Amazon.com

Franz Ferdinand is an unrelentingly smart, fluffy, and fun debut. This Scottish four-piece plays vaguely angular, guitar-heavy post-pop that makes you want to dance around the room while playing air guitar. It's the ideal hipster guilty-pleasure music for 2004. This is what the Rapture and Interpol would sound like if they wrote songs half as good as those they rip off, or the Strokes if their parents had sent them to art school instead of the fashion academy. Every song on here is so blatantly derivative it sounds almost original, like a modern Blur without the gloomy hangover. It's too early yet to tell if this is just a band for the moment or one for the ages--but who really cares with pop music, anyway? Songs like "Darts of Pleasure," "Come on Home," "Take Me Out," and "Cheating on You" are so good they will surely appeal to those without slanty, messy haircuts. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (126)

ok this album is pretty damn ok...
franz ferdinand are like this year's britney spears of "indie" rock. last year was yeah yeah yeahs, and the year before was the strokes. i love all these bands and own all the music they have put out, but these bands are far too derivative to be "saving" rock n roll, or making any real mark in music other than the fact that they are all pretty ok and are somewhat popular (shock! decent music selling records?!?)and they are being hailed as rock messiahs in a britney-ruled music world. which i guess is a bit of a feat. hmmmmm. ok im rambling. this album is pretty great, they sound like stripped-down, less distorted vocals strokes. its good stuff. "michael" is f***ing great. so i guess buy it. these guys deserve your money more than britney or sum 41. and hey, they get indie cred by being great friends with belle and sebastian. and one last thing... how come "take me out" starts out AWESOME, then gets really lame?

Rock Out
Length - 38:45
Let me start off by saying that this album doesn't really present any exceptional new sound, groundbreaking material or brilliant rehashings of The Beatles. Nonetheless, it's a damn good album, and I'm quite glad that I bought it. As far as the music goes, I think The Strokes comparisons that are being made are valid to some extent. The vocals are strikingly similar on some tracks, the chords and bass sound alike, and the overall energy and exuberance of Franz is comparable to The Strokes. Contrastingly, I think Franz is more exciting, easier to dance to, and the songs are a bit more variegated (I have a hard time distinguishing between most of the tracks on Room On Fire). Another great part about this album is that there aren't any bad songs. There are at least two songs I skip on both Strokes records each time I listen to them. But Franz, solid straight through. In a word, if you're into The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand will be a fine purchase for you. If you care, my favorite tracks include the jaunty Tell Her Tonight, the manic Take Me Out and the brilliant, hypnotic closer, 40'.

wooo---ROCK!
All the songs in this album are fantastic!! Franz Ferdinand is an incredibly talented band that creates fearless music! They respect many different genres of music and they aren't (...) enough to say so. So, you see, you dimwitted metal rock punktards, you don't have to publicly hate pop music to be successful. No fear!!! wooo! music! wooo! WOOO!!! WOOOOOOO!!!

Franz Ferdinand kicks ass!!
okay where do i start this is the greastest alt rock alblum ever enough said

If I could only have one CD for the rest of my life...
Okay, well, who knows what my taste will be like when I'm an old person? But, I know what I like at this phase in my life, and it is precisely what Franz Ferdinand dishes out: unabashed, fun, get-up-and-dance rock music. From start to finish, this album is highly listenable. It's one of those discs that you can have on in the background and not get sick of it on repeat for a few hours, AND you can sit and listen to the lyrics and still appreciate it. People who say they dislike FF seem to have lost all ability to laugh and have fun without pretension. While music elitists seem rather disappointed that this band has achieved a wide fan base in a short time, the rest of us will be enjoying ourselves on the dance floor. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Few songwriters are as cinematic as Robert Earl Keen. In the tradition of Keen's classic "The Road Goes on Forever" and "Merry Christmas from the Family," his eleventh album finds the Texas troubadour transforming indelible characters, vivid description, and narrative drive into movies for the ear. He delves into the surreal with "The Great Hank," a spoken-word barroom vignette that features Hank Williams in a time warp (and in drag). He turns a fable about animals into a tale as dark and twisted as film noir in "Mr. Wolf and Mama Bear," and enlists a vocal cameo from Ray Price and a serenade from Mariachi Estrella to provide the soundtrack for the droll story of cantina overindulgence in "A Border Tragedy." Even the tender title song, about the touring musician missing his wife, shows his eye for evocative detail, with one of Keen's warmest vocals to date. Produced by his bandleader/guitarist Rich Brotherton, the album's musically expansive arrangements match the ambition of the storytelling, with guest banjo from the Bad Livers' Danny Barnes, a lovely soprano sax by John Mills on the title cut, and Celtic pipes from E.J. Jones on "The Traveling Storm." Keen may well expand his audience along with his musical range, as the uptempo "The Wild Ones" could pass as a John Hiatt cut, while "Broken End of Love" has an echo of Tom Petty. --Don McLeese ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Great American Songwriter, Singer and Performer
I bought this cd at a recent live show by REK that I attended and have to say this one's a good one.He performed some of the songs on the cd at the show and everyone there was very accepting, especially when he sang the Hank song.REK is one of America's treasures, a great songwriter, performer and vocalist.Get this one, you will not be disappointed.

A MUST HAVE
This is REK's finest album yet.Some instant classics that will be must plays at all of his concerts - For Love, What I Really Mean and Broken End of Love.The whole album from start to end is a winner.Buy it now!You will not want to take it out of your cd player.

REK returns to form
I cant tell you how happy I was when I first listened to this CD.
REK is back in good form. good songs and good production. Highly recommend it.
This is a very happy surprise after his last 2 releases.
Gravitational Forces had BAD production and decent songs.
Farm Fresh Onions had BAD production AND Bad songs.

yeeehaahes back and Im loving it

REK you did it!!!!!!!!!!!
FANTASTIC!!!! BUY THIS ALBUM!! Ever sInce Gringo Honeymoon REK has been working. Searching. Trying different things. I applaud his efforts and have always loved the music, but let me say Robert Earl Keen has finally done it. This album is fantastic. This is the first album I have listened to each track TWICE before moving on to the next song. His songwriting is superb. This CD has the old school REK that we all fell in love with but with that twist he has been working towards for nearly 10 years. He is NOT the pluck pluck yuk yuk performer that he was afraid of becoming. Superb. You just gotta buy this CD. Sit back with a cold one and enjoy. What I really mean is this possibly the best REK album yet!

What I Really Mean is Buy This CD
I have been listening to an advance copy of this album for almost two months. I have played it so often that my wife wants me to leave the house. She thinks I have a weird sickness for REK music, which I probably do. That said, I can tell you that this is an amazing CD and probably the best effort of Robert's long career. I think it could be the break out album for the premier singer songwriter from Texas.

Although I liked Farm Fresh Onions, I am really a bigger fan of some of his earlier stuff. Several songs off Bigger Piece of Sky, especially Paint the Town Beige and Crazy Cowboy Dream have always been my favorite REK tunes. I still listen to Picnic often. My favorite songs on it are: Over The Waterfall, Running With The Night and 4th of July.

If you share my love for those early songs, you are really going to like What I Really Mean. The song writing is vintage REK, and the band is excellent. Rich Brotherton may be the most under rated guitar player in the world. The rhythm section is as solid (game) as always on every song. The addition of Danny Barnes on banjo adds nicely to the sound of several tracks.

My favorite cuts on the CD are the title track with its catchy sax, banjo and wonderfully descriptive lyrics. I also love Broken End of Love. Even Bob Dylan hasn't written a song that uses the word metamorphosis. I also like the last cut, Ride, with its bouncy kind of rhythm and great lyrics.My 3-year-old daughter, who is a huge REK fan, likes Ride the best, along with Mama Bear.

If you are already a fan or just curious about Robert's music, you need to buy this CD. You will not be disappointed. Buy it and tell a friend. ... Read more

Reviews (218)

The Postal Service -- Give Up | Junkmedia.org Review
...

Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello and Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard knew they were on to something good as soon as they finished collaborating on the track "(This is) the Dream of Evan and Chan." That compelling combination of Tamborello's melodic knob-twiddling and Gibbard's literate vocals and forlorn delivery was the triumph of Dntel's acclaimed 2001 release Life Is Full of Possibilities. Not long after that first collaboration, The Postal Service was born. The relative strangers began recording in December 2001, swapping tracks on CD-Rs through the mail.

Listening to the act's debut brings back the same sort of giddiness inspired in me by New Order's Low Life when I first picked it up a decade-and-a-half ago. The Postal Service expertly channels that adolescent spirit with an awkward blend of dance beats and melodic songwriting. However, the duo has updated the sound for the millennial set, pleasantly mixing Depeche Mode beats and bass lines, Pet Shop Boys melodies and Warp Records-styled twinkling tones and clicks. Orchestral samples and pseudo horns add an unusual flavor to "Clark Gable." Chunky, monophonic Casio-sounding keys tie the vocals to the beat in "Nothing Better."

Two of the album's highlights appear right at the front end of the record. The first song, "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight," leads with brooding organ, before beats saunter in and steadily cruise through the first verse and chorus to a clean, ringing guitar riff. A second chorus pumps even harder and defies you to not sing along. This despite a characteristically bumming realization repeated by Gibbard: "I am finally seeing why I was the one worth leaving" (Christ, Benny, just stick a fork through my heart, why don't you?). Track two, "Such Great Heights," has already been released as a single. The catchy number apes Rod Stewart's "Young Turks," especially the beat and understated arrangement, albeit in an electro fashion.

The remainder of Give Up is solid, though Gibbard's lyrics are less potent by the middle of the record, and Tamborello burrows perhaps a little too deeply into some of the thinner sounds of the cold '80s era that inspires him. "Sleeping In" stumbles a bit with Gibbard's trite invocation of the JFK assassination, but the murmured chorus, "Don't wake me, I plan on sleeping in," that drapes over a quiet acoustic guitar phrase is strong enough to carry the entire song.

Perhaps the only shortcoming of Give Up is that the adherence to pop shuts out some of the more interesting electronic elements explored on Life Is Full of Possibilities. "Natural Anthem" is probably the most adventurous Postal Service tune, utilizing a relatively heavy break-beat, a looping string sample and more aggressive production, but clearly the duo's strengths are geared more toward hit-making than trailblazing. So, while the record isn't necessarily an instant classic, the unabashed embrace of simple pop sensibilities, both old and new, make it a record that is hard to stop listening to.

Jay Breitling

Electronica redeemed...?
This album of dancy electronic pop hasn't left my MP3 player since I bought it. It's like finding a lost and prescient New Order album circa 1985, filled with compelling and instantly memorable melodies. The lyrics are quite wordy, but they are also quite good, like on the melancholic opener, a guy going to visit his ex in a new city:

"Smeared black ink...Your palms are sweaty and I'm barely listening to last demands...I'm staring at the asphalt wondering what's buried underneath: There I am. Wear my badge--a vinyl sticker with big black letters adhering to my chest. Tells your new friends I am a visitor here, I am not permanent..And the only thing keeping me dry is: You seem so out of context in this gaudy apartment complex/I'm a stranger with a doorkey explaining that I'm just visiting/I am finally seeing why I was the one worth leaving."

"Give Up" is an excellent, warm and human example of a genre in which one's connection can sometimes get lost amongst the bleeps and blips of synths and Casios. One of last year's best!

Perfect Balance
I have never been a fan of electronic music... and to be quite honest I probably won't convert anytime soon. I've always felt that the music never had an heart or substance to it; it was just too cold. So when one of my friends gave me this CD to listen to, I was worried and immediately the electronic bleeps and blurps made me tune out. But then I listened a bit more, to the lyrics and the melody and how perfectly they combined. This CD is amazing because you take the amazing emo-esque lyrics (honest, heart breaking... I love "I am finally seeing why I was the one worth leaving") and combine it with the most peppy and catchy music ever. I actually got to see them in concert (lucky me!!!) and I was worried how the album would translate but it was even better than the cd. This amazing little project is must for anyone, period; no matter what style of music you like.

lovely
i have to say, i really enjoyed listening to this album. To be honest, one may get tired of the seemingly redundant pop/synthesizer beats but my that is hard to say, because this album altogether is just heavenly. My favorites are such great heights and brand new colony. i am looking forward to purchasing a few death cab cds also...

Gorgeous in every aspect
Wow what a great album. Benjamin Gibbard is one of my favorite artists of all time, so I bought this with high hopes. I had never heard of Tamborello, but hey, my focus was Gibbard. When I first listened to it, i really did try to keep an open mind, and then I ended up hating it. About a month later, I popped it in again after listening to every single Death Cab for Cutie album, and all of a sudden i was tapping my feet and flipping through the lyric book rapidly. How could i have ever thought this bad??!!

