Alternative Rock music reviews

This is, without a doubt, one of the best albums in the Industrial genre. Being a reformed Industrial nut, Too Dark Park stands as one of the few albums from the genre that I still listen to regularly. Dark, avant-garde, bizarrely catchy, nightmarish, hallucinatory, this is just a thoroughly compelling listen from beginning to end. I'd recommend this album to anyone with even the slightest interest in dark or experimental music.

This was my first SKINNY PUPPY cd!!!

NO BAND WILL EVER BE LIKE SKINNY PUPPY..THAT IS FOR SURE!!

This is more of a nightmare album than Vivisect vi and the song's are shorter..but still is about as good as vivisect vi!!

A TOTAL SOUNDTRACK TO A NIGHTMARE..WILL ALWAY'S MAKE YOU THINK!!!!! ANOTHER TOTAL MUST OWN ALBUM
FROM THE VAULT's OF THE 90'S!!!!!!

''GRAVE WISDOM''

Too Dark Park is Skinny Puppy's most avantgard release and it came as a respond to industrial music becoming popular and adaptinga more "easy listening" approach and was in total contrast to their more standard rock release Rabies. This is a massive attack of layered sounds, distorted guitar riffs and vocals that have been masively altered with vocoders and other electronic treatments. This is a far cry for their basic first releases (bites & remission) and it shows them dabbling with equipement that they could dream of in the early days. The book-let is quite nice and it has a very strange art that could be said to look like medieval pictures of hell with evil beasts and and the worm on the back looks like a fiend from hell. This is a very different album and the most challenging Skinny Puppy release up to this point.

The record is a masterpiece from the beginning to the end. This album is tied with "Head Over Heals" as my favorite record of the Cocteau Twins. And like "Head Over Heals", Robin Guthrie and Elizabeth Fraser do this one without Simon Raymonde. After a hard day, please put this record on, and all problems will just disappear. I think it is a tragedy that for the most part this album will never be heard by the mass majority of the people, and they are saddly never going to hear one of the most prettiest, peaceful, delicate, blissful albums ever made. And if we could hear butterflies sing they would sound like Elizabeth on this album. She always has amazed me, and here she astounds once again. Let me review my five favorites on "Victorialand".
1)"Throughout The Dark Months Of April and May". The wicked and at the same time delicate guitar playing and singing on this song is simply gorgeous. When you think the song will be going one way, they do a U-Turn. 2)"Lazy Calm". If you don't cry on this one, you have turned to stone. There is a stillness in this song any group would kill to be able to achieve, but these guys do it effortlessly. 3)"Feet-Like Fins" Pure brilliance. Here again another U-Turn song. 4)"The Thinner The Air". On this one close your eyes and experience pure ecstacy. 5)"How To Bring A Blush To The Snow". Another Cocteau Twins masterpiece. And the song title says it all about how you will feel after hearing it. Listen to this album, and be prepared to be a Cocteau Twins fan for life. I rate this group priceless and this album 5 stars.

This is arguably the most cohesive and consistent album in the Cocteau Twins' entire output. Victorialand has been hailed as a classic by critics and fans alike, and although such terminology is thrown around all too often, this album is certainly more than worthy of such praise. A unique and graceful flow begins very eloquently with the moon-like swelling guitar of "Lazy Calm," and this submissive invasion continues until the album's end. Songs such as "Fluffy Tufts," "Whale-Tails," and "Oomingmak" speak with the voice of an undiscovered country, yet one that thrives in the continents of the self, confined within ephemeral lines inscribed through human nature, and "Throughout the Dark Months of April and May" is like a bead drawn along a silver thread of communication. As is often the case with Cocteau Twins songs, every moment on this album feels like varying facets of a long journey. One which is devoid of consecutivity and order, and instead flows in all directions in a blissful surrender. This is not to say that, as a whole, these songs are brimming with homogeneity, for each is tinged with its own peculiar mode of expression. These are trails, wisps of smoke, half-spoken figures, incantations whose meanings have become lost to even the soothsayers themselves.

My futile descriptive attempts aside, I would say the personal highlight of this CD is "How to Bring a Blush to the Snow." Victorialand is worth buying for this song alone, although it is difficult for me to be selective when listening to such a coherent masterwork of utter beauty. This is truly, in my opinion, a pure aural journal of nocturnal travel which has few (if any) equals.

The instrumentation is sparse compared to other Cocteau Twins endeavors, but this lends a rather folk-like atmosphere which is rather fitting for the interal nature of these songs, as if they are wanderers spreading the hymns of their conceptual homeland. Robin Guthrie's guitar, in many guises, dominates here, yet never seems at contention with Elizabeth Fraser's voice. There is a mature and shimmering harmony (both literal and figurative) achieved here.

