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i had requested tonight off so that lei and i could go see Elevation – a u2 tribute band – recreate the zoo tv tour at the opera house in toronto. i put in my request too late and so i was on the schedule…that is until i went in for my 10pm shift and i wasn’t on the road map (tells you what section you’re in). so i left…and we went to toronto. got there late, but saw half of the zoo tv show, and saw the band do the few other songs after. they were really good…sound wise…some things left a bit to be desired, like macphisto, but maybe i just expect alot from someone trying to be macphisto

How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

Have They Done Another Actung Baby?

no.

so…i also came into ownership of an advance copy of u2’s new cd “how to dismantle an atomic bomb” *cough* so here is my song by song review. keep in mind i suffer a disease. this disease manifests itself by making me not like any u2 record the first (or 2nd or 3rd…) time listening to it. u2 albums need to be listened to then put on the shelf to age for a few months before i listen to them again and actually like them. so i have a feeling this review is going to be quite a bit negative…and that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s bad.

Vertigo (3:13) – as we know from a few weeks ago, i love this song. however it is absolutely not representative of any of the rest of the album. it’s a shame really…

Miracle Drug (3:54) – i like the lyrics. alot. but…that’s about it. it’s slowish and boringish. and very “electrical storm” ish…

Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own (5:05) – this is bono’s song about his father who died a few years ago. again i like the lyrics but…i don’t like slow songs!!! by anyone really!!! it’s pretty but slow songs bore me.

Love and Peace or Else (4:48) – now this song is very very cool. dirty edge guitar, bluesy feel sorta…groovy. i feel like i should have more to say about it LOL. really really like it.

City of Blinding Lights (5:46) – old u2 sounding…the song that recycles lyrics from “last night on earth”. bono thought “hmm…when was the last time i wrote good lyrics, oh yes, pop, let’s see what’s on there that i can reuse, but change a little bit…” and he didn’t even pick good ones. but i like this song. honestly lol. i told you this was going to be negative…

All Because of You (3:33) – more upbeat and fun. reminds me of a “rattle and hum” era song…the guitar i think…not the rest of it really lol. “i like the sound of my own voice” hehehe “people got squashed crossing the tracks”…not exactly the most stellar lyric ever, but it’s amusing at least.

A Man and A Woman (4:27) – *I* like this song. lei doesn’t. it does NOT sound like a u2 song in the slightest… seriously, it’s like..what band is this. it’s on the verge of sounding spanish. i expect carlos santana to make a guest appearance. or like bono singing a sade song…it’s like spanish jazz. i probably would never have imagined u2 making a song like this. but i really do like it lol. it’s smooth. bono says ‘Sister” alot in it, makes me think he’s trying to be jeff martin haha

Crumbs from Your Table (4:59) – not sure i have anything to say about this song. it’s not bad. sounds like “electrical storm”. oh yeah, this is the song that practically STEALS the same riff from the end of “electrical storm” for the end of this song.

One Step Closer (3:47) – the ultimate song to fast forward. it’s on the level of “grace” and “peace on earth”. absolute crap. if i never hear it again i’d be happy.  (aarrrrrrrrrrrrg the basement door was shut again so the cat shit on my bed again arrrrrrrrrrrrrrg)

Original of the Species (4:34) – weird…synth/strings…i like the lyrics again. slow again….

Yahweh (4:22) – so u2 is a christian band. this is the song the band did so they’d win back the people they pissed off when they came out with “achtung baby” instead of “joshua tree part 2”. and i don’t like it. i really wanted to, really wanted to, but i just don’t. i think it’s silly. it’s not deep or thoughtful or anything. i feel like it’s part “zooropa”, reminds me of bono singing the advertising ads, combined with “somedays are better than others” just the rhythm of the lyrics i think… but badly combined. i don’t know.

it’s a very chill album…slow and not at all like vertigo, which for ME, is a disappointment. i wanted up beat real rock music. this isn’t it.
lyrics – B…better than “all that you can’t leave behind”
music – B…well..it’s still u2 sounding. i think the reason i like “achtung baby” so much was because it didn’t at all sound like what u2 was supposed to sound like at the time. and i like (half of) “pop” so much because “pop” didn’t sound like u2 either…this sounds like u2. and while that’s obviously not a BAD thing, it’s not exactly thrilling anymore either….
live ability – i’m not sure i’d want to see any of these songs other than vertigo live…
bono – bono is being bono. self depreciating a bit. the abuse he has put on his voice is very apparent. it’s not horrid, but it’s definitely not what it used to be.
edge – edge is shouting “hello, i’m still in the band, i’m right here”. sounds like “i will follow” edge met up with “electrical storm” edge and they had a baby.
adam – very “pop’ adam bass lines
larry – is larry…it’s drums…they sound the same to me. haha.

right now, upon…3rd listen or so… i don’t like it. now that i’ve heard it, i don’t want to listen to it anymore. back on the shelf for a while i guess.

and my comp is broken. just stopped working before i went to work. sounded like it turned off, but it didn’t. just the hard drive seemed to stop running. screen froze. turned it off and back on, cant boot up. fabulous. dad is coming tomorrow to take a look at it. it better not be completely messed up. i better not have to wipe the drive, because i don’t have anything burned….grrrrr i cant live without my comp.

