Blood On The Dance Floor are like the Stephen Kings of music, not in that they're fantastic at what they do, but because they spit out so much music each year, that it's hard to keep up with. They've released two full length albums just this year, and last year released a full length album called "All The Rage", which I will review today. Keep in mind I am going into this review completely unbiased, I am not the type that thinks "BOTDF is awful and should die" but I'm also not the type that thinks "BOTDF is the greatest band alive". I am one that thinks Blood On The Dance Floor is a mouthful and BOTDF is a necessary acronym. So here is my review of All The Rage by BOTDF.
Track one is called Dark Dreams, and opens with a 1 minute, 20 second build up, that is completely unnecessary. Then you get to the song itself. It's okay, but nothing special for BOTDF. Pretty typical considering their previous work. But then you have lyrics by Lady Nogrady, and sadly, that is the only thing separating this song from the rest. A little guest vocal isn't going to save this song from sounding repetitive.
Track two is called Find Your Way, and it opens with Stephen Hawing voice, and then more annoying electro beats. I hate this song musically, lyrically it's a good message, especially for BOTDF's target audience, but again, repetitive. Better than Dark Dreams... I guess.
Track three is called Happy Violentines Day, and I love this song musically, it's okay lyrically, not bad. I enjoyed this, but there are a few cliches such as the counting, the na-na-na, despite this being one of the dark, violent BOTDF songs.
Track four is called Bewitched featuring (yet again) Lady Nogrady, and as far as I can tell, this is a love song about Nicole Kidman, sung by Will Ferrell. It's basically a generic love song, sprinkled with BOTDF's Halloween theme. The thing that separates this from the others, is Lady Nogrady gets an entire verse, and the only thing separating this from other stupid love/breakup songs is the witch theme.
Track five is called Nivana, and unlike Dark Dreams, this starts pretty quick. It's pretty stupid lyrically, awful musically, and it ruins the name of an awesome band. It's basically Atlas Shrugged for bullying victims. BOTDF is their John Galt, Nirvana is their Atlantis. Pretty stupid if you ask me.
Track six is the title track, and it's pretty annoying vocally, and doesn't stop until the chorus. It's okay lyrically, not bad musically, but the vocals by Dahvie I presume, are so annoying you'll want to snap the disc. Not a great title track.
Track seven is called The Untouchables, and this is just dumb. The first verse doesn't fit with the rest of the song, and the rest of it is just as dumb. Basically there is not lyrically consistency, and musically it's just as bad, but at least the music is consistent.
Track eight is called X x 3, and this is one of those sex songs like on their album Epic. Lyrically, it's a generic sex song, musically, it's okay, I mean, for an electronic sex song. The whole thing is pretty mindless and repetitive. Not very good.
Track nine is called P.L.U.R., and while the whole Peace Love Unity Respect message is great, it doesn't fit with their contradictory violent songs, or their sex songs. Vocals are okay, pretty good musically, good lyrically, but what redeemed this song in my eyes is when he said Music is my religion. That one line rocked.
Track ten is called Star Power! and the family guy sample was an awesome way to kick it off, but it gets worse from there. For some reason this song had to be the video game song. Every generic electronic group has one, and this was it. Horrible lyrically, good musically, not horrible vocally. Overall, the family guy sample was the high point.
Track eleven is called Yo, Ho, and for some reason, they decided to make a pirate song. Lyrically, this is horrible, vocally, okay until the pirate voice. Despite this, it's pretty damn good musically, until the chorus. This was worse than Dark Dreams, and that's really saying something.
Track twelve is a bonus track called The Loving Dead/Love Sucks, and considering the name and length of this song, it's most likely two songs crammed into one. Surprisingly, The Loving Dead was good, musically and lyrically, and I was very happy to see another enjoyable song on this awful album. Then we have Love Sucks, and while it's a message their fan base can relate to, it's pretty bad lyrically and musically. The bad thing is, it's so damn catchy.
Track 13 is a remix which I won't review.
Track fourteen is called G.F.A., and since I'm sick of BOTDF, I'll finish this quickly. It's great musically, okay lyrically, I guess. The members of BOTDF are pretty bad vocally, but this also features Nick Nasty, Lady Nogrady and JJ Demon (yay). The others were pretty good but JJ Demon kicked ass. I'm probably thinking biased here, but this might be the best song on the entire album.
Overall 5/10. It seemed like every song was lacking somewhere, if not musically, then lyrically or vocally. I did enjoy a few songs on the album in every aspect, but that isn't saying much, considering I liked every single song on Linkin Park's new album. Maybe they learn from their mistakes and improve in their next album Evolution, or maybe they do what sells and confirm every suspicion I had about them.
