http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Thu, 31 Jul 2003 09:27:10 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/07/31/092710.php Amber NussbaumAmongst the dust and sweat and free macaroni and yoo hoo, I did manage to see a few bands at the Vans Warped Tour this year.Of note:S.T.U.N. surprised the heck out of me. I expected the usual Warped Tour-ish punk band, but got something completely different. I guess I could call it art punk. I wasn't terribly impressed with their recorded material, but live they just killed. The guitars worked together to push out something reminiscent of the old school punk sound combined with new power rock or something like that. The drummer totally abandoned all sanity and just went crazy, knocking over equipment throughout the whole set. The vocals barely held everything together and had a sense of urgency about them that made you sit up and listen. They closed out their set with a cover of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall," and by the end of the set, the guitar was thrown to the ground, the vocalist left the stage in a fury, the bass was upside down on top of the bass amp, sending waves of feedback throughout the auditorium, and the drummer was left with nothing but a kick drum and a floor tom, while the remainder of his equipment was scattered around the stage. It was pretty intense to say the least. I'd recommend seeing these guys, and give their CD another listen while you're at it.Andrew W.K. was pretty crazy as well. He had this amazing rapport with the crowd, and could basically make them do whatever he wanted, from yelling, "woooooooohuhhhhhh!" to jumping up and down, to dancing like a crazy person. It was like being at a really wild Tony Robbins seminar or something. He just pumped up the crowd and talked about fun and how awesome the day was. I was into it.Glassjaw was a little disappointing this time around, although the vocalist did mosh onstage to his own band playing behind him. And that rules.Poison the Well played a couple songs off "The Opposite of December" and that made me a happy girl. Their newer, melodic stuff I could care less about. But the old stuff did bring out the hardcore kids and there was much dancing and kicking and sweating and good times.The All American Rejects were pretty great. The crowd was nuts for them and during the last song, there was a very exciting moment when a girl crowd surfed up to the front of the stage, and grabbed the singer by his neck and finished up the song with him, floating on top of the crowd. I was stoked for her.It was a great day overall. Warped Tour is decent this year, and there are a lot more bands we missed seeing. Go catch a date and check out these bands if you can.For more reviews, photos, news, useless opinion and scene drama, go to www.myaimistrue.com. Music7352@blogcritics.org Thu, 31 Jul 2003 09:27:10 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/07/17/101507.php Amber NussbaumTerror - Lowest of the Low (c) 2003 Bridge Nine Records www.terrorhc.comA riff catches your ear, a lyric that you'll remember, a double bass that hits you in just the right spot. It feels familiar. It's a good feeling. And you rock out. Terror is one of those bands.With the guitar power of Carry On and vocals from the guy who fronted Buried Alive and Despair, you can expect greatness straight out of the box. The vocals are urgent and angry, but still lucid enough to make them discernible even if you don't have the lyrics in front of you. The drums are nothing spectacular, but the guitar work makes up for it, and the drums end up blending nicely behind that. There are plenty of sing alongs, breakdowns, 2-steps and circle pit opportunities. All the things you'd want to expect from a good hardcore band.I like the artwork. Black and white. Live photos. Dirty and grungy looking. Cool logo. Good with me.Go pick this one up and learn the words. The CD is short, under 20 minutes. Good thing, cause by the time it's over, I won't be surprised if you're all moshed out. Music7008@blogcritics.org Thu, 17 Jul 2003 10:15:07 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/07/17/100134.php Amber NussbaumWatashi Wa - The Love Of Life (c) 2003 Tooth & Nail Records www.watashi-wa.comWhen I opened a package from Tooth & Nail and saw the name Watashi Wa staring up at me, I didn't even want to listen to the CD, much less review it. What a stupid name for a band. It screamed "crappy pop band inside." I was thinking of something like Homegrown. Yeah, something that terrible.But I popped it in my car CD player on the way to work this morning, and I found my mouth hanging open. This CD is really GOOD.The Love Of Life has what a lot of pop CDs lack. Awesomely catchy vocal hooks. I only heard a couple of the songs this morning. Just once. And I found two of the melodies stuck in my head intermittently throughout the day. Now that's good songwriting. The