Alternative Rock music reviews


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Music reviews for "Alternative Rock" sorted by average review score:

Alternative Rock music review
Enjoy Incubus
Released in Audio CD by Sony (07 January, 1997)
Amazon base price: $7.98
Used price: $3.36
Collectible price: $12.95
Buy one from zShops for: $4.86
Artist: Incubus

Tracks:
  • You Will Be A Hot Dancer
  • Shaft
  • Take Me To Your Leader
  • Version
  • Azwethinkwieiz
  • Hilikus
Average review score: Alternative Rock music review

Alternative Rock music reivew it was a gift, so...
This is a hard to find cd. It was a gift for my son. He is thrilled with it. I do enjoy the song, Azwethinkweis (sp).

Alternative Rock music reivew You Will Enjoy Incubus
The first track "You Will Be A Hot Dancer" had me singing along with it's catchy tune and unforgettable chorus. "Shaft" is a great hard rock song with an amazing Primus like sound. "Take Me To Your Leader" grew on me like no other song has done before. It is now one of my favorite songs. It has very unusual lyrics ("What if I had a mustard drenched cucumber tied to my leg and I did not want my pants to get dirty"), but very interesting none the less because some things he sings are actual facts ("What if your brain unexpectedly and suddenly picked out things to flip around and view"). mattcarrot has offended me with his opinion of the song "Version." I believe it is one of the best song's on this album. It happens to be the only Incubus song with a reggae, ska like groove. "Azwethinkweiz" happens to be one of two songs that Incubus released on a hard to find record entitled Let Me Tell Ya 'Bout Root Beer (The other is "New Skin" which is found on the S.C.I.E.N.C.E. album). It's also a very good song. "Hilikus" has a kickin' groove, as any Fungus Amongus fan would know. If you fast forward past the end of the song, you will find a hidden track with different beats and grooves similar to the secret track at the end of S.C.I.E.N.C.E.. Enjoy Incubus is a true title to this album for any hardcore Incubus fan because if you are a hardcore Incubus fan you will enjoy this album and appreciate Incubus' diversity and roots.

Alternative Rock music review very enjoyable
This is my favorite release out of all of Incubus' older stuff. This only being 6 tracks I was left wanting more though. But I digress. This is a great CD from the beginning to the end. I love the way they mix funk with metal, I could've never imagined that those two styles would be so amazing together. All of the songs on here are excellent, Version being my personal favorite. Version is a very funky song, which goes from jazzy singing to chaos in seconds. The message of the song is really very empowering too. Azwethinkweiz is another funky jazzy trip. The lyrics are the thing that stand out in this song, as cool as the instruments sound the lyrics are what get me every time. Shaft is an extremely heavy song which has Brandon screaming through the chorus (I could be wrong on that though, I've seen a video where Dirk Lance was the one screaming). You Will Be A Hot Dancer is a jazzy combo with very humerous lyrics. The instrumentation is what I like a lot about this song though. Take Me To Your Leader is amazing. I absolutely love this song, the lyrics are witty, and the beat is tantilizing. Nothing beats a song that mentions a cucumber in it. Finally, Hilikus, a very intelligent song that I really like. However, this is not a favorite of mine, although it is a really great way to end this CD.

A few of the best songs are Take Me To Your Leader, Version, and Azwethinkweiz. This is really overall a little bit better than Fungus Amongus in my opinion. I really do think that everybody will find something about this CD that tickles their buttons, so I reccommend this to everybody.


Alternative Rock music review
Fear
Released in Audio CD by Sony (27 August, 1991)
Amazon base price: $10.99
List price: $11.98 (that's 8% off!)
Used price: $0.85
Collectible price: $4.25
Buy one from zShops for: $3.30
Artist: Toad the Wet Sprocket

Tracks:
  • Walk On The Ocean
  • Is It For Me
  • Butterflies
  • Nightingale Song
  • Hold Her Down
  • Pray Your Gods
  • Before You Were Born
  • Something To Say
  • In My Ear
  • All I Want
  • Stories I Tell
  • I Will Not Take These Things For Granted
Average review score: Alternative Rock music review

Alternative Rock music review Still Love Toad
I don't usually bother with writing reviews, but I feel I owe to the band, as well as to a great many potential listeners who may not be familiar with the group. This was my first Toad album (11 years or so ago), and I've been an avid listener ever since. I enjoy the emotion they can put into the simplest of stories. Makes me feel like I was right there with them. Every song on this album is a journey.

My personal favorite is the "Nightingale Song". Very short, very simple, VERY uplifting. On my worst day, this song always puts the world back into perspective for me. Makes me smile, and what more can one ask for than that?

Alternative Rock music review Wow
Just bought this. The two main songs on it, as usual, still great. The rest, even better! Only CD I think I've heard where I've loved ALL songs...and they keep getting better.

