|
Written by Sameerah
|
|
Tuesday, 16 August 2011 |
|
Drainland And So Our Troubles Begin Southern Lord *** Dear Drainland, I wanted so much to like "And So Our Troubles" began. You promised a blend of shreading metal fused with punk energy that you knew I would not be able to resist. I went into this album with the highest of hopes, preparing my self for sounds that I imagined to be sonic orgasims. But alas what I got was a jerky set of sounds that had no real rhyme or reason to them. As much as I like the punk fuled energy of "Jellyfish" it didn't sit well with tunes like "Sominal Hex" where you're trying to show how heavy you are. Things only get worse when you try to combine two sounds together in "Luxophage". A song that is so confused that I hardly know how to describe it other than just bad. Look Drainland, like I said before I really wanted to like you. I've listened to "And So Our Troubles Begin" a million different times and and approached it from a thousand different ways in efforts to get on board with what you're trying to to do here. I even went so far as to approach it from a lyrical place. Trying to discern son sort of cryptic message from the madness that came screaming out of your gob. But once again to no avail. I finally got to the point where I had to admint that Drainland, I simply just don't like you. No matter how hard you try, and my God I can feel you straining every fiber of your being to bring this album to the fore, nothing you can say or do can bring me around to the mish-mosh of thrash/punk that you have tried to inject in my eardrurms. Yours, Sameerah |
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 November -1 )
|
|
|
Written by Sameerah
|
|
Monday, 08 August 2011 |
|
The Lovecrave Crisilaide EP Metropolis Records ** Even when I run across an album that I hate I try to find something good to say about it. Call it the compliment sandwhich if you will; sure I think you suck, but even a shitty album can have a redeeming quality somewhere, even if it's only the drummer. But The Lovecrave's "Crisliaide" destoryed any good will I may have felt towards them with thier fucking horrible cover of Michael Jackson's "Thriller". Why someone would take what is arguably a perfect pop song and ruin it with a high pitched whiny vocals and a weak dance track is beyond me. I know it's tempting for a lot of artists to take a song that they love and put their own spin on it, but I really wish they wouldn't because in the end all they do is ruin the very thing they profess to love. I listed to this cover in rapt horror as they systematicly began destroy the song by doing away with the creeking coffins from the intro and replacing them with the washed out sounds of bats wings. MJ's distinct voice is replaced by female vox that are as thin, sad and that are trying way to hard to be creepy-sexy and wind up sounding pathetic and sad. To add insult to injury they try to made the song sound more "goth" by using horrible goth dance track that really only works inside of an elementry school haunted house. Just when I though that "Thriller" was the worst thing The Lovecrave could through at me,the horror continues with the acustic version of "Little Suicide" and "CanYou Hear Me". Where I generalqly look forward to hearing acustic versions of goth/rock songs I couldn't wait for these songs to end. The Lovecrave is a band that autotune was invented on. Making them sound like robots will make you forget that the singer is struggling to carry a tune and the band is just barely holding their own. All of this to make an album so bad, that I couldn't even get an ironic laugh out of how bad it is, and just wanted it all to go away. |
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 November -1 )
|
|
Black Crow Sky: Awesome Metal from Africa |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by Sameerah
|
|
Wednesday, 03 August 2011 |
|
While scouring the web today, I ran across this little number from Black Crow Sky. The video itself leaves a lot to be desired, after all it is just the band's logo sitting there staring at you. But that isn't what caught my attention; the clincher was the tag "African Black Metal". Three words that no African American Metal head worth her salt would be able to resist. Let's be honest here, while I know there are black metal heads all over the world, we're so few and far between sometimes it can feel like a very isolated place to be. So I have to come clean the thought of hearing some heavy sounds played by people that look like me--yes, I know that Africans come in a million shades like everyone else, but humor a little here alright--was something that I couldn't click past. And I'm glad I didn't. Black Crow Sky is just as heavy and melodic as anything you would expext to come from the states or the blackest pits of Europe. They have a massive sound that includes big, loud epic riffs; listening to Black Crow Sky I had images of plauges of intense awesome tinged with horror sweeping across the dusty plaines of the African desert destroying everything in it's wake. As heavy as they are Black Crow Sky has a mystical element to them. One minuted your being swept away by teeming hordes and the next you're drawn into the soft embrace of piano. From what I can tell Black Crow Sky doesn't have a label as of yet and are putting thier music online as a free download. As much as I would love to put the video up, Youtube is being a fucking pain in the ass today so I will leave you with this link to rock to http://www.youtube.com/user/CrowBlackSky?v=sw-fqgao494&feature=pyv&ad=12653030138&kw=%22death%20metal%22#p/u/0/sw-fqgao494.Your can get all of the info you need to download their album on the Black Crow Sky Youtube page and at http://www.crowblacksky.com. Now get out there and bask in the awesome of Black Crow Sky!
