I must admit I have already listened to all 3 - I would like to have waited for the CDs but with a lack of job and all money going towards Reading, I'm having to rely on downloads at the moment. I do however, hand on heart, vow to buy all 3 as soon as I can afford it.
So here is a quick lowdown for you:
¡Forward, Russia!
Life Processes
The first thing people seem have been saying about ¡FR!'s second album is how good the artwork is. I do like it a lot, and it seems to suit the theme of the album well.
The opening track Welcome to the Moment throws you right into the ¡Forward Russia! fast-beat march that we all know so well from Give Me a Wall. It sets the pace of the album that follows fluidly into We Are Grey Matter and so forth.
The album pumps out a solid succession of ¡FR! songs that won't disappoint the fans. It finishes with Spanish Triangles, perhaps one of the harder songs to get into to; a slow and powerful 9 minutes that brings the album to a close.
Reviews seem to have mixed opinions of Life Processes, but the general thought seems to believe that it is a decent second album from ¡Forward, Russia!, bringing new ideas into the mix that mostly seem to work well.
2SF4SB Review of Life Processes
Elle Milano
Acres of Dead Space Cadets
I really don't know whats going on in the music industry at the moment.. I have had the delight of listening to Acres of Dead Space Cadets for a month or so now and truly believe this album to be one of the greatest this year.
And what do the reviews say? NME 6/10, "they succumb to an unconvincing flamboyance that descends into macabre melodrama" noize... You what? Are they listening to the same album?!
Acres of Dead Space Cadets is a constant barrage of catchy songs. The stop-start rhythmic guitar and vocal energy of Adam M. Crisp drive an instant liking to this band. Elle Milano's delivery is one of subtlety and intelligence that starts with Laughing All The Way To The Plank and doesn't finish until This is how it ends, the last on the album.
There is little I can say other than this: I beg you, don't let stupid reviews dismay you - go out and buy this album.
2SF4SB Review of Acres of Dead Space Cadets
Blood Red Shoes
Box Of Secrets
Box of Secrets is full of thumping guitar and drum beats from Blood Red Shoes. Laura-Mary's catchy yet simple guitar riffs are driven by the drums and vocals of Stephen whom together have provided a very impressive and enjoyable debut album.
At first listen its tempting to suggest that all the songs sound the same, and it is not until the second or third listen that the album really gets to you. Tracks such as ADHD and Its Getting Boring By The Sea are full of energy, catchy guitar and instantly likeable.
It is a very promising start from the Brighton duo and well-worth a purchase.
2SF4SB Review of Box of Secrets
3 comments:
Cool that would be good! :)
here Life processes:
http://2forward4back.blogspot.com/2008/04/forward-russia-life-processes-14th.html
will do box of secrets today, and i still havent heard Acres haha ARGH!
thoroughly enjoying the blog! xx
I'm really unsure about Acres of Dead Space Cadets. I think they have so much material that really could have made a huge impact if they'd put it on the album and played their cards right (There's a video for "Meanwhile in Hollywood..." but no video for any song on the Swearing's For Art Students EP?!). I think if they'd have included all of that EP and most of their B-Sides on the album, then it would have got totally rave reviews. I think the way they've released their stuff has meant that most of their best recordings have gone unheard by too many people.
hmm i agree that perhaps their method of releasing songs was maybe not the most effective way of getting rave reviews, but I don't think that any of the songs on Swearing's For Art Students are any better than any of the songs on the LP. A song like Juliettes Dead could easily be considered as one of Elle Milano's greatest songs to date, yet it would not have fit in with the rest of the album.
Even if you thought that the B-sides and SFAS tracks would make a better album it cannot be denied that the songs that are on the LP are still in their own right, fanastic. Even if they could have done it more effectively, I believe the album is still a lot better than most of the stuff out there and has not received the praise that it deserves at all.
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