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Benji

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Scissor Sisters; "Ta-Dah"

8/10

Scissor Sisters are a whacky bunch. When listening to their CD's, I get the impression that they like to throw things against the wall and see what sticks. On their first disc, everything stuck. On Ta-Dah, not so much. They play with different genres here and there, and they throw in their safe Bee-Gee/Disco inspired tunes here and there. And for the most part, it really works. But here and there, there are some major gaps. Land Of A Thousand Words is the Mary of the CD, but lacks that extra oomph. Kiss You Off reeks of cheese, but not in a tongue in cheek kind of way. Other than that, the CD is really really good. But for a brief second in the middle, it seems to lose it's step.

Check-Out : She's My Man, I Can't Decide, Ooh, Paul MacCartney

Division of Laura Lee; Does Not Compute

9/10

What doesn't Compute for me is how this truly awesome band has flown under the radar for so long. This Swedish band is clumped in with the Hives, Hellacopters, T(I)NC but really shouldn't be. Not to say that they are bad, or the earlier bands are awful. But DOLL bring something so unique too the table. Effortlessly combining new wave, garage rock, and a hodge podge of other styles, DOLL make it seem so easy to be great. Which is kind of sad because it goes to waste - they lack the endless indie/alternative hype they deserve. Give these guys a magazine cover, they deserve it, if not for Dirty Love alone. The only flaw? Sometimes they try to slow it down a bit - note to DOLL, kick IT UP a notch, don't downplay your strength.

Check-Out : Does Compute, Endless Factories, Dirty Love.

N Sync; Greatest Hits

5/10

Perhaps my Justin Timberlake fetish has gone too far. But WAIT one gosh darn second. Ok, sure N Sync reeked of cheese. Sure buying the CD made me blush - especially in between the purchase of an Anthrax CD. But lets be honest here - N Sync crafted some great pop songs. Case and point - Gone. This could have been interchangable with Cry Me A River - the strong vocals of Justin Timberlake shine through, especially in the second half of the song. How about Pop? Ok, slightly ironic, but it was catchy and even a bit playful, if only for Justin's beatboxing in the song. But there are some stinkers - and boy does early N Sync not hold up over time. But when N Sync relinquished moved away from early 90's boy band pop, these guys made great pop songs. And, if you listen close enough, you can hear a star in the making as Justin Timberlake shows off his vocal chops and sex appeal.

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A couple of albums today:

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Jim Steinman's Bad For Good

8/10

Ask any of my friends and they will tell you I am a Jim Steinman fanboy. I find him to be an amazing composer/song writer. He is definatly my favourite Songwriter of all time. I love his work with his other children (Meat Loaf/Bonnie Tyler/Fire Inc/Pandora's Box/anyother artist he's down a few songs with). This album usually gets run-down for as great as his songwriting is, his voice isn't the greatest. He definatly doesn't have a strong voice, but he has an emotional voice, and I don't think it is as bad as people put it out to be. This album, originally meant to be recorded by Meat Loaf, is extremely strong and goes from strong point to strong point. In fact, by the end of the year (when Bat Out of Hell III is released), Meat Loaf will have covered all but two songs on this album. It is very 80's style Rock'n'roll, with Jim Steinman bringing in his own style of Operatic Rock that only Jim Steinman can. If I was rating this album on song-writing alone, it would be 10/10, but as Jim Steinman's voice isn't as strong as say Meat Loaf's covers of these songs, it drags it down a couple of points. It is still a highly recommended album, and a Rock'n'Roll Classic.

Tracks to look out for: Bad For Good, Love & Death and An American Guitar (if you have Bat II, it is the exact same version that is called "Wasted Youth"), Rock'n'Roll Dreams come through & Left in the Dark.