Buy this album, place it gently into the cradle of your CD player, turn the lights off, light a candle, draw a bath with some rose petals, and close your eyes...you will not regret it.

It took a while for me to get used to "victorialand" because I honestly was not expecting such a sound. I had heard "Treasure" "Garlands and "Head Over Heals" first, so when it came to Victorialand, I was taken completely off guard.

Victorialand is beautiful, delicate, simple. It actually reminds me of something that Enya might have done. The vocals, (though it is hard to decipher what Liz is saying) are light, feathery and angelic. The instruments are melodic, simplistic, and heavenly. I recommend this to anyone, and I really hope that you would give this a try.

Violent Femmes only made one good album, but what a great album it is! The sound and attitude are absolutely unique and combine with a batch of great songs to make for a thoroughly enjoyable album. It is filled with classic songs, including "Blister in the Sun," "Add it Up," "Please Do Not Go," "Kiss Off," Gone Daddy Gone," and "Good Feeling." A pure blast of post-punk pleasure, it is the one Femmes album that qualifies as a must-own.

If I could get up on stage, and have a drummer and bassist with me, then this is the sound and these would be the words I'd wanna perform...brilliant, sparse but melodic, mournful and passionate, catchy and clever. Listening to it recently, it remains remarkable undated, and the lead singer reminds me of Lou Reed backed by a skiffle band. Excellent!

As the Femmes' career continued it became harder and harder to recall just how amazing this debut sounded upon its release. As the so-called New Wave petered out in the early 80s, the stripped down, angry, desparate, angst-ridden folk-punk of the Femmes cut through all those synthesizers like a red-hot knife.

Writer/guitarist/vocalist Gordon Gano not only gave words to his sexual (and other) angst, but performed on record and in concert as though the emotions were gripping him at that very moment. The back-to-basics instrumentation, including an acoustic mariachi bass and a minimal snare drum set-up only accentuated Gano's presence.

Their succeeding albums all contained moments of brilliance, but their debut was the one solid effort from top to bottom. A landmark debut that still packs a punch.

Violent Femmes only made one good album, but what a great album it is! The sound and attitude are absolutely unique and combine with a batch of great songs to make for a thoroughly enjoyable album. It is filled with classic songs, including "Blister in the Sun," "Add it Up," "Please Do Not Go," "Kiss Off," Gone Daddy Gone," and "Good Feeling." A pure blast of post-punk pleasure, it is the one Femmes album that qualifies as a must-own.

If I could get up on stage, and have a drummer and bassist with me, then this is the sound and these would be the words I'd wanna perform...brilliant, sparse but melodic, mournful and passionate, catchy and clever. Listening to it recently, it remains remarkable undated, and the lead singer reminds me of Lou Reed backed by a skiffle band. Excellent!

As the Femmes' career continued it became harder and harder to recall just how amazing this debut sounded upon its release. As the so-called New Wave petered out in the early 80s, the stripped down, angry, desparate, angst-ridden folk-punk of the Femmes cut through all those synthesizers like a red-hot knife.

Writer/guitarist/vocalist Gordon Gano not only gave words to his sexual (and other) angst, but performed on record and in concert as though the emotions were gripping him at that very moment. The back-to-basics instrumentation, including an acoustic mariachi bass and a minimal snare drum set-up only accentuated Gano's presence.

Their succeeding albums all contained moments of brilliance, but their debut was the one solid effort from top to bottom. A landmark debut that still packs a punch.

This is only Annie's 2nd original solo album (not including MEDUSA) and it was so worth a wait. Commercially was a total success - certainly in America; critically was received really well - it earned Annie a Grammy nomination for the best pop vocal performance, and with almost no TV or radio promotion, this album had 3 incredible singles taken from it. Annie Lennox is one of these artists that comes along once in a long time. I personally always admired HER. Annie's music with Dave A. Stewart as well as solo was always inspiring, lasting and original. SHE went through many powerful images over her career, but on this album SHE did something completely different and opposite. It's Annie Lennox BARE and SHE totally pulled it off.

BARE tells a story that comes from very deep places in one's heart and soul. It starts with a cover, and Annie's explicit description of what this album was all about. The album is full of ballads with really moving lyrics. All songs are full of emotions and mixed feelings. I feel that, even though those lyrics are dark and depressing, they are full of joy at the same time. It's a great contradiction that works well. Listening to the album makes you feel as if you're listening to someone's confession, and hearing expressions of really deep feelings that people go through. You can almost say: "I know what that's like" or "I have been there". I always felt that music is the best way to express certain feelings, but not everybody can do it right. In my opinion, Annie totally "hit the spot" with BARE.

