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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2019 12:45:27 GMT 10
E-MO-TION by Carly Rae Jepsen. wants to listen to a good album, not something that will traumatize him. So how come you recommend an album with songs about suicide and rape? 
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Post by SharksFan99 on Jul 3, 2019 12:50:43 GMT 10
Qwerty wants to listen to a good album, not something that will traumatize him. So how come you recommend an album with songs about suicide and rape?  "Polly" was written with the intention of condemning rape. What themes does E-MO-TION address? That Carly Rae Jepson really, really, really likes someone?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2019 12:56:18 GMT 10
So how come you recommend an album with songs about suicide and rape? "Polly" was written with the intention of condemning rape. What themes does E-MO-TION address? That Carly Rae Jepson really, really, really likes someone? Lol I was joking. And yeah, basically.  I got listening to an EP by a Japanese band called Hoon (or Noon, not sure how they want their name pronounced) called Freeway. I liked the traditional Japanese instruments infused with the electronic sounds, and I love the calm atmospheric vibe the album goes for. Feels like I'm at a Shinto temple at some points. The singer also has amazing vocals. Some of the songs are a bit weird so I'm gonna have to give it a few more listens before I hand a final verdict. I am leaning towards 3 stars right now.
SharksFan99 likes this
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Post by SharksFan99 on Jul 3, 2019 13:02:25 GMT 10
Lol I was joking. And yeah, basically. I know you were, lol. 
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Post by SharksFan99 on Jul 4, 2019 10:47:35 GMT 10
I've just finished listening to In Utero, Nirvana's third and final studio album. While I thought the album was an enjoyable listen overall, I actually think I prefer Nevermind over this. To me, Nevermind is the more interesting album stylistically, even though it has a more polished and clean sound. I also feel as though it features the most diverse range of influences out of the two.
In Utero is a very consistent record, probably more so than Nevermind. However, the album itself has very little in the way of highlights (which was probably intentional given how the band wanted to go for a non-commercial friendly approach) and I actually found myself losing interest towards the end of it.
1. "Serve the Servants" 7/10 - Not a bad opening track to In Utero. It sets the mood for the rest of the album. The guitar riff reminds me of the Foo Fighters' "Alone and Easy Target".
2. "Scentless Apprentice" 8/10 - A dark, gritty track that has great screaming vocals from Kurt during the chorus. It's arguably one of the most experimental songs that Nirvana has ever released, so much so, I can't believe the band were considering releasing this as the second single off In Utero. It has no commercial appeal whatsoever. Although, I guess that was kind of the point...
3. "Heart-Shaped Box" 9/10 - The lead-single off the album and one of my personal favourites. I particularly like the outro.
4. "Rape Me" 8/10 - This track has caused a lot of controversy over the years due to it's subject matter. Myself personally, I don't have an issue with it at all, because the message of the song is actually told from the victim's perspective and is an anti-rape song. It also has a great chorus.
5. "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" 7/10 - The guitar chords in this are pretty good and Kurt's vocals are great as usual. It's probably one of my least favourite tracks on the album, but it's okay.
6. "Dumb" 8/10 - A really nice acoustic track that has a great melody. The Beatles' influence in this is pretty evident.
7. "Very Ape" 7/10 - This changes the mood quickly, going for a fast-paced, punk riff. It's okay for what it is.
8. "Milk It" 8/10 - Another dark, experimental track. The lyrics are particularly bleak given the context.
9. "Pennyroyal Tea" 8/10 - One of the very few songs on the album that is actually commercial friendly. This was intended to be the third single off In Utero, however it was cancelled following Kurt's death. The chorus is pretty good.
10. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" 8/10- Starts off with distorted, guitar riffs which resemble an alarm going off, before launching into a fast-paced drum beat.
11. "Tourette's" 5/10 - A short, fast-paced punk track that has ineligible screaming from Kurt during it's entirety. I appreciate the fact that the band were trying to release a non-commercial record, but this has very little merit to it. It would have to be my least favourite track on the album.
