Album Review : Hot Sauce Committee Part Two - Beastie Boys

Make Some Noise - the album starts with a sure fire-starter. the synthy almost sounds 8-bit-ish. no surprises here as to why this song was chosen as the first single for the album. the lyrics and delivery are sharp as fuck. The beat is straight-off old school. indeed. this is old-school hip-hop at its finest. the swirling bass-line and the futuristic synth almost sounds like back from the good ol' snoop dogg days. 4/5

Nonstop Disco Powerpack - this one starts with a shuffling juggly jungle beat and the bassline is pretty funky. there is a lot of reverb floating around all over the track. there are a lot of effects used all around (especially synthy distortion ones) and they seem to add to the track. I'd say it's a cool track. 3.5/5

Ok - I thought this song was pretty cross-over. obviously looking at the background from where Beastie Boys came from. They always had a very characteristic rock influence. It shows up on this track. It's got a lot of synth-thing to it. and I guess it's present all over the album. this song has a lot of fun element to it and I like that.

3/5

Too Many Rappers(ft. Nas) - This track is a beast. enough said. The swriling synths and the hard drumming gives the song an awesome street-cred. The moment I saw this track on the tracklist I knew this was going to be a big one. The Beastie Boys maybe getting old but they are in no way slowing down. Nas adding up to the joint makes this one of my favorite songs off the album.

5/5

Say It - This song is cold and aggressive. Lot of cuts, guitars, blaring, distortion. It's pretty loud. Once again a lot of synthy distortion effects. What's awesome-er than the almost liquid flow is the blaring effects at the back bring on the extra tang to the flavor of the track. The sampling is epic.

3.5/5

The Bill Harper Collection - It's a short 30-second track. so I won't take this into consideration.

Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win - This song has me really confused. It seems to have mexican influences. It's weird to be frank. The only thing more surprising than the weird mexican-spanish sounding vocals is that the rapping actually seems to flow over all of it.It's probably more pop-friendly than the other songs on the album. Nothing special except that it actually sounds more like a salsa song than a rap song and it's got more of singing than rapping. 2/5

Long Burn The Fire - A more of a new-school influenced track. The organ sample impresses me. It looks like it's straight out of a Doors song. The intro is Funk-meets-the doors. totally. The good thing about most songs on this album is that The Beastie Boys aren't really scared to experiment. The scratching is pretty dope and brings back the old-school vibe into the track. another track i'm going to be keeping in my playlist for a while. the spacey atmospherics and the booming bass coupled with sharp delivery flows not to mention the awesome scratching make this track a cold-stone killer. 4.5/5

Funky Donkey - The idiophonic intro seems to remind me of Soulja Boy. This sounds like a type of sequel to Brass Monkey. It's shorter than I expected. It's much more disco-ish than I expected. Influences of hip-hop pioneer contemporaries like Afrika Bambataa, Sugar Hill Gange etc. that started out at the same time as these guys is evident. I don't really like the disco thing so didn't really like this track a lot. 2.5/5

The Larry Routine - another short song. The beat and the rapping is pretty old-school. 3/5

Tadlock's Glasses - I was looking forward to this song I don't know why. Maybe cos the name of the song sounds cool. More techno-ish stuff on the beat. It's a comparatively slow song with heavily effected vocals but you gotta give it points for being playful and experimental. Cutting edge stuff. 3.5/5

Lee Majors Come Again - Absolute mayhem ensues. You could easily mistake this song for early punk. This song leaves me speechless. Didn't expect absolute punk from the pioneers of old-school hip-hop. But once you go back deep into the history of this band. they did start out as a punk band. Very remniscent of Sex Pistols, The Clash and other punk bands. Halfway into the song The electronic keyboard and scratching makes the song an absolute treat. There are guitar blares and heavy bass overtones all around. Wish there were more 'punk' bands like these. Sigh. 4/5

Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament - It's a funky instrumental. I think you would all agree if I said we'd had enough of instrumental tracks with the previously released all-instrumental album "The Mix-Up" but here The Beastie Boys are back with another instrumental. It's a pretty good instrumental. I like the message it seems to be preaching. This song is better than probably most songs off the Mix-Up. It's very new-age and bluesy at some levels. Once again something very different from all their previous work. 4/5

Here's A Little Something For Ya - The odd-ringing cowbell is back to possess us. The energy bounces off the record. something that is over-rated about most of rap artists these days. The synthy swirling basslines surround most of the tracks on the album especially this one. Makes for an interesting listen. The good thing about a Beastie Boy album is you never know what the fuck is going to happen in between the tracks and that's what i love about these guys. The flow of delivery is pretty old-school and hard-knocking. Old school was never so dope. 3.5/5

Crazy Ass Shit - yeah. this really is some crazy ass shit. This songs remins me of the good ol' days of Run DMC and Public Enemy. This is hip-hop that makes a statement. Overloaded with samples, scratching and cuts. This track may be raw but it definitely is punchy. Overall, a decent track. But the vocal delivery makes the song better. Hell they even added a brass monkey sample in it to spice things up.

