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Alison Petrou - 10/09/2014
This is a great CD with a fantastic collection of songs over a number of years that capture Steve Ellis's great voice. Worth every penny
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Jenni - 20/05/2014
Absolutely love these songs by Jewel, They're only Shadows and Playdate are so cool! And my little boy loves the supermarket one! Sing a long and enjoy! A very talented lady.
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Alex Decker - 26/09/2013
Magnetic
I often think that life moves way too fast, and I'm constantly hoping that I could just "Slow it Down", to make the most of my life. This is exactly what The Goo Goo Dolls' tenth studio album is about; fuelled with hope, optimism and a new rejuvenation of life, the band has put together what is arguable their most original and best album to date.
Brilliantly titled Magnetic, John Rzeznik (the band's lead singer, guitarist and songwriter) has brought many forces together on this latest album, from multiple producers to several collaborations with other artists, there's a reason why the album is so hard to pull away from.
With much influence and inspiration being pulled from their own happy lives, the band (that also includes bassist Robby Takac and drummer Mike Malinin) felt that it was a time for change from the dark, gloomy music of their past album: 'Something for the Rest of Us'. With Rzeznik due to get married and Takac celebrating the birth of his first child, there was a much needed change in focus in this album from their previous.
The album kicks into life straight from the get go, with the celebratory 'Rebel Beat', a single that makes you want to "Dance till the morning" just to make the most of the precious time you get to have on Earth. Moving onto a personal favourite of mine, 'When the World breaks your Heart', the second song on the album represents the hardship that many people face in their lives. The song's all about having that one unquestioning friend who'll be there for you in life to "Put it back together".
Thirdly we have 'Slow it Down'. Most likely the song that defines what this album is all about, 'Slow it Down' demonstrates that it's okay that life is moving fast because all we have to do is "Slow it Down" and enjoy it while it lasts. Moving on, we Rzeznik's personal favourite 'Come to Me'. Written in homage to his fiancé, Come to Me shows that it's never too late in life to find that someone special to spend the rest of your life with, as Rzeznik sings "Today's the day I'll make you mine, so get me to the church on time".
In addition my favourite song from Takac in this album is called 'Happiest of Days', and really the title sums it up for you. It implies that your happiest days are never behind you and that your life is what you make of it. Lastly, 'Keep the Car Running' really is fuel for life. All about the disillusionment of youth, about wanting to escape, but also an earnest love letter to Rzeznik's fiancé, implying that he'll go anywhere with her and be anything as he's "keeping the car running".
To conclude this is another great album from the band from Buffalo. Although very different from previous albums, it's a sure fire not to disappoint. With traditional Goo Goo Doll's songs like 'Keep the Car Running' to a taste of something fresh like 'More of You', the energy within the album is a rejoicing change from 'Something for the Rest of Us'. With the band now heading in the right direction, the future definitely looks bright and they're certainly 'Bringing on the 'Lime' Light'.
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jack daniels - 19/02/2013
very good album. but "waiting for the mothership" is even better.
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Alex Thomas - 19/12/2012
Having been a fan of Hinder since their debut, EXTREME BEHAVIOR, I loved the new sound of the debut single 'All American Nightmare' and waited for the album to come from the USA to see what rock the band brought to the table.
Well being produced by Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne), I was expecting a different sound and '2 Sides Of Me' is like listening to Ozzy and then found there are some good ballads especially 'The Life' and then the tounge in cheek 'Striptease', more to that song than meets the eye, and the closing 'Put That Record On' similar to Nickelback's 'This Afternoon'.
So all in all, their best album to date and full of a good mix of hard rock, metal and dare I say country rock but if you are a fan of the Post Grunge scene of the early 200s-date then you will ultimately love this album to death.
If you have not heard of Hinder before, well buy their other albums first and then upgrade to this album. If you are a fan then this album should already be in your collection and if not...why not!
