May 29, 201114 yr Me too! I've been wanting to start checking out older music for ages but still can't get myself together :magic:
May 29, 201114 yr I shall post my review at some point this week. I've listened to it once and I shall listen to it again a couple more times before posting...
May 30, 201114 yr The Elephant vs The Moon So I've scored each track (where I can) as I felt it was a lot easier than trying to rate the album as a whole. 06: TRACK ONE An interesting choice for the opening track; an instrumental rock track which I would later learn is COMPLETELY unrepresentative of the CD as a whole. It's not bad, but in all honesty I don't find it all that interesting - there's a lack of a REALLY distinctive tune, which is kind of essential I think in the absence of a vocal. 09.5: TRACK TWO Very good. Indie/electropop - kind of what you'd expect if you bred New Order with Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, and then borrowed Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics and taught him to sing in a Germanic (?) language. I particularly like the piano running through the chorus, and the Oriental-sounding synths - very melodic. I shall be keeping this one certainly. 07: TRACK THREE The one track of this album that I do know; Imogen Heap's "Lifeline", which I'd only heard for the first time about a week before this CD Swap. Heap is one of those artists that I am only vaguely aware of, and I suspect that if I ever were to dig deeper into her back catalogue I'd like most of what I'd hear. But as it is, I only know this, Hide And Seek (which is OK) and First Train Home (which is GORGEOUS). This one's OK; I like the rather mournful piano riff that plays throughout the verses, but I find the chorus rather anti-climatic and forgettable, with nothing but a few electronic blippy sound effects to accompany Heap's slightly strained vocals. 10: TRACK FOUR Oh I LOVE this, probably my favourite discovery from this collection. Despite minimal production, this still manages to be dark, brooding, bittersweet and atmospheric. I can't work out who this is by though. My first thought was Hot Chip as the vocalist sounds familiar, but this track is darker in sound to what I know of them, so I'm not sure. Anyway, this is a definite winner with me. 02: TRACK FIVE Yeah, really not my thing. Generic US rap about getting drunk and partying complete with plenty of swearing just because. I'm sure the random cameo is Jay-Z, but who the main artist is I haven't yet been able to fathom. The distorted and tuneless sung chorus also does nothing for me whatsoever. Sorry. However kudos I guess for including something from a genre traditionally unrepresented on BJ. 09: TRACK SIX And following on from Jay-Z and friends, this is quite the random shift in mood. The beginning of a run of European female singer/songwriter tracks where I have no idea what the lady in question is singing about. In this case, it matters not, as this boasts a LUSH twinkly chorus, which brings to mind Zero 7 at their best. The lady even sounds a little like Sia in places (albeit a Sia singing in Russian or Polish or whatever) - the vocals are drawling but still utterly charming. Another keeper. 07: TRACK SEVEN Very much a track of two halves. I'm not keen on the verses; the vocals are just a little too cutesy for my liking - it's almost like I'm listening to a 7 year old girl singing a Russian nursery rhyme. However the chorus is wonderful; a hurtling, angsty and urgent affair, and it seems like it's being sung by a different (and actually adult) woman. 08: TRACK EIGHT Another charming female singer/songwriter ditty; European folk here. It's like a slightly more twee version of Amy MacDonald's This Is The Life, as if she's performing it on The Waltons or Little House On The Prairie, but again sung in Russian or something. I'm really not clued up with my languages. Bad Shoat. 05: TRACK NINE Another perfectly decent non-English female folk singer/songwriter. However this one suffers from the track sequencing a little, coming straight off the back of three similar-sounding but stronger tracks all from the same genre. It's perhaps a little too generic, and this was one of the tracks that I found I pretty much forgot about completely almost as soon as the next track began. 07.5: TRACK TEN The intro reminds me a little of Bloc Party - punchy and a little menacing. The main body of the song doesn't QUITE match up to the promise of those opening seconds, but it's still an interesting and atmospheric piece of guitar-pop. ??: TRACK ELEVEN http://www.moopy.org.uk/forums/images/smilies/grin.gif I really don't know how to score this, because either JakeWild isn't the only one to have incorporated the Barbarellas on their CD, or this is a definite PISSTAKE. For the most part this is awful party anthem-lite, but the bridge where the lady in question advises her prospective suitor to lick her "muffin top" all to the accompaniment of a string orchestra IS admittedly wonderful (we are also assured that the muffin top is "wholegrain and low fat", so that's alright then). I just can't decide whether it's inadvertently wonderful, or whether it's all been done KNOWINGLY. 06: TRACK TWELVE Rather bizarre Euro-hip hop. Have N.E.R.D gone Russian? It's an interesting record, and I do like the angry and threatening bridges. I can appreciate that this is a very good example of it's genre, and fans of hip-hop should definitely give this a listen. However it really isn't my cup of tea at all, and it's a track I'm probably unlikely to keep for myself. 09: TRACK THIRTEEN Gorgeous. This has a very cinematic feel, like it's the soundtrack to the obligatory inspirational montage just before the climax of an action movie. I'm rambling. A dramatic, lush and swirling production accompanied by some HEAVENLY and at times ethereal vocals. EPIC 02: TRACK FOURTEEN Another one that sadly doesn't click with me. Very kitsch, very cheesy European folk - it's almost like a pastiche. I could imagine it being sung by a Bavarian lady wearing lederhosen with plaits in her hair. It sounds like it belongs in the 1950s. 07: TRACK FIFTEEN Not one of the strongest or more memorable efforts on this CD, but listenable enough. Cool and funky (and why am I talking like I've just travelled forward in time from a 1978 discotheque?). 03: TRACK SIXTEEN Far too Eurovision for my liking. Generic and uninspired lyrics set to generic Euro-trance sung by a female in a heavy European accent, with a chorus that consists of nothing but "yayayay yayayay", presumably as they had run out of love clichés to chuck out. 08: TRACK SEVENTEEN Slowing the pace down a little, this is chant-like ambient/MOR - it takes a while to take hold, but when it does it won't leave your head. Like a male-fronted Portishead. I can't decide if the guy is singing in German (it sounds very Germanic) or French (the climax is long cries of "PAREEEEEEEE") 05: TRACK EIGHTEEN This one is a shame, because a potentially WONDERFUL instrumental track is ruined by some AWFUL vocal samples. I love the frantic and thumping techno, but I really don't need repeated, distorted, tinny AND chipmunked vocals telling me over and over again that they "don't give a fuck". 