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MadMan
01-15-2008, 10:15 AM
I've decided to post commentary and rate CDs that I listen to in 2008. Out of ****, as I've abandoned the letter grading system. Wahoo.

http://www.freewebs.com/keane_colombia/cd.jpg

Man what a delightful piece of work this disc is. This was the first time I listened to Keane, and I was pleasantly surprised at what is a rock solid, well crafted pop album, overly joyous but never annoying. Even though I didn't think it was by any means great, when compared to some of the crap that passes for pop music these days this one shines through. *** 1/2

Favorite Song: Is It Any Wonder?


http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000038A23.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Aside from the fact that Bob Seger looks like a dirty redneck hippy on the cover of this disc that doesn't detract from the fact that he's highly underrated when it comes to song writing and even vocals despite not being knowning for playing instruments. If any of his other discs are half as good as this one I must hear more, for this album rocks and is packed full of stuff ranging from good to great. If you enjoy music in the style of George Thorogood or John Cougar Mellencamp this is right up your alley. ****

Favorite Song: Sunburst

bac0n
01-15-2008, 02:13 PM
I'm curious as to why you found Under the Iron Sea to be "overly joyous", given the tone and subject matter of "Atlantic", "Nothing In My Way" and "A Bad Dream".

Still, it's a great album, and Tom Chaplin is a fantastic vocalist who made great strides with his craft since the previous one. Lets hope that that trend can continue.

MadMan
01-24-2008, 04:27 PM
I'm curious as to why you found Under the Iron Sea to be "overly joyous", given the tone and subject matter of "Atlantic", "Nothing In My Way" and "A Bad Dream".

Still, it's a great album, and Tom Chaplin is a fantastic vocalist who made great strides with his craft since the previous one. Lets hope that that trend can continue.Ah, maybe I was just zooming in primarily on Is It Any Wonder?, as you are correct that some of the album isn't exactly a brighting shine day in the sun. Does the band have any other albums? I like their sound and I want to hear more.


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5120cWjeekL._AA240_.jpg

Before I gave this "Greatest Hits" disc a spin I had heard very little from the band previously. Surrender is a really awesome rock/pop piece and I Want You To Want Me is great; Dream Police is a sharp pop track inspired by 1984 and Ain't That A Shame is good stuff indeed. However after listening and hearing more of their work which was featured here I came to a realization that they're a cheesy ass 70s and 80s pop band, and not a particularly good one at that. With the exception of some tracks aside from the ones I mentioned the rest are either annoying or just plain bad. Which sucks because I wanted to like Cheap Trick, and while I may check out a few of their albums I'll trend more lightly, for if you don't like their more mainstream and popular stuff why the hell would you prefer more lesser known fare? **

Favorite Song: Surrender

Lasse
01-24-2008, 09:22 PM
Does the band have any other albums? I like their sound and I want to hear more.

Yes, Hopes and Fears from 2004, which is very good. Bedshaped is a bloody amazing song. It almost makes me cry sometimes. :|

MadMan
01-25-2008, 05:14 AM
Yes, Hopes and Fears from 2004, which is very good. Bedshaped is a bloody amazing song. It almost makes me cry sometimes. :|Thanks dude. I'll keep that in mind.

http://www.7digital.com/shops/assets/sleeveart/%5C0077779418053_350.JPEG

Honestly I rented this because it was at my school's library and I wanted to be able to play some Bowie in my car for free. That said, this is a pretty solid "Greatest Hits" disc even though its missing the really amazing Life On Mars? and the super sweet Under Pressure. Oh well. A pretty good way for someone who's never listened to the man's music to be exposed to one of the best artists ever, and for those who are fans (I'm a causal fan) it would be worth owning if Best Of Bowie didn't exist. Well that and you can actually go out and buy his albums, of course. ***

Favorite Song: Space Oddity

PS: Okay Bowie lovers which album should I check out first? I must confess I’ve heard a good deal of Bowie’s work despite not having heard any of his albums yet.

Velocipedist
01-25-2008, 01:20 PM
Keane are the worst example of mom pop ever :(

Kurosawa Fan
01-25-2008, 02:42 PM
PS: Okay Bowie lovers which album should I check out first? I must confess I’ve heard a good deal of Bowie’s work despite not having heard any of his albums yet.

Hunky Dory is Bowie's best album as far as I'm concerned.

