Average Rating: 3.61 Rating Variance: 0.90 Objectivity Score: 77% (Well Balanced)
Sort by: Rating | Release Date | Rating Date | Name5.0 classicBob Dylan Highway 61 RevisitedBoston BostonThis album is a Rock n' Roll classic for a couple of undeniable reasons. Firstly, this set the standard for all Radio Rock to come, describing and prescribing the deviously simple and cleverly dynamic style of multi-tracked guitars, high tenor melodies backed by full-band harmonies, memorable riffs and legendary solos. Secondly, every song is absolutely entertaining and fun to listen to, and well more than half of the tracks became world-wide hits. If you can listen to songs like "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", "Foreplay/Long Time" and "Rock and Roll Band" and NOT find yourself in a happy place, question whether or not you're really human.Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social ClubGodspeed You! Black Emperor F♯ A♯ ∞John Coltrane A Love SupremeKing Crimson In the Court of the Crimson KingLove Forever Changesmaudlin of the Well BathSee... through my eyes... poettTRRRRYYYYYYY!!! Life-changing album, end of story. Toby Driver is a god.Miles Davis Kind of BlueMinutemen Double Nickels on the DimePink Floyd Wish You Were HereRadiohead OK ComputerRadiohead Kid ARush Permanent WavesRush 2112Sigur Ros Agætis byrjunThis album is Sigur Ros' crowning achievement - a quintessential Post-Rock masterpiece that ebbs and flows and washes over the listener, painting very colorful, absorbing sonic environments and blending cold and rich textures to produce maximum effect. This album contains some of the only songs that have ever moved me to tears, a testament to its moving power. Jonsi's choir-boyesque vocals really add a critical element to the music, and connect with the listener despite the nonsense syllables that he's singing. Everything about the album is relatively simple, but fits together like a puzzle - everything is delicately placed exactly where the band wants it to be. A damn good album experience.Sonic Youth Daydream NationBeing an avid fan of these musical renegades, I'm happy to report Daydream Nation as the band's most singular, focused and coherent work. This album takes the noisy, breathtaking brilliance of their earlier work and refines it into what remains their most even release to this day. Yes, this is a very long album (especially for SY) and yes, they ramble and wander at times, but never past the point of no return. If you immerse yourself in the atmosphere and let SY take you where they will, the end result is worth the wait, producing track after track of mind-blowing material.The Beatles RevolverThe Who Who's NextThe Zombies Odessey and OracleYes Close to the EdgeYes Fragile4.5 superb...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Source Tags and CodesBen Folds Five Whatever and Ever, AmenBoards of Canada Music Has the Right to ChildrenThis album is what kick-started my real interest in Experimental Electronica, and was a great launching pad for my interest in artists like Aphex Twin and Massive Attack. Boards of Canada have a real knack for creating a unique sonic environment; in particular they find interesting ways to inject a certain warmth into a purely electronic sound. This is mostly evident in highlight tracks "Roygbiv" and "An Eagle In Your Mind", and more esoteric, short tracks like "The Color Of The Fire" and "Bocuma". Their textural landscaping and excellent use of sampling and fresh, clever beats is what keeps me coming back for more, and part of what makes this an essential Electronica masterpiece. If you're a fan of Electronic music, you owe it to yourself to listen to this. Even if you're not, this gem of an album and some quality time with it has a good chance of converting you. Oh, and the bass riff in "Aquarius" owns. So does the mixed vocal sampling. ORANGE.Coheed and Cambria In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3Coheed and Cambria The Second Stage Turbine BladeBack in the day, my cousin forced me to buy this album, asking me to simply trust him that I'd love it. Well, here's a big thanks to you, Jake, for love it I did. This is, without a doubt, Coheed and Cambria's best work, effortlessly creating something seamlessly epic and flowing through an intense and unique take on the Pop-Punk and Post-Hardcore mediums. The dynamic, two-guitar attack and tight, versatile rhythm section combine fluently and fully support Claudio's high-end vocals and nearly-impenetrable Sci-Fi lyrics (it really helps to have a story summary in front of you when trying to decode them.) Every track is a different experience than the last, and each is a respectable display of each members' talents. Naming highlights would be very difficult, as most tracks are very high quality. An absolute standout album in its genre, and the start of a band's great legacy.Coldplay ParachutesDamien Rice OTo put it bluntly: I adore every track except "Eskimo", which has to be the one of the outrightly strangest thing I've ever heard recorded and released as a song on an album. "Cannonball" is an absolutely beautiful, quiet track of acoustic guitars and breathy, touching vocals. "The Blower's Daughter" is a key track with some excellent arranging, and Damien's emotional delivery really makes the track perfect. I remember being amazed and entranced by the incredible duality of "I Remember" and the