3 comments about Antichrist.

1. I discovered this band with the release of "Words that go unspoken" and was changed, I now own their entire catalog sans one album... Comparing the experience to the first time I heard TOOL in high school and that band almost making all other rock bands obsolete. Same in the sense that I have grown into heavier things, but music for me has got to be something that you can bite and will bite you back and this band, if you let it, can and will make all other Death Metal bands seem obsolete. Now I love bands like cannibal corpse and Nevermore, but when bands get TOO technical I get lost and forget why the hell I'm listening to this music in the first place (bands like Dillinger escape plan and cryptopsy come to mind, but that's not to say they aren't extremely talented musicians and that I do enjoy a few of their songs, i'm just using them as a reference and also saying basically that I still appreciate the power of great song writing, arrangements and of course RIFFS, let alone the lost art of writing an album you can LISTEN TO ALL THE WAY THROUGH and as soon as it's done want to press play all over again!! But when bands get "Technical" in the sense of making the music progressive but still show you a song structure, then that's when you got me, like with say Mastodon... Now, when a band such as Akercocke comes along, with so much damn talent oozing from them and songs that leave you're jaw hanging open like you've had too much thorazine but yet you're still helplessly head-banging and air-guitaring like an idiot all over the place, let alone, as a musician find yourself inspired like you've never been to explore new territory with your instruments, well, bands like this are few and far between my friend. While wishing them great success, I'm also kind of glad they aren't everyones favorite band yet, just makes it all the more devilishly sweet. All hail AKERCOCKE!!!



2. First of all I am a new fan of Akercocke. Antichrist is the first cd of their's that I have purchased, and after just a couple of listens, I went and bought Akercocke's whole catalog of cd's. Akercocke is a wonderful blend of different types of metal. The main theme in the music is of course Satan, but this is a blend of Death, Progressive, and Black metal! I guess the best way to describe Akercocke is Opeth with Satan thrown into the mix except only much better. Favorite songs: Axiom, My Apterous Angel, and The Dark Inside.



3. I was anticipating this album for a long time although I was also worried that it might be a letdown. I had kept up with the bands teasers and youtube updates and some elements (including the title Antichrist) seemed sort of slipshod.
   
   I'm happy to say that the album is ultimately not a disappointment, its dark, brutal, progressive, all the things I love about AK. That being said there are a few things I don't like:
   
   The production on this album is crap. Its strange because it seems like their production got worse from their previous albums. When the first actual song, Summon the Antichrist, begins you hear a rapid drum fill that leads into a blast and distorted guitars. Its SUPPOSED to sound really explosive and crushing, except it doesn't because the drums sound like a cheap electric kit (they didn't even use a real bass drum according to the video logs) and the guitars sound like sludge with no punch whatsoever.
   
   Furthermore, there are very noticeable messups on this album. The most noticeable is during Axiom with the clean acoustic guitars over a blast beat. Its a wonderful concept which is ruined by David Gray flamming all over the place with his kick drum. Couple this with Jason Mendonca's singing (this guy needs to train his voice, every album when he sings clean he is always straining and off pitch)and you have several periods of wincing while listening to the album.
   
   Still all the problems dont change that this album is absolutely killer and a complete headtrip. The prog concepts and songwriting (minus the lyrics) are ingenious. Atmospheric doesn't even begin to describe the experience and it is quite a dark experience.
   
   Best song: My Apterous Angel

5 comments about The Curse of Zounds.

1. This is a semi-discography cd compiling all of the Zounds material from the 80's including their full length and EP's. Zounds have come out with 2 EP's in the 00'S that are not included on here. With that said, the Zounds fell under the punk umbrella with their political lyrics however they are much more talented than your average punk band. Their witty lyrics, twangy guitars and Steve Lake's unique vocals made them stand out. It is much easier to describe the Zounds by what they are not. For those who have never heard the Zounds, they are not fast or loud. So if you're looking for a Crass "feeding of the 5000", this is not it. I would say being this is a semi discography the Zounds started to go pop and new wavey on the later tracks. Still great music and lyrics just headed in a different direction. This is a must have!



