{"id":309,"date":"2005-05-18T14:45:17","date_gmt":"2005-05-18T06:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nargalzius.com\/blog2\/http:\/www.nargalzius.com\/blog2\/archives\/2005\/05\/2005_05_18_1445.php"},"modified":"2005-05-18T14:45:17","modified_gmt":"2005-05-18T06:45:17","slug":"some-music-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2005\/05\/18\/some-music-reviews","title":{"rendered":"Some music reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was able to do some album devouring for the past two days (usually right before I sleep). So I got to scratch out a bunch of albums off my “unlistened songs” list. The albums were Rob Thomas’ new Something to Be,<\/em> Nickelback’s four albums (The State<\/em>, Silver Side Up<\/em>, Curb<\/em>, and The Long Road<\/em>) and finally, a taste of a band named Meshuggah.<\/em><\/p>\n

And just as I thought my un-listened list was going down… I just had<\/em> to add a TON of new albums like the almost<\/em> complete discography of Queen (which, in itself was already 19 albums) to name a few.<\/p>\n\n

Something to Be<\/h2>\n

For the light-side of music, we have Rob Thomas’ solo effort called Something to Be<\/strong>, which was a very good album IMHO, definitely far from the “Matchbox 20 sound,” but not at all surprising since we’ve already had “tastes” of his<\/strong> music.<\/p>\n

Anyways, no matter what the music stores or shows say, Something to Be<\/em> [for me] would really be closer to a pop\/mainstream album rather than a pop-rock album… especially if you compare it to Matchbox 20’s sound. I think this is a good thing, since its not like a solo effort just to get attention as a solo artist, but a true<\/em> need to expand beyond one’s musical comfort zone (in Mr. Thomas’ case, I’d say that was the music he created with the M20)<\/p>\n

Aside from the lyrics and difference in musical style from his efforts with M20, his whole pop-take-on-blues-inspired-cadences<\/em> really hits the sweet spot on the ears. Suffice to say, he has successfully applied this (his) style to his “music.” If you find it hard to “hear” the blues thing in the songs, then just try picking up a guitar and solo over the songs (making sure that you don’t mind the whole pop production elements you hear)… you’ll start feeling like you’re in a blues club jam session.<\/p>\n

I liked about 7-8 out of the 12 tracks – which makes it a must buy in my book. Usually, I only need to hear about 3-4 good songs from an album to justify buying it. I’d recommend this album to anyone especially<\/em> to the ladies… Mr. Thomas’ seems to have a penchant for lyrics that can tickle the women wether making them feel good, or making him seem like this vulnerable, caring, perfect person, etc. Totally opposite to say… songs like “Push.”<\/p>\n

Nickelback albums<\/h2>\n

Now we go a bit heavier, some hard-rock music from Nickelback. I know people would argue that they could be considered a metal band, probably so, but tough luck that I had to listen to Meshuggah after them, so I can honestly say they are not<\/strong> metal at all<\/em> when compared to such a band.<\/p>\n

I’d have to say that for their hit songs, they surely made exceptional music… as far as their hit songs are concerned. The problem is, I can only pick a handful of “memorable” songs, out of all the albums. I guess I could compare them to a band like Creed, which has it’s share of “hits” but otherwise, I can’t say that they are an exceptional<\/em> band.<\/p>\n

I dig their vocalist’s style though: on the low notes, he sounds like Gavin of the band Bush<\/em>, then on the high screams, he sounds like James Hetfield of Metallica<\/em> circa the black album. And anyone who sounds like Hetfield is OK in my book hahahaha.<\/p>\n

If you’d have to purchase a Nickelback album, I’d suggest The Long Road,<\/em> and Silver Side up.<\/em> The other two albums have too little nice songs to spend cash on – so you’d be better off downloading those.<\/p>\n

Meshuggah<\/h2>\n

I first heard of the band while looking for good drum software. I stumbled upon BFD, and DFH (BFD I guess stands for Big F#($*& Drums, and DFH is Drumkit From Hell. DFH seemed to be having good reviews and on the demo mp3, they mentioned hiring a world class drummer from Meshuggah to record the kit samples. So I guess when I saw the album, I just had to give them a go.<\/p>\n

The word Meshuggah<\/em> – is hebrew for “crazy” and thats exactly what this band’s music is like… insanely intricate<\/strong> You’d of course have to appreciate the whole progressive-rock\/metal genre to even tolerate this type of music (Dream Theater, Rush, etc.)<\/p>\n

With that said, think of Dream Theater’s music, a blend of both melodic and poly-rythmic intricacies… then take away the whole “melodic” part, and in it’s place, beef up the RHYTHM. What Meshuggah lacks in harmony, they more than make up with the rhythm – I couldn’t even imagine Liquid Tension Experiment<\/em> holding up to the sheer pace of Meshugga’s tracks (should LTE choose to perform live, and I’ve heard a Meshuggah live track… astounding). So imagine that sound… then have someone knock you out, and kick you while your down… and you’ll have an idea what Meshugga sounds like.<\/p>\n

These guys are excellent musicians, despite the seemingly negative connotation the last paragraph may have… we’re talking about metal<\/em> here – so that negative context is actually a good<\/em> thing in this genre. I can’t possibly find the right words to describe their music, since I’m still elated as we speak. So I’ll borrow some reviews I saw on Amazon on their albums. As of this posting, I’ve only gotten to listen to their album Chaosphere,<\/em> and there are 6 more albums to go.<\/p>\n

\n

Melody? Nyet. Emotion? Zero. Meshuggah is an inhuman assault, opaque and austere without remorse. They evoke a band of Terminators — music so harsh, mechanical and precise it could only be executed by cyborgs. Unusual articulations, strange numbered repetitions, labyrinthine polymeters and polyrhythms…but this is more than just left-brained number crunching. Meshuggah’s ability to fuse their tempestuous concepts into intelligent songs is remarkable to me as well.<\/p>\n

\n

The band’s indescribable polyrhythmic attack. “Harsh,” “brutal,” and “intense” are all fitting adjectives, but mere words can’t do justice to Meshuggah’s unbelievably precise and complex sound. You really can’t tell what’s coming next, as the band unleashes a non-stop barrage of shifting time signatures and arrangements that’s about as easy to figure out as a calculus problem. And they’re robotically efficient and single-minded in their destruction, with not a single wasted second to be found anywhere.<\/p>\n

I have never, EVER heard any music that demands as much intellectual engagement as Meshuggah’s. They never slow down or let up, and trying to figure out their uber-complex rhythms at high speed actually forces the listener to do things like pay attention and think in order to appreciate what’s going on. Now THERE’S a novel concept!<\/p>\n

\n

Rather than sounding openly angry, the band sounds controlled – impossibly tight and completely leaving the please-feel-sorry-for-me-I’m-so-angry<\/em> attitude in the dust. Comparing these guys to the children from a broken home or the husband who has been cheated on would be wrong. These guys are more like champion kick boxers, psyching themselves up to do damage but never losing their cool. See what I’m getting at? With that said, I think I’d be more inclined to compare the music to a futuristic army marching to war.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If you still don’t get it, just listen to them! If you are a real<\/strong> metal-head, you can’t go wrong with them… their sound will take you to a whole new level.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was able to do some album devouring for the past two days (usually right before I sleep). So I got to scratch out a bunch of albums off my “unlistened songs” list. The albums were Rob Thomas’ new Something to Be, Nickelback’s four albums (The State, Silver Side Up, Curb, and The Long Road) …

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