Hurry Up, We're Dreaming review

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (What a fantastic title) is the 6th album by the French electronic band M83. These guys were playing at Nos Alive, but unfortunately I missed them.

Tracks:

1. Intro: 7/10 an overdone opener that isn't without a certain wonder and charm. It might cause a headache though.

2. Midnight City: 9/10 this brilliant and brilliantly catchy tribute to city nightlife is so infectious and addictive its popularity is not surprising.

3. Reunion: 7/10 this one tries to distract from its slightly naff, overdone nature by being really loud and rousing. This technique often works.

4. Where the Boats Go: 8/10 a beautiful but sadly too short instrumental.

5. Wait: 7/10 this song makes me sad, but is this just because it's associated with The Fault in Our Stars? It's kind-of naff but it does its job and tugs on the heartstrings.

6. Raconte-Moi Une Histoire: 6/10 the driving synthesizer beat is good, but the frog story is just annoying.

7. Train to Pluton: 7/10 short and samey, but sweet.  

8. Claudia Lewis: 6/10 your enjoyment of this will depend on your tolerance for rousing but hopelessly overdone electronic musical gymnastics and abstract space-related lyrics.

9. This Bright Flash: 8/10 a thoroughly loud and enjoyable track with more of a rock vibe. Here the epic, sappy and overdone nature of the album works.

10. When Will You Come Home?: 7/10 nice to listen to but expendable as it's short and doesn't necessarily add an awful lot to the album.

11. Soon My Friend: 6/10 my feelings about this are more or less the same as the other songs on the album, so I won't keep writing out the same thing.

12. My Tears are Becoming a Sea: 6/10 the equivalent of a manipulative Hollywood tear-jerker: powerful but not necessarily that well done.

13. New Map: 6/10 this is supposed to the track on side 2 that's a mirror of Midnight City. Well, if it matches it in terms of lyrics and structure it certainly doesn't in terms of quality.

14. Ok Pal: 7/10 overdone but certainly not the worst and a decently enjoyable one.  

15. Another Wave from You: 7/10 a bit of filler for sure, but ironically the filler in this album is pretty good as the filler songs lean on very attractive instrumentals.

16. Splendor: 6/10 a gentle and quiet one, this could either be seen as peaceful and mesmerizing or just one-note.

17. Year One, One UFO: 6/10 this one isn't easy to listen to and is less enjoyable than most of the album. Then again, it represents a bit of experimentation by the band which is always welcome.

18. Fountains: 7/10 another nice bit of filler.

19. Steve McQueen: 7/10 despite the normal excesses, in this case this works towards capturing a real sense of euphoria.

20. Echoes of Mine: 7/10 despite having the best lyrics on the album, it's all in French! Still, the musical peaks hit particularly hard here.  

21. Klaus I Love You: 7/10 like most of the instrumentals on the album: too short, but nice to listen to.

22. Outro: 9/10 meaningless lyrics aside, this is truly an epic of epicness which is utter musical euphoria. This isn't a phenomenal album but it ends on a phenomenal note.

Best song: Outro
Worst song: Raconte-Moi Une Histoire

Summary: This is a difficult album to judge. It's certainly a rousing experience. It's full of beautiful electronic instrumentals, wondrous dream-like atmospherics and euphoric, cinematic high notes. Midnight City and Outro are brilliant tunes as well. But here's the big question: is it actually any good? You'd have to be robotic not to be moved by this music in some way, but mightn't that be a distraction from the samey musical structures, slightly naff and overly sentimental lyrics and frequent prioritization over loud crescendos instead of real artistry? It's an enjoyable, occasionally brilliant record, but it is deeply flawed and while it provides a moving listen, it's good in a more superficial way. Still, if this is your thing you're in for a real, real treat and we'll always have the wonderful Midnight City baseline being overplayed endlessly- as it simply is that catchy.


Final rating: 6/10

Tomb of the Mutilated review

The 3rd album by the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. Since this is a band based on extremely gruesome lyrics and highly aggressive music, I'm listening to this, their most acclaimed album, out of curiosity.

PLEASE NOTE: Some of these song titles are incredibly graphic so be warned.

Tracks:

1. Hammer Smashed Face: 8/10 the lyrics are downright impossible to understand, due to Chris Barnes' impressively growling but impenetrable vocals. As a piece of rock music, this is an impressive and consistently intense work of heavy metal which is powerful enough to whip a crowd of thousands into a frenzied mosh pit.