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Seven Circles album review

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the tea party – seven circles

1. writings on the wall – am i listening to the tea party? this is not a tea party song. as eric said, it sounds like a stone temple pilots song. that’s not what i thought first, but i can hear that now. what captured me immediately is the guitar sounds like it’s a rage against the machine riff…it’s not a bad song, it’s sorta rockin, but it’s not the tea party

2. stargazer – this is not a tea party song either. wtf. i really wonder if someone else wrote these songs…it’s ok

3. one step closer away – again…it sounds like a stone temple pilots song. well at least the beginning…the chorus…back to rage guitars…and i dont like the chorus. it would be a cool song, creepy, haunting if they didn’t go into a fast lame chorus.

4. oceans – i hate slow sappy tea party songs, but this one is not as bad as the ones on interzone…er well…the chorus is as bad, but the rest isn’t haha.

5. luxuria – best song on the cd. it just is so cool. classic tea party right from the start.

6. overload – another good song. yay. but back to rage guitars. jeff martin found a new guitar tone and used it way too much. and still has that weird STP sound during the chorus…

7. coming back again – a bit creepy sounding, like a godsmack song. decent

8. the watcher – ug slow and sappy again. they all sound the same…

9. empty glass – one giant bowie tribute…major tom, ground control, starman, diamond dogs, golden years…it’s decent as well

10. wishing you would stay – i like it. it’s different, again. features holly mcnarland as well. ok i really like this song. yeah, this is my fav song on the album. it makes me overly emotional haha.

11. seven circles – boring. instrumental at the end is nice though.

overall impression: disappointing. this is not a tea party record. it’s really not. of all the songs, in my opinion only 1 holds to their “sound”, and that’d be luxuria. the slower songs keep in form with their other slower songs, but i never really like them. as eric put it, it’s not like they can’t grow and change and evolve, but they do have a distinctive sound, and we expect an evolution of that, and not just an evolution into crap. as of now, i find the whole package rather boring. it lacks the cohesiveness of their other albums. there’s no grand epic largeness. it’s just a bunch of random songs thrown onto an album. it doesn’t tell a story, or seem to go together at all. so yeah…it’s not awful by any means, just not what i was expecting, and doesn’t meet my high expectations of the band. i’m sure it’ll grow on me, but….not all that great.

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in other news. i have a really bad sunburn on my neck from sunday, and wearing clothes kills it lol. the collar on my uniform is going to murder me tonight at work.

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*admits it* i like linkin park….but holy shit is “somewhere i belong” cliched. same with the new staind song. it’s like, hello, stop writing your songs to cater to your 15 year old teen angst filled fans.

shawn needs to stop telling everyone that i’m chasing after john.

i left work early. didn’t feel like staying til 4 on my last day. it was boring, just like every other day. watched roulette cuz i felt like i was losing my skills, but i’m good now. they actually almost put me on a game cuz they were super short dealers, but no…of course not.

concert tomorrow. yay. hope the weather is semi decent. i might wear a skirt. :-O

 

meeting heather at the big ice cream cone later today, get dinner, go to concert. she doesn’t know if she’s still staying over or not. i gotta go to the bank and get some moola out. and i need driving directions to ikea….and cleveland.

