Pimp Your Reviews!

[Brenden]

http://www.epinions.com/content_407538273924

Turning on the Wayback Machine to review Brave Saint Saturn.

[murlough23]

Turning on the Wayback Machine to review Brave Saint Saturn.

I could never get into B.S. Squared (the music bored me), but what you've written makes me curious enough to check out their third album, should it ever actually materialize. And if it does and I end up liking it, I'll probably have to go back and digest the rest of the trilogy as well.

My latest is, as promised, a review of The Ringing Bell. Derek Webb made a short album, so those of you who think my reviews are just painfully long content summaries will get a small amount of reprieve with this one.

http://www.epinions.com/content_407712272004

[Brenden]

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=4311616&blogID=329951435

I haven't posted to my Myspace in forever, but I return to post a review of the new Steven Delopoulos album.

[danny316]

My latest is, as promised, a review of The Ringing Bell. Derek Webb made a short album, so those of you who think my reviews are just painfully long content summaries will get a small amount of reprieve with this one.

Re:your comments on "A Saviour On Capitol Hill", he framed it much differently when I saw him play it a few weeks back. He said it was a bit of a reminder to himself that we can't put hope into a politician (even his personal favorite, Ron Paul) because they can't "save" us anymore than any other man. I'm sure he put it more eloquently but I don't have the time to dig up that boot now (I'll post it here when I get the chance).

[danny316]

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=4311616&blogID=329951435

I haven't posted to my Myspace in forever, but I return to post a review of the new Steven Delopoulos album.

How did you get that?

[murlough23]

Re:your comments on "A Saviour On Capitol Hill", he framed it much differently when I saw him play it a few weeks back. He said it was a bit of a reminder to himself that we can't put hope into a politician (even his personal favorite, Ron Paul) because they can't "save" us anymore than any other man.

That's actually what I meant to say, but maybe I phrased it poorly.

[Brenden]

How did you get that?

He posted a myspace bulliten saying that anyone wanting to review the cd on their blog should email his publicist, I did and recieved the free download.

[danny316]

It figures that an offer that good would come along while I'm trying to avoid blogging. I bet they'd let Josh and Murlough in on that deal, though.

...and of course, some of us wouldn't turn down a link offered the illicit way either. It's hard not to get excited, and hey, I'd probably have a glowing review up in a few weeks anyway (I think he's the only artist that I've consistently raved about on Unfound Bloom).

[murlough23]

It figures that an offer that good would come along while I'm trying to avoid blogging. I bet they'd let Josh and Murlough in on that deal, though.

Digital release is three days away. I can wait. Better that way, so that I don't suffer the embarassment of getting it in exchange for a review that takes me forever to write.

I do have high expectations for this one, of course. If Delopoulos knocks this one out of the park, he'll be 3 for 3 on 5-star albums (counting Burlap to Cashmere's album, I mean).

[Brenden]

http://www.epinions.com/content_409337826948

Review of Loudon Wainwright's new cd.

[murlough23]

Lifehouse - Who We Are

http://www.epinions.com/content_409468571268

Remember the days when I enthusiastically reviewed albums by my favorite bands like, the week they came out? Not sure why I'm so lazy about it these days. This one took me nearly half a year to get around to writing.

[Aaron]

That link is to the review of Who We Are, not No Name Face.

[murlough23]

That link is to the review of Who We Are, not No Name Face.

Yeah, I meant Who We Are; I just typed the wrong thing because I was tired and both titles had three short words. I need more sleep.

[Brenden]

http://www.epinions.com/content_409884069508

Jars of Clay - Christmas Songs

[murlough23]

http://www.epinions.com/content_409884069508

Jars of Clay - Christmas Songs

Pretty good review, but I have two small gripes. One, when describing "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", you forgot to actually mention the title of the song, so it leads people to believe you're still talking about "In the Bleak Mid-Winter". Two, just because someone sings rapid syllables in a semi-monotone voice doesn't mean that it constitutes a "rap break". (It does sound pretty cheesy in the song in question, but you kind of make it sound a lot worse than it is by mischaracterizing it as some sort of rap thing.)

NP: "The Arsonist", Thrice

[Brenden]

Pretty good review, but I have two small gripes. One, when describing "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", you forgot to actually mention the title of the song, so it leads people to believe you're still talking about "In the Bleak Mid-Winter". Two, just because someone sings rapid syllables in a semi-monotone voice doesn't mean that it constitutes a "rap break". (It does sound pretty cheesy in the song in question, but you kind of make it sound a lot worse than it is by mischaracterizing it as some sort of rap thing.)

NP: "The Arsonist", Thrice

Oops!

