Alternative Rock music reviews

This is by far Relient K's best album. with songs like Pressng on, and down in flames. and there a great message in songs like my way or the highway

relient k is the best band out there. their music is cool and the lyrics are often humorous. any punk rock fans should definately buy this cd. if you like good charlotte or blink 182, relient k will rock your punk rocker sock-ers!!

Relient k is probably the coolest cd in christian/punk rock history! You will love this cd and once u listen, u will want more! Once u listen u will be hooked! I think that relient k will make more and more money with their hit- "pressing on" on this cd (the anatomy of tounge in cheek). When i first heard pressing on i loved it; i listened to it until i could sing it perfectly. I couldnt go to sleep, eat, or do anything without hearing it in my head! My opinion is that u should buy this cd ; it is highly recommended for punk rock lovers. RK RULES!!!-
Andrew

I Tend to be a Metal and classic hard rock listener, I must say this album is unique from what i usually listen to, yet i find myself enjoying the uniqueness it posseses. Its an underground group that may get some due in the future. Hopefully they will come out with another album and let us see if they have any more left in their unique creativity in this genre of music.

This cd rocks. The vocals are great, guitar explodes, and the band is tight. great songs. i highly recommend this cd for it's re-playability.

These guys came to my hometown in central Pennsylvania 6 months ago and I have not been the same since. I had grown to like the hit song on the radio, "fell from space," when I heard a radio ad that they would be live at this local club. It was a Teus. and raining; I was one of 10 people in the audience. The next 1 1/2 hours completely blew my head off! I had not heard something so fresh, heavy, rocking, and loud since I'm not sure. I ran around town for the album and no one had it. Good thing for amazon.com! This album kicks total butt , yet the songs are thoughtful and positive. I hope they stay together and do more albums and keep touring. They are so exciting live! To sum it up, I think they represent the newest, freshest sound since Nirvana (although the two have no similarities in sound).

I Tend to be a Metal and classic hard rock listener, I must say this album is unique from what i usually listen to, yet i find myself enjoying the uniqueness it posseses. Its an underground group that may get some due in the future. Hopefully they will come out with another album and let us see if they have any more left in their unique creativity in this genre of music.

This cd rocks. The vocals are great, guitar explodes, and the band is tight. great songs. i highly recommend this cd for it's re-playability.

These guys came to my hometown in central Pennsylvania 6 months ago and I have not been the same since. I had grown to like the hit song on the radio, "fell from space," when I heard a radio ad that they would be live at this local club. It was a Teus. and raining; I was one of 10 people in the audience. The next 1 1/2 hours completely blew my head off! I had not heard something so fresh, heavy, rocking, and loud since I'm not sure. I ran around town for the album and no one had it. Good thing for amazon.com! This album kicks total butt , yet the songs are thoughtful and positive. I hope they stay together and do more albums and keep touring. They are so exciting live! To sum it up, I think they represent the newest, freshest sound since Nirvana (although the two have no similarities in sound).

what can i say? not much was done by this group, but what they did is all great.a must buy!for metal fans of all ages.also pick up the new cd rising out of the ashes. 5 stars for both.iron maiden,hollween,hammerfall,accept,and many more bands that you like. can add this GROUP to your list. boy what i missed in the early 80's.was a great fine.....

When i first heard Warlord i was amazed by the skills of Bill Tsamis(Guitar) and Mark Zonder(Drums).I immediatelly bought "The Best of Warlord" which is a great compilation because it contains almost every song Warlord ever recorded!

I was not disappointed at all because all the songs are really good especially "Deliver us...","Black Mass",Winter tears" and "Lost and lonely days".

Bill Tsamis playing is very passionate and accurate and his compositions are first class while Mark Zonder is one of the best metal drummers ever.

Warlord were a really unfortunate band because they appeared at the music scene in a bad time and place and were playing a euro-metal style that wasn't trendy at the time in L.A.
But now this compilation is a great tribute to this great band and is recommended to all epic hard rock - metal fans.

This "best of" is all we have from Warlord, because this albums cover virtually their entire career. This German Epic Metal Band, disbanded at early 80's, comes back this year (I hope) with the core of the band (Tsamis, Zonder and Joacim Cans (hammerfall) with a new album (Rising Out Of The Ashes, july 22, 2002)

One of my childhood favorites. I was 9 when this CD came out. A great album that should have made Merril as big as Jewel or Alanis, but unfortuantely a man at the top of her label did not feel the same way. Every track is quality. Stand-outs include: The first single "Lonely" the 90's Pop ballad "Stars Collide" as well as the hooky, beautiful "Hello" and "Walk On Fire" some may become bored after track 7 but with more listens it will become one of the best albums you have ever heard.

