Fightstar - One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours (Review: Roshan)

I never thought I’d ever end up listening to something “Busted” related and liking it. Busted was a manufactured band whose sole purpose was to create generic, Fan-girl crazy, crap, awful songs that should never be taken seriously by anyone over the age of 10. From this horrific concoction came another equally cringe band, McFly. Even though Fightstar was formed before Busted, the fact that at least one band member didn’t think creating shit music and making a tonne of money out of 12 year-old girls was a shameful, soul degrading-surely-to-be-sent-to-some-hellish-place-when-he-dies thing to do, it makes me feel a sort of…hate for the band before even listening to it.

Thankfully, post-hardcore is pretty far away from all that pop stuff. So the distance between the two bands is large enough for me to consider giving it a chance. First off, production is very good and pretty clear and it’s good to know all the money Charlie made didn’t go completely to waste. However I feel there is something astray when it comes to the guitar, it sounds overblown and a bit bloated.

The sound of the album is pretty consistent throughout, post-hardcore and it sticks to its guns. Piano sequences make appearances throughout. Particularly in “Floods” which has the undeniable smell of “Muse” about its intro. The first few tracks did annoy me slightly in that they almost strained themselves to sound catchy, this is entirely down to Charlie’s singing, which I hate to say, is very good. It ranges from a “Matt Bellamy” winey teenager to aggressive hardcore shouts as heard in “Deathcar”. The latter tracks I felt had a more natural flow to them, as they didn’t have the pressure to be decent selling singles.

One of the most prominent thoughts in my mind was how much this sounds like other bands, a lot of the sound is borrowed from bands such as “Deftones”, “Rage Against the Machine” and the riff near the end of “Amaze Us” is very similar to “Machine Head’s” “Old”. It’s rife with influence and I’m not sure whether it’s a bad thing or not. My highlight has to be “Tannhäuser Gate” in some ways it doesn’t sound like it belongs on the album purely because it stands on its own without any obvious influence from another band.

The album doesn’t standout too much and there are no little details for me to relish in, whilst not lazy in its execution it is still a little unloved. Its Obvious this is a voice and heavy-handed guitar driven album and however borrowed this album sounds it’s still a solid album that I would recommend to any post-hardcore or even rock fans.

My Highlights: Flood / Deathcar / Tannhäuser Gate

Score: 3/5

Radiohead - OK Computer (Review: Roshan)

I’ve head a lot about Radiohead and just like Dan I had high expectations for this album, I’ve listen to this album a lot since it was posted so it’s had plenty of time to grow on me.

First off, the production on this album is amazing, I’ve been listening to the original 1997 release not the 2009 reissue, which I’m sure sounds ever better. I was extremely surprised by how good it sounds, considering how long ago it was released.

Like a good movie, Radiohead’s Ok Computer lets you know what it sets out to do in the open few minutes of Airbag. The first sounds, a fusion of real and “fake” instruments, breaking into minimalist bass lines and an enviable singing voice showcase instantly, the sheer amount of talent coming from this band. If there’s one thing I like, its talent.

This album continues to surprise me, in many ways. None of it sounds the same, each track is individual, using different instrumentation and set up each time. Throughout each song I could recognise something about it that was reminiscent of today’s brit-pop music, its clear that Radiohead have influenced many of the most successful British artists. There is even, what appears to be, the beginnings of post-rock in “Let Down”. Another way in which it surprised me is in the song “Electioneering” at about 1.52 I’m positive I can hear my mother calling me in an annoyed tone, I have been known to drop things it startles me so much. Still, I’m not going to mark them down for that.

This album was hard to review, because there is no, one generic statement I can possibly state about the entire album. It’s clear why this is rated one of the greatest albums of the 20^th Century, and although at first I was sceptical I allowed the album to grow on me. It overarching sounds and brilliant use of strings along with the majestic singing made this album, and even each song a miniature masterpiece.