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tina goacher - 15/11/2012
Absolutely fab. I am a fairly new Fan of ANDRE RIEU since becoming disabled after back surgery. I was watching Alan Tichmarsh show and saw Andre on there i bought the c.d's dvd's found his music so relaxing keep the c.d's coming.
brilliant
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John Redman - 06/11/2012
Neil Young never ceases to amaze. His last album, Americana, was very good, but Psychedelic Pill is excellent. Who else would have the nerve to begin with a 27 minute plus opening track? Drifting Back really gets you into the album frame and the 16 plus minute Ramada Inn is hauntingly catchy. Walk Like a Giant is vintage Neil and Crazy Horse, and it is a track that echoes Neil himself. He is a musical force that has been striding across a wide spectrum of musical vogues for many years. There is also another ode to Canada - Born in Ontario, which although not as good as Helpless still packs a punch by underlining Neil's roots. The two versions of Psychedelic Pill are great Neil Young electric rock. This whole album illustrates the staying power of Neil Young and Crazy Horse. More than that though, you can tell they enjoyed making it!
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Jane Weathers - 22/10/2012
André Rieu has had a massive rise to fame in recent years, seemingly coming out of nowhere to worldwide recognition almost overnight.
His albums are always filled with popular songs, setting the mood wonderfully for evenings indoors, dinner parties, and other such gatherings.
I perhaps feel that his performances are not quite worthy of the fame that he has found with his music and his orchestra, with many other violinists around the world less well-known despite their virtuosity in talents.
Yet this is, of course, not something to hold against Rieu himself. After all, he cannot help that the world has embraced him.
And despite my slight reservations, if his music is helping to spread the popularity and the warm reception of music in countries around the world, that can only be a good thing, and hopefully pave the way for others like him to rise in the years to come.
On 'And the Waltz Goes On', Rieu has selected a number of brilliant songs, with The Music of the Night (from The Phantom of the Opera) being an obvious stand-out, and a personal favourite.
The collaboration with the great Hayley Westenra is also wonderful, along with the Valse Triste.
With such a grand selection of songs, and plenty of diversity, there is something here for everyone to enjoy.
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Jason Cockroft - 07/10/2012
Muse are my favourite band, So I was expecting to love this album. But, It has far surpassed my expectations. This further shows Muse's evolving style as they manage to stay current. My favourite albums of theirs were black holes and revelations and the most recent album: the resistance. I think this is now my new favourite. My favourite song from 2nd law is the olympic theme: Survival and following that are the two 2nd law songs, they are something completely different and they are fantastic. 5 Stars all round, Amazing album.
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Julian Howard - 05/10/2012
The Pet Shop Boys still exist and make albums. I had to say that because most people would probably struggle to name a single PSB album after 1993's Very. And it is true that even the greatest bands (and PSB are a great band) tend to have an 8-10 year sweetspot preceded and followed by less stellar work yielding on average one of two decent tracks per album. This spooling up and down period is hardly controversial - look at The Stones, U2, Depeche Mode, Madonna and so on. More recently, the tail end seems to have extended as bands live longer and cleaner lives and, perhaps, are more alive to the commercial possibilities of staying together, producing music and performing live for an extended period.
The Pet Shop Boys' eleventh studio album Elysium does much to challenge this model. Many fans have been breathlessly referring to 1990s Behaviour in describing it. For the rest of us, that basically means the tempo is a little more subdued than usual but the soundscapes beautiful and the lyrics witty and meaningful. Let's get the most obvious track - 'Winner' - out of the way first. Neil and Chris played this at the end of the Olympic parade in London in September and yes it's suitably rousing and anthemic.
But this is not really what Elysium is about. 'Leaving' and 'Requiem in Denim and Leopardskin' better typify the more introspective and intelligent feel of the album, with the latter's title reminding us that wit is never far from the surface with the Pet Shop Boys. Both are great tunes. 'Your Early Stuff' is clearly more autobiographical and self-deprecating, describing a washed out popstar whose more recent work fails to match his glorious past. The irony of this is that both this song and the album it's part of prove that the Boys' later stuff can more than hold its own.
As with most albums, there are one or two low points here but happily they don't detract from the rest. I will leave you to judge what those are. Other tracks have what I would describe as a high 'hurdle rate', i.e. you have to get over the first few verses to reveal a highly rewarding core. The suitably titled 'Give it a go' is just one of these. It starts a bit cornily but this eventually gives way to a moving and infectious plead for happiness. Chris Lowe's keyboard work here makes a huge difference and the track works brilliantly. Classic Pet Shop Boys succesfully evoked.
If you're looking for dancefloor stompers, well you won't find them here. Whether Neil and Chris deliberately chose a more mid-tempo tone for the album or whether they feel they are a bit too old for that sort of thing now, we just don't know. My guess is that they will come back in the future with something more energetic. For now though, Elysium is a mature work that rewards repeated listens. The well-crafted textures and sharply observant lyrics prove that these legends-in-our-midst remain on fine form.
