Plastic Beach

Sometimes you buy an album for no reason. You are on iTunes or in a record store and you are like, hey that looks nifty, and you buy it. Most times the first time you plug in said album you instantly regret buying it and, if you are me, throw it out your car window or delete it from your iTunes library forever to hide the shame of purchasing said album. It was with that mentality that I bought Plastic Beach by the amazing band, Gorillaz. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised by the symphony that came flooding through my head phones. If the pure originality of this album doesn't catch your eye, maybe the guest list will. With Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Gruff Rhys, and De La Soul, among others, this album brings originality and musical muscle and does not disappoint.

If you don't know who they are, Gorillaz is a band made up of four fictional characters whose stories are told through their albums. The back story and the actual members are little easter eggs that you can go find out for yourself. The band tours with a plethora of talent and sells out every show. This is the bands third album.

Now this album is different from most albums I have reviewed. This album is significantly more chilled out and mellow, think recuperation instead of onslaught. The album fits well as back ground to a social gathering but can also be enjoyed alone in a car. That being said I will also admit that I don't think this album is for everyone. The experimental, alternative sound is not for everyone.

The first song I want to mention is "Stylo." This track is very constant. The same back beat and drum pattern sit lightly in the back the whole time as small flourishes of melody enter and exit the mixture. The vocals done by 2D, Mos Def, and Bobby Womack are the main highlight of the song. Womack's bluesy vocals and Mos Def's verses help bring the melodic concoction to boil and cause it to create an amazing product.

Next up is the trippy "Rhinestone Eyes." This song is a more techno groove than the past song. With a synthesizer hook into the chorus that will get stuck in your head and verses that continue to build through out the song, you can't help but to groove with the song. This song is all Gorillaz with no guest vocals and proves that the group does not need their famous help to make a great track.

Third up will be track "White Flag." This song opens up with The National Orchestra For Arabic Music playing what sounds like an exert from a classical piece. This fades into the rappers Bashy and Kano trading verses back and forth over a poppy back beat. The verses clever and could be dull but do a good job about staying fresh. The song peaks when the orchestra comes back in behind the beat to drive the song to the end.

The last song I want to touch on is "Melancholy Hill." This song is extremely laid back and contains an amazing amount of feel good. The song is much more a ballad than anything else but the layers of melody make it great. The continues piano phrase that continues through out the choruses and is accompanied by choral vocals and other synth parts. During the verses 2D sings hauntingly over just the basic drum beat and a stripped back synth part.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this album and continue to enjoy it more and more with each listen. I would not recommend it to the average metal listener but I would say that if you enjoy good music and creativity you should give it a listen. You may find yourself sailing away to check out what goodies lie scattered over the plastic beach.

Always Listening,

Nick

Homesick

Everyone needs an album they can cut loose to. An album that you can crank up in your car and just rock out to as your driving down the road. Not necessarily a metal album but an album that hits hard and makes you want to flail your arms in the fashion of those kids at the shows, you know the ones that almost punched you while they were doing windmills with their hands. One said album is Homesick by A Day To Remember, the wonderful post-hardcore band from Florida. This album hits you fast and hard and keeps you banging your head till the end.

A Day To Remember formed in 2003 and has turned out three albums, Homesick being the latest in the discography. The band's pop punk mesh with hardcore has set them apart in the music industry so far.

This album is brutal. As I stated earlier the album is nonstop energy till the end. The listener will have a hard time holding still to this music, I have gotten a couple of wonderful looks from people in the next car over while driving down the road. Though there are some songs that seem redundant and sound very similar, I find the need to blast this record to spread its amazing around the world.

First off the bench is the song "The Downfall Of Us All." This song turns on the hardcore then switches it off again for a well balanced mesh. The verses and the choruses sound very punk popish, but the second the chorus is over you get hit with this blast of gut wrenching power. The vocals flow very smoothly from screams to singing, the usual short fall of bands that switch styles like this. This song is amazing,I mean they start this song out with vocal beats, enough said.

Next up is "I'm Made Of Wax Larry, What Are You Made Of?" Much heavier than "The Downfall Of Us All," this song hits hard and hits often. The chorus is sang while the verses are screamed with ferocity. The bridge is the deal sealer. After an epic build up all bets are off as Mike Hranica of The Devil Wears Prada joins the group for a guest appearance on the album. The blending of voices takes the song to the next level and leads it into the chorus one last time.

