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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Jan 25, 2015 7:29:46 GMT -5
This thread shows my personal opinions on tracks and my ratings for albums and movies!
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Jan 25, 2015 7:38:16 GMT -5
Something from Nothing by Foo Fighters
Genres: Alternative, post-grunge
Summary: A song that starts off slow then builds up to loud, enjoyable chorus with lead singer Dave Grohl screaming, "f**k it all, I came from nothing!" Deserved to reach #1 on the alternative and active rock charts.
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Jan 25, 2015 7:46:35 GMT -5
Words As Weapons by Seether
Genres: Post-grunge, alternative
Summary: This peaked at #1 on the active rock charts last year and it deservingly did so. I'd admit that I didn't like this at first, but it has grown on me to become one of my favourite rock hits of the year.
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Jan 25, 2015 7:50:32 GMT -5
This Is the Time (Ballast) by Nothing More
Genres: Hard rock, alternative, pop rock
Summary: Another one of my favourite rock tracks of 2014. Both lead singer Jonny Hawkins'vocals and the guitar riffs sound great.
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Feb 19, 2015 20:36:18 GMT -5
Since I started my chart thread already, don't expect any new posts here.
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Feb 26, 2015 4:08:01 GMT -5
I'm grading the top 40 of Billboard's country airplay chart (but haven't heard two of the songs yet)
1. Thomas Rhett - Make Me Wanna - B+ 2. Blake Shelton featuring Ashley Monroe - Lonely Tonight - A 3. Randy Houser - Like a Cowboy - A- 4. Brett Eldredge - Mean to Me - B+ 5. Jason Aldean - Just Gettin' Started - A 6. Florida Georgia Line - Sun Daze - C+ 7. Luke Bryan - I See You - A- 8. Chris Young - Lonely Eyes - A+ 9. Darius Rucker - Homegrown Honey - A 10. Cole Swindell - Ain't Worth the Whiskey - B+ 11. Lee Brice - Drinking Class - B+ 12. Chase Bryant - Take It On Back - A+ 13. Zac Brown Band - Homegrown - A 14. Sam Hunt - Take Your Time - B+ 15. Dierks Bentley - Say You Do - A+ 16. Jake Owen - What We Ain't Got - A+ 17. Keith Urban featuring Eric Church - Raise 'Em Up - A 18. Tyler Farr - A Guy Walks Into a Bar - A- 19. A Thousand Horses - Smoke - B+ 20. Lady Antebellum - Freestyle - B- 21. Miranda Lambert - Little Red Wagon - C+ 22. Eric Paslay - She Don't Love You - A+ 23. Billy Currington - Don't It - B 24. Easton Corbin - Baby Be My Love Song - B+ 25. Kenny Chesney with Grace Potter - Wild Child - B+ 26. Tim McGraw with Catherine Dunn - Diamond Rings and Old Barstools - A 27. Joe Nichols - Hard to Be Cool - B+ 28. Canaan Smith - Love You Like That - B 29. Kelsea Ballerini - Love You Like You Mean It - NHY 30. Josh Turner - Lay Low - A+ 31. Toby Keith - Drunk Americans - B+ 32. Brad Paisley - Crushin' It - B 33. Gloriana - Trouble - NHY 34. Rascal Flatts - Riot - B+ 35. Little Big Town - Girl Crush - A 36. Kip Moore - I'm to Blame - B+ 37. Brantley Gilbert - One Hell of an Amen - A 38. Frankie Ballard - Young & Crazy - B+ 39. Carrie Underwood - Little Toy Guns - A 40. Dustin Lynch - Hell of a Night - B- (because his voice is good)
(Kristian Bush - Trailer Hitch - A)
NHY - Never heard yet
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Feb 26, 2015 4:38:26 GMT -5
"Sun Daze" by Florida Georgia Line
Genres: Bro-country, country pop, country
Summary: I think Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley (a.k.a the members of FGL) and the other co-writers of this song took 30 minutes to write this song or most of their other songs. Because I'm going to copy and paste some of the lyrics of this song to prove how ridiculous they are.
