Doves Review / Elvis Preview (Album 7)

(Doves preview here) Sorry about that last post. Didn't notice that I highlighted everything. Whatever. Anyways, the Doves album, is pretty awesome. I am going to have to say that I like it a lot. Sound-wise, it's as if Beck got together with Coldplay to make elevator music. That is not a bad thing, even though elevator music is considered...tacky? Or lame. The first 5 or 6 songs are mostly instrumental, with some singing, but the singing is used more as another sound or an instrument than actual lyrics or singing. Then with Catch The Sun (which sounds like this albums attempt at a single) the songs go to a more traditional songs with lyrics. The songs are very relaxing and have some really excellent sound to them. I liked the whole album, as I said.

Favorite songs:
     Sea Song
     Catch The Sun
     The Man Who Told Everything
     Break Me Gently

Now we head back a few decades for some more 50s action:

Album: Elvis Presley

Artist: Elvis Presley

Release Year: 1956

"This is not the holy grail.... Yet there is magic here, and plenty of it; certainly, revolutions have sprung from less. The white-boy "I'm Counting On You" and the jittery rumble through Ray Charles' "I Got A Woman" are an early one-two punch; near the end sits the definitive lonesome version of "Blue Moon." It is a landmark recording." - Will Fulford-Jones

01 - Blue Suede Shoes

02 - I'm Counting On You

03 - I Got A Woman

04 - One-Sided Love Affair

05 - I Love You Because

06 - Just Because

07 - Tutti Frutti

08 - Trying To Get To You

09 - I'm Gonna Sit Right Down (And Cry Over You)

10 - I'll Never Let You go

11 - Blue Moon

12 - Money Honey

I found another website that will let you listen to the whole album for free, chech it out (the website is in Romanian): Radio3.net

Looking forward to some classical guitar and some dashing Elvis. 

~mfm

Cocteau Twins Review / Doves Preview (Album 6)

(Twins preview here) The Cocteau Twins album is...strange. To say the least. I mean it was interesting, but I don't understand what was so special about it that I had to hear it before I die. Sound wise, it was as if the main singer for Coldplay (Chris Martin, who I love by the way) was born a girl, singing over mediocre house music mixed with some synthy-electro guitar. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I didn't really enjoy it as much as I think the authors of this book had intended. I just thought that it was 'meh'. So, needless to say there won't be a whole lot of replay value for me for this album. I will say though, that all the songs had fantastically entertaining names.

Favorite Songs

     ...
     *crickets*

The first album of the 21st century:

Album: Lost Souls

Artist: Doves

Release Year: 2000

"Appropriatley, Lost Souls contains reference points to much of Manchester's glorious musical heritage - notably the seductive melencholy of Joy Divisions and early New Order, the sparkling musicality of The Smith's, and the rhyths of early house music. (The album is dedicated to Rob Gretton, New Order's manager, who had signed Sub Sub to his label, Rob's Records.)Nominated for the Mercury Prize, Lost Souls remains one of Doves' strongest offerings, a stellar achievement from a band who had lost everything." - Peter Notari

01 - Firesuite

02 - Here It Comes

03 - Break Me Gently

04 - Sea Song

05 - Rise

06 - Lost Souls

07 - Melody Calls

08 - Catch The Sun

09 - The Man Who Told Everything

10 - The Cedar Room

11 - Reprise

12 - A House

iTunes: Lost Souls - Doves (has some extra bonus songs or whatever, I won't be acknowledging those songs in the review)
Spotify: Lost Souls - Doves

It's interesting that you can tell very obviously that "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" is very blatantly English. I haven't heard of a couple of these bands before, and looking ahead, there are a lot of English references and bands that played and developed there (England).

~mfm

Adam And The Ants Review / Cocteau Twins Preview (Album 5)

(Adam preview here) Adam And The Ants...Where to start. It's actually pretty cool. I think though, that its really one of those albums that was really really cool, and now, it is less cool. Some of the songs are really pop-esque, like Dog Eat Dog and Antmusic. Other songs seem to be a little experimental. The sound in all the songs is really cool, and is nicely combined with Adam's voice in most of the album. The tribal drums in the first song are really snazzy. I won't be listening to any of the songs I don't like probably ever again. The songs I do like though, those are pretty cool and will stick around.

Favorite Songs
     Dog Eat Dog
     Jolly Roger

Moving into familiar territory (1990s):

Album: Heaven Or Las Vegas

Artist: Cocteau Twins

Release Year: 1990

"This was the strongest and most cohesive set of songs the Twins had released since 1984's Treasure. Gone was the trademark ghostly, muted album artwork. Instead, the cover features a colorful swash of Vegas neon swirling against a deep blue and red sky. Similarly, the sound of Heaven... is warmer and more inviting." - Rob Morton

01 - Cherry-Coloured Funk

02 - Pitch The Baby 

03 - Iceblink Luck 

04 - Fifty-Fifty Clown

05 - Heaven Or Las Vegas

06 - I Wear Your Ring

07 - Fotzepolitic

08 - Wolf In The Breast

09 - Road, River and Rail

10 - Frou-Frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires

iTunes: Heaven Or Las Vegas (Remastered or something)

Spotify: Heaven Or Las Vegas

Sounds like weird 90s jam. Early, early 90s jam. So, still recovering from the 80s jam.

~mfm