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Alex Thomas - 8/31/2011
Despite the rather lackluster 'By The Way' and 'One Hot Minute', Red Hot Chili Peppers still remain a force to be reckoned with and their albums just have the right mix of rock and groove to make you want to keep listening to them again and again.
Primarily, I have been a fan since 1991's classic 'BloodSugarSexMagik' and I still love them to this day and when 'I'm With You' arrived I could not stop listening to it. The more you listen to it the better the album is and you wish that you hope that it will not be another 5 years for the next album!
My favourites are 'The Adventures of Maggie May', 'Police Station', 'Even You Brutus?', 'Happiness Loves Company', 'Did I Let You Know (This I Know)' but in the end the album as a whole is an excellent collection of songs that keeps the band up there with the greatest bands and you still manage to find bits and pieces from their back catalogue!
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Gareth - 8/28/2011
The debut album 'Hunger', from the band Frankie & The Heartstrings, the Sunderland based boys formed in 2008 and named after the lead singer Frankie Francis. Not a complicated musical offering by any stretch, with simple sounding rhythms and melodies and simple but effective bass lines, they could be quite easily pigeon holed in the indie/pop genre.
Frankie Francis was a entertainments promoter in Sunderland and after hearing many an unsigned band, thought to himself that he himself, could maybe do better then this and so gave it a go, and although not the strongest vocalist, still, probably more capable than many.
This album is a strong starting point for the band. I feel that in time Frankie & The Heartstrings could possibly become a Smiths of our time, a band that does not necessarily impact society through the particular strengths of any one album, but the combined weight of the full catalogue, combined along with the fact that the music is achievable and can connect with the masses, something that people can relate to. They really could become iconic.
The album has that winning formula for any indie pop record, taking what's gone before and borrowing from the best bits but doing it in such a way that you don't quite realise it but you know you like it. Much of the album is of a similar vain, except for track 4 'Break on me' and the final track 'Don't look surprised', these tracks are slower then the other eight songs. With the beginning bars of 'Fragile' sounding like the intro from the 1978 Springsteen album, 'Darkness on the Edge of Town'. The title track 'Hunger', instantly makes you want to sing along; 'Possibilities' was one of my least favourite songs on first listen, however has grown to be my favourite. 'It's obvious', sounds in places like a dead ringer for Franz Ferdinand and 'Want You Back' has a great but subtle use of a brass section.
The album has a classic cover, which is a photo by Keith Pattison, from the book 'No redemption', showing photographs from the miners strike circa 1984/85, a prominent and notoriously difficult time for the people of the North East of England.
Most songs on the album come in under 3.30 minutes with the longest track 'Fragile' lasting 6:05. Total playing time of the album is 34:36 minutes. Which leaves me with the conclusion that, if you don't like or are not a fan of the album, it won't long before the torture is thankfully over for you, but if you are a fan, its all over to soon, leaving you thinking.good EP, but what about the album!
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Bryan Copland - 8/25/2011
As Dougy Mandagi's sultry falsetto confidently offers, "Our love was lost, but now we've found it," on the opening bars of The Temper Trap's debut album 'Conditions' against a gorgeous backdrop of chirpy keyboard, you know you have found music to love again.
My love for music was a little lost before hearing this album; two years down the line and it's only just made it onto my MP3 player. But when it's a piece of work as dramatic, yet instantly catchy and romantic as this, who cares about time? And with the Australians working towards their follow-up, due for release later this year, now is as good a time as any to bask in its glory.
Too often, a band's downfall is their lack of versatility - a seeming inability to really mix it up and broaden the spectrum. The Temper Trap nearly get there on this 2009 album, with some simply stunning melody intertwined with real passion, thoughtful guitars and soaring synths. It's an album you listen to, and change which track is your favourite each time.
It's difficult to look past 'Sweet Disposition' for a highlight here. While undoubtedly the album's most popular track - it reached sixth in the UK chart and formed the lead track of film '500 Days of Summer' - it is also a timeless indie hit, filled with enough emotion to make Coldplay think again. It doesn't drag either, as one of the LP's fastest songs, and would walk onto any compilation of this Millenium's finest work so far.
