in his choice of 20 songs in an ultimate seltist and include songs from more than one band. Enjoy.

GZA/Genius - Liquid Swords (1995)

2009-11-16T12:56:00.003Z

Lyrically my favourtie hip-hop ablum ever? I think so. The GZA (pronounced Jizza) is easily recognised as the most intelligent member of the Wu-Tang Clan and remains one of the only members with a shred of talent left in his body. This is a violent, dark and bloody album and the beats and lyrics reflect this. It, as the album cover suggests, is like a graphic novel with over the top violence and the like. In nearly every line of the album you can find double, even triple, meanings. The main idea of the album is GZA rapping about the ninja wu-tang persona and how certain aspects of this relate to real life situations in New York. It's difficult to explain as I get a different idea of what the album's about everytime I listen to it.
The production is amazing from RZA, very raw and grimey in the original US way, rather than the Wiley sense of the word. If this album is lyrically enjoyed I recommend the Wu's first solo album for further listening, if it is enjoyed due to the beats then I recommend the first album of Mobb Deep.
I hope you enjoy it Matt.

Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (2003)

2009-11-16T11:22:00.006Z

Coheed and Cambria are a progressive rock band and this is their second full length release. It is also the second installment in frontman Claudio Sanchez's 'The Amory Wars' saga, and is accompanied by a graphic novel. However, we aren't reviewing this as a concept album. It wouldn't make any sense without hearing their debut album anyway.
I think this is one of a select few 5/5 albums for me and every single track is brilliant. 'The Camper Velourium' section of the album is a personal highlight for me.
This album is for The Chief this week, and I'm very hopeful that he will enjoy it.

Track Listing:
[1]The Ring in Return
[2]In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
[3]Cuts Marked in the March of Men
[4]Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)
[5]The Crowing
[6]Blood Red Summer
[7]The Camper Velourium I: Faint of Hearts
[8]The Camper Velourium II: Backend of Forever
[9]The Camper Velourium III: Al the Killer
[10]A Favor House Atlantic
[11]The Light & the Glass
[12]21:13

note: '21:13' could be track 23 on the album, it depends really. If it is it will follow 11 tracks of silence called 'A Lot of Nothing I-XI'. My version of the album doesn't have this, which is good because that's very annoying.

Here's a download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/179472340/CAC.IKSEOSE.GARF.WBB.rar

Enjoy,

Dan

Great Change is Afoot

2009-11-14T23:01:00.010Z

From now and onwards AlbumSwap will be working differently. Each week each of us will be assigned another member to recommend an album to. This way we can decide what we want the others to listen to and defeats the problem of 'X has heard this so I can't upload it'. This album can obviously, therefore, be the same for three consecutive weeks if you want each member to listen to it. There is of course nothing really stopping anyone from reviewing someone elses so long as they do theirs first, but I think it would be better if we could delve into the back-catalogue first as I'm sure there are some hidden gems in there. The rota will cycle every week to ensure that we don't get any repeats.

This weeks cycle will be:

Dan recommends to The Chief (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 by Coheed and Cambria)
The Chief recommends to Matt (Liquid Swords by GZA/Genius)
Matt recommends to Ben (Archetype by Tonedeff)
Ben recommends to Dan (Absolution by Muse)

Make your choises wisely, gentlemen.

Thanks,

Dan

Really Dan? "choises"? I am disappoint
Chiefy

Really, Chief? "[You are] disappoint"?
Dan

I am disappoint is a meme, choises is a typo.
Chiefy

I don't give a fuck.
Dan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeQMB_SUtI8
Chiefy

Noah and the Whale - The First Days of Spring (Review: The Chief)

2009-11-13T16:47:00.002Z

Well, I laughed in the face of Dan when he asked Alex, Ben and I to come with him to watch Noah and the Whale. While I'm not sad I missed it as I might never have discovered Frank Turner if I left the NME Tent went to the Main Stage, I do regret making fun of this group so much. I judged way too soon on one crappy song and couldn't even imagine they'd make such beautiful little pop-folk songs. Well when I say that it sounds as if I'm in love with the album, far from it, its pretty good background music but it doesn't really grip me like the artists I love do. Still I judged Noah and his pet Whale before giving them a proper listen and for that I can only apologise.

As I said Noah make a very pretty song, they know how to make the listener tap their foot or sway to the music but I didn't ever find myself being gripped by a song. I feel that this is down to the vocalist, in other folkish music that I listen to (such as Bob Dylan and Frank Turner) I find that their voices are what make me think 'hold on let's listen to what he's got to say'. The singer of Noah has a nice enough voice that goes along with the music very well, but in this case I believe that is a negative. Dylan is frankly a poor singer but its so brash it makes me listen to the lyrics. This just doesn't happen in The First Days of Spring.

I think that the instrumentals and the orchestra are a great addition to the album. They really pick it up and it sounds really exciting. This part of the album is so good because it took me completely by surprise and really shows the great musicianship of the band, not to mention their creativity. Another stand out track on the album is Stranger, even though I was a bit annoyed that the pace of the album slowed down again I found this song to be pretty compelling, something that I've found most of the other tracks lacked.

The First Days of Spring is a nice album. It's a good piece of easy listening for a day when I've got a bad hangover or something but its far from one of my favourite albums. 3/5

PackFM - WhutduzFMstand4? (Review: Dan)

2009-11-09T21:36:00.003Z

It's no mystery that I'm not an expert on hip-hop. I like bits of Jay-Z and what I've heard from Tonedeff and Immortal Technique. And I like most of what I know of Eminem...but who doesn't?

I reviewed Cunninlynguists earlier in the year and didn't really like it. But I am determined to get more involved in hip-hop, so the more that is recommended to me then the happier I'll be.

This is the first I've heard of PackFM before. I know nothing about him or his history. A quick search on wikipedia to do some research provides me with nothing so I have to jump in with both feet.

The album opens with 'The Fuck'. It's quick, and PackFm is basically just telling me who he is. It's a good song actually.

One thing that I've grown to admire about hip-hop is that unlike any other genre is that it's all about the lyrics and their delivery. Tracks rely on samples taken from other songs, and you'll find that a hip-hop artist (or certainly PackFM) has the ability to put their own work over the top to create a great song. This is an admirable attribute to PackFM's album, because even the simplest musical tracks can make some of the better songs - 'Stomp' springs to mind.

I love PackFM's rapping, I think it's clever and it's hard-hitting at the same time. He conveys his lyrics with flow and rythm that I didn't notice with Cunninlynguists.
Although I find a lot of what he is saying cringey and embarrassing he seems to do his job with so much conviction that he comes across very cool. Especially in the song 'Click, Clack & Spray'. I think my problem is that I'm not a hip-hop fan, I don't circle with the same type of person and so it's just like a different language to me.

Nigga Pass is what I'd call a skit (although correct me if I'm wrong). Although I don't see it's value on the album. I've listened to the track twice now, and never want to listen to it again. Not because I didn't like it (though I didn't) but because it's just a bit useless. It's like an ad-break.

Overall 'WhutduzFMstand4?' is a really good album. It's changed my perspective on hip-hop and I want to listen to more of it until I can rap along when I'm listening. The album isn't perfect though, there are several tracks I think the lyrics are poor, or I just don't like the music samples or the way the words have been made to fit over it. Suzie and Ugly Woman are probably the two worst in this way. I think I'm going to re-listen to Cunninlynguists with my new appreciation, just to see if I need to take back some previous comments. One last point I want to make is that the production is nothing short of brilliant on the album, and it's something that seems consistent in hip-hop. I like what PackFM has done here, I look forward to hearing more hip-hop (hopefully a tonedeff or immortal technique album is on the way) and I'm going to carry on listening to my favourite tracks from this album. 4.5/5

Highlights:
I Can't Win
Lessons
Forevershine

Dan

One More Week

2009-11-08T22:06:00.003Z

This week has been pretty slow in terms of reviews...I think we've all just been keeping busy, but Matt and I have decided to extend this weeks albums until next monday, just so we can all catch up.
Cheers :)

Dan

Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun (Review: Dan)

2009-11-08T17:27:00.004Z

I was downloading Kyuss when it was uploaded so I guess that was fortunate. I was downloading it because I was doing a bit of Josh Homme research, just because he's an interesting fella I suppose and he has done quite a lot.

I'm annoyed at the genre tag of 'stoner rock'. I didn't know what that means before I listened and I still don't really understand now. I don't know who the vocalist for Kyuss is or what he's doing now...I think nothing of any value to the music industry today, which is no real surprise. He isn't very good really, but I think it depends. I hate him on Thong Song, absolutely dire...

Matt (Stanley) said to me that after just the first two tracks you can tell it's a Homme record but...I don't know if I could. In fairness I'd never listened to a full one prior to this week, so I guess this felt like a bit of a treat. In terms of Homme's guitarwork, it's fantastic. He's a really good player, and he has really done well to get to where he is today. I don't know who the mainman of Kyuss is but they have also done a great job on this album. It's got a fantastic flow to it, and it all feels connected by its series of magnificent instrumentals.

Opening title 'Thumb' is a pretty decent song, it's one of the better vocal tracks and it's got a good bit of music behind it. The song 'Mondo Generator' is also a good one, and I am also aware that Nick Oliveri (bass) named one of his other bands after this song. I listened to a song of theirs, it wasn't very good though.

Standout track for me is 'Writhe'. I think this is the track which says everything about Kyuss. Well, certainly the way I see them. I think the vocal style is best this way, and it's got a decent riff and it makes a good listen.

Even though Kyuss exists no more, I think it was probably just a great stepping stone for Josh Homme to make himself one of the better known guitarists of today's music generation. I certainly prefer Blues for the Red Sun to what I've heard from Queens of the Stone Age's 'Songs for the Deaf'.
Overall I'd score the album a 4/5. A decent album, I'd recommend it to any one on this blog. Although I think the Chief just did that...

Dan

Highlights:
All of the Instrumentals
Writhe
Thumb

PackFM - WhatduzFMstand4? (Review: Ben)

2009-11-07T12:07:00.004Z

It all sounds the same.

OK, so after two quite negative reviews last week, I was determined that this week would be different. If you happen to have seen my review of Cunninlynguists on AlbumSwap (Chief's favourite review ever, I might add) you'll already be aware that I don't really care for rap or hip-hop in general but that I found an exception with that album. Having said that, for some reason I still had the same assumption about this album, that it would not be to my tastes, especially after Matt said it had 'a more mainstream sound'. Somehow this preconception seems to be a recurring theme in my reaction to anything in the rap/hip-hop genre. Most of the time I hate being proved wrong, especially with music, but something about this album made me hope to be drastically wrong and love it.

As with Cunninlynguists, I'd heard snippets of this album coming from the brother's room but never really taken an interest. So, into the content of the album we go. 'The Fuck' is a fantastic opener. It has such a good beat to it and it's lively, something which I tend to find absent from mainstream acts in this genre. Instantly I remembered what it was that I loved so much about Cunninlynguists: the production. I absolutely love the notion of taking the best parts of other songs and sampling them into something totally different and it just always seems to fit so well in this album in particular. 'I Can't Win' is an equally addictive track and I started to find myself really enjoying the tracks on this album at this point. The chorus is brilliant and sums up everything that I love in this genre perfectly.

I found the spray can noises in 'Click Clack & Spray' a little bit annoying but that doesn't detract from what is also a very good song. I don't think this album is as thought provoking lyrically as Cunninlynguists but it still has some real meaning to it, again something I find missing from hip-hop as a whole. 'Lessons' is one of my favourite songs on the album as it has an incredibly good beat and I can actually feel myself nodding along to it. Lyrically it's also a very nice track and I just enjoy listening to it. Whilst not really enjoying casual racism in music (I think it's ridiculous and overused to the point where it doesn't mean anything anymore) I found 'N*gga Pass' really funny and for the first time found myself enjoying an interlude on an album so well played PackFM.

'Stomp' is for me the standout track on the album and sounds like it could be absolutely huge in the mainstream. The production on it is absolutely immense and it's just a brilliant song which I'll definitely be playing over and over again for a long time. Other highlights include 'Free-Esta' again due it's fantastic production and the amazing 'Token Love Song'. I felt that the album tailed off a little towards the end but that didn't really seem to matter when the strength of the rest of the album was such that I couldn't wait to listen again.

I can't really write too much more other than a track by track review as I just feel I'm reiterating points already made in my Cunninlynguists review but this album has once again proved me so badly wrong and apparently I'm actually really into underground rap and hip-hop. I can't really give this album anything other than 5/5 when it's made such an impact that I'm going to seek out more artists from this genre in the near future and I can't wait to hear more from PackFM.

PackFM - whutduzFMstand4? (2006)

2009-11-03T19:20:00.003Z

PackFM is a Hip-Hop artist on the QN5 label, which brought us past Album Swap success in the shape of Cunninlynguists. PackFM has a much more mainstream sound than most other underground artists and this album is extremely well produced. I hope you treat it with an open mind, and I warn you in advanced that 'all the tracks sound the same' wont cut it here, because they don't. Enjoy, fellas.
Let me know if you need a link, I am currently uploading it as I can't find it anywhere but its taking ages.
Edit:

http://rapidshare.com/files/302380454/whatdoesfmstandfor.rar

Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun (1992)

2009-11-03T14:22:00.004Z

Don't judge the genre name, I didn't choose it.

I enjoy this album greatly, I have no idea how I came to hearing this album but at first I decided it was nothing special. Then I listened to it again while very bored and realised that it was a really good, kick-ass album. I think the strongest point of this album are the riffs which I find to be catchy and hard hitting. The songs are a bit long, but like Tool they manage to keep me interested regardless. Also, here's an interesting fact, this is the band that later became Queens of the Stoneage, though they sound nothing like their latest efforts and are really just a million times better.

Enjoy,

the link is still to come, I'm not on my laptop

EDIT: Here we go:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DMVEC2L1

Biffy Clyro - Blackened Sky (Review: Dan)

2009-11-02T17:54:00.002Z

It's better than I thought actually.

OK, Blackened Sky is a more raw Biffy, like Ben said (although at the time I didn't really understand what he meant by that. I guess you have to listen to it). Musically it's pretty good, songs like "Convex, Concave" and "Justboy" are really, really powerful tracks.

The thing is with this album, it isn't as good as Puzzle, but it's so similar. Blackened Sky feels like the planning for Puzzle. It's like, they know what they can achieve so they've set out to make the best album possible. But they haven't. Simply because they aren't good enough yet. Listening to this feels like stepping into a time machine, and then if you listen to Puzzle you can see what they were trying to do here. That's not to say this isn't good - it's great. If I listened to this in 2003 when I was meant to I'd love it, it's only due to the fact that I've heard the band that they became that this falls short of the mark. There are even songs where I think "Ooh this sounds like 'Get fucked stud' or whatever".

Simon Neil's voice is also pretty poor on the album, but then again it's never been marvellous. There isn't a lot I can say about the album that isn't just a comparison with this one and Puzzle, and that's starting to frustrate me, so I'll close with this:
Blackened Sky is a great album, and it shows the potential Biffy Clyro had. In 2003. It's got plenty of really good tracks, but doesn't seem particularly relevent now.
3/5

Highlights:
Joy. Discovery. Invention
Convex, Concave
Scary Mary

Dan

Little fun fact I noticed: In all of my reviews for this weeks albums, I complained about the vocals. The album I posted didn't have any vocals.

