Forced Listening: R&M

[TheDMV]

Jimmy Cliff

I think he's reggae, almost positive. Let's see how it turns out.

Starts out very mellow, the singer has a very soft voice.

I like how the music gets louder in the second verse, the drums kick in more.

AS we move on to the chorus, it continues in the same style. I think I detect horns, at least the second time I do. His band seems to mesh very well. Nothing special about the lyrics thus far, more of a relaxed song. I think I hear some Rastafarian messages (assuming he's Jamaican) unless I'm getting the wrong message out of the song.

AS we move into the outro, It's the same kind of thing, but with Gospel-like singers in the backround. The song starts to fade and I hear some flute. Overall not bad.

In conclusion, I liked the song. It had good music; a very nice groove to it. My problem with it, as with other Carribbeain(sp?) influenced music, is that it is pretty repetetive.

7.5/10


__________________________________________________ ___________________


Jack Johnson - Fall line
Jack Johnson - Banana Pancakes
George Thorogood - Move it on Over
Yes - South Side of the Sky

[Badmoon]

I think I hear some Rastafarian messages (assuming he's Jamaican) unless I'm getting the wrong message out of the song.

Actually I'm pretty sure Jimmy Cliff is Christian.

[TheDMV]

Actually I'm pretty sure Jimmy Cliff is Christian.

That was pretty much a total guess on my part. He was talking about his faith, so I know a lot of Reggae artists are very religious and Rastafarian.

BTW: In that second avatar thing in your profile, Is that Peter Tosh?

[Badmoon]

Yes it is Peter Tosh.

[Bartender]

Bump. I can't do any Forced Listening on this computer without a direct link :(

[Dancin' Man]

Dibs.

[Dancin' Man]

Jack Johnson - Banan Pancakes

Jack Johnson is awesome but I've only heard the singles.

So this song begins with what I assume is a very Jack Johnson-y guitar part. There is rain in the background. Then it pops into poppy song. It's pretty happy and I like the lyrics. The song has a very positive feel-good vibe about. It's not my favorite song I've heard by him by any means. It's not bad, it's just not as good as some of the other stuff I've heard.

His voice doesn't sound as good as I remember. He's singing higher or something. I like how chilled out he is. The music just radiates chill. He should write the theme song for world peace.

Bah-dah bup bah-dah.... I'm singing along already. It's so catchy and easy. Not very complicated and a bit repetitive but it's not a very long song and it's very enjoyable. I think I'll get more by him finally. Not much else to say. It's all pretty simple.

8/10

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Pthisis (avant-garde)

YSI coming.

http://s39.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3PAS9SH92YVBD1LVRH4K3ZOW44

[Bartender]

Le dib.

[Bartender]

Sorry for the delay, flying things kept distracting me.

I've heard another song by these guys before, and it was odd. If this one's anything like that one, I'm not sure how good of a review this'll be.
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Phthisis - 3:44

Starts off with God-knows-what noise. Sounds almost like whale noise, but orchestrated. COuld well be strings of some kind, and they're soon followed by some twangy guitar and bass, and various other sounds following the same pattern as them. Vocals come in, and they're almost Bjork-like; similar style anyway, if not actually Bjork herself. I like them, anyway.

From around 1:10 the background music changes, to a different rhythm of multiple instruments (and what I'm now fairly sure are strings in the background), and occasional what sounds like some number greater than 1 guys shouting "sah!" or something. The female vocals continue more or less the same over the top of this, though.

Okay, after that, there's even more going on. This is getting harder and harder to describe play-by-play. It's all good, though; another voice has joined out Bjork imitator, a male voice, I think. They may well be speaking a different language, I can't really tell, and the drums are going somewhat crazy. Other than that I can't really tell what's what.

The song's getting to the end now (it's rather short for what it is; when I think avant-garde, I think 20-minute Haino guitar abuse sessions and such), and there's a moaning and wailing - the kind you'd expect from souls trapped in some kind of torment in a bad film - and now (again), what seems to be a high rising tone, like a kettle whistling, is in the background. What seems to be one of the most solid riffs of the song so far has started playing, only about fifteen seconds from the end. Maybe it isn't actually any more "solid", and just seems so because of the absence of lots of other sounds.

The riff "da-dun!"s to a close, and the song ends with an olde time sample, a in a language other than English, and then some more trapped souls vocalising.

Well, avant garde definitely. Pretty good though. 8/10.

Songs;
Gordian Knot - A Shaman's Whisper (http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0SO4CLEDTKLR233D7Z1V6K901S) (instrumental progressive metal)
Bjork - Joga (http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3UMFJN1LFE3KE05R1JW58GN8CL) (symphonic/electronic)
Farmakon - Loosely of Amoebas (http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=35SZDH6SWWQMR2GU4V04MKH652) (melodic death metal)
Hot Cross - Finger Redux (http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1C28BO26I8ZAS06LTI4TVAIDJC) (hardcore/emo?)
Bernard Cribbins - Hole in the Ground (http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2HPTTG8V5TUAS267UQR8VACF83) (comedy?)
Einsturzende Neubauten - Ende Neu (live) (http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2ZXJP8IUKMZRG2S9VCJNC7N1K6) (experimental/industrial)
Upper Crust - Finished with Finishing School (http://s51.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3IRHIX06QIVLQ1FVHOW3HSH9SN) (rock'n'roll)

[blueyxd]

dibs in the hope it goes well today

[blueyxd]

Einsturzende Neubauten - Ende Neu (Live)

I've been wanting to hear this for a while.

Whooshes open it, must be the air compressor I've heard about. It goes on for a while, and some light effects are used on the sound. About a minute in a marchy bass comes in playing the same note.. twice at once it sounds like. The air compressor stops.

Synth strings and mostly German vocals start up now, they go along with the bass, kind of soft, but then some percussion drops in to give it a constant driving feel. It sounds like a war theme, and more tribal than industrial. Some bits are louder and fierce, which adds the goodness of variation.

Now this goes on for a bit too, through the soft-intense cycles. The harsh sound of the spoken German language makes it work, and the guy's strange deep voice makes it even better.

At around 4:30, most of it backs off, just the bass is left playing it's usual riff. A couple of instruments come back lightly, then suddenly all of them are back and pushing the machine forward again. This part is the last bit of the song, it seems much like what was happening before in the fierce part. Then the song ends at a good place to end a song... crowd cheers.

Once again, EN have been interesting to listen to, I thought this was going to be minimalistic, but the driving feel of it was good. And for the small amount of instruments used, it did rather well, and managed to not sound like common music.
Overall, I thought it was pretty good. They sound good live too.
9/10


________________________
A Chorus Line (the musical) - At The Ballet - theater music. The characters went to the ballet to escape their crap lives.

Alchemist - Worlds Within Worlds - really weird metal. close to 8 minutes

Conjure One - Center Of The Sun - laid back dance

Custard - Nervous Breakdance - alt-pop-rock

Electric Light Orchestra - Yours Truly, 2095 - 80's synth rock

Goldie Lookin' Chain - Half Man/Half Machine - rap/comedy

Karnivool - C.O.T.E. - prog/technical nu-metal

Modest Mouse - Trailer Trash - indie

Thyrfing - Dryckeskvade - viking metal, very piratey sounding!

T.I.S.M. - The Last Australian Guitar Hero (http://www.comcen.com.au/~caracarol/T.I.S.M.%20-%20The%20Last%20Australian%20Guitar%20Hero.mp3) - alt-pop/poetry/comedy, language warning

[NJMetalMeister]

just giving this a kindly ole bump because any song id want to listen to, i already know

[munky_magik]

Dibs on Alchemist, if I can find it.

EDIT: Yeah, I still have dibs.

[blueyxd]

I added a TISM link if you or anyone else wants to give it a try

[NJMetalMeister]

ill leave it open for a while, but if nobody dibs in the next few hours ill do the TISM song (not really too interested in it, id rather give the dibs to someone who might be more interested in one of the songs listed)

[munky_magik]

Feel free to take dibs if you wish. I only really wanted to do Alchemist, but I couldn't get hold of the track :(

[blueyxd]

ah this is what FL is about, giving new stuff a try. And while its neither rock or metal, some of you might share some of the sentiments in the TISM song.

[munky_magik]

I know, but I don't really have the time to do it right now.

[blueyxd]

sex bump

[Dancin' Man]

Dibs.

[enim]

since no one else is doing anything at the moment, may i please have a YSI for the Karnivool. then dibs

[Bartender]

Dancin' Man has dibs at the moment.

[Dancin' Man]

T.I.S.M. - The Last Australian Guitar Hero
Never heard of this before. As I am a little tipsy, I may appreciate it more than usual in the funny department.

Begins with spoken word. Kinda cool effect. Then piano and a drum sample enter. I like this a lot. I lvoe the words. Faggot wankers. Hahahaha.... this bit about midi is hilarious. Who the **** are the chemical brothers. I love this.

Very funny. Catchy and laid back. Real chill. I'm diggin' on it.

OK. No changes. It gets boring after a while. By the end I'm dead sick of it. I need more dynamic. It is a funny topic but I understood it after minute 2. Too long for what it is and then a fade out doesn't help.

5/10

Hollenthon - Enrapture: Hinc Illae Lacrimae (http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3FNT3HRFPU6EM1HYYTX7OZV1HX) World music/Death Metal
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - The Creature (http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2GHKPIL9MCDZA0YTH4XO41U5YK) Avant-Garde
Esqarial - Inheritance (http://s47.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0YXHVWW7K9USQ2R2HZO5WQW9WL) Progressive Death Metal

[enim]

sorry bout that guys, totally did not see that. my comp was being stupid, and although i refreshed the page, did not show me all of those.

[Neurotoxin]

Dibs.

[Neurotoxin]

Hollenthon - Enrapture: Hinc Illae Lacrimae

The first little bit is just silence with the odd noise.

In comes guitar and drums with chanting over top. I really liked the effect this had on the song. In the background you can hear a guy screaming a word. Then the song goes to a little verse I'm not OVERLY fond of, but it's not too bad. The vocals are alright, nothing overly great, but were expected by the genre. I'm not really digging the slow pace they've gone into.

The violins come back and lead into the chanting part. I like this part the most so far. At around 4:00 it breaks into a really awesome part with violin, mad double bass, screaming, and opera vocals in the background.

The outro is simply breathtaking. I'm REALLY digging the violin.

7.5/10

Would've been a lot better if they did something else with the main vocal areas/mid sections.

__________________________________________________ ______

Volta Do Mar - At The Speed Of Light Or Day
http://s50.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2HEIHMFQ549TN3RTGURXL1ZTM5

This band has two bassists. It's a pure instrumental. I'm really digging it. I suggest this to anyone who likes prog like King Crimson, with chaotic parts (similar to TMV).

[Dancin' Man]

Volta do Mar – Breaking Ribs for Tom Thayer
Never heard of this. Don’t know what to expect.