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David Backhouse - 08/09/2012
In 1981, Freddie Mercury heard the voice of Opera singer Montserrat Caballe for the first time and from that moment he decided that he simply MUST have her voice singing one of his songs.
It took him six years, but in 1987 Monserrat Caballe not only dueted with Freddie on the song which was ultimately chosen to open the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and which became a world-wide top 10 hit, he had recorded an entire album of 8 tracks with her: an album which, like the single of the same name, became a world-wide top ten hit and has remained a firm favorite with Freddie's legion of fans worldwide.
What is so astounding about that 1987 album is that every single piece performed by an orchestra was, in fact, programmed on a synthesiser!
Apparantly the reason for this was because Freddie had been made aware of his HIV status and therefore didn't know how much longer he had to live.
Determined to make his album the best he could do in the time period he believed he had left, he abandoned the idea of using a real orchestra and instead concentrated with the song writing and vocal performances.
Now, 25 years later, Freddie's dream of having a real orchestra performing the music on his album have come true thanks to the hard work and dedication of Stuart Morely who has painstakingly and faithfully re-scored every song.
Performed by the eighty piece FILMharmonic Orchestra, Prague, one of the most sought after recording orchestras in Central Europe, this new version of the Barcelona album shines with a whole new light from start to finish and whilst for me it will never replace the original, it does offer an amazing alternative way of hearing those familiar songs with a depth of clarity and delicacy not on the original.
This 4-disc set comes with a DVD of (sadly) mimed 'live' performances of some of the tracks from the album, the original promotional video for Barcelona & a brand new edit with previously unused footage and a short documentary on the making of this new orchestral edition.
It also comes with a disc of 'demos' from the recording sessions which feature alternate arrangements and vocals of each track. The music on this disc
The final disc features purely the new orchestrated instrumentation without any vocals and, considering I've no interest in orchestral music, I just can't stop playing it and trying to pick out all of the individual instruments!
Wrapped up in an inch thick paperbook sized package with pictures, lyrics and informative notes from Queen Archivist, Greg Brooks and Stuart Morely himself, this is definitely well worth buying.
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Kev Ryan - 31/08/2012
Beach House's last album, 2010''s 'Teen Dream', was a huge critical and commercial success turning them from a best kept secret to one of the biggest names in indie music. As a result their fourth album 'Bloom' deserves the tag 'highly anticipated' and is the first to be released with the pressure of audience expectation. In many ways it sounds like more of the same just a little bigger, tighter and shinier - which, depending on your point of view, might be a good and/or a bad thing.
Since the duo of Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand began eight years ago their brand of dream-pop has steadily grown from dimly-lit-bedroom size to something approximating a stadium version of the Cocteau Twins.They are a band who seem to have little interest in change or experimentation from record to record rather preferring to dive deeper into their obsessions seeking to polish and refine their sound. 'Bloom' begins strongly with three songs 'Myth', 'Wild' and 'Lazuli' which follow the Beach House template but with slight adjustments. The lyrics have much of the same listless, idle. nostalgic quality as before but there is also a lighter, sunnier feel. The songwriting is tighter and more conventionally verse-chorus-verse, while never really threatening to have hooks. Scally's guitar arpeggios and synth lines seem to gleam even more sharply and sparkly and Legrand's deep,woozy vocals and long drawn-out notes soar skywards in even more epic fashion.
As the album continues however it becomes an increasingly frustrating and oddly un-engaging listen. There is a repetitive mid-tempo quality to the the songs which yields diminishing returns and every track seem to start in the same quiet and stately manner before building in a similar way. Some will respond to the slow burn quality but many will yearn for 'Bloom' to occasionally burst into flame and provide a little heat. Only 'Wishes' and the thrumming closer 'Irene' have the force to wrestle back a listener's full attention. 'Bloom' probably works best as an intimate headphones album where the glacial shimmery layers of sound can envelope the listener in their own private soundscape - as the repeated refrain of the pulsing final track says, 'it's a strange paradise'.
Despite the album's weaknesses you'd need a very hard heart not to find something to enjoy in 'Bloom'. Devoted fans will lap it up and for newcomers it's an ideal introduction to the Beach House sound. For the rest though there is little new or essential here. If you already own 'Teen Dream' it might be enough to download a couple of the best tracks just to add a little epic dream-pop to your summer playlist.