As always Gibbard delivers with sharp, smart, and epic lyrics, turning what is obviously small events into the most important thing the world. The electronica takes some getting used to, but by the time you get past it, you see how perfect with the melancholic perfection of Gibbard.

The standout tracks are #2, Such Great Heights, all for its lyrics, "i am thinking its a sign that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned; #4, which is a duet played out like a tense and pleading conversation between Gibbard and a girl who is leaving him; and #8, This Place is a Prison, which is an extremely mournful song rife with touching lyrics.

All in all a brilliant and lasting album. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A side project doesn¹t usually hit gold, especially when said project is a quirky virtual collective fronted by cartoon characters. But the first, self-titled album by Gorillaz--the brainchild of illustrator Jamie Hewlett and Blur frontman Damon Albarn--actually hit platinum and turned into a surprise worldwide hit. Naturally expectations were a lot higher for Gorillaz's sophomore effort, but Demon Days actually is even better than its predecessor. With producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura gone, Albarn, a.k.a. 2D, has paired up with DJ Danger Mouse (responsible for the infamous Grey Album that illegally mixed the Beatles and Jay-Z) to steer the musical ship, while a whole new slew of guests enlivens the proceedings. Albarn has described Demon Days as being darker, but there's a real kooky dance-party vibe coursing through the CD. Despite its somber tone, "Kids with Guns" is lifted by a killer bass line, for instance, while the catchy first single, "Feel Good Inc," is augmented by an appealing contribution from De La Soul. Other noteworthy guests include Roots Manuva and Tricky collaborator Martina Topley-Bird on the dubby "All Alone" and Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder on the bouncy "DARE." And yet it's a 69-year-old actor who gets to deliver the most baffling contribution--just listen to Dennis Hopper's spoken-word narrative on "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head." Elisabeth Vincentelli ... Read more

Reviews (56)

Best Album So Far This Year
This is definitely the best album I have heard this year, although my exposure to today's music isn't exactly all encompassing.As other people have said, this second album is different than the Gorillaz' first one. The absence of Del really hurts the rap segments in this second album.This is not to say the hip hop is bad, it's just that in the first album, Del WAS Russell and it's now hard to separate the two.As a long time Blur fan though, I like Damon's voice which is (as usual) found throughout the album.The beginning tracks and the end ones are the strongest.The middle ones are not bad, just weaker than the other parts.However, the album is really cohesive and looking at the pictures and the lyrics (found online) you can really see a message.

As for the people trying to rip the tracks off the CD, I had no problem using abcde on my NetBSD box to convert the tracks to .ogg files (in fact there are already two CDDB entries for the CD, meaning people have been ripping the CD).It could just be a Windows thing, which sucks for you guys, because I can listen to the songs on my iRiver.Also there is a pretty cool remix of Feel Good Inc and Cake's Never There online.Just google "gorillaz cake feel good" and you'll find it.

An amazing album, despite its little quirks.
Note, before you read on, just know that I myself do not like the Rap genre. It doesn't appeal to me and I just never really liked it.

Even with that though, I completely LOVE this Album. One of its quirks being that there was an over usage of rap in "Demon Days" as opposed to their first CD, but even with that, this Album executes everything greatly.

Unlike the first CD, alot of the songs go right into the other. It gives the CD a great flow and it's very enjoyable when listening to it on your car or CD player.

The only thing that really stopped me from giving this CD 5 stars is the poorly executed rap, mainly in the song "Dirty Harry". I don't have any problem with the rap in the songs (Feel Good Inc., November has Come, All Alone) but in Dirty Harry, it was just so unnecessary.The song length is 3:43, for the first two minutes, you hear this great beat, a great song. Then the rapping starts and it just sounds so out of place. It kind of ruined the flow since if it's skipped, Feel Good Inc. starts up, and "Dirty Harry" plays into "Feel Good Inc."

That and the loss of Miho Hatori (Vocally, at least), at times you kind of lost the feeling of listening to the Gorillaz and it felt more like a CD with Damon Albarn and special guests.

Overall, it's a great CD, a real accomplishment for the Gorillaz, but just little things that prevent it from being a truly great Album.

Copy protection prevents enjoyment on iPods and Windows XP
If you enjoy listening to music on your iPod or Windows XP based computer then this is not the album for you. Virgin Records America appears to have decided to copy protect the release of Gorillaz 'Demon Days'. The disc will not play when inserted into a Windows XP based computer (i.e. when browsing to the disc from your My Computer icon the disc appears to be blank).

This album is ideal for your car, home audio cd player, or portable cd player if your playback device is compatible with the copy protection contained within this release.

One should also note that there is no notice of copy protection nor compatibility requirements anywhere on the packaging of the Gorillaz 'Demon Days' album.

If you have purchased this CD and wish to contact Virgin Records then do not bother attempting to e-mail their web master from the Virgin Records web site: all e-mails bounce back as being undeliverable. A more appropriate title for this album would have been "Paying Customers are Thieves".

all-in-one-album
First I have to say I was spinning holes in my floor waiting for the new album from Gorillaz.Ever since he left Blur, everything Damon Albarn has touched has turned into gold from my point of view!

When I got the disc I was very excited and awfully afraid that the follow-up was going to be mediocre.But no Sir!From "last Living souls" with it's oldschool and childish discorhythms via Roots Manuvas punching word-spitting performance on "all alone" to the finalizing three-track tale with Dennis Hopper's trustgiving voice and Heavenly London Community Gospel Choir shouting me right into the center of Gorillaz' weird and wonderful world of playful artistic anarchy!

The melodies on this disc are pure popmusic-art.And the wrapping is ever-changing with all kinds of styles thrown together and with twists and brakes and surprising bridges around every corner.

My most pleasent surprise was the amount of oldskool sounds.Some of the tracks give me associations to the swedish underground synthpopband The Knife.

Buy it!

Great Band ..... Poor Label
Everything that needs to be said about the sheer greatness of Gorillaz has been said.Demon Days is surely one of the albums of the year.
However , one little (it's actually huge).... Has anyone been able to rip Demon Days onto their computer? I'm having enormous problems doing so. If anyone has had problems yet was able to rip, can you please advise on this website or....email me at 'cortez-the-raven@hotmail.com'.
Cheers

P.S. The album is bananas!!!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The warm melancholy of Gary Lightbody's voice makes for a versatile instrument on Snow Patrol's Final Straw, artfully balancing bright anthemic rock with disparate reference points like Belle and Sebastianand My Bloody Valentine. Aching with loves both lost and leaving, it's a voice that producer Garrett Lee uses as a jumping off point, dropping fat guitars, electronic noise, and eclectic instrumentation in with Lightbody's breathy, moody depth. The band plays around with wild shifts of texture; "Gleaming Auction" veers in seconds from a relaxed shuffle to a shoegazing crunch, while a blanket of fuzzbox swagger calls forth the ghost of T. Rexon "Tiny Little Fractures." But just when you're ready to throw the record on random shuffle with Electric Warrior or maybe Heaven Tonight, the band lays down a pastoral ballad like "Same." Somehow it holds together beautifully, stuffed with songs that reward repeat listens and ear candy that keeps you full for days. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Most unique sound in years!
Snow patrol's third effort final straw just completely blows the previous two out of the water! Every song is wonderful and has its own sound. I first heard snow patrol when their single Run was featured on the season finale of one tree hill on the WB, and then I was hooked I bought the album about a week ago and now I can say that this is the best album yet this year. From the amazing opening How to be dead, to the fantastic Same, this album has something for everyone. Wow continues the album and throws everything at you. The next two tracks gleaming auction and whatevers left get better with each listen, and then comes the slam. Spitting games, chocolate, and Run best every other song on the album, and are some of the best in recent memory. The beautful Run, however, rises above everything else. Then comes grazed knees, the albums low point. It's a good song, but after the three big hits, it's just kind of a letdown. However, way's and means delivers to bring the album back up and then comes the fantastic tiny little fractures and the absorbing Somewhere a clock is ticking, and then finally the amazing same caps off the album in a excellent piece of music that reminds me of matchbox 20. All the songs are wonderful, however, there is one flaw. The order of the songs. The first four are exactly where they should be, but then comes the problem. After that should have followed Grazed knees, ways and means, tiny little fractures, and somewhere a clock is ticking,not Spitting games, chocolate, and run. Run should have been the final track. The rest hardly matters as long as the first track is how to be dead. Run gets you up into this emotional spot and then drops you back to the harder stuff.If grazed knees had been track five, played before the three best, the album would be without a low point. Oh well, great album just the same.

Snow Patrol's bittersweet sound
'Final Straw' basically combines catchy melodic Britpop with the fuzzy-guitar sounds of a My Bloody Valentine or Six By Seven. Not necessarily white-noise, rather leaning towards the chunky riffs of Blur's self-titled album with a bit more rhythm. The vocals almost seem like a more muted Chris Martin, spacey and brooding. Occasionally you'll hear a more delicate touch, typical of countrymen Belle And Sebastian and Reindeer Section, but overall Snow Patrol has a energetic, catchy, brash sound. The CD basically infuses elements of fuzz-rock with UK indie-pop creating something a little different. Although 'Final Straw' won't exactly score points for musical innovation, it's not bad, and should capture the attention of listeners/media...for a little while anyways.

Anti-Climactic Greatness
I just graduated college and I'm looking for jobs, so you know what that means... I'm broke. Who am I kidding, I don't buy half the music I used to simply because I can't afford it and I know my way around a computer better than most. But I bought this cd, and thank God I did. It's the only cd I've purchased in months, and well worth it.
Their single "Spitting Games" is definitely the most radio friendly track, but by no means their best song on the album. Songs like "Run" and "Somewhere a Clock is Ticking" have raw emotion that's soft but very soulful. The songs express feelings through the great lyrics and music. You'll find no teenage angst screaming or whaling guitars on this album; just honest well done music. When I first heard the album it brought me back to a lot of the soul searching and alternative bands of the 90's like collective soul, gin blossoms, nada surf, but with a new twist. Kind of like Jimmy Eats World meets Collective Soul.
Overall it's a refreshing and relaxing rock album that's full of good lyrics, vocals and music. It's an album that grows more and more on you as you listen to it.

one of the best cds i've ever bought
perfectly thought out sums it up. there is not a song i don't like. every one is as good as the next. i get so sick and tired of listening to bands that sound the same but snow patrol differs. their sound is calming and at the same time you can still rock out to it (if that makes any sense). i heard like 5 seconds of the first couple of songs and bought the cd and there has not been a day where i didn't play it at least once. anyway i highly recommend this cd to everyone even the rednecks i live around.

Wow, Run to the store and get this album..
or rather, "add to cart" on Amazon.com.

I first heard about Snow Patrol in an article about possible summer 2004 anthems. I listened to the recommended song "Run", and was immediately struck by the chords and vocals. The song's sound is reminiscent of Coldplay's Yellow, but Snow Patrol are definitely not copycats; for one, they're catchier and brighter. In fact, the whole album is very very catchy. Don't be surprised to discover new favorites on every listen!

Well, summer's almost halfway over and it appears less talented acts like Avril are still somehow dominating the airwaves. Do yourself a favor and check out this gem of an album. ... Read more

Amazon.com

While the cocktail lounge fad has seen more than a few musicians climbaboard as a career move, the members of Pink Martini are no bandwagon-ridingaficionados. Fronted by pianist Thomas Lauderdale, Pink Martini is the real article--aband that approaches the music with unwavering seriousness yet never forgets the fun atthe heart of it.Sympathique, the band's debut album reveals an incrediblydiverse musical vocabulary on the part of frontman Lauderdale. And what singer ChinaForbes lacks in range and dynamics, she more than compensates for in attack, approach,and a clear understanding of the material. While most of the songs are upbeat, in thehands of Lauderdale and Forbes, "Qué será será," with its dark atmospherics should berechristened "Qué será noir." --Wayne Pernu ... Read more

Reviews (132)

Sympathique, Fantastique!
Pink Martini is a Portland based band and therefore, I am already biased. However, if you enjoy truly great music by truly talented people, this CD is for you. Do you like old French clasics or just music that gets your soul moving? Then listend to some tracks and place your order!
"Bolero" is absolutely beautiful! You can tell it's the original song, but their added and updated alternations of this piece makes it a new classic of their own. The cello intro is deep and throaty and when the piano moves in, you actually FEEL like you're in a different country, touring the vinyard hillsides...
The lead female vocalist (China Forbes) has a wonderful voice and allows songs like "Amando Mio" to ring out and demand attention...again, listening to Thomas Lauderdale's fingers work magic on the piano allows this song to be one of their top pieces. And if that's not enough, both of these musicians graduated cum laude from Harvard University.
This CD is almost 5 years old and their 2nd CD has been postponed for a couple years, sending the Portland crowd into a frenzy on the much anticipated next albulm due spring of 2003. The male lead vocalist is no longer with the band (Pepe Raphael on "Donde Estas Yolanda"), but his first solo albulm is excellent, respectively as well (Pepe and the Bottle Blondes) which turns out some great Spanish influenced songs that make you want to jump up and yell "Cha-Cha!!!"