Alternative Rock music review after hair metal craze and before grunge
Beginning the 90s this group set a new hope in music, unfortunately after two succesful albums the group went into oblivion. This album was its first succesful album (Dulcinea was their second). It is a great buy if you like soft alternative rock, good melodies, and a warm and great voice. If the lost decade of music (the 90s) has any remarkable albums, this is one of them.


Alternative Rock music review
Gentlemen
Released in Audio CD by Elektra / Wea (05 October, 1993)
Amazon base price: $9.98
Used price: $2.95
Buy one from zShops for: $5.49
Artist: The Afghan Whigs

Tracks:
  • If I Were Going
  • Gentlemen
  • Be Sweet
  • Debonair
  • When We Two Parted
  • Fountain And Fairfax
  • What Jail Is Like
  • My Curse
  • Now You Know
  • I Keep Coming Back
  • Brother Woodrow/Closing Prayer
Average review score: Alternative Rock music review

Alternative Rock music review The #1 overlooked album
http://www.red-mag.com/RED/jan29/cover.html

This was red magazines number one overlooked album. It was listed without comment. And if you have listend to the album you know why. There is nothing left to say.
Just listen.

Alternative Rock music review the Essential Afghan Wigs Record
without a doubt, Gentlemen is a masterpiece of raw emotional outpouring...feelings of confusion, indifference, infidelity, heartbreak, and...oh yes, love are all staged against a ragged musical backdrop that is both gripping and fiercely compelling. the album works on so many levels but i feel that Gentlemen works best when listened to in one sitting. preferably with a bottle of whiskey nearby. this is not the kind of emotional record that you will cry to...but one that you may feel anger, disgust, and guilt.

Alternative Rock music review Greg Dulli can not sing...
and I don't care. There are no words to describe the genuis of this album. However, it takes a strong constitution to get through it. It is not for the weak at heart or for those afraid of a challenge. It is everything we had hoped to get from the 90's. Challenging, cerebral, honest music. From the drumsticks to the microphone, each member brings the full compliment to the table.
Debonair, Be Sweet, Gentlemen, What Jail is Like. You don't get this many 5 star votes for nothing.
If you take away all the hype, the tragedy, and the record sales from all the "Best Albums" lists, this album is in the top 3 of the 90's.
Buy it, put it in your cd player and don't take it out until you get it.


Alternative Rock music review
Live In Paris & Toronto
Released in Audio CD by Valley (28 September, 1999)
Amazon base price: $
List price: $24.98 (that's NaN% off!)
Used price: $6.25
Collectible price: $7.00
Buy one from zShops for: $6.75
Artist: Loreena McKennitt

Tracks:
  • Prologue
  • The Mummers' Dance
  • Skellig
  • Marco Polo
  • The Highwayman
  • La Serenissima
  • Night Ride Across The Caucasus
  • Dante's Prayer
  • The Mystic's Dream
  • Santiago
  • Bonnie Portmore
  • Between The Shadows
  • The Lady Shallott
  • The Bonnie Swans
  • The Old Ways
  • All Souls Night
  • Cymbeline
Loreena McKennitt's two-CD set, plucked from performances in Paris and Toronto, documents the modern-day troubadour's live dimension, luxuriously unraveling her talents on harp, accordian, and piano like a finely woven tapestry. Lovers of The Book of Secrets, The Mask and Mirror, and her other enchanting albums will be pleased by this virtuoso performance and crisp recording of many favorite songs including "The Mummers' Dance" and "Bonny Portmore." McKennitt's voice is in finely polished form here--no hints of hoarse tour fatigue whatsoever. "Marco Polo," a delicious, trancelike jam on The Book of Secrets, rushes a bit too quickly, lacking the expansive, improvised groove that could've richly garnished this tasty track. But this is a small bit of tarnish on the silver beauty of this magnificent collection, brought to life by McKennitt's ensemble of violin, cello, hurdy-gurdy, bass, and percussion that all interlock lovingly with McKennitt's angelic voice. And what makes this gem even more beautifully poignant is its dedication to McKennitt's fiancé, who died in July, 1998, in a boating accident. Proceeds from album sales will go to his memorial fund dedicated to water search and rescue. If in 1999 we weren't fortunate enough to indulge in new material from this special artist, we at least have a taste of her extraordinary music to savor in a new, golden light. --Karen Karleski
Average review score: Alternative Rock music review

Alternative Rock music review Ethereal
With a voice that can only be described as unworldly and ethereal, Loreena Mckennitt, with vocal and harp alike lifts the soul and offers a rare moment of beauty. Her interpretations of classic ballads marks this as an important album and indeed listening to it, I've often felt my heart skip a beat. That such a great talent has gone so long without producing a new album remains a loss for all music lovers, but at least we can take solace in this marvelous work.

Truly a must have.

