BOTM – Page 4

Band of the Month – September 2005

Boom. Check this, kids. This month’s band is another one of those foreign ones. Also, they’re another one of those bands that nobody’s heard of, and I only came across because they were featured in a video game. And to top it all off, they play a style of music I ~~almost~~ never talk about, but absolutey love to listen to. Today, we pay tribute to the Asianest surf gutar band this side of anywhere: the Surf Coasters.

Yeah, they’re this Japanese surf band that absolutely rocks. Well, that’s maybe saying a bit much. You see, I’ve only really heard about a total of seven or so songs from them, but trust em on this one, they’re good. I originally heard of ’em when I found out they were headlingin the soundtrack to Musashi: Samurai Legend. Turns out they were just doing the main theme, but any publicity is good publicity, right? After I sampled the sweet tune known as “Samurai Struck”, I myself was quite struck and immediately went on a search for more. Sadly, music by the Surf Coasters is harder to come by on the internet than a website without ads. It’s out there somewhere, but you’re going to spend a lot of time and effort looking for it.

So here’s something new to learn about me: I love surf music. Not a big fan of the sport so much, but nothing can even compare to the wail of a surf guitar. And you all know what I’m talking about, whether you think you do or not. The Surf Coasters (just like any other surf band worth it’s salt) has covered “Misirlou”, and you know “Misirlou”. Think Pulp Fiction. If nothing else, it’s the easiest SC song to find, so go check that out. You’ll recognize it immediately. The only surf song more well known is Wipeout, but that’s like the definition of surf music. Anyhow, Surf Coasters rock.

The “Misirlou” is great, but at least some of their other stuff shines too, like “Shark Attack” and “Kuroshiro”, or even the mellowed-out “Adventures in Paradise”. I really haven’t heard many songs other than the ones I mentioned, and I’m not about to make a complete list, but it’s all been good. I’d say more, but I’m not sure what to say, and I’m pretty much satisfied with giving a more obscure band a turn in the spotlight. So yeah, go download some tunes by the Surf Coasters, if for no other reason than to help me in my search for more. I’d import, but it’s damned expensive.

Also, good news for me! Planet Megaman is finally back after being down for like the whole summer. (EDIT – Or not so much…) You probably don’t give much of a damn, but it was an important part of my “daily rounds”. And on a completely different note, I go back to school in three and a half hours. After 14 months of not-learning, my brain has gotten used to being used as little as possible, so we’ll see how this goes.

Band of the Month – August 2005

I’m not feeling up to the task of writing much today, but I have some unfulfilled promises to keep, so I’m gonna keep this short. Also, I downloaded every episode of “Invader Zim” last night, so I have to write up an article quick so I can get to watching ’em.

Yay! Journey! Everyone loves Journey. Or, um, that’s what Family Guy has lead me to believe. If nothing else, everyone at least knows “Any Way You Want It”. Anyway, long-time fan, of course. Just hadn’t ever really gotten into them until as of recently. And when I say “into”, I of course mean “obsessed with”. Some months ago, I downloaded their Greatest Hits album (even though my dad owns it), and play it pretty much every time I’m on my PC and listening to music. And last month I, er, obtained their first six albums, plus a sweet 3-disc box set, and bought their Greatest Hits Live CD. I know from experience that live CDs kick complete and total ass, assuming the band is a rock group from decades past.

So after listening to so much Journey, you’d think I have a ton to say. Well, not really. I don’t want to go the usual route of naming every album and then noting the good songs from each. That way blows. So anyhow, the Greatest Hits Live CD is easily the best Journey album available. Of course, the Time 3 box set has an incredible wealth of music, consisting of both released music, unreleased tracks and even some live stuff. Good luck finding that one anywhere but online though. My second recommendation is pictured above, The Essential Journey. Obviously enough, it’s got all the best music (though I’d have to interject and say that a lot of their less known material is excellent too), but as I’ve seen it, it’s got a pretty hefty pricetag of $33. It’s acceptable for a two-discer, but I just can’t really bear to pay that much for a CD. Even Amazon.ca has got it up for a harsh $28, which likely goes back up to 30+ after S&H.

I guess that while it’s expensive, it’s worth the money. After all, Journey rules. Some highly recommended songs include “Ask the Lonely”, “Be Good to Yourself”, “Separate Ways(Worlds Apart)”, “Line of Fire” and lastly “Faithfully” for those of you who like the slow songs. Um. Go listen to Journey. Anything but “Any Way you Want It”, because you already know that song. Updates will come in a day or two.

