I Have a Fever, and the only CURE is DISINTEGRATION!

 

Artist: The Cure

Album: Disintegration   

Genre: Alternative rock, Gothic rock, Post-punk, New wave, Dark wave, Dream pop, Art rock

Release date: May 2, 1998

Description: 

    Welcome to the Eighth record by The Cure. Disintegration brings us back to the classic Cure we know from the early 80s. With their Gothic Rock style coming in for a big presence on this release, it was clear they wanted to get back to their roots as a band. The group had been facing much popularity due to their pop success of the decade.  Due to the stress of the popularity put on the band to follow this up with more mentally strenuous work, Robert Smith ended up going back to his abuse of hallucinogenic drugs, which had a strong influence on the shaping of this album. The album became a critically acclaimed success for the band commercially. It topped the UK charts at number 3 and the US charts at number 12! it was ranked number 116 ont he Rolling Stone to 500 albums of all time list.

Favorite Track: Lovesong

Reason: The intro begins with a great organ sound and straight rock style rock beat that drives the song along. The keys and synth style instrumental breaks between verses keeps the listener engaged in this piece. The lyrics in the chorus tell of a character explaining, no matter whatever happens, they are to be true and loving to their partner. We get a little solo on the guitar that breaks up the song for a moment until we are brought back to a verse that leads into another run of the chorus. Then the songs does a short instrumental measure or two to end the song. Very straight forward and simple the song.

Album Rating: 8.0/10

The album is a great return to the basics for the Cure. The band gets to go back to their early 80s roots. The gothic nature of this release is a much-needed revival for what they are best known for in their style of playing. The fact that this album starts off with a wind chime heavy into and ends in a melodica style sound is very unique. Although a very popular album, I like a bit more oomph in my pop-rock, gothic rock albums.  

The Cure: Disintrigation review

Artist: The Cure

Album: Disintegration

Genre: Alternative rock, Gothic rock, Post-punk, New wave, Dark wave, Dream pop, Art rock

Relase date: May 2nd 1989

First impressions: Lots of synth-pop type beats, but an easy listen album for sure. Definitely can tell it was recorded in the 80s.

Favorite song: Disintegration

Has some good beats and the vocals are great to. A little hard to understand what they are singing but I think I get the gist of it.

Overall rating: 7/10

With its synthetic beats and easy melodies this is for sure an album I could listen to again. Not my personal favorite but definitely worth listening to.

The White Stripes: Elephant album review

Artist: The white stripes

Album: Elephant

Genre: Rock, Alternative rock, Garage rock, Indie rock, Blues rock, Post-punk revival, Punk blues

Relase date: April 1st 2003

First impression: This has a nice mix of different rock styles and you can't go wrong with 7 Nation army.

Favorite song: The Hardest Button to Button

The drum beats to this song and the catchy lyrics make this a fun song to listen to.

Overall rating: 8/10

Like I mentioned this album has a good mix of different rock styles and it makes it a pleasant listening experience without being over powering.

Let's Talk About The ELEPHANT [Playing] In The Room

 

Artist: The White Stripes

Album: Elephant

Genre: Rock, Alternative rock, Garage rock, Indie rock, Blues rock, Post-punk revival, Punk blues, Garage punk

Release date: April 1, 2003

Description: Are you going to Wichita? If so, take this Grammy winning White Stripes album with on your travels! Released on April Fools' Day 2003, this 14 track Alternative album showcases the best of this group in under 1 hour! Many critics hailed this album as a best for the decade! When this was initially released, it received a Metacritic score of 92. This album also saw a special 10th anniversary release on Vinyl as well!

Favorite Track: Ball and Biscuit

Reason: The southern charm of the guitar tone gives this song its legendary sound profile! This song also has a big low end once the solo comes over the speakers. I love the Sing-Talk style of the vocals on this track as well. The squeaky grind of the guitar tone on the solo is so addicting. The song may go on for a while, but it's a great telling of the instrumental abilities of The White Stripes.

Album Rating: 9.0/10

This album has it all. A guitar.......

.... and drums.

Need I say more? This also has one of the most classic CHANT songs of all time. By that I mean, you go to a big celebration or sporting event and you are sure to hear people going OH, oh oh oh, ooooooh ooooh to the man riff of Seven Nation Army! Along with that song, you have many other favorites. This album is a showcasing of the best of this group. The expressiveness of the instruments and vocals with such limited a lineup is amazing. Not many groups pull off the guitar and drums experience like they do!. 

Arcade Fire: Funeral album review

Artist: Arcade Fire

Album: Funeral

Genre: Indie rock, Alternative rock, Art rock, Baroque pop, Chamber pop, Post-punk revival

Release date: September 14, 2004

First impression: I have heard of the band arcade fire before but haven't sat down to listen to a whole album by them. I really like the laid back vibe that they bring to this album.

