Some Music Reviews

Yay, first entry of '09. I really have nothing to write about. I haven't ridden since October, and my life has been the definition of boring, so I decided I'd write about a few albums that have recently caught my attention, since I really have nothing else to talk about. My comments toward music usually don't go further than "OMG THIS IS SO DAMN AWESOME I THINK I COULD CRY!!" so we'll see how this goes.

The Ocean and the Sun
by the Sound of Animals Fighting

If you've never heard of this band (which I assume most haven't) I highly suggest you should go check them out. They're a really cool experimental/rock-ish band, (though their music covers many genres, so don't let that description stop you). The band was formed by some of the members of Finch, Rx Bandits, Circa Survive and Chiodos. Each band member takes the name of an animals (The Lynx, The Nightingale, The Skunk, and The Walrus), and I must say, they are quite talented.

The Ocean and the Sun is their third album I think, and most people have credited it to be their best. I, personally, have only heard a few songs from their previous albums, so I can't really compare, but this album is definitely outstanding.

The thing that probably stands out to me the most is their excellent guitar work. This is especially evident in tracks such as "Cellophane" and the instrumental "Lude". Lots of complex rhythms. Layers and layers of awesome.

What I also find interesting is how some of their songs are just spoken poems, some are wild rock pieces, and others a combination of things you couldn't even name. So much variety makes this band endlessly interesting. There's bound to be at least one song you will find that satisfies your taste.

My favourite tracks from this album would probably "I, the Swan", which features some childrens' vocals, "Cellophane", which leads right into another favourite "The Heraldic Beak of the Manufacturer's Medallion". "Uzbekistan" is an echo-filled electronic track, which happened to be the first song I heard from TSOAF, and made me fall in love with them.

So basically, this album is just made of epic win. The songs are stunning, and the artwork is lovely. Definitely something you should check out. I'll try to add some links to songs later.

Annd..

Fear of a Blank Planet
by Porcupine Tree

I started listening to Porcupine Tree (yes, funny name) late last year. There's a greater chance you've probably heard of them. They're a fairly popular English prog rock band. They pretty much caught me from the start. "Trains" or "Blackest Eyes" were probably the first songs I heard, but "Anesthetize" remains my favourite song to this day. Their lead singer Steven Wilson has a lovelllly voice.

Fear of a Blank Planet was the first album I bought, and is still my favourite even after listening to In Absentia and Deadwing. Well, I just got Deadwing today, and I'm still letting it soak in, but I don't know if can compete with FOABP... In Absentia maybe, but not FOABP. In Absentia had a few genius songs, but I found the rest of the album to be slightly uninteresting. FOABP was consistently awesome. Anways...

...Compared to the others, FOABP is a much heavier, and darker album. I wouldn't go as far to call it metal, but you can clearly see the difference if you listen to "Trains" (In Absentia) and "Way Out of Here" (FOABP). There are only six songs, but each of them are pretty long. Though I have my favourites (the title track "Fear of a Blank Planet", "Anesthetize", and "Way Out of Here") there's not a single weak song on here. I highly suggest you give this a listen if you are a rock fan of any sort. A lot of their songs have a Pink Floyd-y vibe to them, so if that interests you.... ;o)

Thanks for bearing with me... if you read :D

[currently listening to: I, The Swan - The Sound of Animals Fighting]