drunken swooning of "Cheers, Darlin'". And songs like "Amie" have that perfect, underlying sense of nostalgia, even if you're too young to fully realise what you're feeling - you know in your heart exactly what Rice is expressing, and you know that you either have gone or will go through exactly the same.Dave Matthews Band Under The Table And DreamingDave Matthews Band Before These Crowded StreetsDinosaur Jr. You're Living All Over MeYou're Living All Over Me is a Lo-Fi, Alternative masterpiece. Despite clocking in at roughly forty minutes, the album still manages to feel sprawling without losing any of its accessibility or strange charm. The songwriting is clever in that it combines simplicity and ease of understanding with unorthodox structures. Throw in J. Mascis' fantastic, powerful guitar playing and the noisy, unpredictable soundscape of "Poledo", and you have yourself one hell of an album.dredg El CieloExplosions in the Sky The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead PlaceExplosions in the Sky All of a Sudden, I Miss EveryoneAll of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone finds Explosions in the Sky combining all of the elements that worked best for them in the past and even playing around with new developments in their approach. After peaking on The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place, it seemed like EitS had nowhere to go. The band surprised us with their next release, displaying incredible tact and concise songwriting and adding new elements to their sound in the process. These new ideas are clearly present in All of a Sudden..., which is why it's so successful - it's an Explosions album through and through, but it doesn't come off as ...Cold Dead Place Part Two, thanks to welcome experimentation within their sound. Most noticeable is the leaps and bounds taken by drummer Christopher Hrasky, as he displays his best and most innovative drumming work to date. He takes opportunities to do something other than ride back seat to the guitarists, and you'll even find his work driving the music hard and fast through snare rolls and time changes. Speaking of time changes - they actually happen on this record, obviously but effortlessly. Beautiful stuff - though one is left wondering if Explosions really have anywhere else to take their sound, or at least anywhere that the Texas foursome is willing to take it.Fiona Apple TidalGodspeed You! Black Emperor Yanqui U.X.O.Godspeed You! Black Emperor Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to HeavenGodspeed You! Black Emperor Slow Riot For New Zero KanadaIron Maiden The Number of the BeastJeff Buckley GraceJoy Division SubstanceKing Crimson DisciplineKing Crimson RedManic Street Preachers The Holy Biblemaudlin of the Well Leaving Your Body MapMission of Burma Signals, Calls, and MarchesMuse Origin of SymmetryNeutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the SeaOpeth DamnationAs an introduction to Opeth, this album might not be the greatest representative sample, considering that it is the product of a distillment of Opeth's primary influences. What we have here leaves out the Death Metal element - the brutality, the intense guitar attacks and Akerfeldt's impressive growl - and what we are left with draws primarily from the stylings of 70's Progressive. As a listener that had not acquainted himself with much of Metal's traits, and especially as a Prog junkie, I was extremely pleased to find this beautiful gem of delicate crafting and finger-picked guitars, with Akerfeldt's wonderful clean vocals deftly soaring and diving. The composition is dark and exceptionally evocative, playing with the deeper emotions of the listener - in particular, tracks like "Hope Leaves" take full advantage of the sadness inherent in themselves. An expertly written and finely made album, Damnation is highly recommended to anybody who enjoys music with brains and emotion that can do without the brawn that previously fueled much of Opeth's sound.Pink Floyd AnimalsPink Floyd The Dark Side of the MoonPink Floyd MeddleQueens of the Stone Age Songs for the DeafQueensryche Operation: MindcrimeRadiohead The BendsRush Moving PicturesSigur Ros ( )Sigur Ros Takk...Slayer Reign in BloodInsanely fast, frighteningly loud, absurdly heavy, and about as evil as it gets, Slayer perfected the Thrash Metal formula back in '86 and created an album that would influence an entire generation of Metal bands. Not even half an hour in length, Slayer cram a million and one ideas into Reign in Blood without making a mess of things, crafting concise punches to the gut that force your head to bang until your neck can't take it anymore. The two longest tracks, opener "Angel of Death" and closer "Raining Blood" are absolute Metal classics that make use of unbelievably fast (and precise!) playing and contain some of the best and nastiest riffs ever.Sleater-Kinney The WoodsSleater-Kinney Dig Me OutBreathlessly energetic music combined with breathlessly howled vocals - a potent combination indeed, especially for all-girl power trio Sleater-Kinney. Right from the angular opening licks of the title track to the deep, ponderous closer, S-K pound it home in a display of raw, feminine power. "Little Babies", "Dance Song '97", and "Words and Guitar" rank amongst their catchiest ditties, while "Heart Factory" may be the coolest thing they've ever done. It's a very rounded and complete