Rise Against - The Sufferer and the Witness (2006)

2009-11-02T16:19:00.005Z

Rise Against are one of those bands that a lot of people have heard of but have often not taken the time to actually listen to despite them having 3 very good albums. The Sufferer and the Witness is in my opinion the best of their albums and once you get past the strong political messages it has some incredibly good songs, notably 'Injection', 'Prayer of the Refugee' and 'Drones'. Me and Dan are going to see them at the end of November and I know Jiffy loved them at Reading in the summer so hopefully the rest of you can enjoy this album too.

Ben

Download it: http://rapidshare.com/files/221603498/T-S-A-T-W.rar

Noah and the Whale - The First Days of Spring (2009)

2009-11-02T15:27:00.004Z

Noah and the Whale are best known for their (s)hit single "5 years time" from their debut album. Knowing this song alone, I intended to go and watch and mock their performance at this year's Reading Festival. When I got there this was a totally different story. I was there alone, and it was amazing. They aren't the band I thought they were at all. They played a very mellow set, and completely excluded their poppy single(s).

When I got back from the festival I went out and purchased their brand new album (this one). I got home and listened to it, and it's an absolutely beatiful album. It's really mellow and fantastic to relax to. Elliott is the only other person who's listened to it and he loves it also. So consider this a double recommendation.

To this day I've still never heard the album that spawned "5 years Time" and I don't intend to. I'm perfectly content. Enjoy, I'm now going to review Biffy Clyro as no one else did last week :(

Download it: http://rapidshare.com/files/275291574/NhTWhl_TFrstDysOfSping.zip

Billy Talent - Live at Brixton Academy (Live Review: Dan)

2009-11-02T14:54:00.003Z

Last night I saw Billy Talent for the 4th time, and this was the first time it was one of their headline shows.
After a few mess ups on my part regarding the train tickets we eventually arrived at Brixton Academy as the doors were opened. We got in and headed down towards the front, past the mental rail in the middle of the dreadful sloped floor. Pretty soon Canterbury took to the stage. Matt and I have seen this band before, playing somewhere with All Forgotten. I had forgotten how young they all are, I'd probably say they are all around 17 or 18 years old. I think for them to be playing infront of a crowd at Brixton is fantastic at their age, and I felt a little bit jealous. Canterbury actuall put on a really decent show. They weren't brilliant performers but they played their songs well. In any case, it was a nice start to the show.

We were then greeted by the most awful human being on earth. He was probably about 16, but he was pretty big. A lot taller than I am, and pretty chunky too. He was wearing an iron maiden jacket with no sleeves, on top of a black tank top. He already looked like a loser, but it wasn't before Cancer Bats came on stage that he sealed his position as worst person ever.
Speaking of Cancer Bats, they're pretty awful people too. The guitarist looked like a Viking, and the singer was just awful. He had a horrible speaking voice and an even worse "singing" voice. He also had a shit haircut. It's essentially just a mohawk...but not glued. His presence reminded me of Bert McCracken of the Used, in that he was very greasy and slimy.
In terms of their music, I hated it. But I reckon they were probably quite good. I bet their fans loved it, and their wanker of a frontman actually looked like he did his job quite well. The worst person ever, mentioned earlier, liked them though. In support of this he kept raising his fist in the air. That's when it hit us; the stench. Everytime he raised his arm he unleashed the worst B.O smell ever. I think I almost collapsed at one point. I also decided to watch him for a while when he ran like an excited child (which I suppose he sort of was) into a mosh pit. He was throwing his weight around and just bouncing off people. At a point, someone fell down. He looked really angry when people were helping the guy up, and his face said 'why are you helping him? the aim is to kill him'. But anyway, Cancer Bats got through their set and we moved away from him.

After a fairly drawn out moment while we waited for the main event, Billy Talent emerged from backstage. They eased into The Dead Can't Testify from the new album. I thought this was a poor choice for an opening song, simply because it's pretty new and it isn't a single, so there weren't a huge number of fans familiar with it. Then they went straight into Devil in a Midnight Mass, which should have been their opener. The crowd were loving it, and at this point the show really began. Their set is full of brilliant songs, and I forget every time I think about them just how many good songs they have. It was a set full of energy and frontman Ben loves the crowd. Highlight of the show is new single Devil on My Shoulder, which was one of the best live songs I've ever seen. After they end the show on popular single Red Flag, everyone slowly emerges from the venue, with a big grin.
Eventually we made it home. Then my car broke.
A solid 4/5 evening.

The Ghost of a Thousand - New Hopes, New Demonstrations (Review: Ben)

2009-11-02T14:04:00.007Z

I have a huge problem with the post-hardcore genre as a whole. I'm yet to find anything original in the genre and find that a lot of bands seem to go with Alexisonfire's patented format of screaming over the top of a heavy riff and just making general noise. Exit Ten are probably the only post-hardcore band that I enjoy and the rest I tend to just clump together as repetitive and boring. However, I'd hoped that after Matt's recommendation, GOAT would offer me the creativity and inventiveness that I think does exist somewhere within post-hardcore music.

I've listened to the album 3 times through now, and I honestly couldn't remember a single song standing out and making me think much more than 'that was ok'. This is my frustration with post-hardcore music. I don't hate it at all - musically I think this album is quite good - but I almost can't seem to make myself care about the album. It all just seems to blend into one wall of noise and aggression. I'm all for screaming and aggressive vocals and music (Machine Head are one of my favourite bands) but this seems to be aggression without any real purpose or point to it.

I can imagine that live there would be a brilliant energy about GOAT. Their music is lively and hard-hitting enough to make people sit-up and take notice but it struggles to hold my attention for more than a few songs. In terms of the actual content of the album, my favourite track was probably 'Canyons of Static' as it had an ever-so slightly different sound to the rest of the album. Having said that, tracks 9-11 could be equally different but I'd lost a lot of interest by this point.

I can't really find too much more to say about this album other than that I didn't really enjoy it and found it quite hard to listen to. I think that perhaps I need to accept that post-hardcore bands will never be to my taste and am going to rate this album as 1.5/5.

Someone please review Biffy :)

Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere in the Between (Review:Ben)

2009-11-02T10:18:00.004Z

My previous experience of Ska music is non-existent and other than a quick 10 minute viewing at Reading '09, I'd never heard of Streetlight Manifesto. Their live performance was fun, for want of a better word but I didn't really feel compelled to go and listen to them on record. Anyway, this is what albumswap is all about and so lets see what Somewhere in the Between has to offer.

The first track grabbed me instantly with its' catchy chorus and almost addictive brass music. It was bouncy and enjoyable as a standalone track but whilst enjoying it, I was quietly hoping that the album would have a change of pace and direction somewhere in order to keep me listening.

Tracks 2 and 3 evoked similar feelings to the opener but by the end of 'Watch it Crash' I felt like I'd heard everything Streetlight Manifesto had to offer and was starting to become a bit bored by their sound. I actually though 'Watch it Crash' was the best track on the album and again was a very good song in its' own right, but in amongst a whole album of similar tracks it all just seems to blend into one. I think this is the main issue with Ska music and why it's never been as big as perhaps it should have been. There's simply no diversity in the music and it can all sound very 'samey'. It's a strange feeling as I like the fusion between brass instruments and rock music and even enjoy the music generally, I just don't think it has any longevity to it and I got bored with it extremely quickly.

My other problem with Streetlight Manifesto is the vocalist. It's been said in previous reviews and I can't help but re-iterate what an awful sound this man is making. As I said in my 65DOS review, I love a good frontman but this man's gravelly voice does nothing for me and I actuallly think it detracts from some very good songs.

As a whole, I'm going to give Streetlight Manifesto 2.5/5. I did find the album fun but the novelty wore off much too quickly and I thought it was highly evident as to why Streetlight Manifesto and Ska music as a whole will never be successful.

Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere in the Between (Review: Dan)

2009-10-29T17:39:00.005Z

Somewhere in the Between is a great album. It's fun, it's exciting, and it radiates genius.
I recognized Streetlight Manifesto's name on the Lock-Up stage line up for Reading 2009 but didn't care enough to go and see them. I was more content to watch the awful Funeral for a Friend. However, once we were hiding under a hog roast in the pissing rain and silence, we went to the lock-up tent, where a few of our friends already were. Anyway, I've just told a story that's already been told. Inside the lock up tent, you could literally see fun, excitement and genius. So, when Alex posted this album that's exactly what I expected, and it is exactly what was delivered. I first heard this album when Matt was listening to it, I walked into his room and it was on. I believe I said "This sounds fun."

I do agree with what the cheif said, about it being very similar but not getting bored of it. But that does make it hard to find a favourite track. The two that immediately jump out at me are possibly Watch it Crash or Down, Down, Down to Mephisto's Cafe.

Tomas Kalnoky has a very gravely and punk-sounding voice. It reminds me a lot of Anti-Flag's Justin Sane (obviously not his real name). I don't really like it, but it fits the music unusually well, and I love the quick delivery of his lyrics. I'm also lead to believe that Kalnoky writes all of the musical parts for each album and then the band just play their respective roles. That's impressive, and I have a lot of admiration for his dedication.

So overall, a good release from Streetlight Manifesto. I don't think that I would make an effort to listen to any of their older works though, simply because I feel that I already have plenty, and it is fairly samey.
I will look forward to '99 Songs of Revolution', though, as from what I've read I'm expecting it to have 99 tracks. Seeing as there are 8 discs I don't think that's too much to ask.

Great album, only slightly let down by the vocals, but overall a beatiful introduction. 4.564829/5

Joking... (4.5/5)

Dan

I suppose I'm going to have to review Biffy Clyro aswell now...

Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere in the Between (Review: The Chief)

2009-10-29T12:06:00.002Z

I was going to kick off my comeback review by doing The Fall of Math but it seems that that has been done enough and Ben has said a lot of what I was going to say and I wouldn't want to make you read the same thing twice. Therefore I have chosen to do Streetlight Manifesto as I missed them at Reading due to seeing A Place to Bury Strangers (who were fantastic and you should all check them out). I've come to see what all the hype is about.

As this album is actually still downloading I'll write about 65dos a bit. I agree completely with Ben in that the emotion in the songs is quite remarkable but I feel they pull this off much better in their later album The Destruction of Small Ideas. With the exception of Retreat! Retreat! I feel that every track on TDoSI is better than those on Fall of Math. They are executed and produced a lot more professionally and feel a lot deeper to me. One thing I would disagree with Ben and Matt on though is that I do not think that 65days need a vocalist, in fact I think its the last thing they need. What I love about this band is that I can put my own little thoughts as to what the song is about without being told by the lyrics, it makes me think more and my thoughts change everytime - in my opinion this band is perfect at what it does.

OK Streetlight Manifesto has finally finished downloading so we can now get down to business. Now the only 'ska' I've experienced is what the internet calls ska-punk and that makes me think of Less Than Jake, which makes me sad. Also there's Madness of course, I like Madness but they're a bit cheesy. I won't let these two bands cloud my judgement however. I'm actually very excited to be listening to this band.

The first thing that I have to say about this album is that its a lot of fun, bouncy and wholly original. I love the combination of horns and what we call your standard rock instruments, I'm really surprised by how well it works and all fits together. I feel that this is due to Streetlight just being fantastic musicians and I admire them for having the vision to make this kind of music. Another brilliant factor is that this sounds like a genuine genre rather than just a gimmick, which was my major problem with Skindred.

I've found the album to be very consistent, perhaps a bit too consistent as many of the songs sound incredibly similar. Despite this I can't say that its boring at all, which confuses me as I've always considered songs sounding the same a massive let down and gotten quickly bored and I'm sure most of you will agree with me. But SM managed to keep me interested throughout and I find them just a very enjoyable band.

One small thing that I'm not a fan of is the lead vocalist. While I don't mind him I think they could do with one who's somewhat less gravely. His voice seemed to grate on me after a while but luckily I still have the music to enjoy. While I didn't find the lyrics bad or below average I still didn't find them to be the most attention grabbing but I still found that they go well with the music.

Overall this is a very good album that deserved the hype my fellow authors gave it after Reading and now. I was really impressed by the band's originality and musicianship and while I wasn't a big fan of the vocalist the positive aspects outweigh the negative. 4/5

65daysofstatic - The Fall of Math (Review: Ben)

2009-10-28T17:49:00.006Z

If pushed to say what I feel is the most integral part of any band or album, I'd have to think hard before probably answering vocals or lyrics. For me, vocals are the icing on the cake and make something which could be a bit dull come to life and have so much more meaning and feel to it. All of my favourite bands have frontmen who are incredibly important to the sound of the band and without these frontmen I'm not sure I'd bother listening to the band anymore. Take Alex Turner away from Arctic Monkeys, Dave McPherson from InMe or Simon Neil from Biffy Clyro and you're left with just a small part of what that band were. So, trying to dispell preconceptions about music not containing any vocals, I was extremely interested to hear what 65daysofstatic had to offer with 'The Fall of Math'.

I had imagined that this would be the sort of album that would pass me by without leaving any real impression. That the sound would simply wash over me and leave me with a sense of unfulfilment and a lack of desire to listen again. I couldn't have been more wrong. The first two tracks left me feeling ignorant about my assumption that this album would be empty and devoid of any emotion. I was stunned at how powerful music can be within this genre without vocals. It felt almost as if 65DOS didn't have the distraction of vocals and so could focus fully on writing the best music they can. So many times I've listened to bands who have had so much focus on the frontman that the actual music is boring and generic and could be anyone else in the world. 65DOS avoid this by creating their own sound which is encapsulating in itself and stand on its own without the need for a vocal. Sure, they're not the greatest musicians in the world and if Matt Bellamy, Dave Grohl etc got together and did a similar project the results would probably be much more enjoyable, but something about the raw sound of 65DOS makes them different and appealing in a way I've not found in a band before.

Moving on with the actual album, 'Retreat! Retreat!' and 'Swallowed Hard Like I Understood' are both absolutely outstanding tracks. They showcase the bands full potential fantastically well and sound as if the band are just enjoying making music which in the right context and arena could potentially be epic. Other highlights include 'The Fall of Math' and 'Hole' and I'd go as far to say that there isn't a single track I'd regard as a 'filler' track on the album. For me there is nothing worse than buying an album from a band and there being 4 outstanding tracks and 6 or 7 tracks where the band just amble through a song and you can tell it was nowhere near them at their best. 65DOS have produced an album which starts out brilliantly and raises the bar with every song.

However, despite how good I think this album is musically, I can't help but wonder what they could be with a vocalist. Our ideology of 'rock' music - for want of a better term - is that you have a drummer, a bassist, one or two lead guitarists and a vocalist. Without one of these integral pieces, it will always feel like there is a vital piece of the puzzle missing and I can't seem to shake that desire to hear what 65daysofstatic could produce with a vocalist added to their sound. For that reason I'm going to score this album as 8.5/10 but I will definitely continue to listen to their stuff and hope to seem them live in the not so distant future as well.

Ben

The Ghost of a Thousand - New Hopes, New Demonstrations (Review: Dan)

2009-10-28T17:29:00.004Z

I've always moaned about Ghost of a Thousand because I said they sounded like Gallows. Upon listening I've since learned that's not really true.
I'm torn with GOAT. Musically it's pretty good, it's fast, it's agressive and it's a good listen all the way through. Vocally it's a different story though. Tom Lacey has an unusual vocal style. His screaming is like a slightly less gravel-y and a higher-pitched Frank Carter (Gallows). In fact I'd say he's like the exact midpoint between Carter and Joel O'Keefe (Airbourne). Ocassionally on the record there are vocal parts that are sung. I'm curious as to whether or not this is the same man, because it sounds a lot like Morrissey...

