Artist: Emarosa Album: Relativity Year: 2008 Genre: Rock Label: Rise Bitrate: 244kbps [VBR] For Fans Of: Dance Gavin Dance, Circa Survive, new Norma Jean
Review: On first listen, Emarosa's second release Relativity sounds brilliant, well thought out and fills you with a sense of hope that bands can still come out with above average music in such a saturated industry. But then track 2 comes up, then track 3, and so on. Emarosa has found a winning strategy in writing a good song, but fails when looking at the whole album, as it seems they take this strategy and apply it to every single song. If twelve different people buy this album, and listen to one of the twelve tracks as the first they hear from it, they will be impressed. But it doesn't seem as though listening to the whole album is as enjoyable as it should be. Taking former Dance Gavin Dance vocalist, Jonny Craig, Emarosa have definitely formed something magical here, but the songwriting leaves something to be desired. I will say, that after many, many listens, many parts of this album stand out when they didn't before. There are some amazing melodies, and catchy hooks, but it seems as though this band has too much to say with no logical way of bringing it together. 8.5/10 -Manka Tracks: 1. The Past Should Stay Dead 2. Just Another Marionette 3. What's A Clock Without The Batteries? 4. Heads or Tails? Real Or Not 5. Even Bad Men Love Their Mothers 6. Her Advice Cost Us A Life 7. Set It Off Like Napalm! 8. Sailing In The Dark Isn't Smart Kid! 9. Pretend. Release. The Close 10. It's Cold In The Shade, Let's Move To The Sun.... 11. I Still Feel Her, Part I 12. A City Called Coma, Part II
Album Highlights: 1. The Past Should Stay Dead 2. Just Another Marionette 4. Heads or Tails? Real Or Not 6. Her Advice Cost Us A Life 7. Set It Off Like Napalm! Download: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HDPIFAXA Downloading is for sampling purposes only. If you like the music, support the damn artist.
Artist: Misery Signals Album: Of Malice and the Magnum Heart Year: 2004 Genre: Metal Label: Ferret Bitrate: 224kbps For Fans Of: Explosions In The Sky, Veil of Maya, Emmure, melodic/art metal
Review: I'll review this when I find the words to describe how much this CD means to me. Changed my life, and continues to. If I could only listen to one album, this would be it. 10/10 -Manka Tracks: 1. A Victim, A Target 2. In Response To Stars 3.The Year Summer Ended In June 4. In Summary Of What I Am 5. The Stinging Rain 6. Worlds & Dreams 7. Murder 8. On Account of an Absence 9. Five Years 10. Difference of Vengeance and Wrongs
Album Highlights: The whole goddamn album
Download: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZWH08WVG Downloading is for sampling purposes only. If you like the music, support the damn artist.
Artist: Misery Signals Album: Controller Year: 2008 Genre: Heavy Label: Ferret Bitrate: 248kbps [VBR] For Fans Of: Explosions In The Sky, Veil of Maya, Emmure, melodic/art metal
Review: I'm not going to waste your time on well thought and planned metaphors and drastic statements trying to demonstrate the importance of this album. The only thing that will allow you to experience the gravity of this CD is by you listening to it.
THIS WILL MELT. YOUR. FUCKING. FACE. OFF. 10/10 -Manka Tracks: 1. Nothing 2. Weight of the World 3. Labyrinthian 4. Parallels 5. Coma 6. A Certain Death 7. Set In Motion 8. Ebb and Flow 9. Reset 10 Homecoming
Album Highlights: The whole goddamn album
Download: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=J2SZ71QJ Downloading is for sampling purposes only. If you like the music, support the damn artist.
Artist: Blueprint Car Crash Album: Rhetoric Of A Marionette [EP] Year: 2004 Genre: Experimental Rock Label: The Militia Group Bitrate: 224kbps For Fans Of: old The Mars Volta, At The Drive-In, Cursive, Bear Vs. Shark, old Fall of Troy
Review: The debut EP from southern California natives Blueprint Car Crash is one that 96% percent of the population wrote off from the beginning that they'll never amount to anything greater than this, and they were right. Due to low funds, bad ties and irresponsible members the band only made it to another EP they split with another band, The Kirby which I reviewed previously. This EP is BCC at it's roots, five guys making music whilst showing the scene they can [and did] make more creative songs by simply having fun than almost every band in your music library did by blood, sweat and tears. It's more than apparent on your first listen that this band is having a blast in the recording studio, and if you've ever witnessed this band live before their premature demise in 2006, you could attest to this first hand. Comprised of off-tempo, but grooving drum beats, dubbed, dubbed, and overdubbed guitar tracks, a small truckload of echo and delay pedals, jazzy bass lines, and Mo Shahisaman's unique style of melodically talking/yelling his creative [and sometimes existentialist] lyrics over the rest of the band, you get six tracks that will sink in slowly over time. I have found myself listening and relistening to this EP since their last "real" tour in 2004, and I'm still finding new layers and meanings. While some songs may be hit or miss with you, you definitely have to give credit where credit is due, and these guys definitely deserve it. 9/10 --Manka
Tracks: 1. Kiss Me One Last Line 2. 12-8-80 3. Grave of Fireflies 4. Terminat Hora Diem 5. Bel-Imperia 6. Gun Moll
Album Highlights: 2. 12-8-80 3. Grave of Fireflies 5. Bel-Imperia
Download: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7118XD97 Downloading is for sampling purposes only. If you like the music, support the damn artist.
