A Stranger's music :: #46 Lemetre, Antlers and more Radiohead [video reviews]

[Stranger of Sorts]

[HEADING=2]9.[/HEADING]​

[HEADING=1] Oracular Spectacular[/HEADING]
[HEADING=2]_by MGMT[/HEADING]

[h4] Genre = Pop/ Electronic

Number of songs = 10

Highlights = Time to Pretend, Kids + Of Moons, Birds and Monsters[/h4]

There is a very strong and simple reason why I find that I've chosen to talk to you about MGMT's old album just as their new one is released. And that is because I listened to their new one and was so confused and sickened that I have been consoling myself with Oracular Spectacular for the past week and a half. Don't get me wrong, the new album is bad by any means but to me it just isn't anywhere near as good as this. I may review it later on but I'm afraid all the review would consist of is comparisons: this wasn't quite as good as this and that wasn't as inspired as that. Anyway I'm sure you understand after that paragraph of waffle so let's move forward shall we?

_
Now I'm sure that most of you will have heard of MGMT and (probably) heard the singles: Kids, Time to Pretend and Electric Feel as they have all been systematically played to death on the radio since, compared to the other shit that they air on Radio 1, they are amazing. MGMT's music can be described as upbeat and with very prevalent melodies that consist of electronic beeps but are pretty easy to listen to. Kids is very notably centred around the melody, which is very simple, loud and of course, catchy. However, the rest of Oracular Spectacular defies this precedent and is surprisingly sophisticated.

When I first played this album I was expecting much of the same, nonsensical lyrics, catchy beeps and upbeat choruses though, suffice to say I was pleasantly surprised. The first song I came across that wasn't a single was Weekend Warrior, a song that stars deceptively simple but quickly turns into a jaunty, fast-paced tune full of backing singers and suprise sections/ key changes. While it is slightly let down by the singer's rather whiny voice I would argue that it was better than MGMT's singles. And that is just the first song, the next song, The Youth, is very 'drifting' and more downbeat but equally enjoyable to listen to.

The album continues in this fashion, each song being unique and surprising in its own way, that is until we get to Of Moons, Birds and Monsters which is by far my favourite song on the album. It sets off pretty well with a pretty standard, happy verse with a guitar riff behind it, only when the chorus arrives there is only a quiet interlude where all but a few of the instruments stop, then it picks back up again. This happens twice and then the song changes completely into what has to be my favourite 'surprise outro' of all time, it just comes out of nowhere. A soulful, slow, building up instrumental piece that is the last thing you expect from a band such as MGMT, when I first heard it all I could do was lie on my back and gawp in awe.


Listening to it yet? You better be otherwise you're missing one of the most inspired songs of whenever this was written. Overall I can do nothing but praise this album, which annoys me as a reviewer, but as a music listener I couldn't be happier. If you haven't got this album yet I urge you to do almost anything to obtain it.

- Thanks for your time.

 

[Stranger of Sorts]

I really wish other people would comment on these. You really damn well deserve it.

You know what? So do I! I mean, I know people are reading this, unless you've clicked the link 270 times.

 

[Arcticflame]

I've never been a fan of mgmt, but I couldn't agree more on how they've really dropped the ball on the latest album.
I don't like mgmt by any measure, but they sort of had a bit of cred, then I heard a few songs off the travesty they released last and cannot find it in myself to respect them anymore.

 

[Stranger of Sorts]

[HEADING=2]10.[/HEADING]​

[HEADING=1]Parachutes [/HEADING]
[HEADING=2]_by Coldplay[/HEADING]

[h4]Genre = Pop

Number of Songs = 10

Highlights = Sparks, Trouble + Yellow[/h4]

So here we have it ladies and gentlemen, my 10th review! When I first started this series I expected my enthusiasm to fizzle out by the time I got this far but I proved myself wrong, my blind dedication to a lost cause has been paid off with... well nothing, but this keeps me from going psycho so I think it's best if I continue. Actually, to be honest these have never been much of reviews, I do that elsewhere like in my It's About Time! series which seems to be going pretty well at the moment, as in getting twice as many views on one review than this thread has, oh well shall we continue?

Now what I imagine a few of you are wondering why I, of all people, am reviewing Coldplay; a band renowned for being as mainstream and generic as possible whereas my music tastes border on the obscure. Well I'm sure all of you have heard Coldplay's latest stuff and that most certainly is generic and mainstream, but have you heard the album that made them so big in the first place? No. Or maybe yes. Either way I expect you to read the rest of the review because I'm demanding and am a narcissist so look sharp!

