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!

Invented (Jimmy Eat World Album Review)

This is going to be a short review because everything I have to say after this sentence will fit into one paragraph!

This is the most mind numbing droning party emo music ever. Its not terrible its just DRONING, if your looking for something to listen to at a party that won't distract people THIS IS TOTALLY THE ALBUM FOR YOU. If you were looking for a great indie/emo album to listen to, sorry your not getting it here. The music and lyrics are POORLY written! Every track sounds so plain and vanilla you will probably not even know its by Jimmy Eat World. This album consists of 10 blah emo tracks and 3 blah indie tracks, it'd just be better to skip this album all together and pick up Bad Religion's FANTASTIC The Dissent of Man, which for a limited time is only 8 bucks at target and is a much better album. Invented gets a 2 out of 5

I will leave you LIKE I ALWAYS do with the first single off of Invented, My best Theory

Ok finally....

Ok, so I got it. Halo:Reach has been in my possession since launch day... And I know I'm late to reviewing it, but there are reasons, I swear. One, my WoW guild leader and me have been hammering out gearing me, her alt, and another guy so we can start raiding and teaching him tanking in a 10/25 man environment... Yeah I'm that guy. And two... well we will get to two.... But lets start with a story.

I get home with Halo:Reach. I'm a huge fan of the story, so naturally I wanna play campaign FIRST, as not only a refresher course of Halo but because well... It is REACH....

For those of you that don't know the name Reach for us Halo fans is huge. Reach was the pin being pulled from the grenade that was Master Chief. The fall of Reach was that part in the story that always gets mentioned but was never seen. Think the "Jedi Wars" from Star Wars and you'll get it. If you don't know that reference well... I pity you.

Getting into the thick of it, your are Noble Six. You are shoved into Noble Team as they are deployed to Reach. Some of them at first are apprehensive. You are filling the shoes of a fallen soldier in a tightly knit platoon. Not to mention much of your past is kept secret. But ONI and the UNSC has plans for reach and you have to help. What follows is a roller coaster ride.

Lets start with any good story really, dialogue and voice acting. Top notch in both regards. It is hard to overstate Bungie's use of words. They weave a great story in every game and this is no exception. The voice actors do an amazing job. And if you have ever seen Castle, Firefly, Serenity, or Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog then there is the treat of hearing Nathan Fillion calling for your backup.

Now, the score was perfect. It was filled with sorrow, pain. It was soft and driving, but filled with the sort of impending doom I love in these stories. Now, again, for those that don't know why it is done this way.... Reach as a planet is taken over. The whole planet falls to the Covenant. And in fact, Halo fans know that what they are doing is futile (kinda) because in the end all the Spartan-IIs (Master Chief is a Spartan-III) that where on Reach die... Noble team is all Spartan...

And as a side note, thank you Bungie for giving me the one sequence in a video game I've always wanted. No spoilers here BUT wait till after the credits. It is possibly the single most effective story telling devices I have felt for the end of a video game series. As I sit here thinking about the heroics, and how the ending is conveyed I am almost in tears. It was simply beautiful. I wanted to see it... but I never wanted to see it... It is a thing that if you are into story telling it is amazing.

Now not everyone that gets Halo games are in it for the story telling.... Now rememeber When I said I'd get to two? Well.... Multiplayer is reason two that this is late. Bungie really raised the bar on arcade shooters. Every weapon feels well balanced and you never feel overpowered. Before the sword or the hammer or the fuel rod canon would make you feel like a God. Well in here, atleast to my eyes, they are very balanced. obviously some weapons are better then others, your not gonna wanna use pistols all the time, but they all have a distinct place. Couple that with some amazing gametypes (my favorite is Headhunter. Think of the rings in Sonic after you kill a guy, you gather them up and then deposit them back at base... the catch? If you don't make it back to base and you die all the heads you carry drop for the other person to pick up) and its addicting. As I type this I'm waiting to turn around and jump into it again.