3/5

The Lisa Lisa/ Full Force Routine - This song has a trippy bass-line. In both the different parts. It's a short song. The combinations of spacey atmoshperics with hard-hitting drums make it a delight. Wish this was longer. 4/5

Overall = 52/75 = 70% Listenable

Album Review : Reflections in Flickering Hope (EP) - Elvish Mirage

So I was randomly on Facebook and I saw that this Progressive Metal band from Shimla called Elvish Mirage just released an EP called Reflections in Flickering Hope. And they were giving it up for free download. So i thought why not download and listen to it. Which was once again followed by an urge to write an album review. Haha. so here I am again after god-knows-how-many-months. writing another Album review.

Here's some info about the band -

Elvish Mirage means "Mystical Illusion." The band was conceived in Sep, 2010 after weeks of jamming together for the love of music and very soon attracted eye balls nearby. Band has seen many changes in its lineup due to many reasons. Spirit of music never died and band has now been to many places winning many competitions and playing their brand of Rock 'N' Roll with Shivam Aggarwal (on vocals), Vishesh Kapil & Sandarsh Srivastav (on guitars), Joy Francis (on bass guitar) and Stephen (on drums).

Elvish Mirage draws their major musical influences from bands such as Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Lamb of God, Dream Theater and the likes.

For more information, visit Elvish Mirage's Reverbnation page.

Album Review

Lullaby for the Soul starts with an eerie intro makes you wonder what's in store on this song. very ambient. Slow. the high pitched feedback bends add a lot to the almost dystopian sound that seems dark yet there's still hint of some happiness. Sounds deserted. The electronic drum sound sort of ruins it for me. The drums sound almost like MIDI. A very slow song but somehow it doesn't bore me. The vocals are meandering and bending almost like the laments of a lost traveller. and yet the chorus sounds a bit happier and hopeful. I can feel the Opeth influences creeping into this band's sound. Four minutes into the song. The sudden blaring-in of guitars and growling totally surprises me. And yet it doesn't seem off compared to the rest of the song and somehow seems to complement the slow beginning. The atmospherics are brilliant. The chord changes and progressions turn out to be better than I expected them to be at the beginning. The sound of the guitars doesn't really sound very heavy throughout most of the song. Being more treble-y rather than having volume. But since it's home recorded I guess there would be some shortcomings in production. 3/5

Tears of Solitude - starts with a low-key sombre intro. guitar echoes set a rather brooding tone to the song which sounds more vengeful than sad. The various vocal layers put into the song and the production sounds perfect. Sounds soft yet dark. The growling sounds brutal and crisp. but the rather clicky sound of the double bass pedal sounds half-baked and doesn't sound right. The good thing about this song is the rather intelligent combinations of soft and mellow parts with heavy parts. Something very characteristic of Opeth influences. The guitar composition is surreal and has left an impression. The song as a whole does not sound very structured but that's a characteristic of this genre, I guess. Progressive music doesn't really have to have a pattern. The riff at 6:40 sounds almost too good to be true. It is very break-downish and ends the EP on a rather crisp note. 3.5/5

Total Listenability - 6.5/10 = 65% Listenable

Album Review : OKBye! - Fire Exit

This is my first album review for an album by an Indian band. So i hope people reading it won't have too high expectations from me :P
So I heard there was something like a contest whereby I'd get a freebie or something like that if I posted a review about Fire Exit's latest offering OKBye! on my blog. And other than that. I thought it's a delightful new band of course (Yes. everybody wants to win an EP delivered to their doorstep don't they?) :P Haha. enough sarcasm already.
So that you totally don't get thrown off-course, Fire Exit is a Delhi-based Alternative/Progressive Rock band. Check their music out on www.fireexitindia.com