Alternative Rock music review "Let your indulgence set me free."
This is a wonderful album on many reasons. Like most McKennitt fans I held off from buying it because I already had the songs on other CDs. This first CD is really a complete performance of The Book of Secrets, and the second is a carefully chosen selection from The Visit and The Mask and The Mirror (plus a hidden bit, which as you will see shortly could probably be considered a lament and a memory). By and large McKennitt stays very true to the original recordings. Tempo's are generally slightly slower, although there are exceptions like The Highwayman, which is a full minute faster here.

There are subtle differences everywhere in phrasing and the inner working of her group. In a piece like The Mummer's Dance, for instance, you become much more aware of the workings on the strings. And songs like The Lady of Shallot and Dante's Prayer reach a level that can only be described as perfection. Live performance is the acid test of a musician's powers, and everyone in the group, from the likes of Brian Hughes and Hugh Marsh to La McKennitt herself, achieves everything that could be desired.

This was McKennitt's last album, put together in 1999. Suddenly a brilliant and fertile career came to a halt, with nothing about why every being said. The sole clue to the hiatus is two lines in the album folder dedicating the album to the memory of Ronald Douglas Rees and mentioning the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund For Water Search And Safety. Ronald Rees was Lorena McKennitt's fianc� and he died unexpectedly while she was wrapping up this album. For some time she was completely silent, but has gradually increased her performances again. Now a visit to her website reveals that another album is in progress. Good for us, and very good for Loreena as well.

If for no other reason than that on two CDs you have many of McKennitt's songs done beautifully you should by this. For the newcomer, I can't imagine a better introduction to the work of a woman who is scholar, minstrel, and beauty. For the fan it is a reward for the affection of a singer/songwriter who has stayed steadily true to her vision of what should be, rather than fall to the lure of pop culture.

Alternative Rock music review Dreaming wide awake ...
Loreena McKennitt's music -- and her otherworldly voice -- are a rare gift. Surely her music is "Celtic", but so many other influences are incorporated here -- and the amazing thing is how well they mesh. I've never been lucky enough to catch any of her live performances, but this 2-CD set captures what the atmosphere must be like at one of her concerts: a dreaming, oceanic, passionate, and haunting (yes, I have to use that word!) few hours spent in the company of a phenomenally talented artist and her traveling band, completely simpatico with her musical sensibilities. Highly recommended. If the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood had a soundtrack, Loreena McKenitt's music would surely be on it.


Alternative Rock music review
Live in Paris and Toronto
Released in Audio CD by Valley (28 September, 1999)
Amazon base price: $34.99
Used price: $17.73
Collectible price: $24.98
Buy one from zShops for: $13.99
Artist: Loreena McKennitt

Tracks:
  • Prologue
  • Mummers' Dance
  • Skellig
  • Marco Polo
  • Highwayman
  • Serenissima
  • Night Ride Across the Caucasus
  • Dante's Prayers
  • Mystic's Dream
  • Santiago
  • Bonny Portmore
  • Between the Shadows
  • Lady of Shalott
  • Bonny Swans
  • Old Ways
  • All Souls Night
  • Cymbeline
Loreena McKennitt's two-CD set, plucked from performances in Paris and Toronto, documents the modern-day troubadour's live dimension, luxuriously unraveling her talents on harp, accordian, and piano like a finely woven tapestry. Lovers of The Book of Secrets, The Mask and Mirror, and her other enchanting albums will be pleased by this virtuoso performance and crisp recording of many favorite songs including "The Mummers' Dance" and "Bonny Portmore." McKennitt's voice is in finely polished form here--no hints of hoarse tour fatigue whatsoever. "Marco Polo," a delicious, trancelike jam on The Book of Secrets, rushes a bit too quickly, lacking the expansive, improvised groove that could've richly garnished this tasty track. But this is a small bit of tarnish on the silver beauty of this magnificent collection, brought to life by McKennitt's ensemble of violin, cello, hurdy-gurdy, bass, and percussion that all interlock lovingly with McKennitt's angelic voice. And what makes this gem even more beautifully poignant is its dedication to McKennitt's fiancé, who died in July, 1998, in a boating accident. Proceeds from album sales will go to his memorial fund dedicated to water search and rescue. If in 1999 we weren't fortunate enough to indulge in new material from this special artist, we at least have a taste of her extraordinary music to savor in a new, golden light. --Karen Karleski
Average review score: Alternative Rock music review

Alternative Rock music review Ethereal
With a voice that can only be described as unworldly and ethereal, Loreena Mckennitt, with vocal and harp alike lifts the soul and offers a rare moment of beauty. Her interpretations of classic ballads marks this as an important album and indeed listening to it, I've often felt my heart skip a beat. That such a great talent has gone so long without producing a new album remains a loss for all music lovers, but at least we can take solace in this marvelous work.