Begins with a yell and that punk drum click intro. Then becomes much more interesting than punk. A chromatic riff and fast. This is quite cool. Like some sort of weird distorted-jazz fusion. I diggit. I am guessing it is instrumental. I like how they explode into super distorted super melodious bits. It is very cool and very dynamic. I think I’ll go look for more of this later.

It keeps changing and staying interesting and the speed is good driving music tempo. Very head-noddable. I like the guitarists. The mix is a little strange. The drums are kinda low but the cymbals are really high. I like the ethnic sound to it all as well. The distoprtion is kinda ugly, but the music itself makes up for it.

This is awesome. Get me more. Now.

10/10


Same list as before.

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - The Creature (http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2GHKPIL9MCDZA0YTH4XO41U5YK) Avant-Garde
Esqarial - Inheritance (http://s47.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0YXHVWW7K9USQ2R2HZO5WQW9WL) Progressive Death Metal

[Bartender]

Bah. I wanted to do that Volta Do Mar song, but my Samurai exam got in the way. Dibs.

[Dancin' Man]

Lister to it anyway. It's well worth your time.

[Bartender]

Yeah, I have. That's partly why I wanted to review it :)

I've actually heard Esqarial before - I downloaded a few tracks by them a few years ago after reading a review of an album of theirs - but never pursued it further. So I thought I'd review them now, since the last one I did was Sleepytime..
Esqarial - Inheritance - 4:21

Starts off with what sounds like a fire being lit, with a match. Goes on crackling while the the guitars squeal in, increasing in volume, in the background, before coming into the song proper with a pretty good riff and solid drumming. The riff is rather good actually, catchy and everything. Good so far.

Vocals come in and they're not bad either. Nothing particularly noteworthy, but he doesn't ruin the song like some death metal singers. Lots of little variations being played on the main riff in the bits in between vocals. Surprisingly little to say so far, though.

Ah, now this bit is good. It all goes a bit more melodic just after the 2:00 mark; the drums calm down a bit, and the guitars are doing something very impressive - seeming to be more full of melody and keeping interest, without losing the heaviness or the edge that the riff had anyway. 2:00 - 3:00 is awesome.

I'm not so much a fan of the stream of solos that follow it, though. None of them (except maybe the first, which could be just before the third minute ends) seems particularly interesting. And soon after that the song just kind of ends, going back to the starting riff temporarily, and then stopping fast.

7.5/10 I'm not sure how progressive it was, and I wasn't keen on the bit following that awesome bit that starts around 2:00. Most of the work towards a 7.5 comes from that bit in the middle, and the main riff of the song, which was good. If they'd managed to build on it more (or more successfully) then it would have gotten a higher score.

Songs;
The Wildhearts - Lovesh*t (http://s51.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1M1M1QF5Y0ZB20SH8JL67B3VNL) (rock'n'roll)
Hot Cross - Finger Redux (http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0YRTO3FKKSZZD34QFRMZLB7P3E) (hardcore/emo)
Týr - The Edge (http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=222K4DHHB5WKW1OGYRDRLS5VJK) (viking/epic metal)
Jedi Mind Tricks - And So It Burns (http://s48.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0JORSXLAI5HGO3JZKYTWLQ4K7X) (classical/hip hop)
Fu Manchu - Separate Kingdom (http://s48.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1F8PQR300MMKR38ZWQN69IKWJ2) (stoner/surf rock)

[the2stranger]

I haven't dibssed in a long long tiem, so here goes


DIBS!

[Neurotoxin]

I like the guitarists. The mix is a little strange. The distoprtion is kinda ugly, but the music itself makes up for it.

It's not the distortion... they have two bassists!

[Bartender]

Er. Bump.

[Neurotoxin]

Can I place dibs? It's been a while since he placed 'em...

[Dancin' Man]

Yes. 2 hour wait for dibs to die.

[Neurotoxin]

In that case, dibs.

[Britney Diva]

Do the Wildhearts one!

[Dancin' Man]

I was actually hoping to see what he thought of Tyr...

[Neurotoxin]

At this point I'm debating whether to do the Jedi Mind Tricks song or the Tyr song. I've listened to the first already, and I'm currently in the first minute of the Tyr song.

[Neurotoxin]

In the interest of time I've decided to pick the Jedi Mind Tricks song, since the Tyr song is quite long, although I liked both.

I enjoy some hip-hop, but I haven't heard much of it, so I decided to give this song a listen.

The song starts with a symphonic piece, and then in comes the aggressive vocals and the beat. I like it so far because the beat is pretty fast paced. I'm done the first minute and the singer's voice has yet to annoy me, which is definitely a good thing. At about 1:05 comes a cool part involving different voices coming from sides of the speakers. I liked the effect that this had.

At around 2:05, the strings go crazy for a short bit. I really enjoyed this short little fill.

+ The use of strings (gave it an almost symphonic feel)
+ Upbeat
+ The chorus
- The verses kind of got repetitive.

Over all, I'm going to give this song a 8/10. I'd probably give it a 9 if it was either shortened or a little more variety was offered.

__________________________________________________ _____

Fintroll - Jakten's Tid (Polka death metal)
http://s13.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=30EFN7RHRZGDI2Z7RJQJGZKGFH

[Bartender]

Dibs.

[Bartender]

I've heard one song (Trollhammeren) by and lots of talk about Finntroll before now, so I have a vague idea what to expect. Hopefully it'll be good.
Finntroll - Jaktens Tid - 3:34

Starts off with a little cymbal counting in the intro, which is more or less straight away replaced by what sounds like a good riff, or beginning of a riff at least, and some ahh-ing synths in the background. The vocalist starts in in what I assume is a language other than English, though I suppose I can't be sure, accompanied by a folky/polka kind of melody I expected from Finntroll.

In between the verses, when the guitars are less pronounced and the folkish melody moreso, the guy doesn't seem to be singing in any language, let alone English. Just making non-verbal sounds. It sounds alright though, so I'm not complaining too much.

Cool bit around 2:00, when the main riff morphs slightly into something a bit more melodic, before a slightly extended growl from the vocalist, and a bit of a riffy workout for the guitar, which then leads straight back into another verse or two. And then it goes back to the folkier, non-verbal bit for an ending.

6/10, I think. It wasn't bad, but I don't think it was especially stunning either. I'll probably keep it though, and see if it grows on me.

Songs;
The Wildhearts - Lovesh*t (http://s51.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1M1M1QF5Y0ZB20SH8JL67B3VNL) (rock'n'roll)
Hot Cross - Finger Redux (http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0YRTO3FKKSZZD34QFRMZLB7P3E) (hardcore/emo)
Týr - The Edge (http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=222K4DHHB5WKW1OGYRDRLS5VJK) (viking/epic metal)
Jedi Mind Tricks - And So It Burns (http://s48.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0JORSXLAI5HGO3JZKYTWLQ4K7X) (classical/hip hop)
Fu Manchu - Separate Kingdom (http://s48.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1F8PQR300MMKR38ZWQN69IKWJ2) (stoner/surf rock)

[Bartender]

A swift bump, while I'm here.

[br3ad_man]

dibs

[Bartender]

A confused bump.

[munky_magik]

Confused for any particular reason? or are you just striving for variety?

[Bartender]

Confused by the predilection people seem to have for taking dibs and just wandering off.

[munky_magik]

:shifty:
Maybe the dib time should be uppped?

[Britney Diva]

Dibs

[Bartender]

:shifty:
Maybe the dib time should be uppped?

Not sure what you mean :)

To less than two hours, or more than it, or what?

[munky_magik]

Not sure what you mean :)

To less than two hours, or more than it, or what?
More than. This thread isn't as popular as it used to be so maybe it would be easier if people had longer to get the write up done.

[Sun Ray™]

The other forced listening in this forum is still going, or did thi one get moved from R&M?

[munky_magik]

The other forced listening in this forum is still going, or did thi one get moved from R&M?
There's a forced listening in the "Other" forum, which may be the one you're tlaking about, and one in the Pit. The ones in other forums haven't really taken off.


And scratch my idea, it works better the way it is now.


EDIT: Ah, deleted post? :confused:



EDIT2: Now it really looks as though I'm spamming this place to hell :-/

[Britney Diva]

Jedi Mind Tricks - And So It Burns (4:24)

I only know one JMT song, the sublime What's Really Good, so I'm expecting to approve of this song.

Begins with what I assume is an excerpt from a classical piece, which would explain your classifying it as "classical/hip hop." French horns and violas provide the music, if I remember anything from music class, the strings playing a progressive ascending melody, volume increasing all the time.

As the intro builds to a climax, vox begins slowly, and a pretty standard drum machine beat begins - I'm disappointed, the drums are far too dominant, too bassy. He starts off pretty relaxed, and becomes progressively more agitated as the piece progresses. The strings work very well here, two melodies trade off of each other for the most part during the verse, though there are variations.

The chorus follows a similar musical pattern to the verse. The music eases off when the verse fnishes, leaving the vocals dominant, before easing its way back in, returning to the verse pattern for the chorus line - "You don't like it, but you're psychotic." I like the chorus. It doesn't have the same melodic quality as the other tune I know of them, but it has the desired effect.

The second verse sees the vocalist take a rougher tone in his voice and his lyrics. At the same time, they take on a more musical quality, he's half-singing at points,. This verse is shorter than the first, the chorus repeats afterwards. Third verse sees him angry again, but more restrained. The production on this track is amazing, the strings compliment to vocals perfectly, and despite my criticism of the percussion they actually work very well. Repeat chorus again, and then a fade out.

Really good song, I'll definitely listen to it again. 8/10.


Butch Walker - Get Down (http://s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3VOBOF9QFWWN50ED5PFUEVKE7H) (Stadium rock sort of pop etc.)

Wildhearts - I Wanna Go Where The People Go (http://s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0XZ8DZH39I1DR0D08RR43YV93Z) (Hard rock)

Motley Crue - Let Us Prey (Metal/Industrial)

Rufus Wainwright - The One You Love (http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=247EHJPUC8Y2S2ZO4ZVZ39GVBQ) (Pop/70's rock)

Manic Street Preachers - Mausoleum (http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0UD0VQ49XTJSJ2PSK0D3WFTF4O) (Rock/Goth)

Yousendit is being annoying today, so it'll be a while until the others are uploaded.

[Britney Diva]

There's a forced listening in the "Other" forum, which may be the one you're tlaking about, and one in the Pit. The ones in other forums haven't really taken off.


And scratch my idea, it works better the way it is now.


EDIT: Ah, deleted post? :confused:



EDIT2: Now it really looks as though I'm spamming this place to hell :-/

Hahaha

Perhaps we should get it pinned to the top. I imagine the fact it sinks
to the next page is a major reason why people a)don't notice it and b)forget their dibs.