2. I Cum Blood: 8/10 mostly ditto, but slightly better than the first one in my opinion. An impressive work of frenzied heavy metal. The lyrics are hideous, but this is evidently a band which isn't going the tasteful or PC route.

3. Addicted to Vaginal Skin: 7/10 this retains the good qualities of the first 2 songs despite not being distinguishable from them. Having the real-life dialogue from a serial killer was too far though.

4. Split Wide Open: 6/10 more astoundingly intense death metal. If they're aiming for scary, they're passing with flying colours, although this track feels phoned-in in some respects.

5. Necropedophile: 7/10 lyrically the most unpleasant yet, but it's pleasingly intense and the final part of the song is excellent.

6. The Cryptic Stench: 7/10 like the other songs on the album, this is samey and sadistic yet technically excellent and full of terror.

7. Entrails Ripped from a Virgin's Cunt: 6/10 if you don't throw up during this Extremely Violent song, which also has probably the nastiest song title ever, it should be enjoyable enough.

8. Post Mortal Ejaculation: 7/10 a good penultimate track which never lets up from the word go.

9. Beyond the Cemetery: 8/10 this concludes the album well, given the technical skill and much-appreciated addition of some psychological depth.

10. I Cum Blood (Live): 8/10 evidently this band can do a killer show live.

Best song: I Cum Blood
Worst song: Split Wide Open

Summary: It's difficult to review this one overall in an objective way. As someone who is very focused on lyrics, the fact that you can never hear what the lead singer is saying due to his growling, which is so low it's incredible the vocals weren't altered in post-production, is distracting but at the same time the growling is atmospheric and technically impressive. It should go without saying, but this is an extremely unpleasant album and the way it revolves around violence against women is very uncomfortable. Then again, it's so over-the-top its obviously not meant to be taken seriously. I can't say I like this an awful lot, but I certainly respect that this is a very talented band and their nightmarish, intense and monstrous instrumentals are to be admired. These guys are undeniably good at what they do and if this is your thing, this will be a dream record for sure.  


Final rating: 7/10

Tha Block is Hot review

The first studio album by Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne is one of the most commercially successful, popular and polarizing rappers out there and it'll be interesting to see how he started. This album doesn't actually feature any swear words from him, despite his foul mouthed later songs.

Tracks:

1. Intro: 6/10 a formulaic but well-mixed start to the album.

2. Tha Block is Hot: 5/10 while the subject matter is thought-provoking and it has a speedy beat, Lil Wayne's experience really shows, particularly in his weak delivery.

3. Loud Pipes: 6/10 a solid enough bragging track. The rappers, even Birdman who I've heard is awful, all do a decent job.

4. Watcha Wanna Do?: 5/10 good production, bad lyrics and delivery.

5. Kisha: 6/10 the sexism is very uncomfortable, but then again this is hip hop. If you look past that, it's a technically skilled track in many ways with a reasonable flow.

6. High Beamin': 7/10 this one is the best so far as it has more sophisticated writing.

7. Lights Out: 7/10 this is a thoughtly competent track and finally one where Lil Wayne doesn't sound completely muffled.

8. Fuck Tha World: 7/10 a darker one, this is certainly impressive stuff although it can't compete with many more sophisticated songs with this kind of subject matter.

9. Remember Me: 6/10 you won't remember it, but you might enjoy it enough without caring massively for it.

10. Respect Us: 5/10 a weak but perfectly enjoyable and catchy drug song.

11. Drop it Like it's Hot: 6/10 this one will divide people. On one hand, it's technically one of the most effective on the album. On the other hand, it's very misogynistic and is quite uncomfortable to listen to.

12. Young Playa: 6/10 there are some good rhymes here, although it's still clearly the work of an inexperienced rapper.

13. Enemy Turf: 6/10 ditto.

14. Not Like Me: 7/10 this one goes into more intelligent and witty territory.

15. Come on: 6/10 this drops plenty of decent bars without being very interesting.

16. Up to Me: 7/10 despite its lack of depth, this is a touching tribute to Lil Wayne's late stepfather.

17. You Want War: 7/10 an enjoyable collection of rhymes concludes the album well.

Best song: Lights Out
Worst song: Watcha Wanna Do?

Summary: This isn't a great album, but it could have been a lot worse. The main thing holding it back is the writing. There are some good bars; yet the tracks are frequently dominated by tedious and occasionally downright ugly gangsta talk, None of the rappers are brilliant and the delivery, when compared to other rappers, just feels mediocre. That being said, some songs are pretty good. As well as that, this has good musical production and even when the lyrics lack it's always a catchy album. On the whole, a perfectly OK record but hardly something you'll want to listen to loads.