Still one of my favorites!
I bought this CD when it came out years ago -- frontman Thomas Lauderdale is an old friend of mine. Call me biased, but this CD is still one of my favorites! The music has universal appeal, blending big band, latin beats, campy lounge-lizard music, and classical pieces into a groovy and infectious package. I would have expected nothing less from Thomas. These songs have popped up as background music on the "Sopranos," in a Lexus commercial, and in several coffeehouses I've visited -- it's so cool to see Pink Martini getting the exposure and raves they so richly deserve!

I just saw them live the other night, and they are even better in person. Unfortunately, CDs just can't record the sheer joie de vivre this group has -- they love what they do, and it shows. They opened with "Bolero," which was amazing, powerful, and breathtaking, and closed their encore with "Acuarela de Brazil," which brought people to their feet (it's hard to sit still to this music!)

Those who love this CD would be happy to hear that the next CD is anticipated next year (one of the band members told me it was 2/3 in the can). They busted out a few new songs at the concert I attended, and, like "Sympathique," they ranged from lush classical renditions to clever tongue-in-cheek ditties. Pink Martini throws in a generous splash of international flavoring to create refreshingly original material (over the course of the night, lead singer China Forbes sang in Japanese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Croatian), and finds inspiration in unexpected places. The "Song of the Black Lizard" was an homage to a Japanese drag queen; one new tune performed at the concert was inspired by a classic Heinz ketchup ad.

Get this CD -- and try to see them live if you can!

Without a doubt, my favorite CD in my collection
Simply put, this graceful compellation of sounds is my most favorite in my collection of over 600 albums. These Oregonians reach to all ends of the earth for musical inspiration and then brilliantly synthesize it into something entirely fresh. This CD is perfect for pleasing all generations of listeners, and if you get the chance, Pink Martini is fantastic in concert...nothing is done to their sound in a studio...all of the talent on all of the instruments is God given.

Simply Fantastic
Went to Oregon for a friend's wedding and discovered this CD (they used part of the music at their reception) and immediately fell in love with it--cannot stop playing it! The title track is simplly fantastic, as are the other tracks on this album. Some are upbeat, others haunting, still others evoke a sense of poignant wistfulness that is irresistible. And the reinterpretation of Que Sera Sera is brilliant. If Pink Martini is reading this PLEASE--put out another album--your fans are waiting!

It's all been said
So many people have written reviews on this cd that describe just how infectious it is, that I need say no more. My only comment is WHEN oh, WHEN is Pink Martini going to put out another album?!!! I'm beginning to lose hope. Thankfully I will probably never tire of this one. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Is it too early for a Britpop revival? Not on the watch of Leeds quintet Kaiser Chiefs, who just a decade after the release of Blur's scene-making 1994 album, Parklife, offer a striking follow-up. They've hired the same producer--Stephen Street. They've studied the same influences--the Buzzcocks, the Jam, the Kinks. They've even picked up the same English slice-of-life themes--"I wanna wear my clothes tight/Matching jackets and a fistful of notes/New sneakers and a fresh pack of smokes," goes "Saturday Night." The resulting album, Employment, is just as catchy and captivating as you might expect, swinging from the stormy social commentary of "I Predict A Riot" to the shouty insouciance of "Oh My God." A Trainspotting sequel can't be far off. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (54)

"Modernized" old-school pop/punk?
Rarely will I buy an album based on one song, but after hearing "I Predict a Riot" on the radio, and hearing good things about the band, I chanced it - glad I did too.

You can definitely tell the guys have a great sense of humor (also something kinda missing in mainstream rock for much of the 90's and very early 2000's) right down to the CD booklet itself -- where it says, "How to play EMPLOYMENT. Some of the songs go a little like this", then the lyrics begin.

In general, I'd describe their sound as mainstream punk, but not AT ALL on the level of Simple Plan/Good Charlotte/Blink 182, etc. Like those guys, they do use alot of humor in their songs, as stated above, but have much more of a classic punk influence. Imagine the punk of the late 70's, in a more "accessible" pop direction, updated for 2005 and somewhat in the vein of 80's new wave-inspired bands like the Killers. That's a general idea of this album's sound.

"Everyday I Love You Less and Less" starts out with electric, video game-type sound effects. A very humorous "falling out of love" song - Ricky Wilson's British accent only adds to the old-school punk charm, IMO.

The current big hit "I Predict a Riot", is an upbeat, satirical story of big city violence and chaos going on. Almost sounds like vintage 1977-era Clash or Ramones.

After that, though, the album takes a turn into more of a slow direction - say, along the lines of a less synthezied, slower version of HOT FUSS. A couple highlights include "Born to Be a Dancer", which starts with a piano and, despite the typical humor, has a certain dark element to it, and "What did I ever Give You", which is also in that vein, but slow all the way through. However, not really a ballad, per se.

In short, while the opening two songs are clearly the best (and worth the price for alone!), this is still a band to watch in the future! Maybe the other songs will grow on me more after repeated listens. :)

Fun fresh album!
Well this is the debut album by the New Brit-Pop group Kaiser Chiefs, filled with fun tracks to bop along with. Now let me start by saying you shouldn't take this group too seriously. From their mindless random yelling in every other song, to their ridiculous lyrics (It makes me sick to think of you undressed), it's not a very deep album. Still it is very good, suny by Ricky Wilson! What's great is that there are original, inco-orporating electro synthesisers into their rock
1. Everyday I love you less and less (3.37)- This is my favourite track with very cool electro-rock in there, funny lyrics and a great song to dance to. One of those where they randomly start yelling 11/10
2. I predict a riot (3.53) - Another silly yelling song, the chorus is sung in an oldies style, and has a rather spooky bridge 9/10
3. Modern Way (4.03)- Quite a serious song for a change, quite gentle singing. It's slow tempoed but I love it 10/10
4. Na na na na naa (3.01) - Um this one is interesting. The most silliest song, where they basically half chant/sing "Na na na na naa!" It kinda doesn't make sense but it's still funny! A faced paced song, almost like a beach-style song 8/10
5. You Can Have It All (4.35) - Another gentle song, sung almost like an oldies slow rock song. It's so cute this song! Practially no guitars but bass, pianos, gentle drumming and a high techno instrument 9/10
6. Oh My God (3.35) - Yay, what a great song! Not as fast as the first track, but half-way gentle, and half-way silly. Ricky Wilson yells in this one, just before the chorus. The music is pretty funky, like a heavy chanting guitar riffs. 10/10
7. Born To Be A Dancer (3.30) - Another half gentle, half-silly song, but venturing to more silly. Strong guitar electro-rock in this song. A really cool spooky bridge in included in this, where the band members join in chorus going "ahhh, ahhh" 9/10
8. Saturday Night (3.27) - Very heavy in the electro bass line. This is almost as funny as Na na na na naa, where Ricky is practically shouting the words. 8/10
9. What Did I ever give you? (4.09) - Not such a good song, but tolerable. It's a bit silly, with a pretty cool chorus. Quite a 'lazy' song. 7/10
10. Time Honoured Tradition (2.45) - Although it has been placed at number 10, I think it's a pretty good song. Quite funny when he sings "and that is the end of that", but the best part is the chorus where it goes quite rocky and chanty "oh oh oh oh, ho-oh" repeated several times in quite a pyschotic chant! 9/10
11. Caroline, Yes (4.12) - Quite a slow sleepy one, a nice song to listen to if you're in a mellow mood. This sound like a Dandy Warhols song, so if you like them, you love this. Cool sleepy guitars 8/10
12. Team Mate (3.24) - The slowest track, with miminal music, just a tambourine here and then, and pianos, and strings. Not such a strong way to end the album, but it's ok 7/10
The album is very good to get to get into a feel good mood. The songs are sufficiently long enough (The Hives songs are like 2 minutes!), and worth buying :)

The scale only goes from 1 to 5 stars but I want to give a 0
yeah I really don't like this CD, it wasn't at all what I was expecting. After the first listen of the cd I tried to give the cd away but no one wants it. I mean this cd is so bad my girlfriend dumped me because I own it; my friends don't talk to me any more, and my family is kicking me out of the house and changing their last name - no one wants any association with me since learning I own this cd. I even tried to give the cd away to a homeless man but he took one look at the cd and started to throw cats at me.

benefits
an invigorating and fresh dose of rock that gives hope to the legions of new rockers who wear their influences on their sleeves. Just like Placebo reveals such influences as Pixies and Smiths with every breath - while maintaining a constant flair for originality and unique brilliance - Kaiser Chiefs give new life to old sounds; draw inspiration from familiar chords; and more importantly, bring back all the raw, unbridled energy that once defined the pop music world but is now so freakin' rare.

Scot Rock: Again?
I picked up Employment with some other new releases after getting a glimpse of "I Predict A Riot."What I got was a few catchy singles and, good, rock songs that were all filler no killer.Talented musicians, yes, but the music on the record wasn't a branch away from albums that have already been done.

It seems that with the new year we lacked the new Franz Ferdinand album-insert the Kaiser Chiefs here.The songs are enjoyable, but lacking the depth that make more than a hit but a classic.I'll admit the band has the sketchy, upbeat, blatant rock down, but what was so unique last year is not as catchy the second time around.It is to be expected when a new sound hits the scene, good bands ride on the coat tail of the originals' success.

Don't get me wrong, the Kaiser Chiefs have potential, a few nice songs, and a good deal of talent.If they can perfect their sound on their next record they could have a fine career on their hands.On the Rolling Stones "Top 10 to Watch for 2005" I'd have to for once agree, though not one of my favorite records this year definitely a band you need to keep your eye on, I feel they have more up their sleeve.

Employment earns
A Bliss of 6 ... Read more

Amazon.com

After Scarlet's Walk, Tori Amos' 2002 ambitious sonic travelogue that took her to all 50 states, penning love letters to America along the way, the fiery earth-sprite has fashioned another high-minded concept album, tying her 19 songs--and one not-so-hidden track--into a garden motif that's part a retelling of Alice In Wonderland, another A Little Shop of Horrors. The Beekeeper chronicles her rather autobiographical protagonist's journey through what seems to be an overgrown labyrinth of the subconscious as she experiences a series of life-altering events and emotions. In addition, living in Cornwall for the past decade has certainly had an effect on Amos, she even takes inspiration from Daphne Du Maurier's classic novel Jamaica Inn, which takes place on that rugged seacoast, but the greatest change is the grit in her voice; on a song like "Hoochie Woman," she sounds like she's channeling Chrissie Hynde--a welcome change from some of the preciousness of her earlier work. She also surprises with the steely, eloquent resolve on a song like "Goodbye Pisces" one of the better break-up songs in recent memory.The Beekeeper returns the quirky singer to the same whimsical terrain of 1992's Little Earthquakes, but with much stronger storylines, and a much more assured and nuanced voice. Her best yet. --Jaan Uhelszki

Recommended Tori-phernalia

Tori Amos: Piece by Piece	Tori Amos - Welcome to Sunny Florida	Little Earthquakes
Under the Pink	Tales of a Librarian	Scarlet's Walk

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Reviews (248)

Can't get enough of Tori!
I love Tori. What more can I say? Seriously, though, it's not my favorite ablbum, but a great one none-the-less.

Consider it her 'stagnet' genius.
Tori 'n' I go back...
Sunset Blvd.. Gazarris.. Selma...
This record disapoints.
Complaintaincy? Husband? Tash...
Is it the end?
Remember the hardwood floor my friend,
Sprout an earthquake again!

Devon

One of Tori's Best.
The CD starts with 'Parasol,' a straight forward track that doesn't waste anytime in showing what the album is about, in most cases the album seems, to me, more upbeat than her previous records. Almost every track is performed with a full band - in fact the beautiful 'Original Sinsuality' is the only song to just feature Tori and a borsfendor.

Each song the album is different, though one can see the logic for Tori's Garden categorizations upon hearing the tracks. There are many moods represented here on the album. One can bop along to tracks like 'General Joy' and 'Cars and Guitars' or be entranced by the blissful serenity of 'The Beekeeper' and yet still not have full grasp of what can be found on the rest of the Album.

This album is a great addition to the Tori catalogue especially as a parallel to her earlier, sometimes down-trotten (but brilliant) albums. Another exciting progression is Tori's use of the Organ, which lends a new energy not explored on many of her previous albums. (I had the honour of seeing Tori in concert a few weeks ago - just her a Piano, a keyboard and and Organ. Brilliant.) Tori has made a brilliant album that has taken progressive steps in her sound while maintaining the songwritings standard that had made her one of my favourite artists.

