| 4.5 superb |
| 30 Seconds to Mars 30 Seconds to Mars |
| In this decade full of half *** alternative metal. 30 Seconds To Mars debut album sticks out above the mediocre with oddball spaced out yet extremely solid prog metal. Drummer Shannon Leto (who records everything organically) plays in experimental way and keeps the beats pulsating and interesting at the same time. In addition Jared's power chords riffage mangage to sound extremly innovative with using weird chord fills in songs such as the beginning of "Oblivion" and "End of The Beginning." which sound oddly fresh. Many of the leads part sound very dynamic and at times downright beautiful in all of the songs. Jared's voice in addition fits the band really well bending and showing perfect expression with each of the songs. The lyrics are downright weird which builds in a weird concept of space/planet Earth/Aliens? etc. but it sits on top of the explosive sound in a very unique way. There will be those who listen to this and find this cheesy and very overindulgent although you can't deny the talent this band has displayed with it's writing skills on this superb debut. |
| Aaliyah Aaliyah |
| Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion |
| Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons |
| Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works, Vol. II |
| Bela Bartok The Piano Concertos |
| Brian Eno Ambient 4: On Land |
| Coldplay A Rush Of Blood To The Head |
| Coldplay Viva La Vida |
| Converge Axe To Fall |
| Deftones Saturday Night Wrist |
| Deltron 3030 Deltron 3030 |
| Evol Intent Era of Diversion |
| Extol The Blueprint Dives |
Sometimes, progression can be a ridiculous thing. Despite, it's always healthy for an artist to venture, grow, and expand their sound even if there is a risk in completely flopping the entire art if it's not executed well. Well, on the Blueprint Dives Extol don't precisely care about the risk and pretty much shed their entire death metal sound for a rather challenging yet rewarding experimental prog. metal album. Here, all the musicians excel incredibly bringing their unique influences into the bag. The band manages to bring the off-kilter beats reminiscent of Opeth or Dream Theater and collide it with the atmosphere/vocals of Radiohead & Deftones. The album might come of a bit odd with the amount of experimentation thrown into the album-but on the flip coin that's what makes this album such a unique listen. The band is christian, however the lyrics aren't overtly explicit and can certainly be enjoyed whether you are one or not. It's a shame that the band for the most part is done but they certainly ended their career making not only their best album, but one of the most unique and challenging prog. metal albums ever.
|
| Far-Less Everyone Is Out to Get Us |
If there is one record that Post-Hardcore fans are missing out on: it's this one. Far-less will take on you an adventure like no other on their album Everyone Is Out To Get Us. It doesn't bend to the status quo in any form. It's random, spastic, badass, and stands entirely on it's own ground. Through the eleven songs Far-less mix up the pot in one of the most ridiculous ways you can ever imagine. The band pushes the envelope musically in a wickedly far manner with it's crashing guitars and pulsating rhythms. Brandon Welch's vocals sit smoothly on top of the chaos and his clever sarcastic "march-to-my-own-beat" lyrics almost fit perfectly with the ridiculous progression of the album. Also major props to Ray Felts (who unfortunately no longer part of the band) for putting on one of the most technical, yet unique drum performances ever. This whole thing probably sounds really fanboyish (as my rating is as well) but no doubt-Everything Is Out To Get Us is nearly a perfect album that functions as it pleases. And from that it remains one of the most unique albums in rock music.
|
| Frederic Chopin Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35 aka "Fu |
| Glassjaw Worship and Tribute |
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor F# A# ∞ |
| He Is Legend It Hates You |
| Incredibly and almost shockingly amazing. HIL have blown all the doors open with It Hates You. Taking the melodic flavor of I am Hollywood and the grit of Suck Out The Poison and combining them and stretching their sound even farther into an epic stoner metal sound. All the musicians here put on an incredible performance. But what really hits the spot here is the amount of melodic/emotional depth that is shown here with Tanbouz's layered guitar work/drop G (yes that low) crushing riffs and Croom's intense claustrophobic yet absurd vocals (and harmonies.....and Bibis Ellison female vocals to add more intensity). The record is raw, gritty, weird, and oddly beautiful. HIL have really outdone themselves here and have put them in place for one of the best albums of 09...and if not it's certainly one of the biggest surprises this year. |
| I Am Robot and Proud The Electricity in Your House Wants to Sing |
| Imogen Heap Speak For Yourself |
| Incubus A Crow Left Of The Murder |
| John Mayer Continuum |
| Kanye West The College Dropout |
| Lauryn Hill The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill |
| Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 |
| M.I.A. Kala |
| Madvillain Madvillainy |
| Mute Math Mute Math |
| Mute Math Armistice |
| On MuteMath (no longer Mute Math but whatever) Armistice's, you can feel the blood, sweat, and tears poured into making these songs. They pushed the experimental boundaries on this album without it coming of out of place. The musicians here have stepped up their game even more higher. There is a larger experimentation with electronics, soundscapes, strings, brass, and even handclaps to the point that the debut album feels like childplay. Of course that kind of expansion isn't really anything new either but MuteMath really give an incredible attention to every detail and note. Not one note or detail goes without careful attention. But because of all this depth added to their already developed sound: it'll take a few listens for Armistice to click. But once it does previous fans and even haters of the band's previous work will find the album to be a joyride. Because not only have MuteMath truly outdone themselves here but also they have set a new level for Indie/Experimental rock and are well into making a legacy with their already excellent career. |
| Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea |
| Nine Inch Nails Year Zero |
| Nine Inch Nails Still |
| Nirvana In Utero |
| P.O.D. Satellite |
| Radiohead OK Computer |
| Shad The Old Prince |
| Sigur Ros Ágætis Byrjun |
| Sigur Ros Takk |
| Soundtrack Ocean's 12 OST |
| Soundtrack O Brother, Where Art Thou? |
| The Bad Plus These Are the Vistas |
| The Out Circuit Pierce The Empire With A Sound |
The Out Circuit is the one-man project of the ex-Frodus bassist Nathan Burke. At its core, The Out Circuit is an experimental rock band going in and out of ambient soundscapes, indie rock, post rock, and at times oddball hardcore. The songs individually may feel odd, but album as a whole Pierce The Empire With A Sound provides one beast of a listening experience. If you are fan of (new) Thrice , Radiohead, Frodus and similar experimental bands I highly suggest you check this project out.
|
| The Roots Game Theory |
| The Roots Things Fall Apart |
| Triosk The Headlight Serenade |
| A crazy swindling mix of a jazz trio, post rock, and ambient/electronica atmosphere-all mix into one. With near perfect-brilliant results. |
| Underoath Lost In The Sound Of Separation |
At a first few listens one would think this album is a more dragged version of Define the Great Line Pt.2 . Though if given time to digest all the parts and music. The listener will (and should realize) that everything on the whole scale has stepped up a notch artistically. I will take note that i can't help but feel that the band gave some of the heavier parts a direct more southern feel to everything which comes out weird at first but surprisingly works really well.
