(What's The Story) Morning Glory? Review

"(What's The Story) Morning Glory?" is the second studio album from British rock band Oasis.  The blend of alternative rock and British pop music went a long way for Oasis.  This album is packed to the gills with hit song after song that honestly feels like a greatest hits record.  The band sticks to their guns with this one and put together one of the greatest compilations of songs the 90's had the pleasure of having.  The album also includes the ever popular "Wonderwall", an anthem in its own right and a song that doesn't seem to leave your brain.

Their previous release "Definitely Maybe" bursted Oasis onto the scene as rebellious British rock stars as they led a mini revival of the British invasion along with the band Blur.  "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?" is more of a mature effort that was sparked from some inner conflict over production issues between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.  Sometimes the best comes from bad situations and the brothers put their differences aside to create an album dripping in emotion and is not afraid of letting it shine through to carry the album to greatness.

Not only does the album have hits such as "Wonderwall", "Champagne Supernova", and "Don't Look Back In Anger", but just about every song on here has a catchy hook or an intoxicating melody that amazes you.  Songs like "She's Electric" and "Cast No Shadow" are hits in their own right as the band channeled their inner Beatles to bring you that same magic you got from listening to Abbey Road for the first time.  Its that good.  The Duo worked through their differences and at the end of the process they found a rainbow and a pot of gold.  The album is critically acclaimed and often is put up on the best albums ever charts.

Final Summary:

What made the Beatles great was the fact that they weren't afraid of holding back the emotions that they bled.  The same goes for Oasis on "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?".  The conflict between the brothers added to the already polished product that was this album.  If anything the emotion heard on this album is what really puts "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?" over the top. "Champagne Supernova" alone is a track that for its length, packed a strong punch and kept you on the hook throughout.  The song is nothing short of an anthem and caps off an album full of wonder, amazement, emotion, and right down to the bone raw rock n' roll.

Rating: 9.1/10

Recipe For Hate Review

"Recipe For Hate" is the seventh full-length album from punk rock icons Bad Religion.  The band sticks to their guns with this one as you get a hard hitting album filled with lyrics that make you think.  Frontman Greg Graffin always paints with his lyrics as he speaks about societal issues that plague us every day in a poetic way.  Songs such as "American Jesus" and "Struck A Nerve" serve as some of the more well-known Bad Religion tunes and overall the album rules with an iron fist in the punk scene.

A song that stood out on this album for me is "Skyscraper".  The anthemic track really inspires you with its infectious melodies and catchy riffs and considering its towards the end of the album, it leaves you off on an excellent note.  One thing in punk is that the majority of the tracks will often sound similar and this album is no different.  The similar tracks blend into one another as some tracks get lost in translation.  The difference that helps certain tracks stand out is change of pace.  "Struck A Nerve" is slowed down dramatically and Graffin makes sure you hear his words.  

With Bad Religion, you get what you pay for.  They hit you hard with knowledge and a horde of guitars to get their message across.  The often times redundant tracks could deter you from enjoying this album as a whole, but the punk rock kings reel you in with their sound that you probably fell in love with a long time ago.  This is also the album where the band "sold out" as they signed with Atlantic Records after leaving Epitaph.  They eventually returned to Epitaph but the production value stays the same course of what you've come to know and love from Bad Religion.

Final Summary:

The album is much more diverse than their previous works.  It features some hits but more misses than anything.  The album will grow on you after a while but at the end of the day, you can't deny the sound of Bad Religion.  The band puts everything they're offering on the table and they don't take returns.  "Recipe For Hate" isn't the best album they've ever released, but it does hold a special place in the hearts of punk rock fans as the melodically driven album finds a way to stay in your music library.

Rating: 7.8/10

In Utero Review

After the release of their breakout album "Nevermind", Nirvana was on top of the world.  The album was an extraordinary commercial success and put the band under the ever-so-bright spotlight of the music industry.  Kurt Cobain didn't take the fame too well as he never wanted it in the first place.  Cobain wanted to play his music and be left alone but the music he released shifted a generation of angst-filled teenagers and outcasts who wanted more and more from the band.  "In Utero" is very much Kurt's way of dealing with the new found fame; yet it was done in a very compressed way.  The songs don't have the same edginess that "Nevermind" had and many of the tracks feel compressed to bits with their wings clipped.  But you can't deny the stellar writing from Cobain and you can't compress the way Cobain's voice tears through your soul.     