So here's a track-by-track analysis of the songs on their album

Waiting for - The album starts with a rather somber tone. The sound of rain in the background helps quite a lot in creating the right atmosphere. The time signature sounds abstract. Chorus is quite melodic. I think i like the chorus. A very acoustic track to begin with. The vocals are sweet. The different thing I notice about this song is that the percussion is not overdone at all. Rather than relying on the usual drum-kits, The band choses to experiment with what sounds like a tabla. The down-side, though, is that the song does sound a bit too slow to start an album. But the violin-like solo at the end and the vocal improvisations more than make up for it. 3/5

Poison Ivy - Okay whatever misconceptions you might have put into your head about how this band is going to sound while you were listening to the first song get beaten up, crushed, shattered, shredded and basically disintegrated into pieces. The starting riff is pure ownage. Tabla never sounded so cool with guitars. Probably my favorite song on the album. The tabla fills in between here and there make the song flow. The chorus is beautiful yet again. I don't know what the lyrics are but sounds like a pretty cruel love song. The way the song flows smoothly from a really fast tempo to a rather slow and ambient atmosphere is a delight to hear. The vocal harmonies are nice to hear. Adds a lot of depth to the song. Tablas and drums seem to go together. now that's something I haven't heard for a while. An almost perfect song. 4.5/5

Vacuum - So we're back to the acoustic. The tabla is pretty crunchy. The tabla beat is almost infectious. The vocals are dreamy as usual. The overall feel of the song is pretty Indian. So yeah. Guess that's trademark Fire Exit for you. I'll be frank. The intro was pretty nice. But apart from that, nothing really caught my attention. Unlike the other two songs i just heard. Nothing came out and punched me in the face as such. So yeah. 2.5/5

The spark - Yeah. so the drums kick in. The bass is pretty much all over the place. and then guitars kick in. Sounds like dashes of Coldplay to me. Only their more funk-bassy version. The beginning riff sounds okay. I'll say it's decent enough. But not very impactful. What's more impactful about most of the songs on this album. Is the feel. yes. The feel. A high note here. A chord there. A wise man once rightfully said a collection of single drops make an ocean. Back to the song. The vocals could do more pepping up in the verses. The chorus Riff. once again. Pure ownage.It's almost-stoney bouncy rythm could get anyone headbanging. The solo is pretty tight. The verse is very dreamy. I like that. I must say some time after the song crosses the five-minute mark. I did start feeling like it was getting a bit of a drag. But then the energy comes back. Finally for god's sake. The song could've been shorter. 4/5

Heroes - Sounds pretty much like a normal pop-rock song. The song does take an interesting turn around two minutes into the song. The energy builds up. And then it disappears. I was expecting a better breakdown. Didn't really like the song a lot. 2.5/5

M M L - A better song than the previous one. There's complexity in the vocal melody. And the bass-work sounds pretty okay. The guitar solo sounds a bit Porcupine Tree influenced to me. This song travels a lot of distance in terms of chord progressions and Key changes. Not your average man's rock now is it? The tabla seems to be creeping up even at some places the song could've done without. It's a complex song. But didn't really interest me a lot. 3/5

Overall Rating 19.5/25 = 80% Listenable

Album Review : Strange House - The Horrors

Since it's Halloween already and everybody has their creepy costumes on. I'm sure everybody wants to be terrified a bit. ;) I shall start by reviewing the debut album by indie rock band The Horrors, Strange House.

Jack The Ripper - killer track. the album sure does start with a bang and (more importantly) a feeling of dread. there's feedback. the drum beat marches on like a mean machine. the vocals do nothing to make us feel any happier. yes it's screamy and screechy enough to make you moan and groan and rip your lungs out. gruesome and creepy indeed. and then. one and a half minute into the song. it goes faster and faster and faster. wooohooo. total adrenaline rush. very jack white-sque i must say. 4.5/5

Count in Fives - electronic blurring blurs out everything else in this one. sound like tremolo effects to me. Faris Badwan's delusional vocals and those blurred electronic sounds all around make it a sonic extravaganza. and the continuous "hay!" sounds make it kind of punk. nice use of keyboards. the drum sounds crispy enough to make you crunch your teeth and say "amen" 3/5

Draw Japan - more rambling. more guitars all over the place. more unusual organish sounds. prettyweird song. the chorus guitars are doomy. the same riff over and over again and all the gothic paranoia surrounding it makes the whole thing more chaotic than i expected. but still i'm digging it. not as much as the first song though. 2/5

Gloves - the guitar rythm and leads have a very western (the big bad west with the gunslingers yeah. that one) feel to it. dont forget the chatoic mishmash of guitars. which shut up all of a sudden. and the climax builds up again. the vocals sure look like they've had more than their share of pain. 3.5/5