It's amazing and almost funny to see how much this band has grown since its beginnings. What started out as mediocre deathcorescreamoemowhatever you wanna call it to basically real solid epic metalcore with post metal atmospherics, this album (as well as DTGL in 2006) potentially will stand one as of the best heavy albums of 2008.
|
| William Basinski The Disintegration Loops I |
| William Basinski The Disintegration Loops II |
| William Basinski The Disintegration Loops III |
| 4 excellent |
| 30 Seconds to Mars A Beautiful Lie |
| 311 From Chaos |
| Alexisonfire Crisis |
| Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto Insen |
| Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto Revep |
| Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto UTP_ |
Taking the experimentation of Noto/Sakamoto and expanding their piano glitch work with the Ensemble Modern. UTP_ is a stirring piece of left-field classical minimalism intertwined with shots of electronic experimentation that is sure to dazzle anyone who is into the unique and obscure. Otherwise, if your not into this: It isn't precisely a easy listen with it's formless structures and eccentric intervals. It can however grow into something much more since it's such a unique listen.
So if you want to know what happens when you get a modern Japanese composer, a German electric artist, and the Ensemble Modern all in one collaboration? UTP defines this bizarre yet incredible piece of art quite well. A must have for fans of their Noto/Sakamoto's previous work, Murcof, William Basinski, Loscil, or any other form of electronic/classical minimalism. |
| Anberlin Never Take Friendship Personal |
| Animal Collective Strawberry Jam |
| Animals as Leaders Animals as Leaders |
| Arovane Lilies |
| As Cities Burn Come Now Sleep |
| As Cities Burn Hell Or High Water |
| August Burns Red Constellations |
| Belong October Language |
| Between The Buried And Me Colors |
| Bibio Ambivalence Avenue |
| Blindside The Great Depression |
| blink-182 blink-182 |
| Boards of Canada Trans Canada Highway |
| Botch We Are The Romans |
| Bowery Electric Beat |
| Brand New The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me |
| Brand New Daisy |
| Brian Eno Ambient 1: Music For Airports |
| Brian Eno Ambient 2/The Plateaux of Mirror |
| Brian Eno Ambient 3: Day of Radiance |
| Burial Untrue |
| Cage [Hip-Hop] Hell's Winter |
| Chevelle Wonder What's Next |
| Chevelle Vena Sera |
| Basically: all that previous potential that you could see in Chevelle's albums finally comes full swing here in Vena Sera. You will never hear an alternative metal trio put in as much heavy crunch like these guys. Easily, their most aggressive and best album to date. |
| Chicago Underground Quartet Chicago Underground Quartet |
| Christopher O'Riley True Love Waits |
| Christopher O'Riley Hold Me To This |
| Circa Survive On Letting Go |
| Cloacal Kiss Easter |
| Cold War Kids Robbers and Cowards |
| Coldplay Parachutes |
| Coldplay Prospekt's March EP |
| Comeback Kid Broadcasting |
| Consider the Thief Signs and Wonders |
| Converge No Heroes |
| People going on complaining how mindless and overtly brutal/dissonant this album is. Well 1. In terms of this being brutal/dissonant-this is Converge, so what are you expecting? 2. Although it be weird to call it a grower, if the listener looked beyond this being some mess they would actually realize the amount of raw beauty Converge has portrayed here. There isn't a band out there that can pour out such an emotional intensive atmosphere like Converge. All 14 tracks here are absolute ace with a killer rhythm section, Kurt's incredible guitar riffage, and Jacob being the awesome madman he's always been. Unless you clearly don't like metalcore/thrash or whatever. No Heroes is worth your time and patience because to be honest, raw beauty never felt so good. |
| Copeland Eat, Sleep, Repeat |
| Copeland The Grey Man EP |
| If you are a fan of You Are My Sunshine this would well work as an additional collection. |
| David Bazan Curse Your Branches |
| Dead Poetic Vices |
| Deas Vail All The Houses Look The Same |
| Deas Vail White Lights |
| Decahedron Disconnection Imminent |
| Deftones Around The Fur |
| Deftones White Pony |
| Demon Hunter Storm the Gates of Hell |
| Watching this band grow since their self-titled is quite fascinating. That might have made the album more enjoyable but yea....this is really solid and while there isn't much of a ground-breaking original sound the band successfully made every track to as close to perfection as they could. Take that with adding complex yet spiritually strong faith based lyrics (something you don't see very often in a metal band). And you got possibly one of the best metal albums of 2007. |
| Depeche Mode Exciter |
| Dream Theater Score |
| Dream Theater Train of Thought |
| Dream Theater for me was always one of those bands that are better musicians then they are songwriters. But I personally believe that they know how to use their heavy sound very well. So despite its slightly more straightforward approach in comparison to most records: Train Of Thought is there debatably their best written album with the songwriting on par with their given incredible musicianship/technicality. Also props for them taking their heavy influences-(Metallica, Iron Maiden, even some Slipknot) and mixing it with their progressive sound and outdoing it alltogether. |
| Dream Theater Black Clouds and Silver Linings |
Dream Theater made another album full of their typical epic-ness (and the extra cheese to go with it). However in a returning shock they have made one of their most balanced albums yet that pretty much rules hard. Throughout the 6 epic songs, the album flows cohesively and doesn't bore for a moment. The album shows that while Dream Theater does still run on their old tricks, they still know how to push their sound continuously and remain to be one of the today's best progressive metal bands.
