Archive for the ‘ Music ’ Category

Creed – Full Circle

Genre:  Post-grunge, hard-rock

Release date:  27 October 2009

Band Active:  Yes

Creed is one of those bands that people either love or hate, though it seems to be the music industry doing most of the hating.  Hailing from Tallahassee, Florida, Creed had much success with their three multi-platinum selling albums, and despite all their success they disbanded in 2004.

There is some speculation as to why such a successful band broke up, and I think most of the blame can be placed on Scott Stapp, the lead vocalist.  Scott Stapp is, to put it bluntly; a fuck up.  He’s gifted with a deep and powerful voice and may seem to be holier than thou, what with his moving lyrics and voice, but Mr. Stapp is something of a basket case.  Reckless driving, wife beating and even a suicide attempt top the list of stupid shit he’s been involved in.  Anyway, in 2007  Creed got back together and almost two years later they released their latest album in 2009, Full Circle, so does it offer anything new for fans? In a word, no.

Full Circle sounds just like their previous three albums, and while those albums might have sounded fantastic back in the ’90s, Full Circle just doesn’t offer the listener anything new, and we’re met with the same old tired, droning of Stapp which tends to be a little disconcerting as each song melds into the next, you’re not really sure where once song ends and the next begins.  None of the songs on this album really offer any hooks so it’s not very likely that you’ll be humming their songs on your way to work/school, or whatever the case may be, however I did like the songs; Suddenly and On My Sleeve but they’re nowhere near as good as Higher, With Arms Wide Open or Bullets, three brilliant songs from previous albums.

Track Listing:

  1. Overcome
  2. Bread of Shame
  3. A Thousand Faces
  4. Suddenly
  5. Rain
  6. Away in Silence
  7. Fear
  8. On my Sleeve
  9. Full Circle
  10. Time
  11. Good Fight
  12. The Song you Sing
  13. Silent Teacher (iTunes pre-order bonus track)

I could only recommend this album for die-hard Creed fans, I don’t think Full Circle is something that would interest the modern Metal fan or even those with only a passing interest in Rock.  It’s been almost nine years since their last studio album, and judging from the band’s latest release, I think it’s time that they disband for good.

Score: 2/5

2009
11/29
CATEGORY
Music
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Rammstein – Liebe ist für alle da

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Genre:  Neue Deutsche Härte, industrial, symphonic metal

Active since: 1994 – Present

I’ve been a devoted fan of Rammstein ever since I first heard them in 1999.  The first song I came into contact with was Du Hast, off of The Matrix album, indeed Du Hast was the ‘gateway’ song for me and I was instantly hooked.

After almost four years, Rammstein have released their sixth studio album entitled Liebe ist für alle da (Love is there for everyone) and I’m pleased to report that they have once again created an audio masterpiece.  While I feel that Rammstein’s latest release isn’t their finest work (I use Mutter as a benchmark) it does sound better each time you listen to it as you hear little things you may have missed the first time round.  I’ve already listened to this album many times and several songs leapt out at me including; Rammlied, Waidmanns Heil and Pussy, to name a few.

The first single of the album; Pussy, really took me surprise.  As the name suggests, the song is focused on sexual content whereby each band member plays the role of a stereotypical porn star character (funniest being Flake as a hermaphrodite) and the music video is fully uncensored and comprises of the entire band having uncensored (and unprotected) sex.  I can’t help but think that the line; “I can’t get laid in Germany” is a stab at the German censorship laws.

Track listing

# Title Length
1. “Rammlied” (Ramm-Song) 5:19
2. “Ich Tu Dir Weh” (I Hurt You) 5:02
3. “Waidmanns Heil” (Hunter’s Hail/Greeting) 3:33
4. “Haifisch” (Shark) 3:45
5. “B********” (Bückstabü) 4:15
6. “Frühling in Paris” (Springtime in Paris) 4:45
7. “Wiener Blut” (Viennese Blood) 3:53
8. “Pussy” 3:57
9. “Liebe ist für alle da” (Love Is There for Everyone) 3:26
10. “Mehr” (More) 4:09
11. “Roter Sand” (Red Sand) 3:59

Special Edition bonus tracks

# Title Length
1. “Führe mich” (Lead Me) 4:34
2. “Donaukinder” (Children of the Danube) 5:18
3. “Halt” (Stop) 4:20
4. “Roter Sand (Orchester version)” (Red Sand (Orchestral version)) 4:06
5. “Liese” (Elizabeth) 3:56
  • The Special Edition will also be released as a Limited Edition pink double LP, and in a limited edition box set, featuring handcuffs, a black bottle of lubricant (featuring the band’s motif), and six pink dildos, all within an aluminum case (featuring a mirror, Rammstein logos and Rammstein motifs).