work, coming in shy of forty minutes and packing a great deal into thirteen (mostly) short tracks.Spoon Girls Can TellThe fact that more people don't seem to know of this album is a real shame - mostly due to the fact it's downright fantastic. Spoon develop a great, clever sound that manages to be both multi-layered and surprisingly sparse. Songs will develop around simple ideas and shift in subtle ways as Britt Daniels' honest and utterly convincing vocal delivery wraps itself around tight melodies. In fact, it's almost as if Wilco applied their brand of Indie rawness and creativity to The Shins' brand of Indie Pop sensibilities and shifted the focus more towards keyboard riffs. ...Since I'm spinning in circles here and having a hard time accurately describing the sound of the album, how about you go get it and listen for yourself? I'm totally positive you won't regret it. The Cure DisintegrationThe Ocean PrecambrianThe Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite SadnessThe Smashing Pumpkins Siamese DreamThee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Tool LateralusTori Amos Little EarthquakesWarren Zevon Excitable BoyWilco Yankee Hotel FoxtrotYes The Yes AlbumYes Tales from Topographic OceansYndi Halda Enjoy Eternal Bliss EPYndi Halda Enjoy Eternal Bliss4.0 excellentAir Talkie WalkieAlcest Souvenirs D'Un Autre MondeAlexi Murdoch Time Without ConsequenceAlexi Murdoch is a very quiet, sincere fingerpicking-Folkist Indie Rock guy (try saying that five times fast), and I love him for it. The music is typically sparsely accompanied, focusing mostly on Alexi's voice and guitar, both of which are typically hushed. He's often compared to the likes of Nick Drake, a fact that I'm sure this Scotsman relishes in. Many of us have probably heard "Orange Sky", perhaps not even realising it, and we were thinking "Hey, this song is really, really simple and really, really mellow, but it's also really good!" For anybody who enjoys incredibly relaxing music, this guy is your man. The biggest surprise of the album for me was the exceptional "12" - a track that mixes sound samples and what I think are complicated hemiolas at the beginning with an overall tone that is a blend of Sigur Ros and Coldplay - acoustic guitar strumming, pleasantly rounded bass lines, shimmering slide guitar, and Alexi's repeated cries of "shine" all surrounded by a level of atmosphere that most Post-Rock artists strive for.Anamanaguchi Power SupplyArcade Fire FuneralArcade Fire Neon BibleArchers of Loaf Icky MettleAt the Drive-In Relationship of CommandBig Business Here Come the WaterworksBlue Man Group The ComplexBohren und der Club of Gore Sunset MissionBurton Wagner In the Realms of the UnrealBurton Wagner A Sentinel's EyesBurton Wagner 21Christopher O'Riley True Love WaitsCoheed and Cambria Live at the Starland BallroomColdplay Live 2003Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the HeadDave Matthews Band The Central Park ConcertDavid Gilmour On An IslandDeerhoof The Runners FourThis album is, quite simply, a series of moderate Art-Punk explosions, and the core chemical components are bouncy guitar licks, noise, saccharine and fun. Deerhoof are very attention deficit in their writing, but when they decide to write an actual song, they do a damn fine job - "Spirit Ditties of No Tone", "Wrong Time Capsule", and "Siriustar" in particular are very catchy, enjoyable little numbers. The band plays about going a million ideas an hour, which leads to many successes and some failures, creating a heavy unevenness to the album, but the raw charm is enough to make it worthwhile. Certainly not for everybody, but people that enjoy Art-Punk and experimentation will be able to find that Deerhoof actually have a knack for catchiness and melody, if rather jagged and jangly. Also, Matsuzaki's little birdlike voice makes me happy every time I listen to it.Deerhoof Friend OpportunityThis is a relatively even album, and given Deerhoof, that's saying something. After the sprawling, magical, and wildly unpredictable The Runners Four, it's somewhat refreshing to hear the arty foursome return to their short album form. Over eleven tracks, the band manages to almost recapture the heights of some of their previous glory with "The Perfect Me", "+81" and "Matchbook Seeks Maniac", all three of which are fantastic, and almost never sink to some of their previous, misguided lows ("Dog on the Sidewalk"? "News From A Bird"?). This effort almost feels subdued in comparison to other Deerhoof albums, taking less crazy risks and favoring more whole song form. However, by showing measures of restraint, the band manages to make Friend Opportunity flow more naturally and more readily accessible than previous works while still shimmering with bubbly, weird fun and flights of fancy.Do Make Say Think Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymndredg Catch Without ArmsElectric Light Orchestra Face the MusicElf Fatima Elf FatimaEluvium CopiaExplosions in the Sky Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die...Explosions in the Sky How Strange, InnocenceEyeless In Gaza (UK) Saw You in Reminding PicturesAvant-Folk? Ambient? An early stab at the Post-Rock aesthetic in a variety of succinct, improvisatory tracks? It's hard to accurately pin Eyeless in Gaza's 1994 effort to any specific genre. What it is, though, is a strange and surreal kind of beauty created by a pair of