|
| Dream Theater Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory |
| dredg El Cielo |
| Elizabeth & The Catapult Taller Children |
| This album has all the great potential to break waves through both the indie and mainstream community. Though this is hardly a sell-out-simply catchy indie pop music that has some very jazzy and folksy twists-which is done incredibly well. Lead singer Elizabeth Ziman comes of as a crossover of Ella Fitzgerald and Feist, whether shes singing in the snarl in the pop opening "Momma's boy" or cutesy innocence on folksy "Race You" or the jazzy swing with the flaring horns on the "Rainiest Day Of Summer": this is seriously looking to be one of the more solid albums of 09. An absolute must have for fans of indie/indie pop. |
| Emery The Question |
| Emiliana Torrini Me and Armini |
| Emiliana Torrini Fisherman's Woman |
| Emiliana Torrini Love In the Time of Science |
| Erik Satie Trios Gymnopedies |
| Erik Satie Satie: Works For Piano |
| Every Time I Die New Junk Aesthetic |
| Falling Up Captiva |
| Far-Less A Toast to Bad Taste |
| You know if Far-less decided to make a "Everyone Is Out To Get Us' pt.2 the album would have kicked major butt. Their debut was full of post-hardcore epics that were diverse enough and unique enough to stand on it's own and if they copied it there would be enough diversity to claim it a excellent album. But no, Far-less basically said screw it and made the polished, tight, and radio friendly indie album called A Toast To Bad Taste. This isn't progression people-this is called a switch up. Such a ridiculously switch up that it might take a few listens to get into. In the end though-it's Far-less-and that means awesome music. And despite the more friendly sound Far-less still manage to mix up the pot and and maintain diverse styles through the album. In the end, even if you didn't like this album. You gotta give major credit to Far-less for pretty much making one of the most incredible yin yang of albums (comparing EIOTGU to ATTBT) and pulling it of incredibly well. Where Far-less will take their sound next? Who knows. I'm convinced if they made an R&B record it'll be like the greatest album of it's time. |
| Feist The Reminder |
| Frodus And We Washed Our Weapons In The Sea |
| Glassjaw Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About |
| Good Old War Only Way To Be Alone |
| Grizzly Bear Yellow House |
| Grizzly Bear Veckatimest |
| He Is Legend Suck Out The Poison |
| Howard Shore The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring |
| Howard Shore Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kin |
| Howard Shore The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers |
| I Am Robot and Proud Grace Days |
| Liem goes at it again with another collection of soft IDM goodies. There isn't much of a change here but a nice addition to Liem soft lush electronic numbers. "Friction On Teeth" is probably one of the cutest songs ever with it's blep-blip-bloop synths that slowly build into a nice ambience. All in all, another grand collection from Liem's solo work. |
| I Am Robot and Proud The Catch/Spring Summer Autumn Winter |
| I Am Robot and Proud Uphill City |
| Imogen Heap Ellipse |
| Imogen Heap returns from a four year gap with Ellipse. In which Imogen takes on a more minimal/subtle and slight darker approach to her electronic-pop pieces. Aside from that, it's pretty much the same experimentation of Imogen using a large array of sound and instruments and making it all flow smooth. Although the album isn't as exciting as Speak For Yourself, the album has its merits in being much more relaxed and soothing. And shows that ultimately Imogen remains one of the most creative and best pop singers out there today. |
| In Pieces Lions Write History |
| In This Moment The Dream |
| Incubus Light Grenades |
| Incubus Morning View |
| Innerpartysystem Innerpartysystem |
| If you have a friend(s) who listens to one of those new crappy electro-(insert other genre) "scene" poser S*itstorm artists: Innerpartysystem might be you're saving hope for them. Sure their not the same...in fact they contour the absolute crap that saturates today's electro "scene" music. Innerpartysystem debut album soars above the garbage with incredible dark electro-rock music that downright grooves. Patrick Nissely adds another dimension with his vocals and dark tinged apocalyptic lyrics which fit perfectly on top of the band's sound. This is easily one of the most intense albums of 2008, and considering this is their debut album (and in addition with their incredible live show): the band is only going to go up. So if you're friend(s)like Metro Station, Brokencyde, Breathe Carolina, William Control or any other S*itty electro poser artist. Eliminate the crap from their ears and give them a taste of Innerpartysystem's debut album: no regrets. And if they don't like it idk what to tell you (sludge hammer them or something) |
| Isis Panopticon |
| Islands Return To The Sea |
| J Dilla The Shining |
| J Dilla Ruff Draft (Re-issue) |
| Jay-Z American Gangster |
| Jimmy Eat World Futures |
| Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048 |
| Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046 |
| John Williams Minority Report (Soundtrack) |
| John Williams Schindler's List (Soundtrack) |
| Jonezetta Popularity |
| Jonezetta is an indie rock band.......though seriously they sound more like a disco group. Drummer Mike Paterson manages to put a dance beat to just about every song. This ultimately plays a crucial role to the band's sound throughout the album and almost surprisingly....is absolutely stunning. This isn't precisely the best of it's kind but Paterson's drums and Robert Chisolm soaring vocals throughout the album make it a very unique experience. If you're a fan of The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, or you simply want something to get funky with: Jonezetta debut album is quite the treat (and answer). |
| Justice Cross |
| Kanye West Late Registration |
| Kanye West 808s And Heartbreak |
| Kidcrash Jokes |
| Lady Sovereign Public Warning |
| Lights Out Asia Eyes Like Brontide |
| Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10, No. 1 |
| Lupe Fiasco The Cool |
| Lupe Fiasco Food & Liquor |
| Lustmord Other |
| Lydia Illuminate |
Yea i'll admit....I only like this album because it sounds absurdly similar to Copeland. But Lydia manages to make their own sound out with Illuminate. The songs have a nice grand waltz-like feeling with it's cinematic guitars, swaying pianos, and big grand drums-and with the quiet guy/girl duo vocals on top. They manage to make a winning sound despite some songs sounding the same.