Final rating: 6/10

Illmatic review

The first album by Nas. Illmatic is one of- in fact to be honest The most critically acclaimed album in the history of rap. It is a landmark in East Coast rap and has been so successful everything Nas has done has been judged in comparison to this.

Tracks:

1. The Genesis: 8/10 a good introduction to the world of the album.

2. N.Y. State of Mind: 10/10 a work of true lyrical genius, this examination of crime in New York in the 90s is both vastly entertaining and deeply affecting.

3. Life's a Bitch: 10/10 great lyrics; a moving message; 2 terrific rap performances and even a trumpet show. This has got it all.

4. The World is Yours: 9/10 this is another brilliant song, even if it's occasionally a little confusing.

5. Halftime: 9/10 there are many, many rap bragging tracks. There are very few that are anywhere near this good.

6. Memory Lane (Sittin' in Da Park): 8/10 a little confusing, but still true, genuine poetic art with a flow more unstoppable than a full-scale tsunami.

7. One Love: 9/10 once again, Nas combines social commentary and ludicrously entertainment in a truly memorable and hypnotic way.

8. One Time 4 Your Mind: 8/10 just because this track is slower, it doesn't make it any less punchy.

9. Represent: 9/10 even when familiar themes are recycled the great beats and genius rhymes never stop coming.

10. It Ain't Hard to Tell: 9/10 this single boasts some of the best lines in the album and closes Illmatic on a massive high.

Best song: Life's a Bitch
Worst song: The Genesis

Summary: This one might take a couple of listens, as it did for me. It's quite an overwhelming and intense album so it can feel like a bit much. It only takes repeat listens because there's so much brilliance in here it will leave you dazed. Nas' lyricism is some of the very best ever and he proves himself a true word wizard. This is more than hip hop; this is poetry. It's deliriously entertaining and emotionally captivating from start to finish. It's every element of hip hop done to perfection in one 40 minute atom bomb of an album. This is a display of what rap can really do- and what in a perfect world it'd always do. A near-unbeatable masterpiece and one of the best rap albums of all time.  




Final rating: 10/10

Carnival of Carnage review

I love reviewing things, but I love ranting about things even more. Reviewing the first album of one of the most maligned music acts ever will be so much fun.

Tracks:

1. Intro: 8/10 a pretty good intro which sets up the concept album well.

2. Carnival of Carnage: 5/10 an odd first track (Intro was more of a skit) overall. If I hear "Carnival of Carnage" one more time...

3. The Juggla: 3/10 with rhymes more simplistic than a nursery rhyme and a lack of anything actually scary, this is utterly awful although to be fair you can't help but laugh at how awful it is.

4. First Day Out: 2/10 try to listen to this without zoning out completely. You'll fail miserably I'm afraid.

5. Red Neck Hoe: 1/10 don't get mad. Just be sympathetic. After all, these are the ones spitting out loads of ugly lyrics and thinking they're being scary when they're about as a scary as a pink polka dot bunny.

6. Wizard of the Hood: 6/10 a humorous but still deeply flawed parody of The Wizard of Oz.

7. Guts on the Ceiling: 3/10 on one hand, at least this has some sort of beat. On the other hand, the lyrics are still some of the worst I've ever heard.

8. Is That You?: 3/10 Kid Rock might make this more bearable but that's far from a reccomendation.

9. Night of the Axe: 2/10 this is awful. There's no question of that. The main question is whether I can endure another minute.

10. Psychopathic: 2/1 the good: The Halloween theme song. The bad and the ugly: Everything else.

11. Blackin' Your Eyes: 1/10 this is really depressing. As well as the usual awfulness, in this tack we have to deal with loads of misogyny.

12. Never Had it Made: 3/10 couldn't they have made these awful songs funny at the very least?

13. Your Rebel Flag: 2/10 more unbearably awful stuff. This is barely even rap music, as Insane Clown Posse don't rap. They just talk in a monotonous way.

14. Ghetto Freak Show: 1/10 this one doesn't really have a tune and this one's only achievement is to have horrid lyrics yet be so boring and undisturbing.

15. Taste: 4/10 still terrible, but at least this one has some social commentary.

Best song: Wizard of the Hood
Worst song: Blackin' Your Eyes

Summary: I honestly don't have any words. This is the worst album I have ever listened to by considerable distance. The thing is, I fully respect your opinion if you like these guys. I just find their music... not even ugly or scary, just so, so boring and awful in every single way. There is not a hint of art, wordplay or intellect here. Rather, it is reciting vaguely disturbing things against some listless and appalling instrumentals. There's bad music and then there's this. This stuff which somehow is very popular and the duo have a huge fanbase. Some things simply can't be explained. Once again, if you like these guys I respect your views... I just can't comprehend them.



