...And The Machine is Bleeding to Death

They don't do interviews. They usually omit their name and track listings from their album covers. Their music is largely instrumental and and contains almost no words. They are Godspeed You! Black Emperor, one of the best instrumental bands I've ever heard. They originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994, and since then have kept a low profile and are shrouded in secrecy, as per their request.

F♯A♯∞, the band's debut album, was released in 1997. It contains only three tracks, no traditional vocals, and is, in my opinion, the album of the apocalypse. (Not to mention, an edited version of East Hastings is featured in 28 Days Later)

The first track, Dead Flag Blues, is about sixteen minutes long, and contains an excerpt of a scrapped film script thing one of the guitarists was working on. Its doomy tone and melancholic sound make the opening track, a great one. The second track, clocking in at seventeen minutes, is called East Hastings and man is this one awesome. Its tempo changes and different sounds keep you into it, and it's completely amazing to listen to. The final and longest track, at twenty-nine minutes long, Providence, is a great closer. Its powerful, beautiful, and all-around just another perfect song on this record.

All in all, it's hard to describe this bands music. But fans of Explosions in The Sky and Mogwai will most likely like this music. I give it an 8.7/10 and recommend it to hardcore fans of instrumental music. It's a great record, and it's certainly going to have a place in history if it already doesn't.

Scream At Me Until My Ears Bleed

You're a punk rock band from East Bay, California. You've put out two records so far. You're gaining popularity. It's 1993 and you're recording your third album for a major label. And you are considered the Kings of Punk in America at the time. You've a big fan base. A signature sound. Three members. And your name is Green Day. 

Green Day was formed in 1987, in California and was originally usually seen at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California playing shows before being signed to a major label in 1993. In 1990 and '92 they released the albums 39/Smooth and Kerplunk! respectively on the independent label Lookout! Records. Due to this, they gained a large following of fans, and massive amounts of respect from within the punk scene. However, when they signed to major label Reprise Records, they were considered a band that "sold-out" and this alienated most fans from their music.

February 9th, 1994. Green Day is now a worldwide commercial success in the punk scene. Hitting number two on the charts U.S. Billboard 200, charting in seven other countries, and reaching Diamond status (for the first and only time in their discography) in America. With only three members, it's a crazy thing that they could impact the world so much. But then again, hearing Billie Joe Armstrong's whined-out vocals and crunching, fast riffs and Tre Cool's frantic drum fills all mixed with Mike Dirnt's catchy bass lines, it's no wonder they got so famous.

Dookie was popular amongst teens as well, mostly due to the song Longview's overt references to masturbation and getting high. Notable great songs from this record include Burnout, She, Basket Case, F.O.D., and When I Come Around. Needless to say, Dookie met with high praise. I've included a link to the Wikipedia page where the list of "Best-Of lists" is included.  

So what do I think? F*** it. You've probably got money. Buy this record! I've seen rare deals for 10.00-15.00$ and this is one of them. Whether you love them and don't own it, or don't listen to them, I highly recommend this album to any Punk fan or just a casual listener.

Isn't Anything Loveless?

How do I even begin to explain this one?

In 1983 in Dublin, Ireland guitarist/singer Kevin Shields and friend Colm Ó Cíosóig formed My Bloody Valentine, one of the loudest, and greatest bands to emerge overseas. Sometime after forming, the band moved over to London, England, picked up two members and began recording their first album Isn't Anything (pictured above). After three years of pushing out EPs, Mini-LPs and singles, Isn't Anything was finally released in 1988 to the public. Whilst not effect-laden, Isn't Anything was a rather great album. The dual vocal approach and fast, sometimes effected guitar riffs compliment each other greatly. The album spans some dreampop style and a mostly alternative/punk-ish type of music. 
Isn't Anything garnered a few 5-star reviews and some "favourable" ratings. This is nowhere near the success of their next album, but the best was yet to come. Whether you like the band or not, Isn't Anything is a great album, and I'd recommend it to indie/dream-pop fans.