Elsewhere, though, it's a case of take your pick; opener 'Love Lost' doesn't stamp its feet and demand immediate attention, but rather earns your trust - slowly building with a steady heartbeat pound and Indonesian-born Mandagi's falsetto once again prominent.
'Rest's repeated refrain of "Ooooh, baby' is more appealing in sound than it is on paper, and sees The Temper Trap get some of that emotional anguish out of their system.
There are thinkers' tracks here, too; the acoustic intro on 'Down River' reminds of Lou Reed's 'Walk on the Wild Side', though the following picked guitar gives the drums something to bounce along to, while 'Soldier On' is a fine moment - coupling mellow guitar tones with strong lead vocals before full-band mode pushes this to a grungy climax.
For pop songs, look no further than 'Fader', with an extra snarl in Mandagi's voice and pounding rock beat, with "Ooooohs" to rival the best of any indie stalwart. He loves his "Ooooohs", does the former Melbourne busker.
And while 'Resurrection' might be the album's Achilles' heel , sounding like a poor impersonation of the Scissor Sisters at their synth-pop worst, closing instrumental 'Drum Song' could have appeared on any number of LPs before or after this album was released - most notably The XX's Mercury Prize-winning effort from 2010.
For much of the noughties, bands will be remembered for their copy-cat style and the 'indie kid' trend which seemed to sweep through so many of those years.
If you're looking for something new and to get away from those stereotypes, pick up a copy of 'Conditions' and see for yourself: the grass is sometimes greener on the other side... of the world, in this case.
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Josh Stephenson - 8/17/2011
The Antler's previous album 'Hospice' was an emotionally charged affair. Charting the relationship between a hospice worker and a terminally ill cancer patient, it was one of those rare albums that truly pull on your heartstrings without encroaching too far into over-sentimentality. With the follow up to that album, 'Burst Apart', The Antlers have ditched the overarching concept, but have kept the same heart wrenching music that made 'Hospice' such an emotional listen to great effect.
This emotion is attained through frontman Peter Silberman's fantastic falsetto voice, which seems to channel Jeff Buckley with the ease he can throw his voice around. This is best seen on the track 'Rolled Together' which starts off simply with a gorgeous guitar line and Silberman's voice wailing softly before adding in drum, bass and organ to make it this huge, atmospheric song with the single repeating line of 'Rolled together with a burning paper heart/Pulled together but about to burst apart'. 'I Don't Want Love' is another track in which Silberman's voice shines as he sings 'You wanna climb up the stairs/I wanna push you back down/But I let you inside/So you can push me around', it's another mellow, atmospheric track but the pounding drums in the verses drive it towards the more epic chorus were Silberman defiantly states 'I don't want love'.
In fact most tracks on the album take a mellow, atmospheric stance allowing the lush guitar lines and simple electronics to shine, but this is not always the case, for example on tracks such as 'Parenthesis', which evokes 'Ok Computer' era Radiohead with it's scattered drums and chunky guitar riffs but with less success. It's is employed far more successfully though on the track 'Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out' (which most psychiatrists associate with sexual frustration) in which Silberman's usually soft falsetto becomes more aggressive around a torrent of electric guitars and distortion, as he screams 'You and I, divorced but not devout/Every night my teeth are falling out'. It's certainly the most in your face track on the album and it gives the album a much-needed pick up from the more lush tones that generally gather.
If there were one track to epitomise what 'Burst Apart' is all about it would be the sublime 'Hounds', which starts off very slowly with Silberman softly singing 'So loud/So loud/Slow down/Slow Hound' it has an angelic nursery rhyme quality to it that Simon & Garfunkel used to be able to pull off so effortlessly. In reality though it's a simple love song built off a delicate guitar line, buzzing electronics and an almost non-existent drumbeat, that patiently builds until hitting it's crescendo with horns and over-lapping vocals before simmering back down again. It's a truly beautiful song, with some touching lyrics 'They want to conquer you/Abandon you/I want to burden you/Belong to you' and makes 'Burst Apart' worth it's asking price alone.