BOTM – July 2005 (and then some)

OK, This month is gonna be a bit off as far as Band of the Month goes. No big long review this time, just a short summary, because I have a lot of other stuff to go over and I’ll be gone until the 11th. So let’s get it on.

This month’s band is none other than German metal band Rammstein. One of my buddies turned me onto these guys some years ago, back in the day when “Du Hast” was still relatively unknown to the general public. Perhaps because I listened to them while playing Unreal Tournament endlessly (Funk Master R. Valentine loves the UT), I was hooked on them. To this day, I still love Rammstein, and I’ve wanted to use them as a BotM for what seems like forever. Just never remembered when it came time to commit to a band each month. Conevenient. For a while I was just listening to a whole bunch of new(er) bands, somewhat leaving behind some of my old favourites. Rammstein was one of them. It wasn’t too long ago that they released their newest album, Reise Reise, which brought me back to the day when I listened to Rammstein all the time. If this story is slightly confusing and irrelevant, I apologize, I’m just typing whatever pops into the old noggin, not bothering to think it out. Anyway, too much anecdote, not enough review.

The first album, Herzeleid, is good but isn’t exactly what I’d consider to be the best of Rammstein. Yes, it’s got some greats like “Asche Zu Asche” and “Heirate Mich” which I love, but a lot of it is just so – for lack of a better word – underdeveloped compared to the Rammstein I was first introduced to, that I can’t fully appreciate it. The second release, titled Sehnsucht, was the second that I owned, but probably my favourite. It’s got a lot of the songs that I was listening to when I first got into Rammstein, like “Sehnsucht”, “Engel” and the ever-popular “Du Hast”. Plus it features an awesome hidden track, “Stripped”, which is a bit slower than usual Rammstein fare, but I find to be one of their greatest songs.

While Sehnsucht is my personal favourite of the four Rammstein albums, Mutter comes in a very, very close second place. “Mein Herz Brennt”, “Links 2 3 4”, “Sonne”, “Ich Will”… Those are just the first four songs, and I might as well type in the whole track list if I were going to type out the best songs on the album. Lastly is Reise Reise. It’s about a half-and-half deal. Not that half is bad, per se, but just not quite up to par with what I’d expected. The singles “Mein Teil” and “Amerika”, coupled with greats like “Reise Reise” and “Amour” make the CD worth buying, but some others like “Dalai Lama” and “Los” seem more like filler than actual kickass metal. Oh well. They’re all excellent albums, and I own all four. I’ll probably buy the next one that comes out too. No, I’ll definitely buy the next one. Just like I buy every HIM CD that’s released. If you’ve never heard of Rammstein (they were popular for a while back there, I imagine you’ve heard “Du Hast” at the very least), I recommend looking into them, as always.

OK, now that that’s out of the way, news time. I wanted to get the article I mentioned last post (henceforth referred to as the “super-article”) done before I left, but no such luck. I suppose I have 5 or so hours before I have to get ready for work, but I should go to… (trails off). Yes, so the super-article will have to wait until later this month. I project between the 13th and 15th.

In the meantime, I should also mention that today will be my last day working at Tim Horton’s. Boom. Dropped the shocker bomb there. Exactly why I quit is unimportant and will not be discussed, but apparently my girls are going to miss me. I may go back in September (as they keep requesting of me), but I may also have a new job and not need to go back. Clouded by the dark side, the future is. God knows I’ll visit every once in a while to keep tabs on the place and to appease the ladies, but I’m not going to lie, I’m glad to have gotten out of there. Not that it was a bad job, but I’d certainly had enough. And at the very least, I’m getting this whole “I don’t want to do this anymore” thing out of my system while I’m still young and can afford to be indecisive about my employment. Call me stupid if you must, but it’s all good for me. I learned a lot while I was there, and I grew a lot too. Spending nine months almost exclusively in the company of females is not something I ever expected to go through, but it was a good experience (for the eyes, if nothing else). Strangely, I think I might actually miss some of them. Oh well, we both knew it wasn’t going to last forever, one way or the other. But enough of this crap. You know I’m up too late when I start to write about less superficial subjects.