In 1990, the anticpated follow-up to Isn't Anything was finally released after two years of work due to financial difficulties. The album, titled Loveless, is possibly the greatest shoegazer album of all time. This is the album that spawned shoegaze and inspired many musicians. With loud as hell guitar work, heavy with chorus pedals, distortions, layers, and tremolo, looped drums, and ethereal vocals barely audible, and catchy melodies, this album is one for the ages. Around this time, MBV concerts were so loud that some people reported suffering minor hearing loss. :) In order to get the full experience, I recommend you have a nice bass woofer and loud speakers to enjoy this album. Even after multiple listens, I can never get tired of this. Notable tracks like I Only Said, Blown A Wish, and When You Sleep are infectious and great.

Loveless was praised greatly by critics, with NME giving it an eight-out-of-ten and the album being labeled as "the outermost, innermost, uttermost rock record of 1991". In 2003 three, it was even named second to Radiohead's OK Computer in best albums of the 90s. If that isn't an accomplishment, I don't know what is.

So what do I think of these two records? Isn't Anything gets an 8/10 from me, mainly because it lacks the sound of Loveless, but is a great record nonetheless. As for Loveless itself, 10/10, 5/5, Just absolutely perfect. It's a defining record to shoegaze, and belongs right next to Ride's Nowhere. Definitely check it out if you don't mind effects and dreamscapes. <3

Timiiinnngggg

Ah, I'm trying to figure out a weekly schedule to get postings done. I'm thinking maybe Mondays and Fridays. I'll figure this out. X]

-chris

Edit: This will be during my school year, I'm on summer. Which means I can pump out reviews whenever, and I'm not sure if I'll even have a schedule. I may just write them whenever I'm bored.

The Uprising and its Resistance

Muse-noun b. any goddess presiding over a particular art.
This is the definition of UK band Muse. Listening to anything by them, you can't help but think to yourself, "What musical gods!". Sure, they've been banned from Radio 3 for life for replacing a verse with nothing but variations of the word "Fuck", their drummer has been hit by flying guitars on more than one occasion and they've been compared to the likes of Coldplay and Radiohead, but Muse is a band entirely in its own world. From the hard riffs heard in Stockholm Syndrome and Hyper Music to the quiet and haunting Ruled by Secrecy, the diversity in Muse is vast, but you can always recognize their music. 

In 2009, Muse released their fifth studio album, The Resistance. Sporting a different style of music throughout the album and a rather interesting cover, it's no wonder people are now going crazy over Muse. Sure, they hit it big when Guitar Hero III featured 2006's Knights of Cydonia, but Muse is now played on the radio almost all the time now, and the recent album has spawned four singles so far. But if you take Absolution or Black Holes and Revelations and play them before The Resistance, you'll notice a big difference in the musical approach. It's more theatrical in a way. Fans of Queen will also hear a strong resemblance in one of the songs on this album, and funny enough it's the only track I didn't like from this album.

The biggest thing about this album however, is the closer. A three-track, fifteen minute total symphony, titled Exogenesis Symphony. This has been in the works (according to frontman Matthew Bellamy) for a long time, and it's worth it. It's an absolutely stunning track, and it's possibly on of the best album closers I've ever heard. Its three parts all stand for something different, but all have the same message: We are human, and we are destroying ourselves.

The Resistance met with somewhat mixed reviews, getting mostly four out of five stars, and on one list, a 5.9-10. But I myself would give it an 8. This album is just too good. Its love songs, ripping riffs, synthesizers, and drumming are just wonderful. The lyrics are great, and Matthew Bellamy did an amazing job with Exogenesis.

So if you fancy Muse, go buy this album. If you can, get the edition with the Making-Of dvd, which is pretty sweet. <3

Subterranean Homesick Aliens Have Come

1997. A time where everything may or may not have been in its right place. Yet musically, Radiohead were in their right place. Coming off the success of The Bends, Radiohead moved on to self-produce their next album, OK Computer. While The Bends was mostly acoustic, softer music, OK Computer contrasts that greatly with loud crunching riffs, effect-heavy arpeggios, spacey dreamscapes created by guitar, and almost looped-sounding drum work.