There aren't many missteps along the way with 'Burst Apart' but there are a few songs which don't make too much of a mark on the listener. Namely 'French Exit' that has a funky bass line, but reminds me of a more basic Destroyer song and 'Tiptoe', which is an instrumental that doesn't really offer a break from the rest of the album but more of a continuation of the same themes and thus I cannot see what it brings to the table. These are minor concerns though when you still have beautiful ballads like 'Corsicana' and the emotionally charged 'Putting The Dog To Sleep'. This song sees Silberman at his most emotionally vulnerable as he seeks reassurance from his partner to 'Prove to me I'm not gonna die alone', and the song has great uses of space, piano and sharp guitar notes to drive home the sheer panic that Silberman has gotten himself into.
'Burst Apart' is a more than worthy follow up to 'Hostile', it may lack the over-arching theme but the raw emotion is still there and is beautifully backed by these lush, atmospheric sounds that The Antlers have crafted and in its final lines a moment of cautious optimism 'Put your trust in me/I'm not gonna die alone./I don't think so.'
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Laura Pearce - 8/8/2011
This album will become one of the best albums of 2011. Lady Gaga has managed to create songs that are even more catchy than earlier hits from 'The Fame Monster' and 'The Fame'. Personal favourites from this album include: Edge of Glory, Bloody Mary and Heavy Metal Lover. All the songs are different and decidedly more edgy than have been heard before and this album is perfect party music!
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Gareth - 7/27/2011
Frank Turners 4th studio album 'England keep my bones' is a beautifully packaged album. The deluxe edition is a green leather style book bound affair. It's the sort of packaged album that really makes you want to listen to the contents of the album.
The album itself is a very enjoyable listen. Frank Turner has stated that he wanted this album to sound more like a solo album with additional supporting musicians rather that of his last album 'Deeds of Poetry; which sounded like a full band album. I personally think he has achieved what he set out to. Although both this and the last album have been recorded with the same core band members involved, called the Sleeping Souls. His last album had more of a full band sound for a majority of the album, however this album has more of a mix, with some songs only incorporating vocals and acoustic guitar instrumentations, whilst other do have a band feel about them with drums, bass and keyboards involved. There is also an acapella song, which sounds like a traditional folk song that brings images of singing around a campfire in the black of the night
This is a well produced album. I always feel as though and in this case in particular, that Frank Turner albums are always very honest sounding albums. The overall sound and the sound of his vocal always sound fresh and natural and not mixed or manipulated by the production, as though this is the sort of sound you could achieve when playing live.
An early favourite of this album is track 5 'Rivers', a quintessentially English song about the rivers and estuaries of this land of ours.
The song 'Peggy Sang the Blues' has a catchy feel to it that makes you want to sing along, the rhythm has a hint of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers about it. 'I Still Believe', a brilliant song that really gets you going with its 'Hear ye's' and its 'Come ye's'. 'If Ever I Stray' is a real builder of a song, that builds into a shouter of a song, the song 'Wessex Boy' is a song about geographically coming home and that home is always home, no matter if the people change, the place and the sense of home will always remain.
On the deluxe album there are three bonus tracks that are well worth the additional spend. These songs are not as well developed as the rest of the album musically but none the less are amazing songs and some of the best. The first song 'Eva May' is a song where frank plays the role of a man talking to the daughter of a friend who has passed away and saying that he will look out for her and telling her about his life, a basic acoustic song with banjo but beautiful lines such as "He asked me to watch you as you grow" and "hold your hand through the highs and lift you up through the lows" The second bonus track is 'Wanderlust', which is again a low key affair, with Frank, as he does in many songs returning to the topic as all good folk singers do, past and present, the road, travels and moving on. "Distance keeps calling me on", "that there will ever come a morning when I'm staying not gathering to leave", this song is about leaving in the morning. The third bonus track is 'Balthazar Impresario' a man of the stage, an entertainer retiring from the stage after his last performance as he has fallen from favour due to changing cultures, as now all the kids want to do is watch TV.