That's all for today, tune in next time when I review Tre by Green Day, unless I get around to something else first.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Green Day Trilogy Review Part II - ¡Dos!
Well, it's that time again, Green Day has released a new album in their trilogy. As I recall, I gave Uno a pretty damn good review, but now it's time for ¡Dos!. If this album is anything like the last one, it'll get a pretty good review. So here is my review of ¡Dos! by Green Day.
Track one is called See You Tonight, and not only is it pretty damn short, it's slow and pretty weird, not like anything on Uno. There really isn't enough to talk about for me to say anything interesting about it.
Track two is called Fuck Time, and this is a pretty badass song overall, but I don't think the fuck in the name was necessary at all. I like it musically, and besides the name, it's pretty good lyrically, but the song seems to be centered around that one word. It almost seems like bad songwriting, but then again, the rest of the lyrics are great.
Track three is called Stop When The Red Lights Flash, and this song is fast and energetic, not to mention it was one of a few featured on my favorite TV show, CSI: NY. I'd feel weird if I didn't mention "Don't stop when the red lights flash" was a line in "Oh Love", the first single from Uno. This is a good song musically, pretty good lyrically, and all very energetic, which is what Green Day is known for.
Track four is called Lazy Bones, and this is one of my favorites because the whole "I'm too tired to be bored" theme describes how I feel so much. It rocks musically, and as I said, I love the lyrics. The whole thing hits pretty close to home, and in this case, that's a good thing. Green Day never fail to entertain me.
Track five is called Wild One and it almost sounds like a continuation of Lazy Bones with no lyrical relation. The lyrics are good, the music is great, and if it seems like I'm sucking up to Green Day here, it's because I normally don't buy and review albums I don't think I'll like. Overall, pretty good song.
Track six is called Makeout Party, and it rocks. The lyrics are kind of weird, but the music is great, and more than makes up for the facts that the lyrics hardly make sense to me. This is the kind of punk rock Green Day is known for, and I love it.
Track seven, and the first single off the album, is called Stray Heart, and it starts off with a great bass line by Mike Dirnt, and then you hear Billie Joe. The lyrics are great, the music is good, although the chorus is a bit too simple. The weirdest thing though was the music video, which looks like it belongs at an indie film festival. I'd like to meet the director of that video.
Track eight is called Ashley, which is the first line of the song and the murder weapon of headphone users. This song is very energetic, and while I believe songs named after a girl is way too cliched, it doesn't mean they're all bad, and this one is very good.
Track nine is called Baby Eyes, and it's another loud, energetic song. Great musically, good lyrically, and one I'd love to see live. I don't have that much to say about it besides that.
Track ten is called Lady Cobra, which I think is the name of the rapper on the next track, and this is a very energetic song, with great lyrics, and kick-ass punk sound. The one thing is, like many of the other songs, it's too short. This could've been a lot longer than the final product.
Track eleven is called Nightlife, and this song was criticized because it was very experimental, and included a female rapper. The rapping was okay, but was a bit excessive, Billie Joe was great, the lyrics he sang rocked, and the whole song was great musically. Personally, I think these critics are complaining about nothing, but that's just me.
Track twelve is called Wow! That's Loud, and while the name is appropriate, it could've been louder. Despite this, the song is good lyrically, great musically, and it's energetic, and will make headphone users say Wow! That's Loud!
Track thirteen (yes, this is the only one in the trilogy that had thirteen tracks and not twelve), is called Amy, and was a tribute to Amy Winehouse, who passed away recently. The song was great lyrically, musically, and is catchy as hell. And it's a much slower song, which we didn't see much of on Uno, and is appropriate, considering the subject matter. A great way to end the thing.
Overall I give ¡Dos! a 9/10. It still has a lot of the in your face punk from Uno, but was more musically diverse. You have the loud, energetic punk, like Stop When The Red Lights Flash, but you also get a break from that, like on Amy. That's two of three in the Green Day trilogy, considering how diverse this was, and how awesome The Forgotten is, I can't wait for ¡Tré!. However, seeing as that won't be out until December, and I probably won't be able to get it until Christmas, I'll have to enjoy ¡Uno! and ¡Dos! for now. That's it for today's review, tune in next time when I review ¡Tré!... well, most likely, but before you go, it's time for another edition of "Did The Director Of Eraserhead Direct The New Green Day Video?"
Track one is called See You Tonight, and not only is it pretty damn short, it's slow and pretty weird, not like anything on Uno. There really isn't enough to talk about for me to say anything interesting about it.
