Dear Agony

I have been a fan of Breaking Benjamin for a long time now and they never cease to create great music. Their last album Phobia is on my list of favorite albums ever. Critics say that Phobia had a darker sound than their previous albums. Were they listening to the other albums? I think there are darker themes in Phobia, but the sound is pure Breaking Benjamin.

In their new album, they return with their signature heavy sound and lead singer Benjamin Burnley's raspy vocals. Their lead single "I Will Not Bow" is on the soundtrack of Bruce Willis' new flick, Surrogates, and seems to be their biggest hit of their career. Woohoo!

1. Fade Away: Signature BB sound with heavy guitar and drums.

2. I will Not Bow: Fantastic song paired with an amazing video. I love how the chorus is slower than the rest of the song and feels epic.

3. Crawl: This has a little more screaming than the other songs, but it's not disturbingly so. I actually didn't notice it until after I listened to it a couple times. I love the repetition of "Holding On."

4. Give Me a Sign: A rock ballad with fantastic lyrics. There are little gems in this song like "Shepherd of the damned" and "Forever and ever the stars will remain."

5. Hopeless: Excellent song.

6. What Lies Beneath: A mellower sound. The title makes me think of the movie of the same title. It would be interesting to see if the band made the correlation on purpose. Great song.

7. Anthem of the Angels: Great title! Kind of a sad song. Sounds like he's letting someone die. Depressing, yes, but the anthem of the angels seems to be a saving grace.

8. Lights Out: Hardcore Breaking Benjamin at their best.

9. Dear Agony: The title track of the album is a plea for release from life's agonies. Anyone can relate to this song at some point in their lives.

10. Into the Nothing: Fantastic!

11. Without You: An epic song that seems like a love song. "I can't face the dark without you."

Just a side note: I owe a lot, creatively, to Breaking Benjamin. I listen to their music when writing and it helps me think and create. My novel has enjoyed a lot of progress because of them. I look forward to more from this band. If you have not discovered Breaking Benjamin before this album, take a listen at all their other albums. I'm certain you will not be disappointed.

Brand New Eyes

I just purchased two new albums yesterday. Big deal, right? Well, it is a big deal! These albums just so happen to be from two of my favorite bands right up there with Tori Amos herself.

I will do two different posts for the albums.

Paramore's Brand New Eyes is a great album. They have not changed their sound a whole lot which is fine. The only real difference is that these songs seem a little darker, moodier, and angrier. The lead single off the album "Ignorance" is, essentially, about how the band was about to break up. According to lead singer Hayley Williams this song was the catalyst into allowing the band members to finally speak to each other again and really let out their feelings. I'm not sure about the details, but the band was about to break up. "Ignorance" is not only about a band near breaking point but it is also about relationships changing in general and how we sometimes treat those we know the best in the worst ways possible. It is also easy to see, in this album, the influence that No Doubt has had on the band. In one of the tracks Williams sounds a lot like Gwen Stefani.

There are a lot more acoustic songs on this album such as "Misguided Ghosts." I was also astounded by Williams' pipes in the final track "All I Wanted" where she belts out some amazing notes. It's also nice to hear the boys from the band lend their voices to some of the tracks.

1. Careful: Classic Paramore with a catchy beat and oodles of attitude.

2. Ignorance: Has an edgier sound coupled with the claustrophobic video this song is destined to be a classic.

3. Playing God: A song about someone who thinks very highly of themselves. "Next time you point the finger, I'll point you to the mirror." Great lyrics.

4. Brick by Boring Brick: Excellent title. Love it. And I dig the attitude in the "ba-da-buh-ba-dah-buh-bah."

5. Turn It Off: It might just be me. But this is the song that recalls, to me, No Doubt. I'm sure Paramore would take this as a compliment so I have no reservations of making the comparisons.

6. The Only Exception: A great acoustic sound and a love song that shows the softer side of the band.

7. Feeling Sorry: "Got no time for feeling sorry." Need I say more?

8. Looking Up: This seems to be a celebration of Paramore's success and wondering why they were willing to "hang it up." Their dreams have come true with their current success and this song is evidence that they are willing to stick through all the downs in order to enjoy the ups. "We're just getting started." Can I just say...YES!

9. Where the Lines Overlap: One of my favorite tracks from the album. A nice little ditty.

10. Misguided Ghosts: A very pretty song that shows that Paramore is a very diverse band that can rock it out with the best of them and then go soft with perfect clarity.

11. All I Wanted: I love that this one starts out so soft and sober then come in the drums. This is possibly my favorite track on the album. It laments the loss of love and highlights the loneliness after it. Another bonus is Hayley Williams' incredible voice which sounds better than ever in this track. There's a part where the music stops and she just belts out "All I wanted was you" and my first thought was "Wow." And then I smiled.

I applaud you, Paramore, on another great album. You never cease to please and amaze.

5.

Abnormally Attracted to Sin

Ok, so I doubt anyone really cares what I think about Tori's new album. I'm mainly doing this for my own entertainment.