[munky_magik]

Hahaha

Perhaps we should get it pinned to the top. I imagine the fact it sinks
to the next page is a major reason why people a)don't notice it and b)forget their dibs.
Eh....I think the general consensus is: If the Forced Lisening is going to work then it shouldn't need to be stickied. If it has to be stuck then it'll just end up getting spammed, :shifty: and filled with crap reviews.


Time to do some post deleting methinks.

[Bartender]

Heh, don't bother. It's all relevant to the thread, just not the immediate dibs.

Anyway, maybe the two-hour thing should be extended. I don't know if it's really needed though. It's rare that the two-hour rule is invoked right at the two-hour mark, isn't it?

[Britney Diva]

If it has to be stuck then it'll just end up getting spammed, :shifty: and filled with crap reviews.

Well that's the reason I haven't posted in it for a year or so in the first place, but I see your point. Once there's 4 or 5 people committed to actually doing it, it should be fine then.

Anyway, maybe the two-hour thing should be extended. I don't know if it's really needed though. It's rare that the two-hour rule is invoked right at the two-hour mark, isn't it?

I think it should stay. The only time I've ever gone over 2 hours is when I can't find the song or I've had to leave and can't do it. As long as there's yousendit's, there shouldn't be a problem with time.

[Neurotoxin]

Dibs on the Wildhearts song.

[munky_magik]

In hindsight: The two-hour-rule should be kept. Alot of the times people will call dibs, download the song, then forget the review so it's unfair to the people who want to continue the thread. There's no reason why people should have to wait longer for a forgotten review if they can do it straight away.

And yea, if the thread isn't stuck then only the people who want to do the reviews will go looking for it and thus will make a good job of them.

[Bartender]

Do you mind me restoring all your posts, by the way? Just out of interest :)

If the two-hour rule is why you only occasionally take part in forced listening, then maybe we should add some kind of caveat to it. Is it, and why, if so?

[munky_magik]

You can if you like, I was just keeping the thread spick 'n span. Well, sort of.
I just got rid of them incase people were trying to keep track if the dibs' but couldn't figure out who called what because of my incoherrant ramblings.

I tend to do forced listenings when I'm in the mood for discovering new music, and writing a review for it. More often than not I'll just download people's suggestions which they kindly upload.
The two-hour rule doesn't influence my decision at all.

[Bartender]

Alright then. Well I don't really see why it needs changing, then. Open to suggestions to the contrary, though.

And I restored them because (unless you're particularly concerned with keeping your postcount down), it seems more right to have anything relevant to the thread left in it.

[Neurotoxin]

Just to let you know, Firefox randomly closed for no reason so I lost my review. I may be an extra couple of minutes.

By the way Bartender, a while back you reviewed a song by Puscifier that I posted. The song's title contained numbers, a bible chapter/verse diddy I believe. Just wanted to let you know that the male vocalist was Maynard. At the time of the review you weren't aware, and I wasn't sure if you knew now.

[munky_magik]

Alright then. Well I don't really see why it needs changing, then. Open to suggestions to the contrary, though.
It should stay. I can't remember why I thought otherwise.

And I restored them because (unless you're particularly concerned with keeping your postcount down), it seems more right to have anything relevant to the thread left in it.
It doesn't bother me, and besides, there's only so much I can do about it.

On an unrelated note, Lenny Henry is tremendously un-funny :-/

[Neurotoxin]

Wildhearts - I Wanna Go Where The People Go (Hard rock)

Okay, I apologize for the short review but I really don't feel like writing it twice.

The song wasn't really my cup of tea. The first part when the drums came in I liked, and I also enjoyed the verse. The guitar that proceeded each line was a nice effect. The chorus wasn't anything overly special. The part in between 3:00 and 4:00 (I'm not exactly sure on the time) was a good listen, with the drumming a little faster and alternating vocalists.

7.5/10 - Good song, just not my style


------

E Nomine - Das Omen im Kreis des Bosen (mit Robert De Niro)
Darkwave Ambient/Techno/Electronica
http://s51.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=26XKYYAWBP78H0HAN4BS1L7D4Z

Mors Principium Est - Pure
Metal. I'm not positive on what genre... I'll go out on a limb and say a little melodic death. Sorry if I'm incorrect.
http://s37.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1LI185C344YZF1RQKNI54OWHRR

King Geedorah - Next Levels
Jazz hip-hop
http://s51.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2JIOL2XEFDL8T1QQUML1AVLTVL

[enim]

dibs on E Nomine - Das Omen im Kreis des Bosen (mit Robert De Niro). Cuz its german, and im bored. Although the "with Robert De Niro" part scares me.

[enim]

http://s35.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=34FQ8C0J5E7XP17UJZP81X2R9YE Nomine - Das Omen im Kreis des Bosen (mit Robert De Niro)
Hm. Interesting choice.

Starts with a very real sounding ride cymbal roll. then Dark lyrics from a whole choir (or so it sounds). The techno-ness of it starts with a very cool melody, the basic techno drums. And the awesome dark vocals continue.

The techno+dark choir drop out for a second, leaving only a soloist with a deep, raspy voice and the bass beat to keep the rythm. That guy has a cool sounding voice. Then the whole song comes back. Then everything fades quickly except the melody, which then fades as well. Then the soloist again. With ambience background and bells.
then a new melody comes in. sounds like a super-distorted square wave (for you geeks out there, like me, who know what that is). The old bass beat comes back, with the same drums, and the choir. Then the choir get a solo. THis song is brilliant, if short. it would be cooler if i could understand all of it. now, for the end of the song, it seems as if it is all collaborating. Very awesoem sound.

As a treat, i have hunted down the lyrics. Translated as well (thank you Google):

Das Omen

imperio imperio inferna fortuna crudelitas

Du drehst Dich im schwarzen Licht
Dein Schatten explodiert wie ein Vulkan
Du bist wie ein Stern der spricht
verfallen bin ich Dir in meinem Wahn
in deinem Bann du mich ertränkst
unsterblich dann mir Leben schenkst
öffne das Tor den schwarzen Legionen
schließe den Kreis des Bösen, das Omen

imperio imperio inferna fortuna crudelitas

Ich senke mein Haupt vor Dir
wenn Du im Orbit glänzt
ich spüre die Macht
wenn Du mich von den Göttern trennst
Du bist mein Heiligtum
Du bist mein Licht im Raum
Du bist das Leben
Du bist der Fluch
Du bist das Omen

Das Omen

nigrae legiones, ferus imperator, sinus occultus, fatum terminatum

Du bist die Kraft, die Macht und die Prophezeiung in Ewigkeit
Du bist das Omen

imperio imperio inferna fortuna crudelitas

THE TRANSLATION ISNT PERFECT, DONT BLAME ME

That Omen

imperio imperio inferna Fortune crudelitas

You revolve exploded are speaks decayed am drown give would open me in the black light your shadow like a
volcano you like a star of that I you in my delusion in your ban you immortal then me life the gate the black
legions latches the circle of the squall, that grandmas

imperio imperio inferna Fortune crudelitas

I sink shine sense separate are are are are are myself my head before you if you in the Orbit I the power if
you from the Gods you my sanctuary you my light in the room you the life you the curse you that grandmas

That Omen

nigrae legion, ferus imperator, sinus occultus, fatum terminatum

You are are the power, the power and the prophecy in eternity you that grandmas

imperio imperio inferna Fortune crudelitas



overall: 9/10.

My Recommendations
East West - Sydwinder (genre: between metal and hard rock)
http://s35.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3GT2030S6AJAQ0M2RQISBUWS0L
East West - Hey June (Relaxing not-too-hard rock)
http://s35.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=34FQ8C0J5E7XP17UJZP81X2R9Y
Haste the Day - Blue 42 (christian metal)
http://tormentation.sqonline.net/brunotime/01%20Blue%2042.m4a (its on my personal server, cuz YSI wouldnt take it)
Demon Hunter - Infected (christian metal)
http://s8.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0X8LOB4SAM5913F1MFMSOHKM5U
Zao - Truly Truly This is the End (christian x-metal (harder then regualr metal)

[Neurotoxin]

You are are the power, the power and the prophecy in eternity you that grandmas

Hahaha!

[enim]

yeah
that is funny. because oma in german is grandma, and when you add the -n ending, most of the time, it makes it plural. its very funny.

[Bartender]

Dibs.

[Bartender]

Heard a little bit about them I think, never actually heard them.
Demon Hunter - Infected - 3:08

Starts off with a pretty cool intro. I like the sound on the drums, and it sounds like a repeated loop of someone playing them, with a bit of industrial noise in the background. Pretty good start, I think.

The other instruments (guitars and so on) come in to play along with the drums, which sounds pretty good too, until the vocalist gives a short hardcore-ish yell and they switch to a different riff. This riff has that skull-droning, really annoying quality that a lot of bad nu-metal has, and I don't like it. The vocalist is okay, though he sounds more like a hardcore vocalist than a metal vocalist. I suppose they're metalcore, then.

Hmm. What are those "ahhh" backing vocals doing? They sound terrible :-/ Not that they necessarily sound terrible, but they do in this case. And the chorus (if it is the chorus - the "you're infected with me.." bit) also seems out of place. The music hasn't slowed down, yet we have slow, clean vocals singing "you're infected with me" over the top of it. Hmm.

Ah, this bit is kind better. After the chorus, the regular vocals come back, and although the guitars are still playing that riff, the whole pace of the thing seems to pick up and it sounds pretty cool for a while. Until the "ahh"ing and clean vocals come back..

The song slows down a lot now, and there's a bit with the non-clean vocalist saying "I can't do this alone" over a slower musical backdrop. The music picks up for a second, and then cuts out as the song ends.

5/10, I think. Maybe a little less. It had a cool intro, and a couple of other bits I rather likes, but all the bits I liked seemed to be secondary (in the bands' eyes) to all the bits I didn't.

Songs;
The Wildhearts - Lovesh*t (http://s51.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1M1M1QF5Y0ZB20SH8JL67B3VNL) (rock'n'roll)
Hot Cross - Finger Redux (http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0YRTO3FKKSZZD34QFRMZLB7P3E) (hardcore/emo)
Týr - The Edge (http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=222K4DHHB5WKW1OGYRDRLS5VJK) (viking/epic metal)
Fu Manchu - Separate Kingdom (http://s48.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1F8PQR300MMKR38ZWQN69IKWJ2) (stoner/surf rock)

[Bartender]

Bump.

[Britney Diva]

Dibsb

[Britney Diva]

Fu Manchu - Seperate Kingdom (3:44)

Stoner rock, eh? Hmm... diggage could occur.

Begins with a fade-in of some synthy sound, which I can't quite put my finger on. Sounds like a chainsaw going through a wah-wah pedal(not literally, although I'd like to hear it). Some playing around with pitch occurs, as is natural when one discovers a device which makes funny noises, and it continues until long after the band's entrance.