The Garden is probably my favorite CD ever (as a round full story), and I also liked this one. You probably want to listen to it several times before you decide on it, because the more you listen the more you'll love it. This kind of discs are probably the only argument against buying music by the tune from Itunes.

When I first heard "Under the Water" on a PBS station (with a somewhat puzzled DJ offering it) I was hooked. It was so odd, so out of the mainstream that I had to hear more. I got her "Garden" album and was delighted. Such a husky, thought-filled voice. "Between the Days" is, if anything, a far more sophisticated album, with the same tantalizing glimpses of other worlds -- "Big Machine" being a good example. I've listened to this tune literally thousands of times and it always surprises me with little sophisticated twists filling in the blanks. You might want to listen to this one with a good set of headphones to catch it all. I'd be the first to admit that her work can be pretty uneven -- sometimes she falls into the pop trap and can't seem to wrestle her way out of it, as in "Julie." But the gems vastly make up for that.
I wish she had a more aggressive label working with her, as I long to hear new things from her. She may just be the most underappreciated singer on the boards today.

One of my childhood favorites. I was 9 when this CD came out. A great album that should have made Merril as big as Jewel or Alanis, but unfortuantely a man at the top of her label did not feel the same way. Every track is quality. Stand-outs include: The first single "Lonely" the 90's Pop ballad "Stars Collide" as well as the hooky, beautiful "Hello" and "Walk On Fire" some may become bored after track 7 but with more listens it will become one of the best albums you have ever heard.

The Garden is probably my favorite CD ever (as a round full story), and I also liked this one. You probably want to listen to it several times before you decide on it, because the more you listen the more you'll love it. This kind of discs are probably the only argument against buying music by the tune from Itunes.

When I first heard "Under the Water" on a PBS station (with a somewhat puzzled DJ offering it) I was hooked. It was so odd, so out of the mainstream that I had to hear more. I got her "Garden" album and was delighted. Such a husky, thought-filled voice. "Between the Days" is, if anything, a far more sophisticated album, with the same tantalizing glimpses of other worlds -- "Big Machine" being a good example. I've listened to this tune literally thousands of times and it always surprises me with little sophisticated twists filling in the blanks. You might want to listen to this one with a good set of headphones to catch it all. I'd be the first to admit that her work can be pretty uneven -- sometimes she falls into the pop trap and can't seem to wrestle her way out of it, as in "Julie." But the gems vastly make up for that.
I wish she had a more aggressive label working with her, as I long to hear new things from her. She may just be the most underappreciated singer on the boards today.

Oh yeah, its also one of the greatest albums of the 90s, one of those CDs that must taunt Tipper Gore in her sleep. If it was as well known as 2 Live Crew, the PRMC would surely have gone on a campaign to have it banned. I remember when I bought this album when I was fourteen, a good year of my life was devoted to making sure my parents wouldn't discover it. Not so much for the lyrics, they probably wouldn't have done anything about that. Its the cover that would upset them. A classic pose (which the respectable folks at Amazon haven't displayed) of two naked chicks covered with blood and a little boy in the background holding what appears to be a bunny rabbit. This isn't a painting, but an actual photograph! As for the music itself, its so unbeleivably catchy. The lyrics are as offesive as anything GG Allin did (if not nearly as creepy), but its all done with a sense of humor (albiet a very very sick and deranged one most people won't appreciate). The vocalist Blag Jesus sings about statutory rape, how he wants to have sex (thats not the term they use) in the backseat of his car, and how he is angry at a girl who is afraid of AIDS. Yeah, its in really bad taste, but is a rocking and funny as hell. The "Surfing Bird" tribute in the middle of "Motherf^^ker" cracks me up everytime I hear it. The CD only lasts fourteen minutes with thirteen songs, and its always an adreneline rush when you listen to it. Try to sit still with this in rotation. As you can tell this isn't for everybody. If what you read interests you, you'll love this album. If what I describe in this review makes you sick to your stomach, the album will too. P.S., if you ever see these guys live, don't go to the bathroom, you'll miss their whole set!

easily one of the ten best albums ever recorded. a work of art from cover to the content.

This hardcore punk underground little gem, is 13 minutes of full fast manic and devil worshipping punk mayhem! Tracks full of hate and fun from the best punk band in the last decades. Classic cover, chosen as one of the most sexy all time album covers and a reputation of one of the most killer albums in HC, are no lie. Buy this baby now, play it loud, kick someone right in the balls and laugh the night away with a bottle of rum! Cheers!