Moved By Mountains, Dreamt of by the Sea is a great album opener; it displays exactly what to expect from the album. The energy throughout the album is maintained pretty much all the way through, and they're one of those bands you can tell would put on a good live show. They didn't do what most hardcore/post-hardcore bands do these days, which is have a load of fast songs, and then throw in a few softer, slower ones. It's almost as if it's the rule to do this (see Alexisonfire). Speaking of Alexisonfire, the guitar-work is very similar in the two bands, but where AOF can't seem to stick to one rythm, constantly slowing songs down, chucking solos about and doing the same with the vocals, GOAT succeed. GOAT keep things simple and consistent and it's effective in it's execution.

My only problem is that I found myself bored on the third listen. I've never liked the vocal style that GOAT have gone with, which was always going to be a problem. One of the main reasons I've enjoyed post-hardcore bands is because there is always a Dallas Green to keep me hooked. GOAT don't really offer me that, it's just a full-on assault from start to finish. NH,ND is a good album...I just don't really like it. Also, I don't know whether it's the fault of Matt's provided link or the production of the album but it doesn't sound very good. The vocals are much quieter than the music, and a lot of the time is sounds quite muffled. Canyons of Static also annoys me, as I'm sure you can guess from the title, they seem to have thrown some annoying static sounds in there, which does nothing but ruin the music.

This is the second album I'm going to give 3/5 to this week, because it's pretty mixed, but more good than it is bad. And I don't really like it...An interesting listen though, I'd certainly recommend it to fans of the genre.

Standout Tracks:
Moved as Moutains, Dreamt of by the Sea
Running on Empty
Fed to the Ocean

Dan

65daysofstatic - The Fall of Math (Review: Matt)

2009-10-28T13:48:00.009Z

Imagine, if you will, a football team without a striker. Sure, they might have the best midfielders in the world and create beautiful attacking moves, but they just won’t ever score. They are lacking that cutting edge, and no matter how nice the football they play may be, they won’t ever win. I’m sure you can see what I’m getting at with this.

A quick glance at the Top 40 Singles and you will notice that the bands that make an appearance right now are Cobra Starship, Foo Fighters, Lostprophets, Kings of Leon and The Editors. One thing all of these bands have in common is a stand-out front man. Radiohead, Coldplay and the Arctic Monkeys are probably the three most successful British bands around right now, and in each of their case only the diehard fans know of anyone but the lead singers.

A front man gives a voice and face to the music, and I’m finding it extremely difficult to listen to a band without one. The music lacks direction, and whilst 65daysofstatic’s members aren’t awful musicians, they aren’t particularly outstanding either. I was expecting an industrial sound, and have no idea why. During the first track it seemed like I was going to get one, but it soon moves on to become mediocre rock that could, depending on the style of an added vocalist, pretty much be categorised as anything. Add a Thom Yorke and you’d have to call them alternative rock, add a screamer and they’d be called post-hardcore. But as it stands they are, well, nothing.

After earlier reviewing a band with a vocalist that demanded attention, I can treat this album with nothing other than contempt. It sounds unfinished, and does nothing to capture my imagination. I don’t think I’ll be delving into the murky waters of ‘rock music without vocals’ again.

I’m giving this album a stupendous 15%, solely because the first minute of Default This is quite nice.

Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere In The Between (Review: Matt)

2009-10-28T12:58:00.008Z

It was a miserable day in Reading when this band first caught my attention. I was busy eating lunch to the awful (and soon to be nonexistent) sound of Funeral for a Friend, when the skies opened and led me to run for cover. After spending about 10 minutes watching the rain, it was decided that this was a good opportunity to go and see a band we had not heard much about, but mainly for the purpose of taking cover. What I saw was amazing.

So with this in mind I had high expectations of this album, the most recent effort by the New Jersey outfit, and I was not to be disappointed. It would be fair to say that I’m not the most practised listener of Ska music, and prior to the addition of this album the only ska that I had experienced was Madness, but from what I can tell, this album must be a very good attempt at it.

I am, first and foremost, impressed by its originality. I’m unsure if this is due to my naivety on the genre, or if what the band has created is a unique sound, but either way I like it. Tomas Kalnoky’s vocals are delivered with passion, and his sound demands attention, but with so much else going on behind the vocals it’s hard to give him your undivided attention. With two wind instruments, two brass instruments, percussion, guitar and six vocalists, the sound Streetlight create is highly layered. For this reason alone the album requires multiple listens, and since ‘obtaining’ the album just 48 hours ago I have listened to it four times, which must be a record breaker for me.

With regret, there’s not really a lot more I can say. I was completely blown away by a truly stunning album, but with nothing to really compare it to there’s not much more I can comment on. I will go back and listen to the previous releases of Streetlight Manifesto, and probably spend a long time – its due “before the end of this decade” – looking forward to 99 Songs Of Revolution.

Thanks to Alex for introducing me to the absolutely brilliant sound of Streetlight Manifesto.

95% (likely to be improved once I have something to compare it to.)

Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (Review: Dan)

2009-10-28T12:18:00.002Z

OK, Where to start with this album? It was produced in 1989 so obviously the production isn't really close to that of more recent releases. I also think the chief hit the nail on the head when he said you can tell it was made in the 80s. It has a really funk-y sound underneath the typical Nine Inch Nails industrial style.

For a debut release it's impressive, and it's a great taster of what was to come from Trent Reznor. Pretty Hate Machine has some pretty good tracks on it, such as 'Something I Can Never Have' which I think is a really emotional and at times an angry song, but at the same time one of, if not the slowest songs on the record. There are a few songs which I don't really like, such as Terrible Lie, which I find irritating. This is mostly down to Reznor's vocal performance, which has never been NIN's strongest feature, but in a few songs on PHM I find it intolerable.

I think my favourite thing about this album is that it grabbed the attention of the music audience of it's generation, and ultimately lead to the creation of The Downward Spiral, which is one hundred times better than this. And the fact that he made this in his spare time as a Janitor at a recording studio makes it a bit more impressive.

Pretty Hate Machine is a mixed bag for me. It has a few songs which have gone into my Nine Inch Nails playlist, but it also has a lot of songs that don't have as much of an impact like most tracks on TDS do. Overall I'm going to give Pretty Hate Machine a 3/5. I think it's a nice debut album, and I'm sure if I was alive when this was released I'd appreciate it a lot more. However, it's just about the last Nine Inch Nails album I've heard, and all the others feel like such an improvement. I'd also like to point out that this is one of the worst album covers ever. Still, it's miles ahead of Radiohead's 'The Bends'.

Standout Tracks:
Down In It
Something I Can Never Have
Sin

Dan

Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere In The Between (2007)

2009-10-26T12:31:00.004Z

I'm not sure if anyone has listened to this yet, but after Funeral For A Friend's sound fucked up at Reading this year, this band seemed to get a good response. Watching this band at Reading was one of the most fun moments I had all weekend, and hopefully this album will explain why. Streetlight Manifesto are one of the leading bands in the Ska-Punk genre. I realise the phrase 'Ska-Punk' is liable to immediately put people off. With it comes connotations of 15 year old girls with dreadlocks trying desperately to reject every convention society has put in front of them - including music which sells well, based largely on the fact that it's popular. But this album displays none of that: it's really just a bit cheeky (for lack of a better word) and I hope you all enjoy it.

Alex x

Biffy Clyro - Blackened Sky (2002)

2009-10-25T21:45:00.004Z

I was always planning to put this album before AlbumSwap's untimely demis and so thought it only right to do so now that is has been re-born. 'Blackened Sky' is Biffy's debut album and has a much more raw sound to it than more recent offerings 'Puzzle' and the soon to be released 'Only Revolutions'. It's got some of my favourite Biffy tracks on it including the incredible '57' and it set the foundations for one of the best rock bands around at the moment in my opinion. Everyone seemed to enjoy 'Puzzle' so hopefully this gets a similar reaction.

"Joy. Discovery. Invention" – 3:38
"27" – 3:27
"Justboy" – 4:22
"Kill the Old, Torture Their Young" – 6:12
"The Go-Slow" – 3:59
"Christopher's River" – 4:09
"Convex, Concave" – 4:28
"57" – 3:21
"Hero Management" – 4:46
"Solution Devices" – 3:18
"Stress on the Sky" – 4:14
"Scary Mary" (Simon Neil/Martin Scott) - 3:05

The Ghost of a Thousand - New Hopes, New Demonstrations (2009)

2009-10-25T18:33:00.005Z

The Ghost of a Thousand are a band that fellow ASer MattJ first introduced me to after the release of their debut album, and I absolutely loved them. This album really sees them mature in my opinion, and the glowing reviews it received seem to agree with me. They were the first real band I saw at Reading Festival and what a start it proved to be, easily one of the finest bands I've ever seen live. Tom Lacey is an immense frontman, both live and on the album, and inspires the belief that you can be cool despite being a lanky ginger weirdo. I'm optimistic about this one, and hope you all enjoy it as much as I did, and still do.

You can download it here: http://rapidshare.com/files/239190969/The_Ghost_Of_A_Thousand-New_Hopes_New_Demonstrations-2009-ApoLLo.rar

Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (1989)

2009-10-25T17:05:00.005Z

This is an album which I know Dan has been waiting to hear and I'm very pleased to finally get it up here. This is without a doubt NIN's most agressive album and Reznor's anger and angst are clear from the start. It is also his most raw album and the production is not as good it is on later releases but still I think this adds to the general feel of the album. Another thing I'd like to say about PHM is that you can definitely tell that it was made in the 80s - take from that what you will. Anyway I hope you all enjoy this becuase I know I certainly did.

1. "Head Like a Hole" 4:59
2. "Terrible Lie" 4:38
3. "Down in It" 3:46
4. "Sanctified" 5:48
5. "Something I Can Never Have" 5:54
6. "Kinda I Want To" 4:33
7. "Sin" 4:06
8. "That's What I Get" 4:30
9. "The Only Time" 4:47
10. "Ringfinger" 5:40

Have a lovely link because I'm nice like that:
http://rapidshare.com/files/18355771/Nine_Incha_Nails_-_Pretty_Hate_Machine.rar

65daysofstatic - The Fall of Math (2004)

2009-10-25T16:55:00.006Z

It's good to be back doing AlbumSwap. I've got plenty of new albums to post up for all of you, but for the first week I'm going to post the 65daysofstatic debut album. I'd never heard of 65days until Reading this year when Matt asked if anyone would go and watch them with him. Alex and I took up the offer, and it is fair to say that all of us were blown away by the performance. 65days are a Post-Rock band, and they make a lot of interesting noises that no band in my itunes library offers me. So to me, The Fall of Math is a genius record. By listening, you can tell they are incredible in a live environment, and I think this album will certainly be good for myself, Matt and Alex as we are seeing them later in November. Hopefully some more of you will enjoy the album and buy a ticket and come with us - you wouldn't regret it!

Track Listing:
[1]Another Code Against the Gone
[2]Install a Break in the Heart that Clucks Time in Arabic
[3]Retreat! Retreat!
[4]Default This
[5]I Swallowed Hard, Like I Understood
[6]The Fall of Math
[7]This Cat is a Landmine
[8]The Last Home Recording
[9]Hole
[10]Fix the Sky a Little
[11]Aren't We Running?

Download it Here: http://rapidshare.com/files/164182183/_2004__The_Fall_Of_Math.rar

Dan

Back up in this motherfucker

2009-10-25T16:36:00.003Z

Hello, me and Dan have decided that its about time we brought back the greatest blog ever known to man. With most of our members scattered across the country I thought AS would be a good way of keeping in touch with everyone and start sharing our(my) immense music with not only each other but with our eager reader.
I will be e-mailing all our old authors to see if they are up for it and if we can get everyone back then we'll all get together and decide on how to run things. But to kick things off Dan and I are going to out up an album each just to get the ball rolling. Enjoy, I know you all will.

Matt

Albumswap Over

2009-07-23T16:08:00.002+01:00

As I'm sure you've noticed, Albumswap has died. Matt and I would like to thank everyone for their input, and it was good while it lasted.

For anyone interested, though, Matt and I have started a new blog. In the new blog, we will be reviewing any music that we choose too, and by reviewing it we are recommending it to others. This way, people are not being forced to listen to albums. The new blog is called Ear Blinks. It can be found here
Ear Blinks will feature reviews on any album that an author wants to review, and will also contain live reviews and music news.

If anyone would like to be an author on the new blog, and contribute to the site, then drop me or Matt message and we'll sort it out.
This defeats the 'only 4 people get to post an album and everyone has to review it all in a week' problem we had on this site. Now, authors can choose to review what they want, when they want, hopefully providing a constant stream of posts.

Thanks again, and hopefully we'll see you over at Ear Blinks.

Machine Head - The Blackening (2007)

2009-07-07T00:14:00.002+01:00

1. Clenching the Fists of Dissent

2. Beautiful Morning

3. Aesthetics of Hate

4. Now I Lay Thee Down

5. Slanderous

6. Halo

7. Wolves

8. A Farewell to Arms

I've only recently got in to Machine Head after Elliott sent me their album with strong recommendation. I'd only previously heard 'Aesthetics of Hate' through the realms of 'Rock Band' and loved it yet hadn't checked the band as a whole out for some strange reason. I've had this album for about 2 weeks now and can honestly say it's one of the best albums I've ever heard. That's not a knee-jerk reaction, it is simply incredible. From the complexities of the guitar solos and the aggression in some of the riffs and vocals to beautifully melodic choruses, I really can't think of anything more I could want from a band. The guitar solo in 'Aesthetics of Hate' is up there as probably one of the best solos I've ever heard. I love this album and hopefully others amongst you will too.

Personal Favourites:

Beautiful Morning

Aesthetics of Hate

Now I Lay Thee Down

Halo

Mammal - The Majority (2009)

2009-07-06T20:48:00.000+01:00

This is what I posted last week. But no one reviewed it, so it's obviously going to stay :)

Mammal are a band that I stumbled upon recently. I downloaded this album (which I've recently discovered doesn't come out until August 1st) and was really impressed by what I heard.
Mammal have a sound which I think is unlike many other bands in my music collection. They have some very different tracks, and I'm pretty sure some of the songs sound like something my Dad would listen to. Which doesn't have to be a bad thing.

Mammal are from Australia, and if you don't like the accent there are points in the album which you won't like. If you like the accent, then you may well love it.
Also, the lead singerof the band has my new favourite name, which is Ezekial Ox. He is, apprently, a strong political activist and I suppose you can tell from some of the lyrics.

In Australia, Mammal are very well known for their incredible live shows. They will be playing their first ever UK show this September, so if anyone likes this album we can all go and see it, it should be special.

By no means am I saying this is one of my favourite albums, but I think it's good for a debut album, and I wanted to share it with everyone. I've got no idea what to expect from other people's views.

Track Listing:
[1]The Aural Underground
[2]Smash The Pináta
[3]Bending Rules
[4]The Majority
[5]Mr Devil
[6]Religion
[7]Clear Enough?
[8]Burn Out
[9]Hollywood Shrine
[10]Zero Infinity
[11]Living In Sin

Dan

Pearl Jam - Ten (1991)

2009-07-06T17:23:00.003+01:00

I only decided to listen to this band a few weeks ago, when I noticed a best of album in my guitar teacher's CD collection. I chose to listen to this album because it seemed to have most of the popular songs on it and, having listened to it once, I was genuinely angry with myself for not having listened to them before.
Ten is an incredible debut album, one which I can listen to from start to finish countless times and not become bored of. They sound like an almost more American version of Alice In Chains: another band I was annoyed I hadn't listened to before Matt introduced me to them. Eddie vedder is both a great lyricist and a great singer, and the music itself is instantly memorable. Pearl Jam are a very good band.