Anyway, here are some things you might see upon my return:

Thoughts on the new Span CD Vs. Time
Review of Meteos (DS)
Review of a Corn Pops box
Comparative review of MegaMan Battle Network 4 and 5
The Super-article (dun dun dun)
Ryan’s Sweet Cottage Adventure (see the Quest for the Cube FAQ for details)

The list is pretty much to help me remember what I wanted to do (and an excuse to make a list), but feel free to get hyped about anything there, particularly the last item. Considering reader praise that resulted from the source material, I’d say it’ll be a pretty hot ticket. Anyway, I really need to end this post. It’s gonna be a long day for me. Oh yes, and happy Canada Day. We rock, eh.

Band of the Month – June 2005

Gunter glieben glauchen globen. I was gonna use Matthew Good as June’s BotM, but then I picked up Def Leppard’s Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection, and just wow. I’ve been listening to Leppard for (mind the quasi-pun) ages now, and they’re even one of the three bands lucky enough to grace my sidebar as a link. Of all things, I didn’t expect to be surprised by this album. It goes without saying that the CD (dual-CD set, actually) is one of those “greatest hits” dealies, and boy, does it ever deliver. But I’ll get to that later.

I’m all about the classics of rock ‘n’ roll – you know, AC/DC, Poison, Queen, Loverboy, Tesla, the list goes on – and Def Leppard falls squarely into that category, so obviously, they get some sort of recognition when I’m asked to recite what bands I like. They’ve been rocking out since 1980, and are still going pretty strong today, having released their last original album in 2002, and two “best of” compilations (though they’re essentially the same) within the last two years. They’re even still going all out with their live shows, having been in Winnipeg sometime in late 2003(maybe early 2004), and returning this August. I missed the last show, but I’m pretty pumped about it this time, so I’m expecting to be there. Especially if they’re busting out some of the tracks from Rock of Ages‘ second disc. I’ll explain why in a minute.

Having released nine original albums and three greatest hits compilations, Def Leppard’s got a pretty prolific career under their belt. I only own three of this rocker’s dozen, those being their first release On Through The Night, the first hits CD Vault, and if you hadn’t guessed, Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection. Sadly, Vault is the same as Rock of Ages‘ first disc, even lacking a couple tracks, so it’s ended up being more of a collector’s item since I no longer have practical use for it.

So enough with the looking at each CD and picking out the good song bit. Today, I’m just gonna be talking about, you guessed it, Rock of Ages. It’s got pretty much every thing you need to get a good taste of Def Leppard, featuring 25 face-melting tracks over two discs. You’ve got your classics, your lesser-knowns, and even a couple oddballs. The first disc is the one most people would be able to pick out as Def Leppard, being the host to all their really big hits like “Photograph”, “Animal”, When Love & Hate Collide”, and “Rock of Ages”. It’s also picked up a couple of tracks that weren’t featured on Vault; “Heaven Is” and “Switch 625”, both songs I’d never heard before. I’d have to say that my favourite songs from this disc are long standing favourites “Rocket” and “Let’s Get Rocked”. The former because it’s hardcore and makes reference to other great bands such as the Beatles, Queen, and David Bowie. The latter, because it’s just a great song.

Now the first disc was pretty standard stuff, but the second blew me out fo the water. A lot of songs here I’d never heard of, some I had, but never thought they were that big. But they’re all awesome. A couple, like “Women” and “Rock Rock (Till You Drop)” I saw coming, because I’d heard of them before, (and to be honest, I only knew popular Leppard songs for a long time), and there are a couple from On Through The Night, “High ‘N’ Dry (Saturday Night)” and my favourite Def Leppard song ever, “Rock Brigade”. There are also some more poppy songs like “Promises” and “No Matter What”, which are pretty good, but couldn’t possibly hope to match up to power ballads “Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)” and “Now”. The one song that really stands out from the rest however is one that they named an album after, the kickass rap-rock-pop-maracas hybrid “Slang”. I could not explain exactly how this song manages to cross so many genres and still sound so good.

Not to say that buying the other albums would be a waste, but if you want to experience a little bit of everything Def Leppard’s offered until now, Rock of Ages is the way to go. I would also suggest Hysteria and X if you’re in the market. Or just download a couple of the songs I mentioned in the preceding paragraph. That’s why I like Def Leppard so much. That and their dummer, Rick Allen, is my hero. Somehow, he’s managed to be a fully competent drummer for this huge band, and he’s only got one arm. How you could not look up to a guy like that is way beyond me.