Tracks to perhaps skip: The Storm, and 50/50 on Lost Boys and Golden Girls (some times I can stand it, sometimes its on skip)

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Seven Mary Three's American Standard

8.5/10

The first time I listened to this album, I was utterly suprised by the strength of the vocalists voice, and the amazing song-writing of the band. I gather Seven Mary Three are bigger in America than they are in New Zealand, but the only way I got to hear this album was because my brother had it imported from the USA, and was not at that point avaliable in music stores here in NZ. I find this a forgotten gem in Rock history. From the classic's like Water's Edge & Cumbersome, to the slow plodding style of Roderigo, and Lame, to the slightly faster Margaret, and Devil Boy, to the marching style of Punch In and Punch Out, there is not a letdown track on this album. Highly Recommended! I'm having trouble at getting other albums in the Seven Mary Three discography, and have resorted to importing some more albums from America, and I will review them when I get them and listen to them.

Tracks to look out for: Water's Edge, Roderigo, Lame & Punch in and Punch Out

Tracks to perhaps skip: nil

More albums to come (Y)

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Nicky Wire - I Killed The Zeitgeist

Eh...I'm not entirely decided yet. Nothing about it reaches out and grabs me as a "great" song, yet the album as a whole seems to work...it's all fairly average indie, but there's something of the charm that's been missing from the Manic Street Preachers for so long that just shines through on this album. After a couple more listens I'm sure I'll feel much more strongly about it, but as of right now, it's nothing spectacular, but far from a bad album either.

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Rebel Meets Rebel - Rebel Meets Rebel - 7/10

One of the famed posthumous projects from late guitarist Dimebag Darrell, Rebel Meets Rebel manages to mix two things that go together stunningly well: metal and old school country. The most underappreciated man of that era, David Allan Coe, provides vocals on a record served best when the intense nature of Pantera is shown. Some song are a bit weak at points, but it's hard for me to think of a record that shows what brilliance genres like southern rock showed when they were first introduced. Tracks like "Nothin' to Lose", the album's aggressive opening, start the ass-kicking early, and cameos from other rebels of the country vein like the beloved Hank Williams III are also on display.

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Today we are going to take a look at Nomeansno - Wrong.

One thing to understand about Nomeansno is that they have done quite a bite of work in their time. Each album has it's own unique qualities of greatness, and each album, while we know it's Nomeansno, seems to have it's own unique quirk be it in music or lyric.

I'm reviewing Wrong because it is probably their best work, which says something about this album. Nomeansno have always had a knack for chunky bass lines meshing with erratic guitar and rapid fire drum beats. For my money, this album goes beyond music, but begins to dive into an almost epic saga. Rob and John Wright share vocal duties in most of their songs, and both of their voices are almost sung in narrative. You feel like the vocalists are telling you a story as opposed to just singing in some arbitrary way.

Musically speaking, this isn't a band that will sit around and milk a ten minute guitar solo. It's not necesary for these guys, they are phenomenal musicians in their own right. They are unbelievably tight and the music flows perfectly even when transitioning from a slow pace to a fast destructive sound.

This is one of few bands that I really believe make epic music. Their albums feel more like a musical book of short stories, sometimes related, and sometimes unrelated. Most bands have a pretty basic guideline for the songs they write. A lot of bands stick to a basic formula of anger, politics, satire, depression, abstract idea's, nihlism, or anything in general. These guys never follow a basic formula for songs, incorporating anything and everything they can think of into their music.

Notable songs: Brainless Wonder, Stocktaking, The End of All Things, Rags and Bones, All Lies. In reality, the whole album is notable, but these songs best represent the majestic nature of this album.

10/10. No doubt about it.

Edited by VerbalPuke
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Alexisonfire - Crisis is a pretty fucking great record. This is my first time listening to a full length AOF album though, so I don't know how it stacks up.

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Cobra Starship - While The City Sleeps, We Rule The Streets

None of the songs meet the greatness of "Bring It (Snakes On A Plane)." It's listenable, but nothing great or anything as nothing but that song stands out (and they even got rid of Samual L. Jackson's line in the beginning of the song). The biggest dissapointment is that the female from The Sounds who took part in the "Bring It" song isn't even on any of the other songs.