Truly a must have.

Alternative Rock music review "Let your indulgence set me free."
This is a wonderful album on many reasons. Like most McKennitt fans I held off from buying it because I already had the songs on other CDs. This first CD is really a complete performance of The Book of Secrets, and the second is a carefully chosen selection from The Visit and The Mask and The Mirror (plus a hidden bit, which as you will see shortly could probably be considered a lament and a memory). By and large McKennitt stays very true to the original recordings. Tempo's are generally slightly slower, although there are exceptions like The Highwayman, which is a full minute faster here.

There are subtle differences everywhere in phrasing and the inner working of her group. In a piece like The Mummer's Dance, for instance, you become much more aware of the workings on the strings. And songs like The Lady of Shallot and Dante's Prayer reach a level that can only be described as perfection. Live performance is the acid test of a musician's powers, and everyone in the group, from the likes of Brian Hughes and Hugh Marsh to La McKennitt herself, achieves everything that could be desired.

This was McKennitt's last album, put together in 1999. Suddenly a brilliant and fertile career came to a halt, with nothing about why every being said. The sole clue to the hiatus is two lines in the album folder dedicating the album to the memory of Ronald Douglas Rees and mentioning the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund For Water Search And Safety. Ronald Rees was Lorena McKennitt's fianc� and he died unexpectedly while she was wrapping up this album. For some time she was completely silent, but has gradually increased her performances again. Now a visit to her website reveals that another album is in progress. Good for us, and very good for Loreena as well.

If for no other reason than that on two CDs you have many of McKennitt's songs done beautifully you should by this. For the newcomer, I can't imagine a better introduction to the work of a woman who is scholar, minstrel, and beauty. For the fan it is a reward for the affection of a singer/songwriter who has stayed steadily true to her vision of what should be, rather than fall to the lure of pop culture.

Alternative Rock music review Dreaming wide awake ...
Loreena McKennitt's music -- and her otherworldly voice -- are a rare gift. Surely her music is "Celtic", but so many other influences are incorporated here -- and the amazing thing is how well they mesh. I've never been lucky enough to catch any of her live performances, but this 2-CD set captures what the atmosphere must be like at one of her concerts: a dreaming, oceanic, passionate, and haunting (yes, I have to use that word!) few hours spent in the company of a phenomenally talented artist and her traveling band, completely simpatico with her musical sensibilities. Highly recommended. If the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood had a soundtrack, Loreena McKenitt's music would surely be on it.


Alternative Rock music review
Live in Paris and Toronto
Released in Audio CD by Quinlan Road Import (11 July, 2006)
Amazon base price: $54.49
Used price: $21.95
Collectible price: $60.37
Buy one from zShops for: $12.00
Artist: Loreena McKennitt

Tracks:
  • Prologue
  • The Mummers' Dance
  • Skellig
  • Marco Polo
  • The Highwayman
  • La Serenissima
  • Night Ride Across The Caucasus
  • Dante's Prayer
  • The Mystic's Dream
  • Santiago
  • Bonny Portmore
  • Between The Shadows
  • The Lady Of Shalott
  • The Bonny Swans
  • The Old Ways
  • All Souls Night
  • Cymbeline
Loreena McKennitt's two-CD set, plucked from performances in Paris and Toronto, documents the modern-day troubadour's live dimension, luxuriously unraveling her talents on harp, accordian, and piano like a finely woven tapestry. Lovers of The Book of Secrets, The Mask and Mirror, and her other enchanting albums will be pleased by this virtuoso performance and crisp recording of many favorite songs including "The Mummers' Dance" and "Bonny Portmore." McKennitt's voice is in finely polished form here--no hints of hoarse tour fatigue whatsoever. "Marco Polo," a delicious, trancelike jam on The Book of Secrets, rushes a bit too quickly, lacking the expansive, improvised groove that could've richly garnished this tasty track. But this is a small bit of tarnish on the silver beauty of this magnificent collection, brought to life by McKennitt's ensemble of violin, cello, hurdy-gurdy, bass, and percussion that all interlock lovingly with McKennitt's angelic voice. And what makes this gem even more beautifully poignant is its dedication to McKennitt's fiancé, who died in July, 1998, in a boating accident. Proceeds from album sales will go to his memorial fund dedicated to water search and rescue. If in 1999 we weren't fortunate enough to indulge in new material from this special artist, we at least have a taste of her extraordinary music to savor in a new, golden light. --Karen Karleski
Average review score: Alternative Rock music review

Alternative Rock music review Ethereal
With a voice that can only be described as unworldly and ethereal, Loreena Mckennitt, with vocal and harp alike lifts the soul and offers a rare moment of beauty. Her interpretations of classic ballads marks this as an important album and indeed listening to it, I've often felt my heart skip a beat. That such a great talent has gone so long without producing a new album remains a loss for all music lovers, but at least we can take solace in this marvelous work.