Sven
01-25-2008, 03:00 PM
Hunky Dory is Bowie's best album as far as I'm concerned.

It's good, but Aladdin Sane, Scary Monsters, and Heroes are better.

Velocipedist
01-25-2008, 03:03 PM
PS: Okay Bowie lovers which album should I check out first? I must confess I’ve heard a good deal of Bowie’s work despite not having heard any of his albums yet.

Low and Heroes.

MadMan
01-25-2008, 05:11 PM
Keane are the worst example of mom pop ever :(Mom pop? What the hell is that? Could you elaborate further?


Hunky Dory is Bowie's best album as far as I'm concerned.I've heard of that one.


It's good, but Aladdin Sane, Scary Monsters, and Heroes are better.I've heard of the last two.


Low and Heroes.That's a new one to me.

Thanks for the recommendations guys :)

Velocipedist
01-25-2008, 05:56 PM
Mom pop? What the hell is that? Could you elaborate further?

Hmm, Coldplay are sometimes called dad rock. By transition, Keane are mom pop.

Kurosawa Fan
01-25-2008, 06:08 PM
It's good, but Aladdin Sane, Scary Monsters, and Heroes are better.

Aladdin Sane??? The second word in that title doesn't apply to you if you think that album is better than Hunky Dory. I'm stunned iosos. I've read some interesting opinions from you, but that one may have shocked me the most.

Sven
01-25-2008, 06:11 PM
Aladdin Sane??? The second word in that title doesn't apply to you if you think that album is better than Hunky Dory. I'm stunned iosos. I've read some interesting opinions from you, but that one may have shocked me the most.

Are you saying... that you think... Aladdin Sane is... bad?

If so, this I cannot compute.

Kurosawa Fan
01-25-2008, 06:28 PM
Are you saying... that you think... Aladdin Sane is... bad?

If so, this I cannot compute.

Not bad, but certainly not the pinnacle of his discography.

Lasse
01-25-2008, 06:34 PM
PS: Okay Bowie lovers which album should I check out first? I must confess I’ve heard a good deal of Bowie’s work despite not having heard any of his albums yet.

Earthling from 1997, but I'm probably in the minority in thinking it's so good.

Three clips:
Little Wonder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaYDC5_cFZ0)
Seven Years In Tibet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiURDmfMTJQ)
I'm Afraid of Americans (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VrG-8BN9xI)

MadMan
01-25-2008, 10:29 PM
Earthling from 1997, but I'm probably in the minority in thinking it's so good.

Three clips:
Little Wonder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaYDC5_cFZ0)
Seven Years In Tibet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiURDmfMTJQ)
I'm Afraid of Americans (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VrG-8BN9xI)I'm Afraid of Americans is pretty awesome. The other two seemed really weird, even for David Bowie. I love the music video for "Americans" btw-it really taps into his fear of the US's overly violent and rather brutal nature. I'm sure there are those who would say he's being anti-USA, but I disagree. I'm afraid of Americans sometimes myself.


Hmm, Coldplay are sometimes called dad rock. By transition, Keane are mom pop.Really? That's interesting. I didn't know those sort of categories existed. I'm not sure if Coldplay fits into "dad rock," and I'm still unsure of what "mom pop" really refers to. Does it mean its more female in nature then? :confused:

I enjoyed the debate that just transpired in this thread. I'll be tackling two more discs next (one is from Bob Dylan), but I'm only half way through the two disc album by Fountains of Wayne that I got. All of the CDs featured so far have been library rentals. I may review a few December 2007 purchases that I made though.

Derek
01-25-2008, 10:49 PM
I know it's cliche, but my favorite album is still Ziggy Stardust, though the first 7 songs of Low are the height of his career. Of his major albums, I haven't heard Aladdin Sane (which I've always heard good things about until KF...) or Station to Station yet.

Sven
01-26-2008, 04:26 AM
Not bad, but certainly not the pinnacle of his discography.

I recently did a top 100 albums of all-time and guess what I ended up being the album that I think is the greatest ever made? Syco can vouch.

Not only is it the pinnacle of his discography, but is, I think, just about the pinnacle of all albums recorded by a musician.


I've read some interesting opinions from you, but that one may have shocked me the most.

I liked Crash, dude. Come on.

And Low is great, but I'm rather tired of the Eno School of Music telling me that it's his best. Still, pretty great. Warszawa blows my mind every time.