However, this album while technically brilliant is lacking a certain something, something that Animal Collectives Merriweather Post Pavilion had and this album is lacking. It’s personal feeling that I can’t describe, but I can name about 5 albums in my entire collection that have it, spanning many genres. It doesn’t have name yet, but I’ll think of something.

My Highlights: Airbag / Let Down / No Surprises

Score: 4/5

Skindred - Babylon (Review: Roshan)

I had never heard of "Skindred" and was quite surprised when I found out they were a Welsh rock band that delved into both alternative metal and reggae. Two genres that I have never heard converge.

Production is pretty good considering it's a debut album, actually bearing in mind the sudden changes in sound and instrument focus it holds up very well throughout.

I was at first dismayed when I saw the first song was, rather originally, called "Intro", probably the most common song title in my music collection. But I won't mark them down for this lack of creativity as they certainly make up for it all aspects of this album.

The first real track "Nothing" was something I something the likes my ears have never before had the pleasure of experiencing. The combination of Punk rock reggae at the beginning was certainly enough to keep me entertained but they layered it up with the addition of extremely hard hitting guitars, powering guitars. I loved it, I would never have thought that this odd combination was ever going to be successful but they proved me wrong.

The theme continues throughout the whole album, though not in a monotonous way though. The first track merely showcases their wide sound range. It's not all hard hitting rock/punk though, "Tears" and "The Fear" show a slightly more uplifting side of their fusion sound.

The vocals are one the most impressive pieces of sonic stimulus on the album. Keeping its traditional reggae roots even when you're being blasted his hardcore screaming. The guitarist is quite obviously influenced by Tom Morrelo, his effective guitar riffing and use of a certain digi-tech wammy at the start of "Pressure" and "Set it Off" is fitting with the style of the vocals.

Overall, I think this album is AbFab. It ticks all the boxes of a standout album and a standout band, it does something fresh while still being easy to listen too and is an impressive debut. I look forward to any future releases from Skindred and they are certainly a band to watch for in the coming years.

My Highlights: Nothing / Pressure / The Fear

Score: 4/5

We Are Scientists - With Love and Squalor (Review: Roshan)

We Are Scientists are a band, that like Alex, I have been meaning to listen to for the same reasons as Alex. In fact I'm tempted just to copy his first paragraph here.

Production on this album is very good, in case your wondering, which you probably aren't, I listen to all my music with audio enhancements turned off, I believe that most studios put enough effort trying to balance the sound levels they don't require you to tread all over their hard graft by pressing bass boost button.

The first thing that struck me is the similarity of the voice with a local band "Exit Avenue" and that's certainly not a bad thing. The opener is great and has a reassuring familiarity about it, the riff was catchy and it had the minimalistic bass line that seems to be a trend with most indie bands. It certainly ticked all the boxes for a good indie song.

The whole album seems to fluctuate in style, never sticking to a specific sound. This is mainly achieved by the varying vocal styles, going into "Killers" territory with "Worth the Wait" which is sure to only draw in more fans. Also the very post-rock "Editors" like guitar breaks that can be heard on most of the tracks is a great addition to the mix. This is what I like about the album, it tries to dip its feet into the style of the bands that surround them, and the Influence is clearly there.

When I first heard this I thought that this was, possibly, a UK band. It's no wonder then that they are more successful in Blighty than, hip-hop/R&B engulfed America. The song composition is fairly simple as Alex states, and that's where it owes it popularity to.

Overall I can breeze through this album without complaint and It feels like the sun is slightly warmer after it's finished. However, I cannot award it anything higher than a 3 because it doesn't really amaze, just because a song is catchy, to me, doesn't instantly make it a great song. I always feel there is something lacking when I listen to indie, the simplicity of it really doesn't satisfy my ears enough, although I would recommend it to any indie rock fan.

