Paramore, after all this time I’m still into you
It seems like an obvious statement to say that the departure of Josh and Zac Farro was messy to say the least, especially when the hand’s haters snickered at their unfolding soap opera. Most other bands would collapse under pressure, but not Paramore, instead they took the opportunity to make themselves a stronger band than before.
Decent, but not enough to compensate for its awful cover
Rihanna’s last album Talk That Talk saw her play it excruciatingly safe, whereas this album sees her addressing the criticism she received for it. Unapologetic is surprisingly daring and unpredictable at its best. At its worst, it’s gimmicky, half-hearted and uneven.
Some laws are better left unenforced
Ever since they broke out back in 2001 with Origin of Symmetry, Muse have remained as one of the most spine-tinglingly brilliant bands around. So it’s a shame that despite the album’s cinematic feel and the band’s showy theatrics, it’s actually just a big empty nothing.
Pushing and shoving their way to the top
After a ridiculous eleven year-long hiatus and a solo stint from frontwoman Gwen Stefani, No Doubt have finally returned. Push and Shove will delight fans old enough to remember them, and open them up to a new generation placing them back on the mainstream scene for this decade.
Purists are gonna hate, but everyone else will love it
Ever since their experimental period with Minutes to Midnight and A Thousand Suns, Linkin Park have set out to prove they’re a band that doesn’t want to be boxed in one category. For them however, this experimentation has reaped mixed results. Living Things has everything from their four previous albums smashed together and the result is the best Linkin Park album in years.
A thousand possibilities that weren’t
Linkin Park’s equivalent of Kid A, A Thousand Suns is the band’s most challenging album yet, and as that album proved, challenge does not always equal substance. There is no denying the potential of this album, with its nuclear-apocalypse theme and unmistakable density – and while it’s an imminent improvement or Minutes to Midnight, it fails to measure up with their first two albums.
So bad it’ll make you want to fire the final shot yourself
After making two similar-sounding albums, Linkin Park have ditched their nu-metal sound for a sound that reeks of U2 or Coldplay. Don’t get me wrong, I love both those bands as well, but this is not Linkin Park. Each song on the album is either a suicidal dirge or a half-baked rant against George W. Bush. The result is an album that feels contrived and dull, and if there’s anything Linkin Park is not, it’s dull.
A more than successful expansion of Hybrid Theory
Call this album what you will, but if you ask me, Meteora is Linkin’s Park’s magnum opus. Some people may call it a retread of Hybrid Theory, but it’s an expansion of a sound rather than a rehash of one. With more focus on melody and a stronger presence of electronics, this album succeeds in avoiding sounding like a stale retread of its predecessor.
The sheer awe of this album is no theory
Each week leading up to the release of Linkin Park’s fifth album, Living Things, I’ll be posting one review each week of each of their albums leading up to their fifth on June 22. Anyways, you’ll want me to begin reviewing their first album.
During the late 90′s and early 00′s, nu-metal was what ruled the radio-waves. Linkin Park was one of the most popular bands of this genre, and easily the most successful with this album having sold 24 million copies worldwide. It’s easy to see why. With the simplicity of Mike Shinoda’s rapping style and the growling of Chester Bennington, they were and still are, a force to be reckoned with.
Indie music of epic proportions
Where can you start with a band such as Florence and the Machine…with Florence Welch’s killer voice, her nuanced songwriting, their wide range of instruments they play…well, you can start with Ceremonials, their follow-up album to Lungs. It doesn’t quite hit you in the same way Lungs does, but there is something rather special about this album nonetheless.