Before any singles were commercially released, "Pavement Cracks", "Wonderful" and "A Thousand Beautiful Things" were released as a promotional DJ-ONLY singles. All 3 singles hit #1 on a Billboard Club-Play chart. In my opinion also, they are amazing remixes. I also had a privilege of hearing live versions of those songs also, and they are really powerful. I think it's unique to be able to make the kind of music that will work in so many different genres. That is what makes BARE a true masterpiece.

Singer Annie Lennox delivers one of the best albums of the year (2003); one that makes a direct connection to the listener's soul. In the opening song, Annie reiterates mysticism and the beauty of the world in the song, "A Thousand Beautiful Things." Personal and professional dissatisfaction in "Pavement Cracks" The brutal truthfulness in "Honesty." The rocking anger in "Bitter Pill." Aching and longing in "Loneliness."

It feels like Annie dropped into my life and summed it up through songs on this album. No other singer or album that I own has done that. Even though we are miles apart in a lot of ways the essence of out humanity remains, we all go through similar if not exact things. It is clear that this works reflects not only Annie's talent as a singer and performer but also reflects where she (and myself and many others) is (are) spiritually, mentally and physically.

Also as a nice bonus a DVD with Annie singing in rehearsals and talking about her work on this album. When will her tour begin in the States?

I orignally bought this CD for the song "Pavement Cracks", but found that I love ALL the songs on this CD. Her voice is so rich and full and incredible. I highly recommend this CD. So fresh, sophisticated and great at a time when all popular music seems to be directed towards the teen-aged-rap-pop-rock group. I love this CD more each time I listent to it.

I love The Beautiful South and this album includes almost all of their best songs. If you're new to this band, this is the collection to start out with, you'll probably also want to add Solid Bronze. Eight of the songs in these albums overlap, but listeners who are turned off by the tweeness of Song for Whoever, My Book, or I need a Little Time, will probably appreciate the somewhat softer irreverence of Rotterdam, Perfect 10 and Dont Marry Him Have Me.

Most yanks like myself are not familiar with this band, because they recieve no radio play. I was introduced to them by a dear friend and have been hooked ever since. The catchiness of ther melodies are unmatched. Their cover work of Everybody's Talkin and Dream a Little Dream are better than the originals. This is a band with members that can actually sing and juxtapose beautiful music with witty social commentary.

a suberb band with a message and music that won't make you run screaming from the room, more please

we americans are often about as bright as alaska in january, and the fact that the beautiful south is criminally ignored here in the united states only further cements that feeling. and that's maybe the reason the beautiful south never caught on in the u.s.

perhaps the beautiful south were just too clever. perhaps it was paul heaton's savage lyrics wrapped around pleasant and pretty sounding melodies. maybe it was because the beautiful south put out their best stuff during the age when kurt cobain and co. ruled the charts. whatever the case may be, the beautiful south penned some of the most beautiful, sad, funny, and original songs i've ever heard.

it's difficult to describe the beautiful south's sound. it's not 'easy listening,' it's not 'adult contemporary,' it's not 'jazzy,' it's not 'indie.' they're one of those bands who just write solid songs with memorable melodies and lyrics. and 'carry on up the charts...' showcases just about all the band's greatest 'hits' and singles. for the newbie, all the essentials are here: song for whoever, i'll sail this ship alone, we are each other, 36D, a little time, etc. paul heaton has an impeccable gift for melody and never it is more evident than on tracks like 'we are each other.' the call and response between paul and brianna is just a whole lot of fun. there's hardly a beautiful south song that once in your head you won't hum for days.

that 'carry on up the charts' was a runaway success in the u.k. shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone who gives the band a listen. and if you've not heard the beautiful south yet, do yourself a favor and buy a ticket. you'll be glad you did.

Their voices are powerful and the harmonizing artistic. Hard to believe voices and acoutistic guitar is all that they needed to make such a fun and fantastic CD.

A few years back, I bought this CD from only a recommendation by one of the KS95-FM Minneapolis radio morning DJ's that I liked a lot (male, pre the Van Patrick & Cheryl Kaye days, possibly ... unless it WAS Van?). He said that this CD still today remains his very favorite album of all time.I took a chance, knowing NOTHING about the IG, and I was so pleased. This is an outstanding CD that spins in my CD player often.Hey, if somebody knows who that male DJ was because you heard him say it too ... or Mr. DJ, if you read this ... please identify who you were; and THANKS! I'd really be curious to know who else is on their favorites list!Just bought Rites of Passage. Not nearly as impressed with it so far, as I was with the first release by IG, but I have to give it time to grow on me.Buy the first IG CD. You will not be disappointed. It gets my highest rating of being a PT ("play through") CD!