Track List:
01. Once
02. Even Flow
03. Alive
04. Why go?
05. Black
06. Jeremy
07. Oceans
08. Porch
09. Garden
10. Deep
11. Release

Personal Favourites:
03. Alive
05. Black
06. Jeremy

Alex x

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (2008)

2009-07-06T16:36:00.005+01:00

Untrust Us 3:06
Alice Practice 2:42
Crimewave 4:18
Magic Spells 6:07
XXZXCUZX Me 1:54
Air War 4:12
Courtship Dating 3:30
Good Time 2:56
1991 1:53
Vanished 4:02
Knights 3:13
Love and Caring 2:18
Through the Hosiery 3:07
Reckless 3:28
Black Panther" 2:56
Tell Me What to Swallow" 2:14

Worst album cover ever? I like to think so. Despite this the music inside is very original and very good. You may have heard Alice Practice on Skins if you watch it and that's a good idea of what to expect with the other songs. But if you don't really like that sort of music then I think you should still download it just for the album closer, which is completely different from the rest of the album and is absolutely phenomenal. The music is what I like to call 'electronic' because I don't think it has a real genre, some people call it 8-bit but that sounds gay, soooo...
Anyway, enjoy.
http://rapidshare.com/files/106668151/11cc-cc11.rar

Funeral For A Friend - Hours (Review: Alex)

2009-06-28T21:03:00.002+01:00

Back in 2005 I was unnecessarily stubborn. Locked firmly in a classic rock vacume; my music collection consisted of a variety of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd albums, and not much else. This was exaggerated so much to the extent that I flatly refused to listen to this album based upon the fact that Funeral For A Friend were a pioneering band on the then growing emo scene. In other words: I was a closed-minded musical dick head. It was nice, therefore, to finally listen to this band with a truly open mind.

Funeral For A Friend are, in a sense, the band I expected them to be. They encapsulate the dark, melodic sound which became so popular a few years ago. On Hours, the band strike a nice balance between post-hardcore musical arrangements and powerful yet melodic vocals. I like Matt Davies' voice. His vocals are, I suppose, are the driving force behind the album, and provide a distinguishing factor in the bands sound.

One thing which struck me was the band's ability to contrast relatively unaggressive vocals with what is often quite a heavy musical arrangement. On 'All The Rage', for example, the guitar line is often something like what I might expect someone like Bullet For My Valentine to play, what with the drop tunings and frequent 'twiddly bits'. Yet the vocals strike a very different picture. This was odd to me, and I'm suprised it worked so well.

I do like this album. It's quite easy to listen to. But this is sort of a double-edged sword. whereas I have no trouble in listening to this album from start to finish, there is little which I found truly memorable. In fact, I had to listen to it at least three times before I began to recognise any of it. I also found certain tracks quite annoying, 'Drive' in particular. I think it was the 'feeling quite tragic' bit. But now I'm just being petty.

All in all, I certainly like this band. I can imagine that they would put on a pretty good live show and I wouldn't mind seeing them, given the chance. Thinking about it, a lot of good bands have come out of wales in recent years, and Funeral For A Friend certainly fit the category. The most important thing however, is that I am likely to listen to this album in future. I will therefore give it a commendable 3/5, based on the fact that it was good, but none of it expressely stuck in my mind.

Alex x

Meshuggah - obZen (Reivew: MattJ)

2009-06-26T11:30:00.005+01:00

This has been coming for a while now, and I was very glad to see this album come up as Roshan's return album. I've only ever heard Bleed by Meshuggah and liked their very different riffs and the heaviness of the song in general, but I was worried whether they would fall in to the same trap that countless metal bands have in the past, especially technical metal bands - that almost all of their songs are the same and they become one long boring monotonus song of people wanking over their instruments. What I means is that so many of these metal bands completely lack any emotion or feeling in their music, one man armed with just an acoustic guitar can create much deeper and meaningful feelings in a listener that Cannbial Corpse ever could.

Now the question is: does Meshuggah fall in to this emotionless trap? I found the answer to be yes, but not as bad as it could have been. I feel like Meshuggah are very much showing off their technical ability, which is immense. But I don't think that Meshuggah are really trying to say anything else with their music apart from a display of the hardest-to-do vocals, with the hardest-to-do guitar, etc. I don't really have a problem with Meshuggah doing all of this instrumental masturbating though, as they clearly have a right to. The more I think about it the more I realise that this is music made by fans of technical metal for the technical metal audience and while I don't like it I can hardly slate them for not being arty or emotional enough.

I feel like I'm writing off a whole band just because of one album, when it could be that their other albums incorporate completely different styles and sounds. But seeing as this album is all I have to go with I can only compare them with other bands people label 'technical', like Tool, Gojira and Opeth. Compared to such bands, in terms of ability, I'd say they're one of the best I've ever heard but I'm not going to change how I listen to music for this band, because I don't want to rate them on their ability to play instruments.

I'm going to give them 2.5/5 because I genuinely enjoyed about half of the album, but on second listen I have to say I was not finding anything new and becoming a little bit bored.

Portishead - Dummy (Review: Dan)

2009-06-24T11:53:00.003+01:00

I don't know what I want to say about this album. I was intrigued to listen just because I wanted to put the music to this scene Alex described. After hearing this, I can agree that watching that must have been a strange experience.

I like Dummy. I was really taken aback when I listened to it for the first time on Spotify. I was blown away by it. Beth Gibbons vocals are mesmerising, and I found myself in what was like some sort of trance when I first listened. The actual beats and music to each song is also very good, and has this strange way of captivating my entire attention. Even now, listening to it while I write, I'm finding it hard to concentrate on anything but the music. That's what I enjoy about hip-hop - the music. When I listened to CunninLynguists' Strange Journey, I liked the music but I just couldn't tolerate the rapping. So by ditching the rapping and replacing it with a very good vocalist is almost perfect for me.

There are negative sides to this album, though. There are parts in the album which become a little intolerable, and I don't think I could listen to the album for long stretches of time. Not without wanting to kill myself. I think Beth Gibbon's singing is what does it. In songs like Biscuit especially, the beat is sort of slow, while Beth drags out words in a wail that is so...well, just...wail-y. I feel so depressed when I listen to it. Which isn't good.
I'd also like to point out that whoever is singing on Glory Box can't be the same as before. Certainly not in the first and last few lines. It sounds more like Macy Gray.

It's hard to draw a conclusion on this album. I think it's technically brilliant - near perfect. But I feel that unless I spent the rest of my days as a crack addict, I won't be able to enjoy this too much.

I think all in all it seems a little bit too intense for me to handle. I appreciate its brilliance, and I really like it, but I'm going to give it a 3/5, for the album as a whole.

Favourite Tracks:
[1]Mysterons
[2]Sour Times
[4]It Could Be Sweet
[8]Roads

Dan

Meshuggah - ObZen (2008)

2009-06-23T08:24:00.005+01:00

Well, for weeks of uploading this has alway, from the very beginning been on my "to upload" list. I first discovered this band wading through a guitar forum, trying to find new bands above the mass of 4chan overflow and 13 year old sexual health talk. It was tough but I stumbled across a topic dedicated to 7/8 string electric guitars (its relevance will become apparent the moment you press play) inside were whispers of a band said to have created some of the heaviest songs alive without succuming to the ultra-slow pace of drone metal.

After some time researching I eventually gathered the courage to listen to one of the most critically acclaimed metal songs this decade. "Bleed". It changed the way I thought about music and what could actually be achieved technically. No amount of watching a man "shred his axe" on youtube could match the sheer machine like precision of this album.

Please, enjoy.

Combustion
Electric Red
Bleed
Lethargica
obZen
This Spiteful Snake
Pineal Gland Optics
Pravus
Dancers to a Discordant System

New Release Monday: Old Crows / Young Cardinals (Review: Dan)

2009-06-22T17:47:00.003+01:00

I've been listening to this album all day now, and feel like I'm in a good position to review it accurately.

This album is very different to previous albums from Alexisonfire. As their 4th studio release, you can see the progression they've made from album to album, and it's actually fairly impressive. As far as talent goes, they've progressed a lot.

The album starts with the first of two title tracks 'Old Crows'. From the opening few notes it sounds like a far more mature band than what we hear from album 'Alexisonfire'. George Pettit has developed a new vocal style, which sounds a bit unusual. It's quite gravelly, and I'm not too sure I like it as much as the screaming he puts down on tracks like 'Accidents' from the album 'Watch Out!'. Vocals from Dallas Green are on top form, and they are very good throughout the album.

It's no coincidence that my favourite tracks on the album are the ones where Dallas provides more vocal input. Songs like 'No Rest' don't feature much of his singing, and is one of my least favourite on the record.

Musically, I think OC/YC is very good. The drumming from Jordan Hastings is very good, and compliments the guitar of Wade MacNeil really well. All of the guitar parts are really impressive on the album, and I think that due to the enormous increase in quality that OC/YC brings compared to their last album Crisis could see the band finding a lot of mainstream success.

I think that there is also a notable difference in Dallas' vocal contribution, as his style of singing appears to have changed. After releasing 'Bring me your love' for his solo side project City & Colour he appears to be singing in a far more 'folk' style. This is especially noticable in the song Born and Raised, which I'm fairly certain must be a song he wrote for a new City & Colour album.

All in all I think the album is good, but let down by George Pettit's unusual new vocal style. The Northern is good, as George shows that he hasn't forgotten how he used to 'sing'. But then around halfway through there is a switch and he returns to his new methods, if only briefly. Old Crows/Young Cardinals showcases massive progression from past releases, and as far as their ability goes I think they've produced an outstanding album.

I think there is a lot of promise from Alexisonfire to continue developing as musicians, and they remain the pioneering band of their respective genre.

4/5

Personal Highlights:
[3]Sons of Priviledge
[4]Born and Raised
[6]The Northern
[11]Burial

Dan

Funeral For a Friend - Hours (2005)

2009-06-22T17:28:00.004+01:00

Funeral For a Friend are a band who I feel were definitely at their best in their early days. Recently they've toned down their sound and seem to be writing more media-friendly songs but the raw, heavier sound present on 'Hours' is definitely where their talents lie. This album has some outstanding riffs and some altogether hard-hitting songs with some decent vocals from Matt Davies.

Like Dan, this is by no means my favourite album ever but one which I think people may enjoy hence its inclusion on AlbumSwap this week.

1. All the Rage

2. Streetcar

3. Roses for the Dead

4. Hospitality

5. Drive

6. Monsters

7. History

8. Recovery

9. The End of Nothing

10. Alvarez

11. Sonny

Personal Highlights:

Streetcar

Roses for the Dead

Monsters

Sonny

Portishead - Dummy (1994)

2009-06-22T13:33:00.010+01:00

The first time I heard this band was on a Dom Joly sketch. Two men, dressed as dogs battered the crap out of each other in a café, while unsuspecting people, innocently drinking their coffee tried to get to grips with the bizare scene which was unfolding around them. The film came from a black and white CCTV camera, and all the while Glory Box was playing in the background, filling the surreal silence. It was a fantastically odd thing to be watching, and I feel it sufficiently sums up the mood of this album. They call this Trip-Hop, and as much as I dislike the recent neccesity to put every band into its own little sub-genre, you can kind of understand why. It literally is like Hip-hop meets LSD fuled wailing. I suppose I should point out that there are elements of this album that even I find too odd to commit to liking. But all of the surreal sounds are worth it for the times when this album is truly beautiful.

Track list:
1. Mysterons
2. Sour Times
3. Strangers
4. It Could Be Sweet
5. Wandering Star
6. Numb
7. Roads
8. Pedestal
9. Biscuit
10. Glory Box

Personal Favourites:
Numb
Roads
Glory Box

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (1979)

2009-06-22T11:24:00.003+01:00

I first bought this album nearly 2 years ago but not until recently have I fully appreciated how good it is. This is a very dark, slow and sad album and therefore I don't know if it'll be to everyone's taste, but I think everyone should listen to a Joy Division album at least once. A year after this release the lead singer Ian Curtis hanged himself after a struggle with depression, epilepsy and a tough marraige. Joy Division then reformed as the much more famous New Order.
What I like most about this album is the emotion found in Curtis' voice and lyrics and how well they fit in with the music, also note the drumming that sounds like a drum machine but is infact the band's human drummer Stephen Morris.

Choice Tracks:
Disorder
New Dawn Fades
She's Lost Control
Insight

New Release Monday: Alexisonfire - Old Crows / Young Cardinals

2009-06-22T10:57:00.004+01:00

This is the 4th release from Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire. From what I've heard of it, it seems like the band are heading into a new direction, and it sounds nothing like some of their older songs.
Hopefully it will be a good start to the New Release Monday albums. It's out today in HMV if you want to buy it, or I'm sure you can find it on Spotify or download it from rapidshare...

Track Listing:
[1]Old Crows
[2]Young Cardinals
[3]Sons of Priviledge
[4]Born and Raised
[5]No Rest
[6]The Northern
[7]Midnight Regulations
[8]Emerald Street
[9]Heading For The Sun
[10]Accept Crime
[11]Burial

Dan

Album Swap Return

2009-06-22T10:50:00.003+01:00

Album Swap is now back from its short hiatus. Today, albums can be posted from Matt, Alex, Ben, Dan and Roshan. Today will also be the first time an album is posted from the 'New Release Monday' collection.
Albums will not be assigned to two other members, instead, anyone can review whichever album they choose. By next Monday, we will put new albums forward so long as each album has been reviewed at least once.

Dan

Enter Shikari Live at Heaven (Live Review: Dan)

2009-06-17T18:05:00.003+01:00

I wasn't happy about this gig for a number of reasons.
a) I had to wake up at 5am to get into Oxford street for the 8am release of free wristbands.
b) Being a free gig, it meant that the crowd was full of losers.
c) Because we had to collect wristbands in the morning, it meant that I had to go into London twice. This cost me around £40. I'd prefer to have just paid £20 for the ticket...
d) The venue of choice was Heaven - notorious London gay bar. Not only was I uncomfortable being in their with the gay bar staff, I had to walk around Stevenage town during the day with a wristband on which was telling everyone that that is where I was going to be spending my evening. This was made worse by the fact that HMVs (the sponsor of the show) little slogan is 'Get closer to'. So I had a wristband on that said "Get closer to enter shikari at heaven". What had I gotten myself into?

So, on the train on the way back into London I was preparing for the worst night ever. When we got there I was even more fearful, as the crowd was rubbish. There were loads of people there in flat caps and backpacks and all sorts. Loads of people in the crowd cheered everytime a sound-tech guy came onstage, which you know is the sign of a 'well, I like that sorry you werent a winner song' kind of person.

The crowd were chanting "and still we will be here, standing like statues" and I got annoyed. A few of us went to get a drink, and then Ben insisted on asking where the toilets were.

We headed back into the stage area just before 7, when the band were due to start. Another thing I should add is, this show was a 'album release show and signing'. So none of us knew how many sogs this show would consist of. Some of us were considering the possibility that it could be just one or two songs, or it could be a full length set, or maybe they'd play the entire album through.

When the sound of Common Dreads began (familiar from the closing sounds of Take to the Skies) began playing, I became a little bit hopeful that they'd be playing the entire album through. This sounded like it would be great, as it would be the first chance to hear new songs like Gap in the Fence or Zzzonked.
The band walked onstage, and said hello. Rou announced "Here tonight I clock a thousand heads. Here to unite, through commom dreads.". Solidairty's synthetic intro then began, and Rory took a leap into the crowd and the chaos began to unfold.

