Pretty. Odd.

I'm a huge fan of The Beatles, first off. I love everything from their beginnings to Let It Be. I've got shirts, cds, posters, etc. I love em! Unfortunately, they broke up after recording Abbey Road, and there's definitely some songs that we've yet to hear from those sessions. Well, luckily, Panic! At The Disco's sophomore effort brings that to us.

I've known Panic! about as long as I've known Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, and the like; a good five or six years. I've only recently bothered REALLY listening to Panic! however, as before I'd only heard a few songs here and there. I picked up their latest album Vices & Virtues, and this one here, Pretty. Odd. So with that being said, let's jump right into this one.

Well to start with, this is no ordinary record. The title Pretty. Odd. is as captivating a title as can be, bringing the question "Why the punctuation?". Well, I quite like it. The cd itself is pretty, and odd, and the title captures that perfectly. The album starts out with a nice intro leading right into the single Nine in The Afternoon. This one is a bit more pop-fodder but nice nonetheless. From that moment on, it's an amalgamation of practically all The Beatles had to offer. Yes, I am serious. Each song on this cd is just bursting at the seams with the feel of John and Paul's writing, instrumentation, all of it. You can't help but think that some of these tracks were actual writing by the Beatles themselves, and we're just hearing them through Panic! at The Disco. I'm not sure how these guys did it, but they perfectly captured the Abbey Road sound, right down to the crunchy guitar sound found in most Beatles songs in the right channel. They've got a nice 70s' production sound to this record, and it was even mixed and partially done in Abbey Road studios, where the orchestration was recorded. All of these things make for a nice, calm, fun album complete with Fab 4 harmony sounding choruses, clever guitar work, and amazing vocals. If you like The Beatles, I really recommend you check this one out. **1/2

Tron: Legacy

I acquired this one back when it first released, and only just listened to it not once, but twice the other day. Created from within the master minds of the French house duo Daft Punk, a soaring blend of synths and strings become a musical idea that which I'd never conceived in my mind let alone a working idea. After hearing just the first two tracks, I had become hooked on its sound. From Derezzed, to Sea of Simulation, there's something here to be enjoyed by everyone. It's no surprise that they could create something as perfect as this, given their background. Every piece of music here gives you a certain feeling; dramatic, light, soft, etc. Everything going on in this soundtrack blends perfectly with the visuals from the film, which is a given considering the movie was made around the soundtrack as opposed to the normal way. Well, there's really nothing more I can say to express my love for this. In conclusion, if you get this, download it from a torrent site that provides all 31 tracks, as they are meant to be heard as one. Otherwise you will be stuck buying at least four different versions to get each track. My final score? **** of ****.

The Black Crown

I love metal. But every now and then, I do tend to get burnt out on it, as some people do with any genre. But then I turn on some Suicide Silence, and bam; back into it all. I like my fair share of metal, from that good ol' thrash metal from the 80s, to glam metal, and then to today's modern metal trends like death metal, hardcore metal, and etc. I'm not too big on death metal, but I like a few bands i.e. Chelsea Grin, Suicide Silence and Killwhitneydead. But it was SS that really started me on it. I remember dabbling in a few tracks from The Cleansing and No Time to Bleed a few years back and I enjoyed what I heard but wasn't huge on it. Then a few months ago I picked up the new album, The Black Crown, and got the full versions of their previous efforts, and I am glad I did.

Everything that these guys did on the last two cds was solid. Grinding guitars, seriously badass drum work and an amazing singer. But when the Black Crown came along, everything from those two cds was perfected even more somehow. Mitch's vocals really come screaming and growling into your eardrums, but with such a force that he could be rivaled by Chris Motionless from Motionless in White, or the singer for Chelsea Grin. The guitar work is fantastic as usual, combining deathcore riffs with Slayer-esque solos and rhythms, while the drum work sonicly blasts with such force you'd think the drum kit was going to fall apart. While I love every track on here, the only one I dislike remotely is the one featuring Jon Davis from KoRn, but even then some would still love it even if they aren't a fan of SS. Alot of the song's breakdowns are flat-out brain smashing. The one in Human Violence is so badass, it reminds me of Puppets (The First Snow) by MiW. They really took elements from the last two cds and tightened them up, added some more force, and just kick your ass full force. This one is to be reckoned with. *** 1/2.

