Derwood

This thread is based on a similar thread about movies in the "Entertainment" section.

Rate the last album that you bought on a scale from 1 to 10, then give a brief review of it.

It's a great way to keep everyone updated on all sorts of music!

So, who goes first?

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"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

Jadey

*raises hand* I'll go first!

Blue October - History For Sale

Don't know too much about the band, but I dowloaded a couple of songs and liked them,...a lot! The album is really good all the way through, but you can tell there are a number of different musical influences at work here. Basically emotional, angst driven rock, but the album is peppered with some mellow "jams" and love songs. Crunchy rock anthems like Razorblade and Somebody are reminiscent of other modern rock acts, but cut deeper and more personal than most. Clumsy Card House and 3 Weeks are flowing songs that seem to be merely album filler at first until you find yourself humming them later. Calling You is a love song that seems custom made for pop radio. I'm surprised I haven't heard of these guys before and now I'm hunting for thier other stuff. Best Buy doesn't seem to carry anything but this album, so the hunt is on.

I recommend it to anyone that likes, say: Nickelback, Our Lady Peace, Oleander, Eve 6, or other pop/rock bands.

Jephree

The last album I bought was The New Mastersounds in Tokyo, Japan. I definitely consider myself a music enthusiast so had to get some music while I was other there. This was the best CD I picked up out the 33 CD's I bought over there. I rate it an 8/10

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tuffrr

Fantomas - Delerium Cordia

Very different to previous releases by these guys. The fact that its one track long is a PITA because some bits you just want to skip. Mike Patton was aiming for something akin to elevator music and while i doubt I'll ever hear it being played in an elevator it is somewhat more melow that past releases.

Overall 7/10

h2ogo69

death cab for cutie - transatlanticism

so like many of you im very into this indie/electronica project called the postal service... well i found out that the postal service is jsut a side project and the lead singer has a band called death cab for cutie...well i decide to download a few death cab songs and i found one soung in particular "the new year"...for lack of a better term incredible... so i decide u knwo their and indi band so im gonna hook them up and buy their cd.... I was blown away.. this album is fucking great... its one of the best albums to come out in a long time...and i can literally say that i love it...every song is great on this album so go buy it...bastards


10/10

GuttersnipeXL

The last one I bought was, Funkadelic, "Standing on the Verge of Getting it On".

If you like your music funky and tripped out, get this album...the first track is some kind of weird narration about miscellaneous things...then the rest of the album is pretty tear ass. I give it a 10. Straight funk across the board...If you guitarists have never listened to lead guitarist Eddie Hazel, this would definently be the album to check out.

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chrisg299

mmmm last one I bought was Yellowcard , not a bad band CD seems to get better and better the more you listen to it....9/10

FoolThemAll

Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever

This was the first musical artist I ever got into, if you don't count kids' music. And this was the first album. I put off getting it for so long because I started out with the greatest hits, then went for the anthology. But I saw it used a couple days ago and decided to go for it.

All the way through, I find songs beautiful and inspiring, catchy and dignified. They're incredibly evocative of feelings like the open road (Runnin Down a Dream), independent life (The Apartment Song), and putting one's foot down (I Won't Back Down). The subjective doesn't hurt, either; playing this cd brings back good memories from over a decade ago and enhances them. Not a single song on here is out of place or disposable. ***** out of 5.

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illesturban

Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane

I was so glad I bought this album I already created a post about it a few days back. After it came highly recommended to me by several people, I made the decision to purchase it, without hesitation. I had only heard two songs from them but man am I glad I bout it. Definately one of my best purchases in a while. Highly recommended.

8/10

goateebird

The Fire Show - Saint the Fire Show

Still working my way through this extremely dense and complex album. The band has less of a focus on melody than on structure, and it's fascinating to inspect the structures within songs, and within phrases. Because of this experimentation, the brief flashes of accessbility that occasionally glide by are stunning. But just as the album seems to become more and more friendly, something dissonant or strange is thrown in, and it works to keep your attention.