My Highlights: Nobody Move / The Great Escape / Worth the Wait

Score: 3/5

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Masodon - Crack the Skye (Review: Roshan)

I'd like to start off by apologising for my previous reviews, I understand that they contain far too much descriptive content. I blame my attention to detail and my obsession for pointing out things I feel people might have missed. I intend to rein this habit in for this and future reviews. Expect them to be a lot shorter too.

"Mastodon" is the kind of band I like to avoid, this is not because of its genre, in fact metal and all sub-genres make up a huge percentage of my music collection. I avoid it because it is far to mainstream for me, I was looking forward to purchasing Sonisphere tickets until I read an article saying they are trying to get 14 of the biggest bands on stage. This immediately translated to 14 of the Worst bands on stage in my head.

The production on this album feels very natural, it doesn't feel like they've played around with the layers too much and turned it into a crazy guitar driven assault on my ears, I'm talking to you..."Lost Eden". Japanese Metalcore bands these days....

The Album opens strongly and I did enjoy the chorus to this song, it was catchy and the voice harmonised with it rather well. The next few tracks I felt were standard metal, and didn't do much to impress me. In fact on a first play through much of it passed me by without me feeling the need to look at what song was playing. I tried to concentrate on the marathon of a song, "The Czar" which has a progressive feel to it at the beginning. Although in the back of my head I had a feeling it was going to end up listening to the most cliché of all tracks on metal albums, the compulsory slow / acoustic song. Fortunately it was not and turned out to be a well thought out song that had "Tool" like begins but soon came into its own. The breakdown did annoy me a bit and the solo because I heard it all before.

In honesty that's the problem I have with this album, its nothing new, its not spectacular, its not breaking boundaries or making heads turn. It's trenched in well within the heart of metal. Not too extreme, not too easy listening.

My Highlights: Oblivion / The Czar

Score: 2/5

And what the hell is going on in that album cover!?

Proudentall - What's Happening Here (Review: Roshan)

Uh Oh, were the first words that came to mind when I saw the words "emo" and my heart honestly recessed further into my being when I saw the first track, "Kill Myself". But I was determined to review this with an open mind.

Right, first up is production. The production for this album is not brilliant, if anything its sub-par even for an album made in 2001, but the fact is, it doesn't need to be, as I will explain later.

The first track appropriately named, "Kill Myself" is an uninspiring, dull and passive track. I believe that albums should start off in the best way possible, they should grab you by the collar and say "Hey, listen to this...punk" or something a little more derogatory. This album does not do this, it does not excite or grab my attention in anyway. The track passed me by, quietly as if it was trying to rob me rather than alert me of its presence. Before I knew it, I was on the 4th track. That's the main problem with this album, it sounds samey. I hate to use that term without just cause, it just sounds like you're a lazy reviewer. But I really have tried, I've listened to this album at least 4 times since it was posted. I'm going to put it down to the rather formulaic song structure and very lazy song writing.

It wasn't till "Line Drawing Dead Winter" came along did my ears perk up a little. This was mainly due to the rather random addition of a trumpet and some subtle whispers, which really did surprise me. The rest of the accompaniment feels lack luster, but not in a clever minimalistic kind of way, just lazy.

Afterwards its back to the grind of twinkling chords and dire singing, the most uninspiring of all "instruments" on the album. The tag emo has got me genuinely curious about the lyrics of the songs of which i decided to look up. Which is something I normal only do when I can't understand what is actually being sung, I regret ever doing it for the band Necrophagis, but that's another story.

The Lyrics are pretty vague. They certainly appear to have no immediate meaning, what annoyed me was the lack of any...interesting words. Its seemed dull, and unimaginative which is pretty fitting with the album.

I keep listening to this album trying to find something that I like, or that interests me and i just can't. My general opinion of the band is that they are a talentless bunch, who picked up there instruments for the first time a few months back and then decided to create an album so incredibly dull it wouldn't even register a complaint from your Nan if you decided to turn it up to unnecessarily high volumes.

I have no highlights for this album. My score...

1/5

Don't take it personally Matt.