In slides a single guitar, mixed low, and it begins to play a very tasty guitar riff. Nice and heavy, but not annoyingly so. Band enters after the second repeat, fantastic entrance - perfectly done. Second guitar adds just the right amount of heavyness, while the drummer seems to be content hitting rims. I can't detect much bass though, but I know it's there. Perhaps it's these speakers...

Singer enters, I guess this is where the "surfer rock" part comes in. He sounds like a steretypical surfer type, a stoned Californian basically. The vocal for the verse was a bit bland I thought. Not the vocals themselves, but the melodies. He did his best to be exciting, but it wasn't really happening. There's a bridge section where the guitars play octaves instead of chords which is quite fine, I like the vocals here too, and the guitar solo they lead into is quite tasty. It's a nice, restrained, melodic measure, a variation on the vocal theme, and repeated. Reminds me of the Beatles etc. in that regard, though the music is obviously different.

On further listens, the vocals have grown on me a bit, but it stills seems a little dull overall. The music is fantastic, but it doesn't seem to have the edge that a great vocal could provide, which I found to be there in a previous song you recommended(I think it was you) Mannhai - Spender, which does have a great vocal to push it over the edge.

Overall, I'll give it 7/10, I can't give it any more.

Butch Walker - Get Down (http://s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3VOBOF9QFWWN50ED5PFUEVKE7H) (Stadium rock sort of pop etc.)

Wildhearts - I Wanna Go Where The People Go (http://s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0XZ8DZH39I1DR0D08RR43YV93Z) (Hard rock)

Motley Crue - Let Us Prey (Metal/Industrial)

Rufus Wainwright - The One You Love (http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=247EHJPUC8Y2S2ZO4ZVZ39GVBQ) (Pop/70's rock)

Manic Street Preachers - Mausoleum (http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0UD0VQ49XTJSJ2PSK0D3WFTF4O) (Rock/Goth)

[Britney Diva]

Bump.

[Dancin' Man]

Manic Street Preachers - Mausoleum

Never heard anything by this band before.

Begins with a synthy temelod line anbd then drums and bass enter. A very simple riff is repeated a bunch of times. I like the vocals. They seem.... distracted and then they get very intense. I like it. I don't like how repetitive everything is but I like the vocals a lot. The vocal melody more than the delivery. It is a pretty elementary song, but decent. I don't like the constant eighth note rhythm on the guitars. The verse is pretty cool I must say, but it gets boring. Everything seems to go on too long for how low it's interesting factor is. The chorus melody and delivery I like quite a bit.

Wow.... this song structure is really boring. THe parts keep going on too long too. A little imagination would go a long way here. Ooohhh..... I like the sample in the 3rd verse thing. Very cool. Also the new sound effects over top of that into a new part. Very cool. Overall pretty boring, but each part I liked. Just not enough imagination.

6/10


Behold... The Arctopus - Exospacial Psionic Aura (http://s44.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1SITOYEEJT8B636732E6FDWL7F)
October Tide - October Insight (http://s44.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=24LY65LJAJMJS3VRF84F15LJH8)

[Dancin' Man]

bump

[j_brown_12]

dibs on the october tide

[j_brown_12]

un dibs- my connection is playing up sorry

[clown_phobia]

i'll take the dibs on october tide then

[clown_phobia]

Straight into a slowish heavy riff. The riff changes.
Then the vocals start. This is impossible to understand what the singer is saying. he sounds like he is taking a crap. He sounds like the cookie monster an octave down. "rar rar rar, ror, rawr" etc.

As the riffs continue, quiet lead lines can be heard.
The song speeds up at 1.52 and drums become more important.

A more melodic guitar line comes at about 2.38. No bass guitar has been audible yet in this song.

More emotionless riffing, then the atrocity that is the vocals returns. I have yet not understood a single world of this song. At about 4.30 I think I heard "this is the".

In conclusion, I didn't like this song very much at all. It was full of slow, uninspired riffing and plain drum beats. The vocals were horrendous, they sounded like a dog growling, but worse.

2.5 / 10

Next person, the choices are:
The Doors - Love Her Madly
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Bold as Love

I hopefully will be uploading these songs soon.

[Broken Arrow]

Dibs

Jimi Hendrix-Bold as Love

There's no time for an intro to this song as Jimi starts singing as soon as the songs starts. The first few lines are really descriptive and and he seems to sing about different colours. There is some really nice and light guitar behind Jimi's vocals but as soon as he hits the chorus the music picks up. During the chorus there is some really nice flowing bass behind Jimi singing about how "They're All Bold as Love, Just Ask the Axis". Back to the verse and it becomes softer again. Jimi is still singing very descriptivly about different colours. This time Red, Orange and Yellow. Now Jimi says he's Bold As Love and just ask the Axis. He also adds, in a talking voice that He(the Axis) knnows everything. After this they're is a truly amazing guitar solo but the drums also shine with Mitch Mitchell addding in many fills and lots of cymbal action. The Soog seems to stop but then Mitch gives a really nice fill and the guitar comes back playing a new riff/solo that is very very good. Amazing drumming still and some really cool effects on the guitar happening and the song fades out.


Truly Amazing. 9.5/10

The Doors-Backdoor Man
Neil Young-Southern Man
The Rolling Stones-Street Fighting Man

See a theme?

[clown_phobia]

The Doors-Backdoor Man
Neil Young-Southern Man
The Rolling Stones-Street Fighting Man

See a theme?

I'll take dibs on the doors

[clown_phobia]

The song starts with a bluesy guitar riff and Jim Morrison's yelling/grunting.
Then some great drums and bluesy keyboards start. Great singing (melodic) starts and the blues chord progression starts.

The song continues as a great blues piece. A lead guitar solo starts at 1.45. It is somewhat bluesy and sounds great. Not a huge classic, but nice blues.

Soon after the singing returns ('I eat more chicken than any man's ever seen' :lol:) and the song continues towards the end in its great blues style.

Summary: an enjoyable blues piece.

9/10

Next up,
Stevie Ray Vaughn - Mary Had A Little Lamb (http://s32.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2LWYK7D7NP9B50L4BT7KOKBYBC)
John Mayall with Eric Clapton - Hideaway (http://s32.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2J6G9ETIM0XT20O0UNALGDSKY1)
(linked to download)

[Britney Diva]

Dibnss

[Britney Diva]

John Mayall with Eric Clapton - Hideaway (3:15)

Song begins with a lead guitar melody from Clatpon, quickly followed by the rhythm section, guitar, bass and drums. There's also an electric organ there to complete the band. Clapton's tone is slightly muddy but generally quite clear, he sounds the notes very clearly. Bass plays its own distinct melody but maintains a strict 1-2 beat throughout. Drums are very light, quite loose, which gives the piece a jam quality.

The lead guitar line is improvised around for 20 second or so, before Clapton turns it around on itself and improvises a line which gives him more freedom. He leaves less space in this section, packing in more notes.

Third section is a bridge of sorts, the guitars begin to play a bassy motif, the organ becomes noticeable but is still a background instrument. This finishes and Clapton opens up a bit and begins to solo without the restraints of a single riff. The organ becomes more important now, acting as a counterpoint for Clapton's licks. Guitar plays another bassy repeated riff, organ again acting as a counterpoint, before another guitar solo. Organ is pretty much playing straight chords now. Not much to say about the guitar, other than that it's a decent solo. This continues until the finish, with a blues cadence led by the organ.

I'm useless at talking about instrumentals, but I gave it my best shot. I thought the song was decent for what it is, a good blues tune, but it's not the type of song I'd listen to on a regular basis. 6/10.

Butch Walker - Get Down (http://s37.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=10TA975FY33LH0GDLSTLOJOM24) (Funk-rock-pop-something)

Wildhearts - I Wanna Go Where The People Go (http://s39.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1U4C7HZMW1W6M16L2173HHY9AF) (Hard rock)

Motley Crue - Let Us Prey (http://s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2K76JZ906TXWX0H0SZHM12D2OY) (Metal/Industrial)

Rufus Wainwright - The One You Love (http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=247EHJPUC8Y2S2ZO4ZVZ39GVBQ) (Pop/70's rock)

[Dancin' Man]

review on October Tide

Clearly you don't like doom metal or harsh vocals. Try to boraden your horizons. Check out Opeth or Novembre.

[TheDMV]

dibs on Wildhearts

edt: nevermind, the file expired. WTF!!

[Dancin' Man]

Nevermind.

[clown_phobia]

Clearly you don't like doom metal or harsh vocals. Try to boraden your horizons. Check out Opeth or Novembre.

I've just requested Opeth in the YSI thread. Hopefully someone can hook me up and my mind will change.

[Britney Diva]

dibs on Wildhearts

edt: nevermind, the file expired. WTF!!

Somebody must have blocked it. I'll re=upload.

[Dancin' Man]

Wait, can I call dibs on Motley Crue? I can be done in a like 10 minutes and I already have YSI's for the songs I plan to upload.

[Britney Diva]

Yeah, go for it.

[Dancin' Man]

Motley Crue - Let Us Prey
I have heard a few songs by the Crue and hated them. Let us hope this is a better song.

Opens with a cool chunk chunk bend. I like that but if it goes on too long will get old. Then drums. They are a little dull for this part. I thought Tommy Lee was supposed to be a really good drummer? A little more technical part qould go a long way in this section. The singer. Christ I hate this kind of voice. I like growls and screams and shrieks but the constipated forced sound of 80's metal vocals never cease to annoy me.

I like this song there is some cool rhythmic stuff going on. It is repetitive but cool. I like the occasional squeals of guitar. They add a lot. Also I like the bass when it can be heard. It sounds pretty 80's for the most part but some sections I really like (around the 2 minute mark). There is a perfect spot for some really showing drumming but it just isn't there. A guitar solo? Nothing. Just this riff that could support anything but is boring on it's own.

Woah... I dig this ending section of sort of ambience and phasing. The best part is it goes on for a while. It's kind of sludgy sounding and really cool. I could learn to like this. I like the ending of the bass just sort of blubbering away.

7/10 I liked it so much in comparison to the other songs I've heard. Not great (especially thr vocals) but I liked it.

Alpha & Omega - Dream Music (http://s51.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3IY6I968T6MM336P5YZ5BCSBNI) Avant Garde

[Britney Diva]

I thought Tommy Lee was supposed to be a really good drummer? A little more technical part qould go a long way in this section.

The drumming is weird on this album, he used alot of samples etc., which I don't think really worked. As a rock drummer he's fantastic, but I think he struggles on the slower songs, when given a bit of space.

[Dancin' Man]

bump before I leave.

[Dancin' Man]

Bump again.

[Bartender]

Dibs.

[Bartender]

Not sure if I'm really in the mood for avant-garde - been listening to pretty straightforward stuff lately - but here we go.
Alpha and Omega - Dream Music - 3:10

Starts off with the sound of deep, slow breathing. Just that, for two repetitions, until it's joined (and mostly overpowered) by music. A guitar only, I think, sounds like it's drenched in effects. It's hard to describe the sound it has. It's kind of watery, but not in a bad way (like it's a weak production), it's just..bah. The visualisation it calls to mind - that is, what I feel I'd see were I able to see the music - is something very wobbly, pulsing, kinda thing. Again, hard to describe, because it's not wobbly as in weak (about to collapse), just wobbly as in shimmering, almost.