03: TRACK NINETEEN I feel like apologising as I have given a few of these tracks a mauling, and I'm about to do it again. This one's instrumental funk-dance, almost Daft Punk-esque. But alas it's very repetitive and the effects are all off-key and distorted. I know that that was obviously the intention behind the track, but it makes for one really annoying listen. In particular I hate the out-of-tune screechy violin. 08: TRACK TWENTY A sweet and twinkly ballad which I suspect with a few more listens will grow on me even further and I will grow to love. It's like a less wet version of Snow Patrol's You Could Be Happy. 05: TRACK TWENTY-ONE Keeping in with the low-key, down-tempo feel for the album closer. Swirling ambient production with breathy female vocals - it's a bit like a colder Goldfrapp. It's the sort of thing I'd normally love, but this isn't clicking with me. It doesn't feel like there's a lot of structure to the song, just random song segments strung together complete with random blippy noises. It's quite difficult to review this CD as a whole really as it's so diverse. Aside from a solid block of European female folk (tracks 6 through to 9), it's a real eclectic mix of genres (rap, techno, Euro pop, folk, electropop, ambient, MOR, hip-hop, rock - it all features here) and there's no obvious pattern or logical order to the track sequencing (the thumping Jay-Z rap of track 5 for instance is really quite jarring sandwiched in between the haunting ambience of track 4 and the cutesy MOR of track 6). I guess the only real theme I could pluck from this is that there's a heavy focus on promoting non-English music (I would hazard a guess at the majority being Eastern European?). A good two thirds of this album is non-English. At the risk of sounding like a right little Englander, this works and at the same time it doesn't for me personally. On the plus side, this is a great demonstration of the fact that there IS more to European music than the stereotypical rubbishgai $h!te you see on Eurovision or Melodifestivalen year in year out (admittedly one of my own common misconceptions); a lot of this is more interesting and experimental than you'd ever get in the UK or US charts. Most of this isn't commercial at all, but that suits me fine. On the downside, one of the reasons I don't connect so well with non-English tracks isn't so much that I'm a narrow-minded moron, but simply that where there are vocals in the song I like to be able to at least try and understand the song's message, which obviously isn't possible when you don't understand the language. So I had to try and judge on the music and the music alone, and some of the tracks took a little longer than normal to sink in with me. So unfortunately there was always going to be a little bit of a block on my enjoyment of this. But still to end on a positive note, I have made some worthwhile discoveries. I also appreciate the effort that someone has obviously gone to in order to include a little bit of something for everyone. Tracks 2, 4 and 6 in particular are DEFINITE keepers for my I-Pod, so thank you to whoever made this (my guess is either Pavel or FM11?). Also the artwork, despite being about 9 years old, never fails to make me chuckle. http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/7/73431/1475527-who_wants_to_be_a_millionaire_12950_super.jpg
May 30, 201114 yr 06: TRACK ONE An interesting choice for the opening track; an instrumental rock track which I would later learn is COMPLETELY unrepresentative of the CD as a whole. It's not bad, but in all honesty I don't find it all that interesting - there's a lack of a REALLY distinctive tune, which is kind of essential I think in the absence of a vocal. 09.5: TRACK TWO Very good. Indie/electropop - kind of what you'd expect if you bred New Order with Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, and then borrowed Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics and taught him to sing in a Germanic (?) language. I particularly like the piano running through the chorus, and the Oriental-sounding synths - very melodic. I shall be keeping this one certainly. LANGUAGE: - Not exactly the genre i'd normally listen on a regular basis but this was too good to not include in this compilation. Didn't expect you to like it. It was a good way to make a person who received this CD that it was from a rock fan? That was pretty much my goal, and to actually start this compilation with an energetic song. Ha! LANGUAGE: SWEDISH The definite highlight from their latest album, which pretty much sealed my love for this band. The clapping segments are incredibly addictive. Glad you liked it! 07: TRACK THREE The one track of this album that I do know; Imogen Heap's "Lifeline", which I'd only heard for the first time about a week before this CD Swap. Heap is one of those artists that I am only vaguely aware of, and I suspect that if I ever were to dig deeper into her back catalogue I'd like most of what I'd hear. But as it is, I only know this, Hide And Seek (which is OK) and First Train Home (which is GORGEOUS). This one's OK; I like the rather mournful piano riff that plays throughout the verses, but I find the chorus rather anti-climatic and forgettable, with nothing but a few electronic blippy sound effects to accompany Heap's slightly strained vocals. 10: TRACK FOUR Oh I LOVE this, probably my favourite discovery from this collection. Despite minimal production, this still manages to be dark, brooding, bittersweet and atmospheric. I can't work out who this is by though. My first thought was Hot Chip as the vocalist sounds familiar, but this track is darker in sound to what I know of them, so I'm not sure. Anyway, this is a definite winner with me. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH Correct! At least you got one! It's her latest track and i just had to include it. Partly because of that EPIC deep electronic breakdown near the end. It feels cheap i know, but it's so good. GOOSEBUMPS. Hide And Seek is incredible and its participation in BJSC in 2008 (?) made me fall in love with her and even Imogen-loon for quite a bit. Disappointed to see only a 7 because i thought you'd love it. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH Where were you when i entered it to BJSC?! I finished only 24th that time! And you are indeed right about the vocalist! The song features Hot Chip's member, Alexis Taylor (whose second name i always tend to spell as 'Jordan'). Again, glad you loved it this much. 02: TRACK FIVE Yeah, really not my thing. Generic US rap about getting drunk and partying complete with plenty of swearing just because. I'm sure the random cameo is Jay-Z, but who the main artist is I haven't yet been able to fathom. The distorted and tuneless sung chorus also does nothing for me whatsoever. Sorry. However kudos I guess for including something from a genre traditionally unrepresented on BJ. 09: TRACK SIX And following on from Jay-Z and friends, this is quite the random shift in mood. The beginning of a run of European female singer/songwriter tracks where I have no idea what the lady in question is singing about. In this case, it matters not, as this boasts a LUSH twinkly chorus, which brings to mind Zero 7 at their best. The lady even sounds a little like Sia in places (albeit a Sia singing in Russian or Polish or whatever) - the vocals are drawling but still utterly charming. Another keeper. 