LPF Album Reviews 2.0

[Jeezy]

I can say confidently it indeed is

and it is also one of the best Rap albums I have heard this year

 

DID I SAY IT WAS INDEFFINATLY THE BEST?

 

It's alot better then the Common album if thats what your asking?

 

well..I have to check it out for sure

 

 

but there's another album coming out soon...which is a strong candidate for best hip hop album of the year you know

[Friðbjörn]

I haven't listened to the Aesop Rock album, I was just judging by what Matt said in the review. But regardless, I haven't exactly seen much competition to it, for best hip hop album...

 

 

what album is that jeezy, that's coming out soon?

[Stenners]

From the hip hop releases that I plan to listen to and his sig im guessing he means Kanye West.... dont think it will be the case. Stronger is okay. bit of a grower, the other single was a bit meh and the new one is terrible.

 

if he means Talbi, the the is a chance, still got to listen to that one.

 

If he is talking about Subtle then the is a strong chance.

 

He cant possibly be talking about 50cent

 

Cypress Hill havent put a consistently good album for years

[Friðbjörn]

haha

kanye...pssh. he's weak.

 

only thing with sense out of his mouth that I've heard is "Bush doesn't care about blacks"

 

myeah like you I'd say Talib then, or Subtle

[Stllmn8j]

I've seen Eardrum has been getting great reviews

[Jeezy]

From the hip hop releases that I plan to listen to and his sig im guessing he means Kanye West.... dont think it will be the case. Stronger is okay. bit of a grower, the other single was a bit meh and the new one is terrible.

 

if he means Talbi, the the is a chance, still got to listen to that one.

 

If he is talking about Subtle then the is a strong chance.

 

He cant possibly be talking about 50cent

 

Cypress Hill havent put a consistently good album for years

 

Well...yeah the Talib album is good but not great.

I was talking about the Kanye album....it's gonna be huge.

 

I heard like 5 tracks from that album and they are all great

 

the new one...if you mean "Barry Bonds" is kinda weak...I agree...

but in the end the whole package is gonna count....and I see no other Hip Hop act right now that could possibly beat Kanye

[GraDoN]

well 50 cent said (i heard this on out radio station) that if kanye outsells him he will quit making music lol atm i see that heppening since 50's first single is HORRIBLE.

[Friðbjörn]

in that case I definately hope Kanye outsells him. well I'd do that anyday. 50 cent is the single worst artist to support...

[HaziLPTonz]

Go Kanye,go Son, Rid The World Of 50c Now!

[Jeezy]

50 won't stop rapping if Kanye outsells him

 

it's all just a promotional stunt

 

look at this pic

 

http://www.offtopic.forum/data/MetaMirrorCache/c4f543898e2d59453930d624673e5b9b.jpg

[Stenners]

Sunny festival days YAY! What a weekend of music and drugs, lots of drugs. After waking up coverd in mud (the weather was brilliant though) and lovebite (I want to find out this one) I rememberd how NAFF some bands were and how BRILLIANT some others were.

 

So lets start with a rundown with more details to follow

 

Dead 60's

- 7/10

Always considerd them slightly more then a bog standard indie band and deliverd a nice set on Friday

morning.

 

Long Blondes

-6/10

Were okay but never outstanding

 

Gogol Bordello*

-9/10

Great choice of songs, amazing stage pressence and brilliant fun and dancable music, got the

crowd going nuts!

 

Maximo Park

-5/10

Good choices of songs and some pulled off very well but I just want feeling it

 

Interpol

-3/10

Pretty boring, bland and umemorable set

 

Kings Of Leon

-7/10

Good solid set with the musicmanship to back it up!

 

Patrick Wolf*

9.5/10

Incredibly smart set choice, on at that time of night with more people on pills then alcohol

he choose a percussion heavy, dance beat laced gems, I couldnt stop dancing nor could everyone

else. Carling stage was full and everyone loved it.

