Category: Pop Rock & Alternative

In Part 1, I wrote about Brett Andersen of “Suede” and “The Tears”. My guitarist Jason and I both agree that most artists gone solo are not as good as when they were with the band (with some exceptions of course) but look, not that the band “The Cranberries” was going anywhere except down. I love their first album and perhaps the second one. “Wake Up And Smell The Coffee”? Just not my cup of tea.

The first two tracks of Dolores O’Rriordan’s “Are You Listening?” are very attractive. It has all the trademarks of the early Cranberries that I like. If you are a Cranberries fan, it is hard not to fall in love with the opening tracks. The downside is, her singing has gone a bit … weird. I don’t think my bassist Cynthia can get pass some of the songs. However, one afternoon I was with my buddy Ken at Mama Africa (a pub in Raffles Place) and they were playing this album. To be frank, “Are You Listening?” is quite a good CD to play when you are chilling out with your friends. Since then I have been listening the album and somehow her singing doesn’t bother me that much anymore.

There are quite a number of good tracks inside this album … very Cranberries style. Like the songs “Ordinary Day” (featured below), “When We Were Young”, “Angel Fire”, “Ecstasy”, and my favorite “October”. All the songs are written by Dolores O’Riordan inspired by her personal life – which explains why it has a mixed of darkness (her previous band and deaths) and lightness (her new baby). Her new band – all seems to have issues of their own except one – appears to be able to play some of the very unique Cranberries tricks (especially the drum) that the resemblance is haunting. Yet this new assemble manages to breath new creativity into the songs. It is an album worth checking out … if you can get pass her new way of singing that is (more glaring from the 3rd song onwards for some I can imagine … my advice is to do a thorough sampling of the entire album).

In 1994, the British band “Suede” has given the world one good news and one bad news. Good news was that they have released one of their finest work “Dog Man Star” (written by Brett Andersen and guitarist Bernard Butler). If I was to be stationed in a remote island for a long time, “Dog Man Star” would be one of the albums that I would bring along. Songs from that album are timeless and I still enjoy listening to them whenever I am in that mood of melancholy.

That was the good news. Bad news was, “Dog Man Star” was going to be their divorce album. From then on, Suede went on without Bernard Butler and Suede was not quite the same anymore. Suede was unique to me because that was the only band that has a guitar solo track almost throughout each song. Besides this guitar solo sound, Bernard Butler has also put in layers of guitar sound to make Suede’s sound unique. Combined with Brett Anderson’s unique vocal (you either love it or hate it) and the beautiful lyrics, Suede has cursed me with this longing years after years to search for something that sounds like them.

After 11 years of waiting, in the year of 2005, Brett Andersen and Bernard Butler reunited and formed a new band “The Tears”. Old time fans like myself rejoiced. “Hear Come The Tears” – their first collaboration after “Dog Man Star” – was a critically acclaimed piece of work. To be honest, I see “Hear Come The Tears” as an extension to “Dog Man Star”, less darker, and I still prefer “Dog Man Star” hands down.

While “The Tears” may be working on a 2nd studio album, Brett Anderson has released his solo album. At first I was skeptical over his solo work. Written and produced by Anderson himself and Fred Ball, the keyboardist of the album, this solo album has brought a new sound on the table. There are still a fair amount of acoustic guitar sound by Anderson but somehow in this new album, the sound is widely varied. Those who like the upbeat old Suede sound should be able to fall in love with “Dust And Rain” immediately (though it is still a bit far from “We Are The Pigs”). The last song “Song For My Father” reminds me of “The Asphalt World” from “Dog Man Star” – both has a reasonably long instrumental piece within the song. And the lyrics of “Dust And Rain” – I am the dust, you are the rain, I am the needle, you are the vein – has a similar theme to the opening song of their reunion album “Refugees” – You are the dust and I am the rain, let’s go out in the rust and let’s gather the change.