If they continue in this direction they probably won't shake the Copeland similarities. But quite frankly, I won't complain cause Lydia still makes it work-and Illuminate is the proof of this |
| Mae Singularity |
| Obviously upon listening: this new Mae sound is sure one to throw of fans upon a first listening. And after "The Everglow" they have raised the bar high for their next album. The change in labels (T&N to Capitol) obviously has given the band a more radio-friendly, glossy sound: which has thrown some people of. But give it a few listens and.....Mae makes another solid album. This album rocks out a bit harder, songs like "SST", "Rocket" and "Telescopes" showcase Mae at their heaviest. The slight charm that made "The Everglow" perfect is somewhat gone but no doubt this is still another solid album released by Mae. |
| Maroon 5 It Won't Be Soon Before Long |
| Massive Attack 100th Window |
| Massive Attack Mezzanine |
| Meshuggah obZen |
| If I ever end up being damned to hell for sinning too much I wouldn't be surprised if obZen by Meshuggah would be the hell's theme. In fact when I burn in eternal torment it'll still be a slight task at hand not to head bang. |
| Meshuggah Chaosphere |
| Metallica S&M |
| Mono Hymn To The Immortal Wind |
| Murcof Remembranza |
| Murcof Martes |
| Muse Black Holes and Revelations |
| Musiq Soulchild Juslisen |
| Mute Math Reset EP |
| Nas Untitled |
| Nas Illmatic |
| Nas STILLmatic |
| Neurosis The Eye of Every Storm |
| New Order Get Ready |
| Nine Inch Nails Ghosts I-IV |
| Nine Inch Nails The Slip |
| Norma Jean Bless The Martyr, And Kiss The Child |
| Outputmessage Nebulae |
| Owl City Ocean Eyes |
| Owl City is still doing his super sugar sweet electronic pop that at times can feel a bit homogeneous. However Ocean Eyes is step up from Maybe I'm Dreaming with it's bigger/deeper sounds, and more use of sonic landscapes. There is also a more cohesive flow so album doesn't completely tire one out on the first listen. Adam Young might be stuck in la-la land with his project but he continues to show hes the real deal with his melodic depth and sonic soundscapes that could evolve to something much more captivating. Don't believe me? Listen to Fireflies and tell me that it didn't make you smile. |
| P.O.D. Testify |
| P.O.S. Never Better |
| Paper Rival Dialog |
| Poison The Well You Come Before You |
| Poison The Well The Tropic Rot |
| Porcupine Tree Deadwing |
| Project 86 Rival Factions |
| Heavy dance groovers and spastic hardcore are the two styles that pretty much define the sound of P86 album Rival Factions. Here we see the band pushing their sound in their farthest evolution and pretty much shed any trace of their old rap metal sound. Andrew has completely dropped his rap/spoken word in favor of high frantic screams and a deep Billy Joel like (I kid not) vocals (check out Illuminate for that). Randy retains playing guitar well and helps create a balance for Steve's unique bass synth tone (which basically takes full run on Caveman Jam). Guest drummer Jason Gerkin (She Wants Revenge) takes Alex Albert's style and pushes it in direction with the other three (check out the spastic fills in "The Forces Of Radio"). Despite the changes, the band still stands firmly rooted in their tough muscular sound and Andrew's poetic lyrics that makes them unique. It all sounds wacky but the band created a catchy sound and a number of songs that are (surprisingly) quite accessible. Old fans might be disappointed from the drastic change but Rival Faction has something more in vein for everybody. This is easily their most accessible, groundbreaking, tightest, and quite possibly best album yet. |
| Project 86 Truthless Heroes |
| Protest the Hero Fortress |
| Protest the Hero Kezia |
| Queens Of The Stone Age Songs For The Deaf |
| Radiohead In Rainbows |
| Radius System Escape/Restart |
| Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine |
| Rage Against the Machine The Battle Of Los Angeles |
| Relient K mmhmm |
| Relient K Two Lefts Dont Make a Right But Three Do |
| Relient K Five Score and Seven Years Ago |
| Relient K Forget and Not Slow Down |
| Rihanna Rated R |
| When Ne-Yo said "expect a more edgy/angrier Rihanna on this one"-he really meant it. This album is dark, bleak, raw, and much more explicit from her previous work. Of course this album is still mainstream hip-hop/pop at it's core but Rihanna continues to expand her musical palate with several tracks experimenting with dark atmospheres and electro-rock. It'll certainly be interesting how this album plays out in upcoming weeks (and honestly you should know why at this point) but one thing for sure-Rated R live ups to whatever hype it had and shows Rihanna in a more mature, bolder,and slightly new controversial skin. |
| Rosetta Wake/Lift |
| Rosetta The Galilean Satellites |
| Saosin Saosin |
| Though might be too glossy/radio friendly for some-Saosin's debut album is an incredible piece of work. All the musicians are front line here with the pulsating rhythm section, the metallic guitar licks, and Cove's soaring vocals which are embellished in some of the most gorgeous harmonies you'll ever hear. It's the kind of thing that when listened to during the right mood the music just soars and takes you into the stratosphere. The only weak points here are the clunky Collapse and the over-dragged balled Your Not Alone. Otherwise-an incredible listening experience which can be sonically explosive at times. |
| Say Anything ...Is A Real Boy (re-release) |
| Shad When This is Over |
| Sigur Ros Hvarf-Heim |
| Sigur Ros Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do |
| Sigur Ros með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust |
| Simon and Garfunkel Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits |
| Sin City Original Soundtrack |
| Slipknot Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) |
| Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream |
| Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness |
| Soundtrack The Dark Knight Official Soundtrack |
| Soundtrack Slumdog Millionaire- Music From The Motion Picture |
| Soundtrack Fiddler on the Roof |
| Soundtrack Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King |
| Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga |
| Stars Of The Lid The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid |
| Stars Of The Lid Per Aspera Ad Astra |
| Story of the Year In The Wake Of Determination |
| It is a bit allover the place, that's for sure. But SOTY massively improve on this album with progressing into a heavier sound. You can hear the hardcore punk/metal influences here but that still combined with its slightly over the top (but strong) vocal harmonies. The band really soars when they kick in high gear with their fast angry songs (Stereo, Meathead, Pay Your Enemy, "Is This My Fate", He asked them.) The album comes of a bit bland for the first few listens but ultimately stands as a strong progression for the band bringing out a more ideal sound for them. |
| Switchfoot Nothing is Sound |
| Taproot Gift |
| Team Teamwork The Ocarina of Rhyme |
| Telefon Tel Aviv Fahrenheit Fair Enough |
| The Bad Plus Give |
| The Bad Plus Prog |
| The Chariot The Fiancee |
| The Fiancee is not an easy listen...at all. Which is why the album clocking in less than 30 minutes is more than enough for you to understand and encompass the raw chaotic passion here. Unlike most hardcore bands that have the vocals drown a bit with the guitars and drums. Josh Scogin takes full control of the band with his vocals and the musical ideas are built directly around his powerful vocals and rather blunt lyrics. There are no breaks and the music just simply pounds you all the way through (till the end of course). Credit also goes to Matt Goldman for letting Josh's vocals sit loud and clear above the music and still maintaining a slightly raw feel. While criticized for being too bland it's up to one to recognize that The Chariot's formula separates them from their peers. And from that, overall The Fiancee succeeds-it's just up to the listener to understand the rather gritty feel of the band and album. |
