Jedi Mind Tricks - A History of Violence 8.5/10
Brand new album from JMT that marks the return of Jus Allah to the group after a 3 album absence. The production was awesome. Usually I'm the one saying that production only hurts a record if it becomes distractingly bad, but this album is proof that great production can also really strengthen an album. Really complex beats with samples and a lot of strings, coming from DJ Stoupe, and sometimes accompanying scratches by DJ Kwestion. Vinnie Paz sounded great on the album. Lots of passion, great rhyming, and some serious topics. It was good to hear Jus Allah back, but his verses were actually forgettable, for the most part. Although I feel he is still important to the group for balance purposes. My only problem is that the best songs are the first, "Deathbed Doctrine", and last, "Death Messiah". While I enjoyed everything in between, I think the flow of the album could have been better. Great album though, definitely glad I checked it out.
88-Keys - The Death of Adam 8.5/10
At first I didn't like the album. But after I was done listening to it, I thought about it for 10 or 15 minutes and realized the genius. I hadn't just listened to an album, I had just listened to a movie. I initially thought the narration between songs was lame, but now I realize how important it was to the story. The beats were very well produced, which was kind of the meat of the album, I think. The lyrics/verses/guest appearances were all good, but nothing special. They did their part to tell a piece of the story. But rather than think of it as an album, like I did originally, you have to think of it as an audio movie. I can honestly see a real movie play before me as I listen to it. You know the whole plot and each scene and even some of the dialogue, and could elaborate from there. Someone should make this movie; it would either be great or terrible. So I'd say its a decent album, musically, but the ingenuity, creativity, and pure genius behind the concept really make it special. I'd love to see something like this about a more serious topic.
The Killers - Day & Age 9/10
Okay. I'm two listens deep, and to be honest I think I need more. But I'll give it a shot anyways. I had slightly different expectations going in, so the first listen threw me off-balance which is why I needed to go back. I was surprised to not hear any Guitar Hero worthy anthems like "When You Were Young". I was expecting the album to be more loud and dance-inducing. However, I didn't hold that against it. I went back and re-listened, knowing what I was getting into, and it resulted in a more enjoyable experience, not to say that the first listen wasn't. The songs are great, both instrumentally and lyrically. Brandon's voice sounds more crisp and clear than it has on any previous work. I think the "experimental" tracks where they tried to do something completely different, like "Joy Ride" and "This Is Your Life", sound a little out of place at first, but I liked them even more the second time around. I think the album is going to really grow on me and I'll end up loving it more than I do now. The only tracks that I don't really feel at the moment are "Dustland Fairytale" and "I Can't Stay". I feel like the most powerful tracks are the first 4 and the last (10th), leaving you wanting a little more "umph" in the middle, even though I love middle tracks like "Neon Tiger" and "This Is Your Life". The bonus tracks, "A Crippling Blow" and "Forget About What I Said", seem to be the louder more anthem-sounding tracks that I was looking for in the album, leaving me unsure of why they didn't want to include them. Overall, the shortcomings are little compared to the quality of all the positives. I had trouble choosing between an 8.5 and 9, but I can tell that this is the type of album that gets better with each listen, so I went for the higher of the two.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Some Album Reviews
After more than 2 weeks of listening to the same old crap on my iPod and becoming bored with it all, I finally downloaded a ton of new music, some old, some brand new.
Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman 9.5/10
I love Cat Stevens, but only ever had his greatest hits album. This album, which propelled him to fame in 1970, is supposedly his best, so I wanted to try it out. Coincidentally enough, 5 out of the 11 tracks appear on his greatest hits compilation, and after listening to the album, I don't know where the other 6 fell short. He was one hell of a folk singer. While I wouldn't say he is "better" than Bob Dylan, I can admit that I prefer him. (Voice is better, lyrics aren't). The album is all about living in the world, but disregarding everyday concepts and ideas in search of a more spiritual fulfillment. It's beautiful. "Father and Son" is one of my favorite songs of all time... I've heard it at least a hundred times and yet it still gives me chills. My only complaint is that its awfully short, at 36min, which may have been normal in 1970, I'm not sure. The two tracks that are barely over a minute long each leave you wanting so much more out of them, and had they been longer and on the same level as the rest of the album, it would be perfect (to me).
Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing: The Very Best Of 8/10
Greatest hits albums are supposed to be great (obviously). I feel like they should be 10/10s or else they aren't really doing their job. They need to include the best songs by the artist, but try and make them seem cohesive rather than just a collection of songs. I had never listened to Dire Straights before, but this album did all those things. They were good songs, and the flow of the collection worked really well for me. The reason I give it an 8 is because I just don't think Dire Straights are all that special. I really liked listening to them. Mark Knopfler's voice sounds kind of in between Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, to me, which I liked, and the instrumentation was cool and laid back but not too simple. They were good, just not great. They didn't stand out to me as a band that's any different from all the rest. Some greatest hits albums leave me wanting more so I go out and get the artist's actual albums (see: Cat Stevens, Steve Miller Band), but this one, while it was a good album and I'll listen to it again, didn't make me feel that way. I feel like the 16 tracks are all the Dire Straights that I will ever need. I guess this review turned more into an artist review than an album review, but maybe that's what a greatest hits album review really is.