Parachutes opens up with Don't Panic, a very calming, acoustic dominated song which is overlayed by Chris Martins very good voice, it follows the classic Coldplay template of adding a loud, electric instrument when the chorus hits which plays uplifting scales to lift your mood and make the song a lot more memorable and catchy. However, while this song is good the formula seems to be ruining it, Don't Panic would probably be a much better song if the 'uplifting notes bit' was removed in favour of something a tad quieter. Confusingly the actual song Parachutes is only 45 seconds long and by far the worst song on the album it features an acoustic guitar and Chris Martin trying to sound deep and meaningful, it really doesn't work.

And then, as we reach the second half of the album things take an abrupt turn into awesome. Sparks, follows a similar style to Don't Panic but seems to be a lot more successful, the 'uplifting notes bit' is a lot less prevalent and the voice takes centre stage along with the rather haunting bass which just seems to make this song complete. It's funny how the smallest things like the bass really help elevate a song from standard to great. Sparks is then blown out of the water by Trouble, the piano ballad on the album. It's nice to see bands use the old trusty piano, all the most powerful songs involve the piano, and this song is most certainly powerful. It is, quite simply, a masterpiece. Then, last but not least, we come to Yellow. This is another formulaic song but yet again, it works; most likely because the formula is a very good one, Yellow features heavier guitar and drums than the rest of the album which is probably why it was the single, it's still very good though.


So yeh sure, Coldplay are as mainstream as you can get, "everyone sounds like Coldplay"... do you know why? It's because Coldplay created mainstream! Sure they may not be the best band in the world but they gave the world a formula, and that formula worked.

-Thus concludes my 10th review, thanks for your time.

 

[FinalHeart95]

It's obvious you're into indie-ish music, so I give you a challenge. Review Colors by Between the Buried and Me.

I just want to get as far off from what you're listening to. If nothing else, it will give you some idea of some other kinds of music.

 

[Stranger of Sorts]

It's obvious you're into indie-ish music, so I give you a challenge. Review Colors by Between the Buried and Me.

I just want to get as far off from what you're listening to. If nothing else, it will give you some idea of some other kinds of music.

Holy shit that'll be a challenge, actually wait I remember getting pretty into Alaska, okay will post a review up soon.

 

[acosn]

Eh. You like your indie too much.

The coldplay album was good, granted.

and maybe it's just that I'm on a 90's and earlier binge but I like my rolling stones and bob dylan more than the stuff that's new.

 

[Stranger of Sorts]

Eh. You like your indie too much.

The coldplay album was good, granted.

and maybe it's just that I'm on a 90's and earlier binge but I like my rolling stones and bob dylan more than the stuff that's new.

It's a shame as there's some really good new stuff, granted I don't really like Bob Dylan, sure he writes great music but he can't sing at all.

 

[JackTHerbert]

One album I'd like to see you review is Sub Focus by Sub Focus. Don't think you've reviewed anything like it yet, and I personally think it is a great album. 'course don't let my opinion on it affect yours

 

[Jekken6]

Stranger, I would like to see what you think of Crack the Skye by Mastodon

 

[Stranger of Sorts]

It's obvious you're into indie-ish music, so I give you a challenge. Review Colors by Between the Buried and Me.

I just want to get as far off from what you're listening to. If nothing else, it will give you some idea of some other kinds of music.

[HEADING=2]11.[/HEADING]​

[HEADING=1]Colors[/HEADING]
[HEADING=2]_by Between the Buried and Me[/HEADING]

[h4] Genre = Heavy/ Death Metal

Number of Songs = 8

Highlights = Foam Born (A) The Backtrack + ...[/h4]

Do you know what song sits in my playlist of favourite songs in between Kreuzburg by Bloc Party and 23 by Jimmy Eat World? It's Suicide Season by Bring Me The Horizon, an 8 minute orgy of screaming guitars and heavy riffs among a list of quiet, soulful songs. So when [user]FinalHeart95[/user] asked me to review this album thinking that it would be a challenge for me, he was wrong. So wrong in fact that I actually already own some songs by Between the Buried and Me, so when I downloaded this album and pressed play I was expecting much of the same. I couldn't have been more wrong.

This album starts of with a very slow piano piece, the trick usually played by bands such as this is to start with something quiet and then kick off with the screaming and the soloing when you least expect it. In fact, what Between the Buried and Me do is just to bring a voice in, the voice does not scream or shout, it sings in a soft, pleasant tone to accompany the piano. Needless to say I was pretty confused by this point, then the drums kick in and a chorus that would fit in better in a Muse album starts. Electronic Arpeggios and everything. But in the last 30 seconds of the great introduction that is Foam Born (A) The Backtrack, the screaming starts... and then it carries on into the next song.