2. To pigeonhole Zounds as merely 'punk' doesn't do them justice.
   They were unafraid to experiment at a time when punk was beginning to stagnate.They wore their hearts on their sleeves, lyrically and artistically.More subtle than Crass, but just as powerful, this album has been an 'underground' classic for almost 25 years.Just buy the damn thing will ya!!



3. Zounds were noticably different than the rest of the Crass circuit, yet had the same punk ideals, and a depressed, driving jangly, new-wavish sound to boot. All the songs on this record form a block of strong central themes and it flows with a great concept. The songs are catchy, and make the whole record worth listening to, and the cover is one of my favorites that I've seen. The "fear is a bum thing, a silly and a dumb thing, but it can be the one thing that kicks us in the dark" sticks long after the album is over. They claimed that "there's a new band every week," and it remains true decades later, but Zounds were not just another band. These guys counted for something, and this excellent record is proof. I say give it a listen.



4. By this if you're wanting some nice punk-ish rock w/ some dance beats on par w/ gang of four and similarly conscious lyrics. I love this record.



5. I meet alot of people who just say punk rock is awful and never even listen to it. These are the same people who listen to U2 and REM. I think this album is the a work of art that even the punk rock haters of the world could enjoy maybe even learn to love so buy this album now... right this instant... I mean it! This is one of my favorite albums and I like to think I have pretty eclectic musical tastes.

No comments about Sowing The Seeds Of Love.

5 comments about Halber Mensch.

1. This is a varied and representative Neubauten album, to me, from what are now the "early years." I was lucky enough to see EN at both the old 9:30 club in DC (1990? 1991?) and with Frontline Assembly and Cabaret Voltaire in New York (summer 1991). It was great but I was disappointed that they didn't drill thru the stage with a jackhammer like they did at the old Limelight (yes?) earlier in the decade.
   
   I just picked up the 1995 Thirsty Ear CD release, and to me it sounds a bit "improved" from my previous version (vinyl). I can't find any info to back this up, though, and I guess the "official" remastered version was released in 2002. Maybe my vinyl (and the tape copy I made) was a little thrashed. As my other reviews (Megadeth "Peace Sells...") show, I am very wary of remasters/remixes.
   
   I understand that this 1995 release is not the version of the album I should buy to give the band some cash; my apologies.



2. Some Bizarre does NOT pay royalties to Einstuerzende Neubauten. If you buy this album absolutely none of your money goes to the band. You may as well just download it - it's stealing from the artists either way.
   
   Any EN album or DVD with "Some Bizarre" or "Cherry Red" or "Thirsty Ear" on it is a release that is not authorized by the band.
   
   Some Bizarre are reissuing EN's albums because band authorized reissues, remastered and in digipaks, have been available for several years. Some Bizarre's old editions looked shabby next to the official ones, and they are now trying to catch up and fool you into buying their editions instead. They have even tried to sue EN out of the rights to publish their own music, but were not successful. Rightfully so!
   
   If you get any enjoyment at all out of EN's music, please make the effort to buy albums that will benefit the band. Who should get your money - the people that actually made the music, or a record company who cheated them?
   
   If you can see "Freibank", "Potomak", "Indigo", or "Mute" on an EN release, then this is authorized by the band.
   
   Five stars for the album, 0 stars for this edition.



3. Not quite as strange as Throbbing Gristle, but this industrial German band create songs with fast beats, lots of noise and weird squealing vocals. Theres one point on the album where the dude sings a note that sounds like fingernails scratching a chalk board..yikes.
   
   I not much of a big fan of noise music like this, but it's not bad. I really love the song 'Sand', because it's completely different fom the rest of the songs, and it's also funny and sarcastic. I prefer this album much over their newer Perpetuum Mobile, which I thought was boring elevator music crap.



