Reviews by SlackerChick

I was somewhat hesitant about buying Madeline because the feminist in me has issues with 'Typical' but I shouldn't have been. Other than that issue I've really been enjoying this album. It's a solid rock record with a lot of interesting variations. I don't feel they fell flat with any of the sounds they tried out on Madeline. I'm impressed that I liked even their try at screamo in 'I Can't Breathe' which I typically can't stand. So of my other favourite are 'We Still Dance', 'The Lush Life' and 'The Time is Wrong'. This cd also includes a great live dvd that showcases a majority of the record as well one or two songs not on Madeline.

Tickle Me Pink are one of a handful of bands local to my area that have made it big in the past two years. I've been casually following them since they hit the airwaves of my favourite local station. On the day Madeline was released, I along with the local music scene, was shocked to hear that the bassist (Johnny Schou) had died. It was so very tragic but Tickle Me Pink are carrying on and I'm so very proud of them.

After giving it much consideration I've come to the conclusion that The Academy Is...'s new album Fast Times at Barringtion High is really damn catchy. After listening to this album for only five days I already feel like I could sing along with the whole thing without much trouble. Fast Times seems like it could be the album that gets them the mainstream recognition they've been hoping for. The Academy Is... has grown a lot musically in just the year since their previous album, Santi, was released. They sound much more cohesive than before and I think that's made the songs more memorable. William's voice has gotten stronger and he seems to be expanding his lower range as well which I think works wonderfully for him. I'm also really impressed with Butcher's drumming on this album particularly 'Beware! Cougar!'. I was surprised by 'After the Last Midtown Show', which sounded like a ballad to me but after repeated listens I realized that was only superficially, it's actually got a very intense build to it and is not a typical ballad at all. Some of my other favourite songs are 'The Test', 'Crowded Room' and 'Paper Chase'.

I'm surprised by how much I enjoy Ashlee Simpson's Bittersweet World. The songs are hooky and catchy without becoming overly repetitive and/or extremely annoying. I've liked nearly every song but one on this album when I was expecting to only like half of the songs. Ashlee's a pretty good singer and she's got an interesting voice. I can see how she did well on Broadway. I was also very pleased to find out that she co-wrote all the songs on Bittersweet World. That's not something that's common in the pop music industry. My absolute favourite song on the album is the title track 'Bittersweet World' with 'Murder' and 'What I've Become' being close seconds. I'm not much of a fan of slow songs so the one song I didn't like was 'Never Dream Alone'.

Wow! This is exactly how a concert should be filmed. This is a fantastic Concert Dvd. MCR are such overachievers, they filmed not one but two concerts for this dvd and threw in a live cd as well. The only reason I'm rating The Black Parade is Dead! a 9 is that they cut the encore from the Mexico City show. While I understand why it was done I still would have preferred to have it included. Both concerts are absolutely amazing. I'm in love with the cinematography for both shows. Everything flowed so well, especially given the differences in the staging of both shows. Gerard's got so much charisma, he's a brilliant frontman.

Even though the Mexico City show is epic and awesome I think the New Jersey show is my favourite - I've already watched it multiple times. I really enjoyed the intimate vibe of this show. It had so many great moments. Ray switching guitars during Disappear was too cool. And the transition they did between 'Give 'Em Hell, Kid' and 'House of Wolves' was great. I love hearing Ray singing and I could hear him so well during this show. There was also a really nice mix of new and old songs.

You're Awful, I Love You is a good solid rock album. But that's not all it is. It's also incredibly witty. I got into Ludo because of the catchy-ness of the lead single 'Love Me Dead' and found they're so much more than that. They're all truly talented musicians, they write well crafted songs and their lyrics are incredibly funny. Some great examples of that humour are 'Lake Pontchartrain', 'Mutiny Below' and 'The Horror of Our Love'. Besides 'Love Me Dead' my favourite songs on this album are 'Lake Pontchartrain' and 'Drunken Lament'.

When I first heard I Hate Kate on my local radio station I thought they were a well known, famous band that I'd been oblivious to previously, they just sounded that good! So I was surprised to find out that they were a mostly local band with only some notoriety to their name.

I've loved their music since I first heard 'em on my radio and I'm so happy to finally have a full album to listen to. I Hate Kate's music is hard for me to describe, it's like they took all my favourite things from '80's rock and modern rock, threw them together and than sat the whole thing on it's head. It's dancy and retro and beat driven and guitar heavy and I love it shamelessly.

I'm really impressed with the cover of 'Major Tom' on Embrace the Curse. 'Cause I remember the original version of 'Major Tom' and it was nowhere near as good. Some of my other favourites are 'Outta My Head', 'Then You Kiss' and 'Inside Inside'.

Howl is an absolutely awesome rock album. I've had it on repeat since I got it yesterday and I don't think I'll be getting tired of it any time soon. It amazes me that they did everything themselves, from the production down to the artwork. I'm constantly awed by Sean Van Vleet's voice, he's got an impressive range and he uses it so well. Another thing I'm impressed with is the amount of tracks on the album, there's more songs here then the majority of recent albums I've seen. There's a lot of different sounds on Howl, I can hear some 60's and some 80's and there's even a couple purely acoustic tracks (hand claps!). Currently my favourite songs are 'Believe!', 'All Night Long', and 'Modern Love'.

I really truly love this cd. I bought it the week it came out and it's a rare day that I don't listen to at least a few of the songs on it. One of the things I love about Infinity on High is that it's so different from the music I had been hearing on the radio. You might think it's just your typical pop-punk but really there's a lot of diversity here. I can hear the sounds of metal, hardcore, r&b, and funk on various songs. There's even something like a piano ballad, but not, since this is Fall Out Boy after all. Another thing I really love about Infinity on High is Patrick's voice. He's such a strong singer and he's grown a ton vocally since From Under a Cork Tree. Without a doubt my favourite song on this album is 'You're Crashing But You're No Wave'. It's a song that tells a story and I love the lyrics in this song and the way Patrick sings them.

Incredible!! I can't believe this is their debut album. I don't have the words for how much I love this album. I love how 'One of Those Nights' bleeds into 'Bounce'. Patrick really can't help singing on song's he's produced can he? I'm really having trouble picking a favourite song. I really dig 'I'm a Wonder' but 'Bounce' and 'This City is Contagious' are amazing as well. I'm also really impressed with ''Vegas Skies, they've done the improbable and written a ballad that I actually really like. The only thing I'm not quite sure I like is the vocal effects in 'High Hopes in Velvet Ropes' and I'm sure that a couple days from now I'll enjoy that too.

The Best is perhaps my favourite cooking show ever. I don't know what it is about it but I absolutely love this show. Maybe it's watching the three chefs prepare the dishes in the laid-back atmosphere of their kitchen. Or maybe it's the way the chefs help each other prepare the dishes. The Best promotes itself as a competition but if it is it's a very friendly competition.

I do wish The Best had stayed on air for longer. I would have loved to see more then the ten episodes made.