Rough Draft

Album Reviews

Mike reviews several albums which I too have picked up recently. I thought I'd comment on his thoughts and mention a few other albums that have been getting heavy play by me lately.

Midtown - Forget What You Know
Definitely a good album as a whole, and Give it Up (which is also on the Spider-man 2 soundtrack) and Is it Me? Is it True? are really catchy. I haven't really given it a lot of listens since I've had it, so I can't echo Mike's album of the year praises. I'm definitely going to have to spend some more time with this album though.

Straylight Run - Self Titled
Straylight rocks. Period. There is not a song they've done that I haven't loved. I've heard the two sampler CDs which combined contain about half the tracks from the full length, and I have to say I can't wait for this album to come out.

My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
I saw them live when they opened for Finch and enjoyed their set. This is the first time I've heard their recorded songs though, and it's a good album. The music itself is darker and a nice change from standard rock/pop punk. Helena and I'm Not Okay (I Promise) are the top tracks.

Green Day - American Idiot
Like Mike, Dookie was one of my first "punk" albums. Hard to believe that was 10 years ago. I still listen to Dookie fairly often, though I haven't really kept up with Green Day's releases since then. Nonetheless, I picked up American Idiot, and it is a spectacular album. Mike puts it best, "a giant punk-rock opera". I too am still trying to figure out the entire story of the album, but that's what makes albums like this so fun. Are We the Waiting was the track that immediately grabbed me the first time I heard it.

Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want to Be
Not too much to say about this one. It's a good collection of songs, and overall better than their debut album, Tell All Your Friends. Set Phasers to Stun and New American Classic are my favorite two songs.

Say Anything - Is a Real Boy
This is a really fun, wacky album to listen to. From the spoken word intro "and the record begins with a song of rebellion" to the final song Admit It! the album is filled with amusing lyrics. Admit It is a hilarious take on the whole "emo" scene, which Jeff has blogged about. You can read all the lyrics here, but the lead singer has such a good voice it's something completely different to listen to.

Jimmy Eat World - Futures
This album isn't actually out until October 19th, but I've had a chance to hear an advance copy of it, and it is my favorite new album. I will definitely be purchasing it when it comes out. I've rated 9 out of the 12 tracks 4 or 5 stars. The album starts off loud with the title track and ends with the slower and mellow Night Drive and 23. All three of which I've rated 5 stars. In between is a collection of very solid, catchy rock songs. This is a must own album.