lostprophets - Liberation Transmission

Bio
lostprophets is a welsh band formed in 1997 and have released 3 studio albums so far. There is a strong sense of "hiphop" in this band with a semi-dedicated DJ spinning the turn tables which was always a plus in being "original." Their first hit song that got them big was "Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja" a sorta video game derivation. As any uprising band, there is always backlash. But in their instance, it was severe. They were being labeled as sellouts and a boyband. They have been "bottled out" of performances and a few members do not drink and dont do the typical one night groupie sex orgy thing. The band is very outspoken and in their interviews are very honest and voice their personality (which caused even more backlash). They came out with their second album and their first song of the album "We Still Kill The Old Way" is in reference to the backlash stating that they "even through your doubts, we will still be here" and "i gonna die before i fall, dont try to save me" showing their perserverance and a message to those anti-lostprophet-ers.

Overall
Their album, Liberation Transmission, is different from their first two albums. There is very little screaming (only in the song "Everyday Combat"). Compared to their second album, the album is not as heavy and not dark. In terms of vocals, there is less screaming and more frontman vocals which isnt a bad thing but i do miss the crazy screaming by the backup vocals. Their guitars are still pretty catchy and contribute in sync with the melody. Lyrics are quite powerful (if you listen closely). They have a bunch of upbeat songs, a bunch of loud ones and a few slow songs. its a good blend and mix. They did a great job on the slow songs.

Instrumental
Guitars are up to par as their previous albums. Actually, i think they are better than their previous albums. I have this thing for dueling guitar solos. they do a pretty good job in a number of their songs with that. The bass does an exceptional job as well but with the guitars blaring in every direction, it can be easily ignored. drums are also exceptional however, their drummer quit before the recording of the album and they used the drummer from A Perfect Circle who is a decent drummer. their dj seems to play the keyboards most often and not the turntables. i guess this is the different direction they are taking and its not bad at all.

Recording & Studio Magic
In terms of recording technique and the studio magic, its different. Since the music is more upbeat, there is a focus on the treble side and less on the bass side. Magic on the vocals are very little and honestly not worth mentioning. if i produced this album, i would have been content and would pat myself on the back for a job well done.

Live Potential
I've seen them live and they are pretty damn awesome. i know this album will be kickass live too. i would pay money to see them live again. no doubt

In Retrospect
if you like the first and second album, you'll like this one. I would buy the album just to support the band but not in terms of music. Though the album is great, they have taken a turn from their previous darker album. I still personally like the second album better than this album but if Liberation Transmission is on sale, i would have to buy it. but that is only my personal opinion and dont take my word for it. just jack it off me and take a taste of it and see whats up.

Album Info
Released – June 26, 2006
Number of Songs – 12
Album Length - ~49 Minutes
Singles – Rooftops
Recommended Songs – A Town Called Hypocrisy, 4AM Forever, Always All Ways (Apologies, Glances and Messed Up Chances)
http://www.lostprophets.com

Ratings
Lyrics – 8.5
Melody – 8.5
Instrumentally – 9
Recording – 9
Studio Magic – 4
Originality – 8.5
Live Potential – 9
Overall - 8.5
WJOD - 8.5

Explanation of the Ratings
Rating is from 1-10. 1 is the lowest and 10 is the highest.
Overall is NOT an average of the other ratings.
This is similar to grading system. A 7 is a C. etc.
WJOD = worth dl/jacking off danny.

Three Days Grace - OneX

Bio
A Canadian band from Ontario, they had their hit single - I Hate Everything About You - about three years ago. They released more single in Canada but not in USA. They consist of four members with Adam Gontier as the frontman/singer.

Overall
OneX sounds similar to their previous album but seems to be happier (as happy as dark music can get). However, their single - Animal I Have Become - is the probably one of the darker songs in the album and their music video definitely left an impression. They seemed to have become like Staind with their dark guitar rifts but with somehow very cheerful notes sneaked in.

Their melodies are pretty easy to figure out and pretty predictable. Honestly, I felt like the melodies were nursery rhyme-ish. The only reason why it’s catchy is because he has a really grungy voice which is a plus. Lyrics are very dark which I like but the melodies takes it away. One song – Let It Die – sounds sooo happy. WEIRD. It’s like singing die mother fucker die to the tune of happy birthday.

Instrumental
One thing that I thought was funny was how there is a keyboard part in the certain songs with the cheery background notes. The guitars were nothing special. Same with the bass and the drums. Nothing too amazing. So… yea… the only thing that separates this group from other is the lead singer’s voice where he uses his grungy voice and also his natural singing voice. I don’t really hear a vibrato because he switches to his grungy voice when he should naturally do a vibrato. Sometimes I feel like he switches too many times in a song. Takes away from the song at times. The backup vocals are definitely sung by the lead singer and not by the other band member. Sometimes its too monotonous.

Recording & Studio Magic
There is enough compression to make me into a 2 ton person fit into a 28 waist for pants. Haha. There is a lot of compression on the guitars and on the voices. bass guitar really seems to be plain and ignored because of that. drums are kinda boring and typical but not bad. Backup voices are from the lead singer and compressed the same way so it gets annoying at times cuz its two voices of the same person. monotonous. At least make it sound a little different. Recording style is like the way they play their instruments – nothing special.