The crowd were actually really energetic for the show, and they weren't as bad as I thought I knew they were going to be.
Having said that, there were some real wankers in the crowd, just running about throwing their fists around. I learned this the hard way, taking a fist to the face. I now have what looks like a carpet burn on my forehead. It's ok though, fans. I sorted him out.

After Solidarity, they played Step Up which is track three on the album. I was really pleased at this point, as it seemed that they were indeed going to play me their entire new album. Either way, this was the first chance I'd had to see them since I heard Common Dreads, so hearing these new songs was really nice as I knew the words this time.

Next, if my memory serves me rightly, however, they played Hectic. Though a great song, it's track number 14 so all hope was lost for the full album. Not too much of a problem though.

They then finished off their set which was, in fairness, composed of all new songs. Which was a really good thing, because it was refreshing to get away from Return to Energiser.

They did promise to play one old song though, so the crowd climbed up on each others shoulders and crawled over people to get to the mic and choose the song. My posse were all praying for Mothership, as they have appeared to have removed it from their live shows, much to every human being's disappointment. And, much to everyone's enjoyment, that was the song that was chosen. This was a great song, and it was nice to hear it again. Hopefully it taught Enter Shikari a lesson, and they'll start playing it again. I guess we'll find out at Reading.

Overall it was a very decent show, though relatively short at just over 45 minutes. I also noticed that I may have broken my personal sweat record, previously held by Pendulum at KoKo. This would normally be a good thing. But hot, sweaty boys in a gay bar made me want to get the fuck out of there all the more. So we did. Then we went home.

I'd give it a 5, but I felt really uncomfortable all night. 4.

Download Festival 2009 (Live Review: Dan)

2009-06-14T14:04:00.020+01:00

This is going to be a long one. You've been warned. Sorry if it's not a good read, then you will have truly wasted your time. I'll throw some pictures in there to keep it colourful. Download Festival 2009 was a bit of an impulse purchase. I had an exam on the 12th so it was all a bit of a rush getting there aswell. After several mishaps including losing my phone in my bag for about an hour and then forgetting the tickets we finally got in, having missed the opening band of the day, Hollywood Undead (who got a 5/5 review from me when I saw them at Slam Dunk).
Then we had to deal with some incompetent security guards and try and get inside the arena. By the time we made it to the main stage, The Blackout were playing their final 4 songs.
This was the 8th time I've been present for a blackout set. I can safely say that I'm done with them now. They played some songs from the new album and Sean Smith tried his ridiculous "I want everyone to kneel down" stunt. It didn't really work, and he looked stupid. He also appears to have completed the transition into a raging homosexual, and he pranced around the stage in his tank top, black skinny jeans and black/pink trainers. Aswell as his pink microphone. Hopefully by the time I get to the end of this review I'll have a picture. In fairness to them, I still liked the old songs, just the way they performed them, embarassing themselves in the process, wasn't as good as it used to be. After The Blackout departed the stage we went and got a Hog Roast. It was marvellous. It cost £6, but that was ok. The Hog Roast stall also became the meeting point of the weekend. An overall success for Hog Roast. (This was before Muller Rice, but we'll get to that later).

We then went and caught the end of Staind. They seemed OK, but I'd never really listened to them before and so I didn't know what I was listening to. They were certainly better than The Blackout today, and the crowd appeared to enjoy them. My attention wasn't entirely focused on them anyway, as I was munching happily on my Hog Roast.
Next to grace the stage was Billy Talent. I was greatly looking forward to them, and this was to be the second time I saw them. They opened with This is How it Goes, track one on their debut album. It was very good, and I actually realised that they are very talented people. They played a good variety of songs from their albums I and II, aswell as a few from their upcoming release - III. I was really pleased with Billy Talent, but I was saddened by the fact they weren't particularly high up on the line up so they had a fairly short set. The set was really good I thought, and I couldn't think of how it could have been a whole lot better...But I did feel a bit let down from my expectations. I suppose I wanted a full length set, maybe in a more enclosed venue. Still, they were a nice way to get the day going properly. Next up was Killswitch Engage. I'm not personally a fan, but I know and like a few songs. So I was hoping for a good show, but didnt get my hopes up. The band all came on stage in their finest 'metal' outifts. Except for two members in particular. First was Adam Jonathan Dutkiewicz, guitarist. He was dressed in some sort of wrestling mask and a cape. He looked like a seven year old. Turns out he also acts like a seven year old, as he pranced around the stage making jokes about vaginas.
The other unusually dressed member was the singer, Howard Jones (pictured above). He was wearing a shirt and jeans, and looked a bit smart for the occasion. He sort of reminded me of my dad. But, image aside, the music ensued. For the first three songs of the set, to the fault of the sound guys who decided against doing a mic check, we couldn't hear Howard Jones. The crowd were shouting to have the mic turned up (or on) and eventually it was done. After this mess, the set was actually quite good. They played some really good songs, and it went down quite well with the crowd. Most of the audience interaction was done through Adam though, which was disappointing as he kept tying to be funny. I may purchase Killswitch Engage's album, which I think comes out in July. So I suppose they were successful.

Next up was the band that I bought my ticket for; Limp Bizkit. It was to be their first show in what must have been about 5 or 6 years. After a long pause, the band finally emerged, and the crowd went mental. Wes Borland was dressed in a bizarre black, white and red costume and Fred Durst had his trademark red cap on. Everyone one stage was wearing black. They opened with Space Odyssey and then went into Break Stuff, both of which went down a treat with everyone. They played a variety of their hits, and they had so much energy through the entire set. The crowd loved it, and gave such a great response to the band. Limp Bizkit provided me with some great entertainment and we decided to call it a day once they left.
We then got in the car and drove to McDonalds. We sat in McDonalds for about 2 hours. It was great fun. We discussed a variety of things. Not much of the things said were related in any way to Download Festival. Then we went home and got some sleep.

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At 8.45am I'd been lying in bed for a little while. I then looked a the time and realised we were meant to be leaving at 9. So I woke Matt up and we rushed over to Ben's. We got in the car, then set off for Download, round 2.
We decided that we were going to stay the night in the car, but on the way we passed a hotel so we gave them a ring. There's more of a story to that actually, which involved rock paper scissors and missing Five Finger Death Punch. It also includes us not being able to get a room at a hotel. It also includes a man asking us if we had any spare trainers.

We got to Download in time to see DevilDriver, who had quite a reputation from the last time they played. When they finally emerged onto stage I didn't see why, all I heard was a disgusting sound coming from some 'metal' old men. So we left.
We saw the band Hardcore Superstar leaving the second stage, where we decided to place ourselves for a while. We sat down against a rail while In Case of Fire set up their instruments. We had listened to their album on the journey to Donnington, so I was sort of looking forward to them.
After the sound of what the Irish jig to, the band emerged and I was already feeling a bit disappointed (because of the irish jig music). Then they started playing. The first thing that caught my attention was the singer/guitarist Steven Robinson. When he sings a long note, his tongue hangs out of his mouth. It makes him look a little bit retarded. After I snapped out of being immersed in his strange facial antics I glanced my eyes over to the other side of the stage, towards the bassist. The bassist, who can only be 17 or 18 years old, decided that he wanted to keep his mouth open and bounce around. Also like a retard. I never got a chance to look at the drummer. I can only imagine that he, too, has escaped from the lunatic asylum.
Musically, they are an OK band. The guitarist is actually very skilled, but I found myself very bored. They didn't do much on stage, and as a three-piece band the massive second stage felt empty. They didn't interact with the crowd at all, and I think they were just a bit nervous. I would also imagine they were a bit disappointed with the turn out. I'd say there were three rows of people in front of the stage watching them. If you can try and imagine that, it's pretty empty.

Staying at the second stage, it quickly filled up for the next act - Fightstar. 6 years now since Busted, I think the world is finally ready to accept them. The crowd were getting impatient for fightstar, and soon a huge bottle fight ensued. I'm sure you can find something similar on youtube if you want to get an idea of what it was like. The chaos finally stopped when Fightstar came on stage. They opened with Colours Bleed To Red - a song from their new album Be Human. I found this unusual, as it is neither track one, nor a single. And the record hasn't really been out long enough to be a fan favourite. Just looking over last fm quickly, it doesn't make the top 15 on the most played tracks in the last 6 months. So I found this unusual. It was very good though, so I guess that makes it OK. They then played a variety of songs from the album Grand Unification (their debut) and their latest Be Human. They also played from their first ever release, EP 'They liked you better when you were dead'. I thought that they must not like their sophomore album 'One Day Son...' as they weren't playing anything from it. I found this unusual also, as they had some fairly successful singles from it. However, for their short set maybe it was a good choice, as every song went down brilliantly with their crowd, and Charlie Simpson had everyone on their feet. Then for the final song they played Death Car, which was from their second album. I felt relieved.
Overall, the setlist was great and I don't think they could have asked for a better crowd reaction. Possibly a highlight of the festival for me. When I deciding scores for all the bands, in my mind I was going to give Fightstar a 4. But upon reflecting on the set, I think it's going to be a 5.

After Fightstar has finished and the hundreds of fans flooded out we headed out and met Matt at Hog Roast. I then bought a pizza and a Tango. Ben disappeared for a while talking to Vodafone so Matt and I made camp on the grass. We sat about and enjoyed the summer weather and got sunburnt. Whilst enjoying some pizza and listening to Down in the background (who I really enjoyed) we sat and watched our fellow festival-goers. There were a few people that had an effect in this interval; first was the high-five-fella as I shall refer to him as. Or maybe HFF, for short. As we were minding our own business a man dressed in a navy blue jacket approached me and asked for a double low. I provided. He then asked Matt for a single high. He got that too. He then made a joke about how his hands were sore from the power of our high fives. We laughed and he staggered off in search of more fives from a variety of heights. We watched him for a while, and he was just walking around the campsite getting high fives from everyone. We could even see him making the same joke he used on us (which wasn't funny then, but was actually quite funny now). When he encountered a sleeping person he was in a spot of trouble as they were unable to give him a high five. So he just high fived them on the head.
Then our attention turned to two people playing catch with a rugby ball. One of them, known by me as Samoa, seemed to start off pretty useless, but got significantly better upon the arival of new members. The other fixed member, known first as Curly Shithead, then Curly Colin, was dreadful. He had the worst throw, and couldn't catch. Everything about him was messy. His catch ability and his appearance. Eventually they were joined by a fairly long-term member 'Medicine Man' who was on his break from the Download Pharmacy. He was actually very good (as good as one can be at playing catch) and made a mockery of CC. He had clearly been practicing for moments like this. Eventually MM had to get back to work, and CC and Samoa were left to their own devices. Not long after, Ben returned and we set off towards the mainstage. Down had finished by this point.
Ben then made the outrageous suggestion that the ever tempting Muller Rice truck would be giving out its product for free. So we went ove there to prove him wrong. But he was right, so we got a free Muller Rice. Mine was strawberry flavoured, and was the best thing I'd eaten all weekend.

DragonForce emerged on stage, and blew us away with their face-melting metal. I am a liar.
DragonForce were embarrassingly bad. They were making me cringe for the entirety of their set. All they sing about is dragons, ninjas and mythological beasts. Also, everytime they were going to play a new song (which in fairness wasn't very often, as all of their songs are about 30 minutes long) the singer sung the title in his strange, high pitched voice.
"This song is called Battle of the Ninjaaaaaaaaaaaas" he wailed. I, personally, could have guessed.
The guitarists of DragonForce were all showing off the fact that they can play guitar, and doing all sorts of 'crazy' things. Just look at the above picture.
Matt made a very valid point that everything about DragonForce is just too high pitched. From the vocals to the guitar-work, everything makes a high-pitched sound that just can't be enjoyed.
The only good part of their set was when some nurses came on stage to give something to the guitarists (probably something that was really 'metal'. I can't say I was paying attention). Then a man ran up behind them with a sign saying "Tits Out". And they obliged. Then the band finished their only popular song (Through The Fire And The Flames, courtesy of Guitar Hero) and departed the stage. We went and got some more Muller Rice.

Next up was the mighty DnB legends Pendulum. I saw them at the iTunes Festival 2008 and they became my favourite live band from that show (they have since been replaced by Alexisonfire at the Borderline. Who have also been replaced. But we'll get there). I then caught a tiny bit of their set at Reading 2008, but left due to how overcrowded it was.
Today I was ready to be blown away again, but the time of day worried me. The sun was at a point where it was roasting my neck and making the sky very bright. Pendulum burst onto stage with a very high-tec light system and their high-tec instruments. The lights seemed a bit wasted though, as it just wasn't dark enough for the right effect. The bass made the ground shake and I was really excited when they started playing Showdown. The crowd started jumping and everyone was really into it. Everyone was having fun and you could see that the band were too.
After the first song, Ben Mount (front man, MC) was bleeding from his ear. Either he hadn't noticed, or he didn't care. Either of these two reasons made me appreciate him a little bit more. The fact that he will be on stage, entertaining thousands of people with blood running down his face made me appreciate his passion for what he does.
The set was great, it was full of energy and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. My only complaint was that the setting didn't seem right. In a big, dark venue it would have been near perfect. The trampled on grass and blazing sun, combined with Pendulum and their lights just didn't give me the same satisfaction I felt when I left KoKo on that July night last year.
We went and got another Muller Rice.

Next up was Marilyn Manson. I've always been a bit scared of Marilyn Manson. His image disgusts me. His music disgusts me even more. However, I was prepared to face my fear and see him perform.
I've been reading a lot about him lately. I sort of thought that maybe he's just a bit misunderstood. Maybe we shouldn't blame him for all these bad things.
Yes we fucking should.
He staggered on stage, a complete mess, and performed the most awful song I've ever heard in my life. Then he walked to the back of the stage, had his make up adjusted and came back on. Then repeated the process. Stumbling around, rolling on the floor and making noises that can't have really been his songs into the microphone. It was embarrassing. No one there was enjoying it. You could see the looks of disappointment and disgust on all the faces in the crowd. No one was happy about what was going on. Between each song he had to get someone to put a new hat on his head, or a coat on for him, or wipe the sweat from his face. He was being treated like royalty, yet all I could see was an overweight, old goth.
It was a really sorry affair, and I was astounded that this was the best he could do. He had gotten a very good spot at this year's festival, and in my opinion he wasted it. He was clearly really drunk, or on a lot of drugs. It was a shame really. But he was such an awful person. He never once spoke to the crowd, apart from when he wanted to know whether or not he should wear a coat. He never introduced himself. The time he spent between songs probably clocked up to about 15 minutes, which could have given his loving fans and additional 3 or 4 songs. Perhaps I should be grateful for the silence, as each song he performed was dreadful.
Now I know why people blame him for things, and I think he deserves it.
On what was his last song (whether it was meant to be his last song or not we will never know) he took a bottle to the head and swiftly left the stage for good. I have no doubt in saying that what he had just given me was the most dreadful and embarassing performance I've ever seen. This was made a hundred times worse because he played such an important role in this year's line up. I feel genuinely sorry for everyone involved in the booking and organisation of Download Festival, as Marilyn Manson effectively just stole their money.