Truly a must have.

Alternative Rock music review "Let your indulgence set me free."
This is a wonderful album on many reasons. Like most McKennitt fans I held off from buying it because I already had the songs on other CDs. This first CD is really a complete performance of The Book of Secrets, and the second is a carefully chosen selection from The Visit and The Mask and The Mirror (plus a hidden bit, which as you will see shortly could probably be considered a lament and a memory). By and large McKennitt stays very true to the original recordings. Tempo's are generally slightly slower, although there are exceptions like The Highwayman, which is a full minute faster here.

There are subtle differences everywhere in phrasing and the inner working of her group. In a piece like The Mummer's Dance, for instance, you become much more aware of the workings on the strings. And songs like The Lady of Shallot and Dante's Prayer reach a level that can only be described as perfection. Live performance is the acid test of a musician's powers, and everyone in the group, from the likes of Brian Hughes and Hugh Marsh to La McKennitt herself, achieves everything that could be desired.

This was McKennitt's last album, put together in 1999. Suddenly a brilliant and fertile career came to a halt, with nothing about why every being said. The sole clue to the hiatus is two lines in the album folder dedicating the album to the memory of Ronald Douglas Rees and mentioning the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund For Water Search And Safety. Ronald Rees was Lorena McKennitt's fianc� and he died unexpectedly while she was wrapping up this album. For some time she was completely silent, but has gradually increased her performances again. Now a visit to her website reveals that another album is in progress. Good for us, and very good for Loreena as well.

If for no other reason than that on two CDs you have many of McKennitt's songs done beautifully you should by this. For the newcomer, I can't imagine a better introduction to the work of a woman who is scholar, minstrel, and beauty. For the fan it is a reward for the affection of a singer/songwriter who has stayed steadily true to her vision of what should be, rather than fall to the lure of pop culture.

Alternative Rock music review Dreaming wide awake ...
Loreena McKennitt's music -- and her otherworldly voice -- are a rare gift. Surely her music is "Celtic", but so many other influences are incorporated here -- and the amazing thing is how well they mesh. I've never been lucky enough to catch any of her live performances, but this 2-CD set captures what the atmosphere must be like at one of her concerts: a dreaming, oceanic, passionate, and haunting (yes, I have to use that word!) few hours spent in the company of a phenomenally talented artist and her traveling band, completely simpatico with her musical sensibilities. Highly recommended. If the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood had a soundtrack, Loreena McKenitt's music would surely be on it.


Alternative Rock music review
Oyster
Released in Audio CD by Sony (15 August, 1995)
Amazon base price: $9.98
Used price: $1.85
Collectible price: $7.50
Buy one from zShops for: $5.98
Artist: Heather Nova

Tracks:
  • Walk This World
  • Heal
  • Island
  • Throwing Fire At The Sun
  • Maybe An Angel
  • Sugar
  • Truth And Bone
  • Blue Black
  • Walking Higher
  • Light Years
  • Verona
  • Doubled Up
The hooky, upbeat "Walk This World" sounds like a major hit, but it's merely the most accessible side of a feverish, poetic artist who'll be compared more to Sarah McLachlan and Sinead O'Connor than to Sheryl Crowe. Lush melodies abound, but some tracks ("Island," "Sugar") have an intensity worthy of Patti Smith, and there's emotional blood on tracks like "Blue Black." Other highlights on this edgy, affecting debut are "Maybe an Angel" and "Throwing Fire at the Sun." --Jeff Bateman
Average review score: Alternative Rock music review

Alternative Rock music review One of my all-time favorites.
Upon hearing 'Walk This World' in '95, I ran straight to the music store to find the album for similar songs by the new artist. Over the years, I have found the lyrically meaningful collection of dark, but beautiful songs to be both timeless and priceless. I relate to and empathize with anyone echoing their sentiments. I eagerly awaited Nova's follow-up album, but found it lacking the dark and lyrically weighted material that I love so much on Oyster.

Alternative Rock music review Throwing Fire At The Sun
Oyster is Novas Most Exciting Work, a journey through passion and sadness and melancholy in the most sublime artform that can remove every human nerve, the global point of view wich starts with "walk this world" is extended to the most beautifull track of this album "throwing fire at the sun" and then to pure love "maybe an angel" to intensity "sugar" to dreams "Verona" "i used to dream about Verona" heather sings, and then the romantic freedom of "island" and the tearing "doubled up" (with personal connotations in the soundtrack of my life i must admit), memories.........
taste Oyster, you will become an addict.
HM

Alternative Rock music review I listened to only this one CD for nearly a year
I chunked this CD into my car stereo system and couldn't bear to eject it. I kept listening to it over and over. If I temporarily got tired of it, I just turned it off and didn't listen to anything for a while. After about 9 or 10 month of this, it started to dawn on me that Oyster had actually replaced music in my life. It was the only music that needed to exist, as far as I was concerned. Eventually I started to listen to other things again, and that phase was over. But I'm still amazed at how long these songs held up to repeated listening.