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U2 – not so best of 1990 – 2000 – subtitled: what were they thinking?
picked up the limited edition best of, b-sides, dvd at target (14.88 on sale). i’d been hearing how much they were screwing up with the remixes, but didn’t go listen to them for myself at u2.com. to begin with i was wondering why on earth they’d be remixing songs for a best of cd…when i bought the first best of, when i wasn’t a u2 fan, if i had gotten remixed songs i would have been very, very upset. remixes are for fans, not for casual listeners, but i digress…they remixed, gone, discotheque, and staring at the sun from Pop, and numb from Zooropa…as well as a sorta new version of mysterious ways…i fast forwarded through some of the songs i hadn’t heard were remixes, and went to the new versions.
1. “mysterious ways” – it’s normal, it’s achtung baby version, and suddenly you’re like WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?!? suddenly bono starts slurring and badly sings a high note. ok what?! why change an amazingly brilliant genius song, for 3 seconds, to make it retarded…specifically, it’s the “she sees the man inside the child” part. i don’t know what the hell he’s saying now, but it can’t possibly be that, and it sounds stupid. and if i was not a big u2 fan i’d hate it, and be really irritated it wasn’t the album version everyone knows and loves.
2. “gone” – this is one of their best songs ever. the live version is incredible. and that’s what i think they were trying to do with this one. they rerecorded the vocals, or dug a different vocal track out of the dust bin, and changed some of the music around it…it doesn’t work. it doesn’t touch the original or the live version. i was actually cringing when i had it on in the car. during the first chorus i was thinking, if they were trying to make it more like the live version they needed to add Edge’s background vocals…which they did in the 2nd chorus, but not nearly loud enough to be any good. and you can tell they used some of the vocal tracks from the original album version, and then some new ones. at least it seems that way to me. no doubt the end high notes are the old track, no way can bono hit that now. *sigh* then the cd goes onto “until the end of the world” which is one of their greatest songs ever as well… non remixed THANK GOD
3. “discotheque” – new beginning, not as hyper, more ethereal…it’s OK so far, since it’s a remix and not supposed to sound like the original…it’s totally devoid of its hyperactivity tho, which made the original so fun. ok the chorus, wtf. so not good. ok no this is not good at all. it’s so choppy now, no flow…no bono moans…no boomchas…without the boomchas, just them saying “discotheque” is really dumb for some reason. well that sucked.
4. “staring at the sun” – another of the greatest u2 songs ever…ok it just started and it’s like wtf is this crap. this sucks for no particular reason. it just sounds awful. it’s hurting my ears. an acoustic version would have been better. this is really not good. who approved this?
5. “numb” – so far not all that different. ok wtf is with the very out of place background “i feel numb”? i think it’s larry. it doesn’t need to be enhanced, leave it inaudible in the background please. bono’s falsetto is way cool, so it’s ok that it’s been brought up. but the other part. no…ok yeah nice bono falsetto. 🙂 if it wasn’t for the bad “i feel numb” part, this would be the best remix…but it really ruins it for me.

and the new songs
1. electrical storm – i like this song. alot. and the video. hehe. larry shirtless, can’t go wrong.
2. the hands that built america – cheesy…it’s ok, it’s strange, bono sings opera. definitely soundtrack material (it’s from a new movie “the gangs of new york”)

thank god for no remixes of “hold me thrill me kiss me kill me” and “until the end of the world” or i’d really have to bitch. and i still do not get why “the first time” is on this cd…if you wanted another song from zooropa.. hello?!?! “lemon”!!! or even “daddy’s gonna pay for your crashed car”…but “the first time”??? stupid.

i think they felt it was safe to remix all these songs from Pop since it was their “failure” album…hardly. i don’t care if they say it was unfinished etc…the first half sounds very good and very finished, it’s the 2nd half that needs help. and all the songs on the best of are from the first half. and just because casual fans won’t know the Pop songs, doesn’t mean they needed to be remixed into crap, cuz that’s not gonna make casual fans go out and discover Pop for themselves…and i guess the “numb” remix…no one really knew that song either.

you know what. i don’t like this cd at all. the first best of was so good…and this one, i don’t get it. i dunno why. i just think it’s really bad. it was probably hard to pick out tracks to include, since you have to include songs from “achtung baby” which might as well be a best of in its own right…to me, this cd is not representative of the best of u2…especially with all the fucking remixes. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING omg it’s pissing me off so much lol. if the songs were left non remixed, this would be much better, but i’m already thinking of how i’m going to have to fast forward half this cd…if i even bother to listen to it.

ok bsides. actually they’re mostly remixes…i hate remixes. lol. i never listen to the best of 80-90 bsides disc. i’m a bad fan. oh man i can’t take this. the “dirty day” remix is pretty cool. er well most of it is. “north and south of the river” never heard this song before…eh sorta boring. i hate dance remixes. haha this song is called “salome” and it sounds like bono is saying salami. shake it, shake it, shake it salami hahah. the “numb” remix on the bsides disc is bizarre haha… it’s all hip hop-ified.

well the bonus little dvd thing redeemed the rest. it’s so funny.

