The first time I heard Muse’s The Resistance, I knew it would be my album of the year. From the catchy base lines of “Uprising”, the Queen-inspired “United States of Euresia”, and the three-part classical revolution that was “Exogenesis”, Resistance is definitely a modern day masterpiece.
Read more…
A few days ago, I found out that one of my favorite bands, Armor For Sleep, has officially disbanded. I was always wondering what was up with the band since their last album was released in 2007 and they haven’t toured or revealed any plans on working on a new record. After a year of silence, frontman and founder Ben Jorgensen confirmed that the band has indeed disbanded and Armor For Sleep is officially dead.
Thrice’s new full length album “Beggars” leaked onto the internet MORE THAN 2 MONTHS (July) before its scheduled release date (October). However, this review was from a listen of the proper digital copy of the album that was released on Itunes on August 11th.
I’ve always admired the musical versatility of Thrice. From the pulse pounding beats of “The Illusion of Safety”, the pop-punk sensibilities of “Artist in the Ambulance”, the progressive riffs in “Vheissu”, and the massive sonic landscape covered by “The Alchemy Index”. Beggars is an album that sounds like the combination of Vheissu and the Earth disc from the Alchemy Index.
For starters, the album isn’t very upbeat and it’s not very heavy either. One word I’d use to describe the overall sound of the album though, is “raw”. Album opener, “All the world is mad” gives listeners a ride on a chugging baseline reminiscent of Thrice’s days of playing heavier music. The songs bridge provides a mid-tempo and slightly heavy vibe for the album. However, after the first song, you’ll notice that Thrice, yet again, has embarked on another journey of musical discovery.
Circles, was the song that caught my interest the most on this record. It’s very soft and very relaxing to listen to. A slow piano-based song, it is simply, one of the best songs that Thrice has ever produced.
The highlight of the album however is “In Exile”. Being perfectly placed in the middle of the tracklist, the song encompasses the album as a whole both musically and lyrically. It has a slow drum pattern that will make you shake your head in unison with Dustin Kensrue’s excellent vocals. Its chorus ( “My heart is filled with songs of forever” ) manages to be catchy without over-doing it.
“At the last” has a punk sounding intro and fast verses that sounds like a throwback to the Thrice music of old. Although this time, the hardcore and metal elements are clearly at a minimal.
The final and title track of the album is “Beggars”.I didn’t hear anything special in the slow verses and the riff heavy bridge. However, the lyrical message in the song is outstanding. It is a message to world’s powerful and influential, reminding them that all their power and riches mean nothing if they poor in spirit. For if they are poor in spirit, they ARE poor and are thus, Beggars.
Notably, the album is devoid of heavy screams. I guess the band thought it didn’t fit with the type of music they wanted to create. Overall, the album as a whole is better than The Alchemy Index. However, it pales in Comparison to Vheissu, which in my opinion, is Thrice best work. The album is slightly disappointing for Thrice’s standards, however, a slightly disappointing Thrice is still better than a lot of other bands from the hardcore/punk scene which spawned them.
Beggars is step in the right direction for the band in terms of song writing, lyrics, and musical consistency.
Hey guys, contrary to what some of you may have thought, I am indeed alive. Time was really scarce this past month and I couldn’t think of a anything to blog about, hence the month long absence. Anyway, i just though I’d post an entry about most of the stuff I’ve been up to since my last post.
I saw Transformers 2
Wow, what a disappointing movie. I was expecting it to be at least as good as the first one. It turned out to be much much worse, having Shallow story (if you can even call it a story), and underdeveloped characters. Too much fighting can be boring after a while especially when you don’t have an idea about what’s going on and who’s who.I can only think of 2 good things about the movie, the score which had Linkin Park’s New Divide, and it made me realize that the 1st movie was pretty good.
The shittiest day of my life…literally
Wow, I had a pretty bad case of loose bowel movement (LBM) last weekend. I probably hit the can for about 14 times in 48 hours. Holy…shit, I’m sure glad that’s over.
Going back to watching Chuck season 2
That shitty weekend led to me watching 3 or 4 episodes of Chuck’s second season. I was surprised by how good this second season is. The episodes are funnier, the action is better, story’s better, and the episodes just do a better job of having me hooked than the 1st season did. I don’t watch a lot of TV shows but Chuck is definitely my favorite show right now. I’ve always liked nerd/geek stuff and all this action-espionage shit and chuck combines both very well. Go watch it!
Tons of Schoolwork
I’m always thinking of what school stuff I have to do next. This semester’s starting to feel really busy.
Listening to the newly found Linkin Park demo disc/song
An amazing find by lplive.net. A new Linkin Park demo disc from 1999/2000. It contains new variations of demos of songs from Hybrid Theory and the Hybrid Theory EP. PLUS, it contains a new song entitled “She Couldn’t”, one of the softest songs from Linkin Park. The demo is a very good listen especially for LP fans.
Playing Rock Band: Unplugged
I’ve almost unlocked all songs! Some songs are too fuckin hard though (chop suey just to name one) My bands have members which are Metal Gear characters! I might post pictures here soon.