I guess it was the variety. There are some very VERY grim tracks to cleanse the pallate after the sweet ones. "Island" is an up-close and scary look at a battered woman whose boyfriend is getting ready to beat her again. "Blue Black" is about as bitter and sarcastic (not in a funny way) as any song should ever be. "Walking Higher" seems to have been written in the acceptance stage of grief. Then there are the sweet songs, especially "Doubled Up [in Love]". And just for a complete change of pace, the sexual rock songs. "Walk This World" you know, but "Sugar" is just as hard rocking and sexual. So many are genre benders. I don't know how to characterize "Truth And Bone". Is it romantic or a rocker? I don't know. I also don't know whatever happened to the CD case. The CD spent so long in the car stereo, I lost it somehow.


Alternative Rock music review
Oyster
Released in Audio CD by Big Life (01 January, 1995)
Amazon base price: $14.99
Used price: $8.93
Buy one from zShops for: $10.87
Artist: Heather Nova

Tracks:
  • Walk This World
  • Heal
  • Island
  • Throwing Fire at the Sun
  • Maybe an Angel
  • Sugar
  • Truth and Bone
  • Blue Black
  • Walking Higher
  • Light Years
  • Verona
  • Doubled Up
The hooky, upbeat "Walk This World" sounds like a major hit, but it's merely the most accessible side of a feverish, poetic artist who'll be compared more to Sarah McLachlan and Sinead O'Connor than to Sheryl Crowe. Lush melodies abound, but some tracks ("Island," "Sugar") have an intensity worthy of Patti Smith, and there's emotional blood on tracks like "Blue Black." Other highlights on this edgy, affecting debut are "Maybe an Angel" and "Throwing Fire at the Sun." --Jeff Bateman
Average review score: Alternative Rock music review

Alternative Rock music review One of my all-time favorites.
Upon hearing 'Walk This World' in '95, I ran straight to the music store to find the album for similar songs by the new artist. Over the years, I have found the lyrically meaningful collection of dark, but beautiful songs to be both timeless and priceless. I relate to and empathize with anyone echoing their sentiments. I eagerly awaited Nova's follow-up album, but found it lacking the dark and lyrically weighted material that I love so much on Oyster.

Alternative Rock music review Throwing Fire At The Sun
Oyster is Novas Most Exciting Work, a journey through passion and sadness and melancholy in the most sublime artform that can remove every human nerve, the global point of view wich starts with "walk this world" is extended to the most beautifull track of this album "throwing fire at the sun" and then to pure love "maybe an angel" to intensity "sugar" to dreams "Verona" "i used to dream about Verona" heather sings, and then the romantic freedom of "island" and the tearing "doubled up" (with personal connotations in the soundtrack of my life i must admit), memories.........
taste Oyster, you will become an addict.
HM

Alternative Rock music review I listened to only this one CD for nearly a year
I chunked this CD into my car stereo system and couldn't bear to eject it. I kept listening to it over and over. If I temporarily got tired of it, I just turned it off and didn't listen to anything for a while. After about 9 or 10 month of this, it started to dawn on me that Oyster had actually replaced music in my life. It was the only music that needed to exist, as far as I was concerned. Eventually I started to listen to other things again, and that phase was over. But I'm still amazed at how long these songs held up to repeated listening.

I guess it was the variety. There are some very VERY grim tracks to cleanse the pallate after the sweet ones. "Island" is an up-close and scary look at a battered woman whose boyfriend is getting ready to beat her again. "Blue Black" is about as bitter and sarcastic (not in a funny way) as any song should ever be. "Walking Higher" seems to have been written in the acceptance stage of grief. Then there are the sweet songs, especially "Doubled Up [in Love]". And just for a complete change of pace, the sexual rock songs. "Walk This World" you know, but "Sugar" is just as hard rocking and sexual. So many are genre benders. I don't know how to characterize "Truth And Bone". Is it romantic or a rocker? I don't know. I also don't know whatever happened to the CD case. The CD spent so long in the car stereo, I lost it somehow.


Alternative Rock music review
Soup
Released in Audio CD by Capitol (15 August, 1995)
Amazon base price: $9.99
List price: $16.98 (that's 41% off!)
Used price: $3.50
Collectible price: $7.97
Buy one from zShops for: $6.00
Artist: Blind Melon

Tracks:
  • Galaxie
  • 2X4
  • Vernie
  • Skinned
  • Toes Across The Floor
  • Walk
  • Dumptruck
  • Car Seat (God's Presents)
  • Wilt
  • The Duke
  • St. Andrew's Fall
  • New Life
  • Mouthful Of Cavities
  • Lemonade
Average review score: Alternative Rock music review

Alternative Rock music reivew Don't believe the hype or slander
This album is in no way amazing. Neither is it unbelievably terrible.