Final rating: 1/10

Hybrid Theory review

The first album by Linkin Park. This is a well-liked and commercially successful record which mixes rock with hip hop, so this should be interesting.

Tracks:

1. Papercut: 7/10 alternately simplistic and overdone, this nevertheless makes for enjoyable rock music on a superficial level.

2. One Step Closer: 6/10 a load of hopelessly overdone and meaningless but mildly catchy noise.

3. With You: 6/10 this one picks up considerably in the chorus, but other parts of the song are lacking.

4. Points of Authority: 7/10 a more thought-provoking song, this brings meaning to the noise and is the strongest track so far.

5. Crawling: 8/10 an excellent addiction song.

6. Runaway: 7/10 what it lacks in sophistication and memorability it makes up for in being enjoyable.

7. By Myself: 6/10 a fairly average mid-album track with compelling elements trying to stand out among the overdone instrumental.

8. In the End: 8/10 Linkin Park's most famous song more or less lives up to the hype thanks to its successful blend of angst, rap and rock.

9. A Place for My Head: 6/10 this really isn't very interesting and is just a mildly enjoyable rock song. It's attempts to compensate for a lack of originality with loads of screaming are unsuccessful.

10. Forgotten: 6/10 ditto.

11. Cure for the Itch: 8/10 a highly unusual inclusion for a rock album, this is a highly enjoyable hip-hop style instrumental.

12. Pushing Me Away: 7/10 a satisfying closer overall even if it sounds like most of the other songs on the album.

Best song: Crawling
Worst song: A Place for My Head

Summary: This is better than I was expecting. I've been unimpressed by other Linkin Park stuff I've heard but this feels like an introspective and occasionally moving record with some very enjoyable guitar riffs. The rapping is largely too fast to understand and the verses are superficial, but at least it adds some uniqueness to proceedings. The songs all sound the same and none of these are great, but there isn't a single bad track on here and it makes for a catchy, reasonably enjoyable although very superficial listen. It's a low 7.



Final rating: 7/10

Only Revolutions review

I thought I'd throw some new artists into the mix, so I've got a lot of new album reviews coming up. This is the 5th album by Biffy Clyro. I didn't know who they were until I saw them live in Portugal, but they were great live. Some of their most famous songs- and a lot of the ones they performed in Portugal- are on here.

Tracks:

1. The Captain: 8/10 a rousing and enormously catchy- if corny- tune with a brilliant pre-chorus of 'Whoa's.

2. That Golden Rule: 8/10 a confusing but punchy and enjoyably heavy second track.

3. Bubbles: 9/10 a fantastic and truly electrifying tune, this is one of the best rock songs of the 2000s that I've heard.

4. God & Satan: 9/10 it may be a quieter one, but lyrically it's probably the best on the album and it speaks louder than most of the heavier songs. A great song.

5. Born on a Horse: 8/10 this one shows variety in the music and it's also very catchy.

6. Mountains: 8/10 a good one, although overly commercial and probably the weakest one yet.

7. Shock Shock: 7/10 this one feels phoned-in, but only very slightly. It's still a solidly enjoyable banger.

8. Many of Horror (When We Collide): 8/10 the most famous song on the album is actually one of the best, as it manages to mix its commercial feel with genuine artistry pretty well.

9. Booooom, Blast & Ruin: 8/10 with a great title and catchy tune, this is a triumphant late album track.

10. Cloud of Stink: 7/10 a bit noisy and generic, but still enjoyable.

11. Know Your Quarry: 6/10 a pretty average one, though not devoid of catchiness.

12. Whorses: 6/10 a mostly good album finishes on a technically decent but disappointingly mediocre note.

Best song: Bubbles
Worst song: Know Your Quary

Summary: In no way are Biffy Clyro a phenomenal band, but they can be very good. This is a fairly commercial album in many ways, but that's not really a bad thing. There are some excellent songs in the first half which mix heaviness and artistry very well. The second half goes downhill a bit but it does have Many of Horror. This is an impressive, punchy and charismatic rock record which fully succeeds in being entertaining and occasionally in provoking thought as well. There are some really good songs here, and tracks such as Many of Horror, The Captain and particularly Bubbles were brilliant live.



Final rating: 8/10