Thursday, June 21, 2012

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Santa Esmeralda

This is the 1977 debut album by French and American Disco group from the '70s. They started in, from what I've read, 1977. The lead singer, who's voice is my favorite, not putting any of the other singers down though, Leroy Gomez. This is one of two he did with the band, the other one was named after another 16+ minute cover song House of the Rising Sun released later in 1977. The third release, and first of five albums, was the first to have Jimmy Goings as the lead singer. His 1978 Beauty isn't really that much of a "beauty" on the album cover. He looks like a werewolf, but the next forth album, Another Cha Cha has a better album cover. But anyway. Here's this albums review.
  1. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: This song, including the Esmeralda Suite, takes up the whole 1st Side of this album, totaling at 16:05. Now I first heard this song in my favorite movie of all time last summer. If you know it you won't be suprised... It's Kill Bill Vol. 1, with Vol. 2 a close 2nd. Well it's the part with O'Ren and The Bride, which is what you know her as at the time, fight. Now I used to watch the fight video a ton to hear the song until I downloaded it. Now getting all 16 minutes was a pain, but eventually I ended up getting it. So now here's the review. When I listen to it, with each listen, it doesn't seem like 16 minutes. I goes by so fast. It's such a fun song to jam to. It's also such a fun song. The instrumental break in the middle of this song is so sick. The breakdown it awesome, this is seriously how a breakdown in a song like this should be. And his "scream". The strings at that part are also amazing. The guitar tone is beyond me. I could only dream of making something like that. When you pick up everything going on, you learn this is THE BEST version of this song and quite possibly one of the best songs like ever. This is defiantly one on my favorites. The drums, classical guitar solos, horns, strings, it's like a fricken Free Bird, but cooler sounding. {11/10}
  2. Gloria: This is probably my 2nd least favorite track. I don't want to be hating on their version, frankly I don't like the original version that Van Morrison's band Them did in the 60's. I do like Santa Esmeralda's version a little more, but just because of that... I don't think that this is a good song in general. I think if they added the instrumentation to it, or "Dragged it Out". I just sinned big time by saying they drag it out, because the extra length doesn't in anyway hurt the song. Their best songs are their longer songs. I mean this is still a cool song. I like how they make theses cover songs better than the the originals. But over all I give this songs like. {6/10}
  3. You're My Everything: This is my least favorite song, I wish they, unlike all the other songs I've heard by them, cut this song down. They could have added time to Gloria and cut this one down. This is a pretty dry 5:40 seconds for me. After re-listening to it it kind of reminds me of a R&B song. The solo in this song is actually probably a really cool one. I think that this is a little to soft, but this is also the token ballad in the album. So obviously the album needed one. I do still think that 5:40 is a little long for this song, it could probably be 3 minutes, but whatever. It might of been harmed thought if it looses that much time though. {5/10}
  4. Black Pot: This is the second longest track at 7:11. And I was hoping that it would be another You're My Everything, it wasn't. From the first second I heard the opening note, I was like.... I was like wow. This song kicks some ass. There is kind of a, underneath, not buried, guitar part that has wha wha in it. This song reminds me a ton of Black Diamond by KISS off their 1974 self titled debut album. Especially the beginning of the song. Like this is more of a disco version of the song. This has more of a R&B vibe with the more predominantly horn solo in it.The solo and guitar tone at the end is cool. {7/10}
Overall I have to give this album a 7.4/10. I never heard any of the other songs outside of Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood before about a week. Leroy kills this album. This album is only 32 minutes long. So why not check it out. This is the perfect album to spin at the roller rink. If you don't do that , then just listen to it for funnzies. I do plan on reviewing their other albums to, not sure which ones yet, but look forward to Another Cha Cha, House of the Rising Sun, Beauty, their albums from 1977-82.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Work/Sleep EP - The Appreciation Post

