Restart.
I’m thinking of restarting this blog. I want to change the name as well. I’ll post a URL to the new one if I do.
VEDICARDI REVIEWS… Tortoise & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Bil - The Brave And The Bold
i have listened to their record label debut and every thing up till ALL HOPE IS GONE before i go deeper in to my review for this CD i did like slipknot when they first came out that is because i have not heard of them until late ‘03 ever since then i have loved every thing that they have done i have heard die hard slipknot fans say they did not like this album because it was a lot like VOL 3 which i also liked also this is by far the best album that slipknot has made if you are a fan and you expect Iowa then then you really are not a fan of slipknot to expect them to make the same album again this album is a step in maturity, Corey’s singing and in the lyrics themselves i love the screaming every once in a while depends on the mood i am in but when i hear fan’s or maggots as they are called by slipknot bitch about this album because it is to soft they strayed away from the sound that was in Iowa it pisses me of as maggot a fan of slipknot that you criticize them for maturing bringing in acoustic guitars i heard from another great musician that if it sounds good acoustic than it will sound better with electric guitars quoted by Brent smith from Shine down it is a very well rounded metal/rock album if you liked slipknot before then you like them now while listening to the album i imagining what the songs will sound like live i can only wait to hear and see them live i say this do not listen to anybody that says that this is a bad album because it is not they just want another Iowa album they just do not understand a band growing and maturing as a artist it is a must buy if you are a fan like i have before if you were a fan before but you are not now then you never was a fan of slipknot because you stick with that bend no matter how bad you think a album is that they came out with
01/01
VEDICARDI EXPLAINS… BEING LATE THIS WEEK
I’m on vacation. Thanksgiving.
Eat it.
Review up as soon as I can find somewhere to plug in my 2TB HD so I can re-listen to the album.
NJITTIE REVIEWS…….. モーモールルギャバン - BeVeci Calopueno
At first I really expected this album to just be straightforward Japanese pop. I was wrong. Terribly wrong. The first track starts of pretty ambient, but then throws everything overboard and goes full retarded. Really, completely retarded. So retarded I couldn’t even tell what the fuck was going on. And this keeps on going on the next track. It starts off sort of normal, but then goes mad again by throwing in vocoded vocals out of nowhere.
After the opening two tracks it goes into a bit more mellow, almost shoegazey indie rock pattern, which is just a bit too bass heavy for my tastes. They manage to sound okay though, the vocals kind of bothered me here but not to the point where they were annoying. The rest of the material on this album manages to sound pretty funky, with great basslines and nice vocals.
But even though this album does a lot right, it didn’t really ‘get’ me. It lacks a certain fun-factor to make it a bit more interesting.
At least, up until halfway into the album, where it gets interesting again. I can barely describe what goes on in this track. Imagine a Japanese rendition of the Dracula soundtrack with some metal influences. Too bad the next track goes into funky disco again though. After this nothing out of the ordinary happens on this album.
So in short, this is an okay album, but it didn’t really excite me. The ‘weird’ parts didn’t last long enough to keep me entertained, but it managed to keep the album interesting for a while.
6.5/10
NJITTIE REVIEWS…… NOMEANSNO - WRONG
Fucking great, I can review a band labeled ‘progressive’. I really don’t trust it when bands are labeled as progressive, because usually it’s just pretentious guitar wankery (sorry mars volta). But then again, this album is progressive punk, and I really don’t know what to think.
But anyways, after reading Wikipedia for a bit I found out Nomeansno has some jazz influences, which might make for an interesting listen. But still, this progressive thing is bugging me, what if they play a 10 minute organ solo (sorry king crimson)? What if they add breaks fucking everywhere (sorry yes)? What if they only focus on playing solo’s as fast as possible (sorry dream theater)?