The album kicks off with a horns section that is, lets face it, all over the place. Shannon Hoon sings some out-of-time gibberish, but then comes in one heck of a good song. Sure, the lyrics are a bit random, but Galaxie is this album's gem.

Next comes 2x4, which has a beginning and middle of pure rock goodness but ends with a solo - if it can even be called that - which is, quite frankly, annoying. Especially after the third ear-shattering blast.

Vernie is nothing special, but by no means is the album's weakest track. One of its let-downs, but not bad.

Skinned is a fantastic, catchy tune that you're guaranteed to be singing all-day long. 'Hey I could really use a couple of hands/To make one hell of a plant stand' Hoon sings with a great grit. The second best song on the album.

Toes Across The Floor is a good song with a rather good bass line. Hoon manages to sing possibly the most depressing lyrics on the album with just a tiny uplifting hint in his voice.

Walk is just a nice cool-down from the intensity that is Toes with a nice, happy harmonica mid-way. Hoon's voice in indistinct and at his worst in this song, but it's just a nice song.

Dump Truck is a horrible song. The beginning of the song is just one big noise. Where the middle saves the song with Hoon's best falsetto lyrics, the end is a large let-down. Some nice random guitar licks, though.

Car Seat (God's Presents) is a vile song. With egyptian sounds, this will probably be the song you skip past. The mega-phone talk at the end seems like a strange attempt at diversity.

Wilt is like Vernie in the fact that it is nothing special. At this point in the album, you realise it isn't as good as when you first put it on.

The Duke comes next and has a sinister bass line but Hoon's most innocent, choir boy vocals. A nice song, but that's about it.
St. Andrew's Fall is a nice song and the most reminiscent of their debut. A nice acoustic number and Hoon really gets his mental abscence across. A nice little number.

New Life starts with two random shouts, but then goes into a lovely, dreamy song. A really nice, calming song. However, it seems too eager to break out of the boundaries of a ballad and goes awry after that. Tries to recover, but Hoon's voice is too excited.

Mouthful of Cavities is a nice duet. That's it. It has an unnecessary 10 second blank gap at the beginning, but Hoon's voice is best here. I didn't like his partner's voice, she was far too different and failed to match Shannon Hoon's tune. A good song, but sounded like they put two different versions of the song together. If she wasn't there, it would be a very good song.

Lemonade is the worst song on the album and a horrible way to end the album. Totally unnecessary and sounds totally amateur. Headache-worthy.

Overall, not a bad album, but its bad songs are far too bad to constitute this album as good. As written before, highs are high; the lows are low.

Alternative Rock music review A Masterpiece...Gets better with time
I bought the album the day it came out in 1995 and listened to it once in 5 years. I revisited it again in 2000 and it became my favorite album of the 1990s. A true example of an artistic Masterpiece.

This album just shatters what pop music is supposed to sound like and merely sounds like "Soup" by Blind Melon. Shannon Hoon's lyrics are the most challenging and heartfelt I have ever heard and the band brings those thoughts to life wonderfully. An amazing feat. This album is a MUST for any music fan. No need to review individual songs because each is fantastic.

Alternative Rock music review More Soup?
Seconds, please...this album is absolutely amazing and one that was extremely overlooked at the time of its release.

In Soup you see Blind Melon building off what they had started with their self-titled debut album. This was only their 2nd album written and you can already see them expanding their sound and still trying to find themselves individually and as a band.

Soup exemplifies the beauty of what Blind Melon was and could have been. It is a glimpse of the greatness they could have possibly achieved. Not a greatness measured by the number of albums sold, but a greatness measured by the depth, complexity and passon in the writting rarely seen in music.

Hoon's lyrics were dark, complex, heart felt and sung with such passion there was no way Blind Melon would have attempted to replace him, which his why they went their seperate ways. Not that Hoon is a martyr or hero by any means, he was just a guy that was extremely good at what he did and the fire that drove him to think and feel as he did was the same that forced it to go out so quickly.

As for the album itself it is much, much to darker than their self titled and couldn't have possibly seen equal success. This is by no means a judge of the quality of this album as you can see by previous and soon to be later reviews.

Buy it, don't just hear it, listen to it, it is a unique piece of art that isn't easy to digest, but one that has you constantly examining it and always listening to it in new ways. Enjoy and I hope you feel the same.