[Stenners]

http://www.offtopic.forum/data/MetaMirrorCache/6d08aa72a6aeba9b4181d97a6a4cec76.jpg

 

Artist: Beirut

Album: The Flying Club Cup

Genre: Folk/Alternative

 

Having stormed into the hearts of many music fans last year with his beautiful

full length debut 'The Gaulag Orkestar' Beirut has been keeping himself very active,

doing back to back shows and even releasing another EP in the process under the

title 'Lon Gisland' which was again a very good effort full of nice soft heart warming

melodies full of passionate lyrics deliverd with such devostatingly effective effect

that you couldn't help but feel his pain, this little under a year since his debut

continues with his unique Polka Folk sound. The resemembelance to other Indie

legends 'Neutral Milk Hotel' is still very present however the sound as a whole seems

to have ditched the horns which were very present on his debut, the is a gripe to

this of course it does just sound like an extended version of his debut.

 

http://www.monkeyclaus.org/images/gallery/beirut/beirut.jpg

 

Another thing you'll notice is that his vocal delivery isn't quite as croacky

as previous records but is still just as devistatingly effective at delivering emotion

but as I said before my main gripe with the album is starting to leave me with

questions, yes his music is still as always very soothing and a very pleasurable

listening experiance & yes I do love this album..... but unfourtanatly it leaves

a little niggle in the back of my mind & that is where the hell does he go from here?

His sound has to evolve for him to keep interest and whilst it has a little bit and despite

pulling off a cracking record this has left some doubt in the long term future of

Beirut.

 

Rating: 8.5/10

Reccomended: Nantes, Sunday Smile, Guyamas Sonora & The Flying Club Cup

 

 

Single Review:

BECK

Timebomb

- An itunes exclusive release see's a breif return from Beck, this electronic affair is great

to dance to but leaves very little impression & will tire and age very quickly. Good for a

quick party though! 6.5/10

[Stenners]

http://metropolis.co.jp/xmg/568/568-M-Prefuse-73-pic.jpg

Artist: Prefuse 73

Album: Preparations

Genre: Electronica/Psycadelia

 

Under the bloody alternative mind fuck production very few come close to Prefuse 73

his production methods and sound are so mind bending that they should be a scheduled

drug. Sonically impairing you ear drums leaving you into another warped world where

microwaves make love to toasters, its an electronic hippy vibe you can't help but love. This album

is full of flutes, pipes and a whole lot of computer generated buzz's, its an unmistakably

identifiable and unique sound. Okay so the album suffers some fundmental flaws, Class of 73

Bells starts off as a potential highlight but it just goes on and on and on and on, a bit

self endulgant me thinks but luckily this isn't really a reccuring theme, most songs modestly

and rather forgivingly slumber themselves in at around 3 minutes. This is unfourtanatly

a bit of a flawed effort but the are still some sonically marverlous moments, maybe I still

haven't grown to love it but for now its a very good and interesting album that is

fundamentaly flawed.

 

Rating: 7.2/10

Reccomended: errrrrrrrrm I will get back to you on that one

[Stenners]

HELLO! Once again its time for me to look at the latest music videos n tell u whats hott and what most certainly is not.

 

Kaiser Cheifs

The Angry Mob

Now if memory serves me correctly this was one of the highlights of their terrible sophmore album

and you know what hearing this piece of brit pop cannon fodder again hasn't helped improve my

opinion of it. The song and video simultaniously try to make a strong statement and fail dramaticly

the usual chant is here and the ending is just typical Kaiser.... it's a shame to think though that

lyrically this is one of their smarter songs.... o dear.

 

3/10

 

Hard-Fi

Suburban Knights

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=doJFoLayt0s

And the worst contender to make me feel better after the Kaiser Chiefs? Yeap you got it, it's good

old WE'RE ALL LIVING IN A CASH MACHINE 'Hard-Fi' okay yes I admit it the melody and hook are

there but they are just crap and same old same old, it is better than the Kaisers latest effort

though..... even if it is just margainly.

 

3.5/10

 

Maximo Park

Girls Who Play Guitars

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NztJu7fLvEY

Ya know what, I like Maximo Park, within context of the album the songs really hit the mark for

some nice guitar pop, they do it right.... explains why NME slated them earlier this year as all they

seem to want now is lad rock. The hook is decent, as is the melody & tempo but it is their

weakest single to date and a bit boring.