I'll give it 8.8 out of 10 right now, though because I'm still learning the album, that will very likely change one way or other as the weeks go by.

My next purchase will probably be The Walkmen - Bows & Arrows, who are a much more accessible band than The Fire Show. This new album is supposed to be very good.

HeadyIncognito

No WTO Combo - Live From the Battle in Seattle

I got it cheep offa www.alternativetentacles.com, for a mere six dollars plus shipping and handling. The No WTO Combo have only played once, as far as I know, and this was the recording of that show, live, in downtown Seattle during the WTO protests of December 1999. It has members of many different bands, the full lineup is: Krist Novoselic, Kim Thayil, Gina Mainwal and Jello Biafra himself.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10. It's a good record, but really short. I supported a good cause when I bought it.

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JohnnyRock

Splinter--The Offspring

Not as hard as some of thier earlier stuff, but they continue to pull off having a sense of humor in a pop-punk sound that delivers a message--twisted as it may be.

I wouldn't rank it as my favorite Offspring CD but certainly worth a listen...maybe a 7 out of 10.

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phlox

I bought the first Thee Heatcoats album, and it's good background music, but nothing mind blowing. 6.5 or 7.

TheClarkster

Just got the Network cd, but have yet to listen to it, so I'll rate something else.....

Everclear - World of Noise
Everclear is my favorite band ever. This cd, being their first, is much more raw than their other ones. Sounds very good all the way through, but much too short.
7/10

MSI - Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy
One of the best cds I own. I don't know why I like it, I can't even tell you what genre they are. If you like weird music, go listen to them. 30 tracks on one cd, but total time is only about ~40 minutes or so.
8.5/10

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gremlinx8

Coldplay's- Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head. I really like it them both. They're both CD's that I can listen to multiple times and not get tired of. I prefer A Rush... to Parachutes, but I do like them both.
Parachutes 8/10
A Rush... 9/10

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Derwood

Starsailor - Silence is Easy

Among my varied musical tastes, I have a sweet tooth for British Pop Rock (a la Coldplay, Oasis, Doves, Rialto, as well as Placebo and Blur). Starsailor fits the mold, with that mix of melody and melancholy that only the brits can deliver.

The songs are catchy, get stuck in your head, but in a good way. While the band's first album ("Love is Here") wa more stripped down, "Silence is Easy" takes a step up in production, including a great many songs with full string accompaniment (sp?).

The lead singer (and primary songwriter) has a voice that you'll either like or hate (not unlike Thom Yorke or Chris Martin). What it lacks in virtuosity it makes up for in emotion.

7/10

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"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

jasonresno

'Pick your favorite weapon' by BRAND NEW

Very good album, was more up beat than their newer album (Deja Entendu). This album...had amazing lyrics...

9/10

hahaha

Rancid - Let's go
It wasn't bought by me, but for me i guess. Its a good cd, all the short songs aren't long enought to be repetitive. Theres 23 songs on this cd, and they're all growing on me. Its a nice break from all the emo and pop-punkish stuff thats been Ive been listening to lately. (9/10)
"radio"-
Never fell in love
until i fell in love with you
Never know what a good time was until i had a good time with you
If you wanna get the feeling and you wanna get it right
Then the music gotta be loud
for when the music hit i feel no pain at all
...

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"find what's good and make it last"
-Bouncing Souls

hahaha

Yeah I don't know why I like it either, but it's good.

H12

For the most part, I agree with ya. Since this was my last purchase, too, I'll add onto this:

I'll agree that they've been harder before, but it should be hard enough to please most everyone who likes them for totally rocking out. Their single "Hit That" is a pretty catchy tune, but my favorite songs are "Lightning Rod" and "Spare Me The Details". The good news about this CD is that the first 30 minutes were really enjoyable...the bad news is that the CD is only 32 minutes long (the last track, "When You're In Prison", is still a song that I'm wondering why they put on that CD; I don't even know if it's them singing it or not, and it's NOTHING like their music...and it's crappy, too!).

It's solid for the most part, but since it is so short, I'm going to give Offspring - Splinter a 7.5/10.