But from the sounds of it they won’t. The first track already kicks off with a nice muddy bass, guitar licks that somehow remind me of Steel Pole Bath Tub, and typical punky yelled vocals. The lyrics are pretty fun too so far, the first song ‘It’s Catching Up’ describes a scene where someone is running from the undead, and is afraid they are catching up. A theme I haven’t really heard in punk music yet. (Actually, I haven’t heard that theme in any genre now that I think of it)
So yeah, Nomeansno isn’t your typical 80’s punk band. They put a little more thought into their music than, let’s say, any given 3 chord progression hardcore sXe band. The songs are also significantly longer, clocking in around 2 or 3 minutes. Some even drag on for 6 or 7, which is okay, but these songs tend to get a bit boring after 4 minutes or so.
The fun thing about this album is the variation. No two songs sound the same and all have their own sound and theme. The riffs and drumming is good, the vocals are pretty clever and sometimes even add a female vocalist. The lyrical themes are, like I said before, rather original in 80’s punk music. And shit man, the bass sounds fucking great, mainly on the song Big Dick. I really got a stoner rock vibe out of the bass on this album.
So overall this album is really enjoyable, and for some odd reason it keeps reminding me of Steel Pole Bath Tub. Those bands actually are nothing alike but I keep on getting that vibe from this band. But still, how the fuck is this even progressive. In short, an overall good album but I honestly don’t understand the progressive label it got.
8.0/10
VEDICARDI REVIEWS… MESO MESO - MITTEN
Every dreamed of having a young Japanese girl whisper lullabies as you drift into a year’s slumber? Well, now your dream can be realized. With most songs at four minutes and consisting of two chords, it defies “ambiance” and becomes something of a collection of adult lullabies. Instrumentation generally consists of xylophones, pianos, warm electric bass, and what is either a harpsichord or an accordion, with a very rare acoustic guitar now and then. All of this is layered under gentle, extremely soft female vocals that really drive the music. At times, her voice seems to be so quiet that it ceases to keep any sort of pitched, and becomes breathy speaking, which can send shivers up anyone’s spine.
This is the definitive album if you’re looking for indie pop sensibilities. Everything seems to be sung with the intent of maintaining a very strong image, a construct or idea above all, and that image intent on conjuring vivid imagery. I dare anyone to listen through this album once without thinking back to their own past, or imagining this music set to a somber winter landscape. The overall tone of the music seems so innocent and pure that it’s almost sad, inevitably lost, or clinging for dear life. Truly writhing inducing if you let your defenses down.
On first listen, this album did make me upset. I was going into it with the thought that this music was made purely to elevate this girl’s ego, for the sake of her image, for the sake other’s perceptions of her, for her own self perception, like a tortured no fun club member knitting Jawbreaker patches on to their awful denim vest in a public New York park. I told myself “all this albums makes me want to do is listen to some Deep Purple,” but to say that simply isn’t fair. The more you listen to this, the more you realize how unlikely it is someone could create music with so much emotional force and wreckless, perhaps even careless drive without some intense, honest intent behind it. It’s all very possible, that the writer behind all of this is just delusional, striving to reach some goal of pefection, of pure innocence just for the sake of standing out from the crowd, or bragging rights, but even if that is the case she must be so dedicated as to make something like this that recognition of her talents and writing her are simply undeniable.
This is all not to say that the music is perfect and without flaw. At times, parts come across as purely silly, mistakes, stupid odd sections that just don’t make sense and perhaps were made out of a place of “Yoko Ono” stupidity or artistic yearning for something far greater than one is capable, but even then you can tell her intents are, though perhaps slightly odd or “nuts,” honest. In contrast, moments mentioned above will have you absolutely awestruck at how moving they can be.
Perhaps this shit is “too deep, bro” for some, but just looking at it critically, or objectively, it’s pretty difficult to say there’s not quite a lot of something here. What exactly that may be, if it raw emotion or talent, is yet to be seen, but how it manifests itself on this album is undeniable as “good,” in one way or another. It honestly isn’t something I think I’ll be listening to much in the future, but it really is something none the less.
8.5/10
OH I FORGOT TO POST THIS YESTERDAY SORRY
NJITTIE REVIEWS - BLEACH - BLEACH
IM REALLY SORRY IF THIS ONE SUCKS BUT I KINDA RUSHED IT
So this week’s review is Bleach their selftitled album. Bleach is a three-piece all girl punk group, and I think it’s supposed to sound a bit like Midori or maybe a less poppy Tsushimamire. I really don’t know at this point, but the album sure sounds interesting. Their selftitled album is their third release in 2003, and it’s supposed to be their first ‘calmer’ album. But hey, it’s Japanese. It’s probably still batshit insane by my silly super-serious European standards.