With their first major label release, the Indigo Girls come on strong with an outstanding batch of tunes, watertight harmonies, impeccable musicianship, and flawless production. And entering the folk-rock music scene on the successful heels of R.E.M., Tracy Chapman, and 10,000 Maniacs pushed their sales over the million mark and earned the duo a Grammy for Best Folk Recording. The eponymous release kicks off with the upbeat jangle bounce of "Closer to Fine," a modest hit, all-time fan favorite written by Emily Saliers, and a tune the Girls still play at every concert. A particularly fascinating point is that the Indigo Girls never write songs together, but they compliment each other perfectly. The difference in styles becomes immediately apparent when the more dark and brooding Amy Ray steps up. Her remarkable contributions include "Secure Yourself," "Kid Fears," and "Blood and Fire," spiritual ruminations of life, love, pain, and faith which bury themselves deep inside your core whether invited or not. Weighting the opposite scales, Saliers offers a tender balance to Ray with two beautiful ballads, "Love's Recovery" and "History of Us." (Ray's "Land of Canaan" was once a ballad, but then she heard The Replacements and it became a bit of a rocker.) Chiming in with musical support are Hothouse Flowers, Luka Bloom, and fellow Georgians R.E.M. This self-titled release captures the passion of their youth with voices that are a little cloudy, untamed, and raw, but the power that surges through them suggests a maturity far beyond their years. The same can be said of the songwriting - sheer poetry. To attempt examinations of these songs would not do them justice, for the layers of meaning and emotion unfold best upon repeated listening.

Their voices are powerful and the harmonizing artistic. Hard to believe voices and acoutistic guitar is all that they needed to make such a fun and fantastic CD.

A few years back, I bought this CD from only a recommendation by one of the KS95-FM Minneapolis radio morning DJ's that I liked a lot (male, pre the Van Patrick & Cheryl Kaye days, possibly ... unless it WAS Van?). He said that this CD still today remains his very favorite album of all time.I took a chance, knowing NOTHING about the IG, and I was so pleased. This is an outstanding CD that spins in my CD player often.Hey, if somebody knows who that male DJ was because you heard him say it too ... or Mr. DJ, if you read this ... please identify who you were; and THANKS! I'd really be curious to know who else is on their favorites list!Just bought Rites of Passage. Not nearly as impressed with it so far, as I was with the first release by IG, but I have to give it time to grow on me.Buy the first IG CD. You will not be disappointed. It gets my highest rating of being a PT ("play through") CD!

With their first major label release, the Indigo Girls come on strong with an outstanding batch of tunes, watertight harmonies, impeccable musicianship, and flawless production. And entering the folk-rock music scene on the successful heels of R.E.M., Tracy Chapman, and 10,000 Maniacs pushed their sales over the million mark and earned the duo a Grammy for Best Folk Recording. The eponymous release kicks off with the upbeat jangle bounce of "Closer to Fine," a modest hit, all-time fan favorite written by Emily Saliers, and a tune the Girls still play at every concert. A particularly fascinating point is that the Indigo Girls never write songs together, but they compliment each other perfectly. The difference in styles becomes immediately apparent when the more dark and brooding Amy Ray steps up. Her remarkable contributions include "Secure Yourself," "Kid Fears," and "Blood and Fire," spiritual ruminations of life, love, pain, and faith which bury themselves deep inside your core whether invited or not. Weighting the opposite scales, Saliers offers a tender balance to Ray with two beautiful ballads, "Love's Recovery" and "History of Us." (Ray's "Land of Canaan" was once a ballad, but then she heard The Replacements and it became a bit of a rocker.) Chiming in with musical support are Hothouse Flowers, Luka Bloom, and fellow Georgians R.E.M. This self-titled release captures the passion of their youth with voices that are a little cloudy, untamed, and raw, but the power that surges through them suggests a maturity far beyond their years. The same can be said of the songwriting - sheer poetry. To attempt examinations of these songs would not do them justice, for the layers of meaning and emotion unfold best upon repeated listening.

[...] I have the version of Music that I was looking for and just wanted to tell you the DEEP DISH US MIX EDIT hardly changed/changes from the original mix edit! Oh well!

