juste want to post my reviews here. if anyone wants to readm, comment or add theyre own, go nuts.

TRAVIS - 12 MEMORIES [EPIC]

Remember Travis?

A lot's happened since we last heard from Travis. Last year, drummer Neil Primrose was nearly paralyzed. The accident almost ended the band, changing their outlook on life, bringing a wider yet more focused perspective to the new album, 12 Memories.

The war on Iraq greatly impacted the album as well with anti-war sentiment spread throughout singer/songwriter Fran Healy's lyrics. "The Beautiful Occupation" cynically depicts the U.S./U.K. occupation in Iraq as a foreign invasion. The chorus sarcastically points out, "You don't need an invitation to drop in upon a nation". Sharing this theme is "Peace The **** Out" a message to Tony Blair urging him to abandon the U.S. in the war against Iraq, "You have a voice, don't lose it/You have a choice, so choose it/You have a brain, so use it".

The first single, "Re-Offender", deals with domestic violence, inspired by Healy’s parents abusive relationship. Fran painfully sings, "You say that you love me/Then you do it again".

Other songs show little change thematically or musically, despite the departure of producer Nigel Godrich. That said, The Man Who and The Invisible Band are two of most celebrated U.K. albums of the decade. If you like beautifully composed melodies and honest [if not original] songwriting, 12 Memories is worth the listen.

*** out of 5

THE STROKES – ROOM ON FIRE

SAME STROKES FOR SAME FOLKS

The Strokes sophomore effort begins, “I want to be forgotten, and I don’t want to be reminded”. Both pleas will likely remain unrequited despite their new album, Room On Fire.

It’s a good record, but there isn’t much new to say about the much hyped quartet from New York. The follow-up to 2001’s classic Is This It?, they could’ve called it, Well, Is “This” It Then?. Perhaps if things had worked out with producer Nigel Godrich [Radiohead, Travis, Beck] we could’ve 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, “It’s not the secret of the government that’s keeping you dumb/Oh, it’s 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

MATT SHARP - PUCKETT'S VERSUS THE COUNTRY BOY EP

Visions Of Matt

Matt Sharp fans finally have something to smile about again. Best known as the co-founder and bassist for Weezer in the mid-90’s, Sharp was also the creator and leader of sort-lived band The Rentals, who closed shop in 2000. Now, Sharp is back with his first solo effort, Puckett’s Versus The Country Boy.

To anyone looking for a return to his style with Weezer, this isn’t it. However, for those with no preconceptions or expectations based on Sharp’s past recordings, most should be quite pleased with what they hear. On these four mainly acoustic tracks, Sharp shows real artistic progression and offers his most confident and honest material to date. The stripped down approach taken musically compliments Sharp’s simple, heart-felt songwriting to a tee. The lyrics to the EP closer, “Hey, What You Gonna Do?” are particularly clever as Matt speaks of the “curse” that has plagued him and may kill his career. Well, there’s no sign of the curse’s ill-effects here.

Still engaged in a lawsuit over song-writing royalties with Weezer, Sharp has had a tough time of it lately. With Puckett’s…, things may finally be looking up again for Matt.

*** out of 5

RYAN ADAMS - ROCK N ROLL

"This Is It" For Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams is still sad, but now he’s really pissed off too. Finished recording the follow-up to 2001’s Gold, record execs at Lost Highway told him it sounded too much like The Smiths. Adams replied, "That's a huge ****ing compliment. Of course you don't like it. You live in Nashville!". Rejected, Ryan went back and banged out his loudest, angriest record to date, Rock N Roll.

Adams has never rocked like this. The ringing, soaring guitar on the first single, “So Alive”, recall The Edge from U2’s earlier albums. Ryan explores new range vocally, sounding like a resurrected Jeff Buckley on “So Alive” and “Anybody Wanna Take Me Home?”. Lyrically, the album still isn’t ‘happy’ but Adams displays the same satirical swagger as his hero, Morrissey. Lines like, “If I had a car I’d drive straight into the window of a bank I owed money to” from “Burning Photographs” and tracks like “Note To Self: Don’t Die”, “Do Miss America” and “Boys” show Ryan’s manic depressive humour.