The final band of our weekend, Slipknot, were preparing to come on. I was both excited and terrified, becuase of things I've read and just because of the reputation they have as one of the most brutal live bands there are. After a long wait, they finally came onstage. I didn't know the first few songs, but I was absolutely blown away by what I was hearing. It was incredible, and I felt ashamed of myself for not knowing it. They powered through a fantastically brutal set. Each of the nine members working together to put on more than just a live performance of their songs. When Shawn Crahan's drum stage was elevated and rotated and he threw huge metal barrels down to hit Mick Thompson, all the while Sid Wilson is hanging from this platform, thrashing around. I've never felt so entertained in my life. Meanwhile, I'm hearing Corey Taylor screaming to tens of thousands of people, whilst Joey Jordison performs some sensational drumming.
In December 2008 I was preparing to purchase a ticket for their tour, where they would be playing in the Hammersmith Appollo. Then when the ticket price was revealed at £40, I was horrified and decided against it. After witnessing them at the enomous donnington park, I can safely say that this was probably one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made.
The amount of energy they all have is remarkable, and they really put everything into what they do.
It's been 10 years since their debut album was released, and they are only now headlining download. When I was listening to the music, I simply couldn't understand how it took them so long to get this spot. They are without doubt one of the most unique and talented bands in the world right now, and all of their old songs sounded so good. I'm almost glad that they pulled out of Reading 2008, as seeing them and then watching Tenacious D would be almost criminal.

Slipknot were definitely the best band I've ever seen, and I can't wait until the chance I get to see them again (which is apparently "a lot sooner than [i] think").

It took us a while to get out of the park, and eventually we were back on the road headed home. We listened to three brilliant albums on the way home (Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane, Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light, Placebo - Battle For The Sun), and I had a fantastic weekend.
I hope this wasn't too boring. It took me fucking hours to write.

EDIT: Just realised I forgot to do any scores.

The Blackout: 2/5
Staind: 3/5
Billy Talent: 4/5
Killswitch Engage: 3/5
Limp Bizkit: 5/5
DevilDriver: 1/5
In Case Of Fire: 2/5
Fightstar: 5/5
DragonForce: 1/5
Pendulum: 4/5
Marilyn Manson: 0/5
Slipknot: 5/5

Hog Roast: 5/5
Muller Rice: 5/5
Pizza place: 1/5

Download Festival 2009: Has to be 5 really as I saw some of the best bands of all time. Despite the fact there were some pretty bad acts, I had a brilliant weekend.

Dan.

Alexisonfire - Live at London Borderline (Live Review: Dan)

2009-06-11T10:19:00.005+01:00

Last night I finally got to see Alexisonfire (though I'd seen them at Reading in 2008, I wanted to see a headline show). It was at the London Borderline, where I had been once before to see InMe this year. The venue was just as hot inside as I remembered it, but it was bearable for the night. We didn't go in until just before 9, when the band were due to start.

A few minutes after I got in the lights dimmed and the band walked onstage, where they kicked into the opening track of their second album 'Watch Out!'. This was unusual I thought. Usually a band opens with the first track of their latest album. In Alexisonfire's case I was expecting the first track from their 2007 album Crisis or maybe the opening track from their upcoming release. Still, I had no complaints as Accidents is one of my favourite songs.

The band played a healthy mix of old and new songs, which was very pleasing. I was worried that they would be showcasing their new songs and I would have to sit through a setlist where I knew only about 20% of the songs. Infact, they only played 3. 2 of which are on their myspace so I had heard them already.

The brilliant thing about Alexisonfire was the amount of energy they seemed to have. They really seemed to be putting everything into the show, and the crowd were the same. People were throwing themselves up onto the stage, where George Pettit (frontman) would grab them by the waist, flip them upside down and launch them into the crowd.

At recent events, I've been thinking to myself about why all of a sudden I've been standing at the sidelines from all of the action in the crowd, and so tonight, after a few drinks I was really up for getting involved.

Alexisonfire put a great show on, and they were especially good in the way that they also entertain the crowds, rather than standing still and just churning out songs. I think that we all have a lot to look forward to at their double set at Reading this year. Their new album 'Old Crows / Young Cardinals' is also out soon, and I think that it should be the album that takes the very first New Release Monday slot on the 22nd of June. Even though it comes out the 23rd...

5/5

Slam Dunk 2009 (Live Review: Dan)

2009-05-26T10:39:00.005+01:00

Well, this would be my first album swap review in some time now. Today I am writing a review of my day out in Leeds on Sunday May 24. I hope you enjoy it.

We got to the Leeds University at around 3 o clock I suppose. It was very busy, and there seemed to be loads of different queues - none of which had any obvious purpose. So rather than joining one we sat on a wall and watched a ticket tout. I think we made a friend there.

After some time, people started to flood into the Student Union, so we hopped onto the end of a queue and got into the building. This is where the trouble really started.

Being from Knebworth, I am very unfamiliar with the layout of the Leeds University Student Union. Which I think is fair enough. Apparently the organisers don't find this acceptable, and once you arrive in the building your instructions are simply 'go'. So we had to literally hunt to find the stages - and there were six of them. By the time we had found the stage we were looking for, the second band of the day was just about to start. I was outraged. All the place needed were a few signs, or just some arrows would have done.

However, we had just arrived at the 'Fishing for Eskimo' stage. This was where I planned to be all day, so I didn't have to worry about hunting for other stages.
All Forgotten kicked off my first Slam Dunk experience, and it had been some time since I'd seen them. They played a pretty decent set, and it was quite refreshing in a way as I had been starting to forget how much I enjoyed them live. The crowd seemed pretty poor to me though, and I don't think All Forgotten had many fans present. This means that for all these 'hardcore' kids they have to swing their fists around until they've knocked out half the audience everytime the music changes or Johnathon Thorpe (Singer of All Forgotten) starts screaming. Once All Forgotten departed the stage, we headed towards the bar and took a seat. A wise move as The Urgency were up next.

We sat on our comfortable little sofa whilst The Urgency played out their set. I found myself very bored by the music, and I didn't like what I was hearing at all. Looking back though, I wish I had stayed down by the stage - I'm curious now as to how the crowd took to the music, and also wanted to know what they looked like. Perhaps it would be unfair to score The Urgency, as part of a live score has to be the experience. After they were done, though, we went back down to see Hollywood Undead.

I've only heard little bits of Hollywood Undead. I also find their popularity with this sort of scene unusual. After a bit of preparation, the stage was filled with smoke and then lit up in a red light. Six masked men then appeared on the stage (well, five, as one was already there). I liked their masks - it gave them an element of mystery, and it was exciting. These pretty scary masked men were putting on an incredible live show for me, and I didn't even want to know what they looked like - A problem I have always had with Slipknot.
The band had fantastic interaction with the crowd, and they really knew how to get everyone moving. All of a sudden, though, after I'd been having some fun in the crowd, I looked up in horror to see that they had all removed their masks. Now I look at six pretty normal looking men on the stage. I've got no problem with normal men...but I had lost a lot of the initial respect I had for the mysterious group.
Soon, member Charlie Scene found himself plunging into the crowd where he stayed for quite some time. His presence on stage didn't seem missed, and the band managed fine to play their songs and keep the crowd full of energy. When they departed the stage, I felt like the rest of the day could only go downhill. I enjoyed their set so much, I even bought their album on the way home.

We Are The Ocean sort of proved that to me. I used to be a very big fan of WATO, but after a while I got really bored of their music. I was hoping that today I would find that enjoyment I've been missing from them. They opened their set with a song I hadn't heard, I presumed it to be track one from their forthcoming album. They've gotten heavier since last time I heard them, and this new song sounded like the band were taking a step in a new direction, away from the post hardcore scene they usually find themselves at the centre of. A few old songs and I found myself bored of them again. I don't know why it is, perhaps it's the fact that I have been listening to different music lately, but I can't listen to We Are The Ocean anymore.
In fairness to them, I liked some of their new songs, so maybe their upcoming album will be something worth investing in. Unlikely, though, as I was forced to walk out of their set and head upstairs to find the merch room. On the way, we found a few more stages. Conveniently.

After a little break from the action, we headed back down to the Fishing for Eskimo stage to watch Silverstein. This was my second experience of Silverstein, only this time I knew a few more songs.
Silverstein played an immense set, there aren't many words I can use to describe it. Though I didn't know their newest or oldest songs, I did know their middle two albums which was good enough for me. Silverstein had a lot of fans in the room, and I had a great time watching what were certainly the band of the day.

After Silverstein it was that time of day; Headliner sets. There were six headliners of Slam Dunk festival, one for each stage. Obviously. This was a problem really, as I didn't want to settle with just one. So reluctantly I headed over to the Glamour Kills stage to see youmeatsix. We waited for a while, and eventually the room was packed full of kids and the band had a very impressive intro and kicked off their set with Jealous Minds Think Alike. 'Handy' I thought, as this is the only youmeatsix song I like. After this I dashed back to the Fishing For Eskimo stage to see the second half of The Blackout's set. I always love seeing The Blackout, there's something about the way they play that makes me keep coming back for more. However, I got there a little too early, and I was made to do the worst thing I've ever had to do. And this was the second time they've made me do this.
"I want everyone in the room to kneel down" announced Sean Smith. I shook my head in disappointment and got down onto my knees. The problem I have with this is that because every 10-year-old in the room hangs on Sean Smith's every word, if I didn't get onto my knees I would probably be kicked out of the venue. So, the whole room is on their knees, except for dictator Smith and his band of unimportant musicians. After a little bit of singing, Sean shouts "Get the fuck up!" which is our cue to, well, get the fuck up.
After this the set did improve, and I found that same love for the band that I usually have. Sean Smith also announced that they would be playing the Festival Republic stage at this year's Reading and Leeds festival. They ended their set on an old favourite of mine, 'I'm a Riot? You're a fucking Riot!' so I left a happy person. On the walk over to the Vans stage, though, I realised that I am starting to tire of the band. I purchased their new album on the way home though, so maybe I'll start to enjoy them some more.

I walked into the Vans stage to catch Anti Flag's set. This was my third time seeing Anti-Flag, and it's never been intentional. By that I mean that I have never gone to a gig to see Anti-Flag, they just happen to be around. Their music was good, the crowd loved them, another impressive show was going on from Anti-Flag. However, between songs they don't shut up about politics and God, and I couldn't handle it.
"Those Demons are in your heart, and by jeebers are we gonna get them out" Chris #2, Anti-Flag's bass player, told me as I walked out on him.
I headed back to the Glamour Kills stage, feeling pretty lost. I got back to see youmeatsix halfway through a song. I can't remember what it was, but I remember what came next. Josh Franceschi announced that they would be doing a cover of the incredible 'Killing in the name' by Rage Against The Machine. First off, this was a massive lie.
"Fuck you I won't do what you tell me" Josh says repeatedly through the breakdown of their song. He then stops and finishes his song. All he did there was have a crowd of 14 year olds ruin one of my favourite songs. It wasn't even a cover...

The band then went on to finish their set, and by the time it was over I felt disgusted. I don't like youmeatsix, I've seen them live before aswell and didn't like them then either. All this did was cement this.
The retarded Slam Dunk organisers then decided to shut the main doors and eject everyone out of the building via some narrow corridors. This was chaos, as all of the youmeatsix fans apparently had to get out of the building before each other, so were trying to push people to speed up the queue. What they were actually doing was slowing it down, as little gilrs fell over, grabbing their friends and forcing them to stop and help them because they had lost their mini mouse purse (or whatever the kids are into these days). After a good half an hour, I finally got out of the Leeds University.

Overall, I had a good day out. I saw a load of very decent sets from very decent bands, and the only real downside was the venue. Which was a shame, because all it needed was a bit of organisation.
To summarize, here are some scores:

All Forgotten: 4/5
The Urgency: n/a
Hollywood Undead: 5/5
We Are The Ocean: 2/5
Silverstein: 5/5
The Blackout: 4/5
Anti-Flag: 3/5
Youmeatsix: 1/5
Slam Dunk Festival 2009: 4/5

Sonisphere Announcement

2009-05-19T20:55:00.004+01:00

18th May 2009 3 bands added to mainstage, including the sub-headliner for what we now assume to be the sunday - Heaven and Hell Other new main stage acts are Coheed and Cambria and The Used. Several new bands added to the Bohemia stage also. The Line Up now looks like this:

Linkin Park - New Divide

2009-05-18T21:57:00.003+01:00

Hey everyone!

Just to see if anyone is still around, thought I'd let you all know that Linkin Park have just released their new song titled New Divide.

It's up on the site to listen to now (and it's very good)

www.linkinpark.com

Dan

Reading & Leeds Lock-Up Stage Announcement

2009-04-27T23:32:00.006+01:00

Radio One website has just announced the full line-up of the Lock-Up Stage for Reading & Leeds this summer. It looks like this:

Looks like a decent enough line up to me. Well, near the top anyway. Does mean I shan't be seeing Kings Of Leon or Arctic Monkeys this year though.

However, it looks like Alexisonfire and Placebo will be clashing. This would be disastrous.

Dan.

Album Swap Hiatus

2009-04-27T17:05:00.006+01:00

We're taking a short break over the exam period becuase of revision and all that. Everyone else can still review the album's we've currently got if they wish to. But I'm afraid no new albums will be posted for a while.
Still there's plenty to look forward to including reviews of the Sonisphere and Reading festivals and the long awaited Album Swap Podcast. As well as a bit of a revamp of the place and some better organisation.

See you in June

Matt.

A little note from Dan:

I've been through all the posts and tagged them with their reviewer in the format "review: (name)"

In future posts could we try and do this? Also I want to get all the genres sorted out, but obviously a lot of the time the poster can't really decide on what genre(s) to post it as.

I'll list the uncategorized albums here, if you can suggest a genre then please post it in the comments section of this post.

Elliott Smith - Roman Candle
Blur - Parklife
Biffy Clyro - Puzzle
The Smiths - Meat Is Murder
InMe - White Butterfly
Skindred - Babylon
Damien Rice - O

Thanks

Dan

Elliott Smith - Roman Candle (Review: Dan)

2009-04-25T21:12:00.004+01:00

I've never been a fan of Nirvana, so when I heard the lead singer went solo I wasn't really pleased...

Obviously I'm joking.

Roman Candle is exactly what it says on the label. I had already heard Condor Ave. and so knew basically what to expect from the rest of the album.
It's not particularly versatile in sound, Smith's guitar playing is melodic and calming and complements his voice as much it possibly could. I think his voice is quite boring really and having listened through the album a bit I sort of do understand what Elliott meant when he said he sounded like Kurt Cobain. When I first listened to Condor Ave. I thought it was quite an outrageous statement, but now I've listened to the album I have to agree with him a little.

There are lots of moments on Roman Candle that reminded me of The Beatles.
The album has a great mix of cheery and some quite dark moments.

I listened to this album in two different environments - I usually listen to this style of music this way. It helps me see if I like it.
When I listened to it whilst chatting to people and doing my day-to-day business I found the whole thing incredibly boring, and it just sort of breezed by. About as exciting as wind.
Then I listened to it whilst I just sort of relaxed, to appreciate it. I found it a lot better, and I found it very thought provoking, which did lead me into quite a depressive mood.

If I'm honest I don't really think Elliott Smith is particularly talented as a musician. His music seems very dull and it doesn't really make me want to listen to it.
But after the third playthrough I started to enjoy things a bit more, especially Condor Ave. and No Name #1.

I think that Smith's sound is certainly his own, though it isn't without it's infulences. He has made a good effort but it probably isn't something I'll be returning to a great deal.
2/5

Dan.

InMe - Live at London Borderline (Live Review: Dan)

2009-04-23T22:15:00.004+01:00

This was my second experience of InMe live, last time I saw them they were supporting Pendulum as part of the iTunes Festival last summer. That was, for a long time, the best gig I'd ever been to.

I'll talk about the support act as breifly as possible. We Are The Damned are a portugese screamo band and they are fronted by a woman. That's enough reason for me to hate them. The noises she was making truly were the most horrible things I have ever heard. It was half an hour where I wish ear blinking was possible. The actual music wasn't too bad though. It wasn't good...But it was enough to try and distract my attention from the horrible woman screaming at me.