Anyway, after about a minute we're back with a repetition or two of the deep breathing, before, for lack of a better word, the guitar goes crazy. Not blazing-solo kind of crazy, but avant-classical, Penderecki-style crazy. Lots of squiggly sounds and picks and pecks at the strings. If I wasn't feeling so damn good today I think it'd be creepy.

It's all defiantly amelodic, anyway, and this midsection gives way to the deep breathing, and in turn a slight return to the 'normal' guitar of before (i.e. the non-crazy bit). Not for long though, and the song ends on the breathing again.

I'm unsure what to give this. On the one hand, I really liked bits of it. On the other, it was weird, and I'm not sure if certain part's even the kind of thing I could honestly claim to enjoy in a regular musical sense. But then, I do enjoy Penderecki anyway. Hmm.

A cautious 8/10. The actual sound of the piece (production/recording quality, I mean) was really good now that I think about it.

Songs;
Týr - The Edge (http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=10PJ0WB41KEJZ0FT6KCKLPNXTV) (viking/epic metal)
Nomeansno - It's Catching Up (http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2WKBZXCASUQUP2WTL7XNWDSXV7) (hardcore/punk)
Hot Cross - Finger Redux (http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1H4A7T8EKMAJH1TYSIA6SWFMAK) (emo/hardcore)

More to come if necessary.

[White Goodman]

dibs

[White Goodman]

Tyr-The Edge -7:44
I'm not really into Viking Metal, but I thought I would give it a shot, since I hate most hardcore.

The song begins with a fairly boring guitar riff with the drums. This goes on for about 35 seconds until it begins to speed up. Then the vocals kick in. Unlike the majority of Viking Metal I have heard, I actually liked the vocals. I thought that it was the strong point of the song. While the first 4 minutes were repetitive I thought, it was still ok. Then the solo half way through the song caught my attention again. I thought it was amazing. There wasn't anything real special about it, but for some reason it just gripped me. Then the singing comes back in. The rest of the song was better than the first half I thought.

Overall, this is only the Viking Metal song I have actually liked so far. Maybe I should dig back into Viking Metal and see if I find something as good as this. I think I could keep this song and give it several more listens. I recommend everyone download it.
8 out of 10 is my verdict on the song.

Earthtone9-tat twam asi (http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2E93EB107Z09N339VFY556G5IW) General Hard Rock
Pink Floyd-The Nile Song (http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0DZH9L1W1G5N215DM8MTK8YO58) Classic Rock

[Dancin' Man]

'Tender - I did that song for a movie of mine. Glad you liked it... sort of. I just whored myself through FL. I'll kill myself now.

no-dibs.

[Britney Diva]

Earthtone9-tat twam asi (5:32)

Song begins with a tribal-ish drumbeat and high, male vocals. There's a good sound to it, despite my awful description. This stops sharply, and returns just as quick, this time accompanied by a second vocal and guitars. The vocals are realy good, I love the doubled effect, and the alternately-strummed guitars are very effective. Bass is difficult to make out, but it's there. Reminds me of the Tea Party alot.

On 50 seconds, the vocalist breaks out with a metal scream. Music stops again, and explodes back in. Music is similar again, but drumming is much heavier, guitars are louder and heavier, with one playing a bass melody. Very good transition, it sounds well, despite having the potential to ruin the song. I felt they could have stuck to the original theme a smidge longer, but it's not ruinous.

Vocals remain strong throughout, I like the singer alot. The musicianship is very strong too, good solid guitars and the drumming is flawless. Around 2:15 we have a return to the original band section, which again bursts into the rock part, I love this riff. Song as a whole reminds me of SOAD a little bit, with the harmonised vocals and heavy riffage. Very tasty. Around 4:20 there's a tremelo-picked guitar solo, then we return to the chorus to fade.

Really decent tune, 8/10.

Butch Walker - Get Down (http://s37.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=10TA975FY33LH0GDLSTLOJOM24) (Funk-rock-pop-something)

Wildhearts - I Wanna Go Where The People Go (http://s39.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1U4C7HZMW1W6M16L2173HHY9AF) (Hard rock)

Motley Crue - Let Us Prey (http://s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2K76JZ906TXWX0H0SZHM12D2OY) (Metal/Industrial)

Rufus Wainwright - The One You Love (http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=247EHJPUC8Y2S2ZO4ZVZ39GVBQ) (Pop/70's rock)

[Chu]

Not sure if I'm really in the mood for avant-garde - been listening to pretty straightforward stuff lately - but here we go.
Alpha and Omega - Dream Music - 3:10

Starts off with the sound of deep, slow breathing. Just that, for two repetitions, until it's joined (and mostly overpowered) by music. A guitar only, I think, sounds like it's drenched in effects. It's hard to describe the sound it has. It's kind of watery, but not in a bad way (like it's a weak production), it's just..bah. The visualisation it calls to mind - that is, what I feel I'd see were I able to see the music - is something very wobbly, pulsing, kinda thing. Again, hard to describe, because it's not wobbly as in weak (about to collapse), just wobbly as in shimmering, almost.

Anyway, after about a minute we're back with a repetition or two of the deep breathing, before, for lack of a better word, the guitar goes crazy. Not blazing-solo kind of crazy, but avant-classical, Penderecki-style crazy. Lots of squiggly sounds and picks and pecks at the strings. If I wasn't feeling so damn good today I think it'd be creepy.

It's all defiantly amelodic, anyway, and this midsection gives way to the deep breathing, and in turn a slight return to the 'normal' guitar of before (i.e. the non-crazy bit). Not for long though, and the song ends on the breathing again.

I'm unsure what to give this. On the one hand, I really liked bits of it. On the other, it was weird, and I'm not sure if certain part's even the kind of thing I could honestly claim to enjoy in a regular musical sense. But then, I do enjoy Penderecki anyway. Hmm.

A cautious 8/10. The actual sound of the piece (production/recording quality, I mean) was really good now that I think about it.
That's a good review, in my opinion.

[Moses]

I'd like to do one but the only song's I want other people to hear are classical songs.

[blueyxd]

People would probably be up for that. There's Forced Listenings in a fair few other sections in the board. Other music and the pit would probably be the most suitable for classical.

[Dancin' Man]

But still, just give a few options and make one of them for classical music. That way you can either do an R&M FL, or a classical piece.

[Bartender]

letmypeopleho - You can give classical pieces if you want. Just make sure to give more than one choice, and at least one under about six minutes.

That's a good review, in my opinion.

Thanks. Not sure why you said that though :)

Dibs.

[Bartender]

I'm not sure if I've heard anything by Walker before. I've definitely heard you talking about him, but I can't remember if I've ever reviewed something by him for Forced Listening. Anyway;
Butch Walker - Get Down - 4:03

Starts off very cool. Echoing guitar, and what sounds like orchestral samples accenting the silences. Very nice. Drums cut in with strong, simple beats, which basically plays with the song as it is very well. Good start to it.

Vocals come in, and he's got a good enough voice. Better is the flow he has, he sounds really easy moving through the lyrics, and it just goes well with the music. Female backing singers come in for the chorus.

I know I haven't had much to say so far (about two minutes in), but I'm enjoying this.

A quiet part in the middle; everything goes kind of muffled for a while, so there's no stand-out sound to concentrate on, and then a very 'thin' (in visualisation) guitar solo starts. Very fuzzy tone, it's pretty cool, and the solo itself is a nice, relaxed one, played at first over "ooh"s from the backing singers, and later some acoustic strumming in the background, I think. The strings (samples?) come back in the background, again helping the song progress nicely, as well as just being a good touch.

Another quiet, muffled part, which the song more or less leads out on, on top of some quiet, gentle piano.

9/10, I think. The start was awesome, as were the verses, and the end. Through the midsection it seemed to drag out a little maybe (lack of verses, repetitions of chorus), but overall it was a really enjoyable song.

Songs;
Nomeansno - It's Catching Up (http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2WKBZXCASUQUP2WTL7XNWDSXV7) (rock/hardcore punk?)
Hot Cross - Finger Redux (http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1H4A7T8EKMAJH1TYSIA6SWFMAK) (emo/hardcore)
Talking Heads - Slippery People (http://s13.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3GN3PZCBSK2JL3K1OHWBCUD6WT) (art/post punk - later, with 'world music' influence)
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer (http://s9.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3CGS81S8MHA441H17XW06WBSVS) (art/post punk - early)

[Bartender]

Bump.

[Deth]

Dibs.

[Deth]

Hot Cross - Finger Redux

My first encounter with the band. Let's watch in:

Starts with a slow single note riff with a nice bassline. Singer comes in with a high-ish voice and a fast riff comes in. Continues with this riff, which is pretty good with the vocals being buried a bit, but that's ok.

Goes slow again, with a similar riff to the intro, then the drums and singer kick in and the guitarists start to play off of each other, which is cool. Cool riff again.

Slows down and ends.

Good track, but vocals are too low in the mix for my taste.
8.75/10

Songs:
Mastodon - March Of the Fire Ants (straight ahead metal)
Porcupine Tree - Sound Of Muzak (progressive acoustic-ish rock)
Judas Priest - All Guns Blazing - (Classic Metal)

[Britney Diva]

Is it just me, or does 7 minutes seem like an awfully short time to listen to and review a song?

[Bartender]

Well it's a short song (2:44) and a short review.

No dibs; I can't get my hands on any of the songs without an upload of some kind.

[Deth]

Is it just me, or does 7 minutes seem like an awfully short time to listen to and review a song?
Sorry, I know I didn't do a great job, but my time was short. It will be better next time, I promise.

Also, I apoligize for not being able to upload, I'm on dial-up at home, and I do this at school without my music collection.

[Bartender]

Dibs.

[Bartender]

What I've heard by them, I like.
Judas Priest - All Guns Blazing - 3:57

Starts off with just Halford's vocals, very high-pitched, singing metal-sounding lyrics. A metal riff starts in, and a little (very cool-sounding) mini-solo leads us into the song proper.

Not much to say here really, it's just high-energy heavy metal, played well. There's nothing peculiar to comment on, so I won't. Good so far, though. A solo starts around 1:17, and carries on for a long time. A long long time. It still survives in some form around 2:25, as the song momentarily slows down before going back to the verse with Halford.

I like the guitars in this song, they keep putting little flourishes, squeals, pinch harmonics and mini-solos on the end of riffs and phrases, it's really very cool. Another solo starts after the verse-chorus, not as long as the last one, but still hardly short. And the song fades out on the sound of an artillery shell, or something similar.

8/10. Good, strong, anthemic metal.