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NIN “And All That Could Have Been” school assignment review

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trent makes me so happy. since i was bored and pissed off, i decided to watch the nin dvd. yeah, so happy. hahaha. for some reason i felt really into it today. it was weird. when they showed the audience i wanted to be there so badly. as much as i DIDN’T want the crush, and all that for the tea party…i long to have that kind of experience again…leaving a show worn out, exhausted, sore, drenched in sweat, and completely euphoric…i dunno man. i just…want it really badly. of course, it has to be one of MY bands…nin, orgy, apc…not just any band. i can’t feel the same way with bands i see that i’m not all that into…

anyway, i said i’d post my nin review that i used in my newsletter but i kept forgetting. so here it is…

 

 

nine inch nails – and all that could have been – DVD and limited edition CD

nine inch nails mastermind Trent Reznor has never been known for releasing projects quickly. And he’s never been known for releasing unacceptable product. Once again he doesn’t disappoint.

The new live DVD and CD set “and all that could have been” is a trip through 2000s Fragility Tour 2.0 of North America and Canada. Recorded over various dates on the tour, (and taking entirely too long to release) “and all…” is a stellar picture of what the critically acclaimed live show was about.

NIN opens up with the hard hitting “terrible lie” from 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine, and follows it with the ever favorite “sin”. They delve through tracks off The Downward Spiral before jumping into new tracks, and then back in time to visit the Broken EP.

Always the perfectionist, Trent Reznor takes the audience through an emotional roller coaster enhanced by the use of smoke, LCD panels for ambient lighting, as well as brilliant moving imagery as can be seen on the DVD. Emotional highs are contrasted by quiet calm, then elevate into a frenzy again. Beautiful instrumentals such as “the mark has been made” and “complication” (on the DVD only) are interspersed among the vocal tracks, and create an atmosphere that is unusual for a rock show, especially nine inch nails.

But don’t let that fool you. As can be seen on the DVD, there was plenty of destruction on stage, and plenty of mayhem in the audience. NIN closes the set with the crowd-pleasing “closer” and “head like a hole” while Reznor proceeds to smash apart a keyboard with the microphone stand. The emotional climax comes during the encore, as the band closes the show with “hurt”. An incredible song that can tug at the strings of the hardest heart, it’s not the lyrics that bring tears to the eye. As the DVD pans across the front of the audience, it’s the ability that Trent Reznor has to make everyone feel what he feels…it’s seeing men and women in the audience crying, singing along, eyes closed, that adds to the brilliance of the song. It’s not often that a person can elicit that kind of emotion in that big of a group of people. Incredible.

Highlights of the CD and DVD include “the frail”/”the wretched” couplet, “la mer”/”the great below”/”the mark has been made” on the DVD, and of course, the closing “hurt”. Another fine Trent Reznor product.

The limited edition CD of “and all…” contains a 2nd companion disc entitled “Still” (also available for purchase on nin.com). Reznor has described the disc as a good CD for a rainy day. While playing around with different interpretations and acoustic workups of old songs during the tour, he produced the disc to showcase some of what he had been working on. “Still” contains broken-down acoustic versions of classic NIN tracks “something I can never have”, “the fragile”, “the becoming” and “the day the world went away” complimented by new instrumentals, and the incredible new vocal track that gave the CD set it’s name. The song “and all that could have been” is an out-take from The Fragile sessions that was too good to be ignored. While it didn’t fit in with the flow of The Fragile 2-disc set it fits perfectly on “Still”. The instrumentals are beautiful works of art, reflecting Reznor’s classical training. My personal opinion on the disc is that it is the greatest CD ever made. It’s absolutely beautiful.

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Michael Jackson – Invincible

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what am i holding in my hand a day early?! MICHAEL JACKSON’S NEW CD!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!

this is me :-D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

running commentary on mj’s album

track 1: unbreakable – fantastic intro to the album. very “jam” like in it’s punch as a first song. Grade: A+ (upon second listen the grade went from a- to a+)

track 2: heartbreaker – um..it’s different. Grade: A

track 3: invincible – very cool. i find the first 3 tracks to be too similar though. should have put a song inbetween 2 and 3 i think. and they all have raps at the end…Grade: A-

track 4: break of dawn – ok i’m finding it slightly hard to not laugh…mj singing about making love. i can listen to his old songs about sex (ie. lady in my life) without laughing… but i dunno LOL…it’s a really nice song tho. his voice sounds really amazing. Grade: B+

track 5: heaven can wait – first 20 seconds, sounds like it is a Thriller throw back…the layered vocals…very “lady in my life” ish…in all these songs so far, you can totally tell which producers were responsible for them. this is so obviously a teddy riley song. the others were so rodney jerkins. but wow… vocals on this song amazing. definitely a better love song than break of dawn. similar to teddy’s work on Jordan Knight’s debut album…Grade: A