gentlemen experimenting with anything and everything they have at their disposal. Over the course of Reminding Pictures, we are presented with an array of sounds, instrumental or otherwise, in many different ways, as Eyeless in Gaza create moody, wind-swept atmospheres utilizing a sort of economist minimalism in their experiments. Fans of barren soundscapes and other Avant-Garde artists should listen to Reminding Pictures for the interesting, shimmering sounds it presents, those that seem to belong to worlds apart - for Eyeless in Gaza want you to enter their lonely world, fraught with a sort of ever-present fear that either clangs and rises to meet the weary traveler or recede to make way for what joy can be found in the gray twilight. They are merely your guides in an otherworldly journey, revealing it to you in small portions and letting you decide if your mind will follow blindly or run free through their netherland. Either way, it's a fascinating journey.Feathermerchants Last Man On EarthFiona Apple Extraordinary MachineFleetwood Mac Bare TreesFleetwood Mac Mystery to MeFlight of the Conchords The Distant FutureGhastly City Sleep Ghastly City SleepGodspeed You! Black Emperor F♯ A♯ ∞ [Vinyl]HATR Project Heartbeat Against The ReasonHATR Project, the solo project of one Juan De Leon (a.k.a. Copilot Escarcha), has a knack for creating gorgeous, minimal Instrumental Rock. Heartbeat Against The Reason is a document of beauty that is both simple and deep, and while it seems more suited for background listening, still makes for a rich and rewarding active listening experience. Juan makes use of a nice variety of instruments and textures, happily floating pretty little melodies into the listener's ear. And the best part: it's a free release that can be downloaded, along with his other solo works, via links provided in HATR Project's Myspace. The only real downside is that the album clocks in at an hour and twelve, but for free Instrumental Rock, I'm willing to sit through a slightly over-long experience to soak in what's offered here.ISIS In the Absence of TruthISIS CelestialISIS OceanicJohn Mayer Trio Try!Joy Division Unknown PleasuresJoy Division CloserSomehow, even through his surprisingly robotic, slightly off-key delivery - you know that Ian Curtis means it. He is authentic with every word, and you just know it. One of the defining Post-Punk bands, Joy Division would attract many followers, and rightly so - because they're just a simple, no-frills good band. Within the uncomplicated structures, hooks, and melodies is a kind of irreplaceable authenticity that sucks you into their depressed worldview and drags you down there with him. So much of the music rings true with the lyrics, a moderately lo-fi, stark sort of simple angularity that perfectly compliments Curtis as a front man. While the album does admittedly drag some, it's a profound and deeply affecting experience, a kind of rainy day that never lets up but just runs into the night, leaving you a little cold and worn out.Kaizers Orchestra Ompa Til Du DorKate Havnevik MelanktonKate Havnevik's debut, Melankton, is a fantastic demonstration of her ability to craft memorable pop hooks in the context of glacial electronica. As well, she displays the capabilities of her voice beautifully, floating gracefully within captivating sonic atmospheres, grabbing the listener's ear and never letting go. From the sparse opener, through the robust pop songs, and all the way to the full, rounded, and utterly stunning closer, Kate not only shows extraordinary potential but a true realization of her talents that makes Melankton a fascinating and enriching debut. Go grab a copy, and join me in eagerly awaiting her next release.Kidcrash JokesLove Da CapoMogwai Happy Songs for Happy PeopleMogwai Young TeamMuse AbsolutionMy Bloody Valentine LovelessNujabes Modal SoulOpeth Blackwater ParkOpeth Ghost ReveriesPelican The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon...Porcupine Tree DeadwingPorcupine Tree Fear of a Blank PlanetPorcupine Tree In AbsentiaPortishead PortisheadPortishead DummyRadiohead I Might Be Wrong: Live RecordingsThis album of live performances is a testament to Radiohead's power and ability as a live act, with an interesting variety of Kid A/Amnesiac-era songs, some of which have been remade for the road. Being that these are live renditions of some of their material, the album does not escape some of the problems of all live material recorded to CD. The mixing on certain songs is below standard, particularly on "I Might Be Wrong", in which the drums are too loud and the bass is too low, and "Dollars and Cents" is a tad bland. However, it's more than worth the CD's price for the live versions and re-imaginings of "Like Spinning Plates", "The National Anthem" sans brass octet, "Idioteque", and the intriguing "Everything in its Right Place". It's cheaper than a ticket to see them at a decent venue, so there really isn't much risk here for Radiohead fans, especially when they picked generally good versions of generally great songs to include. Oh, and I'd fail as a reviewer if I didn't mention Thom's solo performance of "True Love Waits", with his broken-voice crooning and strangely warm guitar chords. That's another good reason to buy this album.Radiohead Hail to the ThiefRadiohead My Iron LungRadiohead In RainbowsRussian Circles EnterSilversun Pickups CarnavasSomewhere between