Search: m
Your search returned 39417 results. Viewing results 20506-20520
6
Dimmu Borgir's seventh album is the first black metal album to ever have a number one chart position in any country (number one in Norway). That alone should turn "real" black metal fans off. This is the follow up to "Death cult armageddon", and it would be so easy to shoot down this band as just being black metal for beginners. Well, that is a true statement, however you can't deny the great musicianship and the actual songwriting talent these guys possess. The music is actually a bit heavier than the last few albums and less orcestrated. Shagrath is taking a step forward as a singer and Hellhammer (mayhem) beats the shit out of the drums as he should. Black metal or not, it's still entertaining music, but not enough to keep me interested the whole album through.
This concept album takes place in medieval Europe and I can't say I'm very intimate with its story, but the main theme is of a priest's assistant that discovers that he has nothing to do with Christianity, and that his powers are greater than he thought. Not a very frightening story but I would probably love this if I was still in my teens.
- Richard Wilson
8
As the first song of the album goes: Nu händer det igen ("It is happening again"). A Scanian artist takes the special Scanian accent and makes it into an integral part of the music. Originally from Hässleholm, the same town that gave us Sophie Rimheden and Andreas Tilliander, one-man band Familjen gives us yet another electro hero. Filled with playfulness, without rose-eyed 80s nostalgia, Familjen feels very modern. He blends naive 80s melodies, 90s beats and 00s glitches into a cohesive whole. That combined with his squealing 303s and subtle guitars makes it all sound like it was recorded tomorrow. Album standout (and former IAT mP3 Of The Day) "Det snurrar i min skalle" should become one of the biggest hits of the summer, but the album is filled with songs almost as good. Finally, the lyrics must be mentioned. Familjen has a way with words, and has a knack for finding phrases that catch on. music you can dance to, plus makes you think? Shocking!
- Hanzan
3
Reading through Frost's webpage, I get the impression that the duo think they are a much better band than they actually are. The purpose of their new album, "Love! Revolution!" is, supposedly, to "search for the lost pop of that golden era when joy and creativity had as big a place in pop music as pure commerciality and copyism has had in the last decades." Fine. I'll admit that they're a good step or so above Britney Spears. But, joyful? Creative? Don't make me laugh. Or hurl. Or both. I've heard this whole 'female vocals over minimalistic synth/electro - pop beats' before. Done exceptionally well by the likes of Ladytron, Frou Frou/Imogen Heap and even Circ, I might add. So I expect a new take on the genre, some quirkiness in the beats, some deftness in the lyrics to bring a smile to my lips. But there is none of that here. The lyrics aim to be poignant and touching, but wind up being cheesy and, at times, very, very painful to listen to. Even the cheap, 'lyrics be damned' side of me that will occasionally listen to the cheesiest techno on the airwaves couldn't be swayed by this mess; especially since there is only one catchy track on the whole album in "One hundred years". Ultimately, the only thing Frost have going for them is Aggie Peterson's frail, wistful vocal style, which will no doubt ensure that a good percentage of the tracks on "Love! Revolution!" will get the remix treatment and earn the duo some recognition on the club scene (and possibly some revenue). In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if that might have been their sole, sorry objective all along. "Joy and creativity", my ass. Frost are only kidding themselves.
- Heinrich Souza
7
"Szklarska Poreba", the last major release by Fun invoked images in my mind of a vacation gone horribly wrong, à la "The hills have eyes", or the original "Texas chainsaw massacre". Between the distorted facial expressions on the cover art, the wild, screw-core riffs and barely intelligible lyrics sung with screaming, almost spit-inducing vocals, it isn't hard to see why. Ultimately though, the album proved much too chaotic for me to fully enjoy. Which is why I'm so pleasantly surprised by their new release, "Zu-pa!". Credit engineer Steve Albini, or a new found maturity on the part of the band, but "Zu-pa!" is a much more focused, deliberate piece of work. This time around, the mood is more sinister and still more disturbing, with the same energy of their earlier efforts. The songs feature the same vocal style and great riffs, but everything seems more deliberate, like the calm, collected mind of a cold, calculating serial killer. With songs like "Angora", "Conflictaholic" and the deliciously creepy "I've got a truck", I can't help but think of the band playing some dive in the middle of nowhere and making observations about the disturbed clientèle that frequent the place. A great sophomore effort overall, leaving me hungry for more Fun. Oh, and there's a friggin' shark on the cover.
- Heinrich Souza
6
It has snowballed in a fast way for these Norwegian lads and I understand why. In these days, when every other band out there gets their kicks playing indierock with an epic touch, Heroes & Zeros perform with an edge that stands out. Sure, they sound a lot like muse at times in their most energetic songs and the U2-influences is sometimes too obvious but, hey, that is in no way a bad thing. When a band can combine such influences with great songs, such as "The foolproof" and "Cellophane", a lot is won. In fact, the latter kind of sounds like Sparta and for that I applaud them. If this record contained more of that strong material I would reconsider the 6 out of 10 I eventually gave it. I'm not worried though; Heroes & Zeros will surely put out more of this arena rock judging by how young the band members are. Word has it that they're really good live so I'm awaiting some tour dates in Sweden to check them out. meanwhile, I will put on "Porcelain" again and I suggest that you do the same.