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Throw another couple of albums into the mix

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8 Foot Sativa's Hate Made Me

7.5/10

The debut album for 8 Foot Sativa, and unfortunatly you can tell it's a band in their early stages. Justin "Jackhammer" Niessen had just joined the band, after the previous vocalist disspeared and his vocals are no-where as strong as in "Season For Assault". This was also the only album to feature Peter Young on drums. Sam Sheppard replaced him right after this album was released. Sam Sheppard is counted by many as one of the best drummers in New Zealand, where Peter Young is pretty weak on the drums, and you can tell in this album. However this album isn't bad by any respects, it's just nothing to compare to "Season For Assault", and "Breed the Pain". And is a must hear because you can hear where the band started off, and this album has quite a few songs that have become anthems in the New Zealand Metal scence (songs like the self-titled 8 Foot Sativa, Hate Made Me, to Believer and Fuel Set that appeared in New Zealand film "The Locals") However does have the throwaway track "Cocktease" which just feels like it was put on to fill up the album.

Tracks to look out for: Hate Made Me (however a better version with Sam Sheppard drumming appears on Season For Assault), Fuel Set, It's All So Real (most people dont like this track, but I thourougly enjoy it), & 8 Foot Sativa.

Tracks to perhaps skip: Cocktease

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Meat Loaf's Couldn't Have Said It Better

8/10

Seeing as we are on the road to Bat Out Of Hell III, I have been listening to my Meat Loaf discography to get in the mood for it. Couldn't Have Said It Better is Meat Loaf's last album from 2003. I remember waiting to buy it from the store the day it came out. I swear I listened to it like a dozen times that day. It's a suprising good album from start to finish with only a weak spots. Meat Loaf's voice however iis a bit of a mixed bag in the album, as he has worn out his vocal chords many times over. (However when I saw him live later that year, his voice was nothing less than amazing.) This album attempts to have some epic larger than life songs, like the Jim Steinman/Meat Loaf collaboration albums, and this album pulls it off decently. It was never going to be a Bat Out Of Hell, or a Bat Out Of Hell II, but it does a good job of giving the listener something a bit different well keeping true to Meat Loaf's roots. A track which is a must to listen to is "Man Of Steel", which in itself is a great song, but is probably more famed for the last minute and a half where Meat Loaf duets with his daughter-in-law Pearl Aday. "Do It" is for sure a skip, as they try to get Meat Loaf to rap and it really doesn't work.

Tracks to look out for: Couldn't Have Said It Better, Did I Say That?, Man Of Steel, & a Bob Dylan cover in Forever Young.

Tracks to perhaps skip: Do It, perhaps Tear Me Down, because it is a pretty gimmicked song.

EDIT: gaah, correcting some formatting. I suck at using formatting on this forum.

Edited by iamdanielj
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Dream Theater - Train of Thought

10/10 - Nuff said. Every track is fantastic from start to finish, this is truly a masterpiece in modern metal.

Shinedown - Us and Them

9/10 - Every time I listen to this album, I love it more and more. These guys deserve to be huge, as they are one of the most talented young rock bands out there. The music's great, the vocals are great, the lyrics really tell a story - it all just works.

Stone Sour - Come What(ever) May

8.5/10 - Another one that gets better with each listen. It varies from some really heavy metal to some great ballads, and it all flows perfectly. Even better than the debut album, it's just great stuff.

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I'm not going into great detail here. Because I've got a lot of CD's I want to 'review' (Including, at this very moment, 3 9/10's...which is pretty fucking rare for me...especially in one 'batch').