Songs;
Nomeansno - The End of All Things (http://s8.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3RQFK8OO694053F6I1EKG9U8Z6) (rock)
Nomeansno - It's Catching Up (http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2WKBZXCASUQUP2WTL7XNWDSXV7) (rock/hardcore punk?)
Talking Heads - Slippery People (http://s13.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3GN3PZCBSK2JL3K1OHWBCUD6WT) (post punk? - later, with 'world music' influence)
Talking Heads - Don't Worry About the Government (http://s9.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3CGS81S8MHA441H17XW06WBSVS) (post punk? - early)
Aeon Spoke - Silence (http://s18.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=20AVASIPSCCBQ06A1EAXE1NK9Z)

[Arucard]

Dibs.

[Arucard]

Un-Dibs. Im very sorry, but im drinking to much to write an acurate review. Ill do one tommorow.

[munky_magik]

Un-Dibs. Im very sorry, but im drinking to much to write an acurate review. Ill do one tommorow.
What? No. Do a drunk review. Drunk posting is so much more fun :)

[Bartender]

I'm bumping all my other forced listenings, so I'll do this one too.

[Adam Jones is GOD]

:D

Cheers

(review in this space)

[Adam Jones is GOD]

..or in this one

Nomeansno - The End Of All Things (5:16)

Another new band for me to sink my teeth into :)

Lively start with a cool bass line. The vocals don’t sound like they should fit, but they seem to go flawlessly (although I cant comment much on the lyrics). The harmony between the male and female voices is good.

Seems to drag on in this format for a bit too long, but once the drums die down, the guitar part is a change of pace, adds an extra dimension to the track. The fall back into the main melody works, any excuse to get that bass line back is good :)

The vocals keep threatening to go over operatic, but they stay within a sensible level, which is good. (and I cant help but think I recognise the male vocalist from somewhere). The main bass section does get a little old by the end, but there is always something varied or new in there at least towards the fade out, which has some great layering.

7/10

It’s a fun piece, with some over extended sections, but enough variety to keep me interested. Ill take a listen to their other track to see if they’re worth checking out properly.


Songs
Million Dead - I Am The Party (http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1KP9M8LJVK7I93C0LZQSTEASU3) - (Rock with almost rap like lyrics)
The Black Mages - The Skies Above (http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3933EOB5WUG8O3NY95HXOWX6WP) - (Varied Hard Rock track with piano, operatic vocals and sweet solos)
Reuben - Freddy Kreuger (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0K5ILD320H4QS1ERQPV89Y072I) - (Pop Rock with a catchy riff)
Mastadon - Ol'e Nessie (http://s10.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1UJR0GL6YIYEL32WGCDXQILSGV) - (Dynamic Metal/Hard Rock)

[3rdplanet]

dibs

[3rdplanet]

I Am The Party - Million Dead

The song gets under way pretty quickly (not super fast tempo wise, just bit of guitar - drums - vocals all in quick succession). I like it, maybe came in a bit to quick for my liking, but the tune is good, not liking the vocals too much though, seems out of breathy, not sung more shouted but not harshly.

A brief guitar interlude at around about 20 seconds demonstrates some above the norm song writing skills which is cool, happens again then the drums get a little louder for the pre-chorus with the chorus after being very good, but the vocals grate me a little.

The aprés chorus is constructed a little differently, sounds good though. It goes from around the 1: 20 mark to 2: 10, where there is another bridge thingy from the guitar which leads back into the chorus, got some oomph to this, all good. Extra push for the finishing line in the form of some deeper over-drivey stuff ends the songs nicely.

Overall a good track, the vocals were a bit meh in my eyes but I will probably look into this group further...I give it a 7.75/10

Forced ch00ns:

Towards Loss - Wolverine (http://s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=30U9EJBY0891F1HX33KGL2Z0OL) - Prog Metal

Sticky 2 Me - New Wet Kojak (http://s21.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0E3VJDKZCI6II2QQPRYA9MYY2K) - Saxophone Rock, barely.

The Fall of Math - 65daysofstatic (http://s4.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=18MXDZVBTCZTL24OPI4TRESCFW) - Post - Rock/Metal mixture.

Those links may not be around for long because they are some oldies I had uploaded for different reasons, so get in whilst ye can!

[blueyxd]

I'll try one

[blueyxd]

Wolverine - Toward Loss

It fades in... for some reason, seems like it's mid song already. Sounds very cool though, the music definately "pumps" with the drums, technical riffage and organ-y keyboard, it's quite melodic.

Growled vocals come in and they're pretty loud, it overpowers the music. He goes away quickly and there's some cleaner, slighly power metal vocals replacing, which suits the song much better. Some nice vocal harmonies too. The clean guitar drops in to settle it down a bit, which is nice I guess, but this song isn't that heavy.

What the song needs is to lose those growls, or halve the volume of them. They are in the way of the goings on behind it. The music gets a bit more power along with the growls, and the normal singer is singing as well.

Another section comes in, 6/4 time now, but as pumping as ever. It leads into a very aesthetically pleasing syncopated keyboard/guitar interplay. A guitar solo follows this, also pretty nice.

After this, two vocal lines take on the syncopated rhythm of before, in a very staccato manner. I'm liking it for the most part, but the stupid thing suddenly fades out mid song.

Hmm, I've done this much, so.. I guess I'll stick with it. I did like the music, it was technical, but had a raw simplicity about it, mainly the rhythm I guess. But it was also good to hear some changes in the rhythm as well. The only thing I didn't like was the growls, which only appeard twice in this mp3.
For this section of the song, I'd give it 8/10. I want to hear the rest of it now.

______________________
The Red Paintings - The Streets Fell Into My Window (http://www.comcen.com.au/~caracarol/The%20Red%20Paintings%20-%20Walls%20-%2002%20-%20The%20Streets%20Fell%20Into%20My%20Window.mp3) - very art rock

[3rdplanet]

ah crap I uploaded the wrong version, I have one which was a taster I got ages ago from a site, I had forgot it wasn't the same as the CD version.

I can re-upload the better version for you.

EDIT: Not a dibs.

EDIT2: Link - http://s41.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1EC0XD2GPGL7I1XG4MZY4G7DYV

[Britney Diva]

Dibbs

[Britney Diva]

The Red Paintings - The Streets Fell Into My Window

Begins with a lone violin, playing a repetitive single-note measure. It has an eerie-ish feeling to it. A narrative voice enters, he speaks of Alice(I assume she of Wonderland fame) and white rabbits and pocket watches. He has a very mischievous tone to his voice, he seems to be deriving much pleasure from the narrative, and he becomes increasingly turned on as the piece goes on.

A muted, doubled, guitar soon enters, playing a tasteful, funky-but-slow, riff. The song continues to build, a second voice enters doubling the main voice, and spooky choral vocals come in in the background. Additionally, we hear drums for the first time, there seems to be two drummers playing alongside each other, they're quite pacey.

The tempo eases a bit, and the vocalist begins to sing for the first time. He has quite a pleasant voice, reminiscent of the Dismemberment Plan singer, and also a Morrissey-like quality. The vocal lines, with varying lengths, are typical of Morrissey too. The "chorus"(for I don't know yet if it is) explodes in with heavy-ish guitars(certainly distorted) - I really like where this is going.

Second verse is similar to the first, good use of dynamics throughout - and mournful guitars - the chorus is very very good. The chorus leads to a short breakdown-like passage, before there's a violin solo of sorts. Unfortunately, the mp3 seems to skip quite a bit in this part, so I'd be grayteful for a source of another one. Returns now to the intro narrative style, this time consisting of a lead guitar riff and a clock ticking for percussion. Narrative is backed by the singer again, then an abrupt finish.

10/10, saynomore.

Josh Todd - Burn (http://s4.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0F4P41Z5BN3HF0ESST7AYZG14T) (Rock)

Marvelous 3 - Radio Tokyo (http://s4.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2JQ5P3Q464CPM2GE24XKV2LLFV) (Stadium rock)

[Bartender]

Deebs.

[Bartender]

Never heard of this guy before, but I decided to take this one since I'd heard a Marvelous 3 song before.
Josh Todd - Burn - 3:08

Starts out with some simple enough, nice, clear-sounding chords, before something of a roar announces the arrival of the vocalist and the rest of the band, most of which seems to be concentrated in riff form. The riff is alright, but I don't like the tone of the guitar much. It just sounds kind of..depressed. The vocalist yells a couple of more times over the top of the music leading up to the first verse. I quite like the rhythm of the lyrics in the verse.

The chorus I like less. It's alright - other voices (maybe double-tracked lead vocalist) join him for it - but it's kind of a let down, I think. The verse repeats, and then the chorus. Ah now this part I like. The guitars slow down (around 1:50), and the tone isn't so much of a problem any more. It sounds really cool. This whole bit's really good, though; the slower, almost spoken vocals, the drumming, the slower and kinda heavier guitar. Pretty good. And then it goes back into a chorus, maybe with a little variation on before, before the song ends.

8.5/10, I think. The review was written listening through it for the first time; the rating after listening to it a couple of more times. It's really quite good, despite an average first impression. The guy's voice is good, has a bit of character, and there's quite a bit of variety (the intro chords, the verse, the chorus, the cool bit after the second verse, etc) for a three minute rock song, and it bears repeated listening.

Songs;
Bolt Thrower - IVth Crusade (http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=12FN2G6EG1SZ105UTEN9OKX38S) (death metal/grind)
Bolt Thrower - Icon (http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3R9O2V65K98WJ1H0WQZ8JI6LB7) (death metal/grind)
Mr Bungle - Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy (http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2S3MGQRWZT58B3UXLSMO7V8RL8) (genre? Mr Bungle? hahahahhaha)
Mr Bungle - Retrovertigo (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=313V84HPRGE2U3QDIU508P3X1I) (ahahahahahahah)
Mr Bungle - Vanity Fair (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1PQB2V1UQYYP624FR36405164S) (...)
Murder By Death - You Are the Last Dragon (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0NTWVUYCP8YA60P9SZDXMH1Q4Y) (alt/indie fodder, with violins and pianos and things)

[blueyxd]

Unfortunately, the mp3 seems to skip quite a bit in this part
****, the file was fine on my computer... this is not the first time I've had mp3's go skippy either... maybe I need a new ftp program.

10/10, saynomore.
:D This made it all better. But I'll try and get a good version up.

[Dancin' Man]

Dibs

[Dancin' Man]

Murder by Death - You Are the Last Dragon
Never heard anything by this band before.

Begins with a very cool piano and guitar duet. Very melodic with jazzy elements. Violin and cymbals add in. Sounds very awesome. Then a cool rhythmic guitar part enters with distortion and gets the song cooking. The guitar is a little loud in the mix. THere is a violin in there which is nice and everything sounds very well thought out. I like this. A lot. There is a lot of emotion in the music without the vocals being some annoying whiny moan. He is singing and not forcing anything and the vocals are hardly the focal point of the music.