I would say this album, is stronger than his 2007 debut 'Sleep Is For The Weak' and better than his 2009 album 'Deeds of Poetry'. However I would say that his strongest work still remains on the album of 2007 named 'You, Me & Ire'. But definitely a return to form in my opinion.
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Kenji Lloyd - 7/27/2011
After literally decades of watching Hugh Laurie on television and seeing him demonstrate his musical genius from time to time on various television shows and films, we have finally been treated to the utter gift from Laurie recording this 15-track album. Let Them Talk takes us on a musical journey to New Orleans through his selection of blues classics and forgotten songs of days and decades gone by.
We have always known that Laurie has a brilliant singing voice, and this album really does that voice justice. Not only can he sing, however, he can play both piano and guitar, and do so fantastically. He truly is a man of many talents.
The album begins with a song made famous by the great Louis Armstrong, St. James Infirmary, opening with a virtuosic piano solo from Laurie that introduces us to some of the album's darker tones that stay true to the blues genre. It doesn't, however, stay constantly in sad songs, moving quickly into the much more upbeat sing-along track, You Don't Know My Mind, and later the brilliant and contagiously melodious Swanee River.
Laurie has also brought in some of the greatest artists to collaborate with him on the record, including Dr. John, Irma Thomas, and the powerfully popular Sir Tom Jones, who opens the album's penultimate track, Baby, Please Make A Change. The harmonies that Jones, Thomas, and Laurie all create on this album are beautiful, incorporating their different vocal styles on one track that really complement each other in their difference.
Closing the album is the title-track, Let Them Talk, and it is nothing short of a masterpiece that we end with; sheer musical brilliance. It is blues in perfection from start to finish, and thus the perfect way to conclude Laurie's musical debut. It is a love song, a sad song, and a glorious song. It is a song that will stay in your head for days. It is a song in which Laurie bears his soul, and we must love him for it, bringing this incredible album to an end. Laurie is known across the world as a talented actor, and now he can finally be recognised as the exceptional musician he is.
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Kenji Lloyd - 7/9/2011
Volume Six of Glee's soundtrack CDs is quite possibly their best yet, featuring eighteen brilliant tracks from the show's second season. It proves to us listening to it that the McKinley High glee club shows absolutely no sign of slowing down whatsoever - unless, that is, it's for a show-stopping slow anthem like the penultimate track, Pretending.
What's different about this sixth volume from all but one of the previous volumes of the show's soundtrack CDs is that it contains original songs written specifically for the show: As Long As You're There, Pretending, and Light Up The World. For a show that's not even two years old, to be performing original music of such a high calibre that is so well written and so well sung is truly very impressive. Despite the show's cast being predominantly very young stars, they are all incredibly talented, and their vocal ability really stands out in this volume especially.
But of course, it wouldn't be glee club without plenty of cover versions, and they've picked some excellent songs to cover this time around. We're treated to a cover of Adele's Turning Tables, featuring the wonderful actress/singer Gwyneth Paltrow, ABBA's Number 1 signature song Dancing Queen, and Fleetwood Mac's classic Go Your Own Way.
The ability to cover songs like these well, when they're already so popular, is a very tricky thing to do, and yet the Glee cast make the songs their own. With Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way, for example, they choose to raise the tempo of the original and transpose it up a key, giving it an even brighter feel than the original that you wouldn't think possible, until you hear their cover.
They also take on Fleetwood Mac's other popular singles Dreams, Songbird, and Don't Stop very well, as well as Stevie Wonder's classic song Isn't She Lovely. Not only do they cover these classics though, they also give themselves the challenge of covering what has only just become popular with Lady Gaga's Born This Way. Doing a new version of a song that is already very new in itself is a big task, but they somehow manage to do an extremely talented rendition of Lady Gaga's single, maintaining the song's sing-a-long feel whilst injecting their own Glee flavour into the song.