5. jj 'PRESSURE IS A PRIVILEGE' LANGUAGE: ENGLISH A track that was also featured in Harvey's CD! :cheer: Definitely the highlight track of their latest 'kills' mixtape. I don't know what it samples and don't really care. It's just incredible. The finishing phrase should btw sound like: 'the biggest difference between you and i is... you love me... and i hate you'. It was transferred to the next song on the mixtape. Gah. LANGUAGE: DANISH Probably my least favourite track on this CD but i had to include it because at one time i looned over her and her whole album, which is pretty much samey and that is why i got over it pretty quickly. I could PM you this album if you wish. 07: TRACK SEVEN Very much a track of two halves. I'm not keen on the verses; the vocals are just a little too cutesy for my liking - it's almost like I'm listening to a 7 year old girl singing a Russian nursery rhyme. However the chorus is wonderful; a hurtling, angsty and urgent affair, and it seems like it's being sung by a different (and actually adult) woman. 08: TRACK EIGHT Another charming female singer/songwriter ditty; European folk here. It's like a slightly more twee version of Amy MacDonald's This Is The Life, as if she's performing it on The Waltons or Little House On The Prairie, but again sung in Russian or something. I'm really not clued up with my languages. Bad Shoat. 7. RÖKKURRÓ 'SJÓNARSPIL' LANGUAGE: ICELANDIC I thought it'd be just your thing! The thing i love about the distinction of the two parts is their difference - how the chorus suddenly builds up, you are overwhelmed in a good way and it certainly catches your attention. Also a good song to cryyyy. LANGUAGE: SWEDISH This is pretty much my favourite song of the year so far. And it's also from Melodifestivalen this year (unfortunately failed to make it in Andra Chansen :'( )! And you liked it! HAHA. 05: TRACK NINE Another perfectly decent non-English female folk singer/songwriter. However this one suffers from the track sequencing a little, coming straight off the back of three similar-sounding but stronger tracks all from the same genre. It's perhaps a little too generic, and this was one of the tracks that I found I pretty much forgot about completely almost as soon as the next track began. 07.5: TRACK TEN The intro reminds me a little of Bloc Party - punchy and a little menacing. The main body of the song doesn't QUITE match up to the promise of those opening seconds, but it's still an interesting and atmospheric piece of guitar-pop. LANGUAGE: SWEDISH I must agree that it sounds weaker than the preceding 3 tracks indeed. And the song actually took me LONG to fall in love with. She is also 'Hello Saferide', if you heard about this project and could recognise her from there. Also check out the great video for this song. <3 LANGUAGE: DANISH Not the thing that i'd normally even listen too, it reminds me so much of $h!t russian so-called 'songs' (and i despise russian music scene for the reason that any song is just lyrics with any music on the background. Just f***ing annoying. Learn to f***ing combine music industry. And after that we complain why Europe doesn't take us seriously or extremely rarely accept a russian music act onto their music scene. Maybe if we didn't produce DOG POO on a daily basis [comparison: British Eurovision entries in the last decade before 2009] then we'd actuaally start feeling PROGRESS). Sorry for the rant LOOOL. Anyway, I was on my danish language looning period and hence digging the whole internet in search of any danish songs there, so i found this and automatically liked it. Lyrics are amazing too. ??: TRACK ELEVEN http://www.moopy.org.uk/forums/images/smilies/grin.gif I really don't know how to score this, because either JakeWild isn't the only one to have incorporated the Barbarellas on their CD, or this is a definite PISSTAKE. For the most part this is awful party anthem-lite, but the bridge where the lady in question advises her prospective suitor to lick her "muffin top" all to the accompaniment of a string orchestra IS admittedly wonderful (we are also assured that the muffin top is "wholegrain and low fat", so that's alright then). I just can't decide whether it's inadvertently wonderful, or whether it's all been done KNOWINGLY. 06: TRACK TWELVE Rather bizarre Euro-hip hop. Have N.E.R.D gone Russian? It's an interesting record, and I do like the angry and threatening bridges. I can appreciate that this is a very good example of it's genre, and fans of hip-hop should definitely give this a listen. However it really isn't my cup of tea at all, and it's a track I'm probably unlikely to keep for myself. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH 30 ROCK. Nothing else needs to be said actually. I had to download the whole OST to get it in full! So worth it. LANGUAGE: DANISH The most challenging thing about this song is to try to pronounce the lyrics along to the singer/rapper/whatever they are called. Still hard, even after half a year. Randomly found it while searching for danish music too i think. Which then made me look Anna David up. Which reminds me that i forgot to include this song in the compilation :( LlaaNZ0jph8 The rest tomorrow as this laptop's keyboard is KILLING ME, almost literally. Sorry for 47+ misspellings i had in this half of the review. :(
May 30, 201114 yr LANGUAGE: SWEDISH The definite highlight from their latest album, which pretty much sealed my love for this band. The clapping segments are incredibly addictive. Glad you liked it! HA knowing who this is now makes me laugh for reasons that shall become apparent later! ] LANGUAGE: ENGLISH Where were you when i entered it to BJSC?! I finished only 24th that time! And you are indeed right about the vocalist! The song features Hot Chip's member, Alexis Taylor (whose second name i always tend to spell as 'Jordan'). Again, glad you loved it this much. I am a genius. LANGUAGE: DANISH Probably my least favourite track on this CD but i had to include it because at one time i looned over her and her whole album, which is pretty much samey and that is why i got over it pretty quickly. I could PM you this album if you wish. Ooh yes please, that would be wonderful :o Did Shoat give a Eurovision reject a NINE? :o :o FIND OUT TOMORROW. http://www.moopy.org.uk/forums/images/smilies/hurt.gif SURELY NOT Between this and track #8, this confirms my suspicions that Eurovision and Melodifestivalen both REJECT perfectly DECENT music in favour of putting through utter SHITE. DEATH to schlager.
