Atlas Sound "Logos"

        "An Orchid" is one of a strummy texture, but the "Attic Lights" shine on the guitar like a folkie. There is some violin around 3:20 and the vocals are slightly distorted alongside the acoustic strumming. While the "Criminals" inquire the victims as to why they live the way they do "He asked me/Why do you live this way?Think of all you could have,/What I would take/Well, have you got a clue?/Why do you live this way?Why do you?/Think of all I'd take." The lyrics are great I will give thenm that and the instrumentals were good too, the vocals are slightly distorted but it sounds alright. "Kid Klimax" sounds as if one is floating through space and they hear this little voice in their head,  kinda garbled, not fully transmitting (interference). Title track has a quicker pace, and some nice ambience in the background,and the beat is nice, but has this change around 2:45 and the mumbly vocals fade away as King Logos leaves the throne; one who leads away decay and gives us the strength to persevere.  While "my halo is strange/ no cure for the pain /my body will burn/ the leaves will still turn." What kind of halo burns a hole in the sky? Only one of Bradford Cox. "Quick Canal" is no short trip! It is easily the longest song that clocks in at 8:38. It is a good driving song, one that gives people space to enjoy the song, but encourages introspection or another type of thinking. It has a nice beat and the vocals are really nice by Laetia Sadier. Just check out these lyrics: "I thought saints were born saints/ I looked in the dirt/ and found wisdom is learnt/ through a costly process/ of success and failure;" so true. "Sheila" is about a girl who can live alone together with it's message's sender. "The Light That Failed" has this nice strumming and gives the feeling of slowly paddling on the water front; this one also allows you to think as you listen. "Walkabout" reminds of that song that goes "it's alright, alright girl" again! I was looking for who wrote that song. It sounds like there is this undeniable deep bass but is under several layers of ambience/keys and this great beat with lovely vocals by Lennox(Noah). "Washington School" is a nice way to end the album.  Best Songs: Attic Lights,Criminals, Kid      Klimax, Logos, My Halo, Quick Canal, Walkabout, and Washington School.

Julian Casablancas "Phrazes For The Young"

                                                                                                                                    It starts out with a nice punk beat and keys, completely "Out of the Blue. " Speaking of that, one of my favorite lyrics is "I know I am going to h#ll in a purple basket/ At least I will be in another world, while your pissing on my casket." Looking "Left & Right in the Dark" is like trying to find why this song is good. I mean I can be redundant and say that the instrumentals are good, which they are, but why bother trying to explain, because words escape me, such as the shapes of things in the dark. "11th Dimension" has this killer beat and synths and organ that would take you out for dancing as long as you paid for dinner; sounds as if this organ came from the southern border dancing with the samba like beat. "4 Chords of the Apocalypse" has a slow beat that has you riding a horse, in the west,wandering aimlessly. Then a piano comes to assist at around four minutes and the song picks up at the last fifty seconds. Maybe this song is dealing with fame, and its effects on the subject's personal/love life: "It's nice to be important, but so close to being despised/It's more important to be nice/adjusting to the wise," or basically how he says he takes her out places and gets her nice things, and then says give anything you want, it's alright with him.I will say that his vocals for the first two records seemed very monotone, and it was hard to tell if any emotion was ever put in his delivery,but with the last Strokes record and this one, his delivery has improved. We had arrived at "Ludlow Street," and by horse, who is tired. We hear some trickling of banjo? "Rivers of Brakelights" come with a quick paced techno beat and some cool keys, but no car. If that wasn't enough there are several beat changes, and triangle? That goes back to that dizzying beat. In the lyrics he mentions getting the hang of it; life?, and towards the end, he mentions that timing is everything: getting the hang of it, and "getting the time on it, everything hangs on this." Walking on broken "Glass" seems as if it should be more painful, but this song has some nice synth, and this great solo at around the 3:30 mark. At first I thought it was about broken glass, but in the lyrics it mentions bulletproof glass, and how dominance and loyalty, and romance and security stay behind bulletproof glass. Is it about living too safe, or living with lies? Let's look at some more:"you can lie to yourself /But don't lie to me/it's what they want." Check more lyrics if you must know more. "Tourist" is a heckuva way to end a record with this great intro, and great instrumentals throughout; it sounds epic without seeming to be overblown. It has some nice horns too. Best Songs: Out of the Blue, 11th Dimension, 4 Chords of the Apocalypse, Ludlow Street, River of Brakelights, Tourist.

