B-Side albums generally don't seem to fair well as far as quality goes, but that's surely the opposite in Metric's case. The band's 3rd studio release proves that even early unreleased Metric tracks hold the same value as their others. The album is truly great, Emily's singing is amazing and drummer Joules Scott Key's drumming fits perfectly with Josh Winstead's bass. Though it seems Jimmy's guitar playing has taken a backseat to his back-up vocals, which at times seem unneeded, though it's interesting to hear his voice. The album starts with the title track, "Grow Up and Blow Away" which is an excellent track to start the album with, consequently it's also my personal favorite track on the album. The song really explays vocal finesse along with deep songwriting, not to mention the musicianship from the rest of the band is really shown, and it's quite impressive. Another noteable song is "Rock Me Now" which tells the story of lives lost in the city of Las Vegas, truly a unique song. It mixes elements of jazz, alternative rock, and pop. This is one of the songs where Jimmy's voice is truly displayed, though he has range, his voice doesn't quite fit Emily's.
The problems I have with this album, is it's length. Though a B-Side, I'd expect more. It contains 10 tracks that range from 2-5 minutes. Also, the album seems to have a very dark vibe throughout, perhaps a couple of upbeat songs would have helped? As stated before, Jimmy's guitar playing has taken a significant cut as well, which in most's opinion, is a key part of Metric.
Grow Up and Blow Away (B-Sides)
Lyrics: 4/5
Production: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Lasting Appeal: 3/5
Overall: 4/5
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Kanye West - LV's and Autotune Review :3
Kanye West, a lot can be said about this man, regarding his music or his personal life. Whether you love him or hate him, it's apparent, he's certainly talented to some extent. His new mixtape "LV's and Autotune" certainly displays talent, but certainly a foot-note compared to his other work. Though only a mixtape, this might be a glimpse of what his next album might sound like.
The mixtape starts with one of the best tracks, "Big Screen ft. GLC", though GLC is the most prominent in the song. The song has a very unique feel, sounding like a mixture of Kanye's material from Graduation mixed with 808's and Heartbreak. Nonetheless, the production is spot on, and the pyricism is clever at times, though Kanye should have had more input. Although this song proves, Kanye's certainly still "got it" in terms of lyricism. The album then digresses into various remixes featuring familiar artists such as Young Jeezy, Lil' Wayne, ect. I would have liked to see more original material, the remixes just aren't sufficient. What I was impressed with was Kanye's ability to remix some of his work from 808's, examples are the clubbish remix of "Tell Everybody That You Know ft. Lil' Wayne" and the lengthened version of "Bad News" now featuring Trey Songz, who I must say, is quite talented. The album's main weakness is it's length, often times, you'lllisten to a song feeling like you've missed something. Other weak points are as I stated before, lack of original work. I think we're all weary of songs like "Put On" or "Go Hard". The shining beacon of this mixtape is the last track "We Can Make it Better ft. Talib Kweli, Common, Q-Tip, and Ryhmefest", truly an amazing song. The lyrics behind the song are fantastic, and as expected, Mr. West delievers on the production.
LV's and Autotune (mixtape)
Lyics: 3.5/5
Production: 4/5
Originality: 2/5
Lasting Appeal: 2/5
Overall: 2/5
Tracks to listen to: Big Screen ft. GLC, History ft. Jay-Z, and The Corner ft. Common
Tracks to skip: Teriyakings ft. Teriyaki Boyz, What it Is ft. Sophia Fresh, I'm Just Doing my Thing ft. Rick Ross
The mixtape starts with one of the best tracks, "Big Screen ft. GLC", though GLC is the most prominent in the song. The song has a very unique feel, sounding like a mixture of Kanye's material from Graduation mixed with 808's and Heartbreak. Nonetheless, the production is spot on, and the pyricism is clever at times, though Kanye should have had more input. Although this song proves, Kanye's certainly still "got it" in terms of lyricism. The album then digresses into various remixes featuring familiar artists such as Young Jeezy, Lil' Wayne, ect. I would have liked to see more original material, the remixes just aren't sufficient. What I was impressed with was Kanye's ability to remix some of his work from 808's, examples are the clubbish remix of "Tell Everybody That You Know ft. Lil' Wayne" and the lengthened version of "Bad News" now featuring Trey Songz, who I must say, is quite talented. The album's main weakness is it's length, often times, you'lllisten to a song feeling like you've missed something. Other weak points are as I stated before, lack of original work. I think we're all weary of songs like "Put On" or "Go Hard". The shining beacon of this mixtape is the last track "We Can Make it Better ft. Talib Kweli, Common, Q-Tip, and Ryhmefest", truly an amazing song. The lyrics behind the song are fantastic, and as expected, Mr. West delievers on the production.
LV's and Autotune (mixtape)
Lyics: 3.5/5
Production: 4/5
Originality: 2/5
Lasting Appeal: 2/5
Overall: 2/5
Tracks to listen to: Big Screen ft. GLC, History ft. Jay-Z, and The Corner ft. Common
Tracks to skip: Teriyakings ft. Teriyaki Boyz, What it Is ft. Sophia Fresh, I'm Just Doing my Thing ft. Rick Ross
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Nog Blog
Umm, so I've finished making my "blogger" account and currently I have nothing to blog about....hmmmm. Well I could say that it's currently 2am and I'm incredibly tired...AND I have to be awake in about 5 hours. Oh, and I wrote an amazing story today portraying T-Pain as a professional Yacht Racer. It's kind of like that movie Breaking Away...but with yachts, and T-Pain. I suppose thats about all I have. Peace noggers.
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