Linkin Park’s new song was released today. It’s the lead single from the Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen soundtrack. I like it. Sounds somewhat electronic, almost mechanical in way. Listening to it will transform you. Shades of 2007’s What I’ve done is very evident. The similarities are probably intentional since “What I’ve Done” was also included in the soundtrack of the first Transformers film. Chester’s vocals sound a bit different at first but it’s different-good. I also like the lyrics, it’s not as cheesy as past LP songs. The best thing about the song is the bridge though, I wasn’t expecting an electronic breakdown that sounds like Nine Inch Nails at first. Awesome. Just listen to it below!
I felt artsy today all of a sudden, probably because of looking at all of my albums and trying to figure out what to listen to. Then I remembered a blog entry I planned a while back: My Favorite album covers. (click on the images for larger versions)
Rage Against the Machine – The Battle of Los Angeles (1999)
I can’t believe this album’s 10 years old now. I Bought my copy in 2003. The graffiti artwork of a man w/ his arm raised and fist clenched fits the album’s sound perfectly.
Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory (2000)
Still my favorite album of all time. I remember looking for a casette tape with a “soldier with butterfly wings” on its cover, how much I liked the gray background, the graffiti inspired artwork, and the idea of a “Hybrid Theory” – a mixture of different sounds and styles. Nine years later, i still feel the same way.
A Perfect Circle – Thirteenth Step (2003)
One of the most outstanding, most visually striking piece of artwork I’ve ever seen. In my eyes, white and yellow never looked so good.
My Chemical Romance – Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004)
First saw this during my last year of High School, and before the mainstream “emo” crap was in full swing. I remember listening to MCR when very few people even knew them (I miss those days sometimes). I like the visual style of the cover, reminds of an old faded painting. The blood on the lovers’ faces was a bit too much but it was good for its time. This album cover was how I pictured me and my girlfriend at the time would end up…or so I thought. It was romance or sweet revenge and romance wasn’t so sweet.
Armor for Sleep – What To Do When You Are Dead (2005)
The aftermath of sweet revenge. Armor for sleep’s 2005 album was one of the best stories i’ve ever listened to. It tells the story of someone who commits suicide and what follows after his death. As for the cover, I liked the green color template that they used. Everything else that’s pictured perfectly captures how I felt in 2005 and the whole concept of the album. I was floating and suicidal tendencies was kicking in. In my opinion, a visual masterpiece.
Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth (2005)
The first Nine Inch Nails album I bought. Also very minimal and yet very striking. I get the feeling of decay and post-modern technology (sorry, i don’t know what else to call it).
Deftones – Saturday Night Wrist(2006)
First of all, what an awesome album. I really like the album cover too. Why? Let’s just say that on the cover, I see myself on Saturday nights, alone, and feeling “the desire to shake my wrist.”
Metallica – Death Magnetic (2008)
My 2008 album of the year. Well, the cover’s pretty simple but based on the concept of “Death as being magnetic in that it attracts or repels people”, I’d say they did very good. A coffin with the effect of attracting or repelling? Pretty clever. And to end all this on the funny side, some people say that the coffin looks like a anigaV (just read it backwards! LOL)
Music, that familliar sonic sensation I’ve always enjoyed. If you don’t know, or if you haven’t noticed, I mostly listen to Rock and Alternative music. This year’s music releases are shaping up to be quite the line-up, well, for me anyway. Here’s a list of the albums that I’m looking forward to listen to this year. Hopefully, no delays occur and all of these records get the chance to infiltrate my ears within the next 9 months.
30 Seconds to Mars – This is War. Aside from the title, I don’t know a lot about this album-it has also been promised this year. 30 seconds is agreat prog/alt band and I enjoyed their previous album (A Beautiful Lie) when I listened to it 2 years ago. The Kill is just one of those timeless, rock anthems.
Blink 182 – They’re back together and are working on a new album to be released this summer! Definitely one of my favorite bands growing up.
Chicosci - I read in FHM Philippines that they’ll release a new album this year. These fuckers need to go back to making some noise. If this new album turns out to be another “vampire social club” crap-fest of an album, I’m bailing out on these guys for good.
Chevelle – untitled new album. Looking to hear more of this band’s monstrous yet melodic screams. Sometime 2009.
Dead By Sunrise – Debut album. Dead By Sunrise is the side Project of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington together with members of Julien-K/Orgy. This was my 2nd most anticipated album for this year next to Linkin Park’s new concept album. Unfortunately, it looks like the new LP record will come out next year while this one is set for a september-october release. That bumps this album to number 1. A rock record with Chester Bennington on vocals? Yes please.
Deftones – Eros. While I’ve gotten over my crazyness with the Deftones’ previous album, Saturday Night Wrist, I’m really looking forward to this new album. SNR was, for me, their best album. I hope Eros can live up to it. Hopefully, the record should be out before Summer ends.