 

6.5/10

 

Animal Collective

Peacebone

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fxvGHQHiY70

So it only seems right I treat myself to one of the best pop songs so far this year, this beautfully

constructed and layerd song offers much, a hook, complexity and baffeling lyrics. It's original yet

nicely hooky. Fantasticly weird video on top of that

 

9/10

 

I shall continue this one later, i'm still getting over the Kaiser Chiefs and need a migrane tablet

[Stenners]

http://www.offtopic.forum/data/MetaMirrorCache/e5e5e478d81479734e9264184e7fe06f.jpg

Artist: Super Furry Animals

Album: Hey Venus

Genre: Alternative/Indie Pop

 

Lets put aside this truley terrible looking artwork and look at the beauty

very rarley does a band recieve such tremendous production, seriously

this thing is basically perfectly produced, the sound fits the band perfectly

it sounds clean yet still has a very complex strucuture which reveals more

and more on repeated listen....... so what does this mean? It means not

only will this album please those who love their music instantaniously grabbable

but more and more unravels on each listen making it an ideal album for those

who like to discover more in their album. Essentially this is an album that

grabs you on the first listen but doesn't unmercifally drop you only a couple

of listens later. Right now I have spoken so highly of class production lets

talk about the music it's self, yes it's very nice and a little more focused

then recent efforts, it's also a little less wackey which everted my fears

that the SFA's would just become an art pop band which in the end try

too hard to be clever.

 

http://www.kansaiscene.com/2003_11/images/live_SuperFurryAnimals.jpg

 

The are pretty much highlights all over the album, you hear

the songs on first listen and your not quite sure which one is the

stand out track. None of them quite sound right on their own but

still sound very good, however listen to the album in it's entirerty

and each piece of work here seems to carry the listeners interest

it's a true album and not a collection of songs.... & I like that! The

fact that this album has somehow managed to prevent SFA's to fall

into a pit of repetetition & somehow sees them progress further after

several albums is a real testermony to their music writing & if ever

has a band deserved to be thrusted into the mainstream this is the band!

Unfourtenetly I dont see it happening with this album no matter how

good it is.... o well

 

Rating: 8.5/10

Reccomended: Baby Ate My Eightball, Battersey Odyssee, Into The Night, Neo Consumer, Run-Away

[Toxic1]

I could never get into SFA ever since Gruff Rhys sang on a Mogwai song called "Dial:Revenge". I've given all their albums a listen and could only enjoy a song here or there. Including this new one.

[Stenners]

They do seem like a horses for courses band, I agree with that

[Stenners]

http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/415u3Sm79mL._AA240_.jpg

 

Artist: Kanye West

Album: Graduation

Genre: Rap/Hip Hop

 

Bring out the girls & the hellium baloons it's time for Kanye to drop his latest hot

beat and rap his... errrr passable rapping over them. 1....2.....3 *inhale* "ooo lahh

looo doo yahhhhhhhh oooo", Key kanye GO!, "I was once a nigga in the middle

of your puppas middle figga i went to school and was in the class of cool". Yes

another year or so has past and it's time for another Kanye West record & is possibly

the most hyped record I have reviewed all year! As might suprise you given the singles

the high pitched voices and piano laces do remain in most of the record, it's a shame

he didn't use these as the singles as they sound far more pleasent then wannabe

banger 'Can't Tell Me Nothing' or the lazy sampeling used on 'Stronger'. So lets begin

on the flow of mr.Kanyes rapping, has it improved?, well later on the album the flow

is more plausable but at the start of the album you feel like his techniqual ability had

been shifted to College Dropout days which for starters was terrible (not the album

his rapping ability) the lyrics at times are pretty laughable and seem to be far more

egotistical then ever.... oh well I seen that comming after the amount of media

coverage Kanye has been getting recently.