People have complained that its "Not COD" and to that I say GOOD. This is an ARCADE SHOOTER. This has HEALTHPACKS and guns that DON'T make sense, and physics that are weird, they throw curve balls. If you wanna be competitive and try to outplay and be super 1337 and uber pwnerer and be pro or w.e., play CoD by all means. I'm not stopping you. What I wanna do when I game? I wanna have fun, with friends, I wanna laugh a lot. I wanna relax and just have a good time. Halo:Reach right now to me, for my dollar, is the best console shooter for that purpose.

The Dissent of Man (Bad Religion Album Review)

I am probably one of the biggest Bad Religion fans you'll meet. I was raised on No Control, How Could Hell Be Any Worse, and Against the Grain. When I heard they were streaming their new full length album The Dissent of Man, on Myspace, you could understand why I would be so excited. This is a pre-release review, so the quality of the music I am listening to isn't as good as it would be on CD, so I won't comment to much on production quality to much.

This is Bad Religion so commenting on the writing, is hard to do because they have some of the best written punk songs of all time. I think the writing on this album is up to par with Stranger Than Fiction, smart writing with allusions to literary and scientific knowledge and that special kind of tongue and cheek word play. Their debut single "The Devil In Stitches" is probably one of the best examples of that, its such a smart song that might go over some peoples heads, but most will get the word play and allusions. The only thing I can really comment on is this album has a little bit more pop sensibility than their previous 2 albums.

As far as the recorded music sounds, it really reminds me of Social Distortion, which isn't a bad thing at all. It still sounds like a Bad Religion album, its just it has a lot of great guitar riffs in the background and a poppy vibe going against the melodic hardcore sound that Bad Religion in a lot of ways defined. They do have songs on the album that are Melodic Hardcore, like the great song "Meeting of the Minds", its just its mixed in there with Pop Punkish songs like "Won't Somebody" and "The Resist". Its a nice change of pace as most BR albums start to blur together if you listen to them to long. My 5 Favorite tracks on this album are The Devil In Stitches, Won't Somebody, Meeting of the Minds, The Resist Stance, and my favorite song on the album "Cyanide".

To conclude, The Dissent of Man, is a great album, and a very fun listen. At 40 minutes long it is totally worth full price, but Target will for a short time be selling it for $9 for a short time after its release. So if you wanna buy the CD you can get it September 28th at Target! I definitely recommend this album to everyone except, people who hate punk, and those who think atheists eat babies. I give the Dissent of Man a 5 out of 5

I will leave you guys with the single "The Devil in Stitches"

Hurley (Weezer Album Review)

Weezer is a band I really love, in fact one of my favorite albums of all time is Pinkerton, and I love everyone of their albums except Make Believe....well until I heard Raditude. Raditude was just awful I hated it, it wasn't the worst album ever it was just so disappointing coming after the instant classic of the Red Album. So when I heard Hurley was going to be release LESS THAN A YEAR after Raditude, you could understand how I would be skeptical about this release. Honestly I thought it was just some contractually obligated thing they had to do for Epitaph like some contract revision that said they had to release their first Epitaph album as fast as possible. After listening to it, I find something special about it, something that makes it better then Raditude and even the Red Album in some regards.

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The song writing reminds me of the old indie rock Weezer, before they went overtly pop rock. I have nothing against the Pop Rock stuff Weezer has done, I mean I love Maladroit and the Red Album, its just hearing this reminds me of the Green Album, Pinkerton, and the Blue Album. Rivers is back from whatever funk he was in with Raditude, and you can tell this is grade A Weezer song writing at its best. The only problem with any of the writing is on the song "Memories" there is a lyric "back when Audioslave was still Rage" its kind of easy to see that this song was not written in the last 4 years, and that it was meant for either Make Believe or Maladroit.

The songs as a whole are honestly just beautiful, taking the style of music from Pinkerton and mixing it with the synth from Maladroit with improved talent, just make pure eargasm. There is not a single song on the album...well except for the cover of "Viva La Vida", but thats because I despise Coldplay. If I had to pick my favorite 5 songs from the album it would probably have to be "Ruling Me", "Unspoken", "Run Away", "Smart Girls", and "Memories".