"In Utero" often feels like a neutered version of "Nevermind".  The sound is very commercial and doesn't capture the true essence of a band that was so groundbreaking in many ways.  Though "Heart-Shaped Box" is a gritty ballad that stands alone on an album stripped of its essentials.  The pain is palpable in Kurt's voice on this track and the band follows suit with a steady, droning melody.  "Serve The Servants" is about as close as you're gonna get to an autobiography in a track from Cobain.  He talks about his parents divorce and his relationship with his father.  It's also one of the deeper cuts that you may of missed out on your first listen through.  The sound on this album is much more alternative than anything else as each track feels distant from what you'd expect and ultimately flat on the surface.  Cobain was notoriously dissatisfied with how the album turned out production wise and you can't really blame him.  Not only that, but I also found there to be more filler tracks than gems.  A lot of the tracks on here don't even come close to the energy put into the track list on"Nevermind" and many tracks feel like unnecessary noise jammed in between the few good ones. 

You do have some classic Nirvana tracks on here such as "All Apologies", "Dumb", and "Pennyroyal Tea" to help this album's cause but in whole the album doesn't quite cut it.  The album feels noisy and held-back simultaneously in a way that you can only realize by listening through.  "Rape Me" is a perfect example of a noisy song with no direction.  The droning lyrics and overt screaming feel really lazy coming from Kurt and in conjunction, uninspired.  

Final Summary:

"In Utero" had large shoes to fill.  "Nevermind" is a bonafide 10/10 and the resulting follow-up just doesn't give you that similar feeling.  The album feels stripped of everything that "Nevermind" was and although the effort was bold, it wasn't the Nirvana we knew.  There were a few songs that stood out but overall, the album feels compressed to shit and uninspired in many ways.  I will give Cobain this, dealing with success is a tough thing to do.  It's draining for someone who isn't used to it and let alone doesn't want it.  Ultimately, it showed on "In Utero" that it had a negative affect on his craft.  But at the end of the day, "In Utero" is hit or miss.  If anyone else wrote this it would've been deemed mediocre at best, but Nirvana had the luxury of being Nirvana so in essence, it was over-hyped a bit.  I don't know what Cobain truly thought about "In Utero", but I wouldn't of wanted to go out like this.

Rating: 7.5/10   

Graduation Review

"Graduation" is the 3rd studio album from hip-hop star Kanye West.  This album marked the final educationally themed album as his two previous albums were "The College Dropout" and "Late Registration".  "Graduation" is deemed his most consistent and mature album up to that point as he shifted over to a more conceptual approach creating more anthemic music utilizing synthesizers and electronic production methods.

"Graduation" has a lot of attention paid to detail.  The album feels a lot tighter than his previous albums and in addition to that, Kanye's writing has improved as well.  The album starts off strong with three inspiring songs "Good Morning", "Champion", and "Stronger".  They start the album on a positive note as you feel uplifted by the airy anthems Kanye pieced together with effect use of sampling.  Kanye brings the pace of the album down with songs like "I Wonder", "Everything I Am", and "Flashing Lights".  These songs provide great contrast to an album filled with excellent uplifting songs as Kanye brings you back to reality with tracks taking a deeper, introspective look on Kanye's frustrations and issues.  

Chris Martin from Coldplay also makes a guest appearance on "Homecoming" as one of the standout tracks on "Graduation".  The song grows on you after a while and the collaborative effort between the two provides another satisfying moment.  The different direction Kanye took on this album really paid off as the production value is picture perfect, the songs all have depth and deeper meaning, and overall, "Graduation" happens to be Kanye's most complete album to date (2008).  

Final Summary:

Although "Graduation" isn't considered the best album Kanye put out, it can be considered the largest step forward in Kanye's musical career.  Instead of creating an overextended compilation a la his previous two albums, he took steps forward to condense his records giving each song more care than before.  "Graduation" combines the airy, inspiring influences of bands such as Coldplay and U2 with the hip-hop craft that Mr. West takes very seriously.  "Graduation" was the stepping stone Kanye needed to blast off into his prime.

Rating: 8.6/10

  

Is This It Review

"Is This It" is the debut album from New York rockers The Strokes.  The debut album was shrouded in anticipation and hype that the band didn't really need.  The album speaks for itself.  The album had success in the US as well as internationally; charting as high as number 2 on the UK albums chart.  The medley of guitars, Julian's cutting edge vocals, and the plethora of influences you can feel in this album guide their debut into a new generation of rock featuring themselves at the forefront of it.

Garage rock meets alternative on this album as this feels ever so...New York.  You can hear The Ramones, you can hear The Velvet Underground, its all an excellent blend of influences and sounds that encapsulate this record, but The Strokes aren't copycats.  The band carried the torch for a new age of rockers at the dawn of the millennium with an incredible amount of charisma and melodic pop songs that stand on their own two feet.  Song such as "Someday" and "Last Nite" hit you hard, but not to the point of annihilation.  Casablancas wants you to hear and feel every word coming out of his mouth, and the guitar duo of Albert Hammond Jr and Nick Valensi cohesively stick to their strengths and their guitar styles sync up perfectly.