12. "All Apologies" 8/10 - Definitely one of the highlights of the album and a perfect finish to the album. I personally prefer the Unplugged rendition (as I think the song works better as an acoustic track), but this version is still good too.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2019 11:05:53 GMT 10
I finished listening to the French House album Nuits sans sommeil by Clea Vincent. I don't think there's a single song on it I dislike, and each song stands out on its own. Some of them are serious bops. I also love her vocals. Overall it's a great album. It's a definitely I'm returning to though and give a few more listens, I might just have a 5 star album on my hands, but I am putting it at 4 for now.  I seriously need to get off my electronic binge and pick up a rock album 
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Post by al on Jul 5, 2019 11:39:00 GMT 10
Album 5: “Boom Boom Room: Side B” by Palaye Royale. I think I’ve mentioned this band before and I dig what they’re trying do. They have a flamboyant rock sound while focusing on an #aesthetic that’s like a plethora of vintage styles made contemporary. Since the members are close to my age it’s easy for me to detect their influences, the biggest perhaps being MCR. Remington’s voice isn’t quite polished like Gerard’s, and it makes music more raw, evoking a sideshow more than one broadway. It’s cool, however I think there are a few vocal/machine affects that are unnecessary. The songs are distinct yet go together, which is appreciated. As someone who writes, I am very lyrically minded, and afraid that’s where Palaye suffers. The songs and message are pseudo deep which can come off as pretentious. Some of the lyrics are just clunky, like in “Death Dance” the opener, “We live in age where sex and whores are gods.” Look I can appreciate this notion conceptually, but it could be communicated a tad more, poetically? Shame because I almost really like the song. Similar with the (two, I believe?) songs that mention hospitals. The ”Black Parade” connection is definitely there, but it feels a little surface value to me, like mentioning deep topics without really getting into what makes them so. But alas, I’m being picky about this in ways I probably wouldn’t an older album or something I don’t care about. Mostly because I can’t help but root for a modern rock band that actually has an enjoyable tempo for me (and not too soft, not too heavy), and when I think an act has potential, I hate to see mediocre components.
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Post by al on Jul 9, 2019 3:29:31 GMT 10
Album #6: “Live in No Shoes Nation” by Kenny Chesney. Outsiders are often surprised by how popular Kenny Chesney is in New England, but we love summer weather and the idea of escaping maybe more than anybody. His songs now evoke my teen years and laying in the sun in the backyard or in the sand at the beach with my iPod touch, trying to “get a good zone on.” It’s not really all that long ago, yet it is, when I wasn’t too worried about the future or bothered by the past. Kenny’s songs aren’t poetic masterpieces but they understand the human experience in its nostalgia and longing for joy. Songs like “I Go Back” don’t have to describe your life personally to still feel relatable in essence. It feels weird now to no longer be “wishin time would stop right in tracks” to instead be remembering it with gratitude and melancholy. Songs like the Bruce Springsteen cover, “One Step Up” feel particularly relevant, when I feel like I’ve grown beyond covering things up, like I was only able to escape and feel happy out of avoidance, yet still like I’ve gone backwards somehow. If I were to play older recordings of these songs they may feel more transportive, but rather the newer live versions illicit greater reflection. Like Kenny Chesney himself has performed them dozens, maybe hundreds of times since. Like the meaning has shifted from present to past and he’s seen some shit along the way too. Then when you hear the audience singing in the background, the knowing that those words are imbedded in the consciousness of that many others is strangely comforting. Things change and feel different but we all “go back”. Maybe growing up and growing older isn’t as lonely as it feels. Thing change and yet they don’t. “Nothing compares to the way that I see it when I sit in that old [lounge] chair.”