 

http://www.offtopic.forum/data/MetaMirrorCache/3e24c718b779129ec63180e03fe9ac6b.jpg

 

Now here i'm at a bit of loss of words, where as most albums seem

to peak early, this album saves most of it's glory at the rear end of the album

the middle is pretty dull as it blurges into one mess of synths (suggested

by the cover no doubt) and the opening of the album is mearly okay.... but

the last 3 tracks in particular show Kanye in top form. Another shock thrown

by Kanye is 'Drunk And Hot Girls' and despite the rather unpromising title the

lyrics arent as shallow or demaning as what first seem and are rather clever

this is also Kanyes darkest song to date and is a refreshing change from the

helium baloon orchestra. Another thing Kanye fans may notice is that the are

absaloutly no skits, even the intro is a song & this does help with the flow

of the album, i'm so glad skits have gone out of fashion in hip hop they really

were uneccisary.

 

http://www.offtopic.forum/data/MetaMirrorCache/caf8f47e30cf980f842fb3a699d2eaaa.jpg

 

So what do I have to say about this record? Well after the single releases

my expectations were set so low that it couldnt of possibly not past them

and they do. The album is full of some nice little twists and some great production

and other then the rather bleek middle period of the album the is some of Kanyes

best work on show here. Not as consistent as his first 2 albums but as far as

mainstream hip hop goes Kanye once again sets the bencmark.... even if it

is just a bit lower then it used to be.

 

Rating: 7/10

Reccomended: Stronger, Drunk And Hot Girls, The Glory, Homecomming, Big Brother

[GraDoN]

hmm ive only heard stronger. looks like i should check some of those

[Jeezy]

Some quickies

 

Kayne West: Graduation 10/10

50 Cent: Curtis 4/10

Emigrate: Emigrate 7/10

N.O.R.E.: Noreality 7.5/10

Young Joc: Hustlenomics 6/10

Colbie Caillat: Coco 9/10

 

DJ A-Trak: Dirty South Dance 8.5/10

 

track of the week:

Lupe Fiasco - Dumb It Down

 

http://www.zshare.net/audio/33807362674441/

[Sygy]

is emigrate out now? omg where can i download it??? OMG!! *fan girl screams*

[Stenners]

Jeezy your 10/10 judgement of Kanye is very questionable, it's far from a perfect album and the fact the singles weren't even perfect singles and weak by Kanyes standards really pushes it into question. But then again you gave the average Common album a 9 or 10 or something as well so what am I to know. If your going to give something such a high score you should at least justify it

 

I am going to review Curtis next btw, just for shits n giggles.

[Sygy]

the link is weird, its just send me round and round in circles, so frustrating! It was downloading earlier then it died and i could gt it back! feeling depreived of reesh! can u tell me who to do it, pls. thanks, jeezikins.

[Jeezy]

Jeezy your 10/10 judgement of Kanye is very questionable, it's far from a perfect album and the fact the singles weren't even perfect singles and weak by Kanyes standards really pushes it into question. But then again you gave the average Common album a 9 or 10 or something as well so what am I to know. If your going to give something such a high score you should at least justify it

 

I am going to review Curtis next btw, just for shits n giggles.

 

you want justification?

 

ok

 

I'm gonna give you a track by track rundown of the album

 

1. Good Morning

Great opening track. Reminded me of some Beatles stuff. Good drum beat. The whole atmosphere get's you from the very beginning. Highlight of the song is the line: "I'm like a fly Malcom X by any jeans necessary" and the Jay Z voice sample at the very end. 10/10

 

2. Champion

The Charlemagne sample from Steeley Dan works great on this track. The part where they sing:" Did you realise that you are a champion in there eyes" and Kanye answers with a "Yes I Did" shows him from his cocky side. You have to love or hate that. The female song during the end just takes it to another level. 10/10

 

3. Stronger

Now everyone knows that song. A lot of people think "oh Kanye went straight to disco and ripped apart that beautiful Daft Punk song." I think he did a great job with this track. It appeals to the masses and gives him more exposure. Artisticly it is very well layered. If you really listen to it you will see that it wasn't put together in 5 minutes. He invested a lot of time in that track. The lyrics are just crazy with lines like "you can be my black Kate Moss tonight", I mean there's no one else out there who drops lines like that. 10/10

 

4. I Wonder

This is a track you have to get used to. The sample is beautiful. Kanye kinda speaks over it. He starts rapping on the end of the track. I think it shows how he tried to do something different from his previous work. One of the more experimental tracks on the album. 9/10