This is the US casette (sp?). The UK casette (our tape) includes an exclusive slow remix of MUSIC by Groove Armada, mostly famous for 'I SEE YOU BABY, SHAKIN' THAT ASS...!'

Bye!

It contains 'Music', of course & B-Side, 'Cyber-raga'. It is a great track & sounds like 'Shanghti/Ashanti' from her great-selling album, 'Ray Of Light', which was by far (& still is) madonna's best album. I can not understand what (the hell) she is saying in this song but it's good. You will or should, find lyrics to this song on amazon, or somewhere else. You will also find the English Transilation. Well, other versions of Music (cd-single) include the following.

US Maxi Single:

1 HQ2 Club Mix
2 Calderone Anthem Mix
3 Deep Dish Dot Com Remix
4 Groove Armada 12" Club Mix
5 The Young Collective Club Mix
6 HQ2 Radio Mix
7 Calderone Edit Mix
8 Deep Dish Dot Com Edit Mix
9 Groove Armada BA Mix

Austrailian Imports:

CD1 -
1 Album Version
2 Deep Dish UK Remix (Different to the 'Edit Mix')
3 Groove Armada 7" Mix
4 Deep Dish Dot Com Remix
5 Groove Armada BA mix
6 Groove Armada Bonus Beats
7 Groove Armada 12" Club Mix
Includes Video - Sencored version with blurs !!!

CD2 -
1 Album Version
2 Calderone Edit Mix
3 HQ2 Radio Mix
4 The Young Collective Promo/Radio Mix
5 Calderone Anthem Mix
6 HQ2 Club Mix
7 The Young Collective Club Mix

UK CD1 -
1 Album Version
2 Deep Dish Dot Com Edit Mix
3 Calderone Anthem Mix.

Those are some of the versions I have. This is the version I am now looking for -

UK CD2 -
1 Album Version
2 Groove Armada BA Mix
3 Deep Dish Dot Com US Remix

Why, you ask? For the Deep Dish US Remix. These are all available on CD's, not Cassets(...)

The reason I buy singles is to get all the non-album tracks that they include. "Music" is a great example. The non-album song, "Cyberraga" is in Sanskrit (like "Shanti/Ashtangi" on "Ray of Light"). It is not very "Music"-like, and the fact that it is in Sanskrit make it more "Ray of Light"-ish.

The song selection spans the Adam and the Ants period as well as the Adam Ant period. Dirk Wears White Sox is overrepresented. Adam's more recent stuff, i.e. Room At the Top, came after this compilation. It is not digitally remastered so the quality isn't the best. I've enjoyed it.

The VHS tape "Adam Ant: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone" includes videos of 13 songs from Adam and the Ants made between the years 1980-1985. Songs include:

1.Kings of the Wild Frontier
2.Dog Eat Dog
3.Antmusic
4.Stand and Deliver
5.Prince Charming
6.Ant Rap
7.Goody Two Shoes
8.Friend or Foe
9.Desperate But Not Serious
10.Puss N' Boots
11.Strip
12.Apollo 9
13.Vive Le Rock

While Kings of the Wild Frontier is performed in the studio, the other 12 songs are music videos. Several of the videos are based around popular fairy tales, and these themes are perfect for Adam Ant's flair for theatrics. Who can forget Adam Ant as a highwayman or as a medieval knight? Prince Charming is perhaps the most elaborate music video and includes Diana Dors as the Fairy Godmother--with flashes of Adam Ant dressed as Clint Eastwood, Alice Cooper, Rudolf Valentino, and Marlon Brando.

The music videos allow Adam Ant to show his acting ability, and he really hams it up at times--once even standing next a huge bodybuilder. Fans will remember these videos from MTV, and it's great to see them again compiled together in this 50 minute VHS tape. While the images are not crisp and clear, the quality is not bad (the first sequence, Kings of the Wild Frontier, is the poorest quality). There are also a lot of good close-ups. So here's Adam Ant once more--with all his wild energy, and zest for life. Will there be a DVD release? Let's hope so, but in the meantime, this VHS tape is staying in my collection--displacedhuman

This is the definitive best of collection that you're looking for and includes such gems as "Goody Two Shoes", "Beat My Guest", and "Antmusic". It also includes some really good obscure stuff like "Ant Rap" and "Killer in the Home". But as with any collection, it's missing some of my favourite gems; particularly "Never Trust A Man...", "Plan Nine Failed", "Physical", "S.E.X", "Picasso Visita...", "Miss Thing" and (my favourite) "Place in the Country". Short of getting the Antbox or all the individual albums (which is always recommended!) this is a great starter kit. Also check out "B-side Babies" which has an excellent selection of B-sides.