Muse – untitled new album. One my favorite british bands (together with Oasis and Radiohead), I enjoy Muse’s albums more though. Their new album is slated for a September 2009 release. Bring on the “hardest song ever”!
Saosin – untitled new album. I have high hopes for their new album since their first one (Saosin, 2006) was very good. The target release date for the new record is June.
Taking Back Sunday – New Again. Release date is June 2. The follow up to the best TBS album in my opinion (Louder Now). The band has confirmed that there will be 11 or 12 songs on the album and 2 b-sides. First singe entitled “Sink Into Me” will be out on April 27th! I can’t wait.
Listen to these bands on Myspace music.
Just thought I’d share this song I’ve been crazy about for the past 2 or 3 weeks. The title’s Hole in the Earth by the Deftones. It’s from the band’s 2006 album, Saturday Night Wrist. ANY fan of heavy music should definitely give this song a listen.
Time to mention the stuff that I enjoyed the most or kept me really interested in 2008.
Album of the Year: Death Magnetic by Metallica
I wasn’t that big of a Metallica fan before listening to their 2008 album but after listening to it entirely, Jesus Christ…the album is fucking amazing. It’s fast, heavy, and kept me headbanging all the way through. This is the album I listened to the most this year. From what I’ve read, this is the best Metallica album in almost 2 decades, a lot closer to the material from their first 4 albums – which is what most people want from them anyway. Judging from how much I liked Death Magnetic, I’m one of those people.
Movie of the Year: The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight = My favorite movie of all time
Being a Batman fan since childhood, I was blown away by every aspect of this movie. It truly deserves the critical and commercial success that it received. This is probably the best comic book superhero based movie of all time and it’s also my favorite movie of all time. I saw this flick on Imax and 2 or 3 times in the theater! (Yes, I do have a Batman hard on) Amazing performances by the entire cast (god rest Heath Ledger’s soul), intense action, a script that just screams epic, and dialogue that’s sure to make you think about real life crime, justice, and heroism. I believe in Harvey Dent.
Best game that I played all year: God Of War: Chains of Olympus
Since I don’t own a PS3, I only play new games on my PSP. I’m a big fan of the God Of War series on the PS2 and this PSP sequel is just as good as it’s console counterparts. Brutal action, the best graphics and most technically advanced game on the PSP, an engaging story, and nerve-racking puzzles hooked me to this title from my first play through. Yes it only takes a little over 5 hours to finish but when a portable game is this good, I won’t even care. Besides, I actually like the fact that it’s not that long of a game since I also do a lot of other stuff. Bottomline, if you have a PSP, make sure you play this game.
Best comic book: Batman: Year One
This is definitely the best Batman Comic book ever written. As I’ve only started reading comic books recently, it is also the best comic book I’ve read.
Person of the year: Barrack Obama
What do you mean "No Smoking in the white house?"
The first black US president? Martin Luther King’s dream has been fulfilled. I hope he’s up to the tremendous tasks ahead of him. The world’s counting on you Obama!
Tagline of the year: Why So Serious?
December…it makes me shiver in the cold. That could only mean two things, first, it’s Christmas time again. Second, I’m turning another year older. To celebrate both, i decided to do something I’ve been thinking about doing for quite some time…A Christmas Rock album. Sure, it has been done many times before but most of those albums are too genre specific. I made a Christmas Rock album that has something for everyone, From punk, alternative, electronic, to even metal. Some Bands/Artists in the album, I’m very familiar with. Some, I haven’t even heard of prior to selecting tracks for the album. The album is composed of covers of classics Christmas songs and original compositions. The compilation album’s called 20th December: A Christmas Rock Album. The title’s a reference to my age and also to how many Decembers I’ve gone through (which is pretty redundant when you think about it but what the hell). Anyway, here’s the Track list for the album:
01 I won’t be home for X-mas – Blink 182
02 Snowed Under – Keane
03 Christmas Time (Dont Let The Bells End) – The Darkness
04 Have Yourself a Merry little Christmas (live) – Coldplay
05 Winter Wonderland – Phantom Planet
06 Christmas with the devil – Spinal Tap
07 Carol of the Bells – Thrice
08 Twelve Days of Christmas (Christmas is for the birds) – Taking Back Sunday
09 White Christmas – Bright Eyes
10 Great Big Sled – The Killers
11 Christmas song – Weezer
12 All I Want for Christmas is You – My Chemical Romance
13 Happy Christmas (War is Over) – John Lennon
14 Feed the World (Do They Know It’s Christmas) – Far feat. Chino Moreno of the Deftones
15 Do You hear what I hear – Copeland
16 The Lights And Buzz – Jack’s Manequin
17 I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause – Twisted Sister
18 You’re The One I Miss (This Christmas) – MXPX
19 No Presents for Christmas – King Diamond
20 My December (live-2008) – Linkin Park
20 tracks, 20 Decembers. Sounds a bit cheesy I know, but Christmas always is. Check out these bands if you like but download the album first and tell me what you think! Merry Christmas!
Here are the links:
Mediafire
FileFactory
Recent Comments