You see lady and gentlemen, as well as taking lessons in music from Muse this band also take the from The Beatles, with songs seamlessly going into the next to create one continuous song, rather than a collection of 8 songs. This is the reason I only put one highlight because in all the other songs there are only certain parts that are good as the songs are constantly changing. What Between the Buried and Me like to do is show the listener (that's us) a contrast between the extremely heavy and the softer, more easy to listen to parts of their songs. This makes the heavy parts sound heavier and the softer parts softer and it really is interesting to listen to. If I had to pick an example I would pick Informal Gluttony, a very Egyptian sounding song while keeping it extremely heavy which at one point, suddenly stops to let the soft, singing part in. The effect is very powerful, any Bloc Party fan (such as myself) will instantly link this effect with Ares which is essentially 3 minutes of screaming and 10 seconds of calm, which is worth listening to the 3 minutes for.

Having all the songs blend into each other does create a problem though, they're all similar to each other. Apart from the opener, not a single one bucks the trend of starting off insanely heavy and introducing the calmer sections later on. It also feels like they've forced in some of the heavier sections in places since it really doesn't work, such as (B) The Decades of Statues which is frankly terrible. Confusingly, for a predominantly heavy metal band, the actual heavy metal bits are the weakest parts of the album.

This video is of the first 2 songs​

If you are a metal fan then I would seriously reckomend this album as it is done quite well, but it feels disjointed and some parts don't work so for the rest of us, I can safely say that you can give this album a miss.

I think I can plug my other reviews now...

Spoiler: More reviews created with the intention of wasting your time

It's About Time! Dragon Age: Origins [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.185708-Its-About-Time-Dragon-Age-Origins] Little Big Planet [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.184065-Its-About-Time-Little-Big-Planet]
Games The Fall(en) [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.183414-A-Stranger-reviews-The-Fall-en-updated], Plants Vs Zombies [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.183040-Plants-Vs-Zombies-In-a-Nutshell], Borderlands DLC: Secret Armoury [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.179437-A-Stranger-Reviews-Borderlands-Secret-Armoury-Get-you-one],Cod: Modern Warfare 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.181561-A-Stranger-reviews-CoD-Modern-Warfare-2-a-review-to-end-all-others-well-hopefully], B:BC2 demo [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.176510-Review-Battlefield-Bad-Company-2-multiplayer-demo]
Movies 2001: A Space Odyssey [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.179870-2001-A-Space-Odyssey-A-Strangers-verdict]
Music [url-http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.183857-Music-for-Dummies-A-collection-of-music-reviews-7-Technicolour-Health-by-Harlem-Shakes]The Music Thread[/url] My Dinosaur Life [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.182845-A-Stranger-reviews-music-My-Dinosaur-Life-by-MCS], Cajun Dance Party [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.181141-Cajun-Dance-Party-A-Strangers-Music-Review], Bloc Party [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.178462-A-Music-Review-Bloc-Party]
Random The Escapist forums [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.182355-A-Stranger-reviews-The-Escapist-Forums] Progress Wars [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.185328-Poll-A-Stranger-reviews-Progress-Wars]

[h4]And now for some unrelated stuff[/h4]

One album I'd like to see you review is Sub Focus by Sub Focus. Don't think you've reviewed anything like it yet, and I personally think it is a great album. 'course don't let my opinion on it affect yours

I don't think that will be possible, I've tried to get into DnB but I can't, the closest I've got is Dubstep (review 6.)

 

[BlueInkAlchemist]

Stranger, I'm enjoying this series. I have two suggestions for you: LostProphets' Fake Sound of Progress, or The Airborne Toxic Event.

 

[FinalHeart95]

I agree completely with your review by the way, excluding them sounding the same (for the most part). It's far from a non-metal fan's kind of album. I am a metal fan however, and it is my favorite album from them, and possibly from any band.

Well done!

 

[Stranger of Sorts]

Stranger, I'm enjoying this series. I have two suggestions for you: LostProphets' Fake Sound of Progress, or The Airborne Toxic Event.

It'll probably be The Airborne Toxic Event since according to people I know I just don't 'get' Fake Sound of Progress. Might have it up by tonight if msn gets quiet enough for me to do something else. Oh and I'm glad someone other than myself is enjoying this.