This is excellent. Lots of little bridges and interludes and dynamic shifts. I like this a ton. The violin is an excellent touch although I think it's a viola. Maybe not but it sounds too low for violin but not like a cello. Woah! a very cool synth part ends the song. I wish it were longer. I wish this song were 10 minutes long. It is so well done and everything is just so good.

Give me the name of the album this is off of. I may even buy it I liked this song so much. My only complaint is the guitar mix. Just a little too loud and the distortion interferes with the drum mix. The song writing is perfect. Nothing cheesy or overdone, all very thought out and well arranged. I loved it.

9.999/10

Mare - Sun for Miles (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2LGOR26XFGWGQ2PZUOYFTPNH2T)post metal with a little bit of awesome
Blut Aus Nord - Metamorphosis (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3774IJKPZTH6Z0P372WSGBFT0E)Black metal with something else
Corpus Mortale - Mass Funeral Pyre (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0ETXIDLXJWZNF0YMR9U961VT60)Technical death metal

links as soon as they finish uploading.

[Bartender]

The album is called Like the Exorcist, But More Breakdancing. It's an excellent album, as is their other one (Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them).

What release is that Blut Aus Nord song from? If it's their later stuff, I might do it (or at least download it), as all I have is one of their earlier, more pure black metal releases, and I hear they've gotten very interesting recently.

[Dancin' Man]

It's from their 2003 album The Work Which Transforms God it's not straight black metal.

[Bartender]

Alright then, dibs.

[Bartender]

Sorry, revoked. Unbelievably, something has come up in my life :)

[blueyxd]

just as well I decided to download one of those anyway.

coach z style deioghrbs

[Dancin' Man]

That was the most creative dibs I've ever seen.

[Britney Diva]

This made it all better. But I'll try and get a good version up.

Thanks, I'd be very grateful.

That was the most creative dibs I've ever seen.

Yes.

[blueyxd]

Mare - Sun For Miles

A big scream ends the last song I guess, it just happens to be on this track.

Ah, now a choir, very calm, this must be the song. The choir consits of 3 or 4 voices singing "Ahh" as chord, and another vocalist or 2 sings falsetto melody. This goes on a while. Different chords and lines are sung, but I don't know what's being sung.

After a while it gets high and sounds like the beach boys harmonies. It's getting a bit tedious.. no sign of the forcefulness that opened the track.
Some darker, deeper sounding chants come next, some of the backing chorusers shift notes a bit more, adding a bit of variation.

Oh wait.. 3:15 minutes in it fires up, a slow drum beat and sludgy guitar chords. There's some various screams.. but I still have no idea what it's about. And on that, it's pretty much over.


Well, I honsetly didn't find much enjoyment in there. The choral part was nice, but then it kept going, even with the changes it was tedious. Then the heavy bit.. too little (or too much), too late. It made me wish the whole thing was just choir.
Nah, definitely not something I go for. 4/10


_________________________
I'm not able to upload anything at the moment, so you have heaps of choices.

Goldie Lookin' Chain - Half Man/Half Machine (http://s48.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=393CIQWCOLCWQ0OB03ZFYK4LOT) - comedy rap

20 Minute Loop - Jubilation (http://mp301.epitonic.com/files/reg/songs/mp3/20_Minute_Loop-Jubilation.mp3) - dirty alt-rock/country

Fagan - Slight Return - trip-hop http://www.fagan.com.au/mp3/slight%20return.mp3

Breakeven - En Vogue - ska hardcore - http://files.mp3.com.au/MP3/Breakeven/Breakeven-None-En%20Vogue.mp3

Goldie Lookin' Chain - Soap Bar - comedy rap

The Cranberries - Ode To My Family - soft rock

XTC - Greenman - pagan pop-rock

Rumors Of The Big Wave - Nightmare - prog pop-rock

Decoder Ring - Collapse Coming On - like Mogwai on speed (still not too fast)

A Chorus Line (the musical) - At The Ballet - jazzy + lots more

Alchemist - Worlds Within Worlds - really weird metal. close to 8 minutes

[Bartender]

That was the most creative dibs I've ever seen.

I still consider this (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5493465&postcount=671) the best dibs ever. blue's the master of the creative dib.

Not a dibs, I have to go to sleep soon.

[Dancin' Man]

Heh, I like that dib.

/nota dib wrong omputer justa bump bad stickykeyboard

[Bartender]

Dibs.

[Bartender]

Never heard/heard of.
20 Minute Loop - Jubilation - 4:54

Starts off with a bit of noise, sounds like it's probably the end of the last track. The song proper, I'm assuming, starts with some slow, kinda ominous bass, with a rising guitar tone in the background. Pretty cool way to start the song. The guitar crashes in with some very prominent drums - not overly prominent in a bad way though, just nice and strong, and "da-da-da" female vocals, I think. They sound kinda like they're mixed with a trumpet, imitating them. Sounds very rough and ready.

Vocalist singing now, and most of the instruments keep it down to being in the background to let him have his say. He's got a decent voice; not doing anything special. Joined by the female vocalist just before 1:00, and the interplay between them's pretty cool.

All the music fades out, leaving just the voices for a few seconds around 1:35, before everything starts up in the same way it started after the introduction earlier. Extra bits joining in and dropping out, for variation; a little extra electric guitar in the background, for example.

Everything slows down again, and some acoustic stringed instrument - possibly a guitar, though I wouldn't put too much faith in that - plays for a while, before we go back to the verse. A little bit concentrates on the vocals after this, before a short guitar solo.

Well barring something drastic happening in the next half a minute or so, I think the song's going to pretty much go out like this. And it's great. Just a mightily fun song, great play between the two vocalists, lost of variation in the instrumentation to keep it interesting. Very good.

9/10

Songs;
Bolt Thrower - IVth Crusade (http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=12FN2G6EG1SZ105UTEN9OKX38S) (death metal/grind)
Bolt Thrower - Icon (http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3R9O2V65K98WJ1H0WQZ8JI6LB7) (death metal/grind)
Mr Bungle - Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy (http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2S3MGQRWZT58B3UXLSMO7V8RL8) (genre? Mr Bungle? hahahahhaha)
Mr Bungle - Retrovertigo (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=313V84HPRGE2U3QDIU508P3X1I) (ahahahahahahah)
Mr Bungle - Vanity Fair (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1PQB2V1UQYYP624FR36405164S) (...)
Murder By Death - You Are the Last Dragon (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0NTWVUYCP8YA60P9SZDXMH1Q4Y) (alt/indie fodder, with violins and pianos and things)

[Chu]

I'd just like to say Grateful Dead's review of The Red Paintings - The Streets Fell Into My Window was top notch.
I actually downloaded the song because I thought the review was so good.

[Dancin' Man]

^Is that the guy who just randomly comments on reviews?

Dibs

[Chu]

^Is that the guy who just randomly comments on reviews?
Yes :cool:

Edit: I'd do my own review, I have reviewed The Summoning - In Hollow Halls Beneath The Fells, earlier in the thread, but I just feel I wouldn't be doing justice to the song, so it's best left to someone who is in the know.

[Dancin' Man]

Bolt Thrower - Icon

Heard a bit of Bolt Thrower before. I liked it.

Begins with a pounding but pretty simple riff which is joined by a doubling instrument. Then the drums. I like this. Galloping with lots of tom. Then the drum part changes into some cymbal work. It's kinda laid back soudning drumming. Then the riff changes.

This is getting boring. There is a solo that is really low in the mix at about 1:05. Then the riff finally changes again. The vocals enter but it's too little too ate. Especially when that intro riff comes back again. This song is boring. The solo can't save it and it sounds too thin anyway. I much prefer the songs off of War Master. This is just not as exciting. Too much repetition. The second solo is equally thin and makes me not like it. The ending is cool how it all ju8st dies and you hear reverb.

4/10

Mare - Sun for Miles (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2LGOR26XFGWGQ2PZUOYFTPNH2T) post metal with a little bit of awesome
Blut Aus Nord - Metamorphosis (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3774IJKPZTH6Z0P372WSGBFT0E) Black metal with something else
Corpus Mortale - Mass Funeral Pyre (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0ETXIDLXJWZNF0YMR9U961VT60) Technical death metal

[Bartender]

Dibs.

[Dancin' Man]

Still dibsed or did you forget 'Tender?

[Bartender]

MX death and other things slowed me down.

I have one of their earlier, pure black metal, releases. I'm interested to hear something from The Work Which Transforms God onwards though, as I hear they've gotten plenty interesting recently.
Blut Aus Nord - Metamorphosis - 5:22

A few seconds of silence before the song starts, and when it starts, it's a bit of a surprise - the drums aren't pounding relentlessly! The guitars have some dynamic going for them! Unlike anything I've heard by them so far, and as much as I like the constant assault of The Mystical Beast of Rebellion, I think I prefer this so far. The productions slightly better - clearer - here too.

The vocals sounds very strained, took me a few moments to get used to them. That might be because prior to this I was sitting here in zen melancholia listening to Solomon Burke (an album by whom I'm starting to rank very highly indeed). He's a very cool guy, Solomon Burke; about sixty years old, something of a soul legend ("the king of rock'n'soul"), he has 20-something kids and leads his own church as a bishop. And he makes great music. How much more awesome does one man need to be?

Anyway, Blut Aus Nord. A nice drum roll thing around 1:25, and then there's a very uneasy sounding riff. Not sure how to describe it; it just sounds kind of ill. Slight choral "ahh"s in the background now, which sound very cool with the vocalist straining away, the drums pounding sporadically, and the guitar putting out these rather tortured-sounding riffs. Some ambience-filled moments for a short while, and then another really swift, very cool, drum roll came in. It got me excited actually, I thought the song was going to end racing off into the distance with a big, galloping riff. But it didn't, it just kind of went back to the queasy guitar lurchings and one-armed drumming from before. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just a little disappointing after my momentary visions of a Charge-of-the-Light-Brigade ending to the song.

And the song just kind of slowly draws to a stop doing what it's doing. That was a strange one. I started off being interested because it didn't sound like previous Blut Aus Nord, and ended up slightly disappointed because I'd found myself wishing it'd gone back to previous Blut Aus Nord, at least in part. A little more dynamic, in the form of a simple enough fast-slow, would've been nice. I suppose it works better in the context of an album. Coming, as it did, straight after some very smooth soul, made it somewhat off-putting too.

A cautious 8/10 for now. That'd probably go up in the context of the album/with repeated listening/in an extreme metal mood (not hot on the tail of Solomon Burke).