So, onwards to the first track. My actual first impressions were ‘holy shit this is fucking loud oh god this shit is fast’. Because this band plays fucking loud. And fast. So yeah, this track is pretty straightforward fast playing, fast clean vocals, frantic drums and someone shouting in the background. And I fucking love it.
The second track Sun-Dance (Moon-Dance) is already significantly slower, and has this insanely familiar riff that I just can’t recall. This song is actually a bit more poppy than the first one but it doesn’t entirely step away from the loud punk sound. But like with my TSMMR review, this album would probably be better and easier to review when I could actually understand the lyrics.
Now the third track pretty much changes the sound again by going into a third wave ska song. The only thing missing are some trumpets. Really nothing special about this track.
And Jesus Christ you bet your ass the next song makes another turnabout by going pretty much to a soft rock sound. It’s like I’m actually listening to prog! But okay, this song is actually kinda cool and I wouldn’t mind listening to stuff like this some more on this album, but the next song will probably be rap or some shit I don’t know anymore.
But it’s not, this track sort of fuses noise rock and grindcore into an explosion of blast beats, walls of fuzz, distorted vocals and people yelling. This actually is hurting my ears.
And fuck me the next song does something completely different again and actually gives me this weird world music feel because of the choir. Sure, the instruments say punk but gosh this album is getting schizoid.
But yeah after this the album really doesn’t do anything special, but it was honestly great. I can’t believe I only just found out about this band last week, thx vedi bby <3
Overall I give this album a 7.9/10
VEDICARDI REVIEWS… DAYGLO ABORTIONS - FEED US A FETUS
To be honest with you, I never thought I’d be reviewing a real hardcore album on this blog, but here I am! Released in 1986, Feed Us A Fetus is a compilation of sorts, the first half being original material recorded in ‘86, and the second half composed of their first album from ‘81. These two “albums” combined clock in at roughly forty minutes, and add up to around twenty something tracks, the majority of which are between a minute and a half and two minutes long.
The two halves of this album are musically quite different. The older material has a much harsher, fuzzier guitar sound, and the vocals manage to be slightly distorted as well. The songs themselves are all very early hardcore in sound, sounding like a slightly more intense and dissonant Germs. This is in comparison to the second half, which removes a bit of the fuzz (though it is for the most part still very fuzzy), and switches out fun punk chords for jumpy riffing and crossover thrash styling, and occasionally melds “theatrical” elements, as I like to call them, though there are a few samples on the second half as well.
In comparing one half to the other, lyrically the later crossover material seems to hold up better, being much more witty and interesting. The second half holds up very well in the same, but doesn’t manage to match the first half, lyrical themes slightly more crude and less focused, though their delivery makes up for it. That said, the musicality of the later (or actually, earlier) material holds up far better. Everything on the first half with the exception of some of the funnier songs seem to be somewhat generic Agnostic Front and Accused songs, with few unique elements or riffs to speak up, and the fuzzy tone just doesn’t hold up with this style. The second half keeps a very very aggressive vocal and guitar combo, melded with nice, high paced drumming. To me, this material is what the Circle Jerks wished they could have accomplished on Group Sex, not just musically but lyrically as well. Even the more serious seeming songs keep humorous musical elements to contrast the lyrics.
As a whole, this is a definite standout in the early punk scene, and manages to keep enough wit to stand up in the later realm of early crossover thrash as well, keeping a sense of humor despite the change in style (though as a whole it isn’t incredibly original). I find it hard to believe this album isn’t more of a staple of early essential hardcore with how fast the early material is, and how similar it is to the Circle Jerks. Unfortunately, not much can be done about that, other than just having fans recommend it to friends and other fans of the genre as whole, as I will now. I give this album -
8.5/10
RIP vedi’s sense of time ;_;