Lacking passion, but full of quirk
As has been thoroughly noted, "The Beekeeper" as a whole lacks punch. Tori's words sounds angry, but her music sounds subdued. A woman scorned does not sing like that. Her voice is generally lacking passion on this CD.

It's often lyrically and musically predictable. Take this line from the first single, Sleeps with Butterflies: "Are you having regrets about last night? I'm not." Do you want more lyrics from other songs? Are you sure? Okay, how about "Take a walk down memory lane, past a watermelon stand on the way" or "The sexiest thing is trust." I cringed at many of the lyrics, which were repetitive and obvious.

Musically, it's got a little jazz, a little funk, a little gospel, which shows that she's not done taking risks. I'm not sure if all the risks worked out for her this time, though. "Sweet the Sting" is a gorgeous, groovy song, one of the best on the album. But on other songs like "Cars and Guitars" and "Ireland" she makes some weird noises like she's impersonating musical instruments like ,"ch ch ch cha" and "shnanana." It's a little awkward. Both those songs could easily be put in a car or travel commercial.

Other songs are completely forgettable, like "Mother Revolution" and "Ribbons Undone." She could have made this 19-track album a little more tolerable with a little editing. Many songs were also overproduced - and Tori is best straight-forward and raw.

Still, those who are ready to toss her out because she's no longer the feminist icon that she was in the early 90's are really missing something. She's matured, changed, yes, but her songs are still weird and at times mesmorizing. The title track, "The Beekeeper," is a complete masterpiece. For those unsure whether to invest in this album, I would recommend downloading the title song and "Sweet the Sting." If you 'get' the songs, try "Parasol," "Marys of the Sea" and "Witness." If you're feeling particularly weird, try "The Power of Orange Knickers," which despite its odd title is pretty smart.

Anything else I need to say? Hm... the album is divided up in six parts from "elixirs and herbs" to "rock garden." I have no idea what that means. I guess that's why it's a concept album, though it screams pretentious to me. I also heard that the six parts represent the six sides of a honeycomb and six parts of femininity. Huh? She's still in her own world, that's for sure.

Pages From A Cornish Scholar's Diary
Feb. 27th [2005]. Gretchen came down. Brought The Beekeeper with the supplies from London. Fresh salmon frying and the tide rolling in.

Feb 28th. Sat up late with The Beekeeper. Quite pleasant, you know. 'Barons of Suburbia' a bit like 'Carbon,' isn't it? 'Toast' a bit like 'Gold Dust,' isn't it?

March 2nd. While at darts last evening, the boys at the Umber Lion [were] all over The Beekeeper. Bertie says Amos has "lost her poignancy." Davy tried to convinced Old Simon that The Beekeeper is among Amos' best. I concurred.

Too much ale. Hammering from the tin mines kept us awake until dawn.

March 4th. A puffin defecated on my head while [I was] bringing in the mail. Father Callaghan says it brings luck. Rain all day. Wrote for five hours without interruption.

March 5th. 'The Power of Orange Knickers,' 'Ireland.' Each different from anything Amos has previously done. Therein lie their appeal.

Biddy Early stopped in to listen to 'Garlands' on my DVD. Proclaimed it the best thing on [The] Beekeeper. Said it's typical Amos--keeping the best tracks off the albums. Had me play it over and over until she could confidently hum the melody. I watched her from the doorway until she disappeared over the hill, her vegetable basket swinging on her arm.

The well dry again. Shall I get a bird to keep Bishop and me company? A parrot, a pair of finches, a myra bird?

March 10th. Colin and Martin shouting "Who knew the Middle of the Road was located in Cornwall?" while walking through the village. Laughter, astonished looks. A man I didn't recognize yelled after them in Gaelic, "Cornish waters are not that shallow!"

'Jamaica Inn' a bit like 'Martha's Foolish Ginger,' isn't it?

March 13th. Played The Beekeeper for Mrs. O'Casey, the charwoman. Somber reflections on better days as the peat crackled. Christina, Mrs. O'Casey's young daughter, quoted an Amazon reviewer: "The Beekeeper sounds like a CD you'd find in your mother's SUV."I said, "Oh, no, not at all, not at all." But the three of us fell asleep during 'Ribbons Undone.' When we awoke, it was after three a.m. Mrs. O'Casey was embarrassed no end.

March 17th.Stopped in at Mawnan Churchyard at twilight. Copious notetaking. John Curtin, the sexton, has a theory. He says that seven of The Beekeeper tracks sound like children's songs, more or less. Thinks Amos is unconsciously writing for children, due to her daughter's presence in her life. Aleister, the grave digger, shouted over, "Frothy and accessible pop songs are not what Amos' constituency require. Look what happened to Joni Mitchell after Mingus." During confession, elderly Father Dwyer whispered through the screen, "The Beekeeper has no teeth."

Trying to put my mind on other things. The hammer [has] gone missing again. In a dream I asked for cabbage, and the clerk said, "Sir, it's sold out." What could it mean?

March 19th.Another tourist believes he has spotted Mowgawr off the coast. Craning necks aplenty. The chimney's blocked up [for] the third time this season.

Bishop caught a hare by the rocks.

Little Christina playing Candy Land in the courtyard with the local urchins. "The songs on The Beekeeper hopscotch all over the place like the squares on this game board," I heard her say as we passed. I found myself staring down at the linear path of colored cubes, entranced.

March 20th. Finished the chapter on piskies while playing Bach, Satie, and Wizz Jones. The Beekeeper. No catharsis. Johnny Kelly the sheep herder calls it "formulaic." There is not one thing in life to make it bearable.

March 22nd. Gretchen here. I said, "I am convinced The Beekeeper has already surrendered all its secrets." Gretchen: "They were few, anyway."

I ran into old Michael Barrett down by the culvert. He called 'Sweet The Sting,' 'Witness,' and 'Hoochie Woman' "pastiches." He predicts a late spring.

I thought Thomas would get a mug of ale thrown in his face when he called 'Goodbye Pisces' "merely pretty" at the Lion last night. But Kate Cloran only yawned, and Mary Creevy said she still had a morning's washing to do.

March 24th. A sense of coitus interruptus in 'Sweet The Sting,' when surely a sense of inflagrante delecto is what's required? The climax of 'Barons of Suburbia' falls flat--why does the narrator say she "is piecing a potion"? And concerning "she is risen"--has "she" risen because the potion has been pieced? It's a muddle.

Played Under The Pink and Boys For Pele through. Instantly transported. Then 'Cooling,' 'Purple People,' 'Playboy Mommy,' 'Lust,' 'Strange,' 'Indian Summer.' Gretchen asked for 'Tombigbee.' We made love on the hard wood floor.

March 26th. The stained-glass widow on the north side has a substantial crack in one pane. The wind coming in. Thatch in my corn flakes this morning. Positive word from Thames and Hudson. 'Parasol' a bit like 'Amber Waves,' isn't it?

Something in The Times about Amos and "granola feminism." Gretchen got a jolly laugh over that. Bishop did his business over the thing before I was able to finish [it].

I dreamed I climbed the ladder to the attic and found "Come back, Kate, all is forgiven" scrawled across the east wall. What could it mean?

March 27th. Patrick O'Hagan borrowed the Saab for a trip to Ireland while the Beekeeper was in the deck. Shall I have Gretchen send down another [copy]? No. I can hum the better tracks, and I still have 'Garlands' in the DVD, which sounds a bit like 'Yes, Anastasia,' doesn't it?

There was some kind of a ruckus in the village. Gretchen passed some of the locals burning a figure in effigy. Nasty business.

Sat up late reading Strindberg's Ghost Sonata. So good, some parts.

[Here the record ends]
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The Daredevil soundtrack provided a nice boost for this previously unknown quartet from Little Rock, Arkansas. Evanescence’s songs "My Immortal" and the imposing "Bring Me to Life" are clear standouts in the film, mainly because they work so well with the dramatic, eerie undertones of the storyline. They reappear here on the band’s debut, alongside a selection of similarly brooding tracks that evoke pensive artists like Tori Amos and the Cranberries. Vocalist Amy Lee has the kind of voice that can cause weeks of insomnia, but on songs like "Tourniquet" and "Haunted" she belies the music’s sinister mood with evenhanded spirituality, thoughtfully letting some light shine through the tempest. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (2018)

Something for Everyone...I guess. (4.5 Stars)
I'm bad at headers, please forgive me.

Evanescence was arguably the biggest breakout band of 2003. Now they're sold-out hitmakers that are loved by gothic teenagers, middle-aged women and music critics alike. (I'm naming these from personal experiences) ..now how does Evanescence measure up?

You've already heard the most worthy songs on the CD. "Bring Me To Life" "Going Under" and "My Immortal" are the three best songs on the CD, so if you expect a CD full of beautiful "My Immortals" please search elsewhere.

The rest of the CD is woven with pretty much alternating faster and slower songs. As far as standouts go? Aside from the singles, we also have "Everybody's Fool" which is lacking in lyrics but makes up for that in melody, and "Torniquet" which is full circle above-average but nothing spectacular. For lyrical depth, try "Hello" ..

Amy Lee's voice is tolerable at worst. Her fashion sense may be a bit off-key, but her voice remains lovely and distinctive, and always matches the background (or vice versa, who knows where manufacturing may be lurking..?)

If no one you know is buying this CD, you A) Live in a Ghost Town or B) Know nobody!..
This album remains in the top 5 on the album charts after a year of being on it, selling upwards of 100,000 a week. Nice, right? One of those customers includes my lovely mother. Way to go Mom, you saved me fifteen bucks.

I enjoyed it. It's worthy of removing forty minutes of your life.

BOTTOM LINE: Good. Something everyone would enjoy.
GRADE: A-

Blew me away....
I just recently discovered Evanescence by mistake after visiting a friend's web site and clicking a link for Evanescence - Hello. I absolutely LOVED the track and, having friends who were obsessed with the album and the band, naturally decided to borrow/buy the album. A friend lent it to me, and here I am, listening, several days after becoming obsessed with it myself. I just cannot stop listening to it... Amy Lee's voice is so much more polished and mature than anyone else in her age group of singers, such as Avril Lavigne, Brittany Spears, etc. It's like an angel from heaven has come down to bless us with her talent, and it's no wonder why the song "Bring Me To Life" attracted so many fans to this small Arkansas band and singer! And, without further ado, onto the ratings... Going Under - This song is not my favorite, but nonetheless, it is a great song. The rock beat really strikes my fancy, and the lyrics are well-polished. 9.5/10 Bring Me To Life - The song that inspired Evanescence's fan base, and it's really easy to see why! The lyrics are great, the tune is wonderful, and it's really easy to pick up. It's haunting and rocking at the same time, and overall a great song. It has its shortcomings, however, as it will become really repetetive after a while of listening to it because it is so awesome! 9.5/10 Everybody's Fool - A great song, but it's basically repeating the same thing, merely in different words, through the entire song. 9.5/10 My Immortal - After listening to all of the album and Hello before it, this was my new favorite song. As another reviewer put it, it may be what heaven really sounds like. This is one of the band's songs that you hear everywhere, like Avril Lavigne's Sk8er Boi, and you just instantly love it, but you just never know who the artist is... then you find out, get the album, listen to the song and the rest of it, and become obsessesed instantaneously! Its haunting lyrics and beautiful piano make this an instant classic, not to be missed. 10/10 Haunted - Amy Lee sang the heck out of this one, and because of it, it's great. It's not quite at bloody as Tourniquet, but creepy all the same, and in this reviewer's eyes, creepy = good. 10/10 Touniquet- This song really makes you brood over death. Amy really convinces you that she's in serious pain when she sings so soulfully, and it makes you so sorry for her, that you just can't help but like the song. However, I'm not really one for the morbid-type, so marks down for the gruesome details. Don't get me wrong though; this song is still great. 9/10 Imaginary - Amy describes how she retreats into her own world to escape the horrors of this one, but she can't decide which one she likes better. Very soulful, just like all of the other songs on the album, and one of my personal favorites. 10/10 Taking Over Me - It seems like Amy is willing to drop everything and find her true love, who has taken over her soul and now is morunful for him because he left. The lyrics are great, and the entire song has a very catchy beat. 9.5/10 Hello - This is the song that got me hooked on Evanescence. Haunting and beautiful lyrics, Amy's beautiful voice that will keep you awake (and slightly insane because of sadness and other factors) for weeks to come, and absolutely haunting melody on the piano, this is my personal favorite song on this album. It maintains the sad note of Haunted and Tourniquet, but with much less violence. She doesn't know if she's sleeping or not, and then she realizes that death really does exist, and that nothing will ever be the same. Let me scream for a moment: I LOVE THIS SONG!! 10/10 My Last Breath - When I listened to this, the first time, I got the lyrics stuck in my head because Amy sung them so beautifully! The beat is catchy and fun, and the lyrics are great. Overall, a great song. 9.5/10 Whisper - This song is probably the worst one on the CD, though don't get me wrong; I still love it, but it just isn't up to par with the others. I do, however, love the Latin at the end; Amy translated it roughly to "Save us from danger, save us from evil," and it really fits the mood of the song. It gets pretty slow at the end, so that turned me off of it a little bit. Still a good song nonetheless. 8.5/10 Overall, this album is one of the most polished I've ever heard in years, and it really got me hooked on the goth/rocky genre. I simply can't wait for the next one! Keep up the good work guys!