Songs;
Bolt Thrower - IVth Crusade (http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=12FN2G6EG1SZ105UTEN9OKX38S) (death metal/grind)
Bolt Thrower - Icon (http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3R9O2V65K98WJ1H0WQZ8JI6LB7) (death metal/grind)
Mr Bungle - Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy (http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2S3MGQRWZT58B3UXLSMO7V8RL8) (genre? Mr Bungle? hahahahhaha)
Mr Bungle - Retrovertigo (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=313V84HPRGE2U3QDIU508P3X1I) (ahahahahahahah)
Mr Bungle - Vanity Fair (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1PQB2V1UQYYP624FR36405164S) (...)
Murder By Death - You Are the Last Dragon (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0NTWVUYCP8YA60P9SZDXMH1Q4Y) (alt/indie fodder, with violins and pianos and things)

[Rothmans]

Songs;
Mr Bungle - Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy (http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2S3MGQRWZT58B3UXLSMO7V8RL8) (genre? Mr Bungle? hahahahhaha)
Mr Bungle - Retrovertigo (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=313V84HPRGE2U3QDIU508P3X1I) (ahahahahahahah)
Mr Bungle - Vanity Fair (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1PQB2V1UQYYP624FR36405164S) (...)

For some reason that made me laugh a lot.


I know sad... :upset:

[Neurotoxin]

Dibs.

[Neurotoxin]

Murder by Death - You Are the Last Dragon

I've heard a lot about this band, but never before today had I heard their material.

I must say that I picked a great day to wander onto Forced Listening and find this song.

The song starts off with wonderful piano work, accompanied perfectly by guitar. After the intro, everything is silent until a "chunky" guitar comes in and plays a simple riff. Next come the drums and everything else, including the piano. The vocals come in next, and it first I had to get a little used to them. Now they've grown on me greatly. Throughout the whole song the strings are wonderful, and the piano is absolutely beautiful. These two aspects really make this song (and band) stick out when compared to other bands of this genre.

9.5/10 - The .5 is lost because of bad quality.

---

Collide - Halo
http://s48.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2E3CE82JGANII0K3NOLP3RF8WB
Female fronted electronica/industrial act.

[Britney Diva]

Dibsss

[Britney Diva]

Collide - Halo (6:18)

It's been quite a while since I reviewed an electronica song, so apologies if my descriptions of sounds are... awful. For some reason I'm in the mood for this type of tune, so hopefully this will hit the spot. The cover for this album is scary, I just saw it in Media Player.

Opens with an Indian/Eastern droning sound, instrument unidentifiable. There's a sitar or similar instrument, there's a noticeable strum of a janly chord. A synth melody pattern of some sort enters, kind of ascending, it's catchy. Drums enter soon after, they're mechanised, a constant beat, while breathy female vocals ease in - I didn't even notice them at first. I'm not sure that's a bad thing, it has a very nice flow to it. Then... stop.

Piece resumes with slightly more prominent drums and we're on our way. There's very nice instrumentation all through the track, it rarely deviates from the core drums/electronic/vocal mixture but there are some nice eastern passages. Sounds like synthesised Indian stringed instruments, and there's also some eastern vocals in there too aswell as some type of horn.

Around 4:00 there's a nice slower part. The drums ease off and the electronic riff is lighter, so the vocals become very prominent, supported by synthesised strings. It almost comes to a still, but then the piece begins to build again, some very nice synthesised vocals(I usually hate that bubbly vocal effect) before a long fade-out, becoming quite industrial at the end.

The song is good, but it seems almost like 2 seperate songs. The first is a rather repetitive, but pleasant upbeat electronic piece, while there's a trancey outro which could stand on its own as a piece. Overall, I'd give it 6/10 - it's a decent piece but not one I would listen to often. It's very much a mood piece for me.

Oasis - The Importance Of Being Idle (http://s4.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=114OEE4E1VBCS3A30Z6BA9VWLE) (Psychadelic rock)

Marvelous 3 - Radio Tokyo (http://s4.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2JQ5P3Q464CPM2GE24XKV2LLFV) (Stadium rock)

Our Lady Peace - Starseed (http://s6.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0VC2R1TK4L18G3SFW6OM4IXCZ3) (Eastern0-tinged indie)

[Dancin' Man]

And I'd dibs but Grateful Dead has forgotten how this thread works.

[Britney Diva]

I was editing in some songs and it froze!!

In other news, 'Tender has 20,000 posts :)

[Dancin' Man]

Congrats to 'Tender and dibs.

[Dancin' Man]

Marvelous 3 - Radio Tokyo

Never heard this before but I generally dislike stadium rock.

Begins with a piano part that is nice but has that annoying ballady intro sound to it. Oh well, at least it sounds nice. Then the chords. Oh yes, here it is. I like the bass part quite a bit. This is pretty likeable sounding. A movie soundtrack is where this belongs. Hmmmm... sounds like a Queen wanabe group based on the singer/guitarist. Queen is better but I like this.

The chorus is very catchy, as it should be I suppose. I like the vibe of this song. Good driving music it sounds li.e SOmething you belt out even if you don't know the words and makes you feel good. But, because I'm really giving it a listen, it's not such a good choice.

The guitar solo... is lame. Predictable and nothing really cool and then into the soft section again and let me guess... another chorus. Oh, there it is. How'd I know :rolleyes:

And best part = fade-out. I hate fade-outs with a burning passion but I think the sample at the end is funny.

6/10

Martyr - Warp Zone (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=261MBVQK3Y3CM1ZM4JQQTGPULB) Technical melodic death metal
Corpus Mortale - Mass Funeral Pyre (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0ETXIDLXJWZNF0YMR9U961VT60) Technical death metal

[Neurotoxin]

Scratch that.

Dibs revoked.

[Bartender]

Congrats to 'Tender and dibs.

Thanks, and dibs.

[Bartender]

I've heard something by Martyr before, thanks to a certain excellent MXican, but it was a while ago and while I think it was good, I can't really remember it.
Martyr - Warpzone (or "Endless Vortex Towards Erasing Destiny", I'm not sure) - 3:18

At 3:18 long I'm expecting just a tearingly fast piece of technical, melodic death metal which I can't write a very good review for, so it's a pleasant surprise when the song starts with some reasonably fast, melodic intro guitar. The same basic melody is carried into the first riff of the song. This is nicely technical stuff - prominent, adventurous bassline, and a drummer interspersing lots of agile cymbal work with swift bursts on the smaller drums. Very nice.

Assuming all that was an introduction, the song proper has started now, with a new riff and more "metal" drums - plenty of double bass added, basically. A slow solo playing over the top, before the vocals come in, shockingly loud in this mix. They could probably have been toned down a bit. Anyway, the vocals are okay, a fair bit of hardcore influence, but he's nothing special (at the moment).

The instruments tear it up for a while with some quick changes after what I'm assuming was the first verse. Another verse - although I'm wanting to shy away from the word "verse" here, since this band seem to want to elude any kind of verse-bridge-chorus structure. After this we're treated to a different style of vocals; deep, low and slow, while the music slows down for a while (the drummer's still kicking *** all over the place, though).

And then, a solo. Given the quality of the music so far (the awesome bass and drumming, the inventiveness and variety of the guitars), the solo's a bit of a let-down. It's not bad, by any standards, it just doesn't hold my attention too well. At least until the two guitars start playing in tandem.

Everything speeds up now (I don't think the vocalist is going to make a reappearance), and the whole song seems to be frantically racing to a conclusion, which comes, rather suddenly, with the guitars climbing up, and two sharp bursts from the sticksman.

9/10 Very good song, nicely technical, and with a great quantity of ideas packed into it, especially considering it's length.

Songs;
Mr Bungle - Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy (http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2S3MGQRWZT58B3UXLSMO7V8RL8) (genre? Mr Bungle? hahahahhaha)
Mr Bungle - Retrovertigo (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=313V84HPRGE2U3QDIU508P3X1I) (ahahahahahahah)
Mr Bungle - Vanity Fair (http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1PQB2V1UQYYP624FR36405164S) (...)

I'll upload some more tomorrow if they're needed, but for now I'm going to crawl rather happily into bed.

[Dancin' Man]

Endless Vortex Towards Erasing Destiny

Warp Zone is the album and the track I debated using.

/no dibs

[Britney Diva]

Dibsss;s;s

[Britney Diva]

Bah, revoked.

[3rdplanet]

I wanna do another forced listening...but I know Mr Bungle already :(

Upload something different 'Tender?

[Britney Diva]

I'll take dibs again, I had half my review done already, so it'll only be a few minutes.

[Bartender]

Sorry. At least someone has dibs now. I'll have some more up for next time I review something; having all by one artist (worse, all from the same album) is bad form, I know.

[Britney Diva]

Mr. Bungle - Vanity Fair (2:58)

Mr. Bungle is the only of Patton's major projects which I have no real experience of. As ever, I'm not sure what to expect from him, so let's see how this goes.

Begins with a very deep vocal bassline, doo-wop style, which I believed is doubled by a bass guitar. Some high choral vocals soon join, our first taste of Patton, before a saxophone ushers in the band. There's some high jazzy piano low in the mix, which sets the jazz/lounge mood, accompanied by Patton's harmonised, but female-sounding, vocals. I really like this, the arrangement has potential to be chaotic, but it blends wonderfully. Props.

The slow, plodding, percussion is provided by the bass vocal, maracas and a drum set, while each beat is accentuated by a guitar chord stab. It's a nice touch, gives the song a hip-hop feel, with the fast-paced vocals contrasting the relatively slow beat. The piece as a whole has a jazzy feel so far, but that soon changes.

Around 1:08, a church organ enters, accompanied by fast tremelo-picked guitar, which gives the piece an eerie quality. This then reverts to the beginning verse again, with Patton's choral vocal taking the lead. His voice reminds me of Rod Jackson from Slash's Snakepit at points. Hairmetal++. There's what seems to be the sound of an electric current meeting water, and what is closest to an industrial section as I've heard from Patton, with a shocking synthesised vocal part.

Piece fades out on the chorus(though I hesitate to call it that.) I'll give it a... 7/10. Quite enjoyable, I'd definitely listen to again, but it doesn't grab me the way alot his FNM stuff did on repeated listening. That said, I could easily listen to it again, though it may be a bit short - there's room for development I think.

Oasis - The Importance Of Being Idle (http://s4.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=114OEE4E1VBCS3A30Z6BA9VWLE) (Psychadelic rock)

Jason Mraz - On Love, In Sadness (http://s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=32MOUTA2W6W3P2KCSEXON359HF) (Singer-songwriter pop-rock)

Our Lady Peace - Starseed (http://s6.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0VC2R1TK4L18G3SFW6OM4IXCZ3) (Eastern-tinged Alt-rock)

[Bartender]

Dibs.

[Bartender]

I like Oasis, but I've not heard this song. I'd assume it's from the new album?
Oasis - The Importance of Being Idle - 3:39

Starts off with a folky, pounding beat, mostly on the drums and jangly guitar. As the vocals start (sounds more like Liam than Noel, but I can never remember which is which anyway), the drums calm down, and the most prominent non-vocal noise is that jangly guitar. The lyrics seem to be about being lazy, which makes sense given the song title (which I like, by the way. Being lazy is awesome).

Main thread of the song changes to a kind of sing-song, watery, high-pitched beat, which is then