- Jonas Appelqvist
8
Peeling off the layers of music has always been an interesting way to evolve for a band. And it certainly feels as if Karl Larsson finally found his home musically. This, the 5th album, is simply packed with rawk that has an astounding appeal. The man knows how to write catchy songs, but this collection are his masterpiece. And speaking of catchy, "Who's on the phone?" can possibly be the catchiest song to be released this year. Other favourites are the somewhat epic "melbourne" and the sensitive and driven "Two ply glass". LDOA is a one-man project nowadays, but never is it a dull project. On the contrary, it is very much alive and kicking, something that the album title refers to. With Fredrik Granberg from Randy behind the drums and mathias Oldén from Logh on bass, it's a combo that really tightens the sound together. And once and for all; I think we can finally erase that "emo rock"-mark LDOA have been labelled with for so long now.
- Jonas Appelqvist
8
The newest from Norway's Lionheart Brothers is a sweet little pop-rockin' 10-song confection that bears a heavy Beach Boys influence (the "Smile" era of Brian Wilson and crew, that is). Everything here is bright and peppy, with horns, organ and loads of other instruments adding delightful adornments to the concise tunes. marcus Forsgren's lead vocals tend to be in the high register and they're mostly smooth as honey. The signature track is probably "Down at my place," which dazzles with a slinky mid-tempo arrangement, an infectious lead vocal and distinctive wordless backing vocals. Also stellar is "I burn myself on you," a cleverly constructed song that straddles major and minor keys in a compelling manner. Peter Rudolfsen's drumming is more than just timekeeping - there's artful intricacy in his playing. And the presence of instruments such as vibraphone, bouzouki and clavinet keeps the sound mix fresh and appealing - "Bring it down" is a good example of this. Although consistent and self-assured, one or two more really top-notch songs would have elevated this one a bit. But it's still a genuinely charming album, and I'd bet on Lionheart Brothers being one of the next Nordic outfits to gain attention stateside.
- Kevin Renick
4
Lordi would make Kiss proud. They have a restaurant, a Visa card, comics, their own cola and both a movie and a theme park in the works. And sometimes they even make music. Titles like "The deadite girls gone wild", "It snows in hell", "The chainsaw buffet", "The night of the loving dead" and "Would you love a monsterman?" say it better than anything I could write. It's cheesy, 80s heavy metal with a tongue pressed firmly in the cheek. Some of the songs are catchy. After all, it was not merely image that had them winning the Eurovision. And as a concept, Lordi is just brilliant. But the fact is that nothing on this CD is anywhere as fun or awesome as the comic I saw in Finland. The one where mr Lordi, with his powers, forces Hitler to kill himself.
- Hanzan
8
I've often wondered if the point of music is to punctuate the sprawling, sequenced moments of life, to trap memories in such a way that when we hear a song five years on from that first listen we remember the smell of a room, the clothes a girl we knew was wearing, and, most importantly, how it felt to be alive at that time and place in our lives. mixtapes & Cellmates' recent full-length seems to add weight to my idealistic, dreamer's philosophy; the first instants of "Hold" took me back to warm summer evenings in Stockholm with its wonderfully interwoven elements of magnet, Last Days of April, and the Radio Dept. This unique layering of influences doesn't detract from the distinctly original approach of the members, instead giving the compositions the ability to bring whispers of nostalgia to a recognizable volume while still etching itself into the present. mixtapes & Cellmates is a flowing expanse of youthful energy and maturely crafted songs. The production wonderfully highlights the talents of the members: electronic elements provide many of the core facets of the melodies, but without becoming annoying or distracting, providing the backdrop for the soft, yet confident vocals and lost, sprawling guitar lines. The end product is a collection of confidently written, well presented, and full-bodied songs, even in the sparser sections of compositions like "The better half of cynical boys". mixtapes & Cellmates holds as much dawn as it does early evening, giving it the versatile strengths required to be both a good summer and winter album; hopeful even in its darker moments, as I'd like to look back on these moments of youth in five years.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
8
You have a lot of choices these days when it comes to the sprawling genre oft labeled 'post-rock.' Recently mogwai have released their soundtrack to "Zidane: A 21st century portrait" and Explosions in the Sky dropped their most recent and, in my opinion, best record not too long ago. In such a niche-genre, it can be very hard to be noticed amongst the well-established champions of these cinematic, atmospheric compositions; here, it seems, Once We Were will have no problems. Given the many overlapping dynamics explored by post-rockers, there is plenty on "Contra" that can be compared with other musicians, but lazy analysis like this would only divert attention from what Once We Were excel at: crafting mesmerizing, powerful songs, and stringing so many different musical expanses together into one tapestry. Soft analog keys exists next to concise piano notes, vocals slip into the mix alongside intricate guitar work, and Once We Were make it work, make it a fluid, continuous evolution. Like a sequence of seemingly disconnected moments, "Contra" strings these quilted moments together into a coagulated being, almost more concrete being composed of linked fragments than it would be composed only of similar materials.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
6
Five albums in, you know what you're getting when it comes to Pain (Peter Tägtgren): A well-produced slice of industrial pop-metal, with some stand-out singles (this time called "Zombie slam", "Clouds of ecstasy" and "Nailed to the ground") and albums tracks of varying quality. The previous album was inspired by his collapse, death and following revival and had a real fighting spirit. This one seems mostly inspired by a divorce and is fuelled by equal parts dislike, thinly veiled hurt and a bit of misogyny. That makes for good anger, but not always good songs. The best ones are where Peter doesn't try to hide under furious riffs, but travels the lighter and poppier road. The album feels slightly split; it is like Peter is at a crossroad. He needs to decide what he really wants with Pain. Is it industrial pop-metal, or the heavier songs? Or maybe he should just do the cover album he's been talking about for so long. After all, the "Play dead" (Björk) cover on the album shows a real knack for interpreting others' works, while keeping the emotional core intact.