Alternative Rock music review
Soup
Released in Audio CD by Capitol (15 August, 1995)
Amazon base price: $
List price: $19.98 (that's NaN% off!)
Used price: $4.03
Collectible price: $9.99
Buy one from zShops for: $9.99
Artist: Blind Melon

Tracks:
  • Galaxie
  • 2 X 4
  • Vernie
  • Skinned
  • Toes Across the Floor
  • Walk
  • Dump Truck
  • Car Seat (God's Presents)
  • Wilt
  • Duke
  • St. Andrew's Fall
  • New Life
  • Mouthful of Cavities
  • Lemonade
Average review score: Alternative Rock music review

Alternative Rock music reivew Don't believe the hype or slander
This album is in no way amazing. Neither is it unbelievably terrible.

The album kicks off with a horns section that is, lets face it, all over the place. Shannon Hoon sings some out-of-time gibberish, but then comes in one heck of a good song. Sure, the lyrics are a bit random, but Galaxie is this album's gem.

Next comes 2x4, which has a beginning and middle of pure rock goodness but ends with a solo - if it can even be called that - which is, quite frankly, annoying. Especially after the third ear-shattering blast.

Vernie is nothing special, but by no means is the album's weakest track. One of its let-downs, but not bad.

Skinned is a fantastic, catchy tune that you're guaranteed to be singing all-day long. 'Hey I could really use a couple of hands/To make one hell of a plant stand' Hoon sings with a great grit. The second best song on the album.

Toes Across The Floor is a good song with a rather good bass line. Hoon manages to sing possibly the most depressing lyrics on the album with just a tiny uplifting hint in his voice.

Walk is just a nice cool-down from the intensity that is Toes with a nice, happy harmonica mid-way. Hoon's voice in indistinct and at his worst in this song, but it's just a nice song.

Dump Truck is a horrible song. The beginning of the song is just one big noise. Where the middle saves the song with Hoon's best falsetto lyrics, the end is a large let-down. Some nice random guitar licks, though.

Car Seat (God's Presents) is a vile song. With egyptian sounds, this will probably be the song you skip past. The mega-phone talk at the end seems like a strange attempt at diversity.

Wilt is like Vernie in the fact that it is nothing special. At this point in the album, you realise it isn't as good as when you first put it on.

The Duke comes next and has a sinister bass line but Hoon's most innocent, choir boy vocals. A nice song, but that's about it.
St. Andrew's Fall is a nice song and the most reminiscent of their debut. A nice acoustic number and Hoon really gets his mental abscence across. A nice little number.

New Life starts with two random shouts, but then goes into a lovely, dreamy song. A really nice, calming song. However, it seems too eager to break out of the boundaries of a ballad and goes awry after that. Tries to recover, but Hoon's voice is too excited.

Mouthful of Cavities is a nice duet. That's it. It has an unnecessary 10 second blank gap at the beginning, but Hoon's voice is best here. I didn't like his partner's voice, she was far too different and failed to match Shannon Hoon's tune. A good song, but sounded like they put two different versions of the song together. If she wasn't there, it would be a very good song.

Lemonade is the worst song on the album and a horrible way to end the album. Totally unnecessary and sounds totally amateur. Headache-worthy.

Overall, not a bad album, but its bad songs are far too bad to constitute this album as good. As written before, highs are high; the lows are low.

Alternative Rock music review A Masterpiece...Gets better with time
I bought the album the day it came out in 1995 and listened to it once in 5 years. I revisited it again in 2000 and it became my favorite album of the 1990s. A true example of an artistic Masterpiece.

This album just shatters what pop music is supposed to sound like and merely sounds like "Soup" by Blind Melon. Shannon Hoon's lyrics are the most challenging and heartfelt I have ever heard and the band brings those thoughts to life wonderfully. An amazing feat. This album is a MUST for any music fan. No need to review individual songs because each is fantastic.

Alternative Rock music review More Soup?
Seconds, please...this album is absolutely amazing and one that was extremely overlooked at the time of its release.

In Soup you see Blind Melon building off what they had started with their self-titled debut album. This was only their 2nd album written and you can already see them expanding their sound and still trying to find themselves individually and as a band.

Soup exemplifies the beauty of what Blind Melon was and could have been. It is a glimpse of the greatness they could have possibly achieved. Not a greatness measured by the number of albums sold, but a greatness measured by the depth, complexity and passon in the writting rarely seen in music.

Hoon's lyrics were dark, complex, heart felt and sung with such passion there was no way Blind Melon would have attempted to replace him, which his why they went their seperate ways. Not that Hoon is a martyr or hero by any means, he was just a guy that was extremely good at what he did and the fire that drove him to think and feel as he did was the same that forced it to go out so quickly.

As for the album itself it is much, much to darker than their self titled and couldn't have possibly seen equal success. This is by no means a judge of the quality of this album as you can see by previous and soon to be later reviews.

Buy it, don't just hear it, listen to it, it is a unique piece of art that isn't easy to digest, but one that has you constantly examining it and always listening to it in new ways. Enjoy and I hope you feel the same.


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