Sonic Youth and Smashing Pumpkins sits Silversun Pickups, this past year's surprising hit (alliteration much?). The band manage both to be Indie Rock heroes and Alternative Radio darlings, merging Grunge-inflected straightforwardness and vocals with great guitar hooks and shimmering keyboard and achieving fantastic results. Carnavas is a very consistent and even record, one that doesn't simply revolve around the stellar singles "Lazy Eye" and "Well Thought-Out Twinkles", but focuses on keeping the listener happy throughout. There simply isn't a bad song in the bunch. The generally darker atmosphere of the production plays itself out well over this solidly-flowing album, while the band peppers the experience with enthusiasm and energy. These guys are the real thing, genuinely concerned with writing good songs and making a great album from start to finish. Keep an eye open for their next album, because if this one is any indication, we've got our next Indie Rock legends on the rise.Simon and Garfunkel BookendsSleater-Kinney One BeatSonic Youth EvolSonic Youth DirtySpoon Ga Ga Ga Ga GaSupersilent 6The Black Mages The Black MagesThe Black Mages The Skies AboveThe Flaming Lips The Soft BulletinThe Soft Bulletin is really a strange album for me to contemplate, let alone rate. While I'm listening to the album, I'm not so sure what's so great about it. As soon as it's over, though, I really want to start it over again immediately, and when I leave it alone for a while, I yearn for it. There's just something about The Soft Bulletin that is indescribably endearing in all of its elegant weirdness. As much as every fiber of me wants to hate "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton" and "The Spiderbite Song" - quantifiably, I should hate them endlessly - I can't help but love listening to these songs. Oh, and I will most certainly give the band credit for knowing how to let loose a bit and kick butt... I'm looking at you, "Race for the Prize".The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink RobotsIt is far beyond me to pinpoint exactly what makes this album so much fun to listen to, but I'll blame it mostly on the band's wide-eyed, dreamy pop stylings and their unusual daring and ingenuity with only the simplest of structures as their framework. From what is at its musical core dumbfoundingly direct and uncomplicated, The Flaming Lips craft very warm, likable, memorable tracks, avoiding the more suffocating trends in Indie, Rock, and Pop, and harkening back to late Beatles and Psychadelia for inspiration. The songwriting and delivery are focused, simple, and clean, making Yoshimi an overall success.Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra This Is Our Punk-Rock, Thee Rusted Satellites Gather and SingThom Yorke The EraserThe Eraser is, simultaneously, equal parts mechanized and human and equal parts unnerving and soothing, and Thom has never been any of these to greater effect than on this record. Tracks tend to consist of muddy keyboards and crisp beats that pip and pop, but it's how they are combined that really affect the ear, such as the rich exoticism produced by simple melodic twists in "Analyse". Thom's voice is relatively laid back in delivery, and the more sparse instrumentation of The Eraser allows him to show off his multi-faceted vocal abilities, alternating between beautiful falsetto ("Atoms for Peace"), lower-register musings ("Skip Divided"), and everything in between. Only so often does he revisit the typical caterwauling of his work with Radiohead, choosing to explore new territory in all aspects of the music.Thrice The Alchemy Index Vols. I & IITool ÆnimaTryo TryoVeil Maker Do Not Be Afraid...XTC English SettlementYo La Tengo I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your AssLong, short, slow, fast, loud, soft, wandering, concise, raucous, peaceful - mix and match over the course of fifteen tracks and nearly 80 minutes of music, and you have Yo La Tengo's latest release. This was my first taste of the band, after hearing their name dropped just about every time somebody said "Indie", and I was incredibly impressed with what they offer on I Am Not Afraid of You... Whether it be the sprawling opener and closer, the slew of upbeat and majestically simple pop hooks tinged with crafty instrumentation, or the mellow and moody numbers that show up every few tracks or so, the album maintains the listener's interest over its incredible length. Yo La Tengo showcase just how diverse their songwriting is and the breadth of their creativity on I Am Not Afraid of You... and produce a large collection of solid, memorable tracks.3.5 great...