Here is the opening track “Love Is Dead” that probably sums up what the sounds is like for this album. I think I am falling in love with Andersen’s solo piece of work. (Note: Gosh! I have finally finished writing this blog. It took me forever to listen to “Brett Andersen”, “Here Come The Tears”, and “Dog Man Star” side by side with one another.)

Question: Can anyone guess who will be featured in Part 2 and 3? (Hmmm … let’s see how many people actually read my blog and manage to read pass the first line.)

I have just purchased another batch of CDs so I better publish the reviews of the last batch fast. Expect another few on the way. Writing an album review can be at times tedious. Sometimes it takes 5 to 10 rounds for me to get into an album. Sometimes I need to refer to some of the older releases to make comparison.

Hinder is a new band from Oklahoma City and their debut “Extreme Behavior” sounds awfully like the band Nickelback. Hence, some listeners may slam it down as unoriginal though to me, while Nickelback’s song quality tends to be uneven within the album, “Extreme Behavior” as a whole sounds decent.

Again, here are the YouTube links of some of my favorite songs from the album. I bought “Extreme Behavior” because of one song – “Lips of an Angel”. If you have been listening to the radio lately, you should be able to recognize the song immediately. Follow up to that powerful slow rock is “Better Than Me”. It is hard not to love that song if you have already fallen in love with “Lips of an Angel”. Their powerful opening “Get Stoned” probably rounds up what Hinder’s sound and lyrics are all about. I especially love the video. It is hot.

Besides the not-too-original-but-yet-contagious rock sound and the frontman’s characteristic coarse voice, lyrically it is sexy and mainly talks about defunct relationship (versus Nickelback’s lyrics on defunct family). The opening song “Get Stoned” has set the tone of the entire album: Go home and get stoned cause the sex is so much better when you’re mad at me … the break up is worth the make up sex you’re giving me. Some found the lyrics of “Room 21” extremely sexy about a girl the singer picked up and what went on behind closed doors. “Lips of an Angel” is about an attached man who is still in love with his previous love: Well my girl is in the next room, sometimes I wish she was you … and I never wanna say goodbye but girl you make it hard to be faithful, with the lips of an angel. “Homecoming Queen” is a fun song: It’s been five years since I’ve seen her face, she is the holy ghost lost without a trace … Shame, shame, shame that our homecoming queen had a lot to prove and so many to please, she’s just somebody’s daughter looking for somebody to love her.

Since highly anticipated albums from bands like Linkin Park (click here to view their brand new video … what a reward for those readers who stay on reading this blog!) and Bon Jovi (click here to view their new single played in American Idol) won’t be hitting the stores till a later day, you may satisfy your craving for rock music with Hinder’s “Extreme Bahvior”.

I had no idea that the front man of Good Charlotte (Joel Madden, age 28) once dated Hilary Duff (age 19) until Cynthia casually told me over … I forgot. Anyway, it was not my intend to buy Good Charlotte’s new album – love their last one though. Cynthia wanted it because of a few catchy songs. I concur. There are a few great songs in the album though I must say, the rest are average.

What intrigued me the most is that after listening to Hilary Duff’s new album (see previous blog) and now Good Charlotte’s one, I must say that their love history has added much texture to the songs. Check this out.

Hilary Duff’s first single “Play With Fire”: (not sure if she is referring to one of her ex, Aaron Carter and the “he” towards the end is Good Charlotte’s front man … I suspect that this song was written before the break-up as she mentioned in her DVD that this song is from her previous era)

And now I hear you saying that you still adore me. But if you think I’d ever get with you again then you can just love me, love me feed the flame. If you want me back again, burn into the sky higher and higher. Baby, can you play with fire?

Ooh, by the way, by the way I’ve found someone who gives me space, keeps me safe, makes me sane. Found someone to take your place. Now I’m safe in his arms. And I decided only he can play with fire.

