[HEADING=1]
The Run Up to Fear Factory
This particular review will not feature Fear Factory...
...it's a run up[/HEADING]
Now I must admit that the last time I reviewed anything resembling Death Metal I told myself that it would certainly be
the last time I review anything resembling Death Metal. But I seem to have told myself the complete opposite since then so it seems I will have to do it. Though this time, I will be ready! See, I thought I'd build up will heavier and heavier music till I'm in the right mood and review them along the way. This could work, it probably won't, let's find out.
[img_inline caption="Ghost in my Head -Niva" align="left" height="300" width="297"]http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/Niva.jpg[/img_inline]
[HEADING=1]
Some Indie music
in the form of Ghost in my Head
by Niva[/HEADING]
[h4]Genre = Indie/ Techno
Number of Songs = 1
Highlights = Ghost in my Head[/h4]
I found this song a few days ago and it's so obscure that I had to actually buy it (horrible, I know), but I'm extremely glad I did.
Ghost in my Head is a catchy song with suitable wraith-like vocals and an electronic beat. I guess you could say that it's a bit like some of The Faint's (review on the previous page) stuff but it's slightly simpler and doesn't put so much stress on the lyrics. This isn't to say that it lacks intricacies but it contains a fairly standard amount for the genre. The chorus of "Think about it every time, like a ghost in the head" is incredibly catchy, I mean
really catchy and I advise anyone who likes pop/indie music to youtube it because this section is
way too short to warrant a video [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQa7E0Nwjh4].
[img_inline caption="Start Something - Lostprophets" height="300" width="297"]http://images.uulyrics.com/cover/l/lostprophets/album-start-something.jpg[/img_inline]
[HEADING=1]
Some heavier stuff
in the form of Start Something
by Lostprophets[/HEADING]
[h4]Genre = Heavy Rock/ Rock/ Pop Rock
Number of Songs (in my version) = 15
Highlights = Sway, Lucky You + Goodbye Tonight[/h4]
Now I say "in my version" because "my version" of this album seem to be a little different from the one posted on iTunes. This may be something to do with the fact that I bought this album (in CD form no less) at a car boot sale. The standard version of the album contains only 12 songs, some of which I don't have, so I don't have a clue where the other songs on the album came from. Oh well, they are rather good. One of them is even a highlight. I'll leave any Lostprophet purists to figure out which one it is.
One can't really call "Start Something" a heavy album as although there are thrashing guitars, manic drums and screams involved the majority of the singing is done in a manner better suited to an indie/emo band. This isn't to say that it doesn't work with the album as it does but it comes across as a peculiar decision. Although ironically, indie/emo is the direction Lostprophets go in with the next album. Not the new one however, but we don't talk about the new album. Anyhow, "Start Something" and its emo/indie singing forms the perfect bridge between my comfort zone and, as far as I'm concerned, the musical equivalent of systematic torture.
Sway is a good song. Why? Because it's the slowest song on the album, who saw that coming? Though it does happen to be very well done and contain a sense of build up that is undeniably gripping thanks to a clever use of percussion.
Sway still contains many of the elements of the rest of the album such as a heavily distorted guitar, yet it somehow manages to feel peaceful, as if you're
swaying. (See what I did there?) Oh, and this song has a 5 minute, only-in-a-Lostprophets-album outro that in my humble opinion is equally as brilliant.
[small]There was a better video with less gay pictures but the embedding didn't work.[/small]
Apparently,
Lucky You was featured in Spiderman 2. Note that this was told to me by an extremely unreliable source but it's definitely feasible. It's a great song, why wouldn't Spiderman like it too? It's got thumping drums, a rolling guitar riff and all the other blood-pumping mechanics that are perfect for psyching oneself up for a days web spinning. But wait, what's this? Is it... contrast? Why, yes it is!
Lucky You contains a few softer parts scattered about its 5:30 duration time, as well as a stint of it at the end. The heavier parts seem heavier and the softer parts feel even more awesome, especially the outro. God I love the outro...
Goodbye Tonight is heavier than the other two, in places, but it gives off more of a pop feel than the rest of the album. It's still very good: catchy, loud at the right places and contains some good guitar parts. It's very nice to listen to, which is all I can say really because it isn't anything more than
nice. In the end it just isn't as interesting to me as
Sway or
Lucky You, possibly because it lacks any soft parts. Don't get me wrong it is definitely good just, yeh... nice.
Overall, it is a very good album, or at least my version of it is, and possibly the best of all the Lostprophet albums. Especially better than the new one, but we don't talk about that. Okay then, there's nothing left for me to do but listen to one song from Between the Buried and Me and call it a day.
[HEADING=1]
And now for something completely expected
Alaska (the song)
by Between the Buried and Me[/HEADING]
There's an album with the name of this song, but as it is I'll save wading through an hour of this stuff till the review I'm currently running towards. So I'll make this quick, the beginning of this song is
fucking insane. I don't know what it is but sweeping arpeggios always sounds awesome. It's just a shame the screaming comes in and ruins it.
I guess you can tell what tomorrow's (hopefully, I may be dragged out to town. Oh the horror. So I won't have enough time.) review will hold.
Thanks for reading. I'm off to play some Minecraft.
[/footnote]