Band of the Month – May 2005

April was a pretty slow month as far as blog posts go, but it did see the glorious returns of both Dick Turtle and the mini-reviews. Now it’s forever saved onto its own page in the archives. Hoo-ray.

In other news, I’ve just recently caught wind of this really kickass band. They go by the monicker of Span and are a rather excellent portralyal of what rock ‘n’ roll is all about. Unfortunatley, they’ve currently only got one major release (which is very rare to find), so this is gonna be one of those Jimmy Eat World one-CD reviews.

So firstly, who the Hell is Span? There’s a 97% chance you’ve never heard of them. If you have, you’re either really lucky, or have finished the video game Obscure, which totes their music quite prominently. That would be where I first heard of ’em. Anyhow, while their look may at first suggest a punk band, calling these guys punk would be an insult. They sound far too professional for that title. While they have an obvious nu-rock influence, Span is your model modern rock ‘n’ roll band. Combining fast, catchy anthems with hard rock and slower ballads, Span runs the full rock gamut, semblant of old-school rock legends like Motley Crue, Poison, and Firehouse.

So onto the review thing. The CD, as you should be able to see above, is titled Mass Distraction. While it features a scant 11 tracks (I’ll admit, I’m spoiled by compilations and greatest hits albums that have between 15 and 20 songs apiece), it’s a joy to listen through from start to finish. The first song, “Found” is a pretty standard song, and does well as an opening track. Anywhere else on the CD, it might seem a bit weaker. Now number two, “Don’t Think The Way They Do” is my new favourite song ever. It’s fast, catchy, and just really cool. It’s the only song I know of on the CD to have a single, so I guess it’s their hit song. Seriously, if you’re checking out Span, this is a good song to start with. Very addictive. “Peaceful” slows it down a bit, with its first part being rather slow, and then getting up to a harder tone near the halfway point. “Papa” takes it from there, and really gets things rolling with some fantastic teamwork between the guiars and drums.

“Stay As You Are” isn’t quite as hardcore as the previous track, but keeps up the rock ‘n’ roll attitude, and makes for a second really catchy song. “Missing in Stereo” sounds almost like Span took a page from Matthew Good, as it’s quite slow and moody. I’m a pretty big Matt Good fan, so I like it a lot. “On My Way Down” brings back the rock but manages to keep the moodiness of the last song, and sounds great doing it. Next up, “Buckle Under Pressure” really reminds me a little of the good old classic rock of the 80’s. It combines some really heavy guitar work with lighter verses and a sweet chorus to make a pretty unique sound.

And then comes the only song that could possibly rival “Don’t Think The Way They Do” for best song on the CD. “Baby’s Come Back” is insane. It’s fast, catchy, kinda funny, and has a simply magnificent guitar solo that is surpassed only by that of “Stairway to Heaven”. All this backed by some sweet vocal work and a great drum beat, and you’ve got a killer song. “Wildflower” is really surprising, in that it’s more of a poppy song, rather than rock. But it maintains respectability by being really good. As it is with a lot of CDs, the last track Mass Distraction is a slower one, “When She Stares”. It’s slow, but it’s got a very powerful chorus, and is twice the length of most of the other songs on the album. It’s an excellent song, and a great choice to end with.

Be it resolved that Mass Distraction is the best CD I’ve heard in a long time, and I’ve got a lot of really awesome CDs. Props out to Span and their great, though far too unknown effort. Also, I should mention a couple of their other songs I’ve heard, particularly “Cut Like Diamonds” and “Always Ends”, are just as great as anything on their debut album. Word on the street is that they’re going to be releasing number two in the near future, so here’s hoping that maybe I’ll be able to find that one in stores. Or at least download it like I did with the first. Yeah, I’m pretty damn obsessed with these guys right now, and my AudioScrobbler account holds undeniable proof of that. Check ’em out for sure.

Band of the Month – April 2005

I would’ve posted this BotM a little sooner, but I just couldn’t decide who I’d give the spotlight to this month. There are a lot of bands nominated for the spot, but truth be told, I hate reviewing bands when I don’t know much of their material (ex: Jimmy Eat World, Boston), and that’s a problem a good two thirds of the eligible bands had going for them. It was a conundrum for the ages. Then it hit me. Tesla.