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Post by SharksFan99 on Jul 25, 2019 15:14:02 GMT 10
About an hour ago, I was sorting through some of my radio recordings from February 2016 and copying them onto my external hard-drive. I decided to listen to one of the recordings just out of the blue and "Miss You Love" happened to be the first song that was played in the recording. It had been a while since I last listened to Silverchair. I've been considering listening to their albums for quite a while now, however I had simply never got around to doing so. I wasn't really doing anything particularly exciting, so in the end I just thought, "oh why not". I decided to listen to Neon Ballroom in full for the first time and post about it here. I've been a fan of Silverchair since I was 12. My Mum had a CD copy of their "The Best Of: Volume 1" album, which was basically just a compilation CD of all their singles from the Mid-Late '90s. I played all of those songs to death in the car back then, lol. It's kind of surprising in a way that it has taken me this long to finally listen to an album in full. Anyhow... 1. "Emotion Sickness" 9/10 - Has a great use of strings and orchestral arrangements. It's actually pretty experimental for a Silverchair song, especially at this point in their career. Listening to this makes it hard to believe that this was recorded by the same band who were releasing stock-standard post-grunge songs such as "Freak" and "Abuse Me" (not that they're bad songs, but they stick to the simple "soft-loud" formula) just a couple of years earlier. 2. "Anthem For The Year 2000" 7/10 - This has always been my least favourite out of the singles from this album. It isn't a bad song by any means, but it feels as though it never progresses to anything great. 3. "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" 9/10 - Excellent song. "Ana's Song" was one of my favourite Silverchair songs when I was 12 and it still remains so to this day. Daniel John's vocals in this are really good. 4. "Spawn (Again)" 7/10 - I like this song, but my god, it's such a jarring listen. Who on earth thought that it would be a good idea to place this between "Ana's Song" and "Miss You Love"? If you're unfamiliar with this song, it's a heavy, post-grunge song that stylistically isn't too dissimilar from songs such as "Pure Massacre" and "Freak". It sticks out like a sore thumb. "Spawn (Again)" is a song that was recorded during the Freak Show sessions back in 1997. It really has no place on this album. 5. "Miss You Love" 8/10 - A really nice ballad that has 6. "Dearest Helpless" 8/10 - This is the first song on the album that I had yet to listen to (I was already familiar with the first five songs and "Satin Sheets"). I particularly like the intro and the first verse; I can definitely hear the Nirvana influence in this. It also features some great guitar chords. 7. "Do You Feel The Same" 7.5/10 - The chorus is decent and I also quite like the guitar solo as well, but otherwise, the song doesn't really capture my interest. 8. "Black Tangled Heart" 8/10 - The string sections in this are pretty good, as is the chorus. It's a nice break from the more post-grunge orientated songs which make up most of the second-half of this album. The outro to this is notably more heavy though. 9. "Point of View" 7.5/10 - I really like the guitar chords and the chorus in "Point of View". 10. "Satin Sheets" 8.5/10 - This is a strange one. The music itself is very punk-driven and fast-paced, almost in the vein of Green Day, but Daniel John's vocals are heavily influenced by Kurt Cobain. It even features a few electronics at the beginning. 11. "Paint Pastel Princess" 7.5/10 - Okay, however it sounds a little too similar to some of the earlier album tracks IMO; "Dearest Helpless" and "Point of View". It's still a good song of itself though. The string sections and the chorus are the highlights. 12. "Steam Will Rise" 8/10 - The final song on Neon Ballroom. It really does feel like the natural conclusion to this album, as it incorporates many of the elements which define the songs on here. There's a nice heavy guitar riff towards the end, a few electronics during the bridge and an orchestral arrangement at the end. Overall, it's a pretty good album, however the main drawback is how awfully misplaced some of the songs are. I personally would have left "Spawn (Again)" off the album altogether and release it as a B-Side to one of the singles instead (preferably "Anthem For The Year 2000"). I'm sure it would have been a great inclusion on Freak Show, but like I mentioned earlier, it really has no place on this album at all.
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Post by SharksFan99 on Jul 26, 2019 11:23:22 GMT 10
Have just finished listening to Silverchair's second album, Freak Show. This album is interesting as while it is still heavily rooted in the Seattle sound popularised by the "Big Four", it also shows a few subtle hints of what Silverchair would progress to later on in their career. The influence of Nirvana in Freak Show is hugely evident; this may as well be the teenage, angst-ridden version of In Utero. It's still a respectable and standout album in it's own right though. I really enjoyed it, although I feel as though the first seven songs are the true standouts.
Freak Show
Artist: Silverchair
Released: 1997
1. "Slave" - 7.5/10 Has an awesome opening guitar riff and a decent chorus, but the verses could be better than what they are. It's still an enjoyable listen overall though and a good opening track for the album.
2. "Freak" 8/10 - The lead single off the album and the song that topped the charts here in Australia. It's probably one of the strongest tracks on here, as unlike some of the album cuts on here, it is genuinely a coherent and well-put together song. Nothing feels out of place about it.
3. "Abuse Me" 9/10 - Great song. The chorus starts to feel a bit repetitive by the end, however it's still pretty catchy and . This was probably the first hint
4. "Lie To Me" 7/10 - This song sounds so much like "Tourette's" off Nirvana's In Utero that it almost comes across as a straight plagiarism. It even has a very similar duration, coming in at just 1 minute and 19 seconds.
5. "No Association" 8/10 - It's dark, it's brooding and all in all, it's just a great track. The vocal affects applied to Daniel John's vocal really makes this stand out as a highlight.
6. "Cemetery" 8.5/10 - I really like the orchestral strings in this and the guitar chords are nice as well. I'm glad that Silverchair decided to explore this sound further in their next album, as IMO, this is where they feel most at home. Their more "grungier" tracks are generally , however they start to sound a bit "same-same" after a while.