Admittedly I can see why there’s a bonus disc, the five extra songs seem rather uninspired, in my opinion you’re better off just buying the regular version or limiting yourself to the eleven tracks of the first disc.  Though I feel that Liebe ist für alle da isn’t in the same league as the last three studio albums that Rammstein have released, it is nonetheless a brilliant piece of work and essential listening for any and all Rammstein fans out there.

Score: 4/5
2009
10/18
CATEGORY
Music
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Imogen Heap

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I first encountered Imogen Heap while watching an Azumanga AMV, that used the song ‘Must be Dreaming’ off of the one and only Frou Frou album, ‘Details’.

From there, I attained ‘Details’ only to learn that Frou Frou had disbanded after having only released one album.  I love Frou Frou, so I was very pleased to learn that Imogen Heap had been working on her solo career for a number of years already.  Heap’s solo work sounds quite similar to Frou Frou, which I’m very thankful for as usually when a band breaks up or goes on hiatus to do their own thing their work is invariably inferior.  A few examples; System of a Down’s ‘hiatus’ splitting the band, Serj Tankian going solo doesn’t work very well, his ‘Elect the Dead’ album (2007) was very mediocre.  Likewise with Scars on Broadway, founded by SOAD members, Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan, whose only decent song is the single, ‘They Say’.  Jørn Lande sounded great in Masterplan but I find his solo work to be dreadful, much like ex-lead vocalist of Nightwish, Tarja.

Imogen Heap, is a Grammy nominated English singer and songwriter.  Judging from her appearance and musical style, she’s a bit of an oddball.  Her musical style seems to be of an experimental nature, comprising of an amalgamation of; electronica, pop, rock, indie and ambient themes (no doubt there are many other styles packed in her work), resulting in a very mellow/relaxed sound for the most part.  Heap’s vocals have a very rhythmic, dream-like quality and tone, combined with powerful and deep lyrics which make for a rewarding audio experience.

To date, Imogen heap has released three solo albums.

iMegaphone (1998)

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iMegaphone is the first album recorded by then-20 year old British singer-songwriter, Imogen Heap. It was released in 1998, and features the singles, “Getting Scared,” “Shine,” “Come Here Boy” and “Oh Me, Oh My” (released to US radio only). The title is an anagram of “Imogen Heap.”

Speak for Yourself (2005)

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Speak for Yourself is the second solo album by British singer Imogen Heap, following her collaborative effort with Guy Sigsworth as Frou Frou. It was released on July 18, 2005 in the UK, on November 1, 2005 in the USA, Canada and Mexico, and re-released through White Rabbit/Sony BMG in the UK on April 17, 2006. The album was written, produced, arranged, and funded by Heap, without the backing of a record label, and features guest appearances from Jeff Beck, who does a guitar solo on “Goodnight And Go”, and Heap’s boyfriend, Richie Mills, who argues with her on “The Moment I Said It.” It was released in the UK through her own label, Megaphonic Records, in a special digipak created specifically by Heap, before being licensed to White Rabbit/Sony BMG in 2006 for the UK and international markets. It is licensed to Sony BMG imprint RCA Victor in the USA, where the first run of 10,000 copies were copy protected and encased in the digipak (further editions are in a standard jewel case with a cardboard slipcase). As of June 2009, it has sold 425,000 copies in the USA according to Nielsen SoundScan. 

“Hide And Seek” and “Goodnight And Go”, the album’s lead and second single respectively, were both featured in episodes of the US TV drama The O.C., as was “Speeding Cars”. “The Moment I Said It” was used in the Criminal Minds episode called “Seven Seconds”. “Can’t Take It In” was featured in film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. “Clear The Area” was sampled by rapper / lyricist Saint.