To close you guys out, Hurley is what Weezer was trying to do with Raditude. It seems to me this is the record Weezer has been trying to make since Maladroit, its just the Label wouldn't let them. I was terrified when I heard Weezer was releasing a new album less than a year after Raditude, fast forward to now, I am excited to hear that Weezer is planning on releasing a new record less than a year after Hurley.

Anyway I will leave you guys with the Video for "Memories" Featuring the boys from Jack Ass 3D

Albums That Changed My Life: Boxcar Racer (self titled)

This is a series of blogs that I am trying out. Once a week every Saturday morning I will write one blog about albums that changed my life. If people don't like it or if I get an overwhelmingly negative response I won't do any more. Anyway on to the blog.

Boxcar Racer's self titled was the first album I listened to all the way through. When I was like 8 I knew there was a band called blink 182, and I knew my two older brothers listened to them and I heard a couple songs, but one day my brother brings over his Boxcar Racer CD when he was visiting. He forgot to take it back with him and I stole it essentially for 2 months, I listened to it over and over again. It was the first album I had ever listened beginning to end.

This was the album that made me a music geek. The tracks that have stayed with me for almost 9 years now would have to be "I Feel So", "Tiny Voices", "Letters to God", and "My First Punk Song", just all such memorable tracks. In re-listening to the album I would have to say the entire album is amazing, it's just such a great mix of song writing and musicianship. Its not very often you can say that an album you listened to as a kid over and over again holds up like Boxcar Racer's self titled has.

One thing that always bugged me when I was a kid, but now I understand is why didn't they make a second album? Then it just clicked, the reason there is only one boxcar racer album is because the first one says everything. below is the music video for "There Is" the 10th track from one of the best albums of all time.

The Pretty Reckless' "Light Me Up" album review

This review has been a few days coming, its just I haven't had time since I got this album off of Itunes UK to write a review! Now that I do I can finally give my thoughts on this album...buy it!

Okay maybe that wasn't a good enough review that this album deserves, so as standard to my format lets talk about the song writing. "Light Me Up" doesn't fall for the same traps that most modern rock albums by popular bands fall into (ahem Nickleback and Kings of Leon). Every song's lyrics are very unique, you don't have 10 songs that sound the same (like Nickleback and Kings of Leon), it also features a very creative use of metaphors that don't fall flat (yeah I don't like Nickleback and Kings of Leon so what), and this just pop rock songwriting at its best! Last time I had seen writing this good I'd have to go back to 2008, with Cage The Elephant's debut and I LOVED THAT ALBUM TO DEATH!


How about the music supporting the lyrics? I'd say its better then the lyrics, I am reminded a lot of "Mellon Collie and The Infinite" with the mix of punkish hard rock song rock songs and power ballads that use classical instruments. If there are two song that is the WOW track to this album I'd say they are "Goin' Down" or "Just Tonight" because both show the best this album has to offer! The only song I am not a big fan of is "You", and its only because it sounds like a thrown on acoustic song. AND if I wanted to be knitpicky I could say that "Miss Nothing" and "Goin' Down" is to much power to be put back to back...but that'd be anal!

Normally my last paragraph is giving my final summations, and telling you guys whether this album is good or not...its 5 out of 5 stars...but I feel I need to address some things OTHER reviewers have been saying. I have been hearing a lot of people (mainly kids and 40 year old women) arguing either that front woman Taylor Momsen is the next Courtney Love or Cherie Currie or the opposing side that says she is like neither. I have to agree with the opposing side, SHE IS NOTHING LIKE COURTNEY OR CHERRIE. I mean if I had to compare Momsen to anyone it would be Billy Corgan, Dave Grohl, or to name one female Poe...actually yeah she reminds me a lot of Poe! Another thing I should address before leaving you with a music video, is how some people dislike Nothing left to Lose because it doesn't sound like something that 16 (now 17) year old Momsen could have written...its because I don't think she did, while no official word, this song sounds like it was written by a guy most likely songwriting partner and Pretty Reckless' guitarist Ben Phillips...just wanted to put that out there.

Anyway I'll leave you guys with the video for Miss Nothing (only watchable if you are from the United States) Light Me Up Available in the US September 7th, and Available now in the UK