Album Review Thread.

[Anakoni Stark]

[SIZE=1] I had seen a similar thread in the vdeo game section, so I thought, why don't we try to do a review thread for albums also?

here's my first shot... hope it's suitable, I also encourage othe OB'ers to write reviews of albums that they've been listening to.

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[CENTER][IMG]http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh7/Felix_Freeman/saremixed_big.jpg[/IMG]

Like Eating Glass (Zapatista Mix) / Ladytron
Helicopter (Sheriff Whitey Version) / Whitey
Positive Tension (Blackbox Remix) / Jason Clark
Banquet (Disco Edit) / Epworth Phones
Blue Light (Anti Gravity Mix) / Engineers
She's Hearing Voices (Calling Your Dub Mix) / Erol Alkan
This Modern Love (Making Time Remx) / Dave P & Adam Sparkles
The Pioneers / m83
The Price Of Gasoline / Automato
So Here We Are / Four Tet
Luno / Death From Above 1979
Plans (Replanned) / Mogwai
Compilments (Shibuyaka Remix) / Nick Zinner[/CENTER]


if you've heard the orignal, you'll like it or loathe it; if you recognise only a few names on the roster, you might like it

the album starts with a very depressed take on [B][I] Like Eating Glass[/B][/I] by Ladytron, which gives the album a very down to earth start as opposed to the more frantic and upbeat (which is good) beginning to the orignal album, when it came time for the [B][I] Helicopter[/B][/I] remake from Whitey, I was expecting an urgent vibe akin to that of the orignal mix, but instead I was greeted with the repetition of the opening chords and sporadic percussion, punctuated with the occasional wolf howl.

I thought that Jason Clark's remix of [B][I] Positive Tension[/B][/I] was well executed and left the indie ranting feel of the orignal at an acid circle, it really did a good job of tripping my ears out, but I really had adored Epworth's take on their smash hit [B][I] Banquet[/B][/I] which is basically a disco-y euro type of thing, that's hard to put into words.

After the somber and moving remake of [B][I] Blue Light[/B][/I]; Erol Alkan takes center stage and spins a indie dancefloor epic out of [B][I] She's Hearing Voices[/B][/I], which is followed by the 80s remake of [B][I] This Modern Love[/B][/I] and going through the trip hop rework of [B][I] The Price Of Gas[/B][/I] which actually, gives the track a much more urgent feel, subsequently m83's remix of [B][I] The Pioneers[/B][/I] reinforces a immesurable feeling of countless defeats portrayed by the string orchestra that has replaced the spikey guitars and crushing drumwork of the orignal.

Four Tet slowly dissects and rebuilds [B][I] So Here We Are[/B][/I] from a clean pallete into a slow gitch-y walk with the feeling of being stalked through a snow white forest, looming over the track, after the space transmission, comes in Death From Above with their cover of the track [B][I] Luno[/B][/I] then Mogwai brings back that down to earth feel with their remake of [B][I] Plans[/B][/I] which after I had listened to it I was left with this sickly good feeling, the album closes with the really dark and quiet cover of [B][I] Compliments[/B][/I] by Nick Zinner, which actually did a good job of holding up the (loose) theme of melancholy, that's reflected from some of the songs on the album and the artwork on the cd packaging.

overall, if you're a Bloc Party fan, it's worth checking out
if you're a fan of one of the bands/artists on the roster, it's worth checking out
if you're a Bloc fan and know about most of the artists/bands on the roster, it's worth picking up.

[B][U]Recommended Tracks[/B][/U]
- The Pioneers / m83
- Luno / Death From Above 1979
- Banquet / Epworth Phones
- Plans (Replanned) / Mogwai

[B][I][U] Final Verdict:[/B][/I][/U] B- (most of the tracks are well done, but some of them have much left to be desired.)[/SIZE]

[Ellerby]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="DimGray"]Maybe if I post here it will help attract attention to the one in the arcade too. Spare me if my review is poorly written. I'm not a big music buff. :whoops:

[center][img]http://www.my1055.com/music/maroon-5-it-wont-be-soon-before-long.jpg[/img]

If I Never See Your Face Again (3:21)
Makes Me Wonder (3:31)
Little of Your Time (2:17)
Wake Up Call (3:21)
Won't Go Home Without You (3:51)
Nothing Lasts Forever (3:07)
Can't Stop (2:32)
Goodnight Goodnight (4:03)
Not Falling Apart (4:03)
Kiwi (3:34)
Better That We Break (3:06)
Back at Your Door (3:46)[/center]

So the first song is an upbeat funky tune. The chorus is catchy while the bridge is merely forgettable (which seems to be a recurring trend in the entire album). The second song, Makes Me Wonder, has the same upbeat funk to it but it's executed much better. The whole song is catchy and will get stuck in your head for days.