Micachu and the Shapes "Jewellry"

                                                                                                                                     "Vulture" sounds angry without actually being angry, it has this steady quick punk beat and lovely vocals. "Lips" has nice beat and some good instrumentals; the songs here are short but sweet ,don't take too long to form an opinion or the song will be over by then."Sweetheart" is the shortest of the songs at 0:52 with a short punky beat and almost sounds like the vocals are being relayed on the fly. "Eat Your Heart" sounds goofy with the vocals...so indie, so who cares.... let's make a song with no lyrics just making mouth sounds with a tinny beat..hi hat? hello, are you there? "Curly Teeth" with vaudevillian sounds, ray gun sfx, then this nice beat which sounds timbaland-esque, more sfx and that's it. "Golden Phone" With its quick metronome/hi hat beat and a little inclusion of distortion for good measure. Cash register sound effects at the beginning, sparse bleeps and several different beats going on at once, or by themselves, this "Ship" manages to say more in less than two minutes than some songs can say in four, and right before it sinks.. Tribal like drums at the beginning, more electronic bleeps, hip hop beat comes..and goes...instrumentals take the "Floor." Percussive strumming attack several different tempos, and beats,da da da sfx. What the flip? Yeah it's great just listen to it. "Calculator" has more electronic bleeps and keys, percussive washing machine, work out on drums, and just another fun song to listen to with  catchy and hummable chorus."Wrong" is the longest song off the record at 3:34 with all types of percussion (cowbells,hi hat,etc..), almost going in a cycle as the beat starts quick and going toward the finish line it slows down again with those darn cowbells. Get to me and "Turn Me Well," I probably should stop before I fell, into a rut of you said what? The song has a nice beat, but I like some of the first lyrics : "I was told desire had a sell by date/ well it's altered and rotted, but still remains/ climbs the promise of no real change/I didn't think you would last this long.." The final song is "Guts" which has a slow beat with gang vocals, and has minimal lyrics, not even half as much as the amount in "Ship," but it was at least a minute longer. Best Songs: Vulture, Lips, Sweetheart,Curly Teeth, Eat Your Heart, Ship, Floor, Calculator, Wrong, Turn Me Well, Guts.

Free Energy "Stuck On Nothing"

                                                                                                                               Title tracks of albums are done over and over again, but how many times have you heard a song with the title of the band in it? Not nearly as often. If it's done, then you want to make sure it represents in the band in a positive light. The song starts out with some cowbell, and great instrumentals throughout. What a great representation of this band the song makes, just a fun song to listen to, and great guitar work. "Dream City" has this nice beat to it, and makes on want to sing along, at the end there is a nice little saxophone; awesome!! "Bang Pop" is another song that has a great beat and some good instrumentals. I love the lyrics  "Completely crystallized/Cherry lips and long hair/With a pair of sunset eyes/ She's from a weird world/A mistake in Earth descent/Neon lips like a rainbow kid/She's poppin gum in the basement." Do you think its about a woman from another world or feels like it? "All I Know" is that this song has a great beat and some nice instrumentals, and maybe that i'm getting lazy? "Bad Stuff" has nothing bad about it! It has a little dual guitar interplay or is it light strings, I think it is the former. It has a nice pace kept by the beat, and the lyrics may be a little repetitive, but when the last ditch effort to communicate is not working, the message has to be retransmitted and submitted several times. I think this is the longest song at 5:44 and ends with a minute of music sans vocals. Listening to "Dark Trance," I realize that the vocalist almost sounds like Julian Casablancas, especially in this song, and that this song sounds like one that they would have written for "Is This It?" or "Room on Fire." There is nice dual guitarplay at the end, the whole song is good, but it almost is as long as the previous at 5:17. "Young Hearts" has a nice steady beat and line of guitar which may have you dancing, or at least bobbing your head, and gives off positive vibes. I like how" Light Love" starts in the lyrics department:"Light Love/ Don't everybody want that love?/ And it's hard sometimes/ 'Cause everybody's uptight love/ Well, you'll find that out." "Hope Child" has some nice lyrics as well, just thought I would add some for a nice change of pace: "Hope child/Give it some time/You're wonderin why/ Well, how much do you want?/ How much will you give?" The final song is called "Wild Winds" which has some nice horns and a good beat, and maybe some sax thrown in there too? This song is the longest at 6:26 and ends with some nice group vocals and instrumentals.                                                Best Songs: Free Energy, Dream City, Bang Pop, Bad Stuff, Light Love, Hope Child, Wild Winds.

Ke$ha better as a Cannibal or Animal?

  So quality is often more important than quantity, but sometimes you get something that has high levels of both, and I seriously have to say I like Ke$ha's "Animal" record better than the "Cannibal" Ep.I take each reord for what is, and it's been said before, but  good music is good music; it doesn't matter what genre it's from. I also like the feeling I get from listening to (most of) the songs, too! I mean I really liked the title track off Cannibal, as well as Grow A Pear, Crazy Beautiful Life, and the two singles were okay,but not as good as the aforementioned tracks. It seemed like it was rushed and did not have as many good song to me. Oh yeah, all music is subjective, and who wants to read something from a pseudo-critic? Anyway, "Animal" not only had the great title track; the catchy singles Tik Tok, Your Love is My Drug, Take It Off, but it also has the awesome album cuts Kiss N' Tell, Stephen, Dancing With Tears in My Eyes, Hungover, Blind, Backstabber, and the comedic Dinosaur. That is why it sounds good as one thing, because then it's just a long record that has great songs, and some filler, and you get more bang for your buck! So you can take your losses, and the price won't be as much if both records were bought seperately. I forgot to anser the question; well, I would prefer her to be an animal because there is a possibility she might eat me, but as a cannibal there is an absolute confidence that I'd be gone by Tuesday. The animal she makes can also be one of many kinnds as she has song that have different moods and flavors.