I put spoken word there because it depends on who you're asking when describing that sort of thing, I've found.

[murlough23]

I put spoken word there because it depends on who you're asking when describing that sort of thing, I've found.

Spoken word is a little less likely to misrepresent what's going on there. It's still debatable, since it sounds to me like it's actually being sung, but it really isn't that big of a deal.

My main beef is with any and every spoken word element of a song being described as a "rap", because "rap" implies a certain stylistic sensibility that will easily open up an artist to be mocked (either because the listener doesn't like rap, or because they do like rap and what they're hearing is stilted and awkward when held up to the standards of a passable emcee).

NP: "The Last Time He Saw Dorie", Copeland

[murlough23]

Maroon5's It Won't Be Soon Before Long, or as I like to call it, Songs About Adam Levine Getting Laid.

http://www.epinions.com/content_410601885316

Next up: Murlough finally gets around to reviewing some Christmas music. We hope.

[Aaron]

How many stars did you give it? Epinions is a bitch and I can't see the review without logging in.

[murlough23]

How many stars did you give it? Epinions is a bitch and I can't see the review without logging in.

3, but it's really closer to 2 1/2.

I should have waited for someone to rate it before posting the link. Sorry. The deal with Epinions is that they only make content available to the public once it attains an average member rating of Helpful or above, but sometimes it can be up for a few hours before somebody reads it. Just check back tomorrow or something.

And yes, Epinions is a bitch, for a great many reasons. I've filed countless bug reports regarding CDs that are listed in their database multiple times, and yet none of those entries seem to have my review of the album tied to them, so what they've got appears to be one massive data management nightmare that nobody wants to take a crack at fixing. Because of that, my reviews (and most people's) are pretty much impossible to find through the site's search engine. So nobody'll read 'em unless given a direct link, or I get a lucky hit from Google or whatever.

[Aaron]

You're generous. The album gets 2 at best from me.

[murlough23]

You're generous. The album gets 2 at best from me.

Don't worry; I still had my fun ripping many of the songs apart.

I had a hard time giving them a straight D grade, because I still felt that the music was pretty good (they may rip other artists off at times, but they know their way around a solid, slinky pop hook), and there were one or two definite standout tracks that I didn't mind admitting I really enjoyed (particularly the one that evolved out of the song Adam did with Kanye West). It's definitely a borderline C-/D+, though.

[Aaron]

If Adam Levine didn't write their songs, I'd be more than willing to give them a higher score.  He is such a douchebag, though.

[murlough23]

If Adam Levine didn't write their songs, I'd be more than willing to give them a higher score.  He is such a douchebag, though.

I try to separate an artist's personal life from the content and performance of their recorded work. Unfortunately, a lot of his songs are about him being a douchebag, so in this case it is rather difficult to separate the two.

NP: "Hand", Jars of Clay

[Aaron]

I try to separate an artist's personal life from the content and performance of their recorded work. Unfortunately, a lot of his songs are about him being a douchebag, so in this case it is rather difficult to separate the two.

NP: "Hand", Jars of Clay

I wasn't even talking about his personal life since I know nothing of that aspect.  He's just a douchebag in my eyes because of his lack of intelligence when writing songs.

[murlough23]

He's just a douchebag in my eyes because of his lack of intelligence when writing songs.

True enough, though he has written the occasional song that proves he can tackle the subject with a little more thought than he usually puts into it.

[murlough23]

The longest wait for me to weigh in with my opinion on a new Jars of Clay album is finally over.

http://www.epinions.com/content_410926616196

(You might have to wait a few hours longer if you're the first one to get there and you don't have an Epinions account. Sorry.)

[danny316]

...and you even raved about it! So much for not being a raving fanboy.

I agree with nearly all of your complaints, but thought that the back half of the album seemed to drone on. Maybe I should try taking those ones out of context to see if they come out any better without sluggish pacing.

I heard a guy on NPR who was asked to review this after having not heard from Jars since "Flood" hit. The poor guy thinks they're just an awful arena act. I would have written him to recommend a more worthwhile Jars record, but apparently they don't list e-mail addresses for their on-air people.

"Hibernation Day" is easily the best original Christmas tune of the year, though. Did you get a chance to see that TV special they did, btw? Dan has a giant drum he plays during LToB and "Drummer Boy". It makes both stand out a bit more (of course, LToB is still bizarre...)

Can we at least agree on this being their worst record? I expect the next to be better, even if they don't bring some of the sounds I liked more from them...

[murlough23]

...and you even raved about it! So much for not being a raving fanboy.

I raved about the parts of it that I actually enjoyed. I don't think raving fanboys would be so critical of the low points, though.