Artist: Acceptance Album: Phantoms Year: 2005 Genre: Pop Rock Label: Sony BMG Music Entertainment Bitrate: 228kbps [VBR] For Fans Of: Mae, The Audition, Cartel
Review: After their brief time together as a band, Acceptance decided to call it quits in the summer of 2006. Nothing more about this album can be said besides the fact that it's the quintessential rock album of all time [most likely], and you are doing yourself an injustice by not having it in your music library.
Tracks: 1. Take Cover 2. So Contagious 3. In Too Far 4. The Letter 5. Different 6. Ad Astra Per Aspera 7.This Conversation Is Over 8. Over You 9. Breathless 10. In The Cold 11. Permanent 12. Gloria/Us
Album Highlights: The whole album.
Download: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SWUN8Z1J Downloading is for sampling purposes only. If you like the music, support the damn artist.
Artist: Mew Album:And The Glass Handed Kites Year:2005 Genre:Rock Label:Sony BMG UK Bitrate:192kbps For Fans Of:Deas Vail, Minus the Bear, Paper Rival, Coldplay?
Review:After the huge success of their first album "Frengers," the Danish quartet Mew set out to conjure up an album capturing the weary, dream-like sounds of "Frengers," but also putting together the songs in a way that seems to tell a story. With "And The Glass Handed Kites," Mew have succeeded. It's apparent that this album was meant to be taken in during one sitting, and is nearly impossible to wrap your mind around the first or second listen through. I highly recommend putting this album on repeat an hour or so before you fall asleep. Guitar work is very reminiscent of early Dinosaur Jr. work, and the vocals have a certain, early-90's alt-rock feel. 9/10 --Scott M. Tracks: 1. Circuitry Of The Wolf 2. Chinaberry Tree 3. Why Are You Looking Grave? 4. Fox Cub 5. Apocalypso 6. Special 7. The Zookeeper's Boy 8. A Dark Design 9. Saviours Of Jazz Ballet (Fear Me, December) 10. An Envoy To The Open Fields 11. Small Ambulance 12. The Seething Rain Weeps For You (Uda Pruda) 13. White Lips Kissed 14. Louise Louisa 15. Forever And Ever 16. Shiroi Kuchibiruno Izanai (White Lips Kissed) [Japanese Version]
Album Highlights: 2. Why Are You Looking Grave? 5. Apocalypso 6. Special 7. The Zookeeper's Boy
Download: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UVFE9J0Y Downloading is for sampling purposes only. If you like the music, support the damn artist.
Artist: Veil of Maya Album: The Common Man's Collapse Year: 2008 Genre: Metal Label: Sumerian Records Bitrate: 228kbps [VBR] For Fans Of: Born of Osiris, The Black Dahlia Murder, Misery Signals Review: Upon first listen, this Chicago, Illinois band sounds very similar to neighborhood buddies Born of Osiris. There has been a heated debate between their fans as to which came first, who's truly better, etc., but what most of the fans generally see is the more active, mosh crowd being drawn to BOO, and the heavier, more artistic crowd being drawn to Veil of Maya. Their artistic side isn't really apparent until a few strong listens of their sophomore effort, The Common Man's Collapse, but when it hits you, it really knocks you off of your feet. They take the quick-stop breakbeats made popular by Born of Osiris, bring in the artistic angst of Milwaukee rockers Misery Signals, and the "falling into hell, oh my God my body is on fire" metal of The Black Dahlia Murder. 8/10 --Scott M. Tracks: 1. Wounds 2. Crawl Back 3. Mark The Lines 4. It's Not Safe To Swim Today 5. Entry Level Exit Wounds 6. Pillars 7. We Bow In It's Aura 8. All Eyes Look Ahead 9. Sever The Voices 10. It's Torn Away Album Highlights: 4. It's Not Safe To Swim Today 7. We Bow In It's Aura Download: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IR6YRI9N Downloading is for sampling purposes only. If you like the music, support the damn artist.
I'm sure most of you are just here for the music reviews, so just ignore this. I'm tired. We had a nice shindig at my place last night, and I woke up drunk. Okay. :]
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