| The Chariot Everything Is Alive, Everything Is... |
| Apocalypse is here: run to Jesus!: As cliche a theme gets for christian metal, the live rawness of Josh's vocals and the musicians here match up perfectly to the theme of the lyrics. The album ticks under 30 minutes but seriously you'll probably be knocked out after listening to this monster . |
| The Cinematic Orchestra Every Day |
| The Cinematic Orchestra Man with a Movie Camera |
| The Dave Brubeck Quartet Time Out |
| The Flashbulb Soundtrack to a Vacant Life |
| The Future Sound of London Lifeforms |
| The Glorious Unseen The Hope That Lies In You |
| The Glorious Unseen capitalize on their ambient-meets-post-rock here on The Hope That Lies In You-and they come away with a stunning album that is raw, honest, intense, and heavenly in every aspect. Unfortunately the fact that this is Praise & Worship will turn of non-believers. However, if one can get beyond the Christian factor (if it is a problem) the listener will be rewarded with a captivating listen. |
| The Go! Team Proof of Youth |
| The Listening The Listening LP |
| The Lonely Island Incredibad |
| The Roots Phrenology |
| The Roots Rising Down |
| Thrice The Artist In The Ambulance |
| Thrice Red Sky EP |
| Thrice The Illusion of Safety |
| Thrice Live at the House of Blues |
| Thrice Come All You Weary EP (iTunes) |
| Thrice The MySpace Transmissions (Digital EP) |
| Thrice If We Could Only See Us Now |
| Thrice Beggars |
| All the fanboys on this site are and will overhype the crap out of this. (Including myself). But if you haven't listened to it yet, it should at least behoove you to give this album a shot. It is def. worthy of that. |
| Thursday A City By the Light Divided |
| Tool 10,000 Days |
| Tool Lateralus |
| Tool Aenima |
| Trenches The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole |
| Triosk Moment Returns |
| Tycho Past is Prologue |
| U2 U218 Singles + DVD |
| To get to it: if your a *casual* or *radio* U2 fan this could work for you. It basically has all the huge hits, the anthem-stadium numbers that they use to shine and glimmer. Just a simple collection of their singles, all of which are solid classic numbers. |
| Ulrich Schnauss Goodbye |
| Underoath Define the Great Line |
| VersaEmerge VersaEmerge |
| Weezer Green Album |
| Whipping Boy Heart Worm |
| William Basinski The Disintegration Loops IV |
| Yann Tiersen Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs Show Your Bones |
| 3.5 great |
| Acceptance Phantoms |
| Anberlin Cities |
| Anchor & Braille Felt |
| Audioslave Revelations |
| Audioslave Out Of Exile |
| Audioslave Audioslave |
| August Burns Red Messengers |
| This is you're typical above average run of the mill hardcore band. But what brings out their sound is their unique breakdown patterns that they mix up consistently. This is (not to a Meshuggah level per say) but enough to help them stand out from their peers, and enough to say that Messengers is a solid album. |
| Autopilot Off Make A Sound |
| Backstreet Boys Never Gone |
| Blindside About A Burning Fire |
| Blindside The Black Rose EP |
| Blue Man Group The Complex |
| Breaking Benjamin Phobia |
| Brian Eno Thursday Afternoon |
| Children 18:3 Children 18:3 |
| Coheed and Cambria Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV... |
| Cold War Kids Loyalty to Loyalty |
| This album is a slow grower, maybe too much of a slow grower for it's own good. Cold War kids LTL makes Cowards & Robbers seem unbearably tame. The guys experiment a lot more with different instruments/styles in this album. At first the album seems overdone with the stomp grits of instruments and Willett's super strecthed vocals. Though overtime the album digested into something quite enjoyable. The album as a whole isnt as charming as Cowards & Robbers, but it certainly is almost just as enjoyable. |
| Cold War Kids Mulberry Street (EP) |
| Comeback Kid Wake The Dead |
| Copeland In Motion |
| Deas Vail Birds & Cages |
| Drake So Far Gone |
| Dream Theater Octavarium |
| Emery The Weak's End |
| Emery I'm Only A Man |
| Emery While Broken Hearts Prevail |
| Emery The Question Re-Release |
| Emery ...In Shallow Seas We Sail |
| Every Time I Die The Big Dirty |
| Fair The Best Worst-Case Scenario |
| Falling Up Crashings |
| Far-Less Broken Hearts Unite |
| Flyleaf Flyleaf |
| Foo Fighters Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace |
| Foo Fighters In Your Honor |
| Fort Minor The Rising Tied |
| Frou Frou Details |
| Glassjaw El Mark EP |
| Hans Zimmer The Lion King (Soundtrack) |
| Haste the Day When Everything Falls |
| Haste the Day Pressure The Hinges |
| He Is Legend I Am Hollywood |
| Hoobastank The Reason |
| This album takes on a lot of crap for being too simple, too predictable, and too lyrically simple. But do you know which other band was just that? The Beatles....really. Is this band or album good like them? Absolutely not...far from it. But the "simple" formula works very well for the band on this album. Some of the songs sound the samey but their different enough to identify/enjoy. Doug Robb voice sits quite nicely on top of the sound and puts just the right amount of vocal resonance on all the songs. The title track was probably killed by radio, but that doesnt provide an excuse to say the song (and album) is bad. In fact, it's far from it. Hoobastank's The Reason is a smooth ride of 12 simple yet catchy ear grabbing rock-tunes that don't let down. Chances are if you let you're ego down and give the album a shot you'd probably realize it's a lot better than you thought it be. |
| Innerpartysystem The Download EP |
| Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez Avenue Q |
| Josh Groban Josh Groban |
| K. The Responsive Chord |
| Kanye West Graduation |
| KiD CuDi A KiD Named CuDi |
| KiD CuDi Dat Kid From Cleveland |
| Killswitch Engage As Daylight Dies |
| Lacuna Coil Karmacode |
| Life in Your Way Waking Giants |
| Lights Lights EP |
| Lights The Listening |
| All in all: Lights makes a solid electronic-pop in it's simplest form. |
| Linkin Park Meteora |
| Linkin Park Reanimation |
| I always had this one problem with Linkin Park: with how they try to showcase their albums into some fancy "artsy" project. And while their music is actually quite good and even the art work is great the band really suffers/gets looked down on for their "radio/mainstream/safe" sound. However, this remix album showcases an LP album being "artsy" as always but this time actually making the damn thing work.....really well. From the industrial drive of "Pts. Of Authority" to the closing atmospheres and strings on "Krwling." There are a few flaws and mediocre guests spots but ultimately: This shows how amazing LP can be if they just stop keeping their music too slick and radio-friendly. |
| Linkin Park Hybrid Theory |
| Linkin Park Minutes to Midnight |
On Minutes to Midnight: Linkin Park tries to be too many things at once. Ditching their overdone nu-metal sound: The band in return has created 12 rather diverse and (slightly) eccentrically-experimental songs, then balance it in a glossy tight radio-ready friendly package. Reading articles before its release certainly seemed interesting on paper. Though truthfully upon its first listens the album sounds like a complete suckfest of typical 21st century radio blandness. Although when given more listens the album overtime grows into something certainly interesting: for better and worse. The diversity and track progression in the album makes the album feel more (dare I say) unique. To be honest maybe if the band didn't overwork the songs so much (to a bland point) the album could have succeeded even more.