4. Apparently, someone in the small batch of reviews for this special little treasure box of a Teutonic industrial explosions, believed that this was entirely meant to be taken seriously.
   These symphonies of cacophanous organized chaos (the best description I can find lies in this paradoxical statement) have been close to my heart ever since I first listened to the samples provided here. As a child I had thought that it would be just dandy if someone had the patience to arrange as many loud, destructive noises as possible into such an impressive song cycle.
   Blixa Bargeld possesses the most surprising vocal assortment of almost any male performer I have ever heard....Unbridled precision and ungodly high-pitched caterwauls unfolding like a nightmare that you end up remembering with fondness because it was so enjoyable trippy.
   Best of all, none of this comes off as particularly self-conscious or posing. Its waves of bludgeoning interlace like the disarmingly engaging factory/messhall/bulldozer choral riot instead of a forced concept. The rather awkwardly translated lyrics are also particularly accute, laced with the naturally twisted wit missing in so much music lazily piled under the "Gothic/Industrial" section of your local CD store.
   In short, this is meant to be a sensory impact to all our reactive impulses; some will dig it, some will not--But they have been bludgeoned all the same!



5. If you plan to buy this album, please don't buy the version distributed by Thirsty Ear/Some Bizarre Records. The company has never paid the band for its recordings, and NONE of your purchase price will go to the creators of this exceptional music.

   Another version is available through Indigo Records, and the group does get paid for those copies.

2 comments about Takeover.

1. 999 was always more than just three chords. They were three chords plus some interesting tasty fills from all players. The lyrics were always funny. This album has their simplest stuff ever with hardly anything to spice up the mix. I know punk is supposed to be low budget, but this is totally off the cuff. Way too repetitive. No spark. The guys sounded much better 25 years ago. I don't know what happened to Jon Watson, but he needs to TAKEOVER the bass duties again. I hate that tinny, metallic sound. Guy, please play louder than the bass player! Credit Nick Cash who, even though he's breathless most of the time, is in there pitching. The first few cuts but are OK but the rest is lame.



2. After releasing some bad albums in the late 80's ("Face to Face" and "13th Floor Madness") Nine Nine Nine are back with this blistering release. This is a collection of straight forward classic punk rock jewels ! If you like their early stuff ("Homicide", "Hit me", "Titanic Reaction" etc.), then you will love this album. This is what punk rock should sound like !

1 comments about Send a Message.

1. This CD rocks! I bought it 3 weeks ago and it still hasn't come out of my player yet!! It merely goes from the car player to the home stereo, that's the only rest this one gets! It's punchy, it's passionate, it's raw and alive like great music (specifically punk!) should be!! This is a MUST HAVE for any fan of punk music! It is well thought out, great lyrics, guitar/drum syncopation like it's supposed to be done! I have nothing bad to say about this one....with the exception that I just kept wanting more of it at the end of it. Thankfully my CD players will keep playing it for me...front to back this is one kick ass winner!!

3 comments about Man-Amplified.

1. Don't get me wrong, Kraftwerk is a revolutionary band and all, but for overall musical enjoyment I prefer Clock DVA. Man-Amplified is an amazing showcase of electronic synths, samples, and beats. Tracks like Bitstream and Man Amplifier are simply amazing. The sounds on this album will make your ears spin. Out of all thier records, Man-Amplified is the most accessible and beat oriented. It is my favorite Clock DVA album because it is more robotic and technological in nature compared to the brooding(and somewhat tedious) Buried Dreams and the classic retro funk of Advantage. The album that came out after this one called Sign is really great too and has the same feel as Man-Amplified. I recommend all four albums just mentioned, but stay away from the more experimental albums like Thirst, White Souls In Black Suits, and Digital Soundtracks because they are ominous to the point of boring and have little to no redeeming musical value. But anyway, Clock DVA took the art form that Kraftwerk created to the next level. This release is classic and always will be. If you are looking for a retro album with all the classic blips and digitized synth sounds of the 80's then this is for you. A must have album in the electronic genre.