This album, along with Double Nickels by the Minutemen, and all albums by the Replacements changed how I listened to, and appreciated music. J. Mascis is an incredibly unique guitar player. There is no one on earth similiar to him in style and grace. I hope that on the other side his solos roar on for eons.

This CD has no less impact than when it came out eighteen years ago. As Byron Coley says on the band's website, it shows their sound becoming more orderly as they were ready to burst at the seams from internal strife. Well, sad but true, but tension often makes for the best music of a band's career, and J didn't live up to the manic glory here ever again. (Now this line-up is reunited! Get to see them for the first time with Lou on bass next month. HO-LY CRRRRRAAAP!!!).

So many highlights, where do you start? I think Kurt really learned the soft/hard dynamic from J, and in many ways J's use of it sounds more fresh (likely because a trillion J wanna-be's failed to ever pop up--only a score, Kurt being one of them). The album starts with this in somewhat famous fashion on "Freak Scene," where there's a major chord strumming pattern that is mildly distorted. Within in a minute, the low E power chord is thrashed so hard that the piece resembles a form of proto-death metal. The middle part is really pretty . . . and then back to the death metal. A lot of the songs feature this dynamic & it really never gets boring. If you have the right tools, use them to make as many creations as possible. I think my favorite use of this dynamic is in "Pond Song." It starts out with a delicate picking pattern: "Long distance left you undecided/ I'd sprinkle enough to let you know," J pathetically croons to the girlfriend he never finds. Before you know it, the song is awash in fuzz, reverb, and thrashing chords. This pattern happens to match J's attitude towards his love interest, which alternates between tender yearning and murderous disenchantment, best reflected in "Freak Scene": "Sometimes I don't thrill you/ Sometimes I think I'll kill you./ Just don't let me f**k up will you,/ 'Cos when I need a friend it's still you."

There's so much more to say about this classic, but I will leave it at the guitars for now. Simply put, the interplay between J on guitar and Lou on bass remains a high watermark for alternative. Sometimes muddy, but always evocative of new and fresh emotions, there have been few power trios who have got as much out of their guitars (Rush comes to mind, tho' I know the hipster "cognoscenti" would poo-poo me for saying this). Lou ups the ante with his use of chords and arpeggios on the bass for one thing. J himself is certainly one of the top guitarists in the history of alternative. He's not a harmonic genius in the technical sense: more in the intuitive sense. His use of feedback is heartbreakingly beautiful at times (the solo in "No Bones" amply evidences this). He uses dissonance strategically, creating hooks out of repeating skronky lines after a particularly melodic run (again, the second solo in "Freak Scene" is great for this). He shreds the thing like he's, well, ready to break it in two. Oh yeah, and it's LOUD. I saw them live (without Lou) back in the early '90's. He would play solos and my head literally felt like it was being cleft at the lobes. It hurt!!! But it was the true definition of sublimity: intense pleasure mixed with intense pain. Can't wait to feel the pain for the first time with Lou helping me smash my head on the punk rock.

Last contrast: I played this to my girlfriend for the first time today. She liked it a lot. Of all the grunge bands in the '90's, this was a good one for the women, 'cos J writes more traditional melodies and also wears his heart on his sleeve, unlike, say, the phrygian modes and D&D bludgeonings of Soundgarden. Male/female, yin/yang, silence/noise, love/hate, within/beyond . . . _Bug_ has more than enough contrasts to keep you occupied for a long, long time to come. Check them out live if they are coming to your area.

To start off what a great album you can't get any better grunge than this folks i mean with songs like "POND SONG and FREAK SCENE" they are so good but also have really amazing harmonies in the back. So good don't miss this one it's such a classic and it's to bad they never really got the spotlight.

Following the superb "Copper Blue," with its crunching guitars and pop sensibilities, Bob Mould probably wanted to return to his more Husker Du-like experimental roots with "Beaster," which was labeled as an E.P. because it's only 6 songs and 30 minutes long. Apart from the music itself, check out the artwork, which is striking. On the back, you see a cross tied around with a thin nylon rope. On the back of the inset, the rope becomes unraveled, with some blood covering the rope and cross. Finally, the album cover depicts just the rope, unravelled on a plain grey floor, seeped in blood. Obviously Mould had alot on his mind, including Christianity and violence.