And in Good Charlotte’s “Victims of Love”:

In the beginning, I tried to warn you. You play with fire, it’s gonna burn you. And here we are now, same situation. You never listen, I never listen.

Everybody’s hurt somebody before. Everybody’s been hurt by somebody before. You can change but you’ll always come back for more. It’s a game and we are all just victims of love.

Here are the opening songs for both artists, the “room” is mentioned in both counts. Good Charlotte’s “Misery”:

Take a look around don’t you see it? See that you are the only real face in the room. No one here has a clue what you’re feeling. Don’t feel bad keep your sadness alive.

And Hilary Duff’s “Stranger”:

Did I ever do anything that was this cruel to you? Did I ever make you wonder who was standing in the room? You made yourself look perfect in every way. So when this goes down, I’m the one that will be blamed. Your plan is working so you can just walk away. Baby your secret’s safe.

Time to move on for the both of them? Good Charlette’s “Dance Floor Anthem”:

We break up it’s something that we do now. Everyone has got to do it sometime. It’s okay. Let it go. Get out there and find someone.

And Hilary Duff’s “Happy”:

I’m happy and I can thank myself. If it were up to you I’d be in my bed crying. But I’m happy and I know that makes you sad. After all the things you put me through. I’m finally getting over you.

Back to the review, there are a number of songs that sound distinctly different from their usual style and they actually work for me. Like their hit single “Keep Your Hands Off My Girl” (see below), you wouldn’t imagine that it is from them. And the beginning of “Victims of Love”? Reminded me of ta-Tu (in a good kind of sense). I personally don’t necessarily enjoy the vocal of Good Charlotte. With that said, there are some great catchy tones in this new album of theirs.

Before viewing the DVD that comes with the Deluxe Edition of Hilary Duff’s new album “Dignity”, the title of this blog would have been “Too Little Great Songs Too Late”. I like listening to (and writing about) artists who has a story to tell themselves. I can be both easy and difficult to satisfy. You don’t have to have a big voice like Celine Dion nor Mariah Carey (and so long as you don’t sing as repulsive as Lindsay Lohan). As long as I can hear an element of “you” inside your album, I am a happy audience.

I always enjoy listening to Hillary Duff’s music, especially her 2nd self-titled album. I like her Rock/Pop background. Though lacking of Avril Lavigne’s edge in terms of attitude and consistence song delivery within an album and even across albums, Hilary Duff does have something appealing underneath her good girl image. Something genuine. Something honest. Something that I could not pinpoint.

Then I sampled her DVD that by the way made the entire purchase worth it. The DVD came with 9 music videos that span across her career plus on top of that, an interview that lasted more than 30 minutes. It was that interview that changed my mind. Hilary is hands on with her singing career from songwriting to touring. In her mind, it is hard to relate to a song that is written by others. That, I agree totally. And in her interview, she talked about how she struggled in LA to become an artist and how she found her own manager without knowing the business at all. In a way, she has a great business mind. Leverage on her television success, she branched out into singing. Then subsequently having her own perfume and clothing line. With an earning of $15 million at the age of 18? What more do I need to say?

In her DVD, she stated that her new album is a deliberate move away from her Rock/Pop background and venture into the Pop/Dance genre. It took me a while to get used to. That is why songs like “Happy” (track 10) casts an immediate hook onto me because it is like her classic Rock/Pop genre. The last track “Play With Fire” is yet another outstanding title that I keep listening to. (Now you understand why the working title of this blog was as such).

Overall there are some good dance songs like the opening track “Stranger” (very Indian feel), “With Love” (featured below), and “Gypsy Woman”. Hilary Duff is only 20 this September and I have much faith in her.

Her 2nd single “With Love” that sums up what most of the tracks are like in “Dignity”.

Her 1st single “Play With Fire” was written before she has conceptualize “Dignity”. My 2nd favourite track from the album (my first being “Happy” that there is no video for that song). There is a remix edition on YouTube too but I prefer the original. The remix version may be appealing to some of you.