Throughout this sixth volume of the show's soundtrack, the singers show that there is a very, very good reason for why the show has become so popular. The songs are incredibly catchy, they are brilliantly performed, and the choice of songs covered is always spot on. We can no doubt look forward to a seventh volume of the soundtrack in the near future, and until then, I highly recommend this CD to satisfy your Glee addiction.
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Mark W - 7/6/2011
This is the third time that we have meet Cee Lo Green as a solo artist. Most will know him from Gnarls Barkley a project with producer Danger mouse, scoring them a world wide hit with crazy in 2006 from the album St. Elsewhere.
The Lady Killers has allowed Cee lo Green to spread out on his own.
The record is peppered with John Barry's James Bond Theme and has a feeling of motown soul about it. The album opens with a monologue drawing referance to The Love Below, (the solo project of André 3000 that went to develop outcast's 2003 record Speakerboxxx/The Love Below) and as the lady killers gathers pace with Bright Lights Bigger City, The listerner is made to feel right at home. With time and a little more original craftsmanship the forth record can be even better.
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Mark W - 7/5/2011
Foo Fighters new record wasting light brings back the raw sounds of grunge.
Perfect time to get producer Butch Vig on board as the band return from self exile. (Claiming to be on a extended break after 2007 Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace).
In September of 2010 deep within California's San Fernando Valley, recording started on what was to become Wasting Light the end result is everything that it could be.
There is a lot of anger within these tracks and a distinct story arch that runs throughout, there is a lot of well thought out lyrics and by the final track the band have taken you on a journey, one that you feel all the better for.
This is one of the must have records of 2011, and a great return for the Foo Fighters.
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Alex - 6/27/2011
Whereas previously Blink were a band you could describe who would come to your party and get drunk, throw up everywhere and then leave, now they can be described as those who would throw up and then clear it up as well. It is just the same band, with the same energy and excitement as before, singing songs of the same fun and greatness as before, and yet better. The band has matured and it is reflective in their music, never retracting from them, but ever building.
Greatly looking forward to what the band will produce next.
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Alex - 6/27/2011
Seductively innocent.
A collection of songs that helps you relax and yet still think about the important things. The music is cleverly composed, with what you expect and want and then also exactly what you are not expecting, with the songs easily and effortlessly rolling into each other, giving the album a sense of continuity. There are great musical highs and lows.
A unique voice, reaching notes I wish I could.
Steady paced, and constant. You don't want it to end.
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Josh Stephenson - 6/22/2011
I don't think anyone expected the impact the Arctic Monkeys would make when 'Whatever I Say I Am That's What I'm Not' hit shops. It ushered in a new wave, for better or worse, of British Indie guitar bands and made the Arctic Monkeys overnight sensations. With commercial and critical acclaim however come pressure, and with the bands last album 'Humbug' many people were questioning whether the Arctic Monkeys have had their time in the sun. With 'Suck It and See' though, the bands fourth album, the Arctic Monkeys have managed to prove their relevance by making an album of lovelorn, 60's infused pop songs, but still managing to retain the trademark Arctic Monkeys sound.
Lead single 'Brick by Brick' was somewhat of a red herring, filled with thick riffs, nonsensical and clichéd lyrics, and cringe-worthy deep backing vocals; it quite rightly had many fans worried about what to expect from the bands latest. Fortunately though it proved to be the exception to the rule, and follow up single 'Don't Sit Down, 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair' encompassed all that we have come to expect from the Monkeys a catchy, riff filled tune with Alex Turner's preposterous lyrics including the gem 'Do the Macarena in the Devil's lair/But don't sit down, 'cause I've moved your chair'. In fact the whole album is infused with the kind of lyrics that have people questioning whether Alex Turner will end up been one of the all time greats, from the hilarious 'Do you walk the walk/Or catch the train', to the sultry 'That's not a skirt girl, that's a sawn-off shotgun/And I only hope you've got it pointed at me', to the quintessentially British 'You're rarer than a can of Dandelion & Burdock'. All together Alex Turner is on fine writing form, but seems to be focusing more on witty couplets than on grand stories as he did on their debut.