Blew me away...
I just recently discovered Evanescence by mistake after visiting a friend's web site and clicking a link for Evanescence - Hello. I absolutely LOVED the track and, having friends who were obsessed with the album and the band, naturally decided to borrow/buy the album. A friend lent it to me, and here I am, listening, several days after becoming obsessed with it myself. I just cannot stop listening to it... Amy Lee's voice is so much more polished and mature than anyone else in her age group of singers, such as Avril Lavigne, Brittany Spears, etc. It's like an angel from heaven has come down to bless us with her talent, and it's no wonder why the song "Bring Me To Life" attracted so many fans to this small Arkansas band and singer! And, without further ado, onto the ratings... Going Under - This song is not my favorite, but nonetheless, it is a great song. The rock beat really strikes my fancy, and the lyrics are well-polished. 9.5/10 Bring Me To Life - The song that inspired Evanescence's fan base, and it's really easy to see why! The lyrics are great, the tune is wonderful, and it's really easy to pick up. It's haunting and rocking at the same time, and overall a great song. It has its shortcomings, however, as it will become really repetetive after a while of listening to it because it is so awesome! 9.5/10 Everybody's Fool - A great song, but it's basically repeating the same thing, merely in different words, through the entire song. 9.5/10 My Immortal - After listening to all of the album and Hello before it, this was my new favorite song. As another reviewer put it, it may be what heaven really sounds like. This is one of the band's songs that you hear everywhere, like Avril Lavigne's Sk8er Boi, and you just instantly love it, but you just never know who the artist is... then you find out, get the album, listen to the song and the rest of it, and become obsessesed instantaneously! Its haunting lyrics and beautiful piano make this an instant classic, not to be missed. 10/10 Haunted - Amy Lee sang the heck out of this one, and because of it, it's great. It's not quite at bloody as Tourniquet, but creepy all the same, and in this reviewer's eyes, creepy = good. 9/10 Touniquet- This song really makes you brood over death. Amy really convinces you that she's in serious pain when she sings so soulfully, and it makes you so sorry for her, that you just can't help but like the song. However, I'm not really one for the morbid-type, so marks down for the gruesome details. Don't get me wrong though; this song is still great. 9/10 Imaginary - Amy describes how she retreats into her own world to escape the horrors of this one, but she can't decide which one she likes better. Very soulful, just like all of the other songs on the album. 9/10 Taking Over Me - It seems like Amy is willing to drop everything and find her true love, who has taken over her soul and now is morunful for him because he left. The lyrics are great, and the entire song has a very catchy beat. 9.5/10 Hello - This is the song that got me hooked on Evanescence. Haunting and beautiful lyrics, Amy's beautiful voice that will keep you awake (and slightly insane because of sadness and other factors) for weeks to come, and absolutely haunting melody on the piano, this is my personal favorite song on this album. It maintains the sad note of Haunted and Tourniquet, but with much less violence. She doesn't know if she's sleeping or not, and then she realizes that death really does exist, and that nothing will ever be the same. Let me scream for a moment: I LOVE THIS SONG!! 10/10 My Last Breath - When I listened to this, the first time, I got the lyrics stuck in my head because Amy sung them so beautifully! The beat is catchy and fun, and the lyrics are great. Overall, a great song. 9.5/10 Whisper - This song is probably the worst one on the CD, though don't get me wrong; I still love it, but it just isn't up to par with the others. I do, however, love the Latin at the end; Amy translated it roughly to "Save us from danger, save us from evil," and it really fits the mood of the song. It gets pretty slow at the end, so that turned me off of it a little bit. Still a good song nonetheless. Overall, this album is one of the most polished I've ever heard in years, and it really got me hooked on the goth/rocky genre. I simply can't wait for the next one! Keep up the good work guys!

Hmm
a music fan from hawaii must of been singing along to the songs again. I only got it for the first 3 songs and I ended up listening to the rest of it later. all of the songs except for track 10 or 11 I think are good. My copy was stolen earlier this year so I'm going to pick up another. Amy Lee's voice is very smooth and very high, which is why the music fan from hawaii must of heard something dying..he/she/it couldnt reach the high notes. Anyways This CD owns.

Cool band with a cool cd
The best song on the album is "My Immortal" and Amy Lee sings the hell outta every song on the cd. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Oasis albums have always prompted flashbacks--Was that a Beatles melody? Is that chorus on loan from T. Rex? Wait, wasn't that a Crowded House song once? But the mouthy British group's latest really sounds like a pop artifact. Both in production and execution, Don't Believe The Truth feels like an album better suited to 1965 than 2005. From the tambourines and jangling guitars that chime in opening track "Turn Up To The Sun" to the tinny pre-hippie philosophizing of "Keep The Dream Alive," it's an album that thinks the way forward is by looking back. First single "Lyla" borrows its opening swagger from the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man," while "The Meaning of Soul" lifts the Small Faces' mod jitters wholesale. But hack through the clichéd lyrics and worn riffs and the most important element on the follow up to 2002's Heathen Chemistry remains distinctly Oasis' own: Attitude. And in such wonderful abundance, "No one could break us/ No one could take us," they sing. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (1)

BEST ALBUM SINCE WHATS THE STORY MORNING GLORY
Well... just heard it as a promo adn i must say Oasis have gone back to their roots and now have turned up with the their best album since Whats the Story Morning Glory.A def. buyand must have item for the summer and its always good to album that will be a piece of music history. ... Read more

Album Description

The first single to be lifted from the 2005 album,'White Teeth'. This UK limited edition includes three versions of the title track,Album Version, Photek Straight Remix and Photek Dub. Interscope. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

the hand of the artist should have been in this
rockin' song with great energy dampered only by the limited number of versions. Why go to the trouble of cutting a disc like this without giving the consumer 5 or 6 versions of the song? Trent should know better, being the music fan that he is.

I think it's solid.
Remember all that garbage social music you've heard for years now?Please let it go.Don't call that music 'pop music', call it 'Disney Dollars'.

What do I mean?I might know...

I've been a NIN fan all the long.Trent's certain breed of music has always had a bitter aftertaste.I think there's a point there.

Let's talk about 'The Hand That Feeds'.Musicaly, any other time than now, this would be wrong.I thought a long time ago that once computer screen resolutions where so high that no normal person could see individual pixels... at that time, at this time...the mosiac effect is effective artisticaly.So, that in mind along with what everybody really has noticed these last 10 years... 'The Hand That Feeds' is the best song I've heard in a long time....and it's all done in that walking talk the talk in NIN style; acceptable now for a social setting.

The lyrics in 'The Hand That Feeds' has the most clever double meaning contained in there.I don't think anybody is catching it.

So, I'm a little disturbed that everybody misses the point.If this isn't an original song... what is?I wonder what the kids would say to answer that question?Maybe something about Incubus or... uh... Jay Z...

Lastly, if you don't know who Photek is... You probably won't get the remixes.You don't listen to something extendedly titled [Dub Mix] and be disgusted when it's the type of thing to play in club that's not too busy playing irresponsible dry-hump music that has spoken lyrics about killing gangstas.Yeeeaaah!

Nobody wants to change it.

There've Been Better, But There've Been Worse
ALBUM MIX: I'm not going to bother much with this; we've all heard it, it's a great song, let's hear it for Nine Inch Nails, yay.

STRAIGHT MIX: Interesting extended take on the original, and well-done.There's not much actual remixing - other than the techno beat, the "whispering" and the "horror movie synths" near the bridge (which were great), it stays mostly true to the album version - but that doesn't stop it from being a good listen, and it's just as catchy as the album version.I especially liked when the music mostly drops out in favour of the vocals at 3:53; it was a nice touch, one that probably should've been part of the album cut.Either way, not bad.

DUB MIX: It's a house version.What can be said about that, really?Trent's occasional voice adds something, and the beat and guitar/synth loops are infectious enough with this mix that it doesn't fall COMPLETELY flat... but you're probably not going to want to listen to it too often.Decent.

OVERALL: I'd rather spend my money on Things Falling Apart or Further Down The Spiral, of course... but this was supposed to be a single, not a remix album, and as such, it's not bad.Worth a few quid, but don't bump it to the top of your list.

SIDE NOTE: Trent is SO not fat; my bandmate Aeon and I saw him a few days ago, and he's as ripped as he ever was.

For diehards only.
Let me start by putting out a couple of my biases before getting into this review-- first, I relaly don't care for remixes as a rule, unless they're dramatic and severely restructure a song, I generally find they add little.Second, I really don't care for "The Hand That Feeds".

Having said that, the piece is presented in three mixes, the album version, the Straight mix, and the Dub mix.The album version has a catchy, circular guitar line and a straightahead drum beat that's actually decent until the bridge with this bizarrely irritating spoken wordish section.Just doesn't work.

The remixes fare no better-- the Straight mix adds different rock beats and an extended introduction that eventually becomes tedious, the dub mix layers a grating sustained guitar note over a beat and a mumbled repeated take on the chorus.

If you're a fan, get it.If not, skip this one, there's good reasons it wasn't released in the U.S.

SAD.Pathetic.Lame.Desperate.
Trent, sweetie, we know you want another radio single and to sell a TON of merch on your new tour.

Good luck, baby cakes.

This song sounds like a fourth-rate Utah band with a CD rack full of Halos.

Really sad.Without a doubt, the lamest of all NIN singles.

Silly, sad, fat Trent doesn't understand that he owes his "fame" to Mark Romanek and the catchphrase "I want to BLEEP you like an animal."

NIN is dead.At least we still have The Downward Spiral and Broken.

This single is too stupid for a single star. ... Read more

Amazon.com

John Mayer's big label debut was a multi-platinum breakthrough success whose sensual anthem "Your Body is a Wonderland" scored him an unlikely Grammy for Best Pop Vocal. That out-of-the-box success–and more than a few critics grousing that Mayer's muse was cloned from Dave Matthews–primed him for the typical sophomore slump. Instead, Mayer delivers an album whose tone and title suggests a gentle, tongue-in-cheek rebuke to his naysayers. Propelled by the subtle ambitions of an expanded pop-jazz framework (largely courtesy of Sheryl Crow/No Doubt/Jellyfish producer Jack Joseph Puig), Mayer's breathy vocal tack now suggests a detached, conflicted, and significantly less precious incarnation of Michael Franks. But the way he weds fluid pop hooks to lyrical concerns whose self-obsessions are undercut by telling dollops of self-deprecation should clearly draw listeners in, from the my-spirit's-too-big/smart-for-my-body laments of "Clarity," upbeat single "Bigger Than My Body," and bluesy plea "Come Back to Bed" to the cautionary, melodically-rich "Daughters" and even the anti-materialist agitprop of "Something's Missing." --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (541)

A Very Hot/Cold Follow-up to 2001 Room For Squares
I was very anxious to hear the latest from John Mayer. After listening to 2001's sublime "Room For Squares", I was curious to see in what direction this soft-spoken acoustic strummer would go next. Upon listening to the lead-off single, "Bigger Than My Body", my expectations immediately rose. With it's stadium-sized chorus, and mystifying guitar texture's, "Bigger..." truly made me believe that Mayer just may top "Room For Squares". Sadly, however, the rest of the album does not quite stand up as well. The album kicks off with "Clarity", which boils down to Dave Matthews on his worst day. "Bigger..." redeems the false start immediately, and is followed by "Something's Missing"- Mayer's best track to date. "New Deep", a synth-laden self-proclamation of change, is a decent track, but is quickly followed up by the lame, and truly unnecessary...-anthem, "Come Back to Bed"- basically the morning after to "Your Body is a Wonderland". "Homelife" is just plain insipid, but "Spilt-Screen Sadness" is a creative new song with strong lyrics and a grooveable beat. "Daughters" is a truly standout track in a sea of mediocrity- a message of love to the daughters of the world, and a warning to everyone who takes them for granted. "Only Heart" is yet another strong track, although by this point, we are starting to see a trend of ballads geared towards a female audience. It comes to a less than satisfying close with "Wheel", a good track of filler, but nothing more. All in all, it is much better as whole than most albums out there. Still, fans of his more personal and introspective earlier works will be left disappointed at the lack of nostalgia and urgency in his music. But, hey, you can always outdo an amazing prior work. (i.e. Oasis, Barenaked Ladies, Fastball, The Counting Crows, etc.) Four stars for effort, though. Cheers.