This is another band that I found out because of FrostClick and this is their Ep that was released March 2010. These guys are from Boston and started up in '05. They are like a pop=punk/synth-core band, as said on their FaceBook page. So why not give these guys a try, for funzies.
  1. The Beating of a Lifetime: This song starts out very poppy. But it has this "bubble gum" happiness to it. The synths give it that feel. They lyrics aren't as happy feeling and the melody. Damn it,  I hope this isn't the whole Ep. The breakdown of the song has an electronic drum in it. This song is too pop feeling to be a punk song.
  2. I'm No Sure Thing: This song starts out worse than the last song. This song is kind of like the last song, but I don't think that it's as happy. This has a feeling of Dying is Your Latest Fashion in the vocals and the melody. What kills it is the synth. Its buzzing is abnoxious to me.
  3. Doom & Gloom: This song doesn't really show that much of a difference between this one and the last one. There is a part that reminds me of the first album by Escape the Fate, but it ends to fast. If they had that part a little more than maybe it'd be better.
  4. No Songs Is Good Songs: This song has a new Weezer feeling to it. That doesn't feel good, it doesn't have a good feeling for me. Yeah this sounds like a more winy Weezer.
  5. Better My Future: This is the closest the guys have come to a Punk vibe. The bad thing is that this is just under 40 seconds and is an intrelude.
  6. Fear Of Loss: Then this song starts and contiunes that punkish vibe from the last track. The vibe is killed by the synth. The drum roll doesn't even help these guys out.
  7. Moving Backwards: Yeah this is the best part, # the ending is near. :(
I have to give this a 3/10. This is the first time that I'd ever heard anything by these guys. And to be honest I don't like this type of music. They sound like some random band on Epitaph Records. I think there is only 2 or 3 bands ever on that label that I like, ETF and FIR. It just doesn't work for me, I can't explain any more than, it just bugs me. I hope they make it onto Epitaph. Hey it's only 18 minutes so....

Thursday, June 14, 2012

The Portable Cypher Volume 1 - Brock Berrigan

This is some download that I just downloaded because I thought the album cover was kinda goofy. I thought, getting into this, that this would be like a hip-hop album or something that I wouldn't really like but well, you'll see how I was wrong. What I am going to say about this is, that it completely kicked my ass.
  1. Brandy of the Damned: This song kind of reminded me of a song that I could see being in Kill Bill. One of the parts where she is in Tokyo, in Vol. 1, and the bride in walking through the club is in O'ren Ishii's in. If you didn't know that's my favorite movie EVER!!!!!
  2. Geronimo: This song could also kind of be in that to, possibly. I'm not sure, but I could see this being a song that kind of reminds me of Sweet Cream (Redux) off the the Crank High Voltage soundtrack Mike Patton did back in 2009. I love that song, this reminds me of it because of the drums and stuff.
  3. Orchestrated Mad Man: This beat sounds like a new updated, hip/underground, James Bond song. I could see this playing while he is walking thought a Casino in on of the movies and is about to meet the bad guy for the first time. There is eve
  4. Breakfast with a Stranger: This is defiantly a song that I could see being in like a revamped '60s James Bond classic. Maybe a movie like Thunderball. I might just be crazy, but this gives me this ocean, underwater feel. One that is portrayed through Thunderball.
  5. Dragon's: This song starts with an older woman singing "A dragon once lived on the side of the mountian". The thing that's cool about her saying that is that her voice moves back and forth pretty fast alternating between left channel to right channel.
  6. Get The Message Out: This song is like a song that I could see being in an action movie. Possible like Crank. There is a ballin feel to it where I could see it on that basketball video game Dan the Automator did back in like '08-'09 one of those.
  7. Paddy's Pub: This song has this girl voice in the background that reminds me of The Resident's song Burn Baby Burn. The rest of the song has this smooth, jazz feeling. Like its slick cats. If you know what I mean.
  8. The Headless Horseman's Rampage: This song has that eerie feel to it that makes me feel like it would reminds me of an eerie scene in a movie. I think there it a clip from Ricky Bobby in that song, but I'm not sure.
  9. Coffee and Bacon: This is defiantly a song where I could see it fitting the morning where they are planning and it is starting to flow, and the story line gets interesting. This could be in like Pulp Fiction or a Quentin Tarentino movie. Actually I think this would fit into Kill Bill Vol. 1 perfectly. It definitely has that chill feeling, relaxed and layed back.
  10. Long Strange Evenings: I don't really know how to explain this track, You have to listen to this. I think that the name fits it. It is a cool track. This song is also very chill, and I think that it has a lot of keys in it more so, if that makes sense. I love the way the keys sound for it to. This is a sick ness.
  11. Yesterday's Hero: This song is really cool. It sounds like the rest of the tracks, but it is more big, like orchestra sounding big. This song is really cool and has this sample of someone singing under the mix, but it's buried in the mix. The guy singing sounds like he is screaming to get out, and that works perfect with the fact his voice is so buried in the mix. This would be an amazing way to end a movie. And to top it off this is ten seconds short of being one minute longer than the second longest track at 2:46. This is probably the best track and an amazing way to end. The song kind of cuts off. One of the best endings of like, Ever. {11/10}
Overall this was a 9.7/10. It was awesome, I very much so suggest it if you like instrumental music. Also it you like music with a jazz feel to it. Or if you like Mike Patton's solo soundtrack work or that Lovage album he did with Dan the Automator in 2001. This actually reminds me of the instrumental version of that album, a ton. It's kind of hard to explain these type of soundtrack albums . I really like this, and I am definitely going to pay for all of his stuff, as soon as I get a debit card.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Making Mirrors - Goyte