Another endearing quality to this album is that it doesn't feel overproduced.  The Strokes basically said "Here you go!" as the garage rock production is a refreshing quality for "Is This It".  The album doesn't overstay it's welcome either.  "Is This It" is a whopping 36 minutes and 28 seconds in length and even though you may want more tracks on this album, this is The Strokes at their finest and any other filler tracks wouldn't of helped their debut any bit.  Other notable tracks include "Hard To Explain", "The Modern Age", and "Take It Or Leave It".

Final Summary:

The Strokes got a plate and filled it to it's necessary capacity.  They found a fine balance between their own style and making sure their influences were heard through and through.  The production doesn't wow you but that is one of the things magical about "Is This It", it doesn't have to.  The combined effort from each and every musician in The Strokes pulled together a nearly perfect first album for a band being put under the microscope from many critics; as they were being compared to all-time great bands like The Rolling Stones or The Ramones.  But all in all, its current, its retro, its simply The Strokes.

Rating: 9.0/10

Pickin' Up The Pieces Review

"Pickin' Up The Pieces" is the debut album from Fitz and The Tantrums.  Fitz uses Motown and Soul as the backbone of their debut but fuses in indie pop influences as well to create an anomaly of an album,  The album sounds old and new at the same time while putting together a solid line-up of songs necessary to differentiate themselves from the pack.  For an album recorded mainly in the lead singer's living room, "Pickin' Up The Pieces" provides us with an aesthetically pleasing album that packs a large punch.

The album is the perfect soundtrack to any upscale night on the town.  The classic feel mixed with the new-age vibe creates an intoxicating environment that lasts throughout the album.  Songs such as "Breakin' The Chains Of Love" and "Don't Gotta Work It Out" serve as the epitome of Fitz and The Tantrums sound.  The hand claps, the shuffling, and church organs all blend so well together to create a satisfying finished product.  Also, the flute on the title track shines as one of the brightest moments on this album as the catchy riff grabs your attention and makes you move.

Fitz's musical partner Noelle Scaggs cuts some impressive work on this album and you wish she'd have a little more attention on "Pickin' Up The Pieces".  Other tracks that stand out on their own are "Moneygrabber" and "Winds Of Change".  "Moneygrabber" serves as the anthem for this album as the hook on the chorus grabs every one's attention as we are sucked into the soul-influenced band's wheelhouse.  And  "Winds Of Change" builds up very slowly and is credited in my opinion as the album's finest slow jam. 

Final Summary:

For a debut album, you can't ask for much more than what Fitz and The Tantrums did here.  They established what they were all about, they put themselves on a platform that is all to their own, and they created an overall enjoyable album.  The Soul/Motown influences didn't hinder them on the originality standpoint, in fact, it helped them stand out even more so as their indie/underground upbringing blended with their influences quite smoothly.  For an album recorded in a living room, the sound they created trumps some full length studio albums on quality.

  

Rating: 8.3/10

Sound Of Silver Review

With the "Sound Of Silver" you get LCD Soundsystem delivering on all fronts with electronic dance music that will be sure to amp up your day.  Each track on here has an electric current running through it as James Murphy's creation has the energy to zap you into oblivion.  "Sound Of Silver" has consistency and depth sparkled throughout each song and as your left listening you can't help but get sucked into the seductive beats and charm provided throughout.

The droning beats on "Sound Of Silver" really attest to the craft of James Murphy.  Not only do you feel like you're at a club in the 80's, but you also hear hints of David Bowie, Glam Rock, and elements of traditional rock music.  LCD Soundsystem does a great job here of combining many different elements of each genre they use to their advantage.  Songs like "Get Innocuous!" and "Time To Get Away" provide a new age sound to samples from older art rock bands like Brian Eno and The Velvet Underground.    

Though there are many samples used from that golden age of art rock/glam rock, all of these songs are unique in their own special way.  Each track is enjoyable as you take a modern walk down memory lane with little reason to stop listening.  The individual tracks on here have their own different message and no one song feels like the others.  The art rock theme may be prevalent but the individuality that Murphy plugs into each and every song really serves as a testament to his craft.

Final Summary: 

At the end of the day, "Sound Of Silver" provides us with an album high on the scale for production value and for overall satisfaction.  Even the send off song "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" has a lot of character to it as the somber ballad closes the door gently on this album.  But James Murphy does a wonderful job making each track seem spacious and full of life as the computer driven album keeps its heart in place through the electronic jungle.

Rating: 8.7/10