Reviews

teknostatik

This album sounds like it could have been made in any year after 1966, and has a timeless beauty that I really appreciate. If you're a fan of strong melodies, folk music, and excellent songwriting, then this is the album for you. No track stands out above any other, but they are all well worth owning. The cover art is great too, and does a good job of trying to explain what the listener can expect.

The Rest

Atlantis, Oh Our Saviour

A little like The Arcade Fire, a lot like itself

14/09/08

I downloaded this album because I liked the front cover. It reminded me of "Funeral" by The Arcade Fire, and I thought that as The Rest were also Canadian they might be operating in the same sort of area. Reviews of this album have even likened it to The Arcade Fire, but also to U2 and other fairly large and commercial bands.

"Atlantis, Oh Our Saviour" sounds a little like quite a few bands I like, but also does a good job of sounding exactly like it should. There are quiet parts, loud parts, and screamed-into-the-microphone parts (sometimes within the same song). There is rock, orchestral pop, electronica, and a strong sense that this is the start of something beautiful.

I feel the same way I felt when I first heard The Fleet Foxes, The Arcade Fire or (if you can remember that far back) Jeff Buckley's "Grace". I can't pick out favourite tracks because you just have to listen to it all and see if you have room for it in your life.

Williamson

A few things to hear before we all blow up

A good example of melodic electronica

06/09/08

This is a good way to spend an hour. The tracks flow into each other, but the overall effect is one that works, and that stands up to repeated listens. I'm not sure what else this is like as I'm not hugely knowledgeable about the genre, but it's certainly worth a listen.

Icarus Crash

13 Segundos de Caida Libre

A good example of well played melodic rock music with a dangerous edge

05/09/08

I didn't expect to like this as much as I do. It sounds like a more compact and more melodic The Mars Volta, but also has a great deal of crossover potential. My favourite track is "Ro", but I like it all really.

The Wind Whistles

window sills

Melodic, humerous, and downright brilliant

01/09/08

They think they sound like the Violent Femmes and the Lemonheads. Other people compare them with The Decemberists and the Moldy Peaches. I’d agree with all the above and add the White Stripes and the Fiery Furnaces to the mix.

The music has a traditional edge, but deals with modern (yet universal) subjects. Both singers can sing, and it sounds like they would be amazing in a live setting (anywhere from a concert hall to a camp fire).

My favourites are "Gold Fever" and "Ballad of a Jailbreak Wedding", although every song is strong.

Josh Woodward

Not Quite Connected

An acoustic, melodic masterpiece

31/08/08

This is more acoustic and folky than some of his other albums, but I think it is actually my favourite. Each song is strong, both lyrically and melodically, and the songs work both individually and as an album.

I'm also a great fan of how Josh releases his music, and would urge people to check out some of his earlier albums on his website.

Death by Panda

HouseMadeofGlass

A deeply satisfying and very unique electronic album

29/08/08

I will begin by saying I don’t quite know how to catagorise this. It can best be described as sitting somewhere between melodic Ambient and Post Rock. Listen to this early in the morning and it will make sense, but TRY and make sense of it and you may be left wanting. I'd recommend listening to all of it before making a decision, as it does change style a couple of times before the end.

Abscondo

Midnight Snow

My favourite album of the last few weeks

29/08/08

This is probably the best thing I've downloaded from Jamendo, and also something I think will remain in my music collection for many years to come. The songs are mainly acoustic; focusing on the excellent lyrics which speak to the soul of the listener rather than just offering a reheated version of things that have been said many times before. "Strangled into Grey" and "Buyer Beware" are my favourites, but there isn't a weak song on the album.