7. "The Door" 8/10 - Whether or not it was intentional i'm not sure, but I can hear a Oasis influence in the vocals and lyrics, particularly during the verses. The guitar chord is catchy and instantly recognisable. Daniel John's vocals in this are of a high standard as per usual. Great song!
8. "Pop Song for Us Rejects" 7.5/10 - The guitar strings during the verses are nice, but the lyrics aren't particularly strong. In fact, the verses are probably my favourite part of the song. I do like the chorus to this as well, however I feel as though it doesn't exactly match with the rest of the song. It should have been used for one of their more "grungier" tracks.
9. "Learn to Hate" 7/10 - Meh. It's okay, but the lyrics during the chorus are a little cringey. "Take the time to learn to hate, come and join the mass debate". Hmm. Again, the build-up to the chorus is particularly good; Silverchair definitely know how to come up with some great melodies. It's just the chorus which is a bit of a let down.
10. "Petrol & Chlorine" 7/10 - Not particularly a fan of the lyrics or Daniel's vocals in this, however I like the experimentation in this. I think this track would have worked better with a shorter duration.
11. "Roses" 8/10 - This song sees Silverchair return to their more "grungy" sound as found earlier in the album. The chorus and verses in "Roses" are actually pretty good and it's definitely a notable improvement over the last three tracks. Solid track.
12. "Nobody Came" 7.5/10 - The opening guitar chords in this are strikingly reminiscent of the guitar rhythm featured during the bridge in Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl". Obviously this was released six years before the latter, however it's still an interesting observation. I like the slow build-up, however the song is a little too long IMO.
13. "The Closing" 7.5/10 - Pretty decent finisher to the album. I particularly like the chorus.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2019 4:10:59 GMT 10
I listened to Black Key's album "Let's Rock" over my break. It's a very fun album, but the songs weren't particularly memorable. I will need to give it a few more listens.
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Post by SharksFan99 on Aug 2, 2019 9:59:10 GMT 10
I listened to Black Key's album "Let's Rock" over my break. It's a very fun album, but the songs weren't particularly memorable. I will need to give it a few more listens. Is that the album that "Lonely Boy" and "Gold on the Ceiling" are on? A lot of people online describe The Black Keys as being one of the most popular rock bands of the 2010s, however they never really amounted to anything after those two songs were released. I can't say that I ever heard anyone describing themselves as being a fan of their music when I was in high school. "Lonely Boy" and "Gold on the Ceiling" are the only two songs i'm familiar with, but I never really got into them, to be honest.
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Post by Qwerty on Aug 3, 2019 22:16:16 GMT 10
I listened to Black Key's album "Let's Rock" over my break. It's a very fun album, but the songs weren't particularly memorable. I will need to give it a few more listens. Is that the album that "Lonely Boy" and "Gold on the Ceiling" are on? A lot of people online describe The Black Keys as being one of the most popular rock bands of the 2010s, however they never really amounted to anything after those two songs were released. I can't say that I ever heard anyone describing themselves as being a fan of their music when I was in high school. "Lonely Boy" and "Gold on the Ceiling" are the only two songs i'm familiar with, but I never really got into them, to be honest. I think that was on their album El Camino. Not 100% sure though. I'm not a big fan of their music, but that album title has always stayed in my head for some reason! They also had a song called Tighten Up which I remember from Fifa 11.
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Post by al on Aug 9, 2019 6:53:18 GMT 10
Album 7: “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” by My Chemical Romance. Now in all fairness, I probably should’ve listened to this before the emo masterpiece that is “Black Parade”, because I couldn’t help but compare to their later work through the entire listen. It was honestly kinda meh for me and there isn’t anything I’m eager to revisit. My complaints are quite similar to those I made regarding the Fall Out Boy album. None of the songs really stuck out, the names made it hard to remember which song is which, and they began to run together. The getting bored after a few songs was a frustration I had with the genre back when I was say, 11, and I’m really starting to remember why. I found the sound to be heavier and more metal leaning, which by itself wouldn’t be a bad thing. However, I think the vocals really suffered because of it, and as discussed previously, it’s really Gerard’s unique voice and theatricality that elevate MCR past most other bands that were considered their contemporaries. I suppose I tend to gravitate towards songs that make me want to sing along and almost act it out, even if only in my mind, and I really didn’t get any past the singles I was already familiar with. It’s quite easy to see why Helena was the shining star of the album, which I like more as time passes. Presently there’s no longer the question of whether it should be taken seriously and I feel like it can just be enjoyed for its campiness. And that seems to really be where the band, particularly Gerard, is at their zenith. This otherwise isn’t a bad album and it’s still some of the better stuff under the emo umbrella. But I probably wouldn’t say it’s a must-listen unless you’re an emo superfan and if you are, well, I’m sure you already have.