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Gareth - 28/08/2012
The Horrible crows first and maybe only album, who knows, is this to be a long running, or a one off side project of the lead singer/guitarist Brian Fallon, of the growing in popularity Sprinsteenesque, The Gas Light Anthem. His partner in crime on this occasion is guitar tech Ian Perkins.
From the packaging, front and back cover, to the title of the album; this could so and all too easily be a Springsteen album, a Tom Waits album or a Counting Crows album. From the images used to the colour and style of the fonts used. This is in no way of course a bad thing and if you are going to be influenced why not be influenced from the people that have all had long term global success in the field. Fallon said that '"as much as I have this fantasy in the Gaslight Anthem of being Bruce Springsteen, I also have this fantasy of being Tom Waits or Greg Dulli.
To be honest thee first time I listened to this album I was pretty unimpressed, gave it one listen and cast it aside. It was only recently when seeing an acoustic performance by Brian Fallon, that it made me pick this album back up and give it another spin, and I am so grateful I did, if you stick with it, it does grow and become a more pleasurable experience with every listen.
There are a mixture of sparse acoustic offerings with minimal drums and backing and there are a few numbers what build up in the chorus and pull you in. Much of the vocals from Fallon are low key and softer with the odd big chorus where he picks up, the vocals crack and the passion pours out.
'Sugar' has the simplistic chorus of "you said no no no no no no no no, that's not the way it goes" so simple but sang so true. 'Black Betty and the Moon' seems to express the disappointment of someone in "You did the very thing, baby that I asked you not to do". 'Ladykiller' has a powerful catchy chorus "and you must've met a man, tall and handsome, at that, who must've of put a spell on you baby, must've kept on coming back". Another key song and chorus comes in the form of 'Go Tell Everybody' which goes "So go tell everybody that you drove your poor lover crazy, take a good look at just what the night did. There ain't nothing left of your dearly departed. And I just fell to pieces on the night, that you said you were leaving. On tracks 'Cherry Blossoms' and 'Mary Ann' in places Fallon appears to completely morph into Mr Waits with shouting distorted vocals.
Any fan of Springsteen, Tom Waits and The Counting Crows that just want more and as much as they can get of that genre of music then 'Elsie' this is definitely something for you. There are some straight up rock n roll numbers but offers more low key, hollow, haunting, dark numbers. A good album, but maybe a mood dependent album, rather than one that you could play at any time for any mood.
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Matt Brew - 25/08/2012
Stereo Typical- Rizzlekicks
The Brighton duo that are Rizzlekicks are all about cheeky & likeable fun; a theme that is prominent throughout their new album "Stereo Typical." With wacky lyrics and beats that help the album successfully jump from themes like a charmingly nostalgic reminiscence of childhood to a catchy tune about trumpets, it showcases all of the duo's like-ability and skill.
We begin with a very hip-hop influenced "Dreamers" providing a very catchy head-bob with an excellent synthesised supporting rhythm and a steady drum beat, helped by some impressive studio effects and inspiring lyrics; "going to take myself to the moon in my dreams" speaking of the duo's aspirations in the pop world. The album progresses with the same theme of aspirations with the well known hit "When I was a youngster" and just when you feel yourself settling down into the album an atonal accordion rhythm pops out of nowhere; "round up" provides a complete mood shift with a "player" feel to it that speaks wonders of the pair's fun loving attitude, especially when trumpets appear out of nowhere completely out of place but manage to work,with a fast paced drum accompaniment and a well sung chorus that reverberated around my head for a good few hours.
This pattern of mood shift carries throughout the album, always keeping the listener on their toes; packing some popular hits like "Down with the trumpets" & "Mama do the hump" to assure sales and provide some familiar beats. I picked out particular favourites throughout the CD, like the controversial "Miss Cigarette" providing a very clever metaphor for smoking. The slide from the melancholy "Travellers Chant" to the angrier more upbeat "Stop With The Chatter" I also think is done very well; with the latter proving the albums parental advisory rating thanks to it's excessive shock swearing.