In the end Linkin Park thread a fine line between their new weird diverse artsy/slightly-experimental sound and maintaining a tight radio friendly appeal. It's certainly an odd combo that will be misinterpreted from the underground and mainstream listeners. The songs individually aren't super strong (in fact kinda bland) but if the album is listened as a whole project it succeeds (bizarrely) for the most part. Most won't agree-but kudos for Linkin Park for taking on an interesting diverse album that (in some cases) makes M2M stands on its own ground *seeing jaw drops*.
|
| Lovedrug Pretend You're Alive |
| Lukeing Forward Wandering In Urban Fog |
| M.I.A. Arular |
| Mae (m)orning [EP] |
| Meiko Meiko |
| mewithoutYou I Never Said That I Was Brave |
| Murcof Cosmos |
| Mute Math Spotlight EP |
| N Sync No Strings Attached |
| Neon Horse Neon Horse |
| Norma Jean Redeemer |
| Number One Gun The North Pole Project |
| Outputmessage Oneiros |
| Owl City Maybe I'm Dreaming |
| P.O.D. Fundamental Elements Of Southtown |
| Paramore Riot! |
Riot is an interesting listen. For one, this album helped Paramore break out of the "scene" to mainstream for 2309438209482 teenagers girls to go bananas about. But the breaking point here is Hayley's powerful vocals that dominate throughout the album. Powerful enough to bring out the too average rhythm section and David Bendeth's super duper silly nilly sugar coated overglossy safe production-but rather than this dulling the listen Hayley manages to make this work in her favor with her vocals. It's a safe yet fun record and Riot still soars despite the obvious flaws (and one of my biggest guilty pleasures to get personal). However their slight experimentation (Crush, Broken, Fences) suggest that the band can really create something unique if they push outside the boundaries a bit.
|
| Person L Initial |
| Poison The Well Versions |
| Project 86 ...And The Rest Will Follow |
| Project 86 Songs To Burn Your Bridges By (re-release) |
| Pyramids [USA] Pyramids |
| Radiohead Amnesiac |
| Radiohead Hail To The Thief |
| Rage Against the Machine Evil Empire |
| Red Innocence and Instinct |
| On their second album: Red pull just enough tricks to create a more focused and slightly more experimental album. This isn't precisely game-changing but this time the band give more careful attention to the use of keyboard/orchestra patches & textures. This helps give the band a stronger unique aesthetic that fits in their sound perfectly and never comes of as smothering (Which was a problem in the first album). In addition, the band has created a more muscular and tighter sound that makes the album more enjoyable. The album is odd in the sense that it's not entirely ear-grabbing upon it's first listen due to the cliche guitar attack, but if given careful attention to the extra textures you'll realize this band isn't just some other 21st century alternative metal chugga-chug band. More so, this is a band on the verge of breaking into a sound that's more like their own. |
| Relient K Apathetic EP |
| Rihanna Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded |
| Saosin Translating The Name (Death Do Us Part) |
| Saosin In Search of Solid Ground |
Chances are, if your looking for the Saosin you found on their debut album (like I did) you would find In Search Of Solid Ground rather disappointing. But if you can get past the initial bitterness of the taste there are actually some very solid cuts. How? well for one Saosin didn't precisely water down their sound-rather they wrote in a more straight forward predictable manner (which could be one in the same for some). In essence, ISOSG functions like it states: it experiments into different kinds of alterna-rock and slightly draws farther away from their post-hardcore roots. The songwriting and (especially Cove's vocals and lyrics) have matured. Unfortunately in this process the adrenaline excitement found from their debut album has been cut a bit from the sound as well.
This ultimately feels like a transitional album: that their ready to push away from their roots. Unfortunately, in their attempt to expand their fanbase it has seem to cut low at previous listeners hoping for their old sound. Which is a shame considering that ISOSG isn't as bad as most people make it to be. It is a more straight-forward rock album that really showcases Cove vocals, and when it calls for it-some solid musicianship. |
| Secret And Whisper Great White Whale |
| Considering the vocalist Charles Furney tried out for Saosin when they were looking for a new vocalist. The new band he fronts (featuring the members of Stutterfly) sounds literally like a carbon-copy of Saosin. However, upon listening you'll notice the songs are faster, and even a bit spooky. The band also experiment with ambient sounds. Certain songs hold up stronger than others: but this no doubt will be one of the most unique releases from Tooth & Nail in 2008. |
| Shangrala This Is How We Communicate |
| Showbread No Sir, Nihilsm Is Not Practical |
| Showbread Anorexia Nervosa |
| The music by itself will bore you to tears. What makes the album unique is the story that goes along and how it fits quite well for most of the album. The album shows the band branching out into a darker sound with a heavy influence from NIN. With the package as a whole Showbread seem to hit stride with making a pretty powerful record. |
| Silversun Pickups Swoon |
| Sleep For Sleepers The Clearing |
| Soundtrack Garden State |
| Soundtrack Juno |
| Soundtrack Grease Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
| Stars Set Yourself On Fire |
| Story of the Year The Black Swan |
| To get right to it: The Black Swan is a solid album. In all the glory of the 13 songs there isnt one bad number here. Dan's vocals soar and his screams are gustier than ever, the guitars and rhythm section continue to provide a solid foundation to the sound (and some surprisingly tight classic metal-like solos), and ultimately Philip's soaring harmonies gives Story Of The Year a unique sound with their hard rock-meets overdone (but amazing) vocal harmonies. However, the over-glossy production, predictability, and the amount of recycled riffs create a questionable hit or miss for listeners. |
| Strata Strata Presents The End Of The World |
| Sum 41 Chuck |
| Surrogate Love Is for the Rich |
| Swimming With Dolphins Ambient Blue |
| Switchfoot Oh! Gravity. |
| Switchfoot The Beautiful Letdown |
| T.I. King |
| Taking Back Sunday Louder Now |
| Taking Back Sunday New Again |
| Taproot Welcome |
| Team Sleep Team Sleep |
| The Afters Never Going To Be Okay |
| On their second record: Switchfoot.....oh wait no The Afters create another album of 12 radio-ready cuts of simple catchy pop rock filled with soaring melodies and spiraling harmonies. There is a huge problem with no/lack there of originality-but what makes up for it is simple yet incredibly strong songwriting. Not one song in the batch is bad (or even average for that matter) as all the songs are accessible and strong. You want groundbreaking? Don't look here. But if u like simple catchy pop rock with simple yet strong lyrics check out this album. |
| The Beatles Love |
| The Bird And The Bee The Bird and the Bee |
| The Buzzhorn The Disconnected |
| The Chariot Wars And Rumors Of Wars |
| On Wars And Rumors Of Wars, The Chariot return full swing here with their sound from The Fiancee-except being more jacked up. Despite slight inconsistency (and a few awkward songs) it has its share of some of their most experimental (check out the twangy Abandon) and frenzy chaotic moments dispersed throughout most of the songs. And ultimately Josh Scogin's vocals and blunt lyrics take full charge here cramming as much pain/emotion into the mic as he can. All in all-another good effort from The Chariot that fans will enjoy but they won't win much else. |
| The Famine The Raven and The Reaping |
| The Jonbenet The Plot Thickens |
| The Low Anthem Oh My God, Charlie Darwin |
| The Morning Of The World As We Know It |
| The Ocean Aeolian |
| The Postal Service Give Up |
| The Starting Line Direction |
| The Used In Love and Death |
| You Know The Used was never as emotastic amazing as.....Glassjaw. Likewise they aren't emotastic atrocious as Aiden. The band were threading between both bands on their rather mediocre debut. However, In Love And Death is a darker album that shows the band experimenting a bit more with softer pop songs that are a bit more radio-friendly. There is an added pop element here helps the band bend into a slightly more original sound. The heavy moments do come in here as well but when they do they hit surprisingly quite hard. Bert lyrics are sometimes downright cheesy but his spastic singing and nicotine filled screams are quite gripping (dare I say along the lines of Daryl Palumbo at times). Musically this band is top notch giving full melodic fervor in all the songs-giving Bert the full environment to utilize his vocals. All in all-despite some really cheesy childish lyrics In Love And Death is actually a solid sophomore album that flows cohesively with the mix of soft pop and spastic hardcore songs. Just don't take the songs seriously because I'll have to laugh at you. |
| Thom Yorke The Eraser |
| Three Days Grace One-X |
Mainstream rock-more so the alternative metal/post-grunge in the 21st century has been slammed by countless bands with this cliche/generic/bland writing style that they get heavily criticized for (which in all fairness is something they deserve). 3DG is another band that could be pushed into the category. The riffs, songwriting, and vocals are all very simple/generic/ and in no way groundbreaking. But what (oddly) separates this album from the clump is the lyrical approach. Unlike hiding everything in vague metaphors 3DG approach the songs with an upfront straightforward lyrical approach.