[ETM]
01-26-2008, 04:37 AM
Yes, Hopes and Fears from 2004, which is very good. Bedshaped is a bloody amazing song. It almost makes me cry sometimes. :|

I love Hopes and Fears. Somewhere only we know always gets to me on a personal level.

DSNT
01-26-2008, 05:07 AM
Low is easily my favorite, but not the best starting point for Bowie. That'd be Ziggy or maybe Hunky Dory.

After Low, I like Aladdin Sane and The Man Who Sold the World the best.

Acapelli
01-27-2008, 01:38 AM
Hunky Dory is Bowie's best album as far as I'm concerned.
I always try to be cool and say Low is my favorite, but it's actually Hunky Dory.

krazed
01-27-2008, 08:54 PM
Ziggy and Low for me. Cliche as all hell, but it's true.

MadMan
01-28-2008, 05:17 AM
Hey if I can spark this much discussion with one question I wonder what will go down after I review Highway 61 Revisited.


http://www.fastatmosphere.com/Merchant2/graphics/en-US/mmui/foa-oosp_lg.jpg

I must confess I haven't yet cemented my thoughts on this disc yet, mainly because its a two disc, and also because here Fountains of Wayne presents their unheard stuff, sort of a complete exposure to their "B sides" in a way. Well if this is their lesser known body of work I'd love to discover their actual albums, for here we've got some great stuff. Pop rock to the core, with a dash of witty irrelevance and a mix of youthful cheekiness and a good deal of too smart for their own good lyrics and style.
So yeah I've become a fan of a band most famous for the funny awesome guilty pleasure Stacy's Mom and the really cheerful and lyrically brilliant Mexican Wine. ****

Favorite Song: I'll get back to you on that later. Honestly I don't know which one it is. Goddamn man I'm hooked.

bac0n
01-28-2008, 04:13 PM
Good choice. When it comes to Pop Rock, Fountains of Wayne are tough to beat. Bassist Adam Schlesinger has a side project, Ivy, which is also quite good.

MadMan
02-10-2008, 12:10 AM
More journey through Bob Dylan's work continues. Since my school's library has four other albums of his (I grabbed another one so that leaves three actually) I foresee him being reviewed further on down the road here. Anyways....


http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000024SI.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

After hearing his work from the 70s, 90s and 2000s it was interesting to get a taste of Dylan's efforts from the 60s. Through this album and others he pretty much established his creditionals as not only a creative, innovative artist but also one that managed to combine folk and country music with rock and roll, although the latter element is really somewhat muted in his work. To me this disc only goes to show how that he was a brilliant song writer and even a great guitarist, although I must admit I've always found his singing to be his weakest effort even if I enjoy his voice. Despite some lesser songs "Highway 61" is a rather fantastic, if at times sorrowful and angry, and solidifies me as a hardcore fan. ****

Favorite Song: Highway 61 Revisited-Yeah its a cliche choice, but seriously how the hell can you not love a song that begins with lyrics covering God telling Abraham to kill his son? The whole exchange that follows is just beyond amazing.

Horbgorbler
02-10-2008, 03:32 AM
No one but Dylan could pull off looking cool in that get-up.

MadMan
02-19-2008, 04:21 AM
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2128/1734812756_22c53d09f8.jpg

For the most part I have a great interest in hearing Radiohead's body of work, but I also seem to be warry of them. In part its because so many people hype the band, saying that Radiohead is the best ever and or that they are the best band of the 90s. We shall see about the latter but I highly doubt the former is even remotely true. Still I'll check out the rest of their work anyways, as Hail to the Thief was good if somewhat unspectacular and In Rainbows is awesome.
What I like most about this disc is how it easily veers from the normal to the delightfully eerie, highlighting a viberate world yet masking the strange darkness lying beneath the surface. This I feel is one of the band's strengths and is something they do extremely well, although some of their other songs simply skip the lighter elements altogether. Another thing I really dig about this disc is how some of the songs seem personal, heartfelt and more about tangible things. There's no talk about aliens, computers, going to the moon, or the karma police. Those songs are all well and good but its the band's songs like Creep from one of their earliest albums Pablo Honey and the song Jigsaw Falling Into Place that truly resonate with me.
Thus I must say that while I'm not in love with Radiohead's music quite yet, I'm on the edge. I think that I will find out for certain after I check out some of their 90s works. *** 1/2

Favorite Song: Jigsaw Falling Into Place

D_Davis
02-19-2008, 04:38 AM
My favorite Bowie albums are Station to Station and Young Americans. I love the Thin White Duke era.