Ironically, the one break from the rock is the title track. This beautiful two minutes of piano, Ryan’s defeated voice and an inaudible sample of a woman’s voice will make you breakdown.

**** out of 5

Those are some pretty good reviews, I can't say I like that kinda music but I read them all, pretty informative.

I might do a couple sometime, it's not limited to new releases is it?

no, ive juste been writin for my schools paper doin reviews on random new releases. do whatever you want.

SLOAN - ACTION PACT

Well, What Did You Expect?

Sloan are so predictable now it hurts. Even their album covers have just been reworkings of the same thing since 1996. Worse still is the music. In 1998, Sloan took an artistically ill-advised venture into straight-up cock rock with Navy Blues. While it may have been a let down for many fans of their classics One Chord To Another and Twice Removed, it was a huge commercial success in Canada on the back of the single, “Money City Maniacs”. Since then, Sloan never looked back and continued chasing the buck by repeating the formula used for Navy Blues over and over to the point of nausea.

It is truly sad for those who loved Sloan in the early 90’s to hear them now. Gone are the intelligent and charming lyrics. In their place, corny choruses like “Gimmie That” and the God-awful “Backstabbin’” or embarrassing lines like “One thing I know about the rest of my life, I know that I’ll be living it in Canada!”. Gone too are the interesting, unconventional song structures, replaced by such boring and obvious hooks that every song on the album just sinks into one big mind-numbing melting pot.

The devolution of Sloan over the past decade has been tragic. Realizing now that there is no longer hope of the band returning to form, this former fan just wishes they’d stop.

* out of 5

PEARL JAM - LOST DOGS [2CD]

Old Dogs And New Tricks

For all those Pearl Jam fans who have been prowling the Internet or who actually had the money to spend on all singles and compilations over the past 12 years tracking down every last song, this compilation may seem less exciting. But “Hold On”, did you say that 12 of the 32 tracks on Lost Dogs are previously unreleased, anywhere commercially or otherwise! Looks like Pearl Jam has given incentive for even the most die-hard fans to go spend another $30.

This two-disc collection of b-sides and other rarities from one of the greatest and most successful bands of our time is not just some vacant money grab. Always striving to give their fans the most bang for their buck, Pearl Jam has compiled nearly two hours worth of essential listening spanning their entire career. From such early classics as “Hard To Imagine” and “Yellow Ledbetter” to last year’s excellent Riot Act b-sides, much of Lost Dogs shows Vedder and Co. at their best. Included are five tracks taken from their fanclub singles given out to members almost annually at Christmas since 1992. The most recognized of these is “Last Kiss” which, when released as single aiding displaced Kosovo refugees, became their highest charting single ever at #2. Also representing Pearl Jam’s social consciousness are their contributions to the Music for Our Mother Ocean [M.O.M.] and Home Alive benefits dedicated to fighting pollution and domestic violence. Of the previously unreleased material, highlights include No Code and Binaural outtakes “All Night” and “Education” as well as “Sad” and “Hold On” of unknown origin. The final two selections, “Bee Girl” and an untitled hidden track are odes to fallen fellow musicians Shannon Hoon [Blind Melon] and Layne Staley [Alice In Chains]. Listening to Lost Dogs makes you wonder why it took so long for these songs to be released.

Of course, for those die-hard fans, this is not as complete as they may have liked. Left off are Yield b-side “Leatherman”, Merkinball classics “I Got Id” and “Long Road”, and “State Of Love & Trust” and “Breath” from the Singles soundtrack from ’92. Also failing to make the cut are fanclub singles “Happy When I’m Crying”, “Olympic Platinum” and, my personal favourite, Dead Boys cover “Sonic Reducer”.

Still, as is Lost Dogs is well worth the wait and well worth the buy for any Pearl Jam fan, casual or die-hard. Us die-hards will just have to hope for a sequel compilation in the future to round up those dogs that are still missing.

***1/2 out of 5

yeah, I probably would have bought it if State Of Love And Trust would have been on it...