music is pretty straightforward, kind of reminds me of Superdrag. The lyrics are pretty upbeat. The production is slick, but doesn't sound like they tried to contrive up a certain sound. It's genuinely good.The artwork (again from Asterik Studio) uses some innovative color combinations, and pristine photos to give it all a really fresh feel that goes well with the record. Undoubtedly though, the outstanding element on this CD is the vocal delivery. It's just perfect driving music. Seriously. It's a good summer CD to have in your car. Just get it. Music7007@blogcritics.org Thu, 17 Jul 2003 10:01:34 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/07/17/093054.php Amber NussbaumBeloved - Failure On (c) 2003 SolidState Records www.belovedrock.comI've sat here for at least five minutes trying to think of a terribly clever, or at least interesting way to start this review. I can't think of one. So I'll start out by saying that Beloved's Failure On is alright. I know a lot of people go nuts for this band, so I've tried to really listen and see what all the hype is about, but I still can't figure it out. Beloved's sound seems to me a mixture of the passionate singing vocals of BoySetsFire, the melodic breakdowns of Evergreen Terrace and screams a la Atreyu. If you like those three bands, chances are Beloved will tickle your fancy. There are some catchy parts on the CD, but for the most part, the songs all sound really similar to me. A few really decent melodic parts stand out, I love the singing vocals, but the breakdowns and screams seem out of place at times, and are just kind of bland. Even for metalcore. I wonder what it would sound like to keep all Beloved's music the same, but leave the screaming out altogether. Breakdowns with no lyrics whatsoever? On ANY of the breakdowns? Now THAT would be something different.I found it interesting that the lyrics were pretty straightforward. Normally metalcore bands try to get all artsy and poetic on you, but Beloved could be a regular old hardcore band. And you'll run back to your circle of friends/They won't help you now/We drew a line in the sand/And this time it's now or never.The artwork was done by Asterik Studio. It's consistent with the CD: really good parts, and some mediocre parts. The typography is NICE, I especially like the way the lyrics and liner notes are laid out. Hot hot. The actual artwork is a little run-of-the-mill. Swirly thingy's over faces and eyeballs (Agony Scene, anyone?).Overall, I give this CD a C+. It's about average, and will please the average kid. If you like really melodic metalcore with a few breakdowns that you won't get hurt moshing to, then pick this one up. If you enjoy metalcore but want something a little more... uh... dangerous, then I recommend picking up the new Figure Four CD Suffering The Loss on SolidState Records. It rips. Seriously. Music7006@blogcritics.org Thu, 17 Jul 2003 09:30:54 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/07/15/102524.php Amber NussbaumTooth and Nail Records' Norfolk, Va-based band Mae is premiering a music video of Summertime over at MTV.com.Says singer/guitarist Dave Gimenez: This is the first video that we've ever made. It was just three solid days of us playing the song 50 or 60 times a day.I like the footage of the band in the video, there's even a really nice butt-shot of Rob. Hahaha. I think it was weird they didn't show their other guitar player. I thought the other guy was permanent now. Oh well. This is my favorite Mae song, anyway.Now, Rob... get rich and buy my sister Heidi (his girlfriend) a Hummer or other large redneck vehicle, and Dave, for God's sake, get a haircut. You're starting to look like Dave Grohl. Music6951@blogcritics.org Tue, 15 Jul 2003 10:25:24 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/06/20/095507.php Amber NussbaumFrom MacMinute: Apple Leaks PowerMac G5 Specs The online Apple Store inadvertently posted the specs of the Power Mac G5 late Thursday. The system details came in the form of a .gif image that appeared on the store's Power Mac G4 page. The specifications are as follows: 1.6GHz, 1.8GHz or Dual 2GHz PowerPC G5 processors Up to 1GHz processor bus Up to 8GB of DDR SDRAM Fast Serial ATA hard drives AGP 8X Pro graphics options from NVIDIA or ATI Three PCI or PCI-X expansion slots Three USB 2.0 ports One FireWire 800, two FireWire 400 ports Bluetooth & AirPort Extreme ready Optical and analog audio in and out The new Power Mac is expected to be officially announced Monday at Steve Jobs' keynote from Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Someone buy me one, throw in a gig of RAM, and I'll die happy.For more nerdy ramblings, hit up www.myaimistrue.com. Sci/Tech6363@blogcritics.org Fri, 20 Jun 2003 09:55:07 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/06/17/154807.php Amber NussbaumAn Iraqi man hid in a compartment inside a wall for 22 years. He only went