"Sam's Town" by The Killers

I really liked the first album. Some really catchy songs. Put on a good live show too. And when I first heard the new single I absolutely adored it, and it's the best thing The Killers have ever written. And on first listen, the album is very much different to the debut. Well it's similar sort of synth-indie-rock, and it's recognisably The Killers, but it's a darker sound. And I really like it. However, the best thing about the new Killers is the gimmick of the entire band have shite looking beards. Whoever thought of that deserves a medal. It's not as if one of them grew a beard. It's as if they had a PR meeting and decided "WE ALL NEED THE SAME SHITTY BEARD...OF REGULATION LENGTH!!! PERFECTLY TRIMMED!!!". However some of the songs just seem to be lacking the hooks that they had on the first album. Still a pretty good listen. And a good album, though I probably wont find myself listening to it religiously. 6/10

BEST SONGS : When We Were Young, Confession Of A King, For Reasons Unknown, This River is Wild

I can't be arsed to do anymore now. Though I've got a fuck load of shit to 'do'. I'll either edit in or post again with the following;

"Blood Mountain" by Mastodon

"Crime Slunk Scene" by Buckethead

"Lights Out" by Sugarcult

"Open Door" by Evanescence

"The Crane Wife" by The Decemberists

"The Crusage" by Trivium

"This Town's Disaster" by Blackpool Lights

"Threes" by Sparta

"Unicornography" by The Falcon

"Young Machetes" by Blood Brothers

And mucho thanks to Liam for reminding me to check out Amplifier. I heard a few songs a while back, and have been meaning to check them out. You could probably chalk the new Badly Drawn Boy release up there too. Whenever it comes out...or leaks.

Edited by Mr. Kurt McKenna
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Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds - 7/10

Wow, so after dumping it off after a few tracks on my first listen, I relistened to the CD and I must admit that I'm impressed with how far Timberlake is actually going with his music. Most of the CD oozes with amazing production coupled with well-meaning lyrics and some of the most intriguing variety I have heard in pop music in a long time. High points especially include tracks like the vibrant "LoveStoned" and the slick "What Goes Around...Comes Around". Admittedly, tracks like JT's Three 6 Mafia collabo "Chop Me Up" and the grating "Sexy Ladies" are low points on the CD, but it's refreshing to believe after making a typical record like Justified that Timberlake can have enough faith in his own success to not retread and to make an album that may not be the best of the year, but certainly is one of the more interesting CDs released in '06.

Edited by Dark Star
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"The Crane Wife" by The Decemberists

Damn, damn, damn. I know 'everyone' is ranting and raving about the awesomeness that is "Blood Mountain", and this release just sort of sneaked up on us. Well me inparticular. I had no idea that The Decemberists had a new release planned until a few days ago when I noticed it had leaked (When I was going to download some older stuff). So I snapped it up. And even "Our Darkest days" by Ignite (The album I rank most highly from this year) did not blow me away on the first listen like this did. This is indie-emo at its best. The Decemberists are everything that modern music should be. They push boundaries, bordering into progressive style music in certain parts, but the songs all follow a formula, which is often something that hinders progressive bands, they write good music, but they write bad songs. However The Decemberists write good music, but they write AMAZING songs. I never thought anythig good match "16 Military Wives" as a single Decembersists song, but there's a couple of tracks on here that definately push it. "The Perfect Crime #2" has the most groovy, sinister bass line. As well as a total sexy riff. It's one of the best songs I've heard all year. But this is contested by "The Crane Wife 1 & 2"...which is basically two songs in one, and pt 1 is absolutely beautiful. Supposadely this is their major label debut, which again I did not know about. Much like DCFC none of their artistic integrity has been questioned, it's your regular Decemberists release (His voice sounds a little less harsh possibly due to production, which is good though, as the singer has a unique voice, but the harshness sometimes annoyed me) only BETTER. Hands down, fucking brilliant. A modern masterpiece. I'll be surprised if any album will be able to touch this, this year. One hour of awesomeness. 9.5/10

BEST SONGS : The Crane Wife 3, The Island......, O Valencia, The Perfect Crime #2, Summersong, The Crane Wife 1 & 2, Sons & Daughters