Other highlights can be found on album opener 'She's Thunderstorms', which combines a 60's style guitar riff, with pounding drums to the sing-a-long chorus of 'She's thunderstorms/Lying on her front/Up against the wall/She's Thunderstorms'. It's a seductive opener and sets the tone for the whole album, including the short & sweet 'Reckless Serenade' driven forward by a fantastic bass line, while Turner croons 'Called up to hear the voice of reason/And got the answer machine'. By the time we reach 'Piledriver Waltz', originally off Turner's 'Submarine' soundtrack, Turner's tales of breakfast at the heartbreak hotel, with miserable waitresses and rotten food will no doubt have seduced you. The full-band version of this track does nothing to detract from that as it is quite stripped back, with almost a dream-poppy feel to it.
Not every track on the album is up to these standards, 'Library Pictures' and 'All My Own Stunts' feel like 'Humbug' B-Sides, and 'Library Pictures' fast paced drums are at contrast to the more mellow pop songs that are on the album. These tracks, alongside 'Brick by Brick', are the only real missteps on the album, and with the hooky 'Black Treacle' and 'Hellcat Spangled Shalalala', the former with its beautiful chorus of 'Now it's getting dark, and the sky looks sticky/More like black treacle than tar', providing the necessary hooks to keep the stadium audiences interested, this is an album that has something for everybody.
It's at the end of the album though that the Arctic Monkey's show maturity beyond their ages, with the one-two finish of 'Suck It and See' and 'That's Where You're Wrong'. The first been a love sick ballad of Turner's courting of a woman featuring the line 'Be cruel to me/As I am a fool for you', whilst the latter shows Turner consoling someone who is struggling to come to terms with aging, as the guitars, drums and bass slowly build into a crescendo with the final line of 'Don't take it so personally, honey/You're not the only one that time has got it in for/ That's where your wrong'. With that glimpse of furthering maturity in just 5 years, something Oasis couldn't manage in 20, we get the answer to the question who are the Arctic Monkeys? Back in form.
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Michelle Moore - 6/5/2011
The year was 1997 and three brothers from Tulsa Oklahoma skyrocketed into the hearts of girls (and a few guys) across the world. Although they managed to score a Number 1 with their debut single 'Mmmbop' on both sides of the Atlantic, they were still considered by many as one hit wonders. It is fourteen years later and Hanson is still going strong, and this EIGHTH release 'Shout It Out' goes to prove it.
Having written yet another dozen or so catchy tunes about love and loss, these tracks still retain the fun, upbeat pop goodness of their previous releases, but have dabbled into elements of rock, funk, soul and R&B for their most ambitious work yet. The opener 'Waiting for This' is a beautiful up-tempo tune, 'Kiss Me When You Come Home' is stunning and there are also some tender ballads such as 'Use Me Up' and 'Me Myself and I'. With the addition of the brass sections, a new side of Hanson emerges.
'Shout It Out' goes to show Hanson are in it for the long haul and have no plans to back down any time soon - they are getting better with age.
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STEVE MANSFIELD - 5/27/2011
I SAW BRIAN CULBERTSON LIVE 3 WEEKS AGO AND BROUGHT THIS CD.
THE INSTRUMENT FOR ME IS THE SAX - HOWEVER BRIAN HAS BROUGHT KEYBOARDS INTO MY LIFE AND HAS CHANGED MY MUSICAL EAR FOREVER.THIS IS AN AWESOME CD AND TRACK TWO FEATURING KENNY LATTIMORE IF PLAYED AT NIGHT CLUBS WOULD FILL THE DANCE FLOOR - TRACK 4 FEATURING BRIAN MCKNIGHT ANOTHER JEM.
