What music are you listening to?

[ROC]

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 - 6/10

To say Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's fourth full length album is a schizophrenic effort would be quite the understatement. The hour-long Baby 81 is a record mixing in the annoying bits of modern rock with the style of old BRMC that fans all know and love. In the end, it creates a fractured work but one not without its charmers. For example, the over nine-minute "American X" plays exactly like a rock epic should by using a catchy chord and a rough rock sound to create vibrance not unlike BRMC's last epic track, the brilliant "Stop" from Take Them On, On Your Own. The fractured nature also comes into play when noting just how weak the first five tracks are. I could see a song like "Weapon of Choice" being a hit on radio, but it's simply not up to par. That said, despite this being a BRMC that doesn't know what crowd to pander to, fans will be happy to know that there are a few flickers of anthemic greatness still left. How long they can hold that greatness, however, might be a lot shorter than most fans would want it to be.

Key Tracks: "American X", "666 Conducer", "Am I Only?", "All You Do Is Talk"

Edited March 31, 2007 by ROC

[ROC]

Muse - Glastonbury 2004 Performance - 9/10

Not really an album but wow. This does exactly what a good concert should in that it creates a feeling of a performance so much bigger than the one you hear on record. It works especially well on the epic tracks like "Citizen Erased" and "Butterflies and Hurricanes" but all the tracks have a unique vibrance to them that doesn't undermine the work on their record but manages to transcend it and create the feeling that you're hearing something special. At the ending part of "Stockholm Syndrome", when Matt Bellamy proclaims that this is the best gig the band had done, you do believe it. Just incredible.

Solid Tracks: ...fuck it, all of it is solid.

Muse - In Your World/Dead Star (EP) - 6.5/10

Not a bad four track section by any stretch of the imagination, but it does have the feeling of a rough draft form of much better Muse songs. "In Your World" is a mediocre effort. "Dead Star" is a solid work, though, and "Futurism" brings a neat industrial side to the group. The EP's finale "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a smooth ballady closer and ultimately while it hardly is up to par with the full length albums, it's an interesting diversion for Muse fans.

Solid Tracks: "Dead Star", "Futurism", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"

[RPS]

Lily Allen

Alright Still

7/10

The CD drags on a bit at the end, but when Lily is on fire, MAN is she on fire. Her voice is beautiful and her blend of poppy ska/reggae is great for chilling out with friends. Sometimes not hte best, but for the most part it is a pretty damn great CD.

[Rashid]

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home: 9/10

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited: 9.5/10

Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde: 9/10

I'm kinda surprised that I like Bob Dylan. I thought he'd be too country to my liking.

[ClaRK! Kent]

Highway 61 better than Blonde on Blonde:

Are you quite alright in the head?

[Rashid]

Led Zeppelin - Coda: 7/10

-T'was fairly good, but poor by Led Zeppelin standards. Just never anything really great on it.

Led Zeppelin - BBC Sessions: 9/10

-It kinda dragged on here and there, but what do you expect for 2+ hours. The live version of 'Stairway to Heaven' was incredible, I like it even more than the studio version. The long version of 'Dazed and Confused', the first 'Communication Breakdown' and 'Immigrant Song' were some of the highlights.

[ROC]

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver - 8/10

An extremely impressive album from Mr. James Murphy. I expected it to suck at first especially when it starts with a repetitive beat on the opening track, "Get Innocuous", but the song turned out to be a brilliant modern version of a late 70s Queen-esque song mixed in with a danceable beat. In fact, the entire album is one of the more pleasant listening experiences I have had in a record so far this year. Everything about it is breezy and slick and yet there is so much more in the surface of it. Murphy's vocals go through a million different styles and yet there seems to be no strangeness to it. The album works as dance club fodder and yet it is solid in its own right and Murphy succeeds on turning the genre on its head and creating a mighty fine dance record in the process.

Key Tracks: "Get Innocuous", "North American Scum", "Time To Get Away", "Us v Them", "Sound of Silver"...okay, maybe just the whole damn album.