I also really like Outside - it's one of the scariest and most atmospheric albums I've ever heard. If you could somehow extract the essence out of Blade Runner and Seven, and then convert the essence into music, I imagine it would sound like this album.

D_Davis
02-19-2008, 04:43 AM
Really? That's interesting. I didn't know those sort of categories existed. I'm not sure if Coldplay fits into "dad rock," and I'm still unsure of what "mom pop" really refers to. Does it mean its more female in nature then? :confused:


...

Why can't people just appreciate solid music, good production, and catchy tunes without having to belittle it with degrading categorization?

Anyways, both my mom and dad have pretty good taste in music, so I guess calling something mom or dad pop isn't all that bad. :)

Acapelli
02-19-2008, 01:41 PM
No one but Dylan could pull off looking cool in that get-up.
I never realized his ridiculous his get-up was until now. Guess that's a testament to Dylan's coolness.

MadMan
02-19-2008, 05:47 PM
I never realized his ridiculous his get-up was until now. Guess that's a testament to Dylan's coolness.I dig the shirt he's wearing on that album cover. Dylan pretty much sported a smaller version of a white 'fro throughout most of his career until he started wearing a cowboy hat later on. I prefer him with the white hat instead.


...

Why can't people just appreciate solid music, good production, and catchy tunes without having to belittle it with degrading categorization?

Anyways, both my mom and dad have pretty good taste in music, so I guess calling something mom or dad pop isn't all that bad. :)My dad has always been a big country/classic rock fan and my mom loves 80s and 90s pop music and some of the older stuff. So yeah they've had a bit of an influence on what I listen to.

MadMan
02-26-2008, 06:57 PM
Basically after this next disc which I will review here I hit a patch of rather disappointing albums. I guess that's what happens when you start a musical journey and stuff of that nature.


http://www.tradebit.com/usr/cjog/pub/9001/Dr-Dre---The-Chronic.png

Since I've only gotten into rap over the past 8-9 years, I've had to catch up on what could be called "Old School" rap. The Chronic falls into that category, and its great stuff. Now I'm not saying that gangster rap is good in a moral sense, as it does glorify a lifestyle is both violent and a quick path to either jail or the grave (something that actually Dre and company touch upon in many of their songs). I'm simply measuring musical quality and talent, the latter of which Dr. Dre has in spades.
The beats are fresh and cool, but to me the best aspects here are the lyrics which are poetry in motion. Some of them are funny in a rather crude yet halfway witty style that to me is hard to describe. You just have to hear it for yourself.
The guest rappers on this disc range from well known ones like Snoop Dog to more obscure ones like The D.O.C. They do provide good support, although Dre's skills as a rap artist are more than enough to carry the album. Basically to me this entire disc was a real blast from the past, a relic from the early 90s of my youth, when rap was still coming into the mainstream and rock was king. Its kind of different nowadays I guess. ****

Favorite Song: Seriously I'm not sure. I dug a good many number of tracks here. I guess for now its Lyrical Gangbang

MadMan
02-15-2010, 04:35 AM
Okay, I'm back. Not sure what I was going to review after that CD, but only one could possibly guess-I haven't finished going through my backlog.

http://www.gibson.com/Files/aaFeaturesImages/never%20mind%20the%20bollocks% 20here%27s%20the%20sex%20pisto ls.jpg

For the most part, this album is a lot of noise and fury. While there is great fun involved, and the noise is certainly entertaining, this disc offers very little in terms of subsistence. Besides The Sex Pistols weren’t that type of band, and while their punk style lacks the smart political style of The Clash (although they too had their share of aimless songs), they are more on the level of The Ramones, although The Ramones are even more fast paced, and a bit on the party side of the old school punk scene. However, with “Anarchy in the UK” and their rather famous “God Save The Queen,” they showcase an embracing of disregarding the mainstream political system, although I can’t agree that they were incredibly and wholly engaged in politics to the extent The Clash were, either.
Still I really enjoyed this album, and I think it is indeed relatively fast, as the band blazes through hardcore cuts such as the classic “Pretty Vacant,” “Bodies,” and “Holiday in the Sun.” To listen to them is to want to smash something, upset the established boring order, and of course rebel, which explains the fact that punk historically attracts the attention of the authorities, whoever they may be (the stereotypical “THE MAN” comes to mind). And that’s the spirit of punk right there, plan and simple. *** ½ /****

Skitch
02-15-2010, 11:22 AM
...Fountains of Wayne...Goddamn man I'm hooked.

