abhijeet's Music > Music reviews by abhijeet

Garden Ruin review

Posted : 1 day, 14 hours ago on 8 January 2009 04:33 (A review of Garden Ruin)

Calexico has an interesting eclectic mix of music. At their best they produce exceptionally good acoustic rock tinged with Americana and Mexican music. This album isn't them at their best but it's still a well written and solid album. Their music and songwriting remains eclectic as always (there's lyrics in English, Spanish and French in here) and the songs are consistently entertaining. They finish the album very strongly with the noisiest song of the bunch - All Systems Red. This isn't an album for new listeners but a satisfying listen for someone who is already a fan of the band.

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Huh?

Posted : 3 weeks, 6 days ago on 13 December 2008 02:35 (A review of Chinese Democracy)

Seventeen years after Use Your Illusion I&II, Axl Rose delivers an album which for all intents and purposes should be called 'Use Your Illusion III'. I must ask, WTF has he been doing for the last fourteen years? Why spend all this time, fire and alienate all the members of the band, have all this endless talk about a new sound, re-record over and over, spend a reported eleven million dollars on production costs and still come up with an album that sounds like it could have been released in 1991? I mean, WTF dude?

As for the album itself, it's good. I'm not disappointed. The music is so densely produced that it takes a few listens to reveal itself. Axl has essentially taken the more bombastic elements of the GnR sound and re-created it with a different bunch of musicians. It's not the tight sound of Appetite for Destruction but the more overblown sound of Use Your Illusion. Guitar solos, pianos, a string quartet, voice overs - you name it, it's in there somewhere. You would admire his sense for detail and song craft, if only he hadn't taken a decade and a half to come up with it.

To sum it up, it's a good album and Axl Rose is a prick.

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Good Oasis, not great Oasis

Posted : 1 month, 3 weeks ago on 16 November 2008 03:11 (A review of Heathen Chemistry)

Oasis went through quite a long creative trough, one that lasted close to a decade. They would produce albums that had some great songs but the rest would be junk, more or less. This album bucks the trend somewhat as it has more good songs than filler.

There's some really good songs here - The Hindu Times, Force of Nature, Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Force of Nature, All In The Mind and a handful of other good ones. The balance psychedelia with crunching hard rock, so the album sounds both floaty and gritty in equal measure. A good Oasis album, not a great one but satisfying nevertheless.

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Second best Oasis album ever

Posted : 2 months, 3 weeks ago on 19 October 2008 11:06 (A review of Dig Out Your Soul)

Oasis haven't produced such a consistent album in over a decade. Their best album to date is still 'Morning Glory' from 1995. Since then they have produced several inconsistent albums that always had a bunch of great songs but did not hold together as complete albums. 'Heathen Chemistry' and 'Be Here Now' are my favourite examples. Now, after more than a decade, Oasis have come up with an album almost as good as 'Morning Glory'.

Oasis are very consistent on this album, there's almost no filler and the music is focused (unlike some of their previous forays in psychedelia). What prevents this album from being their best is the lack of a killer single(s). There isn't any 'Wonderwall' or 'Do You Know What I Mean' here to knock you off your feet. The songs are well written and well constructed so they grow better with each listening but nothing grabs you up front. That's the only quibble I have with this album, which is a completely satisfying listen. This is the album Oasis fans have been waiting a decade for.

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Only by the Night review

Posted : 3 months ago on 8 October 2008 05:57 (A review of Only by the Night)

I haven't heard any of the albums by Kings of Leon before this one. It caught my attention in a review that stated the sound was similar to U2. I can see why the comparison fits, they use a similar distorted guitar based, psychedelic sound that characterised the first half of U2's career (and much of Coldplay's albums too). The Kings sound much more muscular than U2 ever did and are influenced by more classic rock and roll such as Led Zeppelin as well.

Their lead singer, Caleb Followill, has a slightly rough sounding voice reminiscent of Springsteen or Dylan and he uses is to great effect throughout. His vocals are a great complement to the music, illustrated best in songs such as 'Closer', 'Sex on Fire' and 'Use Somebody'. While the music on these consists of distorted guitars and psychedelic soundscapes, his voice cuts through the dreaminess like a ragged woodcutter's axe. Without his vocals, these could be well be Coldplay songs.

This is an excellent rock album, with great melodic hooks, muscular playing throughout and interesting songwriting for the most part. They don't go overboard, with just 11 songs and a combined length of about 45 mins. This allows them to be consistently good and while some of the songs are obvious highlights, there isn't any filler here. The Kings have found a place in my music collection.

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(What's the Story) Morning Glory? review

Posted : 3 months, 3 weeks ago on 20 September 2008 10:01 (A review of (What's the Story) Morning Glory?)