May 31, 201114 yr The songs are reviewed after one or two listens. Track 1 – This track is basically an intro. The intro is pretty cool and relaxing, it sounds like a type of music that can be used in the beginning of a foreign love story. Track 2 – It starts pretty soft with violins and Asian (can’t tell which language) vocals, then drums start playing. It sounds lovely. It’s good as the following track of the aforementioned intro. It’s over 4 minutes long, but that’s not something to complain about. Track 3 – It’s a pop song. The electronic sound and tempo is a bit catchy. It slightly reminds me of Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’, which is silly to think of. It’s decent, but it has its cheesiness. Maybe either because it’s a bit too repetitive or the singing/chanting wasn’t my thing. Track 4 – It’s also mainly electronic/synth pop. It sounds quite dark. I’m not sure of the chorus to be honest. Track 5 – The start has birds chirping and a few lines of singing. Then it suddenly becomes upbeat. Haha! The vocals are very R&B/soul. Sounds familiar though, and I can’t tell for some reason. :lol: Track 6 – It’s a weird mix of pop and tribal sound. Unfortunately, pretty cheesy lyrics, sounds a little desperate too. Track 7 – Vocals start the song. The singer sounds like Shakira at the verses! Not much to say this one, mainly because I can’t describe this! Track 8 – I’m pretty indifferent with this. It comes across as filler in the CD so far. If I‘m listening to an album of this act, I can have a feeling that their other tracks are better. Track 9 – Nice start with guitars and a few male vocals, before the drums kicking in. Track 10 – Different from the previous tracks. It’s a 3-beat track, and it’s pretty cheesy. Just a piano and a vocal at the start. I can imagine Lady GaGa and the like were doing this back before they become famous or successful! Track 11 – A pretty interesting track. It’s dubstep-ish. The “wah-wah-wah” (a little deeper than that) and the overall feel are the few reasons. Maybe it was intended. It sounds really lovely. I can imagine Chase & Status, Breakage or Skream can produce something similar to this. And I wish the track was longer, but oh well! Track 12 – Nice mix of auto-tuned/robotic vocals and more real vocals. It’s okay overall though; nothing is standing out in this track. Track 13 – Not a bad track. It starts with the piano, then the vocals, and then the beats (after the first chorus). The beats reminds me of what Ryan Tedder does back then! Track 14 – Nicely done track. Good combination of piano and dance-pop beats. Lyrics are about okay. Track 15 – Pretty subtle track. Sounds like it’s an album closer (last track on the album). Track 16 – Another nice-sounding track. Now it’s a 3-beat. Lyrics aren’t too bad. Sounds like something Jessie J or Celine Dion could cover for the next album. Track 17 – See Track 16. Good sounding guitars. Nice singing as well. It’s a little bit too short though. Maybe that’s just me. Track 18 – Starts a little with synths and other effects. Beats kick in almost halfway. Not sure of the singing. Not a brilliant combination I guess, but it’s not a major complaint. Once again, it’s a little bit too short. Track 19 – The last track. Not keen on the vocals to be honest. It’s a bit too wild. It’s quite not a CD closer I wish to hear. Overall, it’s not a bad CD, especially for a first timer of CD Swap like me! I didn’t know any of the tracks before. It could’ve been a little more varied musically, but that’s fine I suppose. The singing of the lyrics were not my thing (for the many parts), but musically it’s enjoyable in general. So, who made this CD? There are little English (language) in the CD. Others are K-Pop music (is that right?) and foreign. I think this is by shakilover! Apologies for a little lack of words for some tracks. I just don't know what to put. :) it is mine indeed. here's the songs and artists: 1. Aria - Ayumi Hamasaki this is an interlude from her last album. I thought it'd be a nice way to start off the album. And I love the contrast between the strings and the modern beat. 2. crossroad - Ayumi Hamasaki You were right to connect this to the intro as its from the same album haha. I love the instrumental in this song. The strings are just gorgeous and I love how it builds up! Ayumi's voice is amazing in this! 3. Dr. Feel Good - Rania This is a total guilty pleasure of mine. The chorus reminds me of Sweet Dreams as well. Been listening to this non stop haha. 4. Neonlights - Rio Girls Newish girl group from Germany. I love the dark/electro sound to this. Very 80s. I really love their look as well. 5. Deep Sleep - Nabiha One of my favorite new artists of last year. This is such a feel good song, it's super catchy and Nabiha's voice is awesome. 6. Crayons - Donna Summer I love the reggae sound to this. I agree the lyrics can be a little cringe-worthy at times haha. Still love the song though. 7. Tu No Eres Para Mi - Fanny Lu This is a super catchy song from the Colombian singer. Really good mix of latin music with pop/rock. 8. Face The Light - Girlicious This is one of the only songs that stood out to me from their 2nd album. I don't know why but i almost feel like an ominous presence in the chorus. It has the smallest hint of darkness imo. 9. Wrapped - Gloria Estefan Love the use of andean instruments in this song. It creates an extremely organic sounding song and yet it still works as a pop record. Gloria's voice as always is amazing. Love the pan flutes in the chorus. 10. Passion - Geri Halliwell Love the cheezyness to this song. I actually think the song really suits her extremely limited voice. She sounds so good in it. 11. Don't Take It Personal - Monrose Love this track by my favorite German girlgroup. A little experimental and dark but I love the sound they create on it. 12. Because of You - AFter School One of my fave k-pop songs of all time. The piano melody is so pretty and sad. I think this is quite an amazing song in general and not just for k-pop. The melodies and harmonies are quite complex. I love the piano with the strings and the synthesizers. It makes for quite a beautiful track. 