Track two is called Fuck Time, and this is a pretty badass song overall, but I don't think the fuck in the name was necessary at all. I like it musically, and besides the name, it's pretty good lyrically, but the song seems to be centered around that one word. It almost seems like bad songwriting, but then again, the rest of the lyrics are great.
Track three is called Stop When The Red Lights Flash, and this song is fast and energetic, not to mention it was one of a few featured on my favorite TV show, CSI: NY. I'd feel weird if I didn't mention "Don't stop when the red lights flash" was a line in "Oh Love", the first single from Uno. This is a good song musically, pretty good lyrically, and all very energetic, which is what Green Day is known for.
Track four is called Lazy Bones, and this is one of my favorites because the whole "I'm too tired to be bored" theme describes how I feel so much. It rocks musically, and as I said, I love the lyrics. The whole thing hits pretty close to home, and in this case, that's a good thing. Green Day never fail to entertain me.
Track five is called Wild One and it almost sounds like a continuation of Lazy Bones with no lyrical relation. The lyrics are good, the music is great, and if it seems like I'm sucking up to Green Day here, it's because I normally don't buy and review albums I don't think I'll like. Overall, pretty good song.
Track six is called Makeout Party, and it rocks. The lyrics are kind of weird, but the music is great, and more than makes up for the facts that the lyrics hardly make sense to me. This is the kind of punk rock Green Day is known for, and I love it.
Track seven, and the first single off the album, is called Stray Heart, and it starts off with a great bass line by Mike Dirnt, and then you hear Billie Joe. The lyrics are great, the music is good, although the chorus is a bit too simple. The weirdest thing though was the music video, which looks like it belongs at an indie film festival. I'd like to meet the director of that video.
Track eight is called Ashley, which is the first line of the song and the murder weapon of headphone users. This song is very energetic, and while I believe songs named after a girl is way too cliched, it doesn't mean they're all bad, and this one is very good.
Track nine is called Baby Eyes, and it's another loud, energetic song. Great musically, good lyrically, and one I'd love to see live. I don't have that much to say about it besides that.
Track ten is called Lady Cobra, which I think is the name of the rapper on the next track, and this is a very energetic song, with great lyrics, and kick-ass punk sound. The one thing is, like many of the other songs, it's too short. This could've been a lot longer than the final product.
Track eleven is called Nightlife, and this song was criticized because it was very experimental, and included a female rapper. The rapping was okay, but was a bit excessive, Billie Joe was great, the lyrics he sang rocked, and the whole song was great musically. Personally, I think these critics are complaining about nothing, but that's just me.
Track twelve is called Wow! That's Loud, and while the name is appropriate, it could've been louder. Despite this, the song is good lyrically, great musically, and it's energetic, and will make headphone users say Wow! That's Loud!
Track thirteen (yes, this is the only one in the trilogy that had thirteen tracks and not twelve), is called Amy, and was a tribute to Amy Winehouse, who passed away recently. The song was great lyrically, musically, and is catchy as hell. And it's a much slower song, which we didn't see much of on Uno, and is appropriate, considering the subject matter. A great way to end the thing.
Overall I give ¡Dos! a 9/10. It still has a lot of the in your face punk from Uno, but was more musically diverse. You have the loud, energetic punk, like Stop When The Red Lights Flash, but you also get a break from that, like on Amy. That's two of three in the Green Day trilogy, considering how diverse this was, and how awesome The Forgotten is, I can't wait for ¡Tré!. However, seeing as that won't be out until December, and I probably won't be able to get it until Christmas, I'll have to enjoy ¡Uno! and ¡Dos! for now. That's it for today's review, tune in next time when I review ¡Tré!... well, most likely, but before you go, it's time for another edition of "Did The Director Of Eraserhead Direct The New Green Day Video?"
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Flyleaf - New Horizons Review: End of an Era
Okay, so Flyleaf will always hold a special place in my heart. My first concert, ever, was Flyleaf, and They only improved from there (well, Memento Mori had it's low points, but so does just about every album ever made). Now, they release a new album about every 3 years, so I was excited when I heard 2012 was the year of a new Flyleaf album. It was given the name "New Horizons", which is a great summary of many of Flyleaf's songs. Originally, I just viewed this as I would any other new album. However the importance of this album amplified greatly with the announcement that this would be the last Flyleaf album featuring lead vocalist Lacey Sturm (Lacey Mosley when I started listening). As with Nightwish, another female-fronted band who replaced their lead singer, this is the end of an era. So here is my review of New Horizons by Flyleaf.