This is the third album by Australian electronic pop artist Wally de Backer, or his alias Goyte. Wally, whose birth name is Wouter De Backer was born in Belgium in 1980. He spent most of his life, growing up, in Australia after moving there with his family. His first album Boardface was released in 2003. Well this is his third album and this seems to be a big hit in the pop radio. So I think that, after loving Somebody I Used to Know, give it a review.
  1. Making Mirrors: This is an instrumental intro to the first song. It has an ambient sound to it. It kind of reminds me of the beginning of Mylo Xyloto, even thought this came out first. This in August, Coldplay's album in October.
  2. Easy Way Out: This song has this kind of hypnotic feel to it. This seems like it would be a garage rock type of song. I could see The Yardbirds or The White Stripes doing something like this, to an extent. This song is only about 2 minutes long. That's kind of a let down. I didn't feel like it really ended.
  3. Somebody I Used To Know: I don't exactly know why, but I love the crap out of this song. The song is catchy and has that catchy bass beat to it. The little guitar that goes along with the beat is also awesome. He uses some other instruments, probably from New Zeland. He used foreign instruments to make a pop song. This song is awesome. This chorus is fricken catchy as hell. I don't know how to not explain how catchy this song is. Gotye's part is really cool, but the star of the song is young Kimbra. Her part adds so much more, instrumentation wise and has more going on with it. And her voice. I fell in love with it super fast. I LOVE her voice. Actually I listened to all the remixes that they have on his spotify page of this song. It's kind of like, why not.
  4. Eyes Wide Open: I think that this is a cool next song. It is a million times different from the last song. This is a fun song.This feels like I'm running in a march, if that makes sence. I don't really know how else to describe this song.
  5. Smoke and Mirror: This kind of has a Doors feeling to it. The keyboards on the song make this feel like it is something they might do. This song gives me this feeling of, He has style. Like he is a cool guy. He is slick. This also has the kind of psychedelic vibe to it going on. The whole African drums thing at the end drags on for me.
  6. I Feel Better: This has this Ennio Morricone intro to it. Then it completely changes into a like pop song. Yeah I don't really know how to react. The way he's sing reminds me of Wings. I don't exaclty know what song, but a song that would probably be on Wings Across America live album from 1976.
  7. In Your Light: This reminds me of Faith by George Michael. The guitar in the beginning. Then there are horns that come in and give it this intresting feeling. Well he sings with the guitar and without the horns for a part. This could be a cover of Faith. It's actually suprising that it sounds like George Michael as much as it does. Obviously it's not prefect, but with that in mind you know what I'm talking about. It's Faith with more electronic stuff going on.
  8. State Of The Art: This song has theses horns and stuff in it to give me a James Bond type of song. I could see the instrumental of this song being in a spy movie. Like when he would be looking for clues. I don't like the distorted, deep, robot vocals at all. I think this should be an instrumental song. This is way cooler with out the vocals. And the way he is singing reminds me of Somebody I Used To Know. Not the chrous, but the verses. I could see this in a Pierce Brosnan films where he was Bond.
  9. Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You: This song is like part two of the last song. This could also be in a Bond soundtrack. But only if you subtracted the singing. The little ambient voice in the beginning of the song is fine. And also if you took out the strings that kind of hurt and make this song loud once he starts singing. the beginning is how it should stay, with to the guitar sound.
  10. Give Me A Chance: This is kind of a easy listening song. This song slipped past me first time hearing it because it was so quiet. But I'm kind of glad it did. I didn't really like it all that much.
  11. Save Me: This song kind of continues where Give Me A Chance ended. It has this very electronic feeling at parts. There is this "do do do" robot sound in the song. There is also a hand clap sample in the background.
  12. Bronte: This is a very atmospheric song. Like soundwaves. When I heard this I thought of Whales making love. That wouldn't be pretty sight, but its pretty sounding. But that ends when he starts to sing. The vocals remind me of Connan Mockasin's 2011 title track off  Forever Dolphin Love. There are strings and there is stuff added to the song as it progresses. I think that is sounds pretty, but it begans to ware off on me. Like its not as pretty as it was at first.
Overall this gets a 6.2/10. Using Australian and other foreign instruments is really cool when they make a pop song out of that. But it's been done before, Men At Work's 1981 album Business as Usual with their songs Down Under and Who Can It Be Now?. I love both of those song, but I like these songs to. I don't really consider this to be an album. I think that it could be more of a greatest hits over a 10-20 year career period of an artist. The songs genres and styles don't really overlap, except the last "2nd Half" of the album. I like that it doesn't get overkill about a certain genre on this, but I wish there was more consistent throughout the entire thing. It seems like the second half is the album, and the first half is just songs he wanted on the radio. But it also might not have been as good if it was more consistent. I just got bored by the end. That was also the case with 21 by Adele. I think that this was an album intended to win awards.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Shinin' On - Grand Funk

