Speak Now (Taylor Swift Album Review)

Taylor Swift, is a recording artist I can dig. She writes her own music, and for better or worse, its something a lot of people in pop music don't do! I really enjoyed MOST of her sophomore attempt, Fearless, and I thought her first self titled album was...okayish. So I didn't really know what we were going to see from Speak Now.

The song writing on this album is weird as hell. Some songs with very strong/simple premises fall apart in the lyrical development until they become cluttered story songs, that your not quite sure what the story was about in the end. Then songs like the revenge song "Better Than Revenge", where normally that idea is hard to work off comes off GREAT! Its my favorite track off the album even. It's just a shame that songs like the rambling "Never Grow Up" or the overly dramatic "Dear John" muck this album down a TON.

I am not gonna surprise anyone by saying this...but this album sounds like the other two Taylor Swift albums! Every Taylor Swift song on every album is exactly the same. With exception of maybe one or two tracks. Adding to the bland sounding Taylor Swift music, you also have overly long songs. Counting in at an average of 4 minutes 30 seconds a song, 53 minutes for the whole album, its nearly unlistenable with how much some songs drag on. Their is some silver in the lining of these clouds though, the song "Haunted", is just amazing and beautiful, the layering of drums and guitars just fits it perfectly with swifts voice. Then theres the song "Better Than Revenge", which is the ultimate fuck off song to someone who stole your lover. The song's: Speak Now, Enchanted, and Sparks Fly are pretty good as well! While the rest of the album runs the line of meh, and bad.

To conclude, Speak Now, is a good attempt at a third album from Ms. Swift but it sadly falls apart due to more of the same music, and some dull lyrics! I give Speak Now a 3 out of 5!

I will leave you with the video for the lead single off of Speak Now, "Mine"

Skylarking [1986] (Classic XTC Album Review)

Welcome to my new blog series; Classic Album Reviews! This new series is kind of a way for me to get in touch with older albums, and provide you guys with album reviews...when there isn't a lot coming out! I hope to make this a weekly thing, so I can review 2 new popular albums, 1 newish indie album, and 1 classic album EVERY WEEK! Anyway without further ado lets get on with the review!

XTC is a band I found out about thanks to the They Might Be Giants song XTC Vs Adam Ant. XTC is one of those rare bands that managed to make separate sounding albums. Its like when you hear an XTC song, you know its an XTC song, but you don't hear the same song over and over again. So when choosing a definitive album on which to review, it was hard. Though after some thought, one their highest selling and arguably BEST album, Skylarking, was my choice!

I don't know whether I should mention the song writing or not! I mean its Andy Fucking Partridge...the man is pure genius...okay and Colin Moulding he was a genius to...but Andy Partridges songs are the best! The Song writing was amazing, the album is like 2 long songs, that just don't end, in a good way! The Lyrics are a jumbled concept, about the changing of seasons, that then switches to the 2nd side, that is about...I am not quite sure to be honest, its got similar themes...but, its more of a loose concept, which is cool to! The first half is a little more psychedelic while the second half is more poppy!

This is one of the best albums of all time and the music proves it. Very simplistic, guitar and bass, with fantastic well produced synth, and Andy Partridges haunting vocals singing every word! The only problem I have with the music is all the synth sounds very fake, and noticeable. It isn't overly distracting it's just a little quirk with the album! My favorite track off the album is Dear God, even though it didn't appear on the original release, it was a B side to the single grass, but became very popular and well known in the US and UK, and 17 years later in 2001 was put on the remastered version of Skylarking! If I had to name my favorite track on the original record it would be mermaid smile, this trippy pop song that is just beautiful, and is the best example of the Skylarking's awesomeness!

Skylarking is fantastic, if you don't own this record...WHATS WRONG WITH YOU! Go out to a classic record store or a thrift store and get the vinyl if your into records. If you want a CD or Digital download GRAB THE REMASTERED VERSION. 5 out of 5, great record, one of my favorites!

I'll leave you with the video for my favorite track Dear God BTW Sorry for the Subtitles in spanish...it was the best quality of the music video Audio and Videowise!

Incredible Machine (Sugarland Album Review)

I didn't want to review this CD I REALLY REALLY REALLY DIDN'T, but this week has had ZERO other major releases for me to review so, against my better judgement, I have decided to undergo this review. I HATE Sugarland, its not that I hate country either. I like Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and even some contemporary artists and bands like Tim McGraw, Zac Brown Band, and Gary Allan...but I JUST CAN'T STAND SUGARLAND. The bitter irony is that Kristian Bush's band Billy Pilgrim, is one of my favorite Folk Rock bands. Sugarland...is just...I DON'T KNOW it makes me angry and PHILLIP WANNA CRUSH! Needless to say though me having to fill my quota of doing at least 1 popular album a week has driven me to the point of madness...WITHOUT FURTHER INTRODUCTION...here is my review of Sugarland's Incredible Machine.

