The Strokes - Is This It (Review: Dan)

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.

Muse - Absolution (Review: Dan)

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

PackFM - WhutduzFMstand4? (Review: Dan)

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

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

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

Biffy Clyro - Blackened Sky (Review: Dan)

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.

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

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...

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

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

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

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

Portishead - Dummy (Review: Dan)

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

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

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

Elliott Smith - Roman Candle (Review: Dan)

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.

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

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.

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

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: Dan)

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: Crack The Skye (Review: Dan)

I wanted to get this review posted before Monday so that I will be completely prepared for the next wave of albums. I've never listened to Mastodon before and I thought that their upcoming appearance in my village would be a good reason to get listening. And then they released a new album. So New Release Sunday had to provide Mastodon.

I've always expected Mastodon to sound like Atreyu. Again, not really sure where this has come from...I just think I associated the two. However, I shan't be doing that again.

I'm now going to make a very unusual statement. So apologies for this as once again I can't back it up.
The singer from Mastodon sounds like how I would imagine a wizard to sing. For any Lord Of The Rings fans, listen to Mastodon and then pretend that Saruman (and I don't mean Christopher Lee) is the singer. It definitely fits. Even the music sounds fitting to this sort of mystical, mysterious theme.

I quite like it though. The music that is. I despise Saruman's vocals. He should stick to casting spells while his wizardy friends make music. I also think that I should have been right about Mastodon sounding like Atreyu. I think if Alex Varkatzas, lead vocalist of Atreyu, were to replace the Mastodon singer they would be a much better band.

Anyway, I don't want to talk about this album anymore, or listen to it for that matter. Despite saying I liked the music, I thought the album as a whole was poor. It seemed to blend horribly, and I am 100% sure that the bonus disc of this album is only intrumentals because there are many people that hate the vocals.

I'm sure that Crack The Skye: Disc 2 is fantastic, but a band shouldn't have to do that.

1/5

Dan.

InMe - White Butterfly (Review: Dan)

I'm a big fan of InMe, I'm going to see them quite soon and am looking forward to it a lot. However, the only InMe I listen to is their latest album Daydream Anonymous. Despite the fact that I am in possession of their entire discography. For some reason I've never listened to it.

So, reluctantly (this is another album I've always claimed to hate) I started listening to this at work. It kicks off with 7 Weeks - a song which I really enjoyed. For some bizarre reason it reminded me of Enter Shikari though I can't place any musical similarities. Next up was So You Know. I think the vocals are really good on this song, but I have a feeling (I'm listening to it now and I still have this feeling) that there are no verses. I'm fairly certain it's just one chorus repeated throughout the song. Well, I suppose you could say there are no choruses and it is just one verse repeated throughout... If there are verses/choruses then they clearly aren't very good/noticable.

Otherside, I think, is a song that I know because the Pughs always put it on in the car. In this song Dave's vocals are mixed, from a strange, pretty rubbish whispering noise to some decent, yet nothing that I haven't heard before and some also pretty shit 'screaming'. A pretty average song.
Faster the Chase is another song is awful, in my opinion. It is ruined by the vocals, and the music is fairly basic.

You'll Get There has some more strange whispering (I hate whispering in music) but it also has some brilliant vocals. I'm starting to think that I am some sort of vocal-obsessed maniac. But this is what I like in most music, and this is probably because I've not grown up around music, I don't know how to play an instrument and just don't understand the technicalities behind it so I find it very difficult to judge musical ability. However, too much whispering ruins what could have been a good song. And his wierd screaming also spoils it.

I can't really be bothered to just sit here talking about every song on the album so I'll summarize now:
The album has a variety of strengths and weaknesses; the vocals fall under both of these categories - sometimes reaching great heights in both fields. The music can be quite calming and soothing and it can also be fast paced and exciting. At other times it gets boring, a sort of deja vu feeling occurs and I just think that I'm wasting my time when I could just be listening to Daydream Anonymous, which has everything I want and like from the band.

I'm finding it hard to score the album. I think that it has to be a 2.5/5 as it has some really good bits and some really bad bits. They balance each other out and it just sits right in the middle of the scales. Where it is going to gather dust.

Dan.

Radiohead - OK Computer (Review: Dan)

It annoys me, and I'm sure others too - my stubborness. I have been adamant to not enjoy Radiohead from the start, just because I said I didn't once. And I hate conceding defeat. It pleases me, then, that this time I don't have to.

OK Computer has had high standards set from everyone I know who has heard it. They aways tell me how brilliant it is. One time I was played the song 'Paranoid Android' and I absolutely dispised it. But I did go into this album allowing it some space to change my mind. Still, after the boring 'Airbag' it shouldn't have needed to do much.
In some fairness, it was a lot better. But I still didn't like it. It sounds like a few songs that they decided could work better if they merged them into one. And I do not like it.

The rest of the album follows suit in that it bores me through every track. The first time I listened to the album, it wasn't until 'Testify' by Rage Against The Machine started playing that I realised it was over.

I think I know what's wrong with this. As musicians, Radiohead are very talented and I have to give them credit where credit is due. And as such talented musicians they know how to combine their own individual sounds into what is clearly recieved as very good music. But I think that what goes wrong for me is that they may have combined it too well. It flows well, but there is never anything exciting to come from it. They use the same formula in all of their tracks to provide music that I think you either love or hate. This is why I really like the song Idioteque, from the album Kid A; It sounds a lot different from everything else I've heard of the band.