I’ve been listening to Tesla for, well I dunno exactly how long, but I can assume it’s been at least two years. It all started with what is still my favourite Tesla song: “Love Song”. I can’t remember for the life of me where I heard it, but when I did, I immediately looked into the band, and was delighted, as Tesla is a perfect representation of why I love rock ‘n’ roll. There are very few bands that I like enough to make it my life’s mission to search out every album, and Tesla is one of them. The other ones being Queen, Rammstein, Firehouse and HIM. The only problem is that all the old Tesla CDs are extinct around my area, so I’m going as far as the internet to find theses babies. But enough about that, how’s the music?

I’ve not heard their first album, Mechanical Resonance, but I do know a couple songs from it, including “Cumin’ Atcha Live”, “Rock Me To The Top” and “Modern Day Cowboy” – all which rock very hard. I hear the rest of the ablum is quite solid as well, and I’m more than willing to assume these rumours are true.

The second album is easily their most known and loved (at least that’s what I hear), and with good reason. The Great Radio Controversy is one of the greatest CDs I’ve ever heard, and it has the rock to back up the rep. Every song on this CD is awesome. “Hang Tough”, “Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out)”, “The Way It Is” and “Party’s Over” may stand a little above teh rest, but they’re all great listening. Oh, and let’s not forget “Love Song”. If you know one Tesla song, it’s probably “Love Song”.

I’ve not listened to Five Man Acoustical Jam, but according to word of mouth, it was a pretty huge thing, starting up a gigantic trend of “unplugged” music. Live rock ‘n’ roll performances are always great. There is no better live show than a good rock ‘n’ roll show.

I like Psychotic Supper. It’s a solid effort, but doesn’t please on every front. I mean, “Edison’s Medicine” and “Don’t De=Rock Me” are stellar songs, and the rest is pretty good too, but it just doesn’t quite match up to the two other CDs I know (The Great Radio Controversy and Into The Now). Not to say it isn’t excellent. That’s not the case at all. It just seems to be a little less… focused. I’m not sure how to describe it, but I’m sure if you listened to it, you’d understand.

Next up is Bust A Nut. I can’t say I’ve heard any songs from it, but with a title like that, it’s got to be good. Then came Time’s Makin’ Changes which is their “best of” album. So obviously that kicks some ass. And then there’s Replugged Live which is the live hits album. Once again, Tesla + live + best songs = melted faces. It’s elementary.

Finally, we come to the most recent album, released just last year, Into The Now. Some serious rock shit goin’ down here. Oh boy does this CD rock. Title track “Into The Now” sets the stage for another excellent offering from Tesla. And then there are even better songs like “Heaven Nine Eleven”, “Got No Glory”, and “Recognize”. Ending with a great new slow song “Only You”, this shows that even though it’s been ten years since Tesla recorded an album, they’ve still got it, plus some new tricks. It’s the only Tesla CD currenty available on my immediate market, so it’s the only one I legitimately own, and it’s currently the pride of my collection. I’ve bought at least 4 other CDs between now and when I got “Into The Now”, and it still manages to find its way back into my player.

Final word: if you like rock at all, you’d do well to score yourself some Tesla. If nothing else, just download “Love Song”, I can’t imagine how anybody could not like that song. Or you could hit the link on the sidebar and download some clips from the official site. Either way, highly recommended. Boy, that review was awfully redundant. I guess they’ve grown to kinda be that way though, so deal with it. I’m gonna stick to this BotM thing for at least a year. If I find it gets to be too the same every month, I’ll probably just cut out the review part.

Band of the Month – March 2005

2000 hits!!! Booya! I retain my title of Webmaster Grand Champion!

Okay, enough of that. I was gonna make a banner for the occasion, but I have a tendency to not get things done (you should be familiar with this particular trait by now), and well, it never got done and it’s too late now. On the other hand, it looks like you’re gonna be getting your article sooner rather than later. I gave it my best shot, but lonely is the fate of the man who burns for a girl who works almost literally all the time. Oh well, there’s always next week. For now, it’s time I get my Band of the Month on.

It’s probably not a great idea for me to choose Boston as this month’s BotM, as I really don’t know much of their stuff, save for the greatest hits. So while this one could be very short, just remember that the other BotMs that I thought would be short didn’t turn out too bad. Anyhow, I’ve bought not a single Boston album, but I do quite like the band. Obviously enough. I think it started way back when my dad got the greatest hits CD. A lot of the time, I hear a band, think nothing of them, and then come back some time later to really get into them. Boston is a perfect example of this. Though I may be thinking of the Eagles. Either way, that’s how I’m gonna say it went down.