A totally different approach from John Mayer; I'm impressed.
John Mayer is my favorite artist anyway, so I knew I'd like this album. But I like it in for a reason I didn't expect, something I was initially worried about: it's different.

I read enough about the album ahead of time to know it was not "Room For Squares: Part II". John decided to utilize his band and write an album that has a completely different sound from his acoustic setting.

As a result, I can tell you that this album accomplishes the same depth and soul that John Mayer's previous releases have expressed, but provides a different mood and atmosphere for his expressions.

If I had been told to compare it to "Room For Squares", I couldn't. "Room For Squares" is my favorite album, and this is certainly not Room For Squares. The two albums stand independently, not connected at all. This album has a great electric sound while still possessing the depth of the expected John Mayer lyrics. It's a bluesy, southern rock style album overall, but has a lot of interesting twists.

"Split Screen Sadness" will get you wondering if you bought the wrong album. "Daughters" returns to the John Mayer acoustic feel, and it's a great, sweet song. "Something's Missing" is birthed in studio form after appearing on "Any Given Thursday" as a live track, and the version is very good, although quite different (more mellow) than the hard, guitar-driven live version.

John Mayer did a good thing with this album --- he didn't attempt to top "Room For Squares". He didn't attempt to write a new album to replace the old one. R4S is phenomenal.

John has allowed that album to remain in my CD player alongside the new album. You don't have to throw out your old John Mayer to make room for the new...the different albums operate on totally different moods, so there's the best songwriter available to sing you the best songs anytime, and each album does a phenomenal job of catering to its particular mood.

This is definitely worth your purchase. I won't let my friends burn it from me...they have to go buy it too. :)

A great listen
The thing I noticed about this album is how different it is than Mayer's debut "Room for Squares". There's not as much acoustic. This isn't a bad thing, because Mayer still does a great job. John Mayer is probably my favorite artist in this genre of music. His vocals, lyric work, music, everything is just astounding.

Mayer makes music worth listening to
I don't know what rock I've been hiding under, but I have never heard John Mayer's music until I recently bought this cd. I don't listen to the radio...ever, but was recommended Mayer's music by two different friends, so I went ahead and bought it.

Loved it instantly. The combination of acoustic rock and roll with new aged pop and a smooth sound. He has a knack for a nonchalant, cool guy delivery that's very effective. His music is so refreshing and creative, not to mention the amazingly clever linear notes in the cd insert booklet. Favorite songs include: "Daughters," "Clarity," "Homelife," and my favorite "Come Back To Bed."

I still have yet to hear his other cds, mainly "Room for Squares" but that is next on my agenda!

Very disappointing
This CD was a huge letdown.

I liked a few songs on his "Room for Squares" but was completely unaffected by everything on this album save for "Charity," a great song.

He's at the forefront of the male singer/songwriter thing right now in terms of popularity, but others are producing much better CDs. Try Patrick Park's "Loneliness Knows my Name," Joseph Arthur's "Redemption's Son," or Gavin DeGraw's "Chariot" instead. ... Read more

Amazon.com

After its most prolonged absence from the recording studio, Sleater-Kinney has reloaded with a smoldering rock and roll record that rivals John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band and Nirvana’s In Utero in terms of unexpectedness. It is a 180-degree proclamation to the album which came before it. Producer David Fridmann (Weezer, Flaming Lips) coaxed the Portland, OR trio to retool its approach to making music. The results are startling and far and away the most collaborative, experimental and risky in the band’s seven-record career. Corin Tucker’s supreme guttural form is on display from the lead-off track "The Fox"--a would-be children’s tale overridden by crunching power chords and drummer Janet Weiss’s battering percussion. The Woods tugs on your ear musically and stabs at your heart lyrically on riff-wielding jaunts "Wilderness," "Modern Girl" and "Rollercoaster." The live-in-one-take, 11-minute blockbuster "Let’s Call It Love" unleashes Carrie Brownstein’s foray into guitar-solo psychedelic. Haven’t heard Sleater-Kinney yet? Try Dig Me Out and work your way forward. Already on board? Find a steady chair, feel your ears bleed and watch your speakers disintegrate. --Scott Holter ... Read more

Reviews (22)

THE WOODS?MORE LIKE ENTRACE TO THE WILDERNESS OF GREATNESS
HEAVIER, LOUDER, UNCUT.ACTUALLY ITS CUT BUT IT IS HEAVIER.I MEAN THE ACTUAL ALBUM ART ITSELF WEIGHS IT DOWN BY A GOOD 6-7 GRAMS, NO JOKE.

FIVE STARS.

A new and improved (in ways!) Sleater-Kinney
My initial reaction to the first few seconds of the album was, "How can this fit in Sleater-Kinney's arsenal?" These seconds are filled with raw, grungy, distorted guitars and pounding, bass-heavy drums. This helps me, a devoted fan even in self-titled days, understand why after four relatively successful albums on Kill Rock Stars they would switch to Sub Pop, the label that put out some of the early Soundgarden and Nirvana albums.

When the vocals entered in the first track, "Fox," I was taken back to Sleater-Kinney's world. Corin's vocals are just as simultaneously wild and controlled as ever. As she sang the words, "land-ho!" I imagined she must have been sitting on a vibrating chair in the recording studio.

The second track, "Wilderness," is typical Sleater-Kinney with Hot Rock guitars and Carrie and Corin doing what seems like vocal impressions of each other. "Jumpers" has the classic-to-Sleater-Kinney desperate feel. "Modern Girl" is cheesy at best. "Rollercoaster" has a fun, almost go-go feel to it. "Let's Call it Love," in its eleven minutes, reminds me of the type of humor in which the joke gets so monotonous and annoying that you hate it, and just then, it gets hilarious again. Track placement should have called for "Let's Call it Love" as an ender instead of "Everything," which would be a better song if they weren't putting the album-ender pressure on it.

Very good. 4.5 stars
My impressions: Sleater Kinney listeners will be taken by the freshness of the sound, the different mix. I was wowed! It sounds like the songs were recorded on one track -- it's very organic, yet mature. Underneath all the excitement surrounding a new album though, I'd say this album's quality is about the same as One Beat. I LOVE One Beat; there's not really a weak song on it. The Woods has moments of sheer brilliance and Mrs. Carrie Brownstein's six string investigates new territory not explored by SK previously. The drums are savage and complex. And I got chills once or twice at Corin's wail (love that passionate voice). "Laaaand ho!" Overall, SK remain head and shoulders above most acts today. Definitely worth the money.

The Woods
Mostly very good, though in many places the guitars are mixed way above the vocals, maybe too much. "Modern Girl" is a production disaster, though--a distorted harmonica track? Ugh. "Entertain" falls into that marching-band-drummer thing that Janet Weiss sometimes seems to get stuck in. The bonus DVD was rockin', though the last track could have been recorded better.

Seven albums strong.....
This album is a must-have for any music lover who chooses to see past the blights of American Idol and Britney Spears. For new fans, the band often takes a couple listens but they are worth it. For old fans, get ready to rock with Carrie's stellar guitar and a Sonic Youth-esque jam on "Let's Call it Love".

I have been a fan for about 6 years now and I can honestly say "The Woods" blows everything else out of the water. The lyrics have changed drastically from "One Beat's" overt (though justified) finger-flipping towards Bush. Instead, they come back with nuanced poetry that is far more venomous and subtle.
"The Woods" proves that Sleater-Kinney has that rare ability (ala Sonic Youth and Beck) to always sound like themselves whilst releasing dynamic new albums. Definitely worthy of the title "Rock Album". ... Read more

Amazon.com

Nick Oliveri may have departed, taking his naked bass playing skills with him, but Queens of the Stone Age remains in good hands with co-founder Josh Homme. Putting extracurricular projects like Eagles of Death Metal and the Desert Sessions briefly on hold, the restless front man keeps things dependably loud and sludgy on the group's third album. Monster riffs, choppy rhythms, explosive melodies, and, yes, even a generous serving of cowbell, propel standout songs like "Medication" and "Little Sister" on the follow-up to 2002's breakthrough Songs for the Deaf. Friends also lend a hand. ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons shreds through the reverberating "Burn The Witch," while Garbage's Shirley Manson and the Distillers' Brody Dalle join Homme for a tantalizing threesome on "You Got A Killer Scene." -- Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (121)

Great album
So far, this is probably my favorite album of 2005.I first got into Queens of the Stone Age with Songs for the Deaf, which is one of the best hard rock albums of the past few years.Of course, the biggest change since then has been departure of Nick Oliveri, which leaves Nick Homme as the sole center of the band.By and large, he does a good job of keeping the flame, even if there's nothing on Lullabies to Paralyze that quite matches the blistering energy of "You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar" or "Six Shooter."Instead, songs like "Tangled Up in Plaid" and "In My Head" take their cues from "No One Knows" and "Go With the Flow," while Mark Lanegan contributes the haunting opener.Homme is less successful when he tries to recapture some of the more manic material Oliveri was known for; "Burn the Witch" is excellent, but "Someone's in the Wolf" seems to run on too long and the two tracks that follow it aren't particularly memorable.On the whole Homme's forays into pop ("I Never Came") and funk ("You've Got a Killer Scene") work very well, which should come as a relief to those concerned about the future of the Queens after Oliveri's departure.Highly recommended.

Their best yet
The first time I listened to "Lullabies" was on an 11-hour flight to London so I had plenty of time to relax and let the music sink in.After my first listen, I couldn't believe what I had heard.The album seemed so boring and slow.After so much excitement from hearing Little Sister, I was incredibly disappointed.Yet I wanted to give it another shot.So I did, and I ended up listening to the album at least 15 times during my one week stay in Oxford.

It's now my favorite QOTSA album.I used to think Rated R was their best, because it had the most diversity but I just think Lullabies is a more cohesive album, and a creepy one at that.It definitely has a grotesque, nightmarish quality to it.I really can't get enough of it.I was too quick to write it off, but it gets better with each listen.Favorite song: The Blood Is Love.

For the full experience, listen to it in the darkest room you can find with a good pair of headphones.Mind blowing.

Good, not great.
Josh is going it alone now. You can't compare it to "songs for the deaf." This cd doesn't blow your doors off right away, but after a couple of listens, it will grow on you. I like the mellow stuff. At least Josh keeps doing something alittle different but still rocks. It's a good listen.

HORRIBLE!!!!
I hate this album! I ended up giving it away it sucked so much! the only DECENT song is Little Sister, and that gets old fast!

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, KINGS OF THE ROCK AGE
This is easily one of the best CDs I've heard this year(possibly this millennium). Josh Homme creates a world of children's fairytails haunted by nightmares better than anyone since obvious influences Black Sabbath.Nick Oliveri may be Stone Age history, but this album comes across as the most consistant of all QOTSA.It is not as heavy as SONGS FOR THE DEAF without Dave Grohl's pounding drums, but the phsycadelic trip guides your emotions with great melodies, catchy riffs and tripped out sounds like cowbells and the annoying beeping of a phone left off the hook that blends perfectly.

(...) ... Read more

Amazon.com

The standout cuts on this follow-up to Kathleen Edwards's highly praised debut, Failer, serve notice that the Canadian artist has no intention of remaining a cult favorite in the States. The opening "In State" evokes the anthem-like sweep of Tom Petty's "Refugee," complete with signature organ by the Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench, though its lyric of a prison-bound paramour smacks of déjà vu, Failure having opened with a similar narrative. The propulsive title track, with its irresistible double-entendre hook, deserves to be Edwards's breakthrough hit, while the yearning "Old Time Sake" and the buoyant yet bittersweet "Summerlong" expose a disarming tenderness underlying her tough-chick bravado. Over the course of the album, too much of the midtempo material sounds too much the same, more inspired lyrically than musically, failing to sustain the momentum of the opening tracks. The stripped-down intimacy of "Away" will likely rekindle comparisons to Lucinda Williams, but this artist sounds eager to outgrow those. --Don McLeese

Influences and Contemporaries

Whiskeytown, Strangers Almanac	Whiskeytown, Faithless Street	Sarah Harmer, You Were Here
Sarah Harmer, All of Our Names	Lucinda Williams	Lucinda Williams, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

... Read more

Reviews (24)

great cd and great live
Not much to add to the positive reviews--love both "Back to Me" and her 1st album "Failer."Just wanted to say that I saw her live at the Canal Room in NYC back in March and it was awesome.Great foot-stompin' performance and interaction with the audience.If she comes to your area make sure to see her and her band, and if she comes (back to my area) I'll see her again.

"good things come when you stop looking ~ Kathleen Edwards"
Who is Kathleen Edwards? Well, you could say she's a singer/composer/artist who serves up delights that you'll have ringing in your heard for days and weeks...Zoe and Rounder Records brings this latest release "Back To Me", featuring Edwards strong distinctive style that takes you back to the early days of Folk Music...just like her label mates Edwards has done more for the genre today than any other performer that comes to mind...remember the likes when countryand folk music was pure and not mixed with pop.