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Worlds ApartA Perfect Circle Thirteenth StepArcade Fire The Arcade FireBand of Horses Everything All the TimeBig Black Songs About FuckingBlonde Redhead 23Boards of Canada In a Beautiful Place Out in the CountryBomb the Music Industry! Goodbye Cool World!Bomb the Music Industry! To Leave or Die in Long IslandBomb the Music Industry! Album Minus BandBrian Eno Ambient 1: Music For AirportsBrian Eno is the cure for insomnia, and I mean that in the least insulting way possible. Ambient 1: Music For Airports is music that I know will always aid me in my often futile quest for sleep, valiantly demanding little attention and heroically relaxing a stressed out me. The album's sparse, simple beauty is a testament to Eno's seemingly effortless creative genius and pioneering, and while many will not enjoy this album's lack of intensity and minimal mainstream appeal, anybody who is a fan of ambient music deserves to have this album as part of their collection.Coheed and Cambria From Fear Through the Eyes of MadnessCult of Luna The BeyondDave Matthews Band Busted StuffDave Matthews Band CrashDeath Cab for Cutie TransatlanticismDeerhoof Milk ManDeerhoof Apple O'Dinosaur Jr. Where You BeenDinosaur Jr. Green MindDinosaur Jr. BugDinosaur Jr. BeyondExplosions in the Sky The RescueEyeless In Gaza (UK) Back from the RainsFiona Apple When the Pawn...Huak TrajectoryJohn Mayer Room for SquaresKeane Under The Iron SeaKeane Hopes & FearsKing Crimson Starless and Bible BlackManic Street Preachers Send Away The TigersMassive Attack MezzanineMastodon Blood MountainMastodon LeviathanMC Frontalot Secrets from the FutureMelt-Banana Scratch or StitchThe best way I could describe Scratch or Stitch is with this hypothetical situation: Deerhoof being tasked by producer Merzbow to cover only the punkiest, most raucous Sonic Youth numbers at double speed and oh, dearest Satomi, please yell some strange little English phrases while you're at it. Unfortunately, even that kind of situation still doesn't describe this album in full - the series of noisy blasts clocking in all under 30 seconds ("Test: Ground 1" through "His Name Is Mickey") are like unto a row of men with dynamite plungers cued at random by starter pistols. I must admit, though... even at their strangest, there's simply something about Melt Banana that is hopelessly catchy and utterly addicting, and I almost want to sing along with Yasuko O. (if it weren't for the fact that doing so would probably shatter my voice). Barely longer than half an hour, and with only four tracks breaking the 2-minute mark, anybody looking for contiguity and coherency should download certain choice tracks ("Disposable Weathercock", "Pigeons on My Eyes" and maybe a couple others) and continue on with their merry lives. However, anybody looking for an album of entertaining, frenetic bursts of Noise-Rock, look no further, for your weirdo saviors are here.Melt-Banana Bambi's DilemmaMelt-Banana Cell-ScapeMinus the Bear Planet of IceMission of Burma Peking SpringMono Under the Pipal TreeMono's debut album does some things very right, but is prone to some glaring faults as well. The guitar work calls to mind that of their peers Explosions in the Sky, but distinctly thicker and with more of a striking depth even in the quietest of moments. There is rich beauty being created by the quartet's meandering and mingling, but the album suffers from some of the more typical Post-Rock pitfalls. Being rather undirected in approach, Under The Pipal Tree is relatively hard to listen to in one sitting, and the guitar work starts to blend together after a while. The guitarists seem to be stuck in one particular mode throughout the inevitable rises and falls of the album. In a short way, it's a debut that cannot overcome certain major flaws and cliches, but delivers some nice, raw emotion and impact on highlight tracks "Karelia (Opus 2)", "The Kidnapper Bell", and "Error #9" - it shows a band with potential not yet fully developed.Mouth Of The Architect QuietlyMurder by Death Red Of Tooth And ClawMuse Black Holes & RevelationsMuse ShowbizNavio Forge As We Quietly Burn A Hole Into...Norah Jones Not Too LateNorah Jones Come Away with MeOne Flew South Last of the Good GuysOpeth DeliverancePortishead Roseland NYC LiveQueens of the Stone Age Rated RQueens of the Stone Age Stone Age ComplicationRadiohead The Astoria London Live (DVD)Radiohead AmnesiacRadiohead COM LAG (2plus2isfive)Radiohead Airbag/How Am I Driving?Radiohead Go to SleepRammstein Reise, ReiseRustic Overtones Light at the EndSixpence None the Richer Divine DiscontentSixpence None the Richer Sixpence None the RicherSonic Youth SisterSonic Youth Rather RippedSonic Youth GooThe Arrogant Sons of Bitches This Is What You GetThe Dillinger Escape Plan Irony Is a Dead SceneThe Fall of Troy DoppelgangerThe Mars Volta De-Loused in the ComatoriumThee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra Born Into Trouble As the Sparks Fly UpwardThee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra Pretty Little Lightning PawThrice The Illusion of SafetyThrice The Artist in the AmbulanceToni! This Is Sal! Every Musician Needs a Self-Titled EPToni! This Is Sal! ...loves you very much!Tool 10,000 DaysWill Gattis Trio DullardYeah Yeah Yeahs Fever To TellYeah Yeah Yeahs Yeah Yeah YeahsYes Drama3.0 goodBear vs. Shark TerrorhawkCirca Survive JuturnaColdplay X&YDave Matthews Band EverydayDave Matthews Band Listener SupportedDeerhoof HoldypawsDragonForce Inhuman RampageEquus Observing the MoonGojira From Mars to SiriusGomez How We OperateHootie and The Blowfish Cracked Rear ViewMastodon RemissionMission of Burma The Horrible Truth About BurmaNorah Jones Feels Like HomeRadiohead Pablo HoneyRadiohead No Surprises/Running From DemonsRise Against Siren Song of the Counter CultureSonic Youth Bad Moon RisingThere is something inescapably barren and desolate about Bad Moon Rising, an ineffable, pervasive, gloomy darkness - and perhaps this is part of its attraction. This album is about as nocturnal as you get. The amazingly lo-fi, almost-in-tune aesthetic of the album simply adds to the experience somehow, and helps