13. Que Sera De Mi - Venus I love this spanish girl group. I guess you could say this is a typical ballad but I just love the sounds of their voices, especially in the choruses which they each get a chance o sing solo. 14. Give A Little Love Get A Little Love - Edita Love this album track from the Xfactor Germany winner. the whole album is an incredibly mature, yet catchy pop sound. Love this track! 15. Blue Noir - Mylene Farmer LOVE this track from the French songstress. Her voice is divine on the chorus. The lyrics are quite beautiful as well. 16. Honestly - Charlotte Church My favorite song from her current album. I love how it builds up to the bridge and the final chorus. It feels like such a personal song and she puts so much passion into her singing. 17. Resentment - Victoria Beckham This is an early recording of what would eventually become the song on Beyonce's second album. I've always preferred this toned down, softly sung version. Victoria is not an amazing singer but her tone really works for this song. She sounds sooo good here. 18. No Regrets - t.A.T.u I totally agree with the vocals being subpar. Can't really expect much from this duo. But the song is totally epic imo. It seems to try and build itself up to this climax but it never ends up happening. 19. Esa Hembra Es Mala - Gloria Trevi Trevi's voice is definitely not for everyone, especially in this song which really shows off her wild side vocally. I love the emotion and pain she conveys. Lyrics are also amazing. Thanks for the review and thanks for keeping an open mind during your listen.
May 31, 201114 yr "Songs To Go Deaf To" was the title of my cd and it turns out to be a bit of a misnomer really, as we shall see. 1. Things start off at a frenetic pace with a remix(?) of Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl with added guitars and oomph. I liked the original version and this turns everything up a notch. A good start. (9/10) 2. Ominous synths then chime in before a techno backing is rapped over by a male/female duo (from London?) which keeps up the tempo. Not so keen on this track but it does flow quite nicely from the previous track. (6/10) 3. This is much more noisey and to me sounds like an updated and heavier Huggy Bear as another male/female duo chant about Revolution Action and it's all rather good really. (9/10) 4. Next up is one of the few tracks I recognise, Crass' Systematic Death, a rant against how the state and capitalist society f***s you up and then basically $h!ts all over you until the day you die. This is something I can't really argue about and this is a fine new wave record with a message. (8/10) 5. Change of pace next and we have a bit of a hoe-down. This is a pretty basic four-four plod which some energetic guitars just about gets off the ground while the lyrics seem to be more upbeat than Crass (5/10) 6. Then we have one of the best records ever made. The amount of time I spent down Planet X in Liverpool at the turn of the 90s dancing to Fugazi's Waiting Room is a really precious memory. Although, in my head, next up should really be Big Black's Kerosene as I always put these two on comps together. (10/10) 7. And unfortunately it isn't Steve Albini's finest but some 90s(?) punks going acoustic. I think this might be Blink 182 but I'm really not sure. I don't know why most of these bands insisted on "widening" their musical palets with, to be frank, somewhat tedious songs that go nowhere. And here is a prime example. Halfway through, the acoustic interlude suddenly ends and the guitars are cranked up but it's too late to save this. (3/10) 8. Things pick up a little with the next track. More guitars and it sounds like more 90s punk trying to be a little more anthemic which works to some extent. (6/10) 9. Liked the start of the next track with some good interaction between bass and guitar and some clanging percussion. A (reedy) voice then breaks in over this but ultimately this track really doesn't get very far even when the drums come in at 3 minutes. A nice idea that doesn't quite come off for me. I think I might have enjoyed this more as an instrumental. (5/10) 10. Next up started like a shoegaze throwback and I could have sworn this would be Swervedriver at first. Another track where the voice doesn't do the rest of the song justice. It's not bad but the off-key singing during the chorus really doesn't help. After a (slightly bizarre) mid song interval with some echo-y guitars and swirly vocal effects, the sub My Bloody Valentine guitars clunk back in and the song draws to a close. (6/10) 11. The next track is much better. The guy's vocal are much better and this is a good pop-punk track about it being Another Day. All very up-beat and I like this one (8/10) 12. Sudden switch now as we get chiming synth patterns and a tasteful male vocal that slowly builds over the course of the song. This is all very pleasant but hardly floats my boat. Hardly a song to go deaf to either. (4/10) 13. I will be eternally grateful to the producer of this CD as they have made me completely reassess what I thought of the next track. I had (probably unfairly) dismissed Trent Reznor's project with his wife, How To Destroy Angels but listening to A Drowning again has been a truly joyful experience. Full of Reznor-isms such as the thudding synth-bass/drum machine intro, the piano chords and the sudden blasts of discordant noise, this is a fantastic track. And I really like Mrs Reznor's voice (sorry, can't remember her name!), as it matches the track to perfection as it slowly builds to a climax. (10/10) 14. Now I'm presuming the title of this compilation to be more ironic than literal but the next track is somewhat jarring. Some beatboxing over some skanking guitar leads to a socially aware lyric but I lost interest. I really don't like this. OK when you're pissed at 3 o'clock on a sunny afternoon at some festival but other than that I think I'll leave well alone. (3/10) 15. More skanking guitars and some horns lead to a bit of variety but this is so plodding. This kind of ska-punk does very little for me although it does fit very well with the preceding track. Again probably much better live. (5/10) 16. Oh goody more modern ska next. This is ok but doesn't make me want to investigate the bend any futher. I would love it if Liquidator or Skinhead Moonstomp was next just to show what good ska sounds like. In fact the more this goes on the more annoying it gets. (3/10) 