2. I own hundreds of cds, vinyl, etc., and I must say...this Clock DVA release stands the test of time (pun intended).
   Tracks such as Man-Amplified (utilizing samples from THX-1138) and NYC Overload continue to overwhelm me with their mysterious beauty. Even at their most commercial (i.e. bpm-dance oriented) as on Bitstream, they have not compromised their artistic vision one bit (stream). This disc sits squarely in my all time top 10. Absolutely recommended. If you like Kraftwerk or Cabaret Voltaire, this is an essential purchase. Prepare to be transported.



3. Engaging effort, with some of the best vox samples I've ever heard. Electro-Mechanical-Chemical-Organic-Industrial music for the well-oiled 21st century cyborg.

2 comments about Crazy Peoples Right to Speak.

1. This album has its moments (Do I, Rivers & Sit Down And Shut Up), but the first single (Shouldn't Do That) is king here... I bought the maxi back in 1985 (think it was october or so) and was stunned by the way Kaja(GooGoo) used the snare drum machine. The synth is also good. A logical follow-up on Islands the year before. I think the band was good also without Limahl, but more as a rock band. With Limahl, the band was more poppy. Maybe it was a better idea to stick with the name KajaGooGoo. Its understandable that the band split up after this album. Most fans 'forgot' about it (maybe because the name change?!) and that was also a reason why the album didn't sell well enough. If you like synthesiser/new wave music from the 80's. this is something for you!



2. Kajagoogoo's creativity obviously peaked on their first two albums as you can tell they were losing steam with 'Crazy Peoples Right to Speak' Or it could be that with the loss of the original lead singer Limahl after the first album and another member after the second, they didn't quite have the "personnel" to keep the Goo Engine running strong, so to speak. Nevertheless, I still like this album, but it doesn't stand out as well as "White Feathers" or "Islands" The melodies and hooks just aren't there like they were for the first two.

3 comments about Cost of Loving.

1. Probably the weakest of the Style Council's albums, but it does have some good points. "Walking the Night" evokes a feeling of tramping dark, lonely streets in the wee hours; the title track is quite good as well. The main problem with the album is the much larger inclusion of Dee C. Lee. I'm sorry, but her voice has never sat well with me, and it's never more apparent why than on this album. She has a very generic, un-interesting voice. There is no oomph, nothing special about it. It's much better suited to singing in a chorus than dueting or taking lead. "A Woman's Song" evokes nothing in me, because her voice has no feeling to it, even though the lyrics are fantastic. Also, "Angel" has such a gorgeous melody, but her voice completely ruins it. She's trying too hard to sing out of her range, which isn't that great to begin with. I know she was Mrs. Weller for a time, but certainly was never his equal musically.



2. The Cost of Loving is widely regarded as The Style Council's worst album. Compared to the rest of the group's catalog, this is a fair assessment. However, many folks feel the need to dismiss the album altogether; this is too bad, because, though the album is decidely flawed, there really are some fine songs to be found here.
   
   The first problem with the album was the timing of its release. Unlike the previous TSC albums (including the US mini-LP compilation, Introducing The Style Council), which had come out in either spring or summer, The Cost of Loving came out smack in the middle of winter. The overall sound of the album seemed to reflect this, lacking the spirit of its predecessors.
   
   It was also the first Style Council album to boast a proper band lineup, whereas the group had previously been Paul Weller and Mick Talbot with an ever-shifting cast of Honorary Councillors. Only the group's decision to bring in different people (among them Curtis Mayfield) to mix each song was in keeping with this tradition.
   
   As far as the songs go, the only serious misstep is "Right to go", ruined by some embarrassing (and dated) "rappin" by The Dynamic Three. However, the title track suffers from a needlessly clunky arrangement (a much-improved, re-recorded version was released later that year as the b-side of "Wanted"), "Angel" is a bit lackluster sounding, and "Waiting" was Weller's first single in many years to miss the UK top 40. But, not all is lost...
   