"I'll sit you (the girl referred to in the song) up on the kitchen sink"
That's disgusting.
"And stick the pink umbrella in your drink"
That is disgusting too.
Plus, there are the clichéd lyrics of sipping on Bacardi and even worse, glorifying being stoned.
Granted, the song is slightly catchy, but it's NOT fun enough to make up for the terrible songwriting of this song.
I'll give this a C+ and say that this is not a good song. It's ok at best, but I'm sorry, I can't recommend this.
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Feb 26, 2015 4:52:47 GMT -5
"Donkey" by Jerrod Niemann
Genres: Bro-country, country pop, country
Summary: This was the most hated song among the members in the country forum. And deservedly so. This suffers the same flaws as "Sun Daze" by having bad songwriting. The lyrics are extremely cliched, mentioning a Chevy truck, name-dropping a country legend, and boasting that the ladies like to ride the donkey of the protagonist in this song. These have all been mentioned many times in other country songs, most in which I don't mind.
Which brings me to the next section - the instrumentation. Unlike "Sun Daze" which was catchy to a small extent, this is laughably bad; the donkey honks at the chorus are annoying, as are the guitar riffs.
I'm sorry Mr Niemann, I don't want to ride on your donkey.
Skip this song.
D-
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Feb 26, 2015 7:18:52 GMT -5
"She Don't Love You" by Eric Paslay
Genres: Country, traditional country
Summary: This is hands down one of the best country songs in the current country airplay chart right now. As the title suggests, this is a ballad about how the love interest of the person involved doesn't love him because she's lonely. Paslay's emotional delivery and the simple instrumentation also help to convey the feeling of sadness in this beautiful track. Definitely a recommendation.
A+
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Feb 26, 2015 7:34:53 GMT -5
"What We Ain't Got" by Jake Owen
Genres: Country, traditional country
Summary: Jake Owen decided to make this the third single of his latest album, "Days of Gold". It's currently struggling on the country airplay charts as compared to his more radio-friendly songs such as "Anywhere With You", "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" and "Beachin'". But does that mean it is a bad song? Well, I'm glad to say, definitely not! In fact, I praise Owen for releasing this, an anomaly in a country chart filled with country pop, bro-country, singles from the bigger veterans such as Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney, and fellow b-listers Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, Chris Young, Brett Eldredge, Frankie Ballard, etc.
What you hear at the start of the song is what you hear for the rest of the song; it's a simple, but effective piano ballad about a man trying to move on from a break-up. Which is why I compare it to rock band Staind's "Something to Remind You", another ballad that was only driven by a guitar and a piano (it's also the only ballad on their return-to-roots self-titled 2011 album). And that's a compliment. Owen's vocals also effectively convey the song's purpose.
All I can say is that this better move up the charts and be a success, but sadly, I don't think that will happen.
A+
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Feb 26, 2015 8:08:47 GMT -5
You guys have probably heard of this song.
"Love Me Like You Do" by Ellie Goulding
Genres: Pop, synthpop
Summary: This is one of the singles released from the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack. Hence, the suggestive lyrics in this song. I gotta admit, I was not a fan of this at first but after a while, this has grown on me. Also, it suits the movie's theme. I'll take it.
B+
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Feb 26, 2015 8:13:28 GMT -5
I'm reposting this review as I want to add more to the review. I also increased the grade from a D- to a D+ but that isn't saying much.
"Donkey" by Jerrod Niemann
Genres: Bro-country, country pop, country
Summary: This was one of the most hated songs among the members in the country forum. And deservedly so. Because... This is a joke.
It suffers the same flaws as "Sun Daze" by having bad songwriting. The lyrics are extremely cliched, mentioning a Chevy truck, name-dropping a country legend, and boasting that the ladies like to ride the donkey of the protagonist in this song. These have all been mentioned many times in other country songs, most in which I don't mind.
