Move Along by The All-American Rejects (2005)
Ok, ok, before you start knockin', lemme remind you of my stance on musical taste: there's no such thing. It's what you like and what you don't like. So yes, AAR are a brand of pop rock/emo that most rock fans shake their heads at, but I have fun with this album. It's upbeat choruses are great for summertime. Not every song on the album is a hit with me, but a pretty decent chunk of it tickles my fancy. I guess that's all I have to say. Something tells me I'll probably like their first album, but not so much the third. We'll see. I don't have either of them yet. But this one's a fun one.
It gets a 4.0/5 on my likeability...likability...is that a word...scale.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
My Library VI - We're Punk, But Not Punk, K?
After I finish this blog, I'm gonna tinker with the layout a bit. We'll see how that goes...
Let's Build Something to Break by After Midnight Project (2009)
There's nothing that I outright dislike here, but I think AMP has some growing to do, musically. It's just a little...static. About half of the songs seem to blur into each other, and then the ones that have a little more substance to them are just different takes on the same idea. It works for me, but I'm eager to see if they can pick up the pace a little in the future. Sorry for being redundant, but I'll remind you that I happen to enjoy catchy melodies, and there's plenty of that here. Overall, I enjoy the album. Oh, and as for my not-so-clever title, that refers to the fact that AMP has been on the Warped Tour for the past couple of years. Warped Tour used to be really punk, but now it's adopted a more...poppy punk image...and while it's difficult to nail down genre these days, I don't hear much of any of today's punk styles in AMP...
Giving it a 4.0/5 on my scale.
Let's Build Something to Break by After Midnight Project (2009)
There's nothing that I outright dislike here, but I think AMP has some growing to do, musically. It's just a little...static. About half of the songs seem to blur into each other, and then the ones that have a little more substance to them are just different takes on the same idea. It works for me, but I'm eager to see if they can pick up the pace a little in the future. Sorry for being redundant, but I'll remind you that I happen to enjoy catchy melodies, and there's plenty of that here. Overall, I enjoy the album. Oh, and as for my not-so-clever title, that refers to the fact that AMP has been on the Warped Tour for the past couple of years. Warped Tour used to be really punk, but now it's adopted a more...poppy punk image...and while it's difficult to nail down genre these days, I don't hear much of any of today's punk styles in AMP...
Giving it a 4.0/5 on my scale.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
My Library V - Can I At Least Get a Little Cheese On This, Please?
Adelitas Way by Adelitas Way (2009)
Oh, the mixed feelings I have here. I do like it, but I enjoy this album way more than I should. I blame the live shows. The first time I saw these guys, they had just been signed and hadn't even released the first single off of their soon-to-be-released first album. So, I kinda feel like I've watched them grow up. They have really energetic live shows, and I've always said that live is the best spice. I don't think I would feel the same about this band or their music if I had just heard them on the radio. But I've seen them four times (fifth coming up on July 7th). It's not that the music is bad. It just sounds like anything else out there. There's not really anything about Adelitas Way that stands out amongst their peers. They could use a little cheese. But look, I knock'em, but I'm about to give this album a good score. Again, because these aren't reviews, just my opinions on my library, and everything being said, I still like this album. It gives me good, happy feelings and reminds me of all the times I've seen them live.
This one gets a 4.5/5 on the Kim Scale.
Oh, the mixed feelings I have here. I do like it, but I enjoy this album way more than I should. I blame the live shows. The first time I saw these guys, they had just been signed and hadn't even released the first single off of their soon-to-be-released first album. So, I kinda feel like I've watched them grow up. They have really energetic live shows, and I've always said that live is the best spice. I don't think I would feel the same about this band or their music if I had just heard them on the radio. But I've seen them four times (fifth coming up on July 7th). It's not that the music is bad. It just sounds like anything else out there. There's not really anything about Adelitas Way that stands out amongst their peers. They could use a little cheese. But look, I knock'em, but I'm about to give this album a good score. Again, because these aren't reviews, just my opinions on my library, and everything being said, I still like this album. It gives me good, happy feelings and reminds me of all the times I've seen them live.
This one gets a 4.5/5 on the Kim Scale.
Friday, June 25, 2010
My Library IV - Nothin Like Summer
Before I jump into today's entry in the series...
