OrgPlanet Album Reviews

I can't write one at the moment, because I have to get ready for class, but I think we should have a thread for album reviews. I'm always curious to know what people think of things. You can review anything from any period of time, no matter how new or old. Use a five-star system. And feel free to review something someone else has already reviewed if you've got a different opinion.

If no one posts by the time I get back from class, I'll begin.

this is a great idea, I'll do some later, got to get ready soon for an appointment first

Album: Odd Blood
Artist: Yeasayer
1/2

This album actually came out today, I think. Anyway, I've had it for a bit, and I just listened to it for the second time earlier in the day. Surprisingly, after only hearing it once, I remembered nearly every song. That's about all it took for me to fall in love with Yeasayer's debut release. Initial stand-out tracks include the upbeat second track "Ambling Alp" and the following track, "Madder Red," which starts off with a humming melody that is sure to get stuck in your head. It's exactly this humming-friendly sound that makes this album so memorable and addictive. It's dreamy, whimsical, and above all, well executed. Definitely something worth checking out.

No one here listens to music.

I will write a few tonight, I completely forgot sorry

I forgot about this too! I wanted to do one when I first read it. Then I went to work and that dream died....every dream dies at work......

Hahaha, I've got one coming up, probably tomorrow. It's not going to be anything especially exciting though. Just feel like writing about it...maybe I'll write a couple.

Album: Campfire Songs
Artist: Animal Collective (under the name Campfire Songs)


I'm sure it's not entirely fair to Animal Collective that this is the first album of theirs I ever listened to, since it was an enormous experiment, but it was the first one on my list. The story behind this album is that the band wanted to do something "warm and welcoming," like a campfire. Somehow this sentiment was translated into three of the bandmates recording the entire five track album in one go on their back porch. Maybe I just don't appreciate the process, but to me it sounds like one 42-minute musical interlude. It's not a bad musical interlude; it's just too long for one sitting. If you like experimental noise bands, by all means, check it out; but this album is not for people looking for what is generally accepted by the masses as music.

Album: LOVE
Artist: Angels & Airwaves


Well, Tom DeLonge has done it again... What exactly is it that he's done? Well, he's made yet another Angels & Airwaves album, and the only thing he's really achieved is ripping off himself...again. If you've been following Angels & Airwaves since their birth, you undoubtedly have been underwhelmed. The first album, We Don't Need To Whisper, was fresh and new. It wasn't exactly dynamic, but it was different. Then I-Empire came out, half We Don't Need To Whisper II and half Box Car Racer II. Now we've got I-Empire 2, which isn't all bad, because it's not poorly crafted music...it's just completely lacking in the originality department. Later, when I have my notes in front of me (oh yeah, I took notes on this album), I'll show you just a few of the amazing Nickelback-like self-rip-offs DeLonge has managed to create.

This is how I feel =

I'M GETTING TO IT!!!!!!

is now

GOD DOUG, YOU'RE SO NEEDY!!!

Album: Lungs
Artist: Florence + The Machine


I wanted to review the very next album I bought. But I hadn't bought any for a long while. Yesterday I bought Florence + The Machine's debut album "Lungs" and it blows me away. It's funny because I first heard this band in one of the worst movies I've seen in recent history, "Jennifer's Body", and the song came on (it was "Kiss With A Fist") and it was the only thing I remarked positively on when I left the movie. We were bashing it for a while and then I was just like "But that song!" I think you hear maybe 10 seconds of it, but it really made an impression. Of course in a few days I forgot all about it because I blocked everything about that experience. It was yesterday that my friend put a link to the new single "You've Got The Love" and I thought that song was amazing and listened to it a bunch of times and then was going to look at other videos of this band I'd never heard of. When I watched "Kiss With A Fist" it all came flooding back and I went immediately to iTunes and bought the album.