This is the eighth album by rock band, at the time, under the title Grand Funk. This was released in 1974 and what I don't understand is their August 1969 debut album, On Time, they were Grand Funk Railroad. Then their next album was the December, 1969 self titled Grand Funk. So there isn't really a consistency to the use of one or the other. These guys are probably best known for We're An American Band. The thing that's cool about this album is it comes with 3D glasses and is in 3D. I'm not huge on the album cover, but that's still a cool idea. Todd Rundgren produced this album for them, and also their previous 1973 album We're An American Band and also plays guitar on this album for the song, I have to check back later but I'll put it in there. Their first 7 albums, including live albums too, were produced by Terry Knight. Now I didn't know were I knew his name from, but he was present for some of the recordings sessions of the 1968 self titled double album The Beatles. He was present for some, and was there when Ringo temporarily quit. I guess that he was surprised they fought so much and couldn't negotiate a contract to do it. Their final album, before the first break up Good Singin', Good Playin' was produced by the one and only Frank Zappa. Now I think it sucks that that was their last one before the first break up, but still, whatever.
  1. Shinin' On: This is the title track and it kicks ass. This song surprised me, I thought I'd be bored. There is a synth or Moog or mellotron solo kind of, but it's not like overpowering. It sounds kind of like something that Jon Lord would play. The guitar part followed by that isn't so much solo as it is filling. But it's better that it didn't has a "solo". It sounds way cooler. It's the longest song at 5:56. The ending of this song reminds me of the 1971 Moody Blues song Story In Your Eyes ending, the 2nd song on Every Good Boy Deserves Favor.
  2. To Get Back: This song reminds me of a gospel-esque song. This doesn't sound like something that I pictured them playing. There's trumpets and, I think, saxophone. There's this jam at the end of the song that I feel like it reminds me of something Zappa would do. Not style or sound, but they didn't go insane, stoner, Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page about the jams, they stayed pretty together on the song.
  3. Loco-Motion: This is a big song, I don't really like it all that much. I don't know, I feel like it's gotten old. It's like the some Led Zeppelin songs, I really don't like them anymore because I've heard them so much before. I am almost positive that you've heard this song before. It's also a cover song. I don't hate this song. The guitar distortion reminds me of Jimi Hendrix.
  4. Carry Me Through: The vocalist of the songs sounds kind of robotic. It's kind of "scary" compared to the last track, that was really happy and stuff. The vocals are deeper and its sound like the vocal track was slightly slowed down. It reminds me of the original 1973 studio album version of Turn the Page off Bob Seger's 6th album Back in '72. That version of the song is almost impossible to find. #NEEDTHATALBUMONVINYL. Todd Rundgren does guitar on this song. The solo sounds like a Pink Floyd solo that would be on The Wall of maybe Wish You Were Here, possibly The Dark Side of the Moon. The very end of the songs is piano chords and its like the end of the song Epic off Faith No More's 1989 hit album The Real Thing. But more chords than the arpeggios on Epic.
  5. Please Me: This is pretty much a Foreigner song feel with Lou Gramm style vocals and Mick Jones guitar. Everything about this song screams Foreigner. The drums on this are bad as at the ending.
  6. Mr. Pretty Boy: This is a bluesy song. That starts out with drum hits., then the vocals and bass plays along with the vocals. Then keys come in and a little atmospheric guitar feedback. Then comes the strings. This song also has that Foreigner feeling to it, like the choir vocal chorus feel. The guitar on this song is more buried, but still awesome.
  7. Gettin' Over You: The guitar is sick and the whole entire pumping feeling wants me to stay listenin to the album and re-listen. This song is sick, it's very epic. I feel more than Bohemian Rhapsody. Like I don't think that there is much thought that went into that. The keys on this remind me of the song Surgeon by St. Vincent's 2011 album Strange Mercy. The ending of the St. Vincent song has this Floyd-esque keys feeling. There is a drum part in the beginning and then another one later that reminds me of Whole Lotta Love off Zeppelin's 1969 sophomore album Led Zeppelin II
  8. Little Johnny Hooker: This is a blues song. This is totally Stevie Ray Vaughn before he even existed in music. No debating this sounds like him. It's sounds so much like his style, maybe not the vocals as much at parts of the song, but still the style. It would be one of his faster song, like maybe Crossfire. It towards the ending though has this part where it reminds me of Judas Priest with the way the screams in the background. I don't 
Overall I have to give this a 8.5/10. I really liked this more than I thought I would. I think that this was a surprise. I didn't think that they would make something like this. This album was sick and I think that it should be heard. I think that after realizing that this was so sick I can't wait to do the Live album.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Vacation - Bomb The Music Industry!