While the album is mostly dominated by loudness, and effects, there are indeed a few songs here that are a bit calmer, but still as good. Take Exit Music (For A Film) for instance. This song was written for the credits sequence to the remake of Romeo + Juliet, and the lyrics are actually a re-telling of the classic story. It's quiet, melancholic, and depressing (but then again, alot of their work isn't what I'd call happy-go-lucky music). But in comparison to say, Airbag or Electioneering, it's a nice change of pace for the album. Another calming song is the closer for the album, The Tourist. Written by Jonny Greenwood about an experience he had in France, it indeed "sounds like the last song on an album".

While The Bends covered topics of isolation and sickness, OK Computer's music spanned themes such as consumerism, social disconnection, political stagnation, and modern malaise. Quite a bit of a difference, both musically and lyrically, as I've already said. But once again, Radiohead cracked the skies. OK Computer met critical success, with countless five-star and ten-out-of-ten reviews, along with crashing into best-of lists once again. Radiohead may not be understood as easily as other music, but they've impacted the world with their words and tones, and OK Computer will definitely be here forever.

I highly recommend this to anyone with a taste for effect-ridden albums, or for anyone who just wants twelve amazing songs for a good deal. It's a great album, with great music, lyrics and themes. <3

These, Are My Twisted Words

A while back, UK band Radiohead released their latest song, These Are My Twisted Words. Today, June 17th, 2010, I am now listening to it. Not since first hearing SHA from OK Computer, have I heard a more dreamy, haunting song from these guys. With only three sets of lyrics, 

"these are my twisted words
when i feel you still walking
i know i should not look down
but i'm so sick of just talking

when are you coming back
i just can't handle it
when are you coming back
i just can't handle it

when are you coming back
i just can't stand it
i just can't handle it"

and 5:32 backing track of layered, effect-loaded guitar and bass, this may in fact be a new favourite of mine from Radiohead. With this out of the way, I'd like to now move on to the long put-off review of a Radiohead album. And today's album will be none other than the band's 1995 The Bends.

In 1994, after the huge success of Radiohead's single, Creep, from the debut album Pablo Honey, Radiohead began work on a new album, this time taking a less grungier approach and using more acoustic elements all over. Despite being the most depressing album I've ever heard, aside from Pink Floyd's The Wall, the multi-layered and desperate sound of The Bends still warms my heart, even after hearing it countless times over. Throughout the album, topics such as, well, the bends (title track), feeling isolated and small (Street Spirit) and wishing you could take everything (Bullet Proof...I Wish I Was) are voiced by Yorke's falsetto, melancholic words. All this combined with Jonny Greenwood's effect-heavy guitar work makes for a near perfect album.

The Bends stands out noticeably from the rest of the Radiohead discography, and for good reason. Take OK Computer, and The Bends, and play one after the other. Now take Kid A or In Rainbows and play them after The Bends. Like I said before, The Bends is depressing, acoustic at times, and sometimes just punches you in the face with crunching, distorted riffs (My Iron Lung, The Bends). Songs like High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, and Nice Dream showcase just how.....amazing, and beautiful Radiohead can be when they aren't blaring distorted and spacey riffs or a call to a frenzy (The National Anthem from Kid A).

Critically, and sales-wise, The Bends was a hit. A rather big one. Receiving countless five-star and "favourable" reviews, making a few best-of lists, taking 110 out of 500 best albums ever, and second to the The Beatles in Best 1000 Albums Ever, Radiohead was launched into the mainstream with this album. It has since achieved Triple-Platinum status in the US and EU.

So what do I have to say?
I love this album to death. I love the riffs, the drumming, the bass lines, the lyrics, everything. Anytime I'm asked what my favourite Radiohead album is, my answer is The Bends. I'd give it 5/5 stars, and recommend it to anyone. <3

P.S. Here is the link to These Are My Twisted Words if anyone would like it; Radiohead released it for free :D http://www.waste.uk.com/Store/waste-radiohead-twisted+words.html