outside once.The chamber where he says he spent almost all his adult life -- he is 49 -- measures a yard wide by about seven feet long. To enter, he must negotiate a trap door barely wide enough for a slender person to squeeze through.Inside, Sayed fashioned a terraced living space from dirt he excavated when digging a well -- it is located at one end of the compartment. At the other, there's a toilet, placed somewhat higher. In between, he built a dirt platform to sit on. The lowest point is the space where he could stand and even bathe. A vent lets in air from the roof and a pipe drains water outside.A peephole no bigger than a finger's diameter was Sayed's window on the world. All he could see was the inner courtyard of his farmhouse and now not even that is visible. A date palm grew up to obscure the view. "I witnessed my brother's wedding from here," he said. "I didn't dare go out to celebrate."On one wall, he hung the necessities of his monastic life: a light bulb, for when there was electricity, a kerosene lamp, for when there was not; paintbrushes of various sizes to dust himself off; a toothbrush, which has not been useful for some time; an electric hot plate where he prepared rice and beans; and a small shelf that holds a Koran and a book of Dawa politics.His mother fed him fruit and vegetables through the trap door. He washed his gray cotton robe himself. He continued wearing it after his exit -- it has a faded, patchy look. Yeowch. What a drag. Culture6262@blogcritics.org Tue, 17 Jun 2003 15:48:07 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/06/17/122435.php Amber NussbaumEulogy Recordings just wont stop signing hot bands. A newer addition to the family, On Broken Wings release their full length debut today.It's good.On Broken Wings play particularly tough metalcore. Plenty of mosh parts, rock parts, headbang parts (if you're into that kinda thing), and metal riffs. Some interesting vocals too, shared between an angry, high-pitched scream (think Converge), and low death metal growls (think Dying Fetus), with a little melodic singing thrown in for good measure. I was surprised a few times, when the low growls show up on guitar work that would normally showcase some singing for the sake of singing. A nice mixup. I liked it.Some techno beats and samples are thrown in. There's a hidden track that's sure to surprise you, and a soundclip at the end that absolutely sent me rolling off my chair laughing. The lyrics feature your standard metal topics, "I hope the next time you slit your wrists it's not for show. None of us are necessary."If you're into Converge, Glassjaw, Every Time I Die, 18 Visions, etc., I'd recommend this band. They're tough. Heavy heavy heavy. Put this CD on and clear a space in your room. Now practice your mosh antics. You're gonna need em when On Broken Wings invade your city.For more reviews, show listings, photos, scene drama, click to www.myaimistrue.com. Music6247@blogcritics.org Tue, 17 Jun 2003 12:24:35 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/06/17/102237.php Amber NussbaumKnow what gets on my nerves? Typo's in album layouts. There's really no excuse.I just glanced over at my Hatebreed CD, and lo and behold, track 14, "Driven By Suffering," is nicely misspelled Dirven By Suffering. Right there on the actual disc. Come on, now.Saturday I bought two new records, the Death Threat/Over My Dead Body split and the Sworn In self-titled EP. Sworn In misspelled "alibis" in their lyrics. My boyfriend bought some records too. He also found a typo. I believe it was in the Hope Conspiracy EP. Come on, Bridge Nine. Fire some interns if you have to.Maybe this is a pet peeve, but being a designer as well as a music freak, this just annoys the crap out of me. Spellcheck anyone?Who else finds this stuff all the time? Any favorite typo's? Leave a comment.More useless opinons? Show listings, photos, reviews, etc... hit up www.myaimistrue.com. Music6242@blogcritics.org Tue, 17 Jun 2003 10:22:37 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/06/12/153531.php Amber NussbaumLucerin Blue rip off Linkin Park and Papa Roach. They play unoriginal radio rock. It's like Tooth and Nail took the nu-metal cookie cutter and punched a record out of some tasteless cookie dough.Lucerin Blue bore the crap out of me.The vocals vary from the pseudo-rap/shout style, to screams, to melodic singing. The riffs can be found on numerous nu-metal records and on any rock radio station today. The lyrics are boring. The artwork is amazingly cliched for something that came out of Asterik Studio. This record did not get my foot tapping. Come on, Tooth & Nail, get yourself together. Drop this band and give Starflyer 59 more chances to shine.That is all. To hear me run my mouth some more, click to www.myaimistrue.com for more reviews, photos, show listings, and lots of scene drama. Say word. Music6122@blogcritics.org Thu, 12 Jun 2003 15:35:31 EDT