Saturday, June 16, 2007

Music Reviews!

It's been a while since my last post, but not much has been going on. Basically, since I'm not working this summer, I've just been hanging out and doing menial things. I did make a Slytherin scarf because I am a serious nerd, and I wanted something to wear for the last book and the fifth movie in about a month, LOL. Hopefully I'll have pictures and stuff in a couple of days.

Since summer is usually when music I love comes out, and I've bought four albums since I've been home, I want to do a review of them. Drumroll please! First up...


Circa Survive - On Letting Go
Now, I don't think I can explain how much I love Circa Survive. I mean, good God. Don't be fooled by my last.fm charts, because I listen to the CDs, not necessarily on my computer. I think in actuality they overtook TREOS a long time ago! I was ecstatic to walk into Target one day with my mom and see it sitting on one of the music racks. My mother, being the loving mom she is and understanding how much of an audiophile I am (and also seeing that it was only $10, haha) got it for me. It was instantly love. Anthony Green's voice continues to be a gold mine, and yet again proves how much of a beast he is. I think some people will disagree with me, but I think that the band sounds fuller and more melodic than they did on "Juturna," and I like that. My personal favorites are "The Greatest Lie," "The Difference Between Medicine and Poison is in The Dose," "On Letting Go," and "Your Friends Are Gone." But those will probably change in a few days, because that's what usually happens to me.

The Fall of Troy - Manipulator
If possible, I love The Fall of Troy nearly as much as Circa Survive. They're probably the most metal band I listen to, and will probably be one of the few ones I can actually get into. They're so good at combining screaming with melodic choruses and intricate playing. This album is another "OMG it's at my local Target!" CD, and I'm sure glad that I decided to wait before ordering the CD online. The first thing I noticed about this album was that the guys seemed to have calmed down, or something. Amazingly, two of the songs, "Quarter Past" and "Caught Up" almost sound like a different band. They're hardly metal. And they're some of my favorite songs. It just shows that these guys are so versatile and can pull off basically anything they damn well please, and still sound kick ass while doing it. Favorites are "The Dark Trail," "Quarter Past," "Semi-Fiction," "Seattlantis," and "Caught Up."


Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long
Ahh, Maroon 5 takes me back to the days of eighth grade, when September 11th occurred, I was confused and even more of an obnoxious bitch than I am now. (Honestly, I don't understand why people put up with me back then. I was an atrocious 13 year old!) It was also the year when Maroon 5 started appearing on the scene, and I was one of the first to hear of them, thanks to my Internet music finding skills. I think they were the ones to help pull me out of the meaningless sludge that were boy bands. (I would credit Incubus, since I was a fan of theirs since about 6th grade, but I didn't completely let go of my teenybopperness until about 8th grade.) Then again, if you think about it, Maroon 5 is kinda like a boy band. Shit. Anyway, here I am 5 years later, about to be a sophmore in college, and a much kinder person, throwing back to the 80s with Maroon 5. Seriously, some of this sounds like late 80s-early 90s stuff. I mean, I was expecting a throwback to 2002, not to 1992. Regardless, it's still a fun album. Given that my musical tastes have changed so much over the 5 years that I started being a fan, I can't expect to like this album but so much. It's funny to me that I've had a demo version of "Can't Stop" on my iPod for about 3 years now. The newer version is a tad different, but I still like it. I think that song, along with "Makes Me Wonder," "Little of Your Time," and "Kiwi" are my favorites.


The Dear Hunter - Act II: The Meaning of, & All Things Regarding Ms. Leading
Anyone who knows me knows the passion and the fierceness of my love for The Receiving End of Sirens. Their debut album, "Between the Heart and the Synapse" got me through heartbreak, the onset of my anxiety/panic disorder, and the pains of leaving high school and becoming an adult--all in the first year I had the album. Not to mention that when I sent them a heartfelt message on Myspace, they replied back. So when Casey left the band, I was devastated for a while. However, he continues making music with his new band The Dear Hunter, and dear GOD is it worth it. I think I'll always kind of think of TDH as an offshoot of TREOS though, since Casey's voice has always been the one that can move me the most. And on this album, it's definitely moving. The five songs that were on the demo album and redone on this one are still golden. The sad thing is, I can't choose favorites for this album because it's so amazing. I'm listening to it right now, and as I start to say, "I like this song" the next one comes on and I'm like, "Dammit I like this one too!" So I love the whole damn thing. It's a wonderful second part to "Act I," which even my parents liked, and that's saying a lot when my parents admit that they like something I listen to.


Well, now that I've gotten that out of the way, and also now that I have wireless Internet so I can use my computer and not my parents' shitty one, I'll probably be blogging more throughout the summer. WOO. Check y'all later.

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