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Tophat665

Bought two last night:

Warren Zevon - Life'll Kill Ya.
This is the album he started writing when he realized he would be dying sooner rather than later. It is everything one expects from Zevon: Wry, Clever, Savage, Flippant, and Wistful, and the music spans his repetoire from flat out Guitar Rock to piano ballads to spare and beautiful folk arrangements. Everything you'd expect, but then some, because he obviously knew this was going to be either his last or second to last chance to get it right. Almost every song on the album is as good as it could be. "Porcelin Monkey" gives Elvis the treatment Warren once administered Skynyrd. "My Shit's Fucked Up" is disbelieving acceptance, and prettier than a song of that title has any right to be. His cover of Steve Winwood's "Back in the High Life" is nearly a hymn, as is the final track "Don't Let Us Get Sick". As he says in the title cut, "Requiescat in Pace, that's all she wrote."
9/10 (easily)

The other one I got was Steve Vai - Alien Love Secrets. This is not as good, and harder to review or judge. The first track, Bad Horsie, sets the tone: It's both an incredible display of guitar virtuosity and fairly annoying to listen to. Because there are no vocals to speak of, it's hard to pick particular songs out, but there are some worth noting. The final song, "Tender Surrender", has been a favorite of mine for a while. It's a good counter argument to folks who thing he has no soul. There's a song in there that makes incredible use of a delay effect, and another that's in an odd time signature (7/8, I think) and breaks the sterotype of the robotic rhythm section behind the guitar wizard. For the most part, it's just fastfastfast guitar work on an effect somewhere between George Thorogood and Lemmy Kilmeister, and boring even as it impresses. I guess there's such a thing as making it look too easy.
5/10

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TopRamen66

Opeth-Damnation
Absolutely incredible. I've owned every single Opeth album up to this one, and each one made me appreciate Mikael Akerfelts' "clean" (ie-non death metal growl) voice more and more. A full album of it is just awesome. A great compliment to the rest of their discography, and an absolutely breakthrough album at the same time.

EbolaVirus

I bought the new Outkast CD (or should I say double CD). I am not a huge rap fan but I enjoyed it.
8/10

BuddyHawks

David Bowie - Reality
I figgure I'd better listen to some new stuff before I see him live, and this ablum rocks!

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Confederate

I just got the HIM album Razorblade Romance, not too many peope know about this band, They are Called H.I.M. in europe, but when they got signed here there was already a band named that to they had to go by Him/Her. They are what I like to call "Soul Metal" if I reccomend it to anyone.

hu-man

I just bought a cd by a guy from the Faroe Islands called Teitur. He opened for John Mayer when he played here, and was really good. The cd is really very pleasant, some catchy tunes, maybe a little too pop for me, but it doesn't matter much. He has a really great voice, and the arrangements are good, ranging from simple guitar and organ to string arrangements. There are a couple of strange instruments on the album as well, which is always a plus for me.
8/10

hu-man

whoops, wrong button...

evilbeefchan

Hoobastank - The Reason
Great second effort. May I be so bold and suggest that they've become a bit more aggressive with their music? Well, for a few songs, yes. Majority of the album is very enjoyable alt/pop/rock, with a few rockin tracks such as "Outta Control." Very consistant band with great harmonies and riffs, but left wanting more. Or maybe that's a good thing?
8/10

A Perfect Cirlce - Thirteen
It would be so wrong to try and even peg a term for the genre of music that APC has produced. Their followup takes the attitude and emotion of their first album, and strengthens and refines the sound, truly creating music that I cannot describe. I feel that this should be listened to as an album, not as a collection of singles and fillers. Each song brings a subtle transition to the next, creating a sort of sonic ambience engulfing your headphones. The rage and anger that Maynard had in Tool is turned into calm, well structured music that send shivers down your spine. Worth every penny.
10/10

streak_56

Audioslave- Audioslave

F-ing awesome CD..... love every song

bt8624

Got 2:
Nickleback....love the whole cd

Linkin Park - Meteora.....only listen to half, but so far as good as i hoped!