The song that also lends its name to the album is also worth mentioning. Not quite as hard as the other two songs I mentioned, "Homesick" is much more pop punky but still worth mentioning. The song pushes the entire verse, sort of rushing the listener into the chorus. The chorus is much more open and melodic. This entire song feels like a chance for the band to show off their melodic side. Gone are the clashing tones and here are the melodic rifts. This is the most obvious in the bridge where everything backs out and the band leaves the listener with drums, vocals, and spacious guitar. The song could loose energy and become stereotypical after the bridge but instead maintains and builds till the end of the song.

"Another Song For The Weekend," is the last song that I will mention. A song that feels like it should be blaring out your stereo as you drive down the interstate to some far away location. The entire song has an anthem feel about it. You never feel like the song is going to give you time to rest, the verses build up into the choruses and the choruses lead right back into the verses. Then on into the bridge which is like a soft break down, if that makes any sense. Following the bridge is a build consisting of the chorus sung with just drums, the chorus sung while the band plays the background in half time, and finally the chorus sees you down the road.

Though this album might have its weak points at times, I find it outstanding. True some of the harder songs sound similar in both construction and structure, but they are all good songs in their own rights. The album should be purchased if you like punk or hardcore, or if you like bands that take risks in sound.

Always Listening,

Nick

This Is War

I have heard it said that one voice shouting at a concert is annoying, but that a thousand people yelling at a concert is one of the most beautiful sounds you will ever hear. If you have ever been to a concert and heard the crowd sing the song along you know what I mean. The sound of hundreds of untrained voices singing their hearts out puts most professional choirs to shame in my book. 30 Seconds to Mars seem to have a similar belief with their album This Is War, which features hundreds of fans singing background vocals on most of the songs. Taking fan interaction to a new level, this long awaited album is a new experiment for the band.

30 Seconds to Mars is the baby of brothers Shannon(drums) and Jared(vocals/guitar) Leto, yes Jared Leto the Hollywood actor. But do not think this band is some side project that the actor does every now and again, this band seems to be more of Leto's life than his acting career. The band formed in 1998 and has three albums out to date. This is War is the newest album coming out in December of 2009.

This album has been a long time coming. The bands last album came out in 2005, that makes it forever in the music scene of today's terms for a band to come out with a new album. That being said a lot of people went into This is War with a bad taste in their mouth, a taste that was quickly forgotten and replaced with the taste of chocolate marble cake.

"This is War" is the first song I'm going to talk about. This is the song that shows the listener how much vocal interaction went into the record. The crescendo at the beginning is nothing but fans. This leads into a driving verse that leads to a very open chorus. This pushes to a bridge that feels like the band is marching toward something, the explosion that leads the listener free falling back into the chorus. The outro is Leto singing with the background vocals handled by a crowd of people accompanied by an open guitar and loose drums.

Second on the list is the song "Kings and Queens." This is the first single off the record and provides a huge slap in the face to anyone that doubted this band. This song feels epic, that is the only word I can think to describe it. The verses are cleverly put together and each one climaxes uniquely into the chorus. Leto's voice in the bridge is something to pay very close attention to, it is left out in the open for him to shine and he shines amazingly. The group vocals at the end of the song will send chills down your spine.

Up next is "Vox Populi." This song is another great example of the group vocals contained on the album. The song opens with them singing the chorus with no help from Leto or anyone else in the band. Through out the song they are featured in interesting flourishes and in each chorus. The entire song feels like the anthem song of the album, ever pushing toward a goal and sounding celestial and uplifting. The refrain after the bridge is the group vocals singing the chorus with the band playing in the background. This leads to probably the biggest climax of the album, think spaceship braking into space.

The last song I'm going to talk about is "Hurricane." Vastly different from the rest of the album, this song is dark and foreboding. It feels like a soul searching, making the listener think and listen as the singer talks about failure and regret. But it is the vast difference, the doubt in triumph, that makes this song stand out in my mind.

I will admit that when I first picked up this album I was skeptical. I am openly not a huge fan of this band and wanted this album to be a bust. I was quickly proven wrong when I listened to this album, it was a new push and a new experience. Though it took longer to make than I would have liked, the album was worth the wait.

Always Listening,

Nick