Joining Kathleen (acoustic guitars/banjo) are Joel Anderson (drums), Richard Bell (organ), Jim Bryson (vocals), Gary Craig (drums), Colin Cripps (slide guitar), Johnny Dymond (bass), Eric Heywood (pedal steel), Jim James (vocals), Pierre Marchand (piano), Kevin McCarragher (bass), Benmont Tench (organ), Peter Von Althen (tambourine)...bring this album full circle, just the way we like 'em!

The album songs in alphabetical order and composers listed:

AWAY (Kathleen Edwards)
BACK TO ME (K. Edwards/Colin Cripps)
COPIED KEYS (K. Edwards)
GOOD THINGS (K. Edwards)
IN STATE (K. Edwards)
INDEPENDENT THIEF (K. Edwards)
OLD TIME SAKE (K. Edwards/Peter Cash)
PINK EMERSON RADIO (K. Edwards)
SOMEWHERE ELSE (Jim Bryson)
SUMMERLONG (K. Edwards/Colin Cripps)
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? (K. Edwards)

There is a lonesome tone, a mood set between genres of rock and blends of folk mixed with country...a flavor not so unbecoming for her haunting mesmerizing storytelling...as Edwards explains "If you've got nothing you've still got your family, because you are so safe inside my memory"...poetic and much of the truth rings from such lyrics...gotta love it!

Total Time: 49:00 on 11 Tracks ~ Zoe Records 1047 ~ (3/01/2005)

Wow, This is Great!
I have little to add to this discussion in the way of insight.I simply want to put in my two cents.This is the first of Kathleen Edwards that I've heard, and I am really stunned at how good it is - not only does she have a great voice, unlike some of the other artists in this vein recently, and not only are the songs really good, but there's something about the tone of this album overall that's really compelling and creates an almost-hypnotic vibe.This is truly a thing of beauty, and I plan to go out of my way to see her in concert when she comes to town . . .

This is what I call country
I hardly ever write any reviews, but when I saw the ratings KE was getting I was compelled to state my opinion. I personally think that this is one of the best albums I own. I am a huge fan of Allison Moorer, Shelby Lynne, and Lucinda Williams and I was dissapointed that there weren't more artists that provided the same depth to country music.
Well, Ms. Edwards came along and I add her to my list of Alt-Country favorites. She may not have a beautiful voice like Allison and Shelby, but her strength is in her lyrics. Her songs are like short stories/vignettes and she delivers this songs w/ such honesty and attitude that one can easily visualize each song.
I also, don't agree w/ some of the previous postings that claim that all of the songs tend to sound alike, on the contrary each song is distinct. The only song on this album I don't really like is Pink Emerson Radio. So for those who are curious about Kathleen Edwards give both of her albums a try, you won't be dissapointed.

More like 3 1/2 stars -- it's a good effort!
It was the recent music video that caught my attention to Kathleen's music once again. Although I'm interested in all new singer/songwriters, her first album, Failer, was not convincing enough for me to purchase it. With "Back to Me" the quality has increased and the edge to her music is increasing. Comparing her to Lucinda Williams is not justified as there's maybe one or two instances on the whole album that may remind us of Lucinda for a second -- Kathleen Edwards is too perfect to be compared to Lucinda Williams as I doubt it that Kathleen's band records the first take for the album like Lucinda's band does. I would compare Kathleen's style more to DAR Williams which is probably the closest comparison if comparsions need to be made. I had Kathleen's CD in my car for one spin and then again at home to listen to it a few more times -- and it does take a few times listening to it to discover her real craft, but "Back to Me" is not yet convincing enough and I restled with 3 stars or 4 stars as I think that 3 1/2 stars would be justified. Hopefully the next album will be at least 4 stars. The songs on the album vary ... some ballads, but most songs are a little bit on the wild side with some edge to it and that's good. Kathleen's voice is a little bit annoying at times as it is still a little bit too bright because of her age, but it will mature with time and then comparisons to Lucinda W. will be more realistic. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment Modest Mouse started sounding like a real band. For the longest time, singer-songwriter Isaac Brock seemed to exist solely to defy the established rules, forging forward on sheer momentum and ingenuity. Even Pavement looked relatively ordinary in comparison to the band's early releases like 1996's This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About and 1997's The Lonesome Crowded West. But on Good News For People Who Love Bad News, the front man sounds like he's finally touching the earth, and the band--minus founding member and drummer Jeremiah Green--follows suit. A relaxed mood prevails, not so much in volume but in attitude. On the follow-up to the group's 2000 major label debut, The Moon & Antarctica, big sloppy melodies battle it out with brass on punky epics like "Float On" and "The Ocean Breathes Salty." The lyrics are simpler, the arrangements tamer, but the vitality remains. The prevailing mood is that Modest Mouse has pulled off something extraordinary here: a well-rounded, lovable record that doesn't sound anything like David Gray. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (317)

Good News is a Mediocre Album
If you were hoping to a return to roots for Modest Mouse, this isn't the album. This album builds on the direction they were heading with the marginal "Moon and Antarctica" without moving quite far enough away from it. The album doesn't sound formulaic but at the same time, there are no surprises.

"Good News..." starts with a whimper but manages to work it's way into a block of good songs before the album closes out with the flute laden "The Good Times are Killing Me." "Float On" was the obvious up tempo single and the sole bright spot on the first quarter of the album. "Dance Hall" and "Bukowski" start to turn it around but things don't really get going until "The View." Longtime Modest Mouse fans will probably enjoy the last few tracks of the album more than anything else.

The engineering also leaves a lot to be desired. Drum sounds are occasionally tinny, vocals are mixed loud and just like "Moon..." there's an overkill of annoying overdubs and effects. Modest Mouse seems to have lost or abandoned the expansiveness of their earlier work and with it a good portion of their soul. Compared to "Moon" though, "Good News" is warm and highly enjoyable.

Good news...
Good news for people who love Modest Mouse: their new album is a thumbs-up disc. Though the tone isn't really changed from their 2000 hit, "Good News For People Who Love Bad News" is a fluid, haunting branch-out, with wonderful instrumentation and a sort of vaguely mellow feel.

The subtle "World At Large" opens "Good News...", soaked with restlessness and resignation, followed by the magnificent "Float On" and solid "Ocean Breathes Salty." The album stumbles a bit with the frenetic "Dance Hall," but picks itself up with literate lament "Bukowski," wall-smashing rocker "Black Cadillacs," and bouncing "Bury Me With It."

When a band's lineup changes, fans have a right to be nervous. But despite changes in the guitar and percussion sections (they switched drummers in mid-album), Modest Mouse keeps its unique, sweeping sound more or less intact without getting stagnant. It doesn't really move too far in a new direction (except being happier), but it's not a rehash of "Moon and Antarctica" either.

Death and pondering what's next are still the centerpieces of Modest Mouse's creations, from the very catchy "The View" to the searing "Satin In A Coffin." "Are you dead or are you sleeping?" Isaac Brock asks repeatedly in his very quirky (and very fitting) voice. Oddly enough, it's more upbeat than some of their past releases -- which is not very upbeat, but there's a sort of lighter undercurrent to the music.

"Good News..." also benefits from a bit of new blood: drummer Benjamind Weikel is new to the group. He doesn't try to imitate ex-band-member Jeremiah Green, but instead uses his own strong drumming to good effect. Synthesizers, versatile guitars and strong bass are backed up by atmospheric additions like banjos, violins, horns and organs.

Poetry-rock group Modest Mouse is still going strong in "Good News For People Who Love Bad News." While it's not the strongest they've done, it keeps the mood pensive and melancholy without turning it into a pose. Good news!

And it took me this long to buy this CD?
It takes a lot for me to BUY music. I tend to borrow and dl more than anything else, but Good News For People Who Like Bad News is one of the rare CDs that I thought was good enough to spend 10 bucks on. The music is addictive. The World At Large is a lot of fun; Float On, as much as it's the song that introduced me to Modest Mouse, is somewhat eclipsed by other tracks; Ocean Breathless Salty is by FAR my favorite on the album; Bury Me With It reminds me of some other song that I can't put my name on, which is nice; Dance Hall is, surprisingly, the only song that actually got me dancing when I first heard it; Bukowski is my second favorite song... lots of fun, tres memorable; This Devil's Workday is SUCH a good song, it seems like an old old song that hasn't lost it's meaning; The View, I don't particularly care for... it just doesn't fit; Satin In A Coffin is a good enough song, but it doesn't stay with me; Blame It On The Tetons is a very close #3 for me, very relaxing and is closer to most of the other music I usually listen to; Black Cadillacs is eh, sort of iffy; One Chance is something I would expect to be in a sappy teen movie or something; The Good Times Are Killing Me was an excellent end to an excellent CD. Overall, well worth your time and well worth your money.

tragedy strikes
Modest Mouse is one of my all time favorite bands. It was Isaac's raw sound on earlier albums like Lonesome Crowded West and Sad Sappy Sucker that made the band unique and to me and pulsating with energy. Yes, this album is polished, but it is also watered down and much more boring compared to their older, jagged melodies that were throbbing with pain and electric. One would hope that when a band makes it big they're not selling out, but I feel like Modest Mouse just got dumb with their melodies. I for one shed a tear :(

ALRIGHT!
After being let down by Modest Mouse's prior independent releases, I decided to give Good News a shot. I was not let down this time around. Mouse finds the perfect blend of weird and catchiness. Although the weirdness takes the cd off track here and there, as a whole it is pretty good. Standouts for me are the hit "Float On" and "The World at Large" and the rest is slowly growing on me. If you're looking for something fresh in the alternative rock scene, look no further. It's fun and slightly bizarre. Their best album yet. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Music doesn't come more touching than this. With their debut single alone, the emotion-fortified "Shiver," Coldplay prove they can shift between elated and crushed in a breath, as singer Chris Martin pours out music's oldest chestnut (unconditional yet unrequited love) with the shakiest of voices and a backdrop of epic guitars. For 10 tracks on Parachutes, he adds new-found meaning to the most tired and overused rock sentiments--love found, love lost, love unrequited--over acoustic guitars and emotionally fraught rock. And for once, all the clichés ring true because Chris Martin genuinely sounds like a man picking over the bones of his life, coming up with just as many reasons to be cheerful as seriously depressed. Not that Parachutes is a depressing album--there's too much conviction to the guitars and hope in Martin's words for that. Instead it's a beautifully tender balance that comes as close to perfection as anything that's come before it. --Dan Gennoe ... Read more

Reviews (542)

More than Radiohead-lite
"Parachutes" is a really astonishing debut album from the British band Coldplay. "Parachutes" is best described as a mood piece--mellow, melodic, acoustic guitar, mopey at times but ultimately convinced that "Everything's Not Lost."

Coldplay's sound is a mixture of shimmering guitars, keyboards, and Chris Martin's incredible voice. His voice is probably the cause of the many Thom Yorke, Fran Healy and Jeff Buckley comparisons--like those three singers, he makes very effective use of his falsetto. His voice just crackles with real emotion. They have a great tendency to pair rhythm acoustic and lead electric guitars, which produces a very specificly textured and meshed sound.

All the tracks on the album are worth a listen. Highlights include the sublime "Shiver" (truly swoon-worthy), "Yellow" (simply romantic), "Trouble," and the last track, "Everything's Not Lost."

Highly recommended to fans of Travis's "The Man Who" and Radiohead's "The Bends." Coldplay shares a general musical aesthetic with those two bands, but they also have their own sound and musical project. Listen to the sound clips, and you'll see how Coldplay is both familiar and unique. You won't be wasting your money if you pick this album up.

wow...a VERY impressive debut album
When I first heard Coldplay's "Yellow" on MTV2, I noticed a couple things. First, I thought the song was great, and according to the airplay the song received, so did a lot of people. Second, I thought that Coldplay seemed to be taking off where Radiohead left off before Thom Yorke went completely nuts- the Radiohead of '95. I was right about the first. Actually, I was also right about the second. Despite sounding similar to Radiohead in a few different aspects, Coldplay remains a highly original band. It may be true that Radiohead fans of old were looking for a replacement, and therefore turned to Coldplay, but regardless of comparisons, Parachutes remains an unbelievable showing of artistic ability for a debut album. "Shiver", the disc's second track (after the short but catchy "Don't Panic") is definitely one of the highlights on an album full of good, and sometimes great, songs. I am not a big fan of track 3, "Spies", but "Sparks" makes up for any bitter taste I get from skipping "Spies". "Sparks" showcases Coldplay's ability to take a simple acoustic pop song and make it an instant classic. Other highlights on the album include the previously mentioned "Yellow", "Shiver", "Trouble", and "High Speed". "High Speed" solidifies the back end of an already marvelous debut album with its subdued guitar textures and hook-laden vocal melodies. If you enjoyed "Yellow" you should certainly invest in this album. If you didn't really like "Yellow", you should still consider picking up a copy- it will surprise you more than you think. Finally, if you are the one person who absolutely hated "Yellow", and you despise British bands, and hate Radiohead, and like ... bands like Papa Roach and Linkin Park, you should at least burn a copy of this CD to add to your collection of ... music. Then maybe it will influence you to sacrificially burn your Crazy Town, Limp Bizkit, and Slipknot CD's (you can keep your System of a Down CD, because "Chop Suey" is interesting).