Overall this fun mix of old skool hip-hop and more modern pop was a great listen, providing may catchy beats and great lyrics. The mood shifts that occur so frequently have the album jumping all over the place never really being able to decide what it wants to be. Seen in it's tendency to suffer from repetition in tracks like "Prophet." However it more than makes up for this with the skill of the studio effects, squeaky records and variety of instruments from accordion to trumpet. The album's light-hearted attitude carries it through it's flaws and provides a good listen; with the stand out track being "Mama Do The Hump" which personally I think is the most catchy & well written of the lot.
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Gareth - 31/07/2012
This, the third Maccabees album and my first purchase of a Maccabees album. The Maccabees released their first album in 2007 entitled 'Colour It In' followed by their second album in 2009 'Wall of Arms'. This album 'Given to the Wild; was released in January 2012 to generally favourable reviews.
I have never previously been interested in the Maccabees sound, it always sounded a little undeveloped and school boyish, especially the first album. However they seem to have developed and grown with each album release, culminating with this, there best effort to date.
Usually a fan of lyrics, this is not the sort of album I would usually go for, however the overall sound is magnificently enchanting and really draws you in. there is a mixture of sounds from lower key maudling numbers and not necessarily in a bad way, to the more grand songs that grow and grow, developing into music that wraps around you.
A weak start to the album in the shape of 'Given to the Wild' and 'Child' doesn't really, initially, anyway, bode well, for the first time listener, however it soon perks up with 'Feel To Follow' and 'Ayla'. Lyrically it's not always apparent what each song is about or to know what the words are without having had a quick peek at the lyrics in the book, but none the less after a fair few listens now, I still believe this album to be a worthy spend of hard earned cash.
Key songs on the album are 'Feel to Follow', 'Pelican' and 'Went Away'. The song 'Ayla' has really grown on me and is a beautiful song "and we wait for love in the shape of us, until the wait is over under halcyon skies, until the wait is over for an innocent life".
A beautiful album, well worth a listen.
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Alex Decker - 27/07/2012
Something For The Rest Of Us-Goo Goo Dolls:
The Goo Goo Dolls have, and may always be best known for their 1998 rock-ballad hit, "Iris"; since then however have struggled to maintain their artistic flair that saw them rise to such stardom. Their last album; "Let Love In", released in 2006 was no doubt a great album, with beautifully written songs which showed that John Rzeznik still had the ability and heart to create something that other artists can rarely achieve. However "Let Love In" failed to show the togetherness of the band, that have now been together for 27 years, and this is the reason why "Let Love In" disappointed me.
Released in the summer of 2010, "Something For The Rest Of Us" set out to return The Goo Goo Dolls back to their previous popularity. By taking a darker approach to lyrical song writing Rzeznik delivers some of his finest work to date, and by doing so addresses my only complaint in the previous album. Listening to the album, you really get a sense of how much time and effort the band has put into this, in an attempt to; as the title suggests: give something back for the rest of us. "Us" being the fans of this amazing band.
As previously stated, lead singer and guitarist; John Rzeznik is purely outstanding in this latest collaboration from The Goo Goo Dolls. Even the three songs written by bass guitarist; Robby Takac have a nice rhythm to them that was a refreshing burst of change from the more emotionally vibrant work from Rzeznik.
To put it simply I loved this album and every song within it. If I had to choose a favourite song, I would be hard-pushed to do so. Specifically I really enjoyed listening to "NotBroken" as it brought forth nostalgia, as in my opinion, it is very reminiscent of previous hit "Name". Other favourite inclusions being "As I Am", and "Nothing is Real". These songs were incredibly inspiring to listen to, wherever I was. I hadn't heard anything quite like this for a long time, and it was a nice change to listen to some music that actually meant something; instead of just being another song to put onto the album. "Still your Song" however is my favourite single on this fantastic album. It's truly beautiful piano intro is brilliantly accompanied by Rzeznik's gruff voice and guitar. I don't know how many times I listened to this track over and over again, just to hear its graceful chorus blare into my ears.
My only disappointment with this album is the lack of a massive rock-ballad hit. If this album had incorporated something similar to the likes of "Iris" this album would have definably been The Goo's best album to date. However I hope with this solid and immensely enjoyable album complete, that The Goo Goo Dolls can go on to create another stellar entry into their long history of albums, and hopefully deliver something truly special.
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Trevor - 25/07/2012
"..... all I can say is this album is excellent. It is on constantly in my car. There is not a bad track on it. I would highly recommend it...."
