Anyways, thanks to Limewire and other P2P programs being totally retarded as of late, I've had the joys of listening to entire albums since that's what downloading music off bittorrent usually comes packaged in. I must say... I'm seriously a retard for not trying it earlier. There are so many good songs you miss if you just listen to singles.
With that said, I don't have the musical jargon and/or lingo that many music reviewers use, and I could be wrong about the instruments, so expect alot of sound effects instead, like 'ding' or 'boom'. Needless to say, I'll probably only stick with reviewing stuff that I like, since there would be even more less interesting things for me to say about albums I disliked.
I thought it would be fitting to choose the first artist who got me really hooked on rock music, and it's sort of a tribute to beloved Becca, who currently is vagabonding in China.
Finger Eleven
The Greyest of Blue Skies (2000)
7 years ago... wow I suddenly feel old.
Genre:
Alternative Metal
Post-Grunge
Hard Rock
Pros?
- The background sounds supplement the staple rock instruments very nicely.
- Lead-in's to the choruses are captivating to listen to.
- Lead singer Scott Anderson's voice fits very well with the songs
Cons?
- It's a trifle over-dramatic and dark at times, but perhaps that could be because I'm too old for the teenage angst stage.
Without further ado, the songs:
"First Time"
Starts out with some synthesized garbled static, and then ala classic alt rock style, it kicks into the electric guitars/bass/drums around 10 seconds in. What I find most interesting about this song, is the optimistic lyrics in contrast to the rest of the album, which is littered in emo lyrics.
Rating: 3.5/5
"Drag You Down"
Ah yes, the nice and insane lyrics with an equally chilling melody - "It's biting it's teething it's biting I'm bleeding, It's calling it's crawling it's calling and I'm falling." Note in the last chorus at around 2:43, an eerie high pitched whistle joins in to end off the creepiest song in the album.
Rating: 4/5
"My Carousel"
I suppose if they named this song "My Merry-go-Round", it wouldn't have the same effect haha. Anyways, the most notable part of this song again is in the last chorus, where the lead singer mirrors his chorus in a ghostly echo. Seriously, if you can catch it (3:21), it's really rather creepy.
Rating: 4/5
"Sick of it All"
This song is actually one of my favorites of the album, cause lyrically, it's very easy to relate with, and it has a seriously kickass melody to boot. Besides 'Stay and Drown', this song sports one of the best intros of the album. I absolutely love how Finger Eleven uses the light xylophonish sounding instrument, while softly singing the line "are the sins getting staler." It's an awesome contrast to the rest of the song.
Rating: 5/5
"For the Ocean"
I'm not a fan of this song at all. I feel it's their weakest song of the album. The lyrics features a weak soliloquy, and the melody is dull and forgettable.
Rating: 1/5
"Broken Words"
Well, this song has the guitar solo in the middle of it going for it. Other than that, I feel it starts off too slow with no real climax in the song. Lyrically, it's obviously a break-up song, and for some reason, I'm not a fan of it in this particular song.
Rating: 2/5
"Suffocate"
Finally, back to the good stuff. I love the continual technoish 'doot doot' sound effect throughout the song. There's definitely a pattern in this album with there being a little special something in the last chorus, and it continues in this song, where a high pitched keyboard sound is going up and down notes at 2:56 all the way to the end.
Rating: 4/5
"Bones + Joints"
Solid song I guess. I'm rather sick of it myself thanks to it being overplayed on the radio a few years back. I do like the bridge though! Who doesn't like massive repetition? "I will leave you, I will leave you, I will leave you, I will leave you."
Rating: 3/5
"Famous"
Okay, I lied. This song is good, but a little bit too repetitive, at least until it hits the bridge at 2:35, where the changeover is a nice surprise. Lyrically, it sounds like a typical song that rockers come out with when they become a bit too (no pun intended) famous.
Rating: 3/5
"Walking in my Shoes"
I have mixed feelings about this one. I think this is the only song where the background synthesized sound (almost like a violin-like sound) that comes in midway through the song is really distracting and bordering on annoying. Other than that, the melody is alright, though really nothing special. Lyrical wise, it's solid though. Incidentally, this is the only song of the entire album that wasn't written by Finger Eleven.
Rating: 2.5/5
"Stay and Drown"
I'm proud to say that this album doesn't end off with a shitty song, which many albums seem to be cursed with. In fact, this song is the most moving song of the album. I absolutely adore the intro with its soft start. "Good God have I been dreaming this paralyzing feeling?" It leads extremely well over to the chorus, which is intensely expressive - 'Would you take my hand in the deepest end? Would you stay and drown with me?' His voice almost brought me to tears in that one line when I first heard this song. I would have given this song a perfect score, had it not been for the subpar bridge with its, for a lack of a better phrase, 'out of context' guitar solo.
Rating: 4.5/5
OVERALL RATING: 4/5
And as per Rachel's cleverness:
The Ittie Bittie Ditties Section
Enjoy.