 

5. Good Life

Only annoying thing on this track is the vocoder that T Pain uses. Interesting fact is that Kanye uses 50s line from In The Club. "50 told me go ahead switch the style up and if they hate them let them hate them and watch the money pile up". Now how great is that? T Pain uses basically a line from School Spirit all the time. Great recycling I would say. And the Snakes On A Plane Line just kills it. 9/10

 

6. CTMN

Well the hood loves it. Everyone can relate to the topic of the song. Best thing about it is the chorus probably. It's just totally fun to sing along to it. Best line: "I aint one of the Cosbys, I aint go to Hillman". 9/10

 

7. Barry Bonds

Ok the Lil Wayne part is annoying as hell. But if you ignore it, it's probably one of the lyrically best performances from Kanye. His lines kill it. Beat is layed back and kind of repetitive. Still the fun factor of the track is pretty high. 9/10

 

8. Drunk and Hot Girls

Yeah it's one of the darkest Kanye tracks ever. The topic is pretty much to get with a drunk girl. This song could have been a Eminem track. Kanye actually sings more on this than he raps. Mos Def is on the hook and does a good job. Mos and Kanye on a track together have never sounded better IMO.

10/10

 

9. Flashing Lights

Another highlight on the record. This song really stands out. It's also really laid back. I don't know what that sample is but it's great. The beat has kind of a Timbaland feel to it. The Dwele performance on the hook is fantastic. Best feature on the album. 10/10

 

10. Everything I Am

This song is really slow. It's my least favorite track on the album. The cuts and the line about the NCAAP awards save the track a little. All in together he should have replaced the track with Bittersweet Poetry IMO. 7/10

 

11. The Glory

Ah man. Great sample. "At the Grammys I went ultra Travolta" that line is only one from the track that stands out. He brings punch after punch. Great lyrical performance. 9.5/10

 

12. Homecoming

Homecoming is pretty much a recycled mixtape track that was previously called "Home".

The beat got a great update and John Legend was replaced with Chris Martin. Great atmospheric track. 10/10

 

13. Big Brother

This track is about and dedicated to Jay Z. The most personal track on this album.

Kanye gives an inside look on his relation to Jay Z. Great beat, deep lyrics, perfect song to close the album. 10/10

[Stenners]

http://www.drownedinsound.com/images/26000.jpeg

Artist: Kevin Drew

Album: Spirit If

Genre: Alternative/Pop/Indie

 

Comming out of the Broken Social Scene camp, probably one of the finest collection

of artists ever seen which has also seen releases from Feist this year, you sort of

expect this album to be nothing short of special. The preassure on the group as a

collective is huge whenever they release an album under the Broken Social Scene

alias.... but to step out alone with the Broken Social Scene sticker stamped all over

it... this would probably I imagine amount to so much preassure that it doesn't bare

thinking about. People expecting an album that sounds like BSS would be wrong, even

if the opener would work in their debut as it's a calculated mess with lots of noise

all the other things that procced it are melodic gems with the focus more on vocals

then any of the BSS releases. Nor does this album sound anything like Feists departure

it is essentially soothing, melodic & well written music.

 

http://www.offtopic.forum/data/MetaMirrorCache/ad24265df83e63bcc77a2b7bc8cb585f.jpg

 

As a founding member of the collective group, as you might imagine the range

in instruments can be pretty diverse from Violins to roaring guitars and dusty

xcylaphones it has pretty much everything, the drumming is pretty modestly

restrained but carries the music to devestating effect without ever taking the

center stage, it's this well balanced concuction where nothing in particular steals

the show or grabs the entire users attention that make this album so effective. It's

an incredibly easy listen & uravels more and more on each listen, the song structure

does offer hooks just not in a tedious over use manner, they are plentyful yet

sparse the are there but have to be found. His vocals are easy on the ear and

like the instruments dont try to take center stage everything is in harmony &

that is exactly what this album provides... perfect harmony. The is very little

to falter on this release it's just one of those albums that you know from the moment

you listen to it will stay with you for a long time & given the time has all the potential

and offerings to go on and become a cult classic.

 

Rating: 9.5/10