That's not to say it's groundbreaking but they do it much better than most of their contemporaries. Basically put: the simple lyrical approach goes hand in hand with the simple musical approach. Not that the album is incredibly smooth but when they hit the strides this stuff sounds incredibly honest, strong, and catchy. If your hoping for something groundbreaking here-don't bother because you won't find it. However, if you want some nice simple honest catchy alternative metal (because it's music too!). This is certainly an album to check out. |
| TRUSTcompany The Lonely Position of Neutral |
| Yea they are similar to Linkin Park: but probably not as much as you think. The sound seems pretty similar but what separates the band is Kevin Palmer whisper vocal approach (Deftones anyone?) and the songs have more of a pop-punk feel to them. The mix of different influences provides (at times) quite an infectious sound/listen. "Downfall" builds on soft/loud extremes but it keeps the song rather intense. Meanwhile "Hover" has probably one of the most infectious choruses you'll ever hear. The album suffers from some of the songs sounding the same but aside from that TrustCompany have released an all around good solid album. |
| United Nations United Nations |
| VersaEmerge Perceptions |
| Weezer Maladroit |
| Xihilisk EPTwo |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever To Tell |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz! |
| Yellowcard Paper Walls |
| Zero 7 Simple Things |
| 3 good |
| Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto Vrioon |
| Anberlin New Surrender |
| August Burns Red Thrill Seeker |
| Beyonce I Am... Sasha Fierce |
| Bond Born |
| Bond Remixed |
| Breaking Benjamin We Are Not Alone |
| Coldplay X&Y |
| Dead By Sunrise Out of Ashes |
| Dead Poetic New Medicines |
| Deftones Deftones |
| DragonForce Inhuman Rampage |
| Dustin Kensrue This Good Night Is Still Everywhere |
| Eluvium Copia |
| Falling Up Dawn Escapes |
| Family Force 5 Business Up Front, Party In The Back |
| It's stupid, cheesy, overindulgent, and quite ridiculous. But in the end it's worth it if your in the mood for some stupid cheesy overindulgent ridiculous retard fun. Because seriously people you can totally tell how serious they are with this stuff. I mean real serious |
| Frozen Silence Frozen Silence |
| Fuel Something Like Human |
| Fuel Natural Selection |
| Haste the Day Dreamer |
| He Is Legend 91025 |
| Hoobastank Every Man For Himself |
| KiD CuDi Man On The Moon: The End Of Day |
| Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage [II] |
| Lacuna Coil Shallow Life |
| Lil Wayne Tha Carter III |
| Lostprophets Liberation Transmission |
| Lovedrug Everything Starts Where It Ends |
| Mae Destination: Beautiful |
| Mae (a)fternoon [EP] |
| So Mae continue to expand on their newfound experimental tendencies from the (m)orning EP into the (a)fternoon EP. The initial listening might come of as a shock cause this is probably one of their most drastic (although subtle) changes on their sound. The aesthetics and cinematic sound that they usually surround themselves with is stripped down here for a much more intimate sound. Overall, this is a much more mature and laid back Mae-so while it isn't as grand as The Everglow or even Singularity-it's certainly fun to see them try new things cause in the end they still manage to release a solid collection of experimental pop rock songs. Unfortunately what really nearly kills this is the filler opening and closing tracks that really stumble awkwardly in and out of the album |
| My Epic I Am Undone |
| Paramore Brand New Eyes |
| PlayRadioPlay! The Frequency EP |
| PlayRadioPlay! Texas |
| Project 86 The Kane Mutiny EP |
| Project 86 Drawing Black Lines |
| Red End Of Silence |
| Search The City A Fire So Big The Heavens Can See It |
| Sever Your Ties Safety in the Sea |
| Showbread Age of Reptiles |
| Sigur Ros Von |
| Skillet Comatose |
| Sky Eats Airplane Sky Eats Airplane |
| Smashing Pumpkins Zeitgeist |
| Smashing Pumpkins Machina: The Machines of God |
| Story of the Year Page Avenue |
| Nothing groundbreaking here that for sure: but this album rocks fast, with an infectious pop punk sound and a strive for solid melodies/harmonies. Though the main problem here is that they sound way too clean with the record: those guitars need to be turned louder. Though props to Dan Marsala for solid vocals and Josh Willis for some neat tricks on his drum fills. Eventually SOTY would progress into more of their ideal sound in the upcoming records. And despite the lack of originality and lack of "heaviness" this remains to be a fun listen on occasion. |
| Straylight Run Straylight Run |
| Street Sweeper Social Club Street Sweeper Social Club |
| Taproot Blue-Sky Research |
| Teddy Geiger Underage Thinking |
| Telefon Tel Aviv Immolate Yourself |
| The Almost Southern Weather |
| A good fun summer record for those who can't enough of Aaron Gillespie and his oh so hot orange hair that he never washes. |
| The Becoming Vol. 1 |
| The Chariot Unsung |
| The Classic Crime Albatross |
| The Classic Crime The Silver Cord |
| The Cool Kids The Bake Sale |
| The Glorious Unseen Tonight the Stars Speak |
| Praise & Worship has a major problem with sounding stale musically and more cliche than every other generic death metal band. Though the purpose of P & W is for the use of spiritual growth-hence most listeners aren't in for a unique musical experience . And although The Glorious Unseen are unbearably cliche and predictable with the music-the nice atmosphere given to the music provides something a bit more creative than their peers. This actually fits quite well with the lyrical approach of things. This isn't game changing but it's a bit refreshing for such a musically stale genre. There are a few of the bland numbers but if the band utilizes their atmosphere ("Meet Us Here", "Hear Our Prayers", and the slow yet intense "Close to Your Heart" ) and experiment a bit they could progress Praise & Worship into something more musically creative. |
| The Out Circuit Burn Your Scripts Boys |
| The Receiving End of Sirens The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi |
| Twelve Gauge Valentine Shock Value |