Over all, I really like this album. It has a clean, polished sound that has carried over from her previous album The American Doll Posse. I personally love to see artists evolve and try different things. There are still hints of vintage Tori on this album. Her lyrics are still amazing, complex, and quirky. Some critics have said they prefer her old sound that was more personal and acoustic. But I really like the direction she's taken her sound.

I will break it down by track.

1. Give: It has a dark sound that is one of the reasons I really love Tori Amos.

2. Welcome to England: This was the first track I heard from the album before it was released. I love it. It recalls Scarlet's Walk with its electric guitar and the feel of it. I think this is one of the highlights of the album.

3. Strong Black Vine: There is an ongoing theme in this album of religion and even going further beyond into personal choice and our ability to choose for ourselves the path we will take. In this song it seems Tori is mocking the idea of organized religion, but I think she is mostly talking about having a personal faith whether you find it in a church or in the mountains. I could be very wrong about this. I love, love, love the intro to this song with the orchestra. Beautiful. I'm still trying to figure out what the "Strong, black vine" is.

4. Flavor: She slows the mood down here a lot. It has an ethereal feel to it that is signature Tori. This has the same feel and direction of ADP.

5. Not Dying Today: Love the drums in this. This is more upbeat and has a great message to it. A lot the songs in this album has multiple dialogue within it which brings an interesting flavor to it. "music, good friends, I'm not dying today." Live in the present. Don't worry about the future day when your life will end. I love the end when she says "Dyin' Fryin' rather have a lie-in..." It's quirky Tori at her best.

6. Maybe California: Vintage Tori Amos ballad. It is absolutely beautiful. She croons with the piano in the foreground. This one stands out in my mind from the rest of the album simply because of the beautiful lyrics and the tune. This is a very sad song though. That is one thing I love about Tori. Her ability to pull out these strong emotions in her music to make you feel what she's talking about. Even if you don't always understand the lyrics, you can feel the meaning.

7. Curtain Call: This song reminds me of ADP. There is a song on that album where Tori goes from the low range and to an incredibly high range in the background. It creates a haunting and surreal feeling to the music. I love the buildup to the chorus. It has a delicious tensity to it.

8. Fire to Your Plain: This was the second song I heard from this album before it was released. I love that there is double meaning in the title. Plain can be read as the rolling plains of the midwest. Or it can be read as the opposite of eccentric and flashy. One meaning is more literal while the other is figurative. I really like the figurative reading of it. This woman sets fire to the plainness of this man's life/world. In such a reading, this song could be thought of as a love song. But then...if she's setting fire to his plain...then she is also destroying it. Such depth is what I love about Tori. You just can't find such literary beauty in very many artists today.

9. Police Me: Speaking of double meanings. Police...to regulate or keep in order...If said fast (as Tori does back and forth) it sounds more like Please...for pleasure, gratify. I tend to think this was purposely done. That being said...with the Please double reading it gives it more of a sexual theme. That's all I will say about that.

10. That Guy: This has a classic sound to it. It almost sounds like she's singing through a filter to make it sound older. Love it.

11. Abnormally Attracted to Sin: This is a return to the religious theme that pops up a lot in Tori's music. Her dad is a preacher so it makes sense that she would hit this topic. In this song she seems to be degrading the idea that you have to be perfect to attend church. We're all human and each of us have attractions to sins. She seems to be saying that religion says that this is an abnormal thing and if you have inclinations to sin...don't even bother coming to church. I think if you take Tori's music at face value you will be offended. But if you understand that she likes to point fingers at bad logic and things that happen in our world, you will find that she is not condoning these things. She is making a statement. I love the groove of this song that is at once haunting and moving.

12. 500 Miles: I really like the movement of this song. It feels like we're walking. Again, the religious theme comes forth. She talks about breaking bread in lovers communion.

13. Mary Jane: This song is quirky and quite funny. It's a conversation between a mother and a son. The son wants to get high but he tells his seemingly naive mother that he wants to have a close relationship with "Mary Jane." Part of me thinks that the mother is high too. HA!

14. Starling: The intro to this track is interesting and has a dark, archaic feel to it. I love the references to birds throughout the whole song. "He screams in black and white just like the magpie." Or, "I woke not to a lonely lark, but to a raven's cry." And the beautiful "If a feather lined with his words becomes a blade." I love the play on words throughout.

15. Fast Horse: I love the tune to this song. It feels like a Native American chant in a way.

16. Ophelia: Love the allusion to Shakespeare's tragic character Ophelia in Hamlet. There are more allusions I know but I have yet to figure them out. When I heard this song I thought of the Ophelia Syndrome in which people let others control their lives.

17. Lady in Blue: This hearkens to Tori's Under the Pink days. It just feels like something that would be on that album. It is just purely haunting.

Tori Amos has not disappointed in the least with this new release. If nothing else, she has made me an even bigger fan. Take a gander. I would highly recommend Tori to anyone although I will warn you...she is an acquired taste.