Ellipse (2009)

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Ellipse is the third studio album from British singer–songwriter Imogen Heap. The album’s title was confirmed by Heap via her Twitter page on April 25, after being leaked onto the internet on April 23. On June 15, Heap confirmed that the album will be released on August 24 in the United Kingdom and August 25 in the United States/Canada. International release date is also August 24. The album was leaked to fileshare and torrent sites after the it was put up in streaming format on her website on August 17, 2009.

2009
09/01
CATEGORY
Music
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The Black Mages

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Genre:  Instrumental Rock

The Black Mages is a band that I found by complete accident (I was searching for symphonic rock bands at the time) and I’m glad I did.  Formed by Nobuo Uematsu, a Japanese video-game music composer best known for his work on the Final Fantasy series of role-playing games, in 2003.  The band arranges Uematsu’s musical compositions into a progressive rock style as well as incorporating the use of synthesizers.

They have released three studio albums so far:

The Black mages (2003)

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The Black Mages is an arranged soundtrack album of video game music from the Final Fantasy series of console role-playing games. The album contains a selection of musical tracks from the games, arranged and performed in a hybrid of power metal and progressive metal by The Black Mages. All of the selected tracks are “battle” music from the games. It was first released on February 19, 2003, by DigiCube, and subsequently re-released on May 10, 2004, by Square Enix.

The Black Mages II – The Skies Above (2004)

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The Black Mages II: The Skies Above is an arranged soundtrack album of video game music from the Final Fantasy series of console role-playing games. Like the previous album, the album contains a selection of musical tracks from the games, arranged and performed in a hybrid of power metal and progressive metal by The Black Mages. Unlike their first album, the arranged tracks include other songs besides battle tunes; the album also features vocal tracks, which were performed by Kazco Hamano, credited as “KAZCO”, and Tomoaki Watanabe, or “Mr. Goo”. It also includes a non-Final Fantasy track, “Blue Blast – Winning the Rainbow”, an original piece that was created for Japanese K-1 fighter Takehiro Murahama. It was released on December 22, 2004, by Universal Music.

The Black Mages III – Darkness and Starlight (2008)

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The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight is the third arranged soundtrack album of video game music from the Final Fantasy series of console role-playing games. The album contains a selection of musical tracks from the games, arranged and performed in a hybrid of power metal and progressive metal by The Black Mages in a similar manner to their previous albums. It was released on March 19, 2008 by Sony Music. The album has 10 tracks and a length of 60:40. The Black Mages themselves sing the chorus for the song “Darkness and Starlight”, the only vocal track on the album. Like the previous album, Darkness and Starlight features an original song, “Life ~ in memory of KEITEN ~”, which was written by Uematsu for Yoshitaka Tagawa, a boy he had met who had and later died of leukemia.

The Black Mages have only performed three Live shows to date.  The first, “”THE BLACK MAGES” LIVE: Featuring Battle Music of FINAL FANTASY”, was held in Shibuya, Tokyo in 2003 and later released on DVD exclusively to Square Enix fanclub members. The second concert, “THE BLACK MAGES LIVE “above the sky”: Featuring The Music of FINAL FANTASY” was held in Kawasaki City, Japan and similarly released on DVD to club members. The third concert, “THE BLACK MAGES III Darkness and Starlight LIVE”, was held at the Yokohama Blitz in Yokohama, Japan and was released on DVD on March 25, 2009.

I think Final Fantasy fans will appreciate this band the most.  It’s nice to hear new variations of classic songs and themes as well as the live performances.  If you are able to locate the albums or import them I’d recommend doing so.  There’s also plenty of clips from their live shows on Youtube if you’re just curious.

2009
06/16
CATEGORY
Music
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Frou Frou

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Genre:  Electronic, with elements of trip-hop, pop and rock.

Frou Frou were a British electronic music duo composed of Imogen Heap and Guy Sigsworth.  After releasing their only album, Details, in 2002 (with Heap providing vocals) they disbanded in 2003.

The name Frou Frou (pronounced froo froo) was chosen by Sigsworth himself derived from from the 1870 Rimbaud poem, “Ma Bohème,” and is French onomatopoeia for the swishing noise made by skirts on dancing women.  Frou-Frou is also the name of Count Vronsky’s tragic horse in Tolstoy‘s Anna Karenina.