overcome the rather hindering simplicity of Sonic Youth's early writing. The album's flow is steady and droning, mostly quiet and afraid, though saturated with assertive, rallying yells and sensual moans that punch right through the heavy fog settled in throughout. The only real standout amongst the windswept wasteland is "Death Valley '69", aided by the shrieking, esoteric Lydia Lunch, though the hopefully dark opening riffs of "Brave Men Run" make a strong case as well.Sonic Youth Sonic NurseSonic Youth A Thousand LeavesThe Dillinger Escape Plan Calculating InfinityThom Yorke Spitting FeathersToni! This Is Sal! Releases Another EP!Tool SalivalVertical Horizon Everything You WantEverything You Want is an enjoyable collection of late 90s Pop/Rock, and a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, considering my tendency towards snobbery. I have to admit, though, that the album has some very strong, catchy singles, namely the first four tracks, all of which got radio play. The album also sports relatively versatile singers, and at worst decent guitar playing, with some memorable hooks thrown in for good measure. The album starts to drag after "Best I Ever Had", drifting into forgettability for a few tracks, but is saved with the upbeat "Send It Up" and the rawer "Shackled", a fun rocker peppered with solos that closes out the album.2.5 average3 Doors Down Away from the SunArctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm NotI tried, guys. I really did try. I gave the Arctic Monkeys a chance, and I could never really find myself into them. There was even a time when "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" was a guilty pleasure, but that did pass with repeated listens. To me, this band is arresting in its utter lack of pushing forwards - sure, we can all talk about how much they draw on such great influences, but I can't see what they've contributed other than a mere summation of these previous sounds - and nine times out of ten, I enjoy their influences more than I do the actual band. Sure, they've got their perpetual sometimes-wit-and-charm, and as much fun as they forcibly pump into their catchy hooks, I can't get over the feeling that it's all rather stale by now, that I've heard it all before and liked it better then. The Arctic Monkeys do a wonderful amount of nothing for me, sounding to my ears as average as can be.Avril Lavigne Let GoBehold... The Arctopus SkullgridBeloved Failure OnDeerhoof ReveilleEvanescence FallenEyeless In Gaza (UK) Caught in FluxMy Chemical Romance I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love2.0 poorBackstreet Boys MillenniumBig Business Mind the Driftblink-182 Blink-182Boredoms Seadrum/House Of SunDisturbed Ten Thousand FistsLacuna Coil KarmacodeLinkin Park MeteoraLinkin Park Hybrid TheoryLinkin Park Minutes to MidnightNickelback Silver Side UpThe Dillinger Escape Plan Ire WorksThe Future Sound of London ISDNI should probably listen to this album again, since the last time I listened to it was a couple years ago and I wasn't nearly as into ambient music at the time. However, I recall being bored out of my mind the entire time, so I'm not too enthusiastic about the prospect. It all seemed like pointless ambiance at the time.Thirty Seconds to Mars A Beautiful Lie1.5 very poorAce of Base The SignArchitecture In Helsinki In Case We DieEvery minute of listening to this album wracks my brain with cognitive dissonance as I try to decide if what I'm hearing is genius like I've never before experienced or just really retarded. I want to like this album, I really do - but the sheer lack of focus kills it for me. Just... fucking... god damn it, guys.Backstreet Boys Black and BlueBritney Spears ...Baby One More TimeConverge No HeroesConverge, while having created an album of seamless flow, made the mistake of being entirely relentless. The band almost never gives the listener any real chance to catch their breath amongst the aural assault of headache-inducing dissonance, extremely rapid-fire instrumentation, and generally unintelligibly harsh vocals. Even the quiet, instrumental interlude "Weight of the World" is entirely dissonance and feedback. Somehow, Converge has managed to pull the wool over the eyes of many with No Heroes, though I can't help but realize that most of the album is 1-dimensional in precisely the worst way. The material appears on the surface to be intricate and complex, despite the utter lack of any discernible coherent structure. The members of the band all know their instruments in, out, backwards and forwards, but their intense, brutal technicality leads only to chaos - the lack of restraint leaves the experience seeming almost utterly disorganized and scatterbrained. It is a train wreck of too many ideas in too short a space, garbled in a mess of feedback and violence.Daniel Powter Daniel PowterTotally and unequivocally bland and unenthusiastic, this album fails to produce any interesting material. Every musical element of the album is incredibly basic and uninspired, especially Powter's voice, which is supposed to be the centerpiece of the album. His melodic writing is very limited, and he tends to repeat himself, as his barely-more-than-average voice skips around on songs like "Bad Day", the album's primary single. Powter is also fond of using a thirty-second fade out at the end of three minute pop songs, right at the moment where things stop