I agree with nearly all of your complaints, but thought that the back half of the album seemed to drone on. Maybe I should try taking those ones out of context to see if they come out any better without sluggish pacing.

Taken all together, that can be a problem, but nearly each one of those tracks is so well constructed that I find myself not minding - at least, no more than I do on a Sufjan Stevens record. "Winter Skin" is the only one of those that goes on longer than it seems like it needs to.

I heard a guy on NPR who was asked to review this after having not heard from Jars since "Flood" hit. The poor guy thinks they're just an awful arena act. I would have written him to recommend a more worthwhile Jars record, but apparently they don't list e-mail addresses for their on-air people.

I'd expect NPR, since they often highlight music that is off the beaten path and that doesn't quite have the same "buzz" behind it, to be a little less harsh on a band for not having a big string of mainstream hits. Some bands have niche audiences. Doesn't NPR understand this?

"Hibernation Day" is easily the best original Christmas tune of the year, though.

Probably one of the best ever, but then, I tend to get diminishing returns with most of those.

Did you get a chance to see that TV special they did, btw? Dan has a giant drum he plays during LToB and "Drummer Boy". It makes both stand out a bit more (of course, LToB is still bizarre...)

TV special? In what weird universe are these guys actually on TV?

Can we at least agree on this being their worst record? I expect the next to be better, even if they don't bring some of the sounds I liked more from them...

"Worst" is a weird qualifier to use for a record that I'd still consider to be worthy of a "B" grade. But it's probably the one that I'll listen to the least, just due to the content.

NP: "Rain Down", Delirious?

[danny316]

I raved about the parts of it that I actually enjoyed. I don't think raving fanboys would be so critical of the low points, though.

The overall rating seemed a bit high, and you forgave quite a few of the low points in the end (50 cents for OLtB? That weird 4/4 version of "Christmastime is Here" getting a pass?)

I'd expect NPR, since they often highlight music that is off the beaten path and that doesn't quite have the same "buzz" behind it, to be a little less harsh on a band for not having a big string of mainstream hits. Some bands have niche audiences. Doesn't NPR understand this?

I don't think they were harsh because of a lack of hits. Hits do breed familiarity though, and it's easy to see how someone not familiar with Jars' catalog could come to that wrong impression. As much as Jars have proven themselves, they've consistently had a hard time getting attention from the sort of music critics that have clout with NPR and other such elitest outlets. A lack of fair reviews being available translates to a lack of attention from other critics and such - and NPR does seem to be particularly conservative with endorsing artists (usually things get to be Pitchfork and Starbucks approved first).

How Sufjan managed to escape the Christian ghetto first, I'll never know. Maybe critical attention counts more than I thought and writing accessible songs counts less than I thought in getting stuff out to music fans.

Probably one of the best ever, but then, I tend to get diminishing returns with most of those.

Where's that guy who used to post here and complain about Mariah Carey not being respected here? This is his cue. I'd consider "All I Want For Christmas is You" to be a modern classic too.

"Hibernation Day" could probably work fairly well for most of the winter though (I'd have to double-check the lyrics, but I think they're not Christmas-specific), so it probably stands an even better chance. You know, if anyone ever hears it.

I don't think we can really talk about "best ever" original Christmas songs. All of the old standby and hymns were originals at one point or another.

TV special? In what weird universe are these guys actually on TV?

You'd be surprised how many crappy religious channels and niche music channels you can access when your family has a ridiculous cable plan. This got a bit of hype at Jarchives and the Jars News Blog, so I guess this particular one was a fairly easy-to-get channel. Apparently some of the highlights from the special are on that USB drive promo they're running.

"Worst" is a weird qualifier to use for a record that I'd still consider to be worthy of a "B" grade. But it's probably the one that I'll listen to the least, just due to the content.

I still don't get the B grade here. It sounds like an uneven mess that would have a hard time standing on it's own next to Furthermore. It actually frightens me a bit that this is the record they've waited for years to make.

[murlough23]

The overall rating seemed a bit high, and you forgave quite a few of the low points in the end (50 cents for OLtB? That weird 4/4 version of "Christmastime is Here" getting a pass?)

Ultimately, I liked the weird 4/4 version of "Christmastime Is Here". And while I disliked what they did to OLtB, I still liked the music, so that gave it a mildly positive balance even if I think it would have been better with the original melody. My rating is consistent with my reaction to the individual songs; it obviously isn't consistent with yours, but then it isn't your review.

I don't think they were harsh because of a lack of hits. Hits do breed familiarity though, and it's easy to see how someone not familiar with Jars' catalog could come to that wrong impression.