Anyway, not too long later, InMe came onto stage after we listened to a very dramatic, orchestral piece of music. It was good, I actually quite enjoyed it. Then they kicked into 7 Weeks from the album White Butterfly - one of the only songs i really really liked on the album. The crowd was full of energy and everyone on the floor was having a great time already.

InMe played a fairly decent mix from all of their back-catalogue and they also previewed a nice amount from their new album Herald Moth.

The London Borderline was a really nice building. It didn't really work as a music venue though. For starters, it was undoubtedly the hottest room I've ever been in before. Asif the moshing wasn't enough to get me sweating, the room alone made it so much worse. Also, I remember feeling really low down in there. I think the stage may have been quite raised, which is unusual for a small venue.

The new material they played I quite liked. Especially a song called 'Single of the Week'.

"What's that shit on the radio? It sounds like they made it so they could make it"

The song itself sounded very 'poppy' and commercial and I think this was very clever and ironic. I was impressed. I also dislike it when bands play new songs live because I don't know them. But this was good, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Overall their performance was absolutely perfect, the guitarwork from Dave and their new member (I would like to say he is called Simon, but I could be lying) was perfect and the vocals were also spot on. Only thing that bugged me (and Elliott) was that every single song was dedicated to someone. For instance:

"This song is dedicated to our merchandise manager"
"This song is dedicated to my friend"
"This song is dedicated to my sister's boyfriend's uncle's mother"
That sort of thing. Every song.

But anyway, I had a fantastic night and can't wait for the new album. I can also strike one more London venue off of my list. And I was contemplating not going...

5/5

Blur - Parklife (Review: MattJ)

2009-04-23T19:52:00.004+01:00

I had always thought Blur to be a different version of Oasis despite the few Blur songs I have heard in the past sounding nothing like Oasis I still thought that all of their other songs must be pretty similar if they are in the same genre. This is my grounds for always saying Blur>Oasis because I thought that Blur were pretty shite like Oasis but they had a couple good songs. Boy, was I wrong. I have no idea how the two are in the same genre as they are very different and I will stop comparing the two now as I now realise how unnecessary this comparison is now.

The album opens to the brilliant pop song 'Girls & Boys' which reminds me of my 90s childhood. The song is catchy but it's also more than that as the up beat rhythm, good lyrics and vocals of the song makes it a genuinely good song. The vocals, in fact, are the only consistent part of the album as the band are so diverse through all the songs exploring loads of different styles such as pop, different variations of punk and some stuff that sounds like The Kinks but is still unique enough for Blur to call it their own. This diversity is what makes them stand out from a lot of other bands at the time.

The little review on Spotify tells me that this album is 16 songs exploring the different aspects of British life and I can hear this very clearly throughout. This album is so British that there should be a brand of tea named after it. While it is very very British (which I enjoy) it is not in anyway patriotic (which I hate) and this delights me to the utmost. It is like various different photographs of London in 1994.

With a diverse album such as this I was worried that there were going to be tracks that I didn't like and I'm afraid that I found one that stopped this album from being totally perfect. I didn't really like Badhead. Not to say that it's a terrible song it's just that it's being shown up by the other songs which I really liked, although Lot 105 is pretty much lift music but I think that's a joke so it doesn't really count. I am being a bit overly picky but I don't think I can give this 5/5 because it isn't perfect, but it is incredible.

4.5/5

Elliott Smith - Roman Candle (Review: Alex)

2009-04-22T16:17:00.005+01:00

I decided to do this album first, simply because I fancied some acoustic music. I had never heard of Elliott Smith, but Matt's description of the album made it sound quite cool.

Itunes tells me that I' have now listened to this album 10 times. That's because I genuinely love it. In terms of acoustic music, I haven't heard anything expressley similar to this. His voice isn't powerful, and so everything is kept low-key. It's the most mellow thing I've listened to in ages. There isn't an emphasis on any aspect in particular, everything is kept simple and proportional to everything else.

A lot of acoustic stuff often just makes me feel a bit depressed, people like Damien Rice and David Ford spring to mind. Although this is lyrically quite dark, I don't get the same feeling at all. I suppose it's quite cathartic really; although I appreciate that he is singing about dark things, 'I wanna hurt it' in 'Roman Candle' for example, I keep feeling slightly uplifted by the whole thing. Maybe it's the way Smith addresses his songs. His vocal melodies are quiet, and there are rarely any dynamics in the music. Also the chord progressions are played in a way which doesn't lend itself to depressing music. 'No Name #4' is an example of this.

This album is really a big old paradox. It is clearly a very dark album. I only have to listen to 'Last Call' to tell me that. The guitar overlay is gives the song a sluggish feel, which contributes strongly to the mood of the song a s a whole. Smith rarely sticks to a set chord pattern. This is reflected in a few of the songs, and to me this expresses a lingering feel to the album. Smith's voice, I have decided, sort of reminds me of Conor Oberst, the guy from Bright Eyes, in its tone. I'm not sure why, I guess they both sound a bit nasal..

I was a bit suprised by 'Kiwi Maddog 20/20'. It sounded very different to a lot of the rest fot he album. It had a sort of surf instrumental kind of feel. Something like 'Surf Rider' by The Lively Ones (which, by the way, I wouldn't know if it wasn't in Pulp Fiction. I'm not that sad...)

Anyway, I very much enjoyed this album, and it fully deserves another 5/5 from me.

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Review: Dan)

2009-04-22T10:03:00.006+01:00

It wasn't until after I listened to the entire album that I realised that I have actually heard this record before, in it's entirity. Many times. But it was nice to be able to find myself singing along every now and again, where my memory served me well.

I've always insisted that I don't like the Arctic Monkeys, because I don't like Alex Turner's voice. But having listened to the album a few times now, I have to admit; It's damn catchy.

The whole thing is full of catchy guitar riffs and it has a great mix of energetic songs and then some slower songs, like Mardy Bum.

I had, at first been listening to the album through Spotify, but I then decided that I wanted it for my ipod so had to swallow my pride and borrow the album from Ben. However, I'm no longer ashamed. AlbumSwap appears to have done it's job by introducing me to an album that I've really enjoyed. Little things that bug me are that a lot of the songs do sound quite similar - only in that they appear to follow the same formula. But I can't really knock them for that, I just think they don't really show and diversity to their talent.

I still stick by what I said regarding Alex Turner's vocals though. His scouse accent makes his singing seem a bit more 'talky' than it perhaps is and it sounds quite laid back. It fits quite nicely with the music, but I think even the music suffers from the same problem in that it is possibly a bit lazy. But it is their chosen sound and admittedly it works really well for them. They've grabbed themselves a headlining spot at this year's Reading and Leeds Festival, so I think I'll be getting their new album and their last one so I'm all ready to see them.

All the songs are really short, most of the album's tracks are under three minutes in length. Short but sweet I suppose...

Overall, I liked the album. There was nothing that majorly stood out above all the rest, it was all just a nice easy listen and I enjoyed it all. 4/5.

My favourite few tracks were:
[2]I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
[7]Riot Van
[9]Mardy Bum
[11]When The Sun Goes Down

Dan.

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)

2009-04-20T18:44:00.008+01:00

1. The View From The Afternoon
2. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
3. Fake Tales of San Francisco
4. Dancing Shoes

5. You Probably Couldn't See For The Lights But You Were Looking Straight At Me

6. Still Take You Home
7. Riot Van
8. Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured
9. Mardy Bum
10. Perhaps Vampire Was A Bit Strong But.....
11. When The Sun Goes Down
12. From The Ritz To The Rubble
13. A Certain Romance

Widely regarded as one of the best Indie albums of the 21st century, Arctic Monkeys first album is quite simply incredible. Alex Turner is as good a lyricist as I have come across and while some people feel that the Arctics are just another overhyped NME bandwagon, they really do stand out from the rest of today's current tripe dominating the Indie scene. I thought seeing as they're headlining Reading and that most of us are going in August, everyone may as well have a listen to an album I regard as one of the best albums of my lifetime. I hope you all enjoy.

Personal Favourites:
The View From the Afternoon
Fake Tales of San Francisco
Dancing Shoes
You Probably Couldn't See For The Lights But You Were Looking Straight At Me
A Certain Romance

Elliott Smith - Roman Candle (1994)

2009-04-20T15:39:00.002+01:00

Elliott Smith is a dead singer-songwriter from the 90s. He uses an acoustic guitar for the majority of the songs on this album and has quite a distinct voice. I've always thought him as a 90s Bob Dylan because of his brilliant lyircs. This is his debut album and was just a collection of songs that Smith had self recorded and his then girlfriend sent it off to a record label and the label wanted to release this as soon as they heard it. I hope you enjoy it and all that.

"Roman Candle" – 3:37
"Condor Ave." – 3:34
"No Name #1" – 3:03
"No Name #2" – 3:34
"No Name #3" – 3:13
"Drive All Over Town" – 2:36
"No Name #4" – 2:30
"Last Call" – 4:38
"Kiwi Maddog 20/20" – 3:40

Download Here

Blur - Parklife (1994)

2009-04-20T13:50:00.003+01:00

This one of my favourite albums to come out of the 1990s. Blur represented the south in the ultimate north-south clash. In terms of brit-pop, it was either Blur or Oasis, and you couldn't like both. This was London's answer to the Manchester music sensation. But that isn't really important. The important thing is that this is very good. Blur are quirky, and brilliantly uplifting. I hope you all like it.

Track listing:

"Girls & Boys" – 4:51
"Tracy Jacks" – 4:20
"End of a Century" – 2:45
"Parklife" – 3:05
"Bank Holiday" – 1:42
"Badhead" – 3:25
"The Debt Collector" – 2:10
"Far Out" – 1:41
"To the End" – 4:05
"London Loves" – 4:15
"Trouble in the Message Centre" – 4:09
"Clover Over Dover" – 3:22
"Magic America" – 3:38
"Jubilee" – 2:47
"This Is a Low" – 5:07
"Lot 105" – 1:17

Black Tide - Light From Above (2008)

2009-04-20T08:00:00.001+01:00

Black Tide are a thrash metal band from Miami, my favourite place in the world. This is their debut album and I bought it after hearing their name around a bit. I'd seen first single 'Shockwave' a fair bit on late night Kerrang and then I noticed that 'Show Me The Way' was on MotorStorm 2, one of my favourite games. So I thought "it's about time I downloaded this album". But I couldn't find a download link anywhere so I had to buy this one, and I was afraid of wasting my money.
However, what it has provided has been wonderful. It's a really great metal album, by a group of very talented youngsters. The singer is currently aged just 16, with another member also aged only 16 (Could be 17 actually, not too sure). Anyway, the point is, they are all very young and have so much potential to be one of the biggest bands in metal in a few years time.

Track Listing:
[1]Shockwave
[2]Shout
[3]Warriors of Time
[4]Give Me A Chance
[5]Let Me
[6]Show Me The Way
[7]Enterprise
[8]Live Fast Die Young
[9]Hit The Lights
[10]Black Abyss
[11]Light From Above
[12]Black Widow

Download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/133654768/AboveLight.rar

No password.

Dan.

Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood (Review: Dan)

2009-04-19T23:19:00.003+01:00

Since Roshan posted this album I have been crafting this review in my head. Without even listening to it I knew what I'd end up saying. It's the album I've been thinking about all week, and the album I've been avoiding. I listened to tracks 1 and 2, just to give myself a little taster. Then things changed a little. It became obvious, though, that this was going to go one of two ways; It was either going to get a 1/5 or a 5/5.

So I got back to doing what I had been all week. Avoiding listening to the album. I was about 80% sure I was going to hate it, and I've been dreading this because I didn't want Roshan to think that he was right when he said "This will be outside of Dan's comfort zone" - a comment which annoyed me.

So the next thing I set out to do was listen to and review Strange Journey. I did this and there was little enjoyment to be found from there.

I've been dwelling on what Roshan said a bit too. I mean, he doesn't really know me very well or my taste in music - not really. He knows that I like the few albums I've put up and he knows I've liked the ones I've given good reviews. I think that this comment was in reference to the fact that I often say I like a good vocalist in the music I listen to, and I assume that as this is just a musical score there are no vocals and I therefore won't like it.
If that is what was intended then I would say he was wrong. I actually really enjoy a nice bit of music. I love the really powerful, dramaic music you hear often in film trailers, and I also like the equally powerful (but in a different way) music you get in a really sad film. Infact, I'd go as far as to say that I wouldn't enjoy most of my favourite films quite as much if they didn't have a good soundtrack.

I've seen There Will Be Blood.Well. Sort of. For arguments' sake, lets say it's three hours long. I've seen the first hour, and the last hour. I missed the middle. Anyway, the soundtrack never really struck me in the film, and I found myself wondering what on Earth possessed Roshan to purchase the soundtrack. I have a feeling he heard this before he saw the film, either through recommendation or curiosity. But, I don't know Roshan so I won't be making any assumptions.

So...The album. About time I got to this.
As a musical score it all flows brilliantly and it fits together perfectly. It seems like Greenwood has put a lot of effort into writing this. Which I can only congratulate him on. Looking on the wikipedia page I see it was nominated (or at least, considered) for some pretty important awards, which is a great acomplishment. I also noticed it had some good reviews. After that I noticed who these reviews were from.
'Rock Feedback' gave the album 5 stars. Rock Feedback...
'Pop Matters' gave it 9/10...
So I got thinking...Would anyone care if, instead of it being written by Jonny Greenwood, of Radiohead fame, it was written by me?

Still, that won't affect my review. I am listening to this as if it is just another musical score. Which it is, essentially.
It's a calming album, but there are things about it that sound almost scary at times. The droning strings make a genuinely scary sound in several tracks, and it makes me almost uncomfortable. I sit there expecting something to jump out at me from my laptop screen. And in film, a lot of the time this is what the score is meant to help do.
And that's exactly why I don't like this album. It was clearly written for a film. It wasn't written for me to listen to in bed. It wasn't written for me to drive around in my car with. It was written for There Will Be Blood, a 2007 film starring Daniel Day-Lewis and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

I'm not knocking Greenwood's writing talent - it's clearly there. And I think he has achieved a great deal. He has written some genuinely good music, and it deserves awards for theatrical scores. It doesn't deserve awards for Album of the Year. That's what he gets in Radiohead. What a successful man.

But for the purpose of AlbumSwap, I have to give this 1/5. As an album, it's what I consider a pointless listen. That's not to say it is at all outside of my comfort zone though.

Dan.

CunninLynguists - Strange Journey Volume One (Review:Ben)

2009-04-19T21:48:00.003+01:00

It was with great disappointment that I saw this album uploaded this week. I was even more disappointed upon being given it as an album which I had to review. Me and hip-hop/rap go together like Weetabix and warm milk. Given the choice, I'd willingly rather have blended my balls than have to listen to an album of hip-hop or rap. However, the powers that be gave me CunninLynguists and doing my best to keep an open mind I began to listen.

I'd been told not to read much into the intro entitled 'Departure' and so did exactly that and ignored the ridiculous ramblings it contained. 'Nothing But Strangeness' was a much more enjoyable track and was everything I expected it not to be. It had thought-provoking lyrics (an ever-present characteristic of the album) and a nice beat to it. The only thing I found missing was a decent chorus. This is something which I often have a problem with in rap/hip-hop music as it is this part of the song which helps form my first opinion of a song. It is almost something I expect from the structure of a song and so when I don't hear one or one which is good enough I often find myself a little annoyed.