The third song is great. Catchy riffs and oddball sound effects combined with great vocals make this one of the best songs on the CD. No complaints here.

The fourth song... things start to go downhill here. I've found that Maroon 5's regular and slower paced songs can get a tad repetitive after a minute or two. They also all sound alike.

Song 5, Won't Go Home Without You, is one exception. It's one of the slower songs on the album but it's still very good. I'm glad they were successful in creating at least one good slow song.

The next song, Nothing Lasts Forever, is bad. It's also slow but it's so boring that I always skip over it. Same goes for songs 8, 9, and 11.

Can't Stop and Kiwi, numbers 7 and 10, are the best on the album. Maroon 5 is definitely good at fast, upbeat songs.

If you like Maroon 5's other album then this is a must buy. In my opinion it's twice as good as the first CD. If you've never listened to them before, then listen to some songs first. My[B] recommended tracks[/B] would be...[B] Little of Your Time[/B] and[B] Kiwi[/B]. Then if you like those check out [I]Makes Me Wonder[/I] and [I]Won't Go Home Without You[/I]. If you like [i]those[/i] then you'll definitely enjoy the whole album.

[B]Final Verdict:[/B] B+
The upbeat songs are fun and catchy while the slow ones lack emotion and effort. I look forward to their next album.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"][SIZE="1"]* = Most Recommend Tracks

[CENTER][IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/Blackparadecover.jpg[/IMG]

"The End." 1:52
"Dead!" 3:15
"This Is How I Disappear" 3:59
"The Sharpest Lives" 3:20
*"Welcome to the Black Parade" 5:11
"I Don't Love You" 3:58
"House of Wolves" 3:04
"Cancer" 2:22
*"Mama" 4:39
*"Sleep" 4:43
"Teenagers" 2:41
*"Disenchanted" 4:55
*"Famous Last Words" 4:59
"Blood" (hidden track) 2:53 [/CENTER]

My Chemical Romance, some people love them, some people hate them, while I enjoy them a lot, The Black Parade is the only really memorable MCR CD. Besides the songs Helena and Ghost of You which are plain awesome in my opinion. This CD offers the happy, the sad... and the weird in between songs.

For example, Mama is awesome. My friend pointed out it sounds like those songs where people smack cups in bars. The whole swingy beat thing makes the song fun, and the chorus proves MCR may not be the best, but they sure as hell can bring something good to the table. 2:40 seconds into the song, it gets heavier, and the swingy beat gets more noticeable. Plus the choir-like chant toward the end of the song adds to the odd fun this song delivers.

Disenchanted is another great song, it brings forth feelings of nostalgia. MCR has a thing for these kind of songs and love songs, I Don't Love You (track 6) is another example of MCR's attention to emotions. While stuff like that is what brings forth the whole 'these guys are emo' from the mouthes of idiots, who cares?

Welcome to the Black Parade is a song that may take a while to get used to, I know I used to hate having to sit through the beginning, but love it even more now. The repeat of the first verse is epic too, the guitar, the vocals, it all adds up as it enters the rest of the song. But Famous Last Words, the conclusion to the album is possibly the best song on the album, it mixes two emotions, fury and sorrow. 3:08 seconds into the song, it stops the heavy and begins the low, the lyrics here are filled with mourn and longing. Sleep is also a good song, energetic and well written.

At the end of the CD you may be left feeling like something is missing, I assure I do. But it makes you look forward to the next MCR CD, unless it isn't memorable as this one. Than we'll be sorely disappointed.

[B][U]FINAL RATING:[/U] A[/B]
It delivers it's fun and sorrow, but the feeling that something isn't there begs.

[CENTER][B][U][size=3]MASTODON - BLOOD MOUNTAIN[/size][/U][/B]

"The Wolf Is Loose" – 3:34
"Crystal Skull" (featuring Scott Kelly) – 3:27
"Sleeping Giant"