This is the 7th album by indie music collective from New York. They are from NY, ie place that doesn't really bring that much musically. Well outside of maybe Zorn. But I don't really like bands like this, or music like this, so I am kind of not expecting anything huge.
  1. Campaign For A Better Next Weekend: I went into this not expecting to like it. This song kind of shook my feelings, not a ton, but made me feel like I might like it. This wasn't that amazing of a song but if this was like the rest of the songs this would get a decent review score. This song gave me a feeling of Coldplay so I was kind of excited. And the song builds.
  2. Vocal Coach: This song totally sounds like a Weezer song. Absolutely everything, outside maybe the vocals, sound like Weezer. They even have that little xylophone sound that reminds me of Pink Triangle off 1996's Pinkerton. I can't explain how similar it is.
  3. Everybody That You Love: This sounds like a punkish song that might be in a Tony Hawk video game. And outside of the vocals I get this feeling of Christian rock, for some reason. But that Christian thing isn't through out the whole song, only the beginning of the song.
  4. Sponge Board/Baby Waves: This could be a cover of Our Prayer off The Beach Boys 1969 20/20 but was intended to be on the 1967 lost album Smile. Which has been released as a boxset featuring some of the takes of the songs.
  5. The Shit That You Hate:  The beginning of this song reminds me of Green Eyes off the 2003 A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay. But that changes when they add electronic thing playing along with the vocals, and the feedback at that one part. Then they add strings and remove the feed back. This song is what I assume a ballad. The lyrics aren't that amazing, but I don't think that all of Weezer's lyrics "sound" that good. This song builds and is "epic?". Not for me, but maybe for you. The vocals on this just hurt it for me, a lot.
  6. Hurricane Waves: This has a surf rock feeling to it. It is a typical one that I think you can tell that it doesn't sound that new.
  7. Sick, Later: For some reason the like hook in this song reminds me of the theme song for that Victorious TV show on Nick. I have seen it in the past, mainly because sometime my sister has it on and I'm not doing anything. I don't watch it all the time, just on occasion, but then again who doesn't do that if they have a younger sibling. But anyway this song doesn't give me anything fresh.
  8. Why, Oh WHy, Oh Why (Oh Oh Oh Oh): This song reminds me of like The Cure. I don't get exactly why, but it does. This song doesn't sound that far off from the last track.
  9. Savers: As this progresses this starts to get repetitive. And it's a little too repetitive. The last 3 songs before this kind of sound the same. They add strings in this song, but it doesn't do anything at all for me.
  10. Can't Complain: This has the feeling that I get from Hurts Like Heaven off 2011's Mylo Xyloto album by Coldplay. The difference, biggest, is there isn't as much electronics going on in there. I am glad that there is a little variation at this part. There is no need for swearing on this song, or on anyother songs on this album. They just put it in there for "shock value". And It isn't that sharking. The ending has this voice sample that I'm not gonna talk about cuz it's dumb, just remember that.
  11. Everybody That Loves You: By this song I'm kind of looking forward for this thing to end.
  12. Sunny Place Shady People:  This is like the electronic 8-bit solo for the last song, then they add in other instruments. The way this song ends sounds like they sampled Ronnie from Escape the Fate and more recently Falling in Reverse voice.
  13. Felt Just Like Vacation: This is just a continuation on the last song. I think that the last three songs were supposed to be like a big melody. The ending of this album is ok, and it is a good way to sum everything up. There is like a 2 minute outro of an arpeggio that sounds like it getting out of tune. I think it sounds sweet. Nice way to end the album/vacation.
Overall I can't say I really liked this. I have to give it a 6.2/10. I think that this is something that people might like, and I kind of see it having potential, but I just don't like it. This thing is a big "Jumble Fuck" of genres, in a good way. Each song sounds different from each other. But then again, they are from New York. So, I got it free at their website/tumblr and I think you should give it a listen. I do want to review their future/past stuff to. So look forward to that. One last thing, the backing vocals kind of remind me of the choruses on a Bang Camaro song. This band also gives me this NOFX vibe, the vibe that makes me very much dislike NOFX.