Excellent debut album.
The first time I heard the song "Yellow", I could've sworn it was the Dave Matthews Band. A few months later, I found out it wasn't DMB, but a band called "Coldplay". Meh..whatever, I thought. To be honest, I wasn't too fond of the song. Then, another few months later, I saw the video for "Trouble", and I thought both the song AND video were respective works of art. I went out and bought the CD, not really knowing what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. Now, I'll go track by track to elaborate..

It opens up with "Don't Panic", which is short, but SWEET. A very gentle, beautiful uplifting song with a catchy chorus that assures us, "We live in a beautiful world." 9/10

The second track, "Shiver", is an AMAZING song. Definetly my favorite song on the album. This is a powerful song, with a can't miss chorus, and some awesome guitar work. 10/10

On "Spies", the tempo slows down a bit. This song may take a few listens to really get into, unlike the previous two, but it's another really beautiful song. 8/10

"Sparks" is another slower paced song, with a melancholy tone. 7/10

Then comes the song that put Coldplay on the map, "Yellow". I'm sure you've heard it before. The funny thing is, I didn't like the song before I bought this album, but now I love it. A classic love ballad. 10/10

Next up is "Trouble", the reason I bought this album. Definetly the best slower paced song on the album. Tremendous piano work too. 10/10

The title track, "Parachutes" follows. Blink and you'll miss it. A simple, 45 second accoustic song. But there's something about it that makes the band expanded upon it more, into a full song. Oh well. Can't go very high here, just due to the length. 4/10

"High Speed" is another one of the best songs of the album. I would say it's the most experimental sounding of any of them, but in a really cool way. 9/10

"We Never Change" is another slow, melancholy song like "Spies" and "Sparks". It's almost a little too slow for its own good, so I can't say it's one of my favorite songs on the album. 7/10

Finally, there's "Everything's Not Lost", an excellent ballad to close the album. As you can tell from the title, it's a really upbeat song, and really catchy as well. I think it could've been a pretty big radio hit, but it's too late for that. 10/10

Tons of great songs on here, and easliy worth the money. Although I must say, Coldplay totally outdid this effort with their most recent album, "A Rush of Blood to the Head". Still, "Parachutes" is highly recommended listening to anyone who enjoys well written music.

We live in a beautiful world
This album is absolutely awesome and suitable for diehard Coldplay fans and people who just like the songs alike. Chris' voice takes music to a new level, in the deepest dark depression and sheer radiant elation. My favourite song on the album is 'Don't Panic' but 'Spies' is great also. Oh, who am I kidding? All the songs are awesome!!!

You people can't be serious, right?
BRITISH POP IS GARBAGE, PEOPLE!!! How can you guys seriously listen to all that piano tinkling in the background? This is music for wimpy people! You guys probably couldn't handle artists like Metallica, Tool, or Pantera......hell, you guys probably couldn't handle Linkin Park! And to the fairies....uh......I mean fellas in this band, do us all a favor and go sing like the girls you are to your cult of worshipers, because the rest of us just aren't interested. DOWN WITH BRITISH POP!!! (and all pop, for that matter). ... Read more

Amazon.com

Florida’s brilliant singer-songwriter Sam Beam expands Iron & Wine from solo project to a gaggle of friends and family on slide guitar, percussion, and backing vocals on his second album. Fans need not worry--the hushed immediacy and rich melodies remain the focus--but new flavors abound. For instance, the strange "Cinder And Smoke" sounds like a collaboration (with banjos of course) between America, Robert Wyatt and Low. Meanwhile, "On Your Wings," "Free Until They Cut Me Down," and "Teeth in the Grass" showcase a brooding, earthy, Southern-rock-on-laudanum side that the band had previously only demonstrated in concert. It's rare when an artist who's become known for bedroom recordings makes the transition to the studio to produce work that's better--Daniel Johnston, Lou Barlow, and Liz Phair all made their defining moments crouched above a cassette recorder at home. But Beam is the exception to the rule, as he has easily bested himself on the second Iron & Wine album. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (48)

Different and Brilliant
2002's 'The Creek Drank the Cradle' was my favorite album of the year. Brilliant, hushed, personal music. Wonderful lyrics, beautiful, understated guitar work. 2003's EP 'The Sea and the Rhythm' was more of the same. 'Our Endless Numbered Days', finds Miami native Sam Beam expanding his repertoire. It's different this time around. It's less spectral, less muted. Most of the songs feature sparse accompaniment (drums, banjo, background vox). Prior releases were composed solely of layered guitar and voice. This recording is cleaner and much more professional sounding. However, part of the appeal of the first two albums was the murky, basement-style recording quality. Sam's voice is more pronounced this time around. His sister provides beautiful harmonization on several tracks. It's not all new territory though. 'Naked as we Came' and 'Sunset Soon Forgotten' bear that trademark Iron and Wine sound. And, consequently, are two of my favorites on the album. All in all, I'm more than satisified. The recording quality is excellent, the lyrics are, of course, brilliant and touching, and the instrumentation is superb.

Soul Searching with Sam Beam
When I read that Iron and Wine's new CD "Our Endless Numbered Days" was recorded in a studio with instrumentals, I wasn't sure whether I liked that idea or not. I was afraid it would lack that certain intimacy we all know Sam's first effort, "The Creek Drank the Cradle," layered on due to it having been recorded in his home on a four-track, with no backing band. However, my fears were quelled after my first listen and, I can gladly say, I might even like this album more than "The Creek." What the studio enabled Sam to do was to make a cleaner, sharper sounding album, without sacrificing the personal qualities we all love. His voice/lyrics and guitar are still the focus of all the songs; the sound of the record remains to be very intimate and simple, with only light instrumental arrangements in the background along with beautiful harmonies which help to add some variety to the album, including chants at the end of "Cinder and Smoke" and drums and tambourine on the bluesy "Free Until They Cut Me Down." All the songs are as beautiful and memorable as ever, with some standouts including: "Naked As We Came" with backing vocals by his sister; the beautiful "Each Coming Night"; the acoustic ballad "Fever Dream"; along with many others. "Our Endless Numbered Days" is a beautiful, thought-provoking album that lives up to the Iron and Wine name with a new sound that seems to be just a natural progression rather than a sudden shift in values. The bonus CD also features a few really nice tracks that have a lo-fi sound which should make fans of "Creek" very happy. Strongly recommended for established fans and newcomers alike.

My kind of music
not much that hasn't already been said about this- without a doubt one of the top albums of the year. Sam is amazing in so many ways. Practically every song is terrific... what a follow up to another album that was a revalation.

See Sam and co. in concert if possible, such a good show.

come on, harold
quiet is the new loud, don't you know.

A chunk of pre-plunged vomit lodged in the throat of God
I don't know who this guy is. I don't care. What I do know is that he's trendy, that trendy people listen to him even though they might not like him, and that his hip, trendy music has apparently made a great impression on the dozen or so fanzines and indie-rock websites that are written by, read by, and purchased by the same 200 or so people who go to his concerts, buy his records, and shop for clothing and other material goods while listening to his trendy music play. That makes him a cult band. If he is a band at all.

I don't think he's a band, I think he's a talentless joke. He strums obtuse chords on a guitar, breathes deeply into the microphone, ripping off Mojave 3 at every turn, praying they either think this is flattering or don't have a lawyer, and looks depressed and ugly in all of his press photo shoots, each of which basically shows him in the same pose, clothing, background scenario, and facial expression. His music tries pretty hard to be important, but ends up being supremely annoying and irrelevant. Unfortunately, this guy and his army of imitators (we're talking fifth-generation Nick Drake wanna-bees by now) have hijacked the entire moribund "singer-songwriter" genre and turned it into a sad theatrical display, a boiling cauldron of musical diarrhea with trite and oh-so-forlorn lyrics to match.

If you have purchased this album and actually like it, then I do not ever want anything to do with you for the rest of my life, and I sincerely home I never have to encounter you in any way for eternity. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If one needed further proof of the contemporary revival/reassessment of the ambitiously overwrought sensibilities once so reviled in 70's rock, this aggressively mind-bending second album by The Mars Volta offers it up in spades. Band mainstays Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Baxter-Zavala insist that labels like "prog" don't interest them, and that this is emphatically not a "sequel" to 2003's De-Loused in the Comatorium. What it is was thematically inspired by a stranger's diary allegedly found by late bandmate Jeremy Ward, the basis for an expansive, often amorphous musical head-trip that brews psychedelia, trance, hard-rock and free-jazz into a daunting new whole. The dozen tracks here represent but five "songs" proper, though the band's disdain for conventional track banding inspire it to sound more like a stream-of-consciousness soundscape from Can--or a dark, lyrically inventive, if decidedly troubled corner of their ids. On the "Umbilical Syllables" portion of "Cygnus.." and "The Widow" Bixter-Zavala invokes the wailing,Zeppelin II & III spirit of Robert Plant set against a feverish, swirling melange that's anything but the blues. The vocalist coaxes "L' Via l'Viaquez" en Espanol, while his band indulges its space-mambo conceits with an evocative spirit that recalls Latin Playboys at their most mischievous. It's an album that loops back on itself in a haunting ellipse--and one whose boundless ambition makes Pink Floyd sound like three-chord bar punters by comparison.--Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (267)

What a waste of talent
After having placed De-loused as the best CD so far in the new millenium, I was really looking forward to their new record. And it has been a major dissapointment. I truly believe these guys are much more talented playing rock than playing prog. And in this CD prog dominates the whole thing. The few moments of rock brilliance are scarce and separated. If De-loused had some moments were songs started to go nowhere, here nowhere is the place where songs reside, appearing only for few moments. Omar has proved again he needs a producer with enough courage to cut songs where they have to. They seem to make longs songs just for the sake of it. Led Zeppelin played a song during 30 minutes and you didn't lose yourself. Here is just you are never found. These guys are probably the most talented guys out there right now. But TMV is having the attitude of the teeneger: rebel without a cause. Knowing they could be the greatest band, they burn their own talent. It is a real shame that such bright people don't understand that the most stupid are the ones who believe they are always right.

I Want My $$$ Back
I don't get what everyone is raving about. This has to be one of the worst albums I have ever purchased. The only redeeming qualities are track 2 and the fact that you can use the CD as a Frisbee.

Unreal, beyond comprehension
This is possibly the most addictive, amazing album I have ever heard. To all those people who complain about the lyrics having no meaning, just take a second to realize that art is a personal thing, even if it is shared with others, meaning is not always something which artists choose to share. This album destroys all pre-concieved notions of what an album should be, what a genre should be. It is beyond description, and probably was meant to be just that. It is literally the best rock album that I know of that has come out since about 1980, and don't try to peg me as a prog fan, this has about as much to do with prog as it does with anything else. It is a melding of all of the musical influences of each member of the band, and as such, it is much more. It is something that must be experienced. If you like top 40 music, just move on. The Widow is the only track that stands a chance of pleasing you, and is easily the weakest track on the album. Seriously folks, this is one of the best rock albums of all time. And I don't say that loosely. I bought this album thinking, well, I'll give it a chance, and within the first couple of minutes it reeled me in. I have listened to it probably 30 times all the way through in the week I have owned it, and I can guarantee that I will listen to it thousands more before I put it on the shelf, if I ever do. One last thought, unless you live nowhere near a "Record Store" you should skip Amazon and go buy it at an INDEPENDENT RECORD STORE. If you live in Alaska or Idaho or something, then go with convenience and buy it from Amazon. They aren't all bad, but they, along with Wal-Mart and Best Buy, are helping destroy small record stores, and so are YOU if you buy from them instead of supporting your local independent store. That said, I like Amazon, but I don't want to lose my local store, so I always try to see if they can get something before I order it from Amazon.

VERY good!
5 stars for the 32 minute song at the end, this album could have been just that song and it would be great. All the other songs are pretty good as well, but number 5 is pure Genius!

MUSIC IS SAVED!!
This is the best music that i've heard since Led Zeppelin IV.I believe that this is the classic rock of our time.Every song contributes to the great story of a person looking for his biological parents.If you do not have this album then you probably should start working on that, broseph.But hey don't overlook this one, seriously. ... Read more