17. I get the feeling this CD is trying to recreate the festival experience in approximately 80 minutes as we get more of a reggae track as the hero of the song sounds like he's trying to buy a prostitute although he doesn't have enough money to cover the services and bemoans the fact that said lady doesn't take credit cards or cheques. Dubious subject matter aside this hardly set my ears alight and I was quite glad when it was over. (4/10) 18. Change of pace with the next track and it sounds like a mid-western guitar band and after the previous four tracks it comes as blessed relief. All about being dis-satisfied with where he ends up so he is always moving on. (7/10) 19. A nice guitar riff kick starts the next track and a woman sings about how she's waited for a thousand years for something and someone can't stand to see her that way. A bright little track that continues the vibe set up by track 18. (7/10) 20. The last track could be someone like Gogol Bordello, only not as good. This fits more with tracks 14-17 and really belongs there with them. Rousing enough but doesn't really get me going much. (5/10) So there we have it. Quite a melodious CD really. Two brilliant tracks, a clutch of other good tracks and some ska-punk which I'm not into much. Still, an enjoyable listening experience and thank you for pointing out the brilliance of A Drowning. Oh and what with the ska-punk and Trent being present and correct I would have thought this would be Chris' CD. Whoever it is, thank you.
June 1, 201114 yr "Songs To Go Deaf To" was the title of my cd and it turns out to be a bit of a misnomer really, as we shall see. 1. Things start off at a frenetic pace with a remix(?) of Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl with added guitars and oomph. I liked the original version and this turns everything up a notch. A good start. (9/10) 2. Ominous synths then chime in before a techno backing is rapped over by a male/female duo (from London?) which keeps up the tempo. Not so keen on this track but it does flow quite nicely from the previous track. (6/10) 3. This is much more noisey and to me sounds like an updated and heavier Huggy Bear as another male/female duo chant about Revolution Action and it's all rather good really. (9/10) 4. Next up is one of the few tracks I recognise, Crass' Systematic Death, a rant against how the state and capitalist society f***s you up and then basically $h!ts all over you until the day you die. This is something I can't really argue about and this is a fine new wave record with a message. (8/10) 5. Change of pace next and we have a bit of a hoe-down. This is a pretty basic four-four plod which some energetic guitars just about gets off the ground while the lyrics seem to be more upbeat than Crass (5/10) 6. Then we have one of the best records ever made. The amount of time I spent down Planet X in Liverpool at the turn of the 90s dancing to Fugazi's Waiting Room is a really precious memory. Although, in my head, next up should really be Big Black's Kerosene as I always put these two on comps together. (10/10) 7. And unfortunately it isn't Steve Albini's finest but some 90s(?) punks going acoustic. I think this might be Blink 182 but I'm really not sure. I don't know why most of these bands insisted on "widening" their musical palets with, to be frank, somewhat tedious songs that go nowhere. And here is a prime example. Halfway through, the acoustic interlude suddenly ends and the guitars are cranked up but it's too late to save this. (3/10) 8. Things pick up a little with the next track. More guitars and it sounds like more 90s punk trying to be a little more anthemic which works to some extent. (6/10) 9. Liked the start of the next track with some good interaction between bass and guitar and some clanging percussion. A (reedy) voice then breaks in over this but ultimately this track really doesn't get very far even when the drums come in at 3 minutes. A nice idea that doesn't quite come off for me. I think I might have enjoyed this more as an instrumental. (5/10) 10. Next up started like a shoegaze throwback and I could have sworn this would be Swervedriver at first. Another track where the voice doesn't do the rest of the song justice. It's not bad but the off-key singing during the chorus really doesn't help. After a (slightly bizarre) mid song interval with some echo-y guitars and swirly vocal effects, the sub My Bloody Valentine guitars clunk back in and the song draws to a close. (6/10) 11. The next track is much better. The guy's vocal are much better and this is a good pop-punk track about it being Another Day. All very up-beat and I like this one (8/10) 12. Sudden switch now as we get chiming synth patterns and a tasteful male vocal that slowly builds over the course of the song. This is all very pleasant but hardly floats my boat. Hardly a song to go deaf to either. (4/10) 13. I will be eternally grateful to the producer of this CD as they have made me completely reassess what I thought of the next track. I had (probably unfairly) dismissed Trent Reznor's project with his wife, How To Destroy Angels but listening to A Drowning again has been a truly joyful experience. Full of Reznor-isms such as the thudding synth-bass/drum machine intro, the piano chords and the sudden blasts of discordant noise, this is a fantastic track. And I really like Mrs Reznor's voice (sorry, can't remember her name!), as it matches the track to perfection as it slowly builds to a climax. (10/10) 14. Now I'm presuming the title of this compilation to be more ironic than literal but the next track is somewhat jarring. Some beatboxing over some skanking guitar leads to a socially aware lyric but I lost interest. I really don't like this. OK when you're pissed at 3 o'clock on a sunny afternoon at some festival but other than that I think I'll leave well alone. (3/10) 15. More skanking guitars and some horns lead to a bit of variety but this is so plodding. This kind of ska-punk does very little for me although it does fit very well with the preceding track. Again probably much better live. (5/10) 16. Oh goody more modern ska next. This is ok but doesn't make me want to investigate the bend any futher. I would love it if Liquidator or Skinhead Moonstomp was next just to show what good ska sounds like. In