One of the best rock albums of the 90s. Listening to this again was like a walk down nostalgia lane. So much of the music I like is over a decade old now and so many of the bands that came into existence when I was young are over a decade old too. So much for the nostalgia, on to the review.

Oasis backed up their excellent songwriting (mostly by Noel Gallagher) with great rock music.. In the 90s, it was a distinct break from the alt rock sound with it's buzzing guitars. Oasis constructed their songs in a format more reminiscent of the bands of the 60s and 70s. Their music tends to be guitar driven, which I love as well. They combined hard rock, slow rock and acoustic rock, sometimes all in the same song (case in point being 'Champagne Supernova').

This album was, in my opinion, the best they ever put out. The songwriting is consistently good, all the way to the end, this album has almost no throwaway songs. The music is varied and swings between frothy and fun to sombre and heavy. My favourite songs were the brilliant 'Wonderwall' and 'Champagne Supernova'. The former is an acoustic guitar driven song with lyrics about disappointment and longing. The latter starts off slowly but builds up to a big ending. These songs represent what Oasis were capable of at their peak.

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Good things come in threes

Posted : 4 months, 1 week ago on 31 August 2008 01:36 (A review of The Globe Sessions)

Sheryl Crow's third album completes a trilogy of great albums that she released in the 90s. All three albums featured her blend of classic blues influenced rock, great songwriting and deeply affecting angst ridden vocals. She rocked like few women in music do and always played her guitar in every song. Her kind of music which was a bit of an anomaly in the alt rock dominated 90s music scene in the US. This was her last album before she went in a different direction on her later albums and it is my favourite of the trio, mostly because her songwriting is brilliant. "My Favourite Mistake", "It Don't Hurt", "Anything But Down" and "The Difficult Kind" are four of her best songs, each one crafted to perfection.

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Pop Classic from the 90s

Posted : 4 months, 2 weeks ago on 25 August 2008 11:25 (A review of Seal [1994])

Seal produced a gem of an album on his second attempt. He collaborates with producer Trevor Horn to produce an album of beautiful sonic textures wedded to some excellent songwriting. Seal's voice is on top form throughout. It's the songwriting that takes it a notch above most pop albums. This is pop music at it's finest, unlike the vapid junk that constitutes 90% of popular music.

Trevor Horn is clever enough not to overwhelm Seal's voice in too much instrumentation while at the same time keeping his musical influences varied. Consequently, the musical variations keep the album from getting boring like most typical pop albums. There's some dance floor influences ("Bring it On"), some Celtic instrumentation (the truly gorgeous "Kiss from a Rose") and some over the top ballads ("Don't Cry").

Fourteen years on, this album aged really well and is still a great listen.

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90s Alternative Rock at it's best

Posted : 4 months, 4 weeks ago on 13 August 2008 12:54 (A review of Superunknown)

From the moment Soundgarden kick off the opening song, "Let Me Drown", they are on a hot streak till the eighth (and possibly best) song, "Spoonman". The rest of the album sort of falls away, but you don't get eight good songs in whole careers, let alone one album. The album is powered by the vocals and song writing prowess of Chris Cornell and the brilliant guitar work of Kim Thayil. The rest of the band is no slouch either.

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Sarah McLachlan's High Point

Posted : 5 months, 2 weeks ago on 23 July 2008 03:43 (A review of Mirrorball: The Complete Concert (2 CD's))

This concert captures Sarah McLachlan at her best, after the massive success of 'Surfacing'. She was at a commercial high point though creatively she might have arguably passed her peak. The material is almost exclusively from her three best albums, the aforementioned 'Surfacing' along with 'Solace' and 'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy'. The sheer number of songs ensures that almost all her best songs find a place here. The only obvious exclusion is 'Drawn to the Rhythm' from 'Solace', which is one of my favourite Sarah McLachlan songs.

Sarah is always a great live performer, based on the handful of live recordings I have heard (I wish she would tour again, I'm dying to see her live). She sounds great here and is well backed by an excellent band. Some of the songs really shine in a full band setting. One that comes to mind is 'I Will Not Forget You' from 'Solace'. It has a sparse arrangement on the album and the full band arrangement really brings out a new dimension to the song.

This really is the full concert and contains all the banter in-between the songs. Sarah has a understated but charming personality, much like the character of her music. I enjoyed listening to the whole concert, the songs and everything between the songs too. Any fan of Sarah's would definitely enjoy it too.

This album (not the single CD release) should be in the library of every Sarah McLachlan fan. It showcases Sarah in the best light and her fans will enjoy it without hesitation.

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