I did like a song though. It was Karma Police. I thought it was very good. That's another thing with Radiohead; The songs I do think are good, I think are very good. The rest is just dreary though, and, hard as I try, I can't seem to find enjoyment from it.

On a final note, I love Thom Yorke's voice. It's magnificent, and I'm sure over time many more tracks will come along that can excite me. But for now, Radiohead just isn't working for me.

2/5.

Looks like it will have to be Lostprophets at Reading this year then...Even though I think that Idioteque is better than every Lostprophets song, and I don't want to miss it. What a tough decision :(

Album Highlights:
[6]Karma Police

Placebo - Meds (Review: Dan)

I'd never heard any Placebo before. I always thought they were a fairly small emo band until I saw them on this years' Reading Festival line up. I was intrigued then, so it was handy that Alex posted up Meds. It was handy in so many ways.

When I started to listen to the opening and title track 'Meds' the first thing that struck me was Brian Molko's voice. It is a very unusual voice, and it genuinely sounds like he is pinching his nose throughout the entire album. However, after only three songs I had fallen in love with this bizarre noise. His voice, the lyrics and the music have such a wonderful strength together, and it makes the album such a great listen.

It has a really calm sound to it, but lyrically I think it is very stressed and very angry. Initially I was reminded of The Used in that it just sounds, how I can only really describe as 'insecure'. It sounds sort of quirky, or unstable...But after a few more listens I changed my mind on this; it's a lot deeper than that and a lot more powerful.

There is no track I like less than another, I think the whole thing is a work of absolute genuis - it really is quite simple but it's so effective and catchy. I think I could listen to this all evening. In fact, I might.

This has definitely been the best album I have heard all year... unless I heard The Downward Spiral this year.
5/5.

Soundgarden - Superunknown (Review: Dan)

Like everyone else, I haven't finished last week's albums on time. Soundgarden was the one I wanted to listen to first but for reasons unknown it has taken me over the week-long limit to get round to it. Hopefully next week I will be up to date for the new albums.

So, Soundgarden. Soundgarden are a band that have a lot of intrigue surrounding them in my musical universe. Lead by Chris Cornell, one of my favourite vocalists, they are bound to give me some enjoyment. I hadn't even heard a lot from the band - just 'Spoonman' and 'Black Hole Sun'. And even this was down to the game Rock Band. In fairness, I had heard 'Black Hole Sun' previously, but I had never paid it it's deserved attention until I was forced to sing it.

Soundgarden were also to be my first real experience of 'grunge' music - a genre that I've never really understood. However, I feel that Superunknown has successfully cleared things up for me.

Superunknown kicks off with the impressive 'Let Me Drown'. Musically, it's very different to most of what I've listened to in the past, and I like it. Cornell showcases his vocals, which impress me as they always do.

I have to say though, I think that his vocal 'style' is a bit boring. By this, I mean that there appears to be no diversity in what he can do. He has a great voice, but I just get the impression that he doesnt like to explore with it. The vocals that he puts down on Superunknown sound, to me, very similar to what I hear on Audioslave and even what I have heard of his solo works. The first verse from 'Fell on Black Days' was where I really noticed this - I listened to this song all the way through from there absolutely convinced that I had heard it before on the album Audioslave.

Still, the music is something that I found refreshing and exciting, and it did help me enjoy the whole album a lot more, as it isn't filled with the same old Tom Morello solo (as much I think he is a sensational guitarist, there is only so much I can take of the noises he makes). It's a very slow paced album, I thought, but with a lot of power in it. I liked this, it made a really great listen.

I was also a bit disappointed that Black Hole Sun and Spoonman were probably my favourite two tracks on the record. This isn't to say that they aren't great tracks; they are. But it's always nice when there are one or two tracks that just jump out at you - they're something different, powerful and you can only sit back and appreciate it. Sadly this album just didn't have that.

There are a lot of great tracks on here, and it's a really good record but without any album-defining tracks it all seems the same to me. This is one that I'll be keeping in my collection though, as there are several tracks that I thoroughly enjoyed. I guess that really I was just hoping to see a different, more youthful side to Chris Cornell.
3/5.

Personal Highlights:
[3]Fell On Black Days
[4]Mailman
[7]Black Hole Sun
[8]Spoonman
[10]The Day I Tried To Live

Dan.

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

I had already heard three tracks from this album, sent to me by Ben after we saw them at Reading last August. I had never heard them previously to this, and I was really impressed by their live show. They were also very cool people and very good entertainers - what else could I possibly want from a live band?

So when Ben put up 'With Love and Squalor' I was excited to hear more from this band.
The opening song, 'Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt' is one of the three tracks I had heard previously. It's a really good song, but something about makes it strangely inappropriate for the first track. To me, I feel it would be better placed somewhere in the middle. Track two, however, is superb. And I think it would be a great album opener.

What I like most about the album are the catchy riffs and the vocals provided from Keith Murray. I think the two combine fantastically and they provide a really enjoyable experience. Sitting out in the garden listening to this whilst I review it is really making my afternoon.

There is nothing I don't like about the album, the only way I can really knock it is because it's not a genre that I am into, so it will probably always lose out to albums and bands that I really just prefer.

This has been a great upload though and I give this album an impressive 4.5/5.

Personal Highlights:
[2]This Scene Is Dead
[6]Cash Cow
[11]Worth The Wait