Track one is called Fire Fire, and it is a great way to start the album. The lyrics are great, the music starts slow, but rocks, it's an all around great song. It really makes you wish Lacey had stayed. Already better than much of Memento Mori.
Track two is the title track, and sadly, it isn't that great. I almost thought it wasn't Flyleaf when I first heard it, because there's barely any example of Lacey's powerful loud voice, and no examples of her gritty rocker voice. The lyrics are good, but the music just isn't, so they cancel out. It sadly doesn't live up to the rest of the album, and it seems like while the good songs make you wish she had stayed, the bad ones make you wish she could have a chance at title track redemption.
Track three is called Call You Out, and it is a perfect example of a gritty rock song by Flyeaf. It's loud, it's fast, it's in your face, reminiscent of I'm So Sick, or more so Chasm, almost to a point of eerie similarity. This song more than makes up for the last track, and for those of you hoping for a kick-ass rock song from Flyleaf for the last Lacy album, this is perfect.
Track four is called Cage On The Ground, and it's a very emotional song, that displays Lacey's powerful voice perfectly (though, perhaps not as perfectly as Arise). There are more songs like this featuring Lacey's powerful voice, but this is one of those that you can feel the emotion, from Lacey's voice alone. I can't imagine how awesome it would've been to see her sing this live (for those of you wondering, Flyleaf's live show kicks ass).
Track five is called Great Love, and it starts out emotional with rocking music, but immediately slows down, to a verse that in my opinion, doesn't fit with the chorus. There's almost no transition between a boring verse and a kick-ass chorus. I like it, but it's nothing compared to the next track.
Track six is called Bury Your Heart, and it is possibly my favorite song on the album. It starts off slow, and then rocks. The lyrics are great, and this is one of the great emotional songs Lacey does, despite not using her voice to it's full power. It is a fantastic song, and I personally wish this were the first single.
Track seven is called Freedom, and it starts off rocking and only gets better. This is an example of emotion and gritty rock, in perfect harmony. The lyrics are great, but I'd expect nothing less from Flyleaf. The entire song is very well done, and this is another song I'd love to have seen done live. Also this is the first time in a long time Lacey has screamed on a song (as she did in I'm So Sick and Cassie).
Track eight is called Saving Grace, and it is another perfect example of emotion in Lacey's vocals. Now Flyleaf's lyrics are almost always great, but these ones in particular, were fantastic. The music fits perfectly throughout the entire song. At one point though, Lacey's voice gets a lot lower for the bridge, and it was weird.
Track nine is called Stand, and while this was a softer song, this was done right, the music actually fit the vocals. I'm not gonna keep saying how great the lyric were, because Flyleaf's lyrics are almost always great. If New Horizons were done more like this, I'd probably like it more (the song New Horizons is kinda growing on me though). I think it ends to soon though.
Track ten is called Green Heart and while I like the loud rocking song among the emotional songs, this song does not fit on an album called New Horizons. This fits more on Memento Mori than on this. I'm just glad it was a short as it was, so I didn't have to sit through more than almost 3 minutes of it. It's not that I didn't like it, it's that it didn't fit on this album, at all.
Track eleven, and the final track, is called Broken Wings, and this ending may not be what the fans wanted, but it fits perfectly with the tone of this album, and on an album called New Horizons. The song starts out slow, but I almost didn't expect it to build up and rock the way it did. It rocked without making itself too out of place on this album. It fits the tone, Lacey's voice emotional throughout, instrumentals rock, lyrics, you know. A great end for the album that this is.
Overall New Horizons was great. Better than Memento Mori. Not better than the first album though. I noticed a lot of short songs, and at first I almost wished they had given Lacey more of a finale, considering this is her final Flyleaf album, but when they were making the album, they couldn't have known she was gonna leave. She couldn't have known she was gonna leave. It just happened, and New Horizons was what we got (There is the iTunes bonus track, but I don't have that version). The new singer is Kristen May, and no, he name is not a sentence fragment. She is the former singer of Vedera, and is now singing for Flyleaf. I'm gonna put it this way. When Tarja left Nightwish, I bought Dark Passion Play, and it was just okay. So I gave the new singer a second chance, and the most recent Nightwish album, Imaginaerum, kicked ass. So I am giving Kristen May two chanced not to screw up Flyleaf forever. Although what I really wish they would do is release a new single so the fans can get a taste of Kristen May Flyeaf (no that is not a sentence).
Well, that's a wrap, tune in next time when I review Green Day's album Dos, will it be as awesome as Uno, we'll see. That's it, but first, it's time for another edition of, "That's the replacement?!?"