I HAVE JUST BROUGHT A SECOND COPY AND GIVEN IT TO A DJ MATE OF MINE FOR HIS USE.
IF YOU LIKE SMOOTH FUNKY JAZZ TREAT YOURSELF YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.
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Gareth - 5/26/2011
The King Blues first appeared on the scene in 2006, with a home recorded debut named 'Under the Fog'. When they were then signed to a bigger record label, the album was partly re-recorded and released again in 2008. In October 2008 their second album was released and helped the band reach much broader audience. The follow up to the king blues' last album 'save the world, get the girl' was always going to be tough as it was such a breath of fresh air at the time, music with a real point of view to it, a proper punk album with attitude. So to the follow up 'Punk and Poetry'. This album was made all the more difficult as the band were dropped by their record label prior to the release of this album and suffered the loss of several band members. The opening song, well more a ditty than an actual song, reels off a list in a 'this is for' style and seems to end before it even begins and certainly before you can get into it. The song 'We are Fucking Angry', is what you expect from the title, in the way that it is sung it is essentially.angry, also seems to incorporate current issues with lyrics such as 'cut the bankers, cut the MPs, cut the rich and cut the riot police, cut the state and cut the war, but they cut the poor', very relevant in the shadow of the recent budget.
'Set the World on Fire' is the first track to show shades of the band from the last album, a chirpier sound and melody and a good lyrical flow as you would expect from the king blues. This is then followed by another 'ditty' called 'dancehall', which, musically sounds like a war time tune played through a gramophone, but again to short to really get your teeth into, but in a way a welcome break from the full on pace of the album. 'The Futures Not What it Used To be' is a classic king blues song with clever and witty social observations by Mr. Fox. However, the flow of the tune changes three quarters of the way through to a heavy reggae driven track, which is not a change for the better and prompted a lose of interest from that point on. 'Five Bottles of Shampoo' sees the king blues standing up for women and defending the women of the earth in their own unique style but asking is it really necessary to be purchasing the five bottles of shampoo! 'Sex Education' details how kids these days get their sex education and no its not a song about sitting in class watching 1970's documentaries and asking the teacher questions to a lot of laughing and awkward looks, but again a Johnny Fox approach to education. Another break comes in the form of 'Shooting Fascists', which is just Mr Fox on vocals and playing the ukulele, the third short track on the album about the fact that 'your granddad didn't vote for fascists - he shot them'. Perhaps the most immediately catchy tune on the album is 'Headbutt', which has already been released as a single some time ago, and definitely one to stick in your head.
A strong follow up to their last album, however it doesn't quite pack the same punch, command the same attention or raise as many smiles lyrically. None the less a very good album and still doing what they have thus far done very well. Definitely worth a listen regardless if you've previously heard the band or not
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S ORZECH - 5/22/2011
'Move Like This' must have been a very difficult record for the surviving members of The Cars to make. Ric Ocasek in particular was very close to Ben Orr and there must have been a serious doubt in his mind at least whether the band could ever be the same without Ben. Well, the truth of the matter is of course that no new album was ever going to be able to hide the fact that there was now a gaping hole in the bands sound that could not be filled. This said, Orr would be delighted at the release of this record. Back are the group so many of us loved in the 70's, back are the quirky arrangements, back are the clipped vocal tones and yes, back are the unfathomable lyrics! HA HA In other words, The Cars are back and GOD doesn't it feel good!
