Okay, let's see...

Liked once, considered 'okay' twice: In My Head

The other two I heard are actually apparently on their last album...

Liked a lot: Noone knows
Disliked: The Sky Is Falling

I was a little underwhelmed through my first listen of Lullabies. I'd followed Queens since Rated R ("Feel Good Hit of the Summer" won me over) and Songs for the Deaf raised my expectations to an impossible-to-reach height. I'm still not crazy about "I Never Came" and "The Blood Is Love" — and "Someone's in the Wolf" drags on a bit too long — but right now I'd put the disc somewhere in my top 10.

np: Whiskeytown, "Drank Like A River"

m.lelend, I like all those songs. As I said elsewhere, I enjoy the album as some wonderful conglomeration of alternative, hard rock, pop punk and the second coming of Cream. I think it's "softer" than Songs For the Deaf, but it makes up for that by being even more melodic. Then again, I could just be full of **it.

quote:

Originally posted by mark f:
m.lelend, I like all those songs. As I said elsewhere, I enjoy the album as some wonderful conglomeration of alternative, hard rock, pop punk and the second coming of Cream. I think it's "softer" than Songs For the Deaf, but it makes up for that by being even more melodic. Then again, I could just be full of **it.

I'm not knocking it; in my inconsistently humble opinion, there happens to be a few weak moments on an otherwise fantastic album. And, like I said, it's in my top 10. Your being "full of shit" is completely irrelevant.

But you sound like a nice guy. I'll trade you my Queens of the Stone Age butcher-knife sticker for a copy of Vice and a fifth of Old Crow.

np: Super Furry Animals, "Something 4 the Weekend"

quote:

Originally posted by Bobthespirit:
Edit: And Biggles...if you think AMG never gives five stars, look at albums made prior to 1997. Just about every 'classic great' has at least 2 or 3 albums that get five stars. Also, just about every electronica artist from the early 90s has one album with a five star rating. It's only new, non-electronica stuff that's capped at 4 1/2.

Well, yeah. What I said was that they never give five stars to recent albums (ie. albums made in the past five years or so) with the strange exception of some dance/electronica albums.

I guess it's understandable that AMG doesn't want to give new albums five stars right off the bat, but what annoys me is that there isn't really any lower end of the scale. Four stars seems like a place-holder score for most new release, including some utter turd (new Sum 41 album, anyone?).

Speaking of QOTSA, though, I heard the lead single from their new album ("Little Sister", I beleive) on a music-video show a week or two ago. I've never really liked the band previously, but this sounds pretty good, and I've heard nothing but good things about Lullabies... They've managed to get me interested.

Okay...I just listened to Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine....this is far and away her best work to date. Record company needs to get off it's butt and release it...

Err...at least, some of the songs are very, very good. It is also however far and away her most difficult work...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bobthespirit,

I agree. Extraordinary Machine is definitely her best work, though it is rather arty and I don't think there is a "single" to be found on the entire album. And yes, it does take a couple listens to digest; at first it is very distancing, and then it slowly begins to grow on you. Still, it's an extremely ambitious album, one that succeeds quite brilliantly. I know it will eventually get released - I just hope it's this year. When a lot of other major artists have been releasing sub-par works this year, Extraordinary Machine is a definite standout.

Please Please Please could be a single. It's got a hook. It just wouldn't fit into any particular trend right now.

Now having listened to the whole album, I think it's one of those records where the first few songs and the last couple songs are really good, but the songs in the middle are boring.

Like Archer Prewitt.

Would it reduce my credibility to say I was looking forward to the new Coldplay album? It seems "A Rush of Blood to the Head" triggered the worst case of indie backlash in recent memory. Once it became popular/mainstream everyone pounced on Coldplay for having too little edge and being too commercial, but you can't deny they write great songs! I think the new album will be great, I think it is unfair how uncool this band has become.

Dear Paxsoprano,
Yes, yes I can deny that they write great songs.
That song called Yellow, very clever, I admit. Who else could have written a song about a color? (I think Joni tried it!) When this is accompanied by a walk along the beach in the rain, I really start to get excited.
But don't you think 'God put a smile on your face" is just a rip off of 'Everything in its right place"?...they have the same number of syllables....
Coldplay is awful, almost as awful as sitting around with Gwynethh baking heart-shaped cookies while listening to A Rush of Blood to the Head.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: The_Sprawl,

I have to say the latest Books album is their best.There is better structure and it is a easier listen for me at least.It is not my favorite of 05' but i like it.

My opinion of Coldplay: Rush Of Blood was way weaker than Parachutes. But I will still keep an eye on their next album.

Hmm, I guess I will have to respectfully disagree about Coldplay. If liking Rush of Blood to the Head makes me uncool so be it. Do you really think Chris Martin was thinking of Radiohead when he wrote God Put a Smile on Your Face? I bet many songs have seven syllables in their title...

Personally, I think taking Gwenyth shots at Coldplay sounds like Pitchfork-style journalism to me. Lots of people dug Parachutes and then they got popular and he married a movie star...now it's so cool to bash them for their popularity and his lifestyle. At least The_Sprawl criticized the music for being repetitive. That's a criticism that's not an ad hominem.

Personally, I've been on the Coldplay train for a while. I bought the UK singles (and the first record as an import!) before the album came out, and I've liked most of what they've done. I'm very psyched for the new one. I could give a good rat's behind who the singer is married to and how many copies they sell. Good music make me happy. Coldplay am good.

I'd like to poke in and mention that I didn't like Rush Of Blood because I actually didn't like the music...I guess maybe I'm a minority in that.

I think you're right about AROBTTH being worse than Parachutes. I still liked it, but it was a weaker, and less creative, effort.

I listened to Parachutes again today and found it much more boring that Rush of Blood to the Head, the songwriting much weaker. The second album's songs just seemed much more developed, more substantial.

There's one or two songs on Rush of Blood that are better than what there is on Parachutes. But...one man's 'developed' is another's 'overproduced'. And all but a couple songs on it sound exactly the same, which makes it into a tedious listen.

It's a little early to say but I think beck's guero is going to be one of the best albums of the year. I'm also looking forward to the new Weezer, even though I loathe the title-Make Believe but the new single is pretty good but its just too early to say what the best albums of 2005 are gonna be-how about most anticipated albums of 2005?

Weezer (just like Coldplay) is another one of those bands that seems to have become very uncool in recent years. Pinkerton was great, Green Album was really good, Maladroit was not so good. I look forward to new album. Guero is almost definitely on the year end top ten list, along with I'm Wide Awake It's Morning.