"Blood Mountain" by Mastodon

Okay. The instrumentation is absolutely amazing. The song writing is spot on. Some great head banging moments. But best album of the year (As lots of people are hyping it), not in my eyes. But don't get me wrong. It's absolutely immense. I love the singers voice. It's harsh, but in the good way. Whether it be singing or screaming, there's just this aura surrounding it. The singing really adds to the music. In lots of technically sound bands, the singing can really make or break them. And Mastodon are definately more than fine with the vocals they produce. All in all, a whole lot of great songs. It just seems to be lacking something. Maybe something a little 'different'. There are a few songs that seem like they're going to break from the mould, and then they kick in and lots of the songs just seem to merge into the same. 9/10 A really good listen.

BEST SONGS : The Wolf is Loose, Capillarian Crest, Circle Cysquatch, Hand Of Stone, This Mortal Soil, Siberian Divide

"Threes" by Sparta

Is it really sad that the best song on this album sounds as though it's straight off of "Louder Now" by Taking Back Sunday? (Taking Back Control, for all those who care) I have a sort of hit and miss relationship with At The Drive-In and Sparta. I know they're a good, talented bunch, but I've never had the need/want to listen to them all that often. The basic formula for this album seems to be; dark, dingey, quiet verses and a loud, hectic, sometimes scream along chorus. It works, but does seem to get a little boring. In fact, lots of the songs just seem a little boring. Yes they're talented. Musically they're good. I'm not sure what to make of the vocalist, but as a whole, it just seems to lack excitement. Would make good background music though (In fact it does). Though the fact that every song does have a bit that I really like is good. I like them. It's a solid indie-rock style album. Some great sing-a-long choruses as I previously mentioned. Just seems to be lacking something. 7/10.

BEST SONGS : Untreatable Disease, Taking Back Control, The Most Vicious Crime, Weather The Storm, Without A Sound, Translations

"Unicornography" by The Falcon

I take back the point I seem to bring up every so often, that a record under 30-minutes is not an album. I take that back. "Unicornography" is an album, not just an album, a bloody brilliant album. Ranging from headcore-punk influenced tracks like "The Angry Cry Of The Angry Pie" and "The Longshoremans Lament" to the poppy "The LA-Z-Boy 500", "Unicorn Odyssey" and "RL Burnouts Inc" as well as a whole host of other stuff inbetween. The sad thing is that out of all the Alkaline Trio side-projects this is going to get like no coverage at all. And it's brilliant stuff. I know Dan might not sing main vocals on any of the tracks (Which is good as it's the voice of Lawrence Arm's frontman Brendan Kelly that helps make The Falcon so great), but still. Speaking of the vocalist, this is what will make or break The Falcon for most people. Musically they're nothing flash (But not every band has to be, they write good, good music...and they're a 3-piece. Nobody expects guitar solo's and shit from a 3-piece, unless you're called Freak Kitchen...but Mattias Eklundh is a legend). So it's the unique vocalist that will either make people fall in love with, or despise the band. He's got an interesting voice. It's nasal, he pretty much screams instead of singing (for the most part)...it took me a little to get used to, but now it just sounds kick arse. I've loved these guys since their original EP, and was overjoyed to hear they were planning a full album. And whilst it's only 28-minutes in length, it's most definately an album in my eyes. 9/10 One of the best punk-rock records you can hear these days.

BEST SONGS : Blackout, The LA-Z-Boy 500, Little Triggers, The Routes We Wander, The unicorn Odyssey, Scratching Off The Fleas, When I Give The Signal Run!

Edited by Mr. Kurt McKenna
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Guest Reaperstang

The new Evanescence cd. It came out today and I am impressed. They focus on Amys vocals and seems to be a really relaxing cd. I have only listened once but so far it is shaping up to be one of my favorite cds of the year.

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I listened to The Spinto Band "Nice And Nicely Done". It's a very good album full of great tracks but the trouble is, I've seen them live and live they sound so much better than they do in a studio recording.

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