fact the more this goes on the more annoying it gets. (3/10) 17. I get the feeling this CD is trying to recreate the festival experience in approximately 80 minutes as we get more of a reggae track as the hero of the song sounds like he's trying to buy a prostitute although he doesn't have enough money to cover the services and bemoans the fact that said lady doesn't take credit cards or cheques. Dubious subject matter aside this hardly set my ears alight and I was quite glad when it was over. (4/10) 18. Change of pace with the next track and it sounds like a mid-western guitar band and after the previous four tracks it comes as blessed relief. All about being dis-satisfied with where he ends up so he is always moving on. (7/10) 19. A nice guitar riff kick starts the next track and a woman sings about how she's waited for a thousand years for something and someone can't stand to see her that way. A bright little track that continues the vibe set up by track 18. (7/10) 20. The last track could be someone like Gogol Bordello, only not as good. This fits more with tracks 14-17 and really belongs there with them. Rousing enough but doesn't really get me going much. (5/10) So there we have it. Quite a melodious CD really. Two brilliant tracks, a clutch of other good tracks and some ska-punk which I'm not into much. Still, an enjoyable listening experience and thank you for pointing out the brilliance of A Drowning. Oh and what with the ska-punk and Trent being present and correct I would have thought this would be Chris' CD. Whoever it is, thank you. obviously, this was mine: 1. Hello Atomic - Hllbck Grrl (Missed It Shoot Again Mix) random mashup I have of Gwen Stefaini - Hollaback Girl and Refused - New Noise. 2. Losers (feat Riz MC & Envy) - Flush I think Riz MC is from London, sounds like so anyway, Losers is a collaboration between former Cooper Temple Clause man turned DJ Tom Bellamy and Xfm DJ Eddy Temple-Morris. 3. Atari Teenage Riot - Revolution Action possibly one of my favourite tracks ever, from one of my favourite bands, absolute classic. 4. Crass - Systematic Death my favourite track by Crass, great band. 5. Minutemen - Corona shame you didn't like this too much, I find Minutemen mix some really interesting musical styles into hardcore punk. lot's of people would recognise parts of this track which became the Jackass theme tune. 6. Fugazi - Waiting Room glad you love this track, but then again who doesn't? one of my favourite ever punk tracks, which says alot. 7. Box Car Racer - Letters To God not quite blink-182, but a side project of Tom Delonge from blink, I think it's a great track but it's not for everyone, especially his voice, but overall the Box Car Racer album was inspired by bands such as Fugazi which is why i felt it a good follow on from Fugazi. 8. The Xcerts - Slackerpop One of my favourite bands at the momment, although not 90's punk, infact this is a track off an album released last year, although they are very much inspired by 90's alt rock, Nirvana being a massive influence. 9. Japandroids - I Quit Girls I guess his voice isn't great, not something i've focused on much listening to Japandroids, but I just love their noisy lo-fi tracks. 10. Matthew C H Tong - Present and Correct Definatly works well as a follow up to the former track, when it comes to lo-fi/noise, what may surprise you is this is actually a solo track from the drummer of Bloc Party! 11. The Death Set - It's Another Day This is taken from one of my favourite albums so far this year, been addicted to this band since I discovered them, so much energy, and if you listen to more tracks, rather original (you can hear influence from electronic, punk and hip hop on the album). Glad you enjoyed the track. 12. Modwheelmood - Problem Me quite like this band, formed by a great musician called Alessandro Cortini, who was once a member of the NIN live band. 13. How To Destroy Angels - A Drowning How could you dismiss a Trent project? :drama: that said upon first listen of this I didn't think too much, but now I think it's a incredible track. Good to see I made you reassess the project anyway. Also her name is Mariqueen. 14. ClayPigeon - This Aint War featuring a great beatboxer by the name of Reeps One, I really enjoy this track, taken from an album the band sort of pressured me into buying. 15. Mouthwash - That Girl London based ska band, I think their pretty good and provided a decent warm up for Streetlight Manifesto at their London show last year, consided entering this into Unknown Pleasures once. 16. The Skints - Bright Girl Shame you weren't keen on this one, been near enough obsessed with this band recently, infact saw them for the third time so far this year on Sunday, i'd go as far to say they are the best British band around at the momment. 17. Captain Accident - Twenty Pence I haven't heard too much from this guy, from Wales, saw him live once though, pretty chilled out ska, heard him described as a reggae Frank Turner. 18. Willy Mason - So Long was very much into this guy years back (like 2004-2006), really loved his first album which this is taken from, gets me slightly nostalgic too, defincatly my favourite modern folk musician. 19. Plumtree - Scott Pilgrim 90's alt rock female fronted band, this track inspired the comic book series (now turned film) Scott Pilgrim, which is how I discovered the track, been meaning to check out more stuff by them as this is a great track. 20. Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution - Here's To Life real shame you didn't like this, I think it's incredible, such wide instrumentation, such great lyrics, such great structure, works even better when you have the intro too (it's taken from an EP which has a seperate intro track that flows straight to this song), the whole EP is brilliant. This is also a band of Tomas (God) Kalnoky, who also formed the incredible band that is Streetlight Manifesto, and you can hear a reworked version of this track on the first Streetlight album. Glad you got my CD and that you appreciated a decent amount of it, I feel you probaly enjoyed it more than you would had enjoyed many of the CD's, you obviously don't share my love of ska punk, but I wanted a mix of many genres, and as I listen to alot of ska, felt it fair to let it take up a fair few tracks.