'Lungs' gets 5 stars from me because it's one of the rare albums that I want to listen to start to finish. I admit I'm not a huge fan of the extra songs that came with the deluxe version of the album but the regular album is perfect. Sometimes b-sides are b-sides for a reason. Except I do really enjoy the song "Swimming" because it's a very pretty song that actually kind of describes exactly what I would like to say about their own music. Your songs remind me of swimming. It really is a very active and immersive experience listening to their music. There's a flood of sound that comes over you in the songs with Florence Welch's vocals and the backup vocals and instruments. It can be a little overwhelming at times and I kinda drown in it, but it's a good kind of drowning.

Welch describes what she wants to do as an artist as being like a PJ Harvey or Bjork and just constantly reinventing and trying new sounds and styles. I hope she does and doesn't at the same time because the sound she's created for Florence + The Machine's debut is beautiful, but I have enough faith in their achievement with it that if they move on to try something else it will be just as good. Even though "You've Got The Love" and "Kiss With A Fist" are the two songs that really grabbed me and got me to listen to this album I think they're two of the weakest on the album. I guess because they're the most 'single-y' if you know what I mean. Though they are already on my top 25 songs on iTunes, along with 5 others from the album. I think my favorite song is "Girl With One Eye" and also "Drumming Song" comes in very close. All of their videos are great and I love the music so much. Just so much. Being a fan of PJ Harvey and Bjork both, I think I actually like Florence + The Machine more than either of those other two ladies. I hope they have a long and successful career because they deserve it.

Just downloaded the Jason Derulo album.

Expect a review sometime in the next couple days.

Album: Music For Men
Artist: The Gossip
1/2

This album starts off with a bang. That deep chord for "Dimestore Diamond" grabbed me right away. When Beth Ditto breaks in her voice just perfectly accompanies the dark tones of the song and it sounds so angry and gritty but also really pretty at the same time. I guess that really invokes the entire story of the song to begin with. From there it goes right into "Heavy Cross" which was the reason why I got this album to begin with. Sean told me to listen to The Gossip because of how I liked Girls Aloud

(which reminds me a lot of that whole Zack Galifianakis thing because really what does one have to do with the other? Example;

GIRLS ALOUD

BETH DITTO

But in this case it worked!)

"Heavy Cross" is certainly the song of this album, it just really sings just right in my ear. I want to dance to it and sing it and listen to it over and over. But a lot of songs on this album are like that. I feel like people must already make this comparison but The Gossip really reminds me of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' music. That kind of somber and melodic yet screaming punk/emo sound. The songs on this album have a tendency to kind of sound the same, but there are a few that standout amongst them that I love, and even listening to the whole album with the songs that sound similar, I enjoy it. Basically there isn't a song on the album I would say bad things about beyond "I don't feel like listening to that right now." Which I view as a good album, not perfect, but pretty damn good. So good in fact that while I have the entire discography of The Gossip right now, I haven't moved past this album which I listened to first. Just keep replaying it.

Album: Contra
Artist: Vampire Weekend


I feel like this is one of those albums that I could get to like eventually. But it's taken me a long time to get through it because I keep getting bored by it. I think Horchata is a cute song but I'm not really 'into' listening to it. I felt that way about a bunch of the songs, like they don't really get repeat plays but they're also not what I would call bad. But Cousins is still a song I really enjoy. For me music this slow (as many of the songs are, or at least slow feeling, listless is a better word) kind of has to be interesting enough for me want to really listen to it a lot, but Cousins is faster so, HAHA, that kinda worked the best for me. OH! And White Sky, I liked that one a lot too because it's kind of adorable sounding and has a bit of speed on it. Remembering White Sky has made me want to bump it up another star but I'm not going to because it's just one song, HAHA! But I liked that song a lot, more than Cousins really, how could I forget??? Oh right...California English...that song makes me want to take away another star. I guess that balanced out. That was kind of an aside. Other songs I liked were Giving Up The Gun and Diplomat's Son, which is actually the most listless of them all and it goes on forever, but it worked for me.

I almost bought that today, but decided downloading the few songs I enjoy would be more progressive and cheap.

I stole the whole thing from a friend, HAHAHA!!!

I'm glad you did that, because I kinda feel the same way. Like, I like them thrown into stuff right now, but like you said, getting through the album is rough, because it's kinda...boring...