Which brings me to the next section - the instrumentation. Unlike "Sun Daze" which was catchy to a small extent, this is laughably bad; the donkey honks at the chorus are annoying, as are the guitar riffs. Plus the auto-tune does not work.
I'll take it if this was sung by The Lonely Island or "Weird Al" Yankovic since this CANNOT be taken seriously. But it's not.
I'm sorry Mr Niemann, I don't want to ride on your donkey.
Skip this song.
D+
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Feb 27, 2015 8:31:03 GMT -5
"Absolution Calling" by Incubus
Genres" Alternative rock, post-grunge, electronic rock
Summary: Post-2011 hasn't been very good for core alternative artists, with Linkin Park, Chevelle, 311, Alice In Chains, Seether, Three Days Grace, Stone Temple Pilots, Stone Sour, Sick Puppies, AFI, Franz Ferdinand and Jimmy Eat World releasing lead singles which all failed to reach the Top 20. Which makes the success of this song on alternative grim. Now, the review.
I was initially turned off by the synths at the start of the song. But after a few listens of this song, I am glad to say that I like this song.
The song eventually gets heavier and heavier (albeit not top heavy for alternative radio), with lead vocalist Brandon Boyd providing vocals and occasional growls at the second half of the song. Which makes this another great song for these guys.
Overall, I'll recommend this and hope that this gives Incubus the comeback they deserve.
A solid A-.
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Feb 28, 2015 9:07:30 GMT -5
"The Outsiders" by Eric Church
Genres: Country rock, country, rock
Summary: I like rock music. And I like country music too. But for country B-lister Eric Church, it's a hit or miss for me. He can churn up really good songs such as "Springsteen", "Like Jesus Does" and "Talladega", the latter which recently burnt out on me. But unfortunately, this lead single of the album of the same name is the latter. The lyrics are bad; "Our women get hot"? "Haters gonna hate"? (did Taylor Swift get inspired by this?) And Church doesn't even sound interested.
But there's one thing I appreciate about this; the guitar solo that starts at the 2:44 mark. It has that Black Keys-like blues rock sound for about ten seconds, and I'm a fan of The Black Keys. But that doesn't salvage the mess of this loud track.
Seriously, EMI should have sent this to alternative radio since this is the music that alternative is currently embracing. But unfortunately, this is a 'country' song. I'll give it a C and only a recommendation for those who are fans of Church. It would've been at least a B- if this was sung by a rocker or rock band. I'm sorry.
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Feb 28, 2015 9:19:59 GMT -5
"Drunk Americans" by Toby Keith
Genres: Country, traditional country
Summary: From 2009 to 2013, country veteran Toby Keith released an album every October. That changed last year when he released this last October to promote his latest LP, "35 MPH Town". And I have concluded why he churns out records so fast; because he takes a short time to write songs like this.
They either revolve around patriotism/America or drinking alcohol. In some songs, he doesn't take that as the main subject (e.g. Cryin' for Me (Wayman's Song)) or deals with it seriously (e.g. Hope On the Rocks). And this combines both for this song which, according to Wikipedia, "celebrates social unity among American people of various backgrounds who all participate in drinking alcohol". But this is not how you write it; the lyrics are dumb (e.g.: we don't give a rat's ass).
But there are a positive things about this song too. As silly as it is, the instrumentals of the song work for what the song is meant to be,and Keith sounds great as usual.
That said, these redeem the song from the terrible lyrics it has. I'll give this a B and give a recommendation only for fans of Toby Keith. But this could've been a lot better in the songwriting, especially considering that Grammy-nominee Brandy Clark co-wrote this.
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Mar 1, 2015 3:31:49 GMT -5
"Ready Set Roll" by Chase Rice
Genres: Bro-country, country, country pop
Summary: This is the debut radio single from Rice. Previously independently promoted, Rice eventually signed with Columbia Nashville, which pushed it all the way to the top 5 of the country airplay charts. But despite his success, Rice made news on Pulse when he had a beef with current B-lister Kip Moore. Prior to AND after that, this was one of the most hated songs on the country forum. But for me, this is an extreme guilty pleasure.