June 2, 201114 yr Okay, so I’ve listened to the imaginatively titled “CD Swap” a couple of times now and it’s time to do a written review. A note that came with the album encouraged me to “take a few breaks so as to not get exhausted”; I think the poster responsible for this compilation might be underestimating themselves! Track 1 – a pretty dirty-sounding electro intro, quickly joined by a half-sung, half-rapped verse with some pretty beefy drums. The chorus brings in a second, higher pitched male vocal. This sounds pretty good, a pretty in-yer-face introduction. No idea who the artist is, the only comparison I drew was BrokenCYDE bizarrely although this is far superior in every way. No full-on screaming or misogynistic lyrics for starters. Nice half-time breakdown near the end as well. 8.5/10 Track 2 – very obviously a parody of Ke$ha’s TiK ToK, but a pretty good one. The production is kind of weak but the lyrics really made me laugh (largely about racist policemen and looking for weed) and it’s better than the Midnight Beast, at least. 8/10 Track 3 – interesting intro, reminded me of both Massive Attack and The Big Pink. Quite an ominous-sounding female vocal and some swooshy atmospherics. The chorus is a bit weak but this is perfectly decent and I’ll probably keep it. 7/10 Track 4 – sounds like the intro to a dance track. Maybe not, some screamy vocals just under the surface which I’d imagine won’t be to the taste of many BuzzJackers. I quite like it actually, has the subtlety that a lot of the stuff in this genre (which I want to call metalcore but that be a little misleading) lacks. Yes, definitely keeping this. 8.5/10 Track 5 – Die Antwoord – Enter the Ninja – DIE FOOKIN’ ANTWOORD! Something I recognise and like, was a minor hit over here last year I think? This seems to be a censored version but the sound effects over the swearwords actually work quite well. Keeping, given I didn’t have this already. 8.5/10 Track 6 – low-key acoustic guitar intro. Male vocal, this seems to be one of those nicey-nicey acoustic tracks that occasionally do well in the charts. Massive contrast from the last couple of tracks, maybe the compiler thought of this is the start of a second ‘act’? Maybe I’m just reading too much into it. I like, would rather it had a bit of Frank Turner-ey bite though. 7/10 Track 7 – intro initially reminded me of Arcade Fire’s “We Used To Wait”. Couldn’t be wider of the mark, male rapped vocal with a higher pitched vocal singing the chorus. Got a distinctly British feel about it – some good rhymes but not really my thing overall. Decent enough though. 5.5/10 Track 8 – like the drum track, this sounds promising. The vocal sounds VERY Biffy Clyro-esque, the backing less so. This lacks a proper hook but it’s pretty good. The instrumentation sounds like it’s had some thought put into it, makes it enjoyable to listen to. 8/10 Track 9 – another tinny-sounding comedy electro track. If this is a direct parody I don’t recognise what it’s parodying, it’s partially saved by some fun lyrics but there’s nothing particularly clever and nothing that made me laugh out loud. Still, I don’t dislike it. 6/10 Track 10 – the intro sounded almost Kaiser Chiefs-esque but the vocal reminds me of Serj Tankian. This lacks something; I can’t quite put my finger on it. I also can’t quite work out why it needs to be six minutes long when it doesn’t really go anywhere. Nice enough. 6.5/10 Track 11 – VERY cheesy intro, sounds like theme music for a terrible 4Music show. Seems to be lyrically based around food, particularly ice cream, and innuendo relating to such. New Young Pony Club did that far better, this is quite fun though. 7/10 Track 12 – ooh, that sounds ominous… sounds a bit like a female version of The Big Pink’s “Dominoes” but drenched in feedback. The vocals reach some very high notes which kind of stop this from being a bit of a nothingness. It’s a grower actually, I’ll probably keep it. 6.5/10 Track 13 – an Eastern European version of “Go West”? Excellent. 8.5/10 Track 14 – this intro sounds FIT. Oh wait, it’s N-Dubz. What the hell? Whoever put this remix on is CRUEL. I don’t recognise the track, it’s probably an improvement on the original and scores an extra couple for the intro alone. 5.5/10 Track 15 – Arcade Fire – Suburban War – the only song here I already had. Not my favourite song on the album, but it’s still very good. 7/10 Track 16 – Chase and Status feat. Plan B – Pieces - recognised Ben Drew’s voice, and by powers of deduction I’m guessing this is his earlier C&S collaboration. Prefer “End Credits”, but this is sill pretty decent. 7/10 Track 17 – Wombats? Don’t recognise the song, I like the band in moderation – usually when the singer’s voice takes a backseat as I find him a little annoying. This doesn’t really have anything to grab me, it’s alright. 6.5/10 Track 18 – a big, piano-based comedy track. I say big, it’s only 96 seconds long. Just as well really, not a lot going for it. There WAS a decent moment near the end but it was then ruined. Shame. 3.5/10 Track 19 – and the last track returns to more familiar hard electro territory… I recognise the singer’s voice, which is going to bug me. This is pretty good though, the breakdown (I say breakdown, it’s all one tempo) is pretty vicious in places. Good closing track and ooh, a nice sudden ending. 8/10 Overall, a fairly diverse playlist. No idea whose it is, I enjoyed it though – particularly the first half. Overall score 133/190, or 70%.
June 2, 201114 yr Ooh, Ben's and Pavel's CDs look rather nice, and pre-1995 and foreign languages are areas of music where my knowledge isn't all that great, so could someone send me a link? Much thankies.
June 3, 201114 yr I don't really have a link to my album, Benji will help you with both! Which reminds me i should get to writing the second half for Shoat's review and my own review :(
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