Been a fan of these guys for a looooong time.

MadMan
02-15-2010, 06:32 PM
Been a fan of these guys for a looooong time.Awesome. I also must mention that I finally got my hands on Welcome Interstate Managers, and its truly fantastic. One of the best CDs I listened to last year, and it cracked my Top 10 out of 80 CDs overall.

MadMan
02-28-2012, 04:38 AM
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zrvNjelx94A/Ttw-u8K16wI/AAAAAAAAJeA/I_d7TJYGYnU/s1600/blackkeys.jpg

Considering that I've heard six of their albums, and I own five of them, I guess I can consider myself a pretty big fan of The Black Keys. The first time I listened to them, it was my favorite album from them, Magic Potion, and it was 2008. The flood hit my local home town, but before it did I listened to this disc that was two white guys from Ohio playing the blues and infusing some rock 'n' roll, too. Even though they haven't completely evolved their sound, that doesn't matter considering that The Black Keys' last four albums have all been excellent: Magic Potion, Attack & Release, Brothers, and their latest, El Camino.

http://rocknycliveandrecorded.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/FmGT_The_Black_Keys.png

Really this is simplistic like much of their other material, but that doesn't matter when not only the song writing continues to be really great but also the guitar, drum work, plus high production values. I'm still amazed that its only two guys (although I'm sure they have some help every once and a while) continuing to endlessly put out high quality albums. At this point they are on my shortlist of bands and artists that I will buy albums from no questions asked, without even bothering to preview the entire disc first, although I had heard their hit single from El Camino titled "Lonely Boy," which is incidentally the first track, too, and is a really guitar crunching piece. Even though Danger Mouse had a hand in producing this album just like Attack & Release, the two are somewhat different since "Release" was more blues oriented and their latest is more faster paced, which is a good thing.

Even though I don't think this is their best effort, its still worth checking out, especially since I consider The Black Keys to be one of the best bands of the past five-six years. What they plan to do next I'm not sure, although I would like them to maybe mix it up a bit. Yet I will admit that changing what works does not always lead to good or better things, it still wouldn't hurt. ****/****

MadMan
02-28-2012, 04:40 AM
http://tralfaz-archives.com/coverart/R/rush_movingf.jpg

This is the first Rush album I've ever listened to, although I've heard a decent amount of their material previously. Despite now being a fairly casual fan of the band now when I was younger I didn't see the appeal of Rush at all. This was before I realized that bands headlined by guys who sound like chicks when they are singing are not so weird, after all. Besides Neil Peart is indeed one of the greatest drummers of all time, and Getty Lee is a fantastic lead vocalist/bassist/keyboardist, and of course Alex Lifson is not to be forgotten as he is the third member of the band, also. Yet out of just those three guys comes prog/hard rock that is at times rather mindblowing. According to Barnes and Noble's blurb about Moving Pictures, the album was actually not as well received at the time of its release.

http://sqlcruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Rush-band-1978.jpg

This perhaps due to the album's odd structure and subject matter, which some critics apparently labeled as "Pretentious." This is rather silly, as Moving Pictures's greatness is clearly evident by many of its radical tracks. There is not a single bad song on the entire album, and it opens with the classic Tom Sawyer, and also features one of my favorites, Red Barchetta. Not to be forgotten are Limelight and the sprawling, epic track The Camera Eye. How on earth someone could not dig this album is beyond me, unless of course they are not a fan of prog rock which is a shame since progressive rock has resulted in some truly excellent acts. Rush just might be king among them, or at least near the top.

PS: I actually first heard of this album thanks to Adult Swim's Harvey Birdman. In one episode, Phil Ken Sebben says that the law firm's threat level has been "Raised to Rush's Moving Pictures." A line that I always thought was funny. ****/****

Ezee E
02-28-2012, 04:46 AM
Yeah, I like El Camino a lot.

MadMan
02-28-2012, 04:55 AM
I actually prefer it over Brothers now, oddly enough. They really need to work with Danger Mouse more often.