I have to say, I think the first song that really drew me to the band is one of their slower hits, “Amanda”. I can only faintly remember the time when I started listening to them, but I do recall that I’ve always liked that song. That one and “Foreplay/Long Time”. So of course, since I liked the songs I checked out some more, and hooray! I like Boston. Some other choice songs would include “Rock & Roll Band”, “Cool the Engines”, and “Smokin'”. Yeah, Boston is a pretty solid example of what rock n’ roll should be like, with some brilliant guitar work and just an overall great sound. The aforementioned and aptly titled “Rock & Roll Band” is a great example, for those who need one. “Higher Power” is another really good one, as it really puts the guitars in the spotlight, right where they belong, being so awesome and all. Though in essence, it is more reminiscent of metal than rock n’ roll.

After a little research, I’ve discovered that Boston has released six albums, including the greatest hits compilation. First up and apparently most popular among fans was their self-titled debut. While it is only eight songs long (shameful, but the trend continues throughout), they’re all pretty awesome, and this is probably the one I would pick up were I to get any. Next is Don’t Look Back, which I’ve been told is another popular one, but I’ll admit I only know the title track. The third release, Third Stage, seems to have been a bit of a mixed bag. I would say it’s okay, but I only know three songs from it, so my opinion is invalid at best. It’s got “Amanda” and “Cool the Engines”, two songs that I love, and “Can’tcha Say (You Believe in Me)”, which is a sweet ballad, but gains power at several points, particularly when the chorus comes around.

The other two albums, Walk On and Corporate America are what some might call very “un-Boston”. I know not a single song from either disc, so I really can’t tell you what’s going on, but people are really giving these ones a beating in the reviews. In either case, the last one (though released before Corporate America) is their greatest hits disc. It seems fine to me, but the fans say that a few songs don’t belong, and could have been replaced by some that really should have made the cut (“Can’tcha Say”, for one, is commonly mentioned when listing songs that should’ve been there). The odd thing that I’ve discovered, is that there were huge gaps in between each album. Hell, it was apparently eight years between Don’t Look Back and Third Stage. I guess they’re kinda like the Nintendo of music.

So in closing, I like the classic Boston. I don’t know any of their more recent stuff, but if the reviews on Amazon.com are anything to go by, I’m not missing out on a whole lot. For what I know, I give the band a high recommendation. If you like rock n’ roll, chances are you’ll get into Boston pretty quick (if you haven’t already). As usual, the songs I mentioned are the ones I think you should listen to first, but keep in mind that I didn’t mention a lot of good ones too, so if you’re gonna be looking into them, just take what you can get and run with it. Chances of disappointment are very low.

Band of the Month – February 2005

Before I get down to business, there are a few other things to report. Namely, the newest Steve article is up. If you don’t know where to find it by now, you’re a lost cause. Next up, working 6 to 2 is great, but causes much sleepiness. Third, Zoidberg rules! And lastly, I can’t actually play the game, but the intro video of Silent Hill 4 inspires a true fear deep in my heart. It’s freaky as hell, and I just wish the nerds at GameFAQs would tell me how to make my computer do pixel shading. I’d ask somewhere else, but then I’d have to sign up, and it’s just not worth the hassle.

But back to what’s truly important, my Band of the Month feature! this month, it’s Jimmy Eat World! You might have heard of their big singles “Sweetness” and “The Middle”. They was pretty everywhere at the time. And those are the ones that really put them on the map, as far as I can tell. I’d never heard of ’em before, and that’s as far as I care to investigate. Apparently, they had like three CDs out before those. It may have been two. I’m not doing any more reasearch than doing a search on Amazon.com. In any case, those songs are pretty much their claim to fame, even though they’re not exactly their best songs.

So this month is gonna be different. I really haven’t listened to much of their stuff, but I have obtained their newest disc, Futures, and I’m pretty much going to be doing the entire review on that CD alone. It’s not like it’s all they have, but I haven’t listened to a single song off any other album (aside from “Sweetness” and “the Middle”), so I’d be making even more grand assumptions than usual. And even I have my limits when it comes to making stuff up.

So this Futures, it must kick quite a bit of ass if I’m going to be basing a whole BotM on it alone. Well, it certainly does. I bought it pretty much blindly, having no idea whether I would like it or not (I never liked “Sweetness” quite as much as everyone else. “The Middle” is pretty good). But it was an excellent buy in the end. Jimmy Eat World is easily one of the best bands of today. Their sound constantly shifts between hard and soft, but is always very powerful. While I generally don’t care too much for emotion in music, it just pours out of these guys. The strong music and vocals work perfectly together (as you might expect) and create some very enjoyable tunes.

