Magazine

PAINFULLY HONEST ALBUM REVIEWS

March 7, 2012 — By

fun. “Some Nights”

This NYC indie-pop trio is killing it with their new album Some Nights. Already sitting at the top of the Billboard charts & iTunes downloads this might be fun.’s best album yet. The record is a blend of classic catchy pop tunes with a bit of indie rock & roll. The perfect harmonies and slow key changes are reminiscent of Freddie Mercury and little bit of Broadway mixed in. Their hit single “We Are Young” (featuring Janelle Monáe) is absolutely inescapable and the 10 other catchy songs are just as gratifying. Regardless of how satisfying fun.’s melodies are the lyrics are equally as pleasing: “Some nights I rule the world/With bar lights and pretty girls,” “But most nights I stay straight and think about my mom.”

Listen to “We Are Young” here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv6dMFF_yts&ob=av3e

 

WZRD “WZRD”

The highly anticipated album by WZRD, dropped on Feb 28th and I have to be honest it did NOT live up to its intensely hyped debut. The duo, consisting of producer Dot Da Genius and famed hip-hopper Kid Cudi, first sparked chemistry on 2009’s hit “Day ‘n’ Night”. Unfortunately their transition into Alternative rock could not have been less smooth. Perhaps a stoner’s bliss, the songs are lengthy and intensely atmospheric however, 75% of this album is repetitive and downright boring. The record isn’t necessarily bad, but if you sit up and pay attention there’s very little actually going on. There’s no real sense of purpose or direction and not a great deal of style, leading it to sound as though the artists themselves don’t care all that much. WZRD is therefore largely underwhelming, despite the few entertaining tracks it offers.

Take a listen to Teleport 2 Me (feat. Desire)…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqggb-ynpOA

 

Sleigh Bells “Reign of Terror”  

Sleigh Bells are the ultimate noise pop duo! Their sound definitely reaches back to the roots of alternative rock from the mid 80’s in the UK. Their mix of atonal noise and feedback with melodic instrumentation and angst-free rock make the group intense to listen to but almost impossible to avoid. The band scored big with their 2010 debut, Treats but Reign of Terror is even bigger, noisier and smarter. The album opens like a stadium rock show, with guitarist Derek Miller shredding as vocalist Alexis Krauss commands, “Enemies, on your knees!” The songs are more massive than anything they’re ever produced. They give an homage to early-70s Black Sabbath while acknowledging cool 90s psychedelia. My favorite on the album is “Road to Hell,” which has a cheery melody, even though Krauss is chanting, “Don’t run away from me, baby/Just go away from me, baby”- now thats a love song!

Listen to the first single off the album “Born To Lose” here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxw2K3_b468

 

The Cranberries “Roses”

Legendary 90’s Irish poppers are back! The Cranberries’ 2001 album Wake Up and Smell the Coffee was the last time the band was in the studio together and after their tour in 2002 they decided to take a break to pursue separate projects…..but the break ended up turning into an eight-year hiatus. Then, in late 2009, they came back together and restarted work on several tracks from 2003 and thus 2012’s Roses was born. I have to say my favorite on the album is “Tomorrow”, it’s a classic Cranberries love song. The overall theme of the record is love and its joys and consequences. Given all of the Cranberries’ hits and their achievements, I definitely think this album stands as one of their greatest. Even after being away for so long, they’ve basically picked up right where they left off  and that’s almost impossible for any other band to do in this day and age.

Listen to “Tomorrow” here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBQeLenafqY&list=UUb0vzLwvr7xbJgdqMzejDhw&feature=plcp

 

BELT – Disquietude 

A self-proclaimed  “rag-tag group of mysterious bandits”, BELT is an ultra cool underground band based out of Brooklyn. It’s led by Terrence Brennan (guitar, lead vocals,) MikeBell on lead guitar, Marzio Fulfaro on bass and Mike Sutton on drums. BELT’s sound it intriguing, yet you can’t quite put your finger on what exactly it is. They’ve got some sort of punk-funk reggae sound going on but their sound radically differs from track to track. All I can really tell you is that their music will absolutely make you wanna get up and DANCE for hours. Their newly released “Disquietude,” a full-length album, is a hodge-podge of witty tracks that will have you pressing replay again and again.

Check out their album here: 
‪http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/disquietude/id437484251