musicreviews

Everclear �Songs From An American Movie Vol. 1: Learning How To Smile�
This is totally different from any of Everclear�s other albums. The songs are more like pop than alternative, (As in other albums) but not so that it�s an annoying and teeney-bopper-ish. From hearing all of the songs you can almost piece together the lives of Greg, Craig & especially Art. Full of drug and relationship problems.
Ever buy a CD and find you only like the songs that have been released on the radio?? (usually 1-3 songs total) Not this one, I now enjoy 10 out of 12 of them. (They are the sort of songs that grow on you, they have to be given fair chances) The lyrics are interesting, sometimes funny and tunes catchy yet all individual, with no two sounding the same.
The song titles include �Wonderful� (as heard on most radio stations), �Unemployed Boyfriend�, and �Now That It�s Over�. Overall This is a really enjoyable Album and I can�t wait to get Vol2, Good Time For A Bad Attitude, which has some older favourites such as �Local God� as well as new alternative hits. That�s the good part, now the bad�

Limp Bizkit �Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavoured Water
If you enjoyed the other �Three Dollar Bill Y�all� and �Significant Other� you will probably be very disappointed at with �Choc Starfish�. Fun and interesting songs like �Nookie� and �Stalemate� Have been replaced with crude offensive noise titled �My Way� and �Getcha Groove On�. The only decent songs are the radio released ones (�Rollin��, �My Generation� and �Take A Look Around.�) Some songs are pretty much just constant swearing, (Hey, I�ve found a band with less talent then Eminem people!!) and even I, Robyn who is rarely offended, find this reeeeeally tiresome. Some folk blame the total downfall of Limp Bizkit on the newest band member, �DJ Lethal� who of course if the DJ in charge of the re-mixing & adding crazy sounds. I think it would have more to do with the lead singer going out with Christina Aguleira If you did like the older songs by Fred Durst & the gang, I suggest checking out some newer bands that sound like them. 28 Days, Lit and Linkin Park are some for starters. I should�ve checked out a few more songs on Napster before getting Choc Starfish. You can try before you buy, and only make a decision when you�re sure of the quality. I suggest everyone support Napster so I won�t make the same mistake again.
Everclear & Napster Rule!!!!!! Limp Bizkit currently bites.

Portishead - 'live in Roseland NYC'
Oh, we love Portishead. They�re so good, and so un-everything else. Portishead are layered and minimalist, which doesn�t make any sense, but they are! Using cool vocals, strings, brass, organs, drum kits and DJing, they make a sound that is mellow. Mmmmm�..mellow. It just goes so well with coffee and Sundays and sleeping and late nights, all of which everyone knows are the best things in life. If every act was this good live the world would be almost perfect.

Cypress Hill- 'Black Sunday'
Yeah, you might notice I seem to like the music I review this month a lot. That�s cuz I paid money for the cds, man. But I�m gonna be unbiased towards this one. It rocks! It�s like, a zillion years old though (it came out when I was 7) but it�s so cool (old skool style! Says the inner rap chica in me). Who wouldn�t like songs that go �insane in the membrane, insane in the brain!� and sing about the cops (them facist pigs) taking away there entire pot crop? With this album it�s totally obvious what it�s about� it even has a song called �hits from the bong�. None of this searching-for-a-meaning-in-a-meaningless-album bull.

Powerpuff Girls- 'Heroes and Villains'
Usually I am the first person to say that I can�t stand most pop. This is pop, but not Britney Spears pop. It�s good. The only songs on it from the tv show are the beginning and closing theme, and that makes it even better in my opinion. There�s songs on this album that you would expect to find on the Cruel Intentions soundtrack, or somewhere along those lines. My personal favourite song is one titled �Fight the Power� which I may just use as my little song to play whenever I am feeling too trusting of the government.
This album has a whole range of songs on it, and it�s an album that hasn�t got a song that I hate on it. And that�s a first for me. 10/10.

King Kapisi- 'Savage Thoughts'
Unlike many other rappers, King Kapisi talks about worthwhile things. Like Eminem, he tells the truth, but the truth about Eminem is that he is a rascist, prejudiced, homo-phobic wife-beating jerk. King Kapisi, on the other hand, is a clever guy. In his rapping he says �My mission 2 serve and inform, loosen mental blocks of ignorance� �weak minded follow, most of the world feels the sorrow of religion, (war and famine) and colonialism, for some it�s accepted but Kapisi will never let it, a rebel for the cause I initiate change� he also talks about nuclear-free pacific, suicide, deportation and other things that affect people in New Zealand. It proves he�s not just in the music business to offend people and make money. His melodies, are also great, especially in the tracks �2nd migration� which is my favourite, �Saboteur� and �Reverse Resistance�. �u not red-I� is also quite good. Though Screems from da old plantation has been played most recently all over NZ, it is definitely one of the worst tracks on the album. It�s almost sort of hard to believe it�s King Kapisi�s first album, he�s such a class act. �Your brain government numbed, your jugular succumbed, I�m the Obi-Wan (you�re feeling tightness in your lungs) I use the force�.