The title track, “Futures”, is an excellent starting point, and the following songs “Just Tonight” and “Work” are almost as good. “Kill” is great, as it’s an almost prefect blend of hard and slow rock. “The World You Love” is my favorite song on the disc. It starts peaceful and soft, and kind of inspires a feeling of hope. The kind of song you’d hear during the end montage of a movie. The chorus is a little faster and harder, but doesn’t totally change the pace of the song. If this were the only song I’d heard from the CD, I never would have second-guessed buying it. The next song, “Pain”, is harder, more tense and does a good job of contrasting with “The World You Love”.

“Drugs or Me” is a really slow ballad, and brings about a mood of despair. A good song, but it would be more suited near the end of the album, rather than smack in the middle. “Polaris” is another slower one, but gets a little harder once the chorus comes into play. An great love song, if that’s what you’re in the market for. After the last two songs, the hardcore “Nothingwrong” comes stright out of left field, and features some kick ass guitar work. “Night Drive” is again, a slow song, but this time with the rarely seem theme (since the 80’s or so) of making out in a car. The final and longest song, “23”, is proably also the deepest. It’s another ballad, and kind of gives the message that you can’t hold onto the past forever, and you can’t just expect everything to happen for you. It’s a great song to go out on, for sure.

Like I said, stellar album. You should buy it. I think I urge you to do that every time, but this time I suggest it to everyone, and not just those who like yon specific genre. Maybe even look into their older stuff. It may be top-notch as well. No regrets here, just feelin’ satisfied. Oops, wrong band. Maybe I’ll review Boston next month. In any case, go read Steve’s article if you haven’t and tune in this weekend for my final impressions on Resident Evil 4.

Band of the month – January 2005

Ah, it’s time for the monthly review of a band of my choice. Sure, the review is a little late this month, but I’ve had the band picked since sometime in the first week. I’m getting better. A couple more and I’ll have this done between the first and fourth every month. Assuming I can continue to find bands that I like until I give up maintaining this site. But that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I like a lot of music. Oh yes, and I hope you’re enjoying this paragraph. Pure filler! Hahahaha! It’s just a clever ruse to make you believe this post is longer than it actually is! Well, I guess it’s onto the real stuff now then. Oh, and excuse any bad spelling, I’m typing in the dark and have no access to a spellchecker.

So here’s what I propose to you this month: I review a band, you read it and pretend you enjoyed it. Simple, no? If you hadn’t clicked the album cover on the sidebar, this month’s band is Story of the Year. I originally caught wind of them when they were the main attraction for the Nintendo Fusion Tour back in September/October. While I ne’er got to attend the show, I looked up a couple songs from each of the bands, and aside from Lostprophets and My Chemical Romance (whom I already liked), SotY was clearly the best of the featured bands. So I listened to a couple songs and then I bought the CD. Totally a worthwile buy. While most of the NFT promotional stuff called them emo, I’d say they’re a regular punk rock band. The sound is rocking, not whiny. The lyrics are close to emo, but whatever. It don’t really matter what genre they’re classified as, they’re a good band either way.

They’re a new group, so they’ve only got the one CD, Page Avenue. It’s an excellent album, and easily recommendable to anyone who can enjoy a fine mix of fast rock and slightly slower rock. While there is a bit of screaming, it’s never annoying or off-putting (EX: Billy Talent) and is usually placed in key points of songs. I’m not really complaining, because I love drums, but the only real downside to the CD is that the guitars are kinda downplayed by the vocals and drums. Really, you might not even notice guitars on some songs unless you listen for them specifically.

The disc starts strong with a very hardcore “And the Hero Will Drown”. As I stated in the paragraph prior, a lot of drum influence in this one. Then come their two biggest and similarly titled hits, “Until the Day I Die” and “Anthem of Our Dying Day”. The second is slightly slower, but I feel is it the better of the two. After that is one of my two favorite songs on the CD; “In the Shadows”. Funny, because it’s probably the screamingest song on the album, and I’m not a fan of screamy music. I dunno exaclty what it is about the song that I like so much, but I think the pacing is good and again, the drumming is superb. My second favorite song is closer to the end, and is also the slowest on the disc; “Sidewalks”. It’s a nice acoustic-esque piece that is… touching, for the lack of a better word. I unno. I like slower rock songs. So sue me. Ooh, and it’s got violins in it. I like violins. The last song, “Falling Down” is quite good, and features guest vocals by Ray Cappo. I don’t know who he is, but he’s pretty good at that singing thing. Overall, it’s an A+ CD. At the very least, you owe it to yourself to download the thing, if you just can’t commit yourself to spending $20 on it. Easily worth it though.