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Josh Stephenson - 23/07/2012
Different music evokes different feelings within yourself, I'm sure many of you have listened to a piece of music that has transported you to a tropical beach with a fruit cocktail in your hand as the waves crash against the cliffside. Or perhaps something that recalls your first love, the innocence and excitement you felt as your feelings for that special someone grew and grew from their humble origins. Well Death Grips 'The Money Store' evokes neither of those feelings, it is a record that makes you want to take a drill to the skull whilst you pound into the face of an acquaintance for no other reason than because you can. It is a record that shows the worst of humanity, the violence, the perversion, the greed, and despite all this will undoubtedly be one of my favourite records of the year.
Death Grips are a 3-piece experimental hip-hop group from Sacramento, California, they specialise in making abrasive, and explosive electronic beats for rapper MC Ride to par his raw, disgusting lyrics to. They broke onto the scene last year with the excellent Exmilitary mixtape, which was quite unlike anything I've ever heard before, and this prompted Sony music division Epic Records to sign them to a deal (thus proving that music executives are still willing to take risks in the modern age). 'The Money Store' then is Death Grips major-label debut and it expands upon the foundations laid out before to glorious effect, nothing can quite prepare you for what follows the opening drum beat to opener 'Get Got' as it explodes into this impossibly loud electronic squelch, which buries itself inside your brain and refuses to let up. From that point on 'The Money Store' never relents for a second, producer Andy Morin and producer/drummer Zach Hill do a wonderful job of creating these vivid and exciting landscapes for MC Ride to rap over, coupling live drumming with some truly innovative sampling techniques, taking something as simple as the screech Serena Williams makes as she connects with her first serve into the bedrock for the entire track, in fact it has been revealed that a lot of the sampling choices were found by the group raiding Youtube for a sound that excited them, or even recording sounds they heard in the outside world. It means that you never truly know what to expect next and that is what makes Death Grips such an exciting group to listen to.
Second track 'The Fever' demonstrates the template most Death Grips tracks are built off, a grumbling, drone of a synth gradually getting louder and louder until it sounds like an alarm going off in your head before exploding into the main beat of the track. MC Ride less raps as he does violently assault the microphone, if you're a fan of silky smooth rappers with caramel-esque flows then look away, Ride's vocal delivery is limited constantly pushing the limits of his throats tolerance. What he says isn't anymore appealing conventional storytelling is of no concern to Ride, happy to scream out whatever deranged thoughts come into his mind at any one moment, these have a habit of getting buried beneath the insanity that surrounds him, but this only makes lines such as 'ankles turn to cinder blocks' all the more disturbing. One thing that constantly surprises me about Death Grips is that despite the apocalyptic soundscapes they present, the hooks they have are impossibly catchy, tracks such as 'Hustle Bones' have choruses most mainstream artists would kill for, filled with twinkling synths that ricochet back and forth in the mix whilst the bass drum drives the insanity, it's tailored-made for the bright lights of the club.
An album highlight follows in the superb 'I've Seen Footage' built off a guitar riff that sound like its been put through a torture rack, it sets the scene for MC Ride to tell a tale of modern paranoia; when every little thing that you do is on record where can you escape to? Ignoring the fact that this is a highly original idea to find in Hip-Hop, the way that Death Grips present it is in their own inimitable style telling tales of a young boy getting his head caved in by a concrete block as they 'rewind it/it's so cold', yet despite all of this 'I've Seen Footage' is impossibly catchy and once you've heard its hook once it will be stuck in your head all day. Eccentricities can be found all over this record, little moments that disorientate you in a way music shouldn't be able to, 'Punk Weight' kicks off with an Indian-infused beat, which goes on just long enough for you to get used to it before it roars into one of the dirtiest, throbbing synth groans I've ever heard; seriously get yourself a pair of decent headphones and wait for your ears to beg for mercy. 'B***h Please' has MC Ride suddenly breaking into a fake patois for no reason other than he can, quick shout-out to the production on this track as it really is stellar work whilst doubling as a welcome respite for the madness that is about to follow.
