Alternative Rock Compilations music reviews

From the first time that I heard Bjork's lyrical vocal passages to the first time that I layed ears on her crazy outbursts, I knew she was insane. Bjork has to be one of the most incredibly talented and creative musicians of our time.
This disc can in no way do justice to what Bjork is capable of, but it is a marvelous interpretation of what she has done. The disc features the cello on quite a number of tracks and also employs pizzicato and portimento techniques to capture some of the eerie sounds that Bjork uses on her albums.
This is a remarkable album as a stand alone - and considering how lowsy many of the tribute albums have been lately, it is quite an accomplishment.
I would recommend that everyone - from Bjork fans to John Cage fans alike - invest in this disc. You won't regret it!

If you were lucky enough to buy the soundtrack when first released in 1987 on Enigma Records, hang on to that out of print gem! Straight To Hell is back on CD as Straight to Hell Returns, and may have a lot more tracks this time, but it also deleted two tracks from the original release and shortens another track.

Not appearing this time are: "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" by The Pogues, and my personal favorite "Money, Guns And Coffee" by Pray For Rain. The track "The Killers" by Pray For Rain ran 2 minutes 55 seconds on the original, but on this new release was shortened to only 2 minutes. This is rather perplexing considering Straight To Hell Returns runs a total of 55 minutes 7 seconds, which would have left room for those other tracks to be included (since CDs can run a total of 79 minutes 59 seconds). I'm deducting a point from my rating of this CD because the missing tracks should have been included!

On the plus side, this new release contains a lot of short instrumental tracks from the film that were not on the original CD release in 1987, as well as some brief dialogue excerpts.

The film was a misunderstood classic, and the soundtrack of spaghetti western-style rock is wonderful: The Pogues, Joe Strummer, Pray For Rain, Zander Schloss, Elvis Costello's MacManus Gang, and even dialogue excerpts from Courtney Love before she was, well, I guess the word is "famous." If you're a fan of any of these artists, you'll love this assortment of songs...those not familiar with the film may not be able to absorb the atmosphere these songs and instrumentals create, so get the film on DVD and you'll appreciate the works of these artists so much more.

The liner notes claim this CD is to be considered the "official" soundtrack, while the first release of it back in 1987 was basically a "souvenir." I enjoy both releases immensely, but since I was listening to those other deleted tracks for nearly 20 years now, it's sad to not hear them this time around!

But very disappointed at the missing tracks, "The Good the Bad & the Ugly" by the Pogues and "Money, Guns & Coffee" by Pray for Rain. The liner notes do say that all songs on this CD are in the order they appeared in the film. Maybe those two tracks didn't make the cut for the film? I haven't seen the film. But I'm a Pogues fan and this is an essential collectors item, more so than many of the re-releases of old Pogues albums. Some fantastick new Pogues material that needed to get into my hands!

Just finished listening to the soundtrack loaded into iTunes, with the two missing tracks at the end and the missing Pray for Rain song sounds so out of place with the album! It really sounds like a pop remix of several of the Pray for Rain tunes elsewhere on this CD. I can see why that one was cut. Never noticed it so stringly without the full soundtrack to compare against.

The missing Pogues song turns out to be the same thing. Another pop remix, with a whole lot of audio clips which I assume are from the movie and simply blended with a Pogues riff. I mean the "The Good the Bad & the Ugly" starts with a drum track! then soon inserts electric guitar riffs? When did the Pogues ever use a drum machine and electric guitar? Yes, those two tracks from the original soundtrack don't belong here except as "bonus tracks".

The shortened version of "Killers" also seems to be attributable to only including on this release what was in the film. The version on the 1987 album has a reprise that just repeats the theme for another 58 seconds only to fade away at the end. The version on this CD has a crisp ending, and as such would make a better beggining to a film of this sort. Hard edges. If I were editing the film, I'd use the version on this new CD. The old version may have been "fluffed" for the original music release, as the two missing tracks seem to be.

Other than that, Todd's review sums it up!

The CD arrived in a cracked case and appeared to have some scratches on it. This may have been from previous use, or it could have been from shipping. However the CD did work correctly after some light cleaning.

At first, i was hesitant on how i was going to enjoy this cd, but before i knew it, i was singing all the words along..and opera-style at that!
This is a really great cd, it's so beautiful, and delicate, you can feel every ounce of passion, the strings are amazing!
I highly recommend this cd, especially if you are a big fan of the band.

I've always liked A Perfect Circle. This has got to be one of the best CD's i've heard in a long time. The instrumentation is very precise and is very well done. Hearing my favorite songs through strings is one of the coolest things i've ever heard.
If you don't like classical music, give it a shot anyway. I highly recommend it.

suicide notes is definately a heavier sounding album. the curse may be good and all but alex sounds a lot better on suicide notes. i like the string quartet, because it reminds me of when metallica did thier old songs from ride the lightning and such and let the symphony be in the background. i think its flipping sweet.

First off, I'm not a kid. I just don't want to sign up to put my opinion on here.

Cotton, wtf does a string quartet TRIBUTE album have to do with getting radio play? I'd seriously like to know. The Curse only did one thing for this band. It made them even better. The Curse is better than Suicide Notes mainly for 3 reasons...