| Take Every Time I Die southern metal guitar riffs, make the sound a bit darker (guitars detuned Db like Norma Jean) and mix both vocalists and somewhere in between you get Twelve Gauge Valentine. It's makes an interesting mix but the album has a huge problem with a lack of variety/all the songs sounding really similar. Despite this the band has a really infectious sound with a pummeling bass which can be quite the ear-candy. Its an enjoyable album but it gets old really fast. Despite flaws it's still decent and makes for a good listen on occasion. Recommended Tracks: Casket Junkie, Dive-Bomb, 99 With An Anchor, Search Of The Alleycat Dwellers |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs Yeah Yeah Yeahs |
| 2.5 average |
| 12 Stones 12 Stones |
| A Day To Remember Homesick |
| Angels and Airwaves I-Empire |
| It has it's many obvious flaws, no doubt. But the album is a lot more focused than epic fail of WDNTW and it even has (in some sense surprisingly) decent songs. The album still suffers from ripping of much from the 80's/Edge from U2 guitar riffs. Though in and b/w there are some decent songs. (Breathe, Sirens, Secret Crowds) are examples of AVA controlling their cliche sound textures in some decency. And although Tom might never reach the peak he had with Blink, if the band progresses they might be able to pull out a bit and make a decent record even if the 80's sound/Edge guitar effect is overused/abused. Till then, AVA will remain the laughing stock or "greatest band ever" to many people. For all the reasons we hate (and love) Tom Delonge. |
| Austrian Death Machine Total Brutal |
| Chevelle This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) |
| 10th grade: The year of exploring the overdone genre of Alternative Metal. I was madly in love with this album because of my fanboyness or whatever. The formula here is simple: crunching guitar power chords with thick bass lines and at times clever drums rhythms over some strong melody lines and abstract yet creative lyrics. The songs here are rather strong and give way too a unique strong guitar attack that Chevelle has manage to built it's name upon. However the album has a major issue with dragging way too much on songs. This unfortunately kills the momentum of the album and makes this majority of the songs set in mediocre. They get things flowing well in the first three songs (The Clincher, Get Some, Vitamin R) it goes down from there however. The album does show the potential with those roaring guitars, and is something that is better focused on Vena Sera. It isn't that terrible but this is certainly a "fans" only or a "IloveeverythingthatisgenericAlternativeMetal" fan (admit to guilt). Otherwise, skip this one and check out Wonder What's Next or Vena Sera to see Chevelle at their best. |
| Chevelle Point #1 |
| Chevelle Sci-Fi Crimes |
| Sci-Fi Crimes is.....weird. In one sense, Chevelle tackles on a more raw sound (reminiscent of Point #1), and in another sense it tackles down on the grooves found on Vena Sera. But in the end, Sci-Fi Crimes is nothing more than another Chevelle record. Not to say the album is bad but the band gets stuck in some really bland moments that drag out on their already outdated sound. However, on a more positive note there are moments of rather weird but interesting brilliance connected between the trio, scattered throughout the tracks. And ultimately Pete Loeffler comes into his own vocally-giving his best performance yet with his incredible emotive vocals that carry out incredibly well. In the end (if your not a fanboy), Sci-Fi Crimes will appeal to you if you are particularly a fan of Pete's vocals and cryptic yet unique lyrics. Otherwise, you'll have to scope through the tracks and pick and choose the tracks you like. So that is Sci-Fi Crimes: some interesting, some bland, Pete's incredible vocals, another Chevelle record. Hopefully something more solid next time (which they are still capable of). |
| Dark New Day Twelve Year Silence |
| This supergroup consist of members from various nu-metal/hard rock bands. The band knows how to write great hooks and catchy choruses, and the musically this band put on a tight performance giving flowing dynamics to each part perfectly. Unfortunately the incredibly lack of diversity takes a major toll on the album. They get things flowing well with the neat chunky breakdown chorus riff in "Taking Me Alive" and the soaring chorus of "Brother" but then goes to an absolute drag for the rest of the album. "That's Enough" mixes things will enough with the neat vocal harmonies and spiraling guitar lead that goes around. But aside from the opening tracks, "That's Enough" and the closing track. The band unfortunately suffers from the lack of variety on their debut album. However, there is a potential for decency if they manage to put a bit more diversity in their sound. |
| Falling Up Fangs |
| In terms of a concept-Falling Up surely created something interesting-lyrically speaking. Unfortunately, musically the album is stuck in space-it just floats and doesn't precisely build up to anything-their are a whole bunch of incredible ideas here but are not executed to their potential. |
| Hoobastank Hoobastank |
| Ivoryline There Came A Lion |
| Kutless Sea of Faces |
| Linkin Park Hybrid Theory EP |
| Metallica St. Anger |
| Norma Jean The Anti Mother |
| Of Machines As If Everything Was Held In Place |
| P.O.D. Payable on Death |
| Panic! At the Disco A Fever You Can't Sweat Out |
| Project 86 Picket Fence Cartel |
| Saosin Saosin EP/Warped Tour EP |
| Saosin The Grey EP |
| Smashing Pumpkins Machina II - Friends and Enemies of Modern Music |
| Staind 14 Shades Of Grey |
| Strata Strata |
| The Afters I Wish We All Could Win |
| A decent debut from the Texas quartet that unfortunately rips of a bit too much from their current peers (Ahem Switchfoot). The songs aren't bad but a lack of originality and inconsistent flow makes the album feel barely average. Fortunately the band refocuses their sound in future albums. Only reason one would get this is if they were some diehard Christian music lover-monkey head who only likes that inspiration uplifting predictability they never get sick of. |
| The Used The Used |
| The Used Lies for the Liars |
| Trapt Someone In Control |
| TRUSTcompany True Parallels |
| Underoath They're Only Chasing Safety |