Before we get to the mad genius that is 'Hacker' let's have a look at the aptly titled 'The Cage' very few songs evoke a feeling of enclosure as this song does, the way that the synths bounce around the mix feels closer on each loop, slowly turning up the pressure until you can barely feel yourself breathe, couple this with some distorted bass and MC Ride screaming raw violence in your ear it's a track that builds and builds until the lyric 'fight this asshole right next to you' feels less like a lyric and more like a demand. Right on to the undoubted best track on the record 'Hacker' rightly placed at the end of the record, this is an over-the-top piece of indulgence that has been earned through 12 flawless tracks. Essentially built off a stuttering drumbeat, military-esque in style, it is a masterclass in layered production throwing in sounds impossible to describe, and at times source, it lays a platform for MC Ride's most deranged performance yet. Telling tales of women's water breaking in the Apple store, visiting Tesla's grave, shredding 13 times out of 11, and teaching b*****s how to swim it is manic in its energy and utterly compelling to listen to. Critics would say that Death Grips are pretentious and trying to hard, which would be a nonsense everything is too raw, too dirty for anything other than complete sincerity to be coming through; undoubtedly Death Grips are angry and they want you to be to.
I love this record. I expect that is clear to see by now, there is in my opinion not a bad track; everyone has merit to it in some way and that is a rare thing to see in the modern age. This isn't a record for everybody it does everything it can to push you away, the production, the lyrics, and the delivery it's unlike anything you will have heard before and that can make it a difficult to get into. If you can get past that though you're left with a record that will open up new facets everytime you listen to it, a body blow of a record that will still stay with you long after the final track ends. So I implore you give this record a go, it may be utterly repellent to you, but you will be able to say that I heard something unique and exciting today. How many times do you get to say that nowadays?
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Matt Brew - 17/07/2012
Platinum-selling, Wembley-filling, emo-punks Paramore. With their fresh and revolutionary take on guitar pop, it's no wonder they have taken the younger end of the spectrum by storm. This was their third official album release in 2009 and one that didn't quite meet up to the band's claims that they planned to "venture out and experiment with our sound to see how far we could push ourselves." This album served as rather an affirmation of their talent, showcasing how they've matured since their original "All We Know is Falling" album release. Ensuring that the band didn't dissolve into a band that took themselves too seriously brooding over wild guitar clashes and riffs that would go against the uniquely fresh cliche punk aspect that is the band's core.
Their first album release: "All We Know is Falling" was a passion filled romp through paramore's obvious talent: showcasing their ability and putting them on the map. However it faltered in places where a editing company should have improved and leaked amateurism throughout. On the other hand their follow up Riot! was a much more polished affair; and perhaps a little too polished for it's own good. Their song writing took a step up however: with more meaningful lyrics and memorable riffs particularly shown in the massive hit "Misery Business." However it could never escape from it's FM sheen & suffered because of it. Brand New Eyes struck a balance between the two. Guitars rip wildly through riffs with a wildy aggressive mood ('Careful', 'Ignorance') while a sprinkle of subtle soft acoustics augment each song, from the mournful lyrics of 'Brick By Boring Brick' or the lullaby-like 'Where the Lines Overlap' and the tumultuous final track 'All I Wanted.'
This album also saw Hayley Williams develop further as a vocalist, her impressive range improving further; however unfortunately the rest of the band didn't improve at the same pace; perhaps hinting at the underlying tension which led to the bands split. With each album, Williams seemed to get ten times better, while the rest only got about three times better. That being said, the band perform well on this album, and they thought outside the box with tracks like 'Misguided Ghosts,' a gently haunting acoustic song that was a stand out; it's striking lyrics are memorable and really showed the band's maturity and higher levels of control. Hayley sounded almost relaxed: providing a nice change of pace to the album that ensures a break from the wild chord progressions that come hand in hand with Paramore punk. The acoustic lines pick along, complementing each other nicely and making this a stand out of the album.
Brand New Eyes did have a few problems though. The tracklist could have been arranged better (placing "Looking Up" and "Where The Lines Overlap" consecutively was a mistake, as they both concern the band itself and both have a similar start that undoubtedly confused a few listeners) as well as "Looking up" being a bit of a flop. There's just enough maturation from the band to keep critics from slating the minimal change of actual direction, the typical mind-blowing vocal performances from Williams save the band in the few moments where they falter. A good listen, and well recommended to any fan.
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E McKinley - 07/07/2012
If you bought this after hearing the great 'For your entertainment' then you will be disappointed. The first 8 (out of 15) tracks are remupbeat are what you would expect but the aining tracks are quite slow - I would listen to Adele if I wanted slow heartfelt tracks.