Monday, June 4, 2012

An Offer Of Moonlight - Eisley

This is one of the many studio sessions that the wonderful Daytrotter has done. I fricken love that website. You should go there and join it, because it has a ton of bands that I like, and didn't know about before. There are also some bands/artists that I knew about and was suprised about Danny Brown, Max Bemis, Wayne Kramer, MGMTSucré amoung others. So this is the one they did with Eisley. I was like, crap, I couldn't believe it. The best part, this was released today. So I couldn't help but to do this. This is the second Review I've do for Eisley.
  1. Laugh It Off: This is like a more of a version that would maybe on something Pre-Room Noises. Like the way the song is. I think that this isn't as Epic as the album version of it. But I still think that this is a pretty neat version. This is more of a peaceful version. This isn't a cool sounding or powerful and delivered with so much emotion. The Ep version is more like "into" it.
  2. Mister Moon: This song has the keys more present. In the studio version of the song the keys and vocals are mixed together, kind of. This version the keys "drag" the notes out. Not the song, but the notes seem longer. This version has no drums, which is part of what makes that song so... the way it is. The nice thing about this version is it's a bit more easy to understand the lyrics. I think that this is just a pretty and different take for this session.
  3. Ambulance: This sounds like the acoustic version on the deluxe edition of The Valley. This song has version of the songs has more of an atmosphere to it, if that makes sense. Actually it is the same version that is on the deluxe version. This is more of a layed back version. It only has vocals, keys, and acoustic guitar strums. It's a pretty version, I like the album version more, but that's my opinion
  4. 192 Days: This song is like a tones down version. If that makes sense. I think that there is electric guitar in this song, but it's isn't in the background. This song sounds like it's more "Live" than the produced version on Deep Space. I like this song, but I think there is part where it is hard to think about the 2009 Fire Kite Ep demo version. Because I like the 2012 Deep Space Ep version more. My favorite part is that this sounds like a non produced version that they would actually play
Overall I have to give that a 7/10. This is more of a quiter version of their songs, and live performances. I saw them live and they had more energy. I don't think that they used electric guitars. When they do things like this it's usually just Sherri, Stacy and Chauntelle. This is a pretty cool sounding thing. Its like looking at their songs, if they had an MTV Unpulgged, that's not the reason they do it like that, but you can look at it like that. 