The chorus and instrumentals are really what makes this song rather enjoyable - about having a good time with the protagonist's girlfriend.
But what really drags the song down are the lyrics, especially in the verses, with lyrics such as "Damn pretty girl... turned your sexy all the way up to 10" and "your little fine ass" that make Rice obnoxious. This is the main subject of contention among the country posters here.
And because of this, I can only recommend this who don't mind hearing a fun bro-country song. Otherwise, avoid this.
B-
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Mar 1, 2015 3:49:41 GMT -5
"Girl Crush" by Little Big Town
Genres: Country, traditional country
Summary: When I heard this, the first song that came to mind was Kacey Musgraves' controversial freedom-promoting song "Follow Your Arrow", dealing with matters such as homosexuality (the chorus), religion (If you don't go to church, you'll go to hell.) and drug abuse (a mention of crack). That song, was beloved by majority of the country posters, who were upset that it couldn't perform well on radio.
And why did I bring Musgraves up? Because the lyrics may be misinterpreted as a song promoting a lesbian lifestyle. But after research, I discovered that the song is about the female protagonist having a "crush" on another girl who stole her boyfriend. (sources: Wikipedia, Country Genius)
Hence, that may be why country radio isn't responding positively to this song. But songs such as this and "Arrow" need more recognition. And apart from the lyrics, singer Karen Fairchild gives one of her better vocal performances. The music is stripped down to just guitars, also adding to the emotional effect of the song.
All in all, I'll give this a recommendation. It will grow on you.
A/A-
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Mar 3, 2015 7:57:26 GMT -5
"Lonely Tonight" by Blake Shelton featuring Ashley Monroe
Genres - Country, country pop, traditional country
Summary: Ask any one who listens to country radio to name one current country staple, and Blake Shelton may be one answer. In my opinion, he's either hit ir miss. Sure, his voice is good, but sometimes he can churn boring tunes such as "My Eyes", "Neon Light" and especially, "Boys 'Round Here". But thankfully, this is the former.
The song is about two ex-lovers who once had a one night stand, but plan to do it again. Sure, this topic is kind of clichéd ("Hope You Get Lonely Tonight"? "Leave the Night On"? "Burnin' It Down"?)
As with most country song,what saves the song from the lyrical content is the music, which is more "Mine Would Be You" sounding than "Boys 'Round Here".
My biggest issue is that Ashley Monroe's role is restricted to backing vocals in the chorus,the bridge (which is the last two lines of the first verse), and the second verse. Unlike this, Remind Me (which is another duet about rekindling a relationship) had a verse dedicated to the "female lover" in the song (who is Carrie Underwood of course).
Despite all its flaws, "Lonely Tonight" gets a recommendation solely because it sounds good. But there could have been improvements.
A-
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Mar 6, 2015 10:01:12 GMT -5
Just an FYI for my grades:
A+-A-: Song is very good/good B+-B-: Song is somewhat good/ok C+-C-: Song is a chore to listen to/bad D+-F-: Fail (avoid the song)
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Mar 14, 2015 1:49:08 GMT -5
"Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift
Genres: Pop, pop rap
Summary: This is the worst song I have ever heard from Taylor Swift so far. Where do I begin???
There's the lazy song-writing that deals with dealing with 'haters' that has been overused in other songs before, and the repetition of 'I' 84 times. EIGHTY-FOUR MOTHERF**KING TIMES. How lazy can you be Ms. Swift to write a song without the word 'I'? While using 'I' is definitely not a big issue, it is definitely overused here. And this is the main problem I have with most mainstream pop music, but this pushed the limits further. And even if you remove the 'I's, the lyrics still seem to be written by a five-year-old kid.
There's is also the awful Avril Lavigne impersonation in the bridge where Taylor Swift tries to rap and she fails embarrassingly.
Thank God that "Blank Space" and especially "Style" are MUCH better than this crapfest. But then came Bad Blood and she returned to the same old s**t...
It's also sad to see that this is her signature song, because she has done song that are MUCH, MUCH better than this. Even "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble" are better than this.