track 6: you rock my world – lol the intro cracks me up. chris tucker is so funny. this song just makes me really happy, maybe cuz it was the first new track i heard….it’s still weird to hear it without the KTU call out hook lol. great choice of first single, so far.. since i’m only on track 6 who knows… Grade: A, ok no A+ i really love this song LOL

track 7: butterflies – first 20 seconds, off the wall throw back… very “can’t help it” esque… like it could be the same song. vocals are different, sounds very un-mj-like….another song about sex…ok i don’t like this song. good thing MJ didn’t write it LOL. i REALLY don’t like this song….omg i almost can’t listen to it……Grade: C- sure it’s a good song, but i really hate it lol.
2nd listen…first minute i like, kinda fun. don’t like the chorus all that much. don’t like the falsetto of the 2nd verse… don’t like the bridge…this song does not belong on an MJ cd…it belongs on like, some teen pop princess cd….definitely do not like the end, this is where i want to rip my ears off. lol

track 8: speechless – omg the first 10 seconds i thought i was listening to “you are not alone”. his voice just comes in and says “your love…” and i swear he was gonna say “Another day is gone…” lol. omg it’s so totally YANA lol, i mean just that part, not the rest of it so far. i hate ballads. i think this is a religious song. vocals sound great tho. i don’t like this song either. ok yeah, totally don’t like this song either. I’m sure EVERYONE is gonna ADORE it.. cuz it’s like MJ fans theme songs regarding MJ. Grade: C-
2nd listen – still hate this song.

track 9: 2000 Watts – DEFINITELY MORE OF MY THING! is this even mj singing? doesn’t sound like him at all!! i get the impression this could be on an nsync cd for some reason…nothing in particular about it…i dunno. has the potential to be an even better song. it is VERY cool tho…Grade: A-
2nd listen – this song has the potential of having a REALLY RAD video if it was released as a single.

track 10: you are my life – the way i’m going with ballads, i’m having preconceived notions about my fondness for the song and it’s just started…ok way too sappy, but not as bad as the other 2…have i mentioned i hate ballads? i’m getting the impression this song is about his kids…i hate sappy songs….Grade: B

track 11: privacy – reminiscent of intro to “tabloid junkie”…wow like it already. mj sounding a bit evil 🙂 OH SLASH IS ON THIS SONG! er wait…no… ok, i swear he just said SLASH, and it’s a guitar solo, but he’s not in the credits as “guitar”…it says Michael Thompson..unless that’s Slash’s real name (andy informed me Slash’s name is Saul Hudson, which i knew duh.. so it’s not slash)….Grade: A

track 12: don’t walk away – GOD ANOTHER BALLAD. vocals sound great. very clear..ends really abruptly..Grade: B+

track 13: cry – r.kelly wrote this song..hmm… i like it. i liked it when i downloaded it LOL. best ballad on this album. and did i mention? i hate ballads. but i really like this song alot. on listening to it this time, i thought it was “on the line”…it sounds alot like “on the line” now that i think about it….but yeah, this is by far the best ballad on this album. yeah, this song is incredible. could totally do without the “change the world” a la “man in the mirror” bit… i hate that. lol. but god, this song is so great. jesus, i’m so blown away. omg. Grade: A+++

track 14: the lost children – just the title makes me want to puke but ok…open mind…ok no. that’s it, just no. it’s cute…but no. no. no.no. Grade: C+

track 15: whatever happens – this is the song with carlos santana…sounds cool. mjs voice sounds great. yeah like this song. Grade: A+

track 16: threatened – ok yeah this is cool. so rodney jerkins tho…this is rad. very fun. i wonder what these Rod Serling spoken parts are from. says courtesy of CBS broadcasting inc…Grade: A-

ok, finished the album. back at track 1 now. let’s see, what’s my overall grade on Invincible?!….i’m kinda torn. the 2 crap ballads in the middle really ruin the entire thing for me. like i can’t see myself listening to those songs EVER again. ok, since it seems i need to think in outline form, let’s make a list:
1. good album
2. not as good as dangerous, which is the best MJ album i think.
3. dance songs on invincible are better than dance songs on HIStory
4. i think the song order could have been different, making the whole album better. like the first 3 songs all have raps at the end.. and then u got the block of ballads in the middle…song order is really important i’ve found.
5. the middle ballads…oh god. how much do i hate them?…
6. i think the public is really going to like the album. i’m not sure how they’re gonna like those middle ballads tho. seriously.
7. i like the album. but it has the potential to grow on me tremendously. I was VERY generous with my grades of the middle ballads…because really I should give them an F but i’m trying to at least look at the music, and overall composition of them and ignore the fact that i want to rip my ears off….we’ll see how the 2nd listen goes.

overall grade as of now: A-/B+

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