Friday, June 1, 2012

21 - Adele

This is the big album from last year from Adele, or as I call her Addle. This is her second album, and it's named after her age. Now at first I didn't really like Rolling in the Deep that much. But it eventually grew on me. I don't think that I need to explain that she's from England and that her first album was 19 and released in 2009. So two years later, 19+2= Her new album 21. I remember hearing Chasing Pavement when it first came out, and I wanted to murder her, not seriously, but you know. I thought that was one of the most obnoxious songs I'd heard at that point in my life. I heard it when she was on SNL. Well I have had this review sitting in the backburner but now here it is, Adele's 2011 Grammy Award Winning 21. FYI I am working on Sgt. Pepper's to upload at the end of the month, kind of like last month's Let it Be.
  1. Rolling in the Deep: This was the first big song. This was also a different musical direction from her first album. The guitar in the beginning of this song sounds really cool. I like this song, and I was surprised that I actually liked this song. This song has everything that I feel it needed to be a good song, an awesome voice and singing, cool instrumentation, and the choir in the background makes it sound cool. The one thing I don't like is that this is probably the only time a songs is like this on this album. Stylistically, not exciting.
  2. Rumour Has It: This sounds a shit load like Amy Winehouse. I'm not even kidding. If you have ever heard one of her songs, beside Rehab, then you can see the similarity. There is obviously not as much unperfectedness. This sounds like a cleaner verison of a song by her. I don't know how to explain that anymore. I think that the breakdown or bridge is really cool with the piano and the strings, but the chorus drives me nuts.
  3. Turning Tables: This song is a piano driven song, with her vocals. This song kind of feels like most of the other songs on this album. That's exactly what a pop hit needs, consistentness. I haven't heard all of these songs in order, so that how I know the sound by the third track.
  4. Don't You Remember: This has a southern arpeggio sounding vibe that I am picking up. I can't recall any other song that quite songs like this, so that excited me a little. By the end of the song this was not exciting to me.
  5. Set Fire To The Rain: I really, like Rolling in the Deep, like the way she sings this song. The piano and vocals and instrumentation is exciting, the only other time on this album that excites me is Rolling in the Deep. This song doesn't sound like any other song on this album. So that's a good thing. The piano arpeggios make this song sound really cool. It also builds, which makes it good.
  6. He Won't Go: This song has a feeling that I could picture in a part in a movie where they are walking in a fancy club. This song has strings added in the chorus and it actually kind of reminds me a little, just the strings in the chorus and how they sound, of Sucre in the was that the strings sound in the chorus. This also sounds like a song that would be a hit. I don't like it all that much, but I could see this being a hit song if it was in a soundtrack. There is a part where it sounds like its strings, her voice, and a harp and that sounds pretty. Nothing that moving, but it's not terrible.
  7. Take It All: This is a piano songs that I thought of, first came to mind, the intro to Sir Elton John's 1972 hit Rocket Man off the album of the same year Honky Château. This song is basically just her singing along to a piano. The thing though, that keeps it from having more of an Elton feeling is, she doesn't play piano. This is another good song, just not a song that I'm crazy or impressed with.
  8. I'll Be Waiting: This song didn't really impress me that much either. I think that it's beginning to become overkill.
  9. One And Only: This song in'st terrible, but it's like doo wap vibe instrumentally. Now I think that this also has a Bob Dylan and The Band vibe, but I don't like her voice along with those insturmentation. This is a pretty cool sounding song, but I don't like it that much.
  10. Lovesong: My Mom has this CD. And the songwriter credits for this song is a shit load longer than any other track. This has 6, and every other track has two. It's also the only track without Adele in the songwriting credit. This song has a jazz house feel. I don't really know if you'd describe it as jazz, but I feel like it's kind of jazzy. I think that this is a relaxing song to lead into the last song.
  11. Someone Like You: This is probably the biggest song off this. This is a very pretty song. I don't think that Adele is amazing, but I do think that this song is a good song. The vocals on this song are beautiful. I don't LOVE this song, but it's one hell of one. I think that she did a good job on this on.
Overall I give this Grammy album a 8/10, but if it was how I enjoyed it, it would be a 6/10. I don't think that it's the greatest album of 2011, but I can tell when someone has a good album. I like it more than Foster the Fuckers. So yeah...