Favorite song: Nieghborhood #4 (7 kettles)

The overall beat to this song mixed with the soft vocals of  the band make this one of my favorites. 

Overall score: 9/10

I am starting to enjoy indie music, it is much different than the standard mainstream pop that I usually listen to. The smooth beats and everything make this a chill album to listen to.

Neighborhood #5 (Reviews) : A Funeral Perspective

 

Artist: Arcade Fire

Album: Funeral 

Genre: Indie rock, Alternative rock, Art rock, Baroque pop, Chamber pop, Post-punk revival

Release date: September 14, 2004

Description: An album of much success for this Canadian Indie-Rock Group. This being the first studio release of theirs, it gained critical acclaim immediately, with 5 total singles coming from this. The group saw success at number 19 on the UK singles charts from the track Rebellion(Lies). Being the unique group they are, Arcade Fire recorded this album at Hotel2Tango in Montreal, Quebec. This is a very interesting studio being that it is a 24 track all analog studio. They went for a very pure sound with their instrumentals on the album. With many of the band members losing family members within a little over a year of the album release, the name made so much sense for the release. 

Favorite Track: In The Backseat

Reason: THE VOCALS! I can never say no to a good female vocalist. As the lead female vocalist for the band, Régine Chassagne has a wonderful range. The start of the song with strings and her voice just puts chills down my spine! The ominous beat of the drums in the back end of the piece draws you along with the melody of the piano. You then get the punchy guitar that comes on through within the first 1/3 of the song and elevates the whole song for just a brief moment before the strings and piano take over once again. Once you reach just about halfway through the song, the drums break into their edgy Alt-Rock style beat and the guitar starts its punchy crunch style sound to round out the entire ensemble of instruments. The strings keep moving, while all of a sudden the horn sneaks out from behind the massive cast of instruments to brings another layer of wonder to the song.  Finally, the track starts to mellow out, with the strings ending the piece with a light plucky bounce that ends in a fade to silence. 

    The entire time I kept feeling more and more excitement along this wonderful recording! I was drawn to every little movement within it. The vocals caught me off guard right away. The classical sound of the strings and horn were a vibrant change of pace for the track. Then the heavy rock break in the middle of the song keeps the energy going. Finally, the song simplifies into a bare element of classical strings flowing through the melody until they switch to their light and plucky ending and then... silence.

Album Rating: 9.6/10

This album is one of my favorite early 2000s Indie-Rock albums. I've always found myself to be an Indie/Alternative Rock fan. It's a big part of what make me the musician I am. I can recount many times hearing tracks from this release and the feeling of excitement and uplift I get from them. I find the use of the strings within the songs so pleasant and exciting. With a great opening into what was a new and exciting time for music with this album and other's like it, this work of art brings the listener into a whole new style of punchy rock instrumentals mixed with elegant and exciting strings. The album makes you rethink the use of classical and Rock together in a new era for music in the 2000s. Overall, what brings me to rate this album as good as I do is the fact that not once with this album did I find a disappointing track at all. I'm still searching for the best album ever, but this certainly hits high on this guy's charts!

The House full of ACID (MUSIC): A Screamadelica Review

 

Artist: Primal Scream

Album: Screamadelica 

genres: Alternative

Release date: August 10, 1991

Description: Being this the third record from the band, this departure from their normal sound was a unique transition into a new style for them. After rocking the indie style for a while, they wanted to try something new. That's just what they did. They ended up incorporating LSD and MDMA into their process and got much of their influence from House Music. The album peaked at number 8 on the UK music charts, and it also won the first Mercury Music award in 1992.

Favorite Track: Damaged

Reason: This country styled piece is a much welcomed change to the already interesting track listings. With a break from the regular House style music of the album, this track resonated with me greatly. A very simple guitar and piano opening leads into the very mellow vocal track. The drums are not overpowering in this song at all. They use brushes to bring a more subdued styling to the beat they contribute. Around half-way through, the guitar switches to a more heavy electric low-end tone with a bare-bones solo. The song rolls around back to the chorus before fading out with another solo from the guitar to round out the piece. 

Album Score: 8.0/10

The album is a very fascinating one indeed. With the move to a more House style music choice for this one, it brings a new tone for the band. Many instrumental changes to the styling were made. The opening track reminds me very much of a George Michael Freedom style piece. The album takes many strange turns as it explores the house scene. With the bizarre siren sounds and the bouncy synth tones, it then moves into some slower house-trance beats along its middle section. We also get into some happier, upbeat pop rock themes as well. With a break for country ear the end, the album ends on a very bizarre note with the track :Shine Like Stars." Overall, an interesting album with many styles across the track listing.