happening in the song, leaving us with multiple, boring thirty-second segments that fracture the album's flow. Mercifully short at roughly 37 minutes in length, none of the strikingly average pop songs evoke anything meaningful.Escape the Fate Dying Is Your Latest FashionFall Out Boy From Under the Cork TreeGood Charlotte The Young And The HopelessMy Chemical Romance The Black ParadeWith The Black Parade, we find My Chemical Romance trading in their recent lack of self-awareness for a laughable self-importance... and the results are just plain boring. This is not an album that pulls you in, but rather detaches you at every turn, mostly when you're realizing that you've heard everything here before. Lyrically, I've never heard a concept album this shallow in my experience as a reviewer, but somehow MCR accent the bland music with insipid lyrics that sound more important than they really are. Gerard Way employs his trademark one-dimensional voice - whine-tinged and noticeably oversung vocals - except he finds tiny ways to be even more annoying than usual, pockmarking the album with earaches in unexpected places. Especially in the case of "Mama". Why they let him keep that take baffles me. The biggest failures here are the vaguely insulting "Dead!", the grandiose-in-all-the-wrong-ways ballad "Cancer", and "Teenagers". The latter is an extremely uninspired and unintentionally hilarious flop complete with catchy hooks and awful lyrics that pass for some sort of anthem of teenage rebellion... written and sung by people old enough to know better. MCR laughed all the way to the bank with this one.Nickelback The Long RoadNSYNC No Strings AttachedPanic! at the Disco A Fever You Can't Sweat OutThree Days Grace One-XYellowcard One for the KidsIf I have to hear one more person call Yellowcard "innovative", that's when I start killing people. Adding an instrument unusual to the genre is one thing, but writing simplistic, unflattering lines and playing said instrument like just another guitar is something else entirely. To be precise - it's lame, and unfair to people that actually like music. The violinist adds almost no depth to the sound of this album beyond the rudimentary fact that his instrument is a different timbre - his contribution would've been entirely overlooked were it played by another, more common instrument. For instance, a guitar. The songwriting here is all catch, and is subsequently drab and boring. The band only once really ever achieves anything greater than mediocrity on One for the Kids, with "Rock Star Land" being the standout in terms of instrument writing and playing. The drummer is sloppy when trying to consistently play a beat pattern that isn't simple as hell, and it's noticeable in some key areas. You've already heard everything the guitarists have to offer, and you can't hear the bass since it's basically been mixed out. The vocals and harmonies go flat on several tracks. Every element of this album is generic and uninteresting. Why even bother with a band that is trying to look cool and different, despite that they bring no genuinely new ideas to the scene, and even find ways to do old ones poorly?1.0 awfulAtreyu The CurseI can sum up my feelings towards this album in two words: Worthless. Garbage. There is not a single redeeming quality to be found amongst this wreckage of vomitous singing, unremarkable guitar and unnoticed bass, indistinguishable tracks, and horrifyingly bad lyrics, with the occasional drab guitar solo thrown in for good measure. As tracks pass by, it's hard to tell them apart. The guitar work particularly contributes to this problem, being that it is as generic as possible - you could likely replace the guitarist with a robot programmed to do about three or four simple actions, and nobody would notice. On a similar note, if the lead singer died and singing duties were passed on to another member (say, the drummer), the music here wouldn't be terribly good by any means, but at least it'd be very listenable. He does precisely everything wrong when he tosses his cookies all over the painful, unpoetic lyrics - I imagine that every single person who listens to this band thinks to themselves "Wow, I could sing that better". Too bad they aren't wrong.Atreyu Suicide Notes and Butterfly KissesBritney Spears In the ZoneDisturbed The SicknessHinder Extreme BehaviorKaty Perry One of the BoysKaty Perry can be most favorably compared to the Hello Kitty Strat I see lying around my local music shop. It's kind of cute, harmless, and ultimately exists for one sole purpose: the exploitation of a demographic in order to make a quick buck off of a novelty product that no person in their right mind and over the age of twelve should even consider owning. And the worst part is that somebody is actually profiting from such a stupid idea. This album represents almost everything that is wrong with modern music. Perry tries so hard to be edgy, hip, culturally relevant, or at the very least interesting at all - and in doing so fails spectacularly at every turn. What gets heaped on the public in the end is an overproduced mess of idiocy in CD form, which is a damn shame, since it's obvious that she is capable of not sucking. Katy Perry is not innately terrible. It's just that she doesn't try to not suck.Three Days Grace Three Days Grace0.5 Prussian Blue Fragment Of The Future
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