I just don't think the songs are as good as most of "Copper Blue," or, for that matter, "File Under Easy Listening." "Come Around" reminds me of "Panama City Motel" from F.U.E.L., though not nearly as compelling. "Tilted" doesn't really stand out in any way. The best song on the album is probably "Judas Cradle," (doesn't it sound a little like "Blue" by the Verve?) which showcases Mould's talent of hiding a pretty melody inside a rough jarring song. Why it has to be six minutes long though is anybody's guess. "J.C. Auto" also has that distinctive split personality that Bob Mould does so well: post punk with melodic pop (listen to the tune accompanying the word "holiday"). But someone please explain to me why this fine song has to pointlessly devolve into nonsense with four consecutive discordant lines mentioning "Jesus Christ" (where one line would have been more than enough). It's also too long. I like "Feeling Better," which reminds me of The Inspiral Carpets' "Smoking Her Clothes" from "Revenge of the Goldfish." This is probably the song that would have fit most comfortably on one of the other two albums, if it were two minutes shorter. To me "Walking Away," is just a plain waste of time, a poor imitation of My Bloody Valentine using an organ.

"Beaster" was an interesting side project, but unless you're a devoted Sugar fan who must have everything the band ever released, you can skip it, and be satisfied owning "Copper Blue," and "File Under Easy Listening."

Without question, 'Beaster' is Bob Mould's masterpiece. In fact, it stands as one of the - if not THE - masterpieces of "post-punk", or whatever you'd call this sort of music.

This album detonates through your speakers at incredible intensity - yet with remarkably controlled passion - from the get-go, and builds layers of resonating sound and repeated motifs (lyrical and musical) on each subsequent track, reaching a cathartic crescendo perfectly on Judas Cradle/JC Auto, right in the middle of the album, before subsiding in waves of crashing, imploding dimunition. That it is there and gone in just over 30 minutes is all the more impressive for its distillation of raw passion into aural magnificence. Quite simply, it obliterates, as elegantly as a mushroom cloud, all the "ear cheese" that's been clogging up your airwaves, leaving a stark, yet refreshingly pristine landscape in its wake. Awesome, in the most old testament meaning that I can impart to the word.

Mould's music is not every listener's cup of tea, but he made some of the seminal music of the mid- to late 1980s, and deserves a spot in every serious listener's library, not only for this album, but also for his work on Husker Du's 'Flip Your Wig', and his two outstanding solo albums, 'Workbook' and 'Black Sheets of Rain'. 'Beaster' far outstrips anything else by Sugar, and much of Husker Du's catalogue as well. One of the great albums of the last 20 years.

This is a rare treat. The 'copper blue' sugar debut everyone champions is not a patch on this in my opinion, as it suffers, at times, from the wimpiness and plain weakness (lyric wise) of just about all bob moulds post sst husker du work.
It is indeed (as one good person said) an album rather than an ep.
The sequel to old husker du, and the only one availible.
I would highly recommend you trip out to this minor masterpiece of melodic rock.
Not unlike the foo fighters sound (dave growl clearly influenced by mould and husker du bandmember hart) this is how you want it to sound.
Utterly Incredible.
I recommend the very cd you are looking at (a great cd for a change, no need to pick up the vinyl)

I purchased this when it was released and just now am submitting a review. "Beautiful World" didn't light a fire under my tail when it was released but as time has past it has made its mark as a very good effort. "Resignation Superman" grows stronger with each listen as does the title track and "Crazy Mary" but then again I could list every song here. This effort may not be a good as previous BHTM efforts but don't letthat discourage you. BHTM are mellow and profound. Todd's guitar is smooth and easy as is his lyrics which are wise beyond his years. A true "craft" band, honing their style and crafting their art, they never fail to deliver quality in the studio and on stage.

I bought this solely on the strength of "Please Don't Tell Her" and after never really delving into the remainder, put it aside. A recent road trip required a recycling of my main car CD fare and I threw this into the mix. It caught my ear, my attention, and still remains. I had not sampled any of their other efforts, but after continous play of this, I have looked and discovered the quality of their work here extends to other offerings.... Great sound, excellent instrumental sides and a package that works...and works very well. I still get a raised eyebrow or curious look from others when they hear something I'm playing from here, ask who the artist is, and I reply "Big Head Todd and the Monsters"....Not sure if they go out later and discover what I did, or assume I'm pulling their leg..Their loss if they don't. This is extremely good stuff...

The lyrics are great. The album flows well throughout and the three men are masters of their instruments. I have owned it for some time and have only grown to like it more. I also own Sister Sweetly and Riviera. I can say that all three of these are really, really strong albums in my view.
The songs are bluesy and reflective with a touch of sadness throughout. Worth the money.