I sleep with the radio on. After I woke up this "morning" (Ok, so it was more like noon...), I was just laying in bed, delaying the moment when I actually I had to get up, when I heard something muy interesante on the radio: "The Smashing Pumpkins are BACK, ladies and gentlemen, and they're gonna be HERE at the Valarium on..." I didn't even hear the rest of the sentence because that was all it took for me to leap out of bed and run to my computer. Sure enough, there it was. I had just been to the Valarium's website maybe a week ago, and that concert sure as hell wasn't listed then. This a new development, and the tickets went on sale today at noon. I checked the balance in my bank account and ordered myself a ticket. Yes, I know that Billy Corgan is all that remains of the original Pumpkins, but this concert is still gonna be sweeeeet.
Anywho, on with the show!
Uplifter by 311 (2009)
Would I define myself as a 311 fan...not particularly. That doesn't mean that I don't like them. I just don't love them and don't really listen to them very much. Just a song here and there. But I really fell in love with their singles for this album, especially "It's Alright." So I went ahead and picked up Uplifter. I'm definitely satisfied with the purchase. I don't dislike any of the songs, though I can't really get into about half of the album. I will say this, though. This album is perfect for summertime: in your car, windows down, bright sunny skies...I'm going to see them in July. It's an amphitheater show, and I think they'll be perfect for it.
I give this one a 3.5/5 on the Kim Scale.
I sleep with the radio on. After I woke up this "morning" (Ok, so it was more like noon...), I was just laying in bed, delaying the moment when I actually I had to get up, when I heard something muy interesante on the radio: "The Smashing Pumpkins are BACK, ladies and gentlemen, and they're gonna be HERE at the Valarium on..." I didn't even hear the rest of the sentence because that was all it took for me to leap out of bed and run to my computer. Sure enough, there it was. I had just been to the Valarium's website maybe a week ago, and that concert sure as hell wasn't listed then. This a new development, and the tickets went on sale today at noon. I checked the balance in my bank account and ordered myself a ticket. Yes, I know that Billy Corgan is all that remains of the original Pumpkins, but this concert is still gonna be sweeeeet.
Anywho, on with the show!
Uplifter by 311 (2009)
Would I define myself as a 311 fan...not particularly. That doesn't mean that I don't like them. I just don't love them and don't really listen to them very much. Just a song here and there. But I really fell in love with their singles for this album, especially "It's Alright." So I went ahead and picked up Uplifter. I'm definitely satisfied with the purchase. I don't dislike any of the songs, though I can't really get into about half of the album. I will say this, though. This album is perfect for summertime: in your car, windows down, bright sunny skies...I'm going to see them in July. It's an amphitheater show, and I think they'll be perfect for it.
I give this one a 3.5/5 on the Kim Scale.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
My Library III - SCREEAAAMMMOOOOO
Damn, I'm on a roll with these posts! Anywho, next up...
A Beautiful Lie by 30 Seconds to Mars (2005)
I don't think I would exactly call myself a fan of emo/screamo in general, but I certainly do have a soft spot for this band. You know me. Good guitars + memorable melodies = good tunes. Plus, I can handle a little screaming here and there. That being said though...I was a tiny bit disappointed by this album. Before I purchased it, I had only heard the four singles, and I loved every single one of them (especially "The Kill" and "From Yesterday"). I don't dislike the remaining tracks. I just don't think they sound as special. There are a few other songs that I really like, though they don't quite have the power of the singles. Overall, I enjoy this album though (despite the dreaded hidden track).
I give this one a 4.0/5 on the Kim Scale.
A Beautiful Lie by 30 Seconds to Mars (2005)
I don't think I would exactly call myself a fan of emo/screamo in general, but I certainly do have a soft spot for this band. You know me. Good guitars + memorable melodies = good tunes. Plus, I can handle a little screaming here and there. That being said though...I was a tiny bit disappointed by this album. Before I purchased it, I had only heard the four singles, and I loved every single one of them (especially "The Kill" and "From Yesterday"). I don't dislike the remaining tracks. I just don't think they sound as special. There are a few other songs that I really like, though they don't quite have the power of the singles. Overall, I enjoy this album though (despite the dreaded hidden track).
I give this one a 4.0/5 on the Kim Scale.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Pet Peeve
What? Two blogs in one day? Yeah, well I had something else to write about, in addition to today's entry in the new series. Wanna know one of my pet peeves? Hidden tracks. Am I the only person that finds them annoying as hell? I feel like in the the digital age, they're pretty obsolete. I like the idea behind them. A nice little surprise or bonus is good sometimes. But I think it causes a slight bump in the road in today's digital age.