After almost 24 years since their last album 'Door To Door', the group can be forgiven for being a bit 'ring rusty' and while 'Move Like This' is a triumphant return, I really hope the group will stay together now to make another record as, undoubtedly, that will be a classic. Here you feel there are just too many ghosts lingering about the studio for the boys to really be able to break away from the past and make a NEW Cars album. 'Sad Song' for example may be classic Cars but it starts with a variation of their 'My Best Friends Girl' guitar riff and you can't escape the feeling throughout this album that the group are almost having to come to terms on record with Ben Orr's passing. Likewise, Ocasek's vocal at the beginning of the ballad (and best track for me) 'Soon' sounds almost as if he is trying desperately to be Orr. Ocasek sounds eerily like Ben for the first couple of lines and it is only once the song gets going (and perhaps Ric's emotions subside) that Ric starts to sing more like Ric. This of course makes 'Soon' an emotional listen for long term fans of the band and I suspect these words alone will make Ric feel uncomfortable as - lets face it - The Cars have never been about emotion, have they?
The dilemma between wanting to sound like The Cars with Ben Orr and a NEW Cars without, even shows itself in the way this record has been produced. Some of the tracks have a more out and out rocky edge (with Greg Hawkes trademark 'kooky' synths much lower in the mix) while others just bring a smile as wide as the ocean to your face instantly ('Blue Tip' and especially 'Hits Me') as they sound so wonderfully familiar. In more typical fashion, 'Move Like This' comes with simple packaging and its booklet contains nothing much bar song lyrics. Ric and the boys have always let their music do the talking and even 'back in the day' were sometimes criticized for just getting up on stage and playing - no hello's, how's your fathers or goodbyes.
'Move Like This' is not just an album to give fans everything they always loved about The Cars, its an album to give us all hope that, in time, broken hearts can mend and the boys will find it within themselves to write a NEW CARS album.
Thanks boys - it's good to have you back - and Ric, you did the right thing, my friend, you did the right thing...
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NOMIS - 5/6/2011
I can vividly remember buying this album when it was initially released on vinyl and it was (and remains) an excellent mix of comedic punk/new wave/Oi!. The lyrics and attitude of the songs are guaranteed to raise a smile and the raw power and force of the music just takes you away.
However this CD contains so much more. It includes the b-sides of their singles which gave them chart success, the flexi-disc tracks available with the 'Cowpunk Medlum' single (worth the price just for Splodge's take on the Hawaii 5-0 theme) but also some rare stuff (Isubaleene).
If nothing else you get some of the longest song titles you'll ever see:
I've Got Lots Of Famous People Living Under The Floorboards Of My Humble Abode
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Neil K Morrell - 5/6/2011
yet another Ace of Hearts from Mr Lynne & Co, this compilation shows without any doubt just how talented and deliciously good ELO were at the time, Every song is a true gem from a band who all these years on still Shine A Little Love - Long May It Continue With or Without Mr Lynne.
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Connor Shubrook - 5/4/2011
First of all I want to state how monumental Tiesto's rise to fame has been and how he has managed to maintain such an unprecedented level of quality in his albums for such a huge length of time.
The start of the album begins with a slower level of dance fixation, with light riffs and a quiet of pulse of synthetic bleeps and blurs. Half way through the opening track ' Now and Forever ', the track begins to play how the rest of the album carries on, with an intensely high level of power and pure trance anthems guarenteed to fill a dancefloor in your local nightclub or a stadium tour.
The transformation this album has taken since the release of Kaleidoscope (his 2009 studio release), is quite frightening when you look at the quality of the equipment he is using now compared to then and has definately improved the way the music plays through. The real hardcore dance lovers will begin to feel the rush from around track 8 ' Don't Ditch ' where the tone of the album changes and grows into quicker tempo of music which flows through the mind like waves on a beach. This upbeat flow of light bass and electronic riffs expands as a sound as you approach the Kaskade tune ' Fire in your new shoes ' and the phenominal finale song ' C'mon '. The unbelievable sound sensations this song creates is spine-tingling and the heavy bass turning to light dubstep is a future hit for summer clubbing.
After several plays of the album in a single sitting (which is no easy feat), I believe this album has topped his excellent ' Elements of Life ' and genre changing ' Just Be'. Simply due to the journey taken by the listener and the noticeable improvement in sound perfection, this has to be one of the ultimate albums of the year and this listener is eagerly awaiting the release of an undoubtful Volume Two.