The CD also features some cool CD-ROM bonuses, including two music videos and one kind of band overview video called “Fellowship of the Wang”. If that hasn’t convinced you to check it out, you’re a lost cause. The video is quite funny, with some great lines and band antics. The music videos are, well, music videos. I’ve never really liked music vids to begin with, and these are just run-of-the-mill punk videos, to tell the truth. Nothing special. And to top it all off, there is some slightly disturbing band tomfoolery as a “secret track” on the end of the CD. It’s funny, but not exactly, shall we say, sane.

And so another edition of Band of the Month comes to a close. I’m not sure what else to type, and it’s starting to feel awkward, so I’ll just close it here. Seeya next post, suckers.

ADDENDUM: While playing Resident Evil 4 the other day, my friend and I were talking about, well, exactly what the newest VG Cats comic is about, even stating that Scott would produce something exactly like what he did. Psychic powers? I think yes.

Why I need a Mac (plus mini-BOTM)

Things have gone from “worse” to “as bad as it gets”. Which, on the upside, is really more inconvenience than actual bad happenings. So yes, I’ve lost all my new site files (the old articles and crap are still safe), but fortunately, a good percentage of them are still hanging out on the internet, from where I can poach them quite easily. Poach was probably a bad word for that sentence.

So it’ll be awhile until I’ve recoved everything and resume the few things I’ve been working on lately. But you know what won’t take a little while? The band of the month feature. I know the title is all wrong, and it’s past the halfway through December point, but I’m not just going to sit here and let it go undone. It’s gonna be half-assed though, since I’ve got very little time to be updating. I really should be tending to my site restoration and Windows-loading. But meh.

This month’s band: Disturbed. Notice how I didn’t even bother to put in the picture. Yes, that’s how lazy this is going to be. So I quite like the band. As far as I know, they’ve got two CDs, and only one song has ever even made it close to mainstream. Of course I could be wrong, as when it comes to mainstream music, I really have no clue what’s going on. all I know is I saw the “Prayer” video on Much Music one time and that’s pretty much it. Anyway, back to what a good band Disturbed is. We all appreciate metal (or should anyhow), and Disturbed does a pretty good job on that front. At least on the first album.

The Sickness is the first of two Disturbed CDs, and probably the faoured one of fans. I’m not sure, that’s just usually the way things play out when a band makes two CDs that sound very different. So back to this. Again. It’s a great CD, which I only recently got around to purhasing.
It contains many great songs like the infamous “Down with the Sickness” and “Stupify”, which was featured on one of the Big Shiny tunes CDs of yore. Back when they had good music on them. Another great song is their cover of “Shout”, aptly renamed to “Shout 2000”. You know how I said HIM’s cover of “Solitary Man” was freaking awesome back when I reviewed their greatest hits CD? Well it’s like that – only more hardcore. My personal favorite song on the CD however, it the first, “Voices”. It’s a great song to start off on, and sets stage for the rest of the songs quite well. “The Game” is also quite a noteworthy track. All in all, excellent CD.

The newer release, titled Believe is not quite as good as the first, but is also a CD worthy of my praise. The main factor in this judgement is that fact that it’s a lot slower than the Sickness. I mean, of course, most of the stuff is pretty hard, but it’s also softer at the same time. It’s quite hard to explain. You’d have to listen for yourself to truly understand what I’m trying to get across. All in all though, it’s good CD, boasting some exellent tracks such as “Prayer”, “Liberate”, “Remember” and “Darkness”.

I’m really sorry this has to be so short, but I’m really pressed for time, and I just couldn’t let it go undone any longer. It’s not like I could have extended it much more without getting really redundant and going over the same things over and over again. But I guess I’ll go out saying that Disturbed is a great band, and I’m certainly looking forward to their next release. I just really need ot get to bed now. I’ve got work early in the morning, and I’ve already stayed up far too late. I’ll fix typos some other day.