1. The production is much better and...
2. Alex's screaming is also incredibly improved(seriously listen to some songs of of SN and then The Curse, and you tell me which sounds better)
3. Brandon's melodic vocals are used more often. I know a lot of you "hardcore" kids will disagree, but music that is nothing but constant screaming in your ear is annoying. I think Atreyu does a much better job of switching between the screams and singing.

Now, I'm not saying that Suicide Notes is bad. I just think that The Curse is an improvement. I also like how you say that anyone who disagrees with you is wrong. Well, I'm not going to say anyone who disagrees with me is wrong. They just have a different opinion. Anyway, I'm not really into instrumental albums that much....but I'll give it a 5 because of the band that is being revered.

First off, don't read Cotton Hell's review. If you lust atreyu's music (or if you are just a music lover in general) you will enjoy this album. These are all songs that were originally written and composed by atreyu! Yes, this is a tribute album. It is also an instrumental album. Personally I don't care if you like it or not. I just couldn't stand seeing just one review by an obvious simple-minded individual. Give it a listen and decide for yourself. That's why amazon.com gives you the listening options!

The overall rendering of Godsmack's hard rock style to String Quartet was well done. Any true Godsmack fan need not bother reading any further into my review, Trust me you'll want this! Their are a couple flaws:

The solos are awesome, But I think they could have been a little faster and heavier.

The actual songs on the album(even though they are good)Well I think they should have went more random direction. Instead they focus mainly on more popular songs.

But thats basically it, But don't think this is a bad CD. All godsmack fans and even curious Classical string fans will like this one.

I myself listen to this album often.

As a huge DMB fan and a string player (cellist) myself, I was expecting more from this recording. It lacks energy, big time. Many of the songs feel under tempo and sloppily put together. The arrangements are great, it just doesn't seem to flow from there. Maybe I'll learn to love it, but right now after a few initial plays, it just doesn't sit well with me.

While the tracks on this CD remain true to their inspirations and are very nice, the overall quality is lacking. The London Contemporary String Ensemble sounds much more impressive until you actually listen to the CD. I would recommend this CD to any big Dave fan - just take advantage of the ability to buy it used or discounted.

This CD is so amazing. So good that you can hear the music in your stomach. I love it, one of my best finds. At least in my top 5. Buy it. Love it. Put it on 'repeat'. Dig it. I sure do!

Honestly, I can't speak for the disc. However, this shout out goes to the incredibly lame viral ad you guys implanted on my message boards. Sorry to say, nobody is falling for it:


SUBJECT: WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

Hi, all:

Check out this album compilation called "The State I'm In". It's in stores now. Released 6/13/06.

Some great music on this thing by the looks of it:

Remy Zero - ("Motorcycle")
Frou Frou (the Top 25 Dance, Top 40 Adult Top 40 "Breathe In")
Commodores classic 1978 #1 pop smash "Three Times A Lady,
The Sea and Cake ("Sound & Vision")
The All Seeing I (an electronica cover of Sonny & Cher's `60s anthem "The Beat Goes On"),
downtempo/drum `n' bass duo Lamb ("Gabriel")
art-punkers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs ("Maps")
hip-hop fusionist DJ Shadow ("Six Days")
Paul Weller ("Wild Wood"),
Lou Reed-led Velvet Underground ("Sunday Morning"),
Beck pop favorite Serge Gainsbourg ("Requiem Pour Un Con")
folk-pop great Cat Stevens ("The Wind").

And it can already be ordered at Amazon.com


Gee, thanks, Annleaha. Someone needs to permanently unplug you from the Internet. Jerk.

This group hired someone to pose as a community member on ALOT of websites and pasted this terrible album all over the internet. There is no place for this kind of advertising, and they fooled no one. I will visit everywhere this snake went and make sure no one purchases this garbage.

The movie Garden State is to today's generation what The Graduate was to the baby boomer generation, a touchstone not only in its story, imagery, performances and lines of dialogue but also its music. Garden State's bittersweet yet sometimes uplifting songs provided an emotional barometer for what was happening on the screen. For fans of the award-winning summer 2004 film and its platinum-certified, Top 20-charting, Grammy-winning soundtrack, The State I'm In (Hip-O/UMe), released June 13, 2006, once again evokes the spirit of that film.
A collection of a dozen songs selected for their college student melancholy and indie vibe--songs that just as easily could have been on the original soundtrack--The State I'm In features tracks from alt-rockers Remy Zero ("Motorcycle") and electronic popsters Frou Frou (the Top 25 Dance, Top 40 Adult Top 40 "Breathe In"), two artists who were heard in Garden State. Also appearing is the Commodores classic 1978 #1 pop smash "Three Times A Lady," quasi-featured in a pivotal scene of the film written, directed and starring Zach Braff.
In addition, the quirky lineup boasts a sense of discovery with genre-stretching bands such as The Sea and Cake ("Sound & Vision"), The All Seeing I (an electronica cover of Sonny & Cher's `60s anthem "The Beat Goes On"), downtempo/drum `n' bass duo Lamb ("Gabriel") and rising art-punkers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs ("Maps"). Also included are renowned yet edgy artists, groundbreaking hip-hop fusionist DJ Shadow ("Six Days") and cult hero singer-songwriter Paul Weller ("Wild Wood"), and vintage tracks from the Lou Reed-led Velvet Underground ("Sunday Morning"), Beck pop favorite Serge Gainsbourg ("Requiem Pour Un Con") and confessional folk-pop great Cat Stevens ("The Wind").
The State I'm In is a Garden State of mind--and music.