Album Reviews - Page 3

saudade · 09-14-2004, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisarclark

THE STROKES ROOM ON FIRE

SAME STROKES FOR SAME FOLKS

The Strokes sophomore effort begins, I want to be forgotten, and I dont want to be reminded. Both pleas will likely remain unrequited despite their new album, Room On Fire.

Its a good record, but there isnt much new to say about the much hyped quartet from New York. The follow-up to 2001s classic Is This It?, they couldve called it, Well, Is This It Then?. Perhaps if things had worked out with producer Nigel Godrich [Radiohead, Travis, Beck] we couldve heard something new from The Strokes, but not this time. The only new area tackled here, sonically or lyrically, is the subtle reference on Automatic Stop to homosexuality a-la Morrissey- So many fish there in the sea/She wanted him, he wanted me.

A flicker of consciousness in Room On Fire, comes as The End Has No End gets vaguely political, Its not the secret of the government thats keeping you dumb/Oh, its the other way around. The rest of the album reflects the first single, 12:51, and its world of drinking and partying and come-and-go lovers.

*** out of 5

I beg to differ. Totally. It's a great album and much better than the first... but hey, there's ROOM for everyone, huh?

chrisarclark · 09-15-2004, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Equinox

My reviews are shit, so I can't really criticize.

It would be nice if I could understand your posts though. If you don't care, what's the use in "fooking" posting

theyre perfectly understandable without being gramatically letter-perfect. if you cant understand them the way they are then you probably dont do much better when more care is taken in spelling and puncuation anyway.

chrisarclark · 09-15-2004, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saudade

I beg to differ.

yude be in the minority on that one- most everyone knows that Is This It? is easily a better album. Room On Fire isnt bad [its fairly good], but it isnt great. theyre debut is great.

chrisarclark · 10-03-2004, 08:05 PM

AUF DER MAUR – S/T

2004 was the year that Melissa Auf der Maur, former bassist of Hole and of Smashing Pumpkins during their dying days, stepped out of the long cast shadows of Courtney Love and Billy Corgan and into the spotlight of solo artistry. It was also the year she stepped back into the even longer cast shadows of solo mediocrity.

This record is filled with ambition but not much else. The best moments come during the rolling chorus of the first single, ‘Followed The Waves’, the only track that approaches the label of “standout�?. The rest of the album is simply weak vocals singing weak lyrics to an over-amplified, under-developed musical surrounding.

The awful yodeling sequence leading into the second (French) version of ‘Taste You’ (as if you wanted to hear it again) pretty well sums it up. Yet another poor offering from the Pumpkins/Hole alumni.
--chrisarclark

chrisarclark · 10-03-2004, 08:07 PM

R.E.M. – AROUND THE SUN

Give me a minute and I’ll tell you the setup for the worst R.E.M. album ever. Around The Sun is, sadly, one of the most boring records ever recorded.

The descent of R.E.M. began with 2001’s “okay�? offering, Reveal, followed by the dreaded greatest hits compilation, In Time. Now comes an album so musically vacant, so incredibly dull and indistinct from track to track, with vocals and lyrics so naïve and cliché, it makes you cringe. It sounds as if Peter Buck and Mike Mills have come down with their own brain tumors and joined ex-R.E.M.er Bill Berry in early retirement, leaving an uninspired Michael Stipe to carry on solo. Buck and Mills are actually still around but they could fool anyone with their disappearing act performance here. Don’t even get me started on the completely embarrassing guest appearance from Q-Tip.

Around The Sun is sure to be on everyone’s year-end list of cosmic disappointments.
--chrisarclark