Jeez...
C-
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 18, 2015 7:42:44 GMT -5
Alright, new review
"Dead Inside" by Muse
Genres: Synth rock, alternative rock, indie rock
Review: This is their first radio single since the top twenty hit "Follow Me" (I am not counting "Psycho" as a single). As with their last lead single, "Madness", what starts of as a beautiful synth and drum-driven song evolves into something even better at the last third of the song, accompanied with Matthew Bellamy's great vocals.
Grade: A
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 18, 2015 7:58:08 GMT -5
Let me review another comeback single
"Failure" by Breaking Benjamin
Genres: Post-grunge, alternative rock, hard rock
Review: Breaking Benjamin, who are most famous for songs such as "I Will Not Bow" and "The Diary of Jane" went on hiatus in 2010. During this period, a single was re-released without frontman Benjamin Burnley's permission and eventually the rest of the band left or were fired. Now with a new line-up, they began to record a new album. And boy does this single kick ass. Accompanied with Burnley's great vocals, Failure is a track to prove that Breaking Benjamin are back.
Grade: A+
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 23, 2015 4:02:59 GMT -5
Some album ratings:
Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly: 9/10 for KING & COUNTRY: RUN WILD. LIVE FREE. LOVE STRONG.: 7/10 The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream: 8/10
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 23, 2015 5:05:23 GMT -5
Alabama Shakes: Sound & Color: 8/10
More will come later
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 23, 2015 9:23:02 GMT -5
Alabama Shakes: Sound & Color: 8/10 More will come later Album ratings this week: Alabama Shakes: Sound & Color: 8/10 Joywave: How Do You Feel Now?: 7/10 Passion Pit: Kindred: 8/10 Yelawolf: Love Story: 7/10 Not reviewing the Apocalyptica and 10 Years albums. Next week: Blur: The Magic Whip Matthew West: Live Forever Tyler Farr: Suffer in Peace Zac Brown Band: JEKYLL + HYDE
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 24, 2015 0:20:44 GMT -5
Will try to rate Chris Stapleton, hopefully it's available on Spotify in Singapore
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 24, 2015 9:03:01 GMT -5
More ratings
Daft Punk: Random Access Memories: 9/10 Beck: Morning Phase: 8/10 Queens of the Stone Age: ...Like Clockwork: 9/10 D'Angelo and The Vanguard: Black Messiah: 8/10 The Black Keys: El Camino: 9/10 Jack White: Blunderbuss: 8/10
I think I heard the last two albums in 2013.
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 25, 2015 8:37:54 GMT -5
"Like a Wrecking Ball" by Eric Church
Genre: Country
Summary: I don't understand the hype over the singles from "The Outsiders". The title track had grown on me, plus "Talladega", "Give Me Back My Hometown" and even "Cold One" were listenable songs. But they were definitely a step down from the singles from his prior album, 2011's "Chief". But Mr. Church disappointed me with this song.
The song starts out promising with the minimal instrumentation. But what bugs me the most is how his voice is 'auto-tuned' in this track to the fact that it is even annoying. It also doesn't help that the song is about rough sex, with lyrics such as "sittin' on a bathroom sink" and the last few verses that describe metaphorically how hard t.hey are "making love" until the house crumbles to dust. And while Jason Aldean attempted to tackle this with his latest single, at least that was catchy.
This grew on me a bit but I still can't call myself a fan of this. Sorry.
Grade: C+ (you are much better than this Eric!)
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 25, 2015 20:42:42 GMT -5
Am aware Josh Groban has an album out soon but will not be rating that since it's a covers album
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 26, 2015 4:13:24 GMT -5
Tove Lo: Queen of the Clouds: 8/10
A surprisingly enjoyable debut for the Swedish artist.
Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways: 9/10
Every single song was enjoyable, from the build-up tracks "Something from Nothing" and "I Am a River", to the straight-up rockers "Congregation" and "The Feast and The Famine" to the simple "Subterranean".
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