Sometimes I think they'd get fairer treatment from the mainstream if "Flood" had never happened. The reaction would be "Oh, who's this?" rather than "Oh, one-hit-wonder flailing to keep their career alive."

How Sufjan managed to escape the Christian ghetto first, I'll never know.

He was never in it to begin with. He started his career on his own terms; some of the CCM fans found out about him later, but even now, it's not like he's a part of CCM in anyway, even if he's managed to garner some interest (and even wield some stylistic influence) in CCM circles.

Maybe critical attention counts more than I thought and writing accessible songs counts less than I thought in getting stuff out to music fans.

"Accessible" changes constantly based on the types of music you're used to. Insofar as it means "writing instantly catchy songs to snag he average radio listener", I don't think that was ever Sufjan's goal in the first place.

Where's that guy who used to post here and complain about Mariah Carey not being respected here? This is his cue. I'd consider "All I Want For Christmas is You" to be a modern classic too.

Hmmm, sounds like something Andree might say.

"Hibernation Day" could probably work fairly well for most of the winter though (I'd have to double-check the lyrics, but I think they're not Christmas-specific), so it probably stands an even better chance. You know, if anyone ever hears it.

I'll still be loving that one in January. Not that it ever snows here regardless. But it gets cold and stuff.

I don't think we can really talk about "best ever" original Christmas songs. All of the old standby and hymns were originals at one point or another.

Excellent point. I guess I'm talking about the ones that haven't become "standards", that were written by the artist who performs on the album.

I still don't get the B grade here. It sounds like an uneven mess that would have a hard time standing on it's own next to Furthermore. It actually frightens me a bit that this is the record they've waited for years to make.

I guess I don't count Furthermore as an album proper, but if I did, that would definitely be at the bottom of the stack. Christmas Songs, with one or two exceptions, doesn't disappoint on the same "most of these songs were better before" sort of level. It took some getting used to, and I wasn't too thrilled with it at first, but as with all things Jars, further listening revealed the sweet spots. And I don't find it to be uneven, once you get past those first few tracks. The fact that the back half is mellow and lacking in upbeat tunes actually works in the album's favor - it doesn't jolt you out of the reflective mood that the album has established.

You're welcome to disagree and say that you would have reviewed it differently, but I do feel that my review supports my rating.

[murlough23]

Continuing on the Christmas theme, here's my review of Relient K's Let It Snow, Baby... Let It Reindeer.

http://www.epinions.com/content_411863125636

Christmas will have come and gone by the time I write my next review... but it will still be a review of a "winter-themed" album. Stay tuned.

[murlough23]

I'm gonna get started on some of my 2007 reviews that I put off soon (Thrice, Falling Up, Steven Delopoulos, and especially Radiohead), but first, here's a review of Bjork's Vespertine.

http://www.epinions.com/content_414269214340

[Ian]

I wrote this review a year and a half ago, but I'll post it anyways.

http://www0.epinions.com/content_414503177860

I'm hoping to eventually do one for National - Boxer, Radiohead - In Rainbows, Ulver - Shadow of the Sun, and maybe Kid A.

[spacebrat311]

http://thecornerdorm.blogspot.com/2008/01/bedlam-in-obscure-words-with-religious.html

The Mars Volta- Bedlam in Goliath.

I am attempting to get on my school newspaper doing reviews, so I will hopefully be posting reviews more frequently from now on.

[bloop]

I'm having a hard time getting into the new Mars Volta album so far.  I know intellectually that the pieces are technically difficult to play and construct, but it all comes together to sound like a mess to these ears so far.

[spacebrat311]

If you were able to eventually make that leap with De-loused or Frances, then it will probably eventually work out for you.

[murlough23]

I'm having a hard time getting into the new Mars Volta album so far.  I know intellectually that the pieces are technically difficult to play and construct, but it all comes together to sound like a mess to these ears so far.

The difficulty of playing a piece, the artistic credibility of a piece, and the accessibility/enjoyability by the audience are often three very different things.

[bloop]

I haven't listened enough to say that my final thought is that it's a mess, but that's where I am after only 1 listen (and it isn't like I can't enjoy a bit of messiness).

I probably shouldn't feel like complete crap when I try putting it on next time.

[spacebrat311]

I haven't listened enough to say that my final thought is that it's a mess, but that's where I am after only 1 listen (and it isn't like I can't enjoy a bit of messiness).

I probably shouldn't feel like complete crap when I try putting it on next time.

Mars Volta albums take me a notoriously long time to get into. This one had the fastest growth of any Mars Volta album for me so far, (about 4 listens through before I was able to really get a feel for it) but that may have more to do with the fact that I'm getting used to their approach more than it has to do with this album being somehow more accessible.