I agree completely with your review by the way, excluding them sounding the same (for the most part). It's far from a non-metal fan's kind of album. I am a metal fan however, and it is my favorite album from them, and possibly from any band.

Well done!

Thanks.

 

[acosn]

Eh. You like your indie too much.

The coldplay album was good, granted.

and maybe it's just that I'm on a 90's and earlier binge but I like my rolling stones and bob dylan more than the stuff that's new.

It's a shame as there's some really good new stuff, granted I don't really like Bob Dylan, sure he writes great music but he can't sing at all.

ok, you got me, he can't sing.

Who can these days?

 

[Stranger of Sorts]

Stranger, I'm enjoying this series. I have two suggestions for you: LostProphets' Fake Sound of Progress, or The Airborne Toxic Event.

[HEADING=2]12.[/HEADING]​

[HEADING=1]The Airborne Toxic Event[/HEADING]
[HEADING=2]_Whatever that means...[/HEADING]

[h4]Genre = Rock/ Pop

Number of songs = 10

Highlights = Wishing Well, Happiness is Overated + Innocence[/h4]

It's been a while since I've done one of these, well 3 days give or take but compared to the others that's quite a long time. Quite rude of me as well as I promised BlueInkAlchemist the review would be up straight away. There have, however, been several reasons for this, firstly I've been busy with all the revising for my GCSE's and whatnot, secondly I had the sudden urge to review Fallout 3 (go check it out) and that took rather longer than expected. Anyway here we are so let's begin.

Now my research has told me that the founder of The Airborne Toxic Event used to be a music critic, so automatically he is a really cool guy, but he was moved to make his own music when his girlfriend dumped him, his mother was diagnosed with cancer and he found out he had a horrible degenerate disease in the space of a week. I read this with glee as I was expecting an album of heartfelt sadness and amazing melancholious songs full of anguish and despair. It seems though, that I hoped for too much and found The ATE to be something completely different, although by no means bad.

The music that the ATE play can be described as classic singer, guitar, bass and drums rock music with elements of pop thrown in for good measure. Nothing revolutionary then, but in places they do pull it off really well, in others not so much. See, the think about the ATE's self titled album is that there are some songs that are a joy to listen to such as the listed highlights, but then there are songs so annoying and terrible that make you to stop listening and to never listen to them again.

The album gets off to a good start with Wishing Well, a song that shines in the intervals between verses. It builds up steadily before the voice comes in with thumped guitar playing and even some keyboard effects thrown in there as an initial base line. The song slows down when the singer comes in but as soon as the singing is finished the pounding guitars come back in which provide most of the feel for this song. Happiness is Overated is (ironically) a jaunty pop song about the joy he had with his ex-girlfriend and how he's sorry for whatever he did. The guitar and bass play on the beats of the drum which gives the song a very rhythmic feel, I suppose this song copies the Smiths song Charming Man which has very happy guitar in the background and lyrics about how the singer's a failure. This effect is confusing but it still makes for a good song, even if the lyrics are a bit shallow here and there "I just count these ceiling tiles..." Yeh...

This hands down worst song on this album is Does This Mean You're Moving On in which the bad singing goes along with the incredibly boring lyrics, "And swept aside, so dumb, so dumb, so dumb." Very insightful... It actually makes me want to bang my head against a wall it frustrates me so much. The singer's voice is an issue in some of the other songs as well, while it isn't that bad it becomes painfully strained all too often and sometimes goes uncomfortably low and croaky.


In the end I'm going to have to stamp a giant 'meh' on this album, sure there's some songs on this album that are pretty good but they are nothing compared to similar bands that I've already reviewed (i.e Fanfarlo) and the album feels uninspired and, dare I say it, quite generic.

 

[Stranger of Sorts]

ok, you got me, he can't sing.

Who can these days?

As this spilled over to the second page I couldn't quote it in the review.

My best mate can, even I can sing better than Bob and so can all the bands I've reviewed so far to varying extents.

 

[acosn]

ok, you got me, he can't sing.

Who can these days?

As this spilled over to the second page I couldn't quote it in the review.

My best mate can, even I can sing better than Bob and so can all the bands I've reviewed so far to varying extents.

Ok, maybe it's just me who thinks they mostly sound like whiney white kids.

 

[Stranger of Sorts]

Ok, maybe it's just me who thinks they mostly sound like whiney white kids.

Woah... woah...[sub]woah...[/sub] there. I'm just going to say I disagree and leave it at that, this is meant to be a review thread after all so it will suffer if we keep on going like this for ages. Tarah!