Hidden tracks come in various forms. First, there's one of the most common, the "Oops-you-left-the-CD-on" hidden track. Usually, it happens after the last track on the album. The song plays, followed by several minutes of silence, then the hidden track plays. The point of these is usually to surprise fans. It works, and gives a nice bonus to fans who are purchasing the CD. In today's world though...
Many who buy albums buy digital copies through iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, what have you. Those who still buy CDs usually end up importing them to their computer also. What happens then? The music often ends up on iPods and other such mp3 players. A track that is fifteen minutes long, with ten of those minutes being complete silence, is just a pain in that digital setting. Either you can get to the skip button and the hidden track goes unheard, or you have to sit through minutes of silence, which isn't why you shoved those buds in your ears, now is it? Plus, what if you just want the hidden track to play? Nope, sorry. No soup for you! Case in point: "Your House" from Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill or Jagged Little Pill Acoustic.
Another big one is the "We-Swear-You'll-Only-Find-This-One-By-Accident" pre-grap hidden track. Most commonly, this one is found only by putting your CD into a player and manually "rewinding" from the beginning of track one. Pre-gap tracks are often referred to as "Track 0." You have to rewind all the way through the song, to the beginning of the track, where it will play forward from there. Computers can't read these at all, so there's no way to even get them to your computer to move them to your mp3 player. So not only is it a pain to get to these tracks from your album, but you can't get them in any form digitally. Case in point: "Uncle Bobby" from Flyleaf's Memento Mori. It's actually a really good song. Too bad...
This rant has been cooking for a while, but what spurred it? I've been listening to the albums that I'm using for the series, and 10 Years uses 2 instrumental pre-gap tracks on each album. The next one from 30 Seconds to Mars has the dreaded nine minutes of silence before that super-secret hidden track plays...(insert rolling of the eyes here). Come on, guys. I appreciate that you all want to make us work for our hard earned songs, but let's get what the present, shall we?
/rant
Hidden tracks come in various forms. First, there's one of the most common, the "Oops-you-left-the-CD-on" hidden track. Usually, it happens after the last track on the album. The song plays, followed by several minutes of silence, then the hidden track plays. The point of these is usually to surprise fans. It works, and gives a nice bonus to fans who are purchasing the CD. In today's world though...
Many who buy albums buy digital copies through iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, what have you. Those who still buy CDs usually end up importing them to their computer also. What happens then? The music often ends up on iPods and other such mp3 players. A track that is fifteen minutes long, with ten of those minutes being complete silence, is just a pain in that digital setting. Either you can get to the skip button and the hidden track goes unheard, or you have to sit through minutes of silence, which isn't why you shoved those buds in your ears, now is it? Plus, what if you just want the hidden track to play? Nope, sorry. No soup for you! Case in point: "Your House" from Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill or Jagged Little Pill Acoustic.
Another big one is the "We-Swear-You'll-Only-Find-This-One-By-Accident" pre-grap hidden track. Most commonly, this one is found only by putting your CD into a player and manually "rewinding" from the beginning of track one. Pre-gap tracks are often referred to as "Track 0." You have to rewind all the way through the song, to the beginning of the track, where it will play forward from there. Computers can't read these at all, so there's no way to even get them to your computer to move them to your mp3 player. So not only is it a pain to get to these tracks from your album, but you can't get them in any form digitally. Case in point: "Uncle Bobby" from Flyleaf's Memento Mori. It's actually a really good song. Too bad...
This rant has been cooking for a while, but what spurred it? I've been listening to the albums that I'm using for the series, and 10 Years uses 2 instrumental pre-gap tracks on each album. The next one from 30 Seconds to Mars has the dreaded nine minutes of silence before that super-secret hidden track plays...(insert rolling of the eyes here). Come on, guys. I appreciate that you all want to make us work for our hard earned songs, but let's get what the present, shall we?
/rant
My Library II - Movin' On Up
Division by 10 Years (2008)
So if I really like the first album, I love this one. Division was written with a more experienced hand. It has none of the static of the first album, instead delivering a string of impressive songs that really have a way of sticking to me. This is an album I come back to a lot. This album is why I love 10 Years and why I'm excited for their upcoming album.
I give this one a 4.5/5 on the Kim Scale.
So if I really like the first album, I love this one. Division was written with a more experienced hand. It has none of the static of the first album, instead delivering a string of impressive songs that really have a way of sticking to me. This is an album I come back to a lot. This album is why I love 10 Years and why I'm excited for their upcoming album.
I give this one a 4.5/5 on the Kim Scale.
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