Live Potential
I was interested in going to a concert of theirs when their first album came out. So I went to their website which featured a flash object with a burning house and when you click on the flames coming out of the house, it led you to different things. So I checked out their live performances. I was not impressed. His voice seems to be more altered in comparison with his album recording. And with this album, I feel like there is more voice compression hence creating a thought that it would be hard for him to sing similar to the cd tracks.

In Retrospect
First off, sorry not worth buying. If anything, their first album is much better. The music in this album doesn’t flow too well together. Trying to mix dark music styles and adding in keyboards with very delightful melodies just doesn’t work. Well, they just didn’t do a great job at it. Other bands have done better jobs – Puddle of Mudd and Staind. Some songs are worth a listen and but as a complete album. It’s a thumbs down peeps.

Album Info
Released – June 13, 2006
Number of Songs – 12
Album Length - ~44 Minutes
Singles – Animal I Have Become
Recommended Songs – It's All Over, Never Too Late, Time Of Dying, Gone Forever
www.threedaysgrace.com

Ratings
Lyrics – 6.5
Melody – 3
Instrumentally – 4
Recording – 5
Studio Magic – 7
Originality – 4.5
Live Potential – 4
Overall – 5
WJOD – 4.5

Explanation of the Ratings
Rating is from 1-10. 1 is the lowest and 10 is the highest.
Overall is NOT an average of the other ratings.
This is similar to grading system. A 7 is a C. etc.
WJOD = worth dl/jacking off danny.

Angels and Airwaves - We Don't Need To Whisper

Bio
Angels and Airwaves (AVA) consists of Tom DeLonge (singer/lead guitar of blink-182), David Kennedy (guitar in Box Car Racer), Ryan Sinn (bass in The Distillers) and Atom Willard (drums in The Offspring). So this is def a group with a lot of experience and talent.

Overall
Their album, We Don't Need To Whisper, is quite experimental and seems to be an attempt to show the serious side of DeLonge. After listening to a few tracks, you'll think, "Man, this singer sounds familiar but who??" As an ex-fan of blink-182 (when they were TRUELY punk), it was pretty easy to catch who it was. It excited to me. At first, I thought that blink-182 would be going back to their punk roots for sure with a new line up. But I was wrong. There are no crazy punk guitar rifts. The lyrics are mature but have the box car racer formula and same blink-182 melody but not punk. The songs seem to be a grown up version of blink-182. The songs aren't too fast and no crazy Travis Barker drumming. It's def a mature sounding album. To sum it up for a well versed audiophile, it’s a mature Box Car Racer sound.

The bad part of the album is that all songs have the same or similar sound effects, which makes it hard to pinpoint what song is what. What the band claims though, is true in every word. Supposedly, they are making a CGI animation movie with the songs. Even before I knew about that, I thought, "Hey, I can hear ALL these songs on some stupid movie scene." Though the songs are serene and euphoric, the songs are still powerful.

Instrumental
Guitars are pretty what I expected from the ex-Box Car Racer guitarists. Bass is better than par but not THAT much better. The bass is decent and probably better than Mark Hoppus(blink-182) but incomparible to Flea from RHCP. I think that the drums are the driving force in making the album powerful even though the focus is on vocals but I def give props to DeLonge for recruiting yet another awesome drummer on his band.

Recording & Studio Magic
The album uses TONS of studio magic. I guess if you want to make a movie song, you sorta need it. They use a lot of different sound clips to add extra to beats with the drums. They are prevalent throughout the whole album. A few tracks have an extra guitar but that’s typical. Seems like a ton of flanger effects throughout all the songs, which gives it the whole jet swooshing sound effect. A lot of echo effects on vocals and instruments. Tons of bass in it too. Im glad there is a focus on the bass. It makes a real big difference. Drums are mixed VERY well as they are also well played. Overall, the album sounds wide and airy. Their band name says it all. Angels and Airwaves. Seriously… angelic and airy - no surprise there.

Live Potential
In a live concert, im not sure how well they would be able to perform. They would lose a lot of their sound effects but they can work on the power portion of it with ease. But with their experience, they would probably be a rocking show. who knows though... Im just saying their stuff isn’t really meant for live.

In Retrospect
Is it worth buying? Unfortunately, no. Listening to the whole album straight through made me pretty bored. Hearing the song shuffle mode is fine but it was too much sameness for 50 minutes straight. Melody isn’t really catchy. You won’t hear little kids humming it or anything. It’s a more mature sound but you still won’t have their songs stuck in your head and wanting more.

Album Info
Released – May 23, 2006
Number of Songs – 10
Album Length - ~50 Minutes
Singles – The Adventure, Do It For Me Now, Valkyrie Missile
Recommended Songs – The War, The Gift, It Hurts, Good Day
www.angelsandairwaves.com

Ratings
Lyrics – 4.5
Melody – 4
Instrumentally – 8.5
Recording – 7
Studio Magic – 9.5
Originality – 8.5
Live Potential – 7.5
Overall - 7
WJOD - 8 only if you want to hear what the remastered blink-182 sounds like

Explanation of the Ratings
Rating is from 1-10. 1 is the lowest and 10 is the highest.
Overall is NOT an average of the other ratings.
This is similar to grading system. A 7 is a C. etc.
WJOD = worth dl/jacking off danny.