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 03 August 2011 )
|
|
|
A Million Thoughts and They're All About You |
|
|
|
|
Written by Sameerah
|
|
Friday, 22 July 2011 |
|
Alice in Videoland
“A Million Thoughts and They’re All About You”
Metropolis Records
*****
When my gays manage to drag me out of the house for a night of dancing I am constantly bombarded with the generic auto tune pop the plagues today's top 40 radio waves. In everyday life this is the kind of music that makes me want to smash my radio, but I have found that when infused with half a dozen cocktails I will dance to just about anything you throw at my ear holes. Still even in my booze fueled haze Alice in Videoland's "A Million Thoughts" about is the kind of pop happiness that my ears crave on the dance floor.
"A Million Thoughts" is a perfect pop album in every way. You have an adorable chick in the form of (name) belting out vocals. Her voice is sweet with just enough soul to get your attention but doesn't kill you with overdrawn R&B styled riffs. I don't know why every pop diva wants to sound like she just stepped out of a Southern Baptist church is Alabama, but the trend is killing me especially when most of these chicks dont have the chops to pull it off. But I digress; Toril Lindqvist is a woman who knows she has a good voice, knows how to use and isn't too compelled to fit into the R&B tinged realm of pop which is really refreshing. Yes there are more than a few places where her voice gets a little help from autotune and various other production tricks but in the world of electronic music and pop that's pretty much par for the course. But even with the production tricks you can tell that the folks in Alice in Videoland are real people.
From the intro of Take Me With You to their cover of Nina Cherry's Buffalo Stance A Million Thoughts doesn't make you want to dance you may very well be dead. The beats will make your hips swivel and the double entendre lyrics are as funny as they as they are sexy. If you’re looking for an album that is deep and full of meaning then you should pass this one up, but if you want something that fun to get drunk to and will have your grinding on strangers in the club you’ve come to the right place.
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 November -1 )
|
|
Mr. Death: Death Suits You |
|
|
|
|
Written by Sameerah
|
|
Tuesday, 11 January 2011 |
|
Mr. Death Death Suits You Agonia Records 4.0
As much as I like Mr Death’s latest effort “Death Suits You” I was a wee bit disappointed with some of the trax on this album. Sure Mr. Death can bring the heat with the best of them and there is some heavy and insane riffage to be had on this album. But they arent bringing anything new to the table. They tread over the same images of death, violence and gore that we have all seen a million times before. And while I love death and violence as much as the next girl I was expecting something more than what I got on this album. Their last album “Detached from Life”, which was filled with lush soundscapes that strayed from traditional Black Metal territory but still stayed true to the core of the sound,while leaning heavily on the works of George Romaro and Dario Argento to create vivid images of horror and gore. I was expecting Mr. Death to take this album to the next level. To wow me with there supreme awesomeness. What I got instead is an album that is solid but plays it safe. An album that was made for fans that don’t like to be risky with their music and need their bands to pick a sound and stick with. Yeah this album rocks, it got my ass moving and their take on death and destruction is definatly groovy I just wanted more. |
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 11 January 2011 )
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page 3 of 42 |