Jadey

Same here. I bought this CD on a whim about a year and a half ago from some music club I belonged to. I'd never heard of them and didn't know a thing about the album, but I love it. I still listen to it every once in a while and think "damn, this is awesome!"

numberfive

Walkmen - Bows + Arrows

Heard The Rat and knew I had to own this CD. I love it. They've kept the slow lulling lyrics I've come to recognize them by, but they have some faster songs on the album (such as The Rat) that I love.

8/10 - I love it, but I'm not in-love with it.

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Destrox

Dropkick Murphys - The Gangs All here

Compared to Blackout or Sing Loud Sing Proud, Its not as good.

But as a whole, I'll give it 7 out of 10.

Still worth buying.

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mciprepaid

Kanye West - The College Dropout
9/10 it brings the fun back into hip hop

Derwood

Wow did this thread die!

Johnny Cash - Unchained

While in retrospect, this could be called "American Recordings II", I'm glad it's not. It's my least favorite of the 4 disc series, mainly because I think the songs are "too arranged." For me, the charm of the American CD's are how stripped down they are. On the other 3 discs, Cash is often accompanied by a single acoustic guitar. On "Unchained", it's Johnny and the Heartbreakers, as Tom Petty and friends back him up on many of the songs. Overall, I don't think the song choices are as strong, and with a full rhythm section, the songs just aren't as unique as they are elsewhere in this series.

I hate to say it, but I give "Unchained' a 6/10. Too bad, because I love the other 3 so much.

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"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

kutulu

Fear Factory - Archetype

When a band parts with an influential member, you always have to prepare for the worst. Luckily, it has worked out for the better. In the last 2 albums, they have caught shit for getting too soft and too rapcore. The rapcore is gone, they still have some lighter stuff, but the heavy parts (about half of the album) are definitely worthy of the Demanufacture era.

The band kept their trademark mechanical sound. Christian made a great switch from bass to guitar, Raymond's drumming is superb as usual and Burton's growls are as brutal as ever while his clean vocals are still extrordanairy.

A huge improvement over the last album they released.

9/10

phlox

I just bought the Coachwhip's Bangers vs. Fuckers. Great album, and I highly recommend seeing them live.

WarWagon

I just had Incubus' A Crow Left of Murder given to me. Wow, what a horrible CD. Not only was Megalomaniac very deceptive in hinting as to the style of music that would be on their CD (I was hoping for something comparable to their older work,) but damn near every song sounded the same, and they were mostly genuinely bad. The songs sound like they should be on the opening credits to shows on the Disney channel.

shalafi

I just joined a record club again so im working through my new pile of cds. So far the standout is Kill Hannah - For Never and Ever. I had never heard of them before. I bought about half of the cds i got just browsing around picking random cds and listening to samples. Im gonna give this one a 9/10. I would consider 10 because im really liking it but I think they would sound that much better with a really good chick singer (not that theres anything wrong with the guy they have).

Jadey

Okay, I just bought 4 new ones. Motograter - Motograter, Justin Timberlake - Justified, LoneStar - Greatest Hits, and The Big Wu - Spring Fever.

The one I'm gonna review is Justin Timberlake's - Justified.

Let me tell you, this is an amazing CD. Justin Timberlake has a great voice and this is more than just some teeny bopper pop album. This is an album full of well written songs, wicked drum beats, blaring horns, and fantastic vocals. What more would you expect from an album produced by The Neptunes AND Timbaland? Granted, the song lyrics are a little weak, each song follows the "damn gril, you're hot, let's hook up" or the "that' girls a bitch and I'm moving on" schtick, but it's easy to overlook it since you wouldn't expect profound lyrics from this album anyways. Now stick with me here; I'm gonna compare this to Micheal Jackson's Thriller in that it is close to a complete album from beginning to end with a nice mix of dance songs and R 'n B Ballads, with just enough funk thrown in to make it hot.

Overall I'd have to give it a 8/10. A good album if you like dance music.