Frou Frou’s sound is a unique and intricate one, comprised of a myriad of instruments including cellos, autoharps, guitars, keyboards, and Indian drums layered with Heap’s vocals.  All this combined creates a wonderfully mellow and relaxing sound.

It’s just a pity that they disbanded, Details reached critical acclaim and the band had gathered a cult following, problem is that none of the other songs were as popular as Breathe In (their first single released internationally) although I feel that Must Be Dreaming is by far the best song.

Since disbanding Heap has carried on with her solo career, having released several albums and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards.  I’m not sure as to the availability of Details in stores (I somehow doubt I’ll see it in South Africa) but you may be able to get it on import albeit expensively.

2009
04/27
CATEGORY
Music
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Galneryus

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Genre:  Power metal, neoclassical

Since Masterplan went down the crapper after Jørn Lande left the band, I decided to seek out an alternative power metal/speed metal band in an effort to fill the void, and found Galneryus completely by accident.

Perhaps the weirdest thing for me is that the band hails from Osaka, Japan of all places.  Japan isn’t the first place that pops into my head when the word power metal is uttered.  Nonetheless I was intrigued and decided to give them a try, first listening to their fourth full length album One for All – All for One and found myself pleasantly surprised.

Formed in 2001 by guitarist Syu and vocalist Yama-B, Galneryus is able to hold its own in the power metal world, after releasing five full studio albums, two DVDs and several music videos which rocketed them towards success, upon releasing their first EP, United Flag, they quickly gained the attention of music fans and independent Japanese record labels.

Notable songs include New Legend and Shriek of the Vengeance, two brilliant songs worthy of recognition.  Unfortunately it was announced that Yama-B would be leaving the band at the end of their Back to the Flag tour, how this will affect the sound of the band remains to be seen but in my experience, when lead singers leave it destroys the band, *cough* Nightwish *cough*.

2009
04/24
CATEGORY
Music
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Papa Roach – Metamorphosis

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Genre:  Alternative rock, alternative metal, hard rock, post-hardcore

Metamorphosis is Papa Roach’s sixth studio album released on March 24, 2009 however the album had already been leaked on the Internet in February, 2009.

Sometimes I have to listen to an album several times before I start liking it, such is the case with Metamorphosis except I only like three of the songs, ‘Hollywood Whore’, ‘I almost told you that I love you’ and ‘Lifeline’.  Out of those three, two are singles which were obviously released before the album so in actuality there was only one good song to look forward to.

The rest of the songs sound generic  and cliched and sort of blend into one another and it’s hard to tell when one song ends and the next begins which really is a shame.

Overall, I’d have to say that I was disappointed with this release. I like Papa Roach a lot, Infest is still their greatest album in my opinion and their ‘Live and Murderous in Chicago’ DVD rocked, to bad Metamorphosis didn’t.

Score 2/5

Bonus

It would seem that quite a few people have been trying to locate the album art and what-not of Metamorphosis, so for your convenience, I’ve provided it below:

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2009
04/08
CATEGORY
Music
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The Prodigy – Invaders Must Die

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Genre: Electonic, big beat, rave

I was quite pleased to hear not so long ago that The Prodigy would be releasing their new album in February of 2009 and that it would feature all three band members, the first time since their 1997 album The Fat of the Land.  Yay for Keith Flint.

However, I was not impressed at all with this album.  I was expecting kick-ass beats with drum ‘n bass incorporation much like their first few albums that made songs like Firestarter and Breathe so awesome but instead, much to my disgust, I was greeted with soulless, monotonous electro dribble that made me want to drive rusty forks into my ears.  I did not find a single song that spoke to me (the type of song that lodges itself into your brain and you find yourself humming repeatedly).  The band said that it would be going back to their old-school roots with the Invaders album so what happened exactly?

I can only think that Invaders Must die was a response to Pendulum (another electronic band) and their work, a band who saw a gap in the market during Prodigy’s absence.  C’mon Invaders Must die, seriously?

Score 1/5

2009
02/26
CATEGORY
Music
3 comments

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