   "It didn't matter" was the biggest hit from the album; though slightly droney, its passion carries it through. The real highlights of the album, in my view, are "Heavens above" and "Fairy tales". Not only do these two songs come the closest to achieving the soulful sound TSC appeared to be striving for, but they're also the most passionate songs on the album - not to mention the most political. Additionally, "Fairy tales" (politics aside, a party tune) was mixed by the great Curtis Mayfield.
   
   Rounding out the album are the lurvely, romantic "Walking the night", and the so-called 'hidden track' (it wasn't listed on the UK LP) "A woman's song", a stinging piece based on a children's lullaby.
   
   Could this have been a better album? Sure. But you'd be missing out if you were to ignore it...



3. The Style Council is one of my favorite bands of all time, however this album is a complete misfire. Heavily produced forgettable songs fill the disc. The only one worth listening to is the title track, and it's decent at best. Every other Style Council album is good to fantastic, peaking with the live album Home and Abroad. The band was revolutionary and underappreciated, especially in the U.S., so buy everything else they produced first and consider this CD only to say you have the complete collection.
   P.S. I saw Paul Weller at The Wiltern in Los Angeles last night and it was fantastic. The Style Council and Jam tunes were the highlights but the solo songs were good too.

5 comments about Strangelove.

1. When I think about Depeche Mode, this is the first song that comes to my mind. It's not a surprise, since Strangelove was the first song from them that I heard, many years ago.
   
   Because of this song I become a DM fan and today I own all of they albums and almost all the singles... But, this one will be always on the top. You can find many Strangelove versions and remixes, but believe me, the best ones are reunited here (except for the amazing, more darkly and slow-paced Album Version from "Music For The Masses").
   
   Definitely, this CD is a worth buy.



2. I am not much on buying individual tracks, as I either go for the album or hold out for inevitable "Greatest Hits" collections. "Strangelove" is one of my exceptions to the rule. I own this primarily for the "Pain" remix, which I humbly believe is better than the original (and I usually loathe remixes). The only other DM single I wish I could get would be the original maxi-mix of "Behind The Wheel/Route 66" that early promo versions had combined as one great song.



3. This song was already great when first released, but when the version that the single CD has was even better. It was like one of those songs that when you hear it on the radio, you still turn up the volume :o)



4. "Strangelove" is one of the greatest songs by Depeche Mode (which tranlates to Fast Fashion in French). It is dark and sexy, with lyrics about love, devotion, S&M/B&D, submission, all without sounding pretentious or silly for that matter. There are some dope remixes, my favorite being the Maxi mix. The Blind Mix is cool as well. The piano heavy instrumental "PIMPF" is also on here, along with a few other mixes that are decent. Chow!



5. Strangelove is one of my absolute favorite cd singles, if not the best. My favorte remix on this cd is probably #3, the maxi-mix. It goes about a minute and a half before starting the real song. I also like the 'Midi mix' where they use the synthesiezers, I think, and go like that for about a minute and a half also with no singing. Oh yeah, there is also a song called 'Agent Orange' and it sounds really cool. I get chills every time I listen to it. There is no singing on this track either, but it's so good that you really don't mind. I am not VERY fond of 'Pimpf', but I listen to it all the time, including 'Fpmip' where it's like they play it backward. I love the 'blind mix' of Strangelove. It goes sort of fast and out of control, as if they're really blind!!! The pain mix is totally awesome bacase it has a lot of bass, so you can jam to it easier. I have been a Depeche Mode fan since I was around 7 or 8, and I'm almost twelve ( my birthday is May 26, I like to make it known...) Anyhow, this was the first single I have ever bought from any music group. I was very impressed with the very sleek way they remixed all the songs. I was so curious about other singles because I became addicted to this one. If you don't know what the lead singer, Dave Gahan, sounds like, let me just say that I think he has the most pleasant voice of anyone. I also think he is cute!! The Backstreet Boys are nothing compared to him!!! I really suggest going out and buy it.