The lyrical, style of this album is very shallow...and I would normally FORGIVE something like that in a pop album, but these lyrics are so shallow they don't get that reprieve! I can't forgive any of this godawful writing...there isn't any depth what-so-ever. I can sometimes forgive that...if it wasn't for the fact that every song has a section where, 2 to 6 words are repeated over and over again for no fucking reason, until you reach the point of delirium. No meaning in this album, its pointless, and the lyrics are not "art", they are trash. Ke$ha songs are better written then this garbage!

The music is...well just...wow. This album might as well be by Jennifer Nettles. The music is just one big ego stroke after another. Her vocals are mixed so loud that when she gets singing her "high" parts you can barely hear any of the background music. Then the best part is there is a song that IS OBVIOUSLY WRITTEN AS A DUET, that just features Nettles singing alone...a love song to herself if you will! The track "Stuck Like Glue", is a love song duet, that is probably the best written thing on the album...to bad in its final form its a duet, that isn't quite a duet, Kristian does sing on the track, but only a little bit on the chorus, and its always backing...and then theres an embarrassing 90's ska sounding part of the song that makes it uncomfortable. The rest of the album is unremarkable, terrible, or just noise. I just don't see how people can listen to this drool!

I can't believe I am doing this but, this album is so awful so terrible, and so...just YUCK. I HAVE NO CHOICE. but to give it my first ever 1 out of 5. Try again Sugarland you have not converted this critic!

Just for a laugh here is the video for their song Stuck Like Glue!

http://MLRTProductions.blogspot.com

Connect The Dots (Rabbit! album review)

I love twitter, I not only get to know amazing people from around with world but I get to vent about my hatred for a majority of pop music, and most importantly I find AMAZING and TALENTED bands. To wash the bad taste of Jimmy Eat World and Bring Me The Horizon, I decided to listen to a band that started following me on twitter. Rabbit! is an Independent band I have fallen in love with in a mere 24 hours! Their album Connect The Dot's is seriously WIN!

The best way to describe the lyrics on this album would be if you took everything good about The Postal Service, Shins, CAKE, and XTC and mixed it all together, these are smart pop lyrics, and I enjoy it. Each song's choice of words incites feelings of happiness and nostalgia, and just happiness! This is just a great album, and a fantastic example of song craft!

The music altogether is very strong. A nice mix of many different instruments electronic and acoustic and damn fine beats go great together with the amazing vocals on all tracks. My two 5 favorite tracks on Connect the Dots would have to be Magic, Ladybug, Pea, Life Is Sweet, and 1-4-3. There isn't much else I can say about the songs besides they are damn good pop music.

To summarize, Rabbit! is a fantastic band that I can see going very far and even though I will get crucified for saying this, Rabbit! isn't as good as XTC...they are better. This kind of music never heard anymore, and I think its a damn shame! I hope that in the next couple years this band goes on to sell platinum without selling out their sound. I give Connect the Dots a 5 out of 5.

I'll leave you with the video for my favorite track off Connect the Dots "Pea"

Pea (Live at the Baldwin Acrosonic)

http://www.myspace.com/saverabbit

http://twitter.com/saverabbit
Rabbit | MySpace Video

There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let's Keep It a Secret (Bring Me the Horizon album review)

This is going to be a long opening paragraph but I have reasons for it being so long. Normally I will explain my relationship with what ever band's album I am reviewing, but in this case I was a blank slate, I had never heard a single song by this band. I didn't even know this band existed until @crabxcakes told me to review their album during a phone conversation. I to be honest knew one thing about Bring Me The Horizon, they were a screamo/metalcore band. THAT IS ALL I KNEW. Now me not liking screamo, I have avoided their music entirely, which is why I have never heard a song by this band. Well now I have heard a song by them, 12 songs in fact, these songs are what encompass the album I am going to review "There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let's Keep It a Secret".

The lyrics are....there are lyrics right...well there are actually I just have to look them up on lyric sites....but I don't feel like doing that so I will just go off of, what I think the lyrics are. So right a majority of the album is features strong lyrical scenes of Arrrgrhrghrghgr and RAWHHHHHH...also GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGH and MAHRRRGARGHERER. That is all I understood from listening to the songs.

On to the music, it sounds good, if it wasn't for the random animal dying noises in the background occasionally accompanied by the word fuck and on a couple songs a guest vocalist. The guitar work is great, and BMTH doesn't constantly use double bass drumming like everyone does now a days, their music actually sounds original. Though I am really considering reporting them to PETA for animal abuse, because I can hear the sound of dogs dying in the background of every song! My question is where are the leads? The biggest problem with the music end next to the WTF worthy vocals is the lack of any real strong lead guitar.

To some this album up, if you don't like Screamo/Metalcore you'll hate it. I hated it, but if I was looking at the perspective of someone who likes that kind of music, then I could see this being a very original and creative album....BUT since I am not that person I give "There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let's Keep It a Secret" a 2 out of 5.

I'll leave you with the lead single from this album "It Never Ends" if you like this song you'll like the album!