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Post by SharksFan99 on Aug 10, 2019 13:56:51 GMT 10
Got around to listening to Silverchair's debut album this morning. It's incredible to think that the members of Silverchair were only 15 years old when this was released and for a record done by 15 year old kids, it is pretty impressive.
Frogstomp
Artist: Silverchair
Released: 1995
1. "Israel's Son" 8/10 - A great track and it really goes up another level when the song breakdowns into a fast-paced guitar riff towards the end.
2. "Tomorrow" 8.5/10 - Disappointingly, the 2015 remaster of the album features the more polished, US version of "Tomorrow" and not the rawer, Australian single release which I personally prefer. That aside, this is truly a great song and it's easy to see why it was chosen to be the lead-single off the album. The Pearl Jam influence is pretty evident in this, but that's not a bad thing.
3. "Faultline" 9/10 - This is an underrated gem and I feel as though it would have made for a great single. It has a great chord progression and Daniel John's vocals in this are pretty good too and I particularly like the chorus.
4. "Pure Massacre" 8.5/10 - I've always really liked the bridge in this and the way in which the guitars explode during the intro to the song is great as well. Lyrically, this is probably one of the strongest songs on the album.
5. "Shade" 7/10 - The lyrics in this are kind of corny (e.g "Don't go hiding, hiding in the shade"), but I can see the point that Daniel Johns is trying to get across. The song is basically advising to seek help if you are going through depression or a mental illness. While I appreciate the message, this would have to be my least favourite song on this album.
6. "Leave Me Out" 7/10 - The guitar riffs in "Leave Me Out" are a bit generic and Daniel John's vocals are weak in this as well. You've got to remember though, this was released by a bunch of 15 year olds, so it's hard to place too much expectations on them at this stage of their career. It isn't a bad song by any means.
7. "Suicidal Dream" 7.5/10 - Has a pretty decent chorus, however the lyrics are a bit of a let down. Teenage angst can really add an extra layer of depth to a song if expressed right, but in this instance, it sounds pitiful to anyone who has passed that stage in their lives. When you hear lyrics like, "My suicidal dream
i'm sure you will get yours too", it just comes across as cheesy now.
8. "Madman" 8.5/10 - This song is an instrumental (excluding the short "mad man" vocal at the end). It starts off with a fast-paced, punk riff and it carries that intensity for the rest of the song. Pretty good.
9. "Undecided" 8/10 - Okay. The guitar riffs are definitely the highlight in this, though they are not exactly memorable.
10. "Cicada" 7.5/10 - Not a bad track, but what's with the outro at the end? It features laughter from the band members after a recording session and you hear one of them say "okay, let's do it again". I get that it was intended to try and make the album seem more "personable" and relatable to the band's listeners, but it pretty much destroys any legitimate credibility that this album is trying to establish.
11. "Findaway" 7.5/10 - A short, optimistic track that basically sends the message that things will get better in the future. It's a nice finisher to what is otherwise a very downbeat album, but it feels underdeveloped.
Frogstomp isn't without it's faults. Many of the songs on here feature lyrics which are written from the perspective of teenage angst and while that isn't necessarily a bad thing, some of the lyrics sound somewhat immature from an older point of view. I probably wouldn't be as harsh on them if I had listened to this a few years ago, but i'm in my twenties now; I've gotten past that point in my life. Daniel John's vocals on Frogstomp aren't as strong or as variable as they would be later on his career, however that is understandable.
Another thing which particularly irks me about this album is the over-reliance on Pearl Jam for song compositions and lyrics. Daniel John's vocal style is so obviously modeled off Eddie Vedder's. The reason why Freakshow is personally my favourite Silverchair album is that although the influences are evident (it draws off Nirvana rather than Pearl Jam) and the lyrical themes are similar, Silverchair had began to establish their own sound. They were bringing something new to the table by that point. In this album, they are pretty much an adolescent tribute band. The songs on here are generally well-crafted, but there's very little originality about them.
I would only recommend this album to people who are right into alternative-rock and Grunge. This isn't a perfect record, but if you're a huge fan of alternative-rock like I am, you'll find the overall experience enjoyable.
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