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero - 8.5/10

Okay, to just start this review off: Yes, NIN's latest is better than With Teeth. In fact, this is the record that fans felt "denied" from when Trent went for the catchy riff and hard rock style of that album over the sexy beats of TDS or the moody The Fragile. And yet, it is a perfect mashing of all of the better parts of all of those records. There is catchy hard rock in places, sexy "Closer"-type material in others, and the gloomy pieces sifted through the album all with that industrial kick in the ass you would expect from NIN. That's not to say the album has its slow points, because it does. But this is the 21st century's version of The Wall and not just because of the plans to make a movie off of it. It has all the bombast, rough aggression, and political furor that Pink Floyd's landmark record had and it just fires on all cylinders.

Key Tracks: "My Violent Heart", "Capital G", "Vessel", "God Given", "Survivalism", "The Beginning of the End"

[John Stones' Paint Trophy]

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare

I don't know why I was worried. I'm sitting listening to this for the second time now and I'm getting hit by things I missed the first time round and it's just an exceptional album. Different but still all too familiar. Old Yellow Bricks and Flourescent Adolescent stand out but as a whole, it's a fantastic listening experience. Better than the first? Time will tell.

9/10

[ROC]

Machine Head - The Blackening - 8.5/10

Holy shit. This is the finest metal release I've heard in ages. It's exactly the type of pulse beating metal album that works because the band really grabs you by the balls and never lets go. And despite the fact that there are only eight tracks with several reaching past the nine-minute range, it doesn't get boring. It really says something to me when a band like MH can manage to make their songs ass-kicking over an extended period of time while a group like say Mastodon can't seem to even hold interest for four minutes. "Clenching the Fists of Dissent" is a fine album opener, and who can resist any song like say "Beautiful Mourning" that starts its chorus with the line "Fuck you up"? Just a great release all around because there's nothing overtly theatrical about it. It's just meat and potatoes metal and it works in spades.

Key Tracks: "Aesthetics of Hate", "Slanderous", "Halo, "Clenching the Fists of Dissent", "Beautiful Mourning", "A Farewell to Arms"

[RPS]

Cadence Weapon

Breaking Kayfabe

7.5/10

Diamond Dallas Page meets Edmonton meets heavy on the synth rap music. Cadence Weapon makes some of the weirdest/interesting beats you'll hear in a while (Sharks, Oliver Square, Black Hand, Holy Smoke) and offers up some tracks that aren't necessarily the best, but are very interesting and show that Cadence Weapons next album will probably blow everyones mind. Its either an amazing record, or a very interesting record. Both are worth the price of admission.

[METALMAN]

Gemstones - Adam Green

I love this album. Extremely catchy yet it takes a while to get bored of. This is my favourite Adam Green album, although Jacket Full Of Danger and Friends of Mine are both fantastic. My favourite songs are "Gemstones", "Emily", "Down On The Street" and "Who's Your Boyfriend."

9/10

[ROC]

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain - 8/10

Another listen and it still holds up. Damn good record to remind me of the few good things about 2006.

[RPS]

Peaches

Teaches of Peaches/Fatherfucker/Impeach My Bush

6/10, 8/10, 8.5/10

Lots of bands use gimmicks in order to sell themselves. Heck, I'd argue that EVERY band has a gimmick, but most bands are subtle or unaware of it. The Darkness, Junior Senior, Turbonegro are all examples of band who clearly started their band with a gimmick in mind and exploited it to the max. What sets these bands apart from their counterparts like Electric Six is that they've got some musical chops to back it up. Gimmicks aside, Turbonegro and Junior Senior write amazing songs. Peaches is a gimmick - a shameless sex symbol who is probably one of the most vulgar artists making music. It has the potential to be awful or amazing.

Whether she is rapping with Feist, or proclaiming "I don't have to make the choice/I like girls/I like boys", or screaming lewd sexual acts and positions, I think that even if the song isn't good, she is interesting. She has all the makings of a entertainer. Sure, its not rocket science in musical form (but neither are critically acclaimed artists like the White Stripes) but Peaches has an ear for a beat that sticks with you. Peaches takes simple, minimal electroclash beats and mixes it with different styles in order to make pure sex, both lyrically and musically. The first CD has some forgettable tracks, but she definitely hits her stride by Impeach My Bush. Weirdly enough, the music has been kinda embraced by the mainstream - one of her songs was used in a GAP commerical (WTF?) and the movie Mean Girls. At least their is the oft-chance that kids will like Peaches and not Fergie. At least Peaches is up front about what she is selling.