And All That Could Have Been

Unless you live under a rock, you should know by now who Trent Reznor is. His introduction to the scene, Pretty Hate Machine launched a career fueled by utter hatred and despair, but hey, it's damn good music. Of course those aren't the only subjects of his music, but it's the most prominent one here on The Fragile. The Fragile follows off the heels of The Downward Spiral, starting Somewhat Damaged and ending Ripe (With Decay), which to me is a perfect formula. Spanning between these two tracks is one smasher of a record, with some pseudo-DnB style, Industrial grinding, and ethereal soundscapes, this album will always find a listener who enjoys at least one song on here. The story behind the album follows a person down in a hole, and only falling further and further as he tries to get out. This journey is documented through tracks like The Day The World Went Away, The Wretched, Even Deeper, and Where is Everybody?. The nice part is that every track compliments the one before it. You become immersed in it after listening enough times. And that's the beauty of an album; being able to immerse yourself in it. Much like Abbey Road, this cd is a landmark in music, for both what it is, and it's diversity and innovative sounds. Reznor really layers on the guitars over subliminal beats, and drags his voice along over it, adding a perfect touch that the song needs. Some songs don't even have vocals but still speak to the soul in a way, making it that much more pleasing to listen to. Of course we can't forget about the other contributors, who do amazing work on drums, piano, and whatever else their respective instruments may be. However, Reznor really steals the show here with his brilliant, yet simple (at times) lyrics. Each song helps bring the story together and can really put visuals into the listeners head. I also really like the format he chose to make this album, himself commenting that "You can't listen to the Left, until after hearing the Right, but you have to hear the Left first to understand the Right.". Sure, it's confusing, but makes perfect sense. The discs compliment eachother in a way that I haven't heard since The Wall by Pink Floyd. Nine Inch Nails took a dramatic turn after this record, and only got better with age. **** out of ****

Endgame

Finding a good metal record is no easy task. Especially in the modern age, what with the genre being plagued by death metal, deathcore, hardcore metal, etc. It wasn't like that in the eighties. Back in those days, Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax ruled the metal scene. And now, twenty-some odd years later, Megadeth STILL kills it.

I first heard this record a few months back, but easily dismissed it. I was heavily into some other stuff at the time, and yet now I can't stay away from it. Since 83' Megadeth has been the go-to band for off-the-wall, in your face thrash metal, and they still got it. The record opens with the duo Dialectic Chaos + This Day We Fight! and it's very reminiscent of So Far, So Good, So What? from their early days. The track opens with some standard classic record-opening style, but then the band drops quite a sonic bombshell on your ears. Dave and Chris unleash a furious fret assault, dueling out crazy-fast notes and licks, all while some badass rhythm section forms the backing basis. This IS metal, and it's never been better. The track segues into TDWF! and the badassery only continues from there. Dave's sharp vocal delivery and the crisp, relentless guitars back him perfectly. It feels like the eighties all over again, when Metallica was at their prime busting out Fight Fire With Fire and Battery. But that's not only it, as the rest of the record delivers numerous songs for any metal head to love. Sure, there's an acoustic ballad.. but you know what comes next: the shred. And it delivers. I really enjoy Dave's "..." songs because they're two-parters. They contain numerous changes in tempo and style, and that's what I love in Megadeth: these guys got their chops, and know just how to show it off the right way. The solos contain actual melody, Shawn Drover on drums blows my mind with every double-bass hit, and I'm amazed. I enjoy my fair share of metal, but I have to say that Megadeth's drummer and Angelo Parente of Motionless in White are probably some of the best drummers I've ever heard. In all, Endgame delivers, and shows that Megadeth is back, and ready to melt your face! **** out of **** (borrowing my good friend Ryan's star system :) Hope you don't mind buddy!)

Give Up Your Ghost

I waited three years for this. I remember my first Radiohead cd was In Rainbows, my grandmother bought it for me at Target in the summer of 2008. From there, I picked up the un-official compilation album Best Of. I grew to love this band, their lyrics, music, everything. I've listened to all their albums a few times at least. And this one, The King Of Limbs, was no disappointment. Much to my surprise, I was on the bus home from school a few weeks ago and I checked my email on my phone. Sure enough, there it was from W.A.S.T.E. itself; a notification of the new album being released in five days. I was ecstatic. I could NOT stop smiling. Now, a few weeks later, I've listened to it tenfold. Maybe more. Thom Yorke's vocals are simply amazing, and his lyrics are great, as always. It seems to mesh together with the instrumentation of this album beautifully, and his falsetto just gives shivers. Whilst being a much slower album, it in no way hinders it's magic. It sounds a tad like In Rainbows, Kid A, and some of The Eraser all meshed together to form a wonderful, haunting album. And at a short 8 tracks, it is well worth the money. Notable songs are Codex, Separator and Give Up The Ghost. 10/10. Check it out.

Me, I'm Not

Hey guys.
I just remixed a nine inch nails song. check it out :)