Track one is called Fire Fire, and it is a great way to start the album. The lyrics are great, the music starts slow, but rocks, it's an all around great song. It really makes you wish Lacey had stayed. Already better than much of Memento Mori.
Track two is the title track, and sadly, it isn't that great. I almost thought it wasn't Flyleaf when I first heard it, because there's barely any example of Lacey's powerful loud voice, and no examples of her gritty rocker voice. The lyrics are good, but the music just isn't, so they cancel out. It sadly doesn't live up to the rest of the album, and it seems like while the good songs make you wish she had stayed, the bad ones make you wish she could have a chance at title track redemption.
Track three is called Call You Out, and it is a perfect example of a gritty rock song by Flyeaf. It's loud, it's fast, it's in your face, reminiscent of I'm So Sick, or more so Chasm, almost to a point of eerie similarity. This song more than makes up for the last track, and for those of you hoping for a kick-ass rock song from Flyleaf for the last Lacy album, this is perfect.
Track four is called Cage On The Ground, and it's a very emotional song, that displays Lacey's powerful voice perfectly (though, perhaps not as perfectly as Arise). There are more songs like this featuring Lacey's powerful voice, but this is one of those that you can feel the emotion, from Lacey's voice alone. I can't imagine how awesome it would've been to see her sing this live (for those of you wondering, Flyleaf's live show kicks ass).
Track five is called Great Love, and it starts out emotional with rocking music, but immediately slows down, to a verse that in my opinion, doesn't fit with the chorus. There's almost no transition between a boring verse and a kick-ass chorus. I like it, but it's nothing compared to the next track.
Track six is called Bury Your Heart, and it is possibly my favorite song on the album. It starts off slow, and then rocks. The lyrics are great, and this is one of the great emotional songs Lacey does, despite not using her voice to it's full power. It is a fantastic song, and I personally wish this were the first single.
Track seven is called Freedom, and it starts off rocking and only gets better. This is an example of emotion and gritty rock, in perfect harmony. The lyrics are great, but I'd expect nothing less from Flyleaf. The entire song is very well done, and this is another song I'd love to have seen done live. Also this is the first time in a long time Lacey has screamed on a song (as she did in I'm So Sick and Cassie).
Track eight is called Saving Grace, and it is another perfect example of emotion in Lacey's vocals. Now Flyleaf's lyrics are almost always great, but these ones in particular, were fantastic. The music fits perfectly throughout the entire song. At one point though, Lacey's voice gets a lot lower for the bridge, and it was weird.
Track nine is called Stand, and while this was a softer song, this was done right, the music actually fit the vocals. I'm not gonna keep saying how great the lyric were, because Flyleaf's lyrics are almost always great. If New Horizons were done more like this, I'd probably like it more (the song New Horizons is kinda growing on me though). I think it ends to soon though.
Track ten is called Green Heart and while I like the loud rocking song among the emotional songs, this song does not fit on an album called New Horizons. This fits more on Memento Mori than on this. I'm just glad it was a short as it was, so I didn't have to sit through more than almost 3 minutes of it. It's not that I didn't like it, it's that it didn't fit on this album, at all.
Track eleven, and the final track, is called Broken Wings, and this ending may not be what the fans wanted, but it fits perfectly with the tone of this album, and on an album called New Horizons. The song starts out slow, but I almost didn't expect it to build up and rock the way it did. It rocked without making itself too out of place on this album. It fits the tone, Lacey's voice emotional throughout, instrumentals rock, lyrics, you know. A great end for the album that this is.
Overall New Horizons was great. Better than Memento Mori. Not better than the first album though. I noticed a lot of short songs, and at first I almost wished they had given Lacey more of a finale, considering this is her final Flyleaf album, but when they were making the album, they couldn't have known she was gonna leave. She couldn't have known she was gonna leave. It just happened, and New Horizons was what we got (There is the iTunes bonus track, but I don't have that version). The new singer is Kristen May, and no, he name is not a sentence fragment. She is the former singer of Vedera, and is now singing for Flyleaf. I'm gonna put it this way. When Tarja left Nightwish, I bought Dark Passion Play, and it was just okay. So I gave the new singer a second chance, and the most recent Nightwish album, Imaginaerum, kicked ass. So I am giving Kristen May two chanced not to screw up Flyleaf forever. Although what I really wish they would do is release a new single so the fans can get a taste of Kristen May Flyeaf (no that is not a sentence).
Well, that's a wrap, tune in next time when I review Green Day's album Dos, will it be as awesome as Uno, we'll see. That's it, but first, it's time for another edition of, "That's the replacement?!?"
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