[Guest mAXi]

Im not going to do a review, sorry..

Wolfmother - 8.5/10

In One Sentence: My kind of rock and roll

Favourite Tracks: "Collosal", "Joker and the Theif", "Witchcraft"

Also, the voice is very irritating on "Apple Tree", god i hate that song but that would be the only song i would intentionally skip on the album.

[RPS]

Tiga

Sexor

4/10

I love Tiga. Cover of Sunglasses at Night and Hot in Heere are classic. He makes some fine ass dance music. But can the guy fill an entire CD with original material and still make it a quality record. No. Maybe thats the beauty of Tiga - great in small doses. There are a few great tracks on the record - Far From Home, You Gonna Want Me (featuring Jake Shears from Scissor Sisters), Louder than A Bomb, Good as Gold. The rest? Forgettable, some of it actually awful, dance music. No worries though.

[RKOwnage]

Necrophagist - Onset of Putrefaction 1.5/10

The music was alright, but the vocals...*throws up*

Psycroptic - The Scepter of the Ancients - 0/10

Are my ears done bleeding yet?

Suidakra - The Arcanum - 8/10

Very good vocals for a melodic death metal band. This was my first taste of them, and I really did enjoy them. Same with:

Suidakra - Emprise to Avalon - 8/10

It really evokes an epic feel, like a lot of power metal, while it's really melodic death. This is an awesome band.

[ROC]

Maylene and the Sons of Disaster - II - 6.5/10

To be fairly honest, hearing the words "the band from the ex-lead singer of Underoath" made me go in expecting Underoath...which is basically expecting shit in audio form. However, this record works because it's more southern rock than hardcore and more interested in thrashing your ass than making droning and repetitive tunes. And going into the album in the right context and with low expectations helps as well. However, I do miss that southern rock seems to have gotten the shaft in favor of more generic rock and "the emo shit" and this, while hardly a great record, at least is an interesting listen and a decent asskicker.

Key Tracks: "Dry The River", "The Day Hell Broke Loose at Sicard Hollow", "Wylie"

Voxtrot - Raised by Wolves EP - 7.5/10

So I read the rate the members thread and saw IAceI's bit about me listening to Voxtrot. And being the man I am, I had to make sure it was true and he was technically right (>_>). In seriousness, this is quite a vibrant, simple cooldown indie record. I like the elements of The Strokes brought into the work as well and the lyrics are pretty soild. It's just a simple band with a simple style and it's just cool.

Key Tracks: "Raised by Wolves", "Wrecking Force", "Missing Pieces", "Long Haul"

[Pepsi]

NINE INCH NAILS - YEAR ZERO 10/10

"The Greater Good" kicks so much ass. I've listened through the whole album 3 or 4 times now. I'm loving this.

[Rashid]

Avril Lavigne - Let Go: 7.5/10

Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin: 7/10

Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing: 8/10

-I'm really impressed by Avril this time around. 'Girlfriend' is an alright, but catchy song, though different then the rest of the songs on the album. 'The Best Damn Thing' and 'Keep Holding On' are probably the highlights.

[Bloodbath]

Buckethead - The Elephant Man's Alarmclock

As far as solo guitarists go, Buckethead has to be my favorite (and I only started properly listening to him last week). This is one of the best albums I've heard in a long time!

Key Tracks - "Final Wars", "Lurker At The Threshold" (all 4 parts), "Gigan"

Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP

I'm not exactly what you'd call a rap fan, but I've had this album for years and never really gave it a proper listen. I decided to give it a bash and actually quite enjoyed it.

Key Tracks - "Kill You", "Marshall Mathers", "Bitch Please II", "Kim"

Nightrage - A New Disease Is Born

Quite different from their last 2 efforts but still a great album. More melodic parts and clean singing on this album, but the new vocalist makes it work for them.

Key Tracks - "Spiral", "Reconcile", "Scars of the Past", "Scathing", "Drone", "A New Disease Is Born (Instrumental)"