Q-Tip - The Renaissance 8.5/10
I'm impressed. I didn't think he still had it in him, seeing as it's been 6 years since he officially released anything. I didn't expect this album to be good when I heard about it, but was still going to give it a shot. Positive reviews started pouring in and I began to wonder if it was really a good album. It is. As an album, its so complete, even though its just a little bit short for my liking. The songs work together well and couldn't be in a better order. Start to finish, it's kind of like taking a trip. I really enjoyed it. The beats, all produced by Q-Tip himself except one by Dilla, are fresh-sounding, not too-synthy and "new school" but not too old where you think its ATCQ. I've always been a fan of his unconventional voice and delivery, and they work well here, with some great lyrics on several songs as well. My only issue is that I don't know if the album has any replay value. While it sounds really great as a whole, I can't think of any tracks that stick out as catchy, possible singles, except for Gettin Up, which was the lead single. It's the same problem I had with Oasis' "Dig Out Your Soul". As an album, it sounds great, I just wish there were more catchy stand-out tracks.
Jay-Z vs. Coldplay - Viva La Hova (Mixtape) 7/10
I had to listen to this twice before I could really say anything about it. It's basically the same as all other Jay-Z mash-up projects (besides The Grey Album). There are some tracks that sound amazing, and some that are too forced and sound weird. It's what I expected. I really don't like tracks that just loop 10 seconds of a Coldplay songs or chop it up so that it is almost unrecognizable. Why does "No Love Coming Home" has someone that isnt Chris Martin singing the chorus from Homecoming? "Science is Ignorant" would be amazing if they could get the chorus to actually sound like Chris Martin; it's extremely frustrating. But on the other hand, when they find a Jay verse that works perfectly over a longer Coldplay instrumental with limited tempo changes and chopping, it comes out sounding so good. Unfortunately, the majority of the songs don't sound as good as I wish they did. Lost+ and Beach Chair, the two official collaborations between Coldplay and Jay, are the best tracks, which is unfortunate. But the other good tracks, like "Take the Hill", sound awesome, and almost make up for the bad ones.
Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman 9.5/10
I love Cat Stevens, but only ever had his greatest hits album. This album, which propelled him to fame in 1970, is supposedly his best, so I wanted to try it out. Coincidentally enough, 5 out of the 11 tracks appear on his greatest hits compilation, and after listening to the album, I don't know where the other 6 fell short. He was one hell of a folk singer. While I wouldn't say he is "better" than Bob Dylan, I can admit that I prefer him. (Voice is better, lyrics aren't). The album is all about living in the world, but disregarding everyday concepts and ideas in search of a more spiritual fulfillment. It's beautiful. "Father and Son" is one of my favorite songs of all time... I've heard it at least a hundred times and yet it still gives me chills. My only complaint is that its awfully short, at 36min, which may have been normal in 1970, I'm not sure. The two tracks that are barely over a minute long each leave you wanting so much more out of them, and had they been longer and on the same level as the rest of the album, it would be perfect (to me).
Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing: The Very Best Of 8/10
Greatest hits albums are supposed to be great (obviously). I feel like they should be 10/10s or else they aren't really doing their job. They need to include the best songs by the artist, but try and make them seem cohesive rather than just a collection of songs. I had never listened to Dire Straights before, but this album did all those things. They were good songs, and the flow of the collection worked really well for me. The reason I give it an 8 is because I just don't think Dire Straights are all that special. I really liked listening to them. Mark Knopfler's voice sounds kind of in between Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, to me, which I liked, and the instrumentation was cool and laid back but not too simple. They were good, just not great. They didn't stand out to me as a band that's any different from all the rest. Some greatest hits albums leave me wanting more so I go out and get the artist's actual albums (see: Cat Stevens, Steve Miller Band), but this one, while it was a good album and I'll listen to it again, didn't make me feel that way. I feel like the 16 tracks are all the Dire Straights that I will ever need. I guess this review turned more into an artist review than an album review, but maybe that's what a greatest hits album review really is.
Q-Tip - The Renaissance 8.5/10
I'm impressed. I didn't think he still had it in him, seeing as it's been 6 years since he officially released anything. I didn't expect this album to be good when I heard about it, but was still going to give it a shot. Positive reviews started pouring in and I began to wonder if it was really a good album. It is. As an album, its so complete, even though its just a little bit short for my liking. The songs work together well and couldn't be in a better order. Start to finish, it's kind of like taking a trip. I really enjoyed it. The beats, all produced by Q-Tip himself except one by Dilla, are fresh-sounding, not too-synthy and "new school" but not too old where you think its ATCQ. I've always been a fan of his unconventional voice and delivery, and they work well here, with some great lyrics on several songs as well. My only issue is that I don't know if the album has any replay value. While it sounds really great as a whole, I can't think of any tracks that stick out as catchy, possible singles, except for Gettin Up, which was the lead single. It's the same problem I had with Oasis' "Dig Out Your Soul". As an album, it sounds great, I just wish there were more catchy stand-out tracks.
Jay-Z vs. Coldplay - Viva La Hova (Mixtape) 7/10
I had to listen to this twice before I could really say anything about it. It's basically the same as all other Jay-Z mash-up projects (besides The Grey Album). There are some tracks that sound amazing, and some that are too forced and sound weird. It's what I expected. I really don't like tracks that just loop 10 seconds of a Coldplay songs or chop it up so that it is almost unrecognizable. Why does "No Love Coming Home" has someone that isnt Chris Martin singing the chorus from Homecoming? "Science is Ignorant" would be amazing if they could get the chorus to actually sound like Chris Martin; it's extremely frustrating. But on the other hand, when they find a Jay verse that works perfectly over a longer Coldplay instrumental with limited tempo changes and chopping, it comes out sounding so good. Unfortunately, the majority of the songs don't sound as good as I wish they did. Lost+ and Beach Chair, the two official collaborations between Coldplay and Jay, are the best tracks, which is unfortunate. But the other good tracks, like "Take the Hill", sound awesome, and almost make up for the bad ones.
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