- Hanzan
7
Film snobs seem incapable of having a good time during fun, blockbuster films. I have friends that refuse to read anything except 'classics' or 'cult novels'. Hell, I'm not deluded enough to be unaware of the fact that I only mention certain films, texts, and music when I am trying to impress someone. But there is a place in this world for uncomplicated entertainment, there's only so many times a year that I can have life-changing realizations and pause for the subsequent self-evaluation, and Tigerbombs fills this niche very competently. Obviously influenced by party jam artistes Ceasers, and helped in their quest by Paola on a few songs, the Tigerbombs' "Things that go boom" is everything that a garage-pop album should be – entertaining, energetic and solid. The songs are very well put together, there's a lot to be said about bands who can consistently craft a three-minute pop song, and even have nice surprising elements, like the wonderful ending of "Hit the lights" that bleeds perfectly into "The winter's gone today". It's summer, you deserve some fun. Tigerbombs want to help.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
2
If only the music was original it would make up for the very 2006/7 poor Euro beat and over styling. Universal Poplab are not kitsch enough to be camp, yet still manage to make bad rainbow pop. In fact, let's just lump them in with Slagsmålsklubban, Lo-fi-fnk (yes, darlings they may be) and invite them to start a study group researching Gunther & the Sunshine Girls because on this strength this record, Universal Poplab are out sailing (and those named are a smoke and mirrors). The lyrics are as infantile as this review: "very end is the beginning of a new beginning... end is near a new beginning and it's end, going on and on and on." Horrific.
- Jason Christie
mainliners are not a new band, but their new self-titled album is the first I've ever heard of them. They're one of those rare bands who I immediately liked from just hearing a few seconds of a track on myspace.com/mainlinerssweden" target=_blank>myspace. Thankfully, the rest of the record doesn't disappoint either - this is easily some of the best Swedish rock'n'roll I've heard in ages. There's a touch of 80s LA hair-metal (think Faster Pussycat), but it's tempered with a rougher, more bluesy vibe. Think more along the lines of early Aerosmith. This particular track I've posted is one of the slower numbers. I guess you could call it a power-ballad. It certainly does have a powerful chorus, as do most of the band's songs. It's nice to hear a band with an organ player who knows how to stick to the background, too. He plays a more prominent role on other tracks, but it's not needed here, so he lays back. That's class. Excuse the hyperbole, but I won't be surprised if this ends up being one of my favorite records this year. It's not groundbreaking, but it sure sounds fresh to these tired ears.
Mainliners - Bourbon and ice
Another surprisingly good record that just came out is Sahara Hotnights's new one "What if leaving is a loving thing". I wasn't sure they were capable of a comeback, but they've gone and proved me wrong. Once you reconcile your expectations and understand that they'll never make another loud rock record like "C'mon let's pretend", you too might be pleasantly surprised. I think the band has always had pop aspirations, they've simply didn't know how to attain them. Hiring Björn Yttling to produce was certainly a big step in the right direction. He's got a great ear for arrangements and the decision to use acoustic guitar as the main rhythm track on opening number "Visit to Vienna" was certainly the right way to go. Build it up with some simple monophonic pianoline doubling the bass and throw in some hand-claps - can't go wrong. Vocalist/frontwoman maria Andersson gets a little too PJ Harvey with the caterwauling, but overall, I don't think she's ever sounded better. She has always had great attitude, there's no doubt, but she is capable of more. I guess that's what you call maturity, eh? Really well done.
Sahara Hotnights - Visit to Vienna
Familjen
Fun
Mixtapes & Cellmates
Once We Were
Universal Poplab