Another characteristic of albums in this genre which tends to envoke feelings of my dismay is the need for interludes or quick one minute tracks. I can't help but feel they are not neccessary and just pre-long the album. I've never enjoyed this type of track and whilst 'Lynguistics' is not truly an interlude as such, it fits in to that kind of style enough to annoy me with its presence. However, what followed was about as good a song as I've ever heard in this genre of music. 'Move' is a fantastic song. It relies heavily on a fantastic piece of backing music but that is exactly what I enjoy most about it. The song is produced so well and the vocals flow so brilliantly with the song, it really is an enjoyable track.

Evidently from the tone of my review, I've strangely enjoyed this album. It's not without its filler tracks such as 'Hypnotized' and 'White Guy Mind Tricks' but the strength of the standout tracks is more than enough to carry the album. The depth in tracks such as 'Die For You', 'Georgia' and 'KKKY' is astounding. There are so many layers to the songs and this is something I never though possible from the hip-hop genre. I've not been able to fully appreciate the lyrics on this album as I was so taken aback at how much I'd enjoyed the tracks and definitely need to listen again to take the lyrics in fully but even so, they've still left a lasting impression.

I see albumswap's number one advantage being that is a vehicle for encouraging each of us to listen to albums that if it weren't for albumswap, we never would have heard. I've heard Elliott play this album before and previous offerings from CunninLynguists and always dismissed it as not for me. However, having listened to this album, I have to concede that I was extremely wrong in my naive, judgemental opinion. Hip-hop/rap is a genre which is easily written off as 'all about guns, bitches and dollars' but this album is about much more than that. Lyrically it is much more complex than that and discusses a number of different issues which people wouldn't normally expect from such a record.

Somehow, the likes of 50 Cent and his cohorts manage to hog the limelight within the rap/hip-hop genre and it is no surprise that many people's opinions of it as a genre are poor based on what such media-loved acts have to offer. However, CunninLynguists offer so much more than this and deserve much more recognition for a fantastic record.

I've had to swallow my pride and admit that this album was much better than I ever could have expected but it is with no reluctance that I give it a fully deserved 5/5.

Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood (Review: Alex)

2009-04-19T21:01:00.004+01:00

Somewhat naively, I was sort of expecting this to sound like a Radiohead album. Having not seen the film, this album really could have been anything. But I was glad it wasn't a Radiohead album, I like to hear something a bit different.

Maybe it's because I haven't seen the film however, that I don't really like this album too much. The opening track, 'Open Spaces' didn't really offer me anything as a stand-alone piece of classical music. It was really just a repeated orchestral phrase, which is by no means a bad thing. But this is only considering that it is a soundtrack. I suppose this is my point: I haven't seen There Will Be Blood. All the time I'm listening to the album, I just keep imagining what the film may or may not be like. It's actually quite annoying, picturing images in my head which undoubtedly have nothing to do with the film.

'Prospectors Arrive' is possibly one of the only tracks which I genuinely enjoyed as a piece of classical music. I didn't get the feeling that I should really be watching Daniel Day Lewis crying over the price of oil. Or somehting. It was nice. The piano intro was caming, and there was rarely anything which clashed. I know that Greenwood uses suspended chords, and other clashing sort of things to complement the feeling of the film. But again, I cannot appreciate this because I haven't seen it.

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh. Greenwood is clearly a talented musician. The album is good, as a soundtrack. But that, to me, is all that it is. I understand that it probably complements the mood and message of the film perfectly. But without the film, I cannot appreciate it. I do plan to watch There Will Be Blood, I've heard great things abouot it. Indeed, once I do I may eat these words. But for now I can't give it any more than a 2.5/5, simply because it doesn't do anything on its own.

The Smiths - Meat Is Murder (Review:Ben)

2009-04-19T20:38:00.005+01:00

I've never really had too much exposure to 80's Indie music, well at least that's the genre I'm going to acquit it to. I had a vague idea of what to expect from this album and in a strange way it fitted that preconception whilst also being rather different to what I had expected.

Opener 'The Headmaster Ritual' has a basic but still very enjoyable guitar and whilst the vocals didn't immediately grab my attention, the lyrics were enough to maintain my interest. As an opening track I enjoyed it but was unsure as to where the album would go from here-on in. Expecting much of the same, I was surprised to find a very different sound in 'Rusholme Ruffians' although despite it being different, I actually found this the worst track on the record as the strained vocals in part did nothing if not annoy me and the song was altogether forgettable. It was by no means something which I hated but it lacked any kind of attribute that made me want to keep listening.

The middle part of the album I actually really quite enjoyed. Again the songs were nothing incredible but something about their simplicity made them easy to listen to and meant I could enjoy them without struggling to understand what the band were trying to do or force myself to keep listening. 'I Want The One I Can't Have' is possibly my favourite track from the album and whilst I can't exactly explain why, it just had something different about it and stood out from the rest of the record. 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore' was another track which I particularly enjoyed as again it differed from the basic sound of a lot of the other tracks and is something which I will go back to and listen again. 'Nowhere Fast' was another stand-out track with a more upbeat sound that flowed nicely and was just another pleasant song to listen to.

'Meat Is Murder' as a whole is the kind of album that I'd put on and be able to listen to in its entirety of as opposed to just one track and that is something which I feel is quite a commendable attribute for an album and one which a lot of todays albums severely lack. I got a much better experience from The Smiths than I had expected and it is one of the first albums from albumswap which I shall be returning to listen to. What is lacks in technical complexity, it makes up for with instantly memorable lyrics, nice simple guitar riffs and meaningful songs. A very solid 4/5.

CunninLynguists - Strange Journey Volume One (Review: Dan)

2009-04-19T19:28:00.003+01:00

The first thing I noticed about this album was it's absolutely fantastic artwork. It isn't really alot, it's just a painting of a bus. But I think it's brilliant, and I would almost be proud to have it in my CD rack. However, I would never put it in my CD player.

Departure (intro) is a pretty horrible two minutes as far as music goes. I've never really listened to this genre a lot. I've heard bits of it from other people (Matt and Elliott listen to bits, so I've heard some stuff. I'd usually tell them to change it though). It's just not my sort of thing. Call me ignorant, but there are so many times I can listen to a group of black men tell me tales about drugs, women and money. I'm sure there are plenty of other themes in the album, I obviously just notice it more when this is what they talk about.

I think that the album sounds fairly well produced, and I also like the idea that the album seems to be about the strange journey the title suggests.

I don't really understand Hip-Hop, which is a shame as it is something I wish I knew more about, or had been more into when growing up. It's a fairly popular genre and a scene that I've never been a part of really. The best part of the album is the music, the beats that run throughout each track. What I don't like are the voices that tell the story over the top. Infact, I think the music is really good. I like a nice bit of music, so perhaps Roshan's album will be good. I have this idea in my head that most Hip-Hop music beats are taken from other people's music, and then the artist(s) rap over the top. I think this possibly thanks to Immortal Technique's Dance with the Devil - a song I actually really enjoy. And to be honest, I've heard nothing that tells me this isn't true. But it would be a bit mental if it was.

Another thing with Hip-Hop music is that there are often a variety of artists who do a little part in songs. Strange Journey doesn't fail to disappoint with this. I've got no problem with this at all, it's quite cool that they do this and it makes me wonder how well they all know each other. There must be a good fifteen featured artists in this album, not to mention how many members there are in CunninLynguists (I don't know how many, but I'm guessing at least two). So there could well be twenty different people who have participated in the creation of this album. Which I think must be a problem for live shows. I'm guessing they don't all tour together, and if I wanted to hear my favourite tracks of this album live I would be disappointed if 'Club Dub' wasn't there to do his/her/their part.

So to summarize: There is some pretty good music on this album and some occasionally clever lyrics (but usually not really) but I can't seem to find much enjoyment from listening to it. And there are some tracks I enjoy, but overall I don't like it. I think it's a well produced record, with some catchy beats and I'm sure that Hip-Hop fans love it.
2/5

Highlights:
[4]Move
[7]Hypnotize

New Release Sunday: The Decembersists - Hazards of Love

2009-04-19T10:31:00.007+01:00

I've always wanted to listen to a Decemberists album since I heard We Both Go Down Together but I never got round to it. So I was happy when I saw they had a release recently which could go in NRS. I would call these a pop band but what I seem to call pop and everyone else seems to call pop is something completely different. I'm not sure why this is. Anyway I hope you all enjoy it.

Download Here

Pass: 'dzidek1030'
For this coming week here's who's going to be reviewing what.

Alex's album - Ben, Matt
Ben's album - Dan, Alex
Dan's album - Matt, Ben
Matt's album - Alex, Dan

Give It A Name: Incoming (Live Review: Dan)

2009-04-18T19:38:00.014+01:00

This is the second year running that I have attended Give It A Name. This year however, the festival has moved to a substantially smaller venue (Earls Court to Brixton Academy) and has a lower standard in bands. This wasn't too much of a problem for me though, as the top two acts on the bill are my two favourite live bands.
Going to this year's event was a very spontaneous decision - I purchased a ticket for Matt and myself on the morning of the festival. So we headed up to Brixton Academy to enjoy an evening of music. This was not what we received. The first band, In This Moment, were an unusual metal band. All of the members looked how you would expect from your average, small-time metal band; One big man with dreadlocks and all the others with their black tank tops or jackets. Until the singer walked onstage. She was dressed in a hideous yellow dress and looked like she had walked straight off of the set of Alice in Wonderland. Still, she had certainly caught my attention. Then she started making a noise. Possibly the most disgusting noise I've ever heard live before, her screamed vocals sounded like more a shriek or a wail and I was starting to wonder what I had gotten myself into. Still, eventually it was all over and I could finally relax again. I'm not convinced anyone in the building enjoyed them.

Next up was Lights, and having done some research I am now aware that Valerie Poxleitner is the only member and the other people onstage were just touring members. I can now forgive her for saying "This is my last song". So, moving on. As a vocalist she was quite talented, and ticked all the right boxes for what she was trying to achieve. Well, most of them. The music was quite pleasant too. But what she failed to do was excite. Matt and I were sat upstairs to watch Lights, and I don't regret this. She was very calming though, I could probably listen to her music all day. It just wasn't what I had gone out for. I'd gone out for some exciting, jumpy music but Lights couldn't provide me with that. Still, I'll certainly be giving her album(s) a listen. So well done Valerie.

Then we had Emery to look forward to. And I sort of was. Having listened to one song of theirs when this year's lineup was announced I had placed them in the same group as Post-Hardcore acts such as Chiodos (A personal favourite). They didn't really fail to disappoint in this aspect - they were a post-hardcore band. Thing is, they just sounded like they were trying to copy all the rest. This is why I'm starting to tire of the genre - there's precious little diversity in the genre. All the bands want to sound like each other, which is fair enough because it works well enough and has a fairly sizeable fanbase. It's just a scene that I'm not really as into as I once was. And whilst the music was listenable (there was nothing I wasn't enjoying) I found something to hate on the stage: The man standing at the very front in the above image, known (apparently) as Robot Ross. Robot Ross was just about the worst member of any band I've ever seen. He was dressed in a pink/purple waistcoat and Matt and I had both noticed that after two full songs he hadn't actually played any instrument, or sung. Instead, he insisted on prancing around the stage trying to fuck every instrument. He literally crept across the stage, he moved lightly and tiptoed all over the place. He was an absolute monstrosity on the eye. Still, he did know how to get the crowd going. Albeit a crowd of fourteen year old girls. About a third of the way through their set Emery did some sort of swap. The vocalist at the time swapped roles with the Bass player of the time and Robot Ross started to do something. The new vocalist was a real improvement, however I was disappointed that they announced that the material played in this formation was "old". Robot Ross did a bit of screaming and it worked quite well with the music and the second half of their set was actually quite decent. Especially the last song, which was brilliant. Matt told me that Robot Ross did a somersault into the crowd. I didn't see this, but would have expected it really.

The King Blues. I've never listened to them, but I've read positive things about them and Kerrang always tell people to listen to them. Still, where has that ever gotten anyone? Just look at that picture of them. You knew this little review section was going to be bad already, right? Right.
Whilst the stage was being set up for them we had noticed 4 different miniature instruments being placed on the stage; Drums, Microphone stand, Guitar and...Something that I have now forgotten. We became quite excited about the prospect of a dwarf in the band.
No such luck. Instead, we were treated to six absolutely awful musicians. The singer was some cockney speaking prick who made this strange noise that somewhere between rapping and singing and seemed quite opinionated. The singer said "On 3 I want you all to shout 'Fuck the BNP'!" He didn't give us a reason though... He did this a lot. He told us all that "the government are bastards/wankers/cunts" but never once said why. And above all of this, their music was shit. They played ridiculous Early Learning Centre instruments and were generally a terrible band. Nothing was to be gained from this half an hour.

So. The Academy Is....Ben told me that they were good. Ben lied. The Academy Is... were the gayest band I've ever seen and heard. The singer limped around the stage asif all he was really doing was looking for a massive cock. He failed to notice that all of the men around him could provide with this. Their music was a perfect representation of the image and I was stood right in the middle of an enormous gay outing. I'm not being homophobic in any way, it just wasn't something I wanted to experience that night. It was to my horror, then, when I found myself in the middle of a mosh pit. A mosh pit, of all things, seemed like the least necessary thing possible at this moment in my life. To swiftly conclude: I hated this band.

The Blackout. It was now when my night really started. Time after time after time, The Blackout have never ceased to impress me. They are full of energy and their music is catchy and aggressive when it needs to be. They are a cool group of people and can accept that everyone loves Sean Smith (the gay one with white hair) probably more than they do the band. They have a new album out in May so we were treated to a nice number of new tracks, and I think they all sounded really good. The crowd was also sensational for this band, and proved to be essential in turning my night around. I also noticed that all of the fourteen year olds had disappeared and I managed to share the set with the kind of people who I would have wanted to. They played most of the best songs from their debut album 'We Are The Dynamite!' and even a bit from the EP - Theblackout!theblackout!theblackout!. Which is good. Perhaps one day I'll put some of their stuff in the swap so we can all relish in their fantastic ability. Otherwise we shall wait until May 25 and New Release Sunday can have a bit of The Blackout treatment. It's a damn good treatment. I would advise absolutely anyone to go and see them on their tour in May.

The moment everyone had been waiting for (and what a long wait it was): Enter Shikari. They came onto the stage with their new intro, which is very good, and the crowd was full of energy. I've seen Enter Shikari a fair few times now, and I'm still not really bored yet. I'd still not pass up an opportunity to go and see them. Besides, I hadn't seen them in a venue anywhere near the size of Brixton Academy. It probably wasn't as good as the small, intimate venues such as Camden Underworld though, which I feel they are more suited to. Which is a bit rubbish for them, as 'Enter Shikari: Live at Wembley' is something that should never happen.
This was also the first time they have ever played their new single 'Juggernauts' live. I've been having mixed feelings about this song. It's an entirely different sound for the band, and one that I'm not sure I like. However, it was great fun live and it helped me to decide that I, in fact, do like it.
Their performance wasn't without their usual mistakes (which I'm starting to believe they must be doing on purpose). This time Roughton messed up his synthesiser and deleted the set list off of it. I'm not complaining about this though, and neither are they. Everyone laughs about it, and the set goes on naturally. They pause regularly to chat about the G20 protests and Cheerios and it's all part of the fun. Everyone has a great time, and everyone goes home drenched in their own sweat - the sign of a good night out.

Some summarizing numbers:
In This Moment: 0/5
Lights: 3/5
Emery: 2.5/5
The King Blues: 0/5
The Academy Is...: 1/5
The Blackout: 5/5
Enter Shikari: 5/5
Give It A Name: Incoming 2009: 3/5

Hope you enjoyed the long read.
Dan.