Ke$ha "Cannibal"

                                                                                                                                         We start back where the last record ended; a year later glitter queen Ke$sh returns with the Cannibal EP, and the title track is a pretty nice way to start the album. The lyrics are kind of unnerving, to some, but let's say that she has a heart but not for this person the song was for, and that the guy is someone she'd stalk in school, but would have nothing to do with her unless she was famous, and now he's where?! At first I thought "We R Who We R' was lame, but is a song that sticks in your head after a few times. The lyrics are kinda lame, but this song has to deal with being oneself and not to be afraid of being yourself; it sounds kind of the "Born This Way" of 2010. The next song is basically about how a rich guy seducing her with money for sex.What did you expect from a a song called "Sleazy?" "Blow" is another good song, single too, with a good chorus and I like the blow-oh-oh-oh-oh-oho-oh refrain with autotune as well as beat change at the 2:30 minute mark. "The Harold Song" is not too bad, but I think I like the keys and beat of "Crazy Beautiful Life" a little better. I like the Lyrics of "Grow a Pear," as well as the wordplay in the title, and the song in general."I'll C U Next Tuesday," but you just have to tell me where to meet. An autotuned kiss-off that is sarcastic in its sincerity. So there is a remix of Ke$ha's title track from her debut album, which has a slower pace and has different synths.                                                                       Best Songs: Cannibal,We R Who We R, Blow, Crazy Beautiful Life,Grow a Pear.

Ke$ha "Animal"

                                                                                                                                I love the first song "Your Love is My Drug," it has such positive vibes that it gives off, and speaks of how the love of the object of her affection gives her a high; a very catchy fun song. "Tik Tok" may seem lazy and idiotic in the lyric department, but this song is made to be sung along to, and made to be a radio hit. The lyrics are fun; the song is fun; and it makes you want to dance. There's a place I know if you're lookin' for a show that plays another dance anthem for those that go hardcore and like glitter on the floor. It's catchy as heck, and it makes you want to "Take it Off."It has a driving beat,and catchy chorus, and some vocal effects. The first song that was not a single "Kiss N' Tell" has this really catchy chorus, with autotuned vocals,  nice beat, and keys. A dance mosh song, fun to dance and listen to. The lyrics are fun to listen to as well; it's a kiss off song, but the vibes you get when listening to the song are positive, so if you don't pay attention to the lyrics too much you won't notice that she may be a little t'd off.. I like the part where She sings "you really should have kept it in your pants/ hearing dirty stories from your friends..." and how she mentions that she could find someone way hotter with a bigger, wow, well.."Stephen" is another cute song, the intro is really nice with Ke$ha singing a three part harmony, and then it kicks in with a nice beat, and great instrumentals. The lyrics are cute, the music that surrounds it is cute, and so is the vocal pout she uses when singing. It's a song that is about a lost love that is kind of depressing, but is addictive,because it can make you feel good at the same time, and the instrumentals just soften the blow of the remorseful delivery."Blah Blah Blah" with 3OH!3 is another one of the singles, and it's ok, but is not one of my favorites. basically talking about skipping small talk and getting down to business; you know what I mean. "Hungover" has this dancehall beat and slow groove that starts but the song picks up after a minute when the chorus starts "Now the party's over, and everyone is gone/ I'm left here with myself and wonder what went wrong..." Another song about a remorseful decision, but this song has no positive energy released, it's sentimental, and depressing; and you're like... you mean it's not vapid?! No, it feels heartfelt in it's sincerity; she's a human being too and can feel real emotions, even if she likes to wear diferent stuff sometimes. The next song, "Party at a Rich Dude's House" goes back to her dance-mosh vibe with a quick beat and synths. I love the intro and instrumentals to "Backstabber," and all the vocal effects sound really good in this one too."Blind" is another catchy song to sing along to, and even if it's about another sour relationship, the instrumentals keep it positive. "Sick and tired of the mess you made me/ I will never let you see me cry/you must be blind you can't see, you'll miss me till the day you die." The next song vcalled "Dinosaur" is basically about older men hitting on younger women half their age. The lyrics are entertaining, and the song is catchy; there is a nice whistle line in the background, and some vocal effects that sound nice. When she says "Hittin' on me Whaaaaat?" she delivers it in this snotty way, but sounds perfect for the song. "Dancing With Tears in My Eyes" is another bad relationship song, but another that has one feel like dancing. "Boots and Boys" has this sexy vocal delivery about two of her obsessions. " I know I've got myself a habit/ but I gotta have it now/I don't care where, work it out/ let me break it down/ I try it on, I take it off/so what you got?" The title song is a nice way to finish the record off, with a a dancingand driving beat beat (Why do I bother mentioning that, It's Dance pop, No?) and nice synths. She really does have a good voice,even if she has some help from the vocoder,but any effects added helped the songs. Best Songs:Your Love is My Drug, Tik Tok, Take It Off, Kiss N' Tell, Stephen, Hungover, Blind, Dinosaur, Backstabber, Dancing With Tears in My Eyes, Animal