Excellent Choice - majority part of the song has spoken word vocals. which kind off turns me off. one of my least favourite tracks on the album. the only thing which makes this track is listenable is the eenie-meenie-miney-mo-run-for-your-life guitar riff. 2.5/5

Little Victories - starts with some rather interesting and playful organs. which are eventually drowned into blaring guitars and screeching vocals again. very playful. very irritating. by now. all the songs are starting to sound the same and you cant help hoping that the rest of the album won't be as predictable. 3/5

She is the New Thing - i'm starting to like this track the moment it starts. the bass and the guitars and the organ all come together in the chorus which is what i like. and the verses progress from the basic bass riff and drums to the organs and the guitars. and nothing remains the same. indeed. 4/5

Sheena is a Parasite - my favorite track on the album. it's the first single off the album. it's short. and it's creepy too. the drum patterns are very prodigy-like indeed. makes the listener want to jump and dance around the room and cry at the same time. "Sheena is a champion of self-reliance/As soon as she needs it/She knows just where the knife is." beware. of. Sheena. 5/5

Thunderclaps - this song demonstrates exactly why the band calls itself The Horrors. sounds like horror-core indie to me. (whatever that means :P ) The drums are butchering the song like meat in a slaughterhouse. and here again we come across the choir sounds again with that creepy sort of tone. very cult-like. 4/5

Gil Sleeping - the band's first try on an instrumental on the album. it's kind of monotonous. but not even for five seconds does the feeling of dread go away. It could've been shorter. as it is very long compared to the other songs. or maybe it just 'sounds' longer. i have no idea. by the time three minutes are over. i want the song to finish already. i don't think i like this song. except for the ocassional stab of pitch slides that occur, that makes the song sound like a knife on your head while you're sleeping and makes you want listen it through, it's not very bearable. 2.5/5
A Train Roars - this song is irritating. but i guess that's what indie rock is usually like. for me.it's supposed to be seven minutes long. but the last three minutes are silence. i have no idea. why. not very listenable. 2/5

Death at the Chapel - much better than the previous track. and much more listenable. a very short and simple end to the album. i like this song. there are hints of white stripes influences scattered everywhere. 4/5


Overall, the album is ok to listen to if you're an indie rock junkie. The sound of the band is like a combination of The Doors, The White Stripes and The Arctic Monkeys? Some tracks get stuck in your head and then there there are some you totally want to forget.

I wouldn't listen to the entire album through and through again. But there are some songs on the album that have totally grown on me like Jack The Ripper, Death at The Chapel and Sheena is a Parasite and i would most certainly keep them in my playlist on repeat.

The Horrors don't fail to impress with a mean beginning. but somewhere down the line they totally lose it going haywire with guitar and the screeches and the screams, Eventually regaining their composure by the time we reach the last song.

Overall Rating - 40/60 = 66% Listenable

let us begin!

hello friends. hello people. hello aliens. and hello everyone else who doesn't belong to either of those categories.
this is a blog. yeah. you guessed that right, mister.

this is a blog. this is a blog. this is a blog. this is a blog. Whoooyeee! I think i'm excited. :\ chances are you aren't. well. doesn't stop you from reading THIS. or this. or tHis. Huehehehahahaha. O.o
I already feel like god. \m/

Let us bring you down to a more personal level, folks. I'm Antriksh Bali. and i live in New Delhi. I'm what I'd like to call a weird and a pretty eccentrically weird person. who does creative things. just for the heck of it. :P but then we all. do. :) I'm 20 years old and i go to college. Ever since i was ten years old i was very fascinated by music. O.o and ten years later. it's still fascinating. :O i have my own musical solo project called The 2 Sides ProGekt. yeah. you'll get the opportunity to check out a different more personal view of my music from here too. but hell. that comes later OK?

so as the name of the blog probably suggests. in this blog. my. music. my. way. I'm going to dissect and analyze all the music i come across starting today. Posts will usually contain track by track analysis of one album that I'll choose. every week. (or maybe even two or three if I'm lucky :S) to write about. The music i will write reviews of can be of any genre. yes. even bhojpuri songs. :P (you don't know what that is either? Ha!) AND. most importantly. i will write whatever i think about those albums. so if you don't like what i write. Fuck off. Yes? if you like what i write or you're in any other category. :P you're welcome to read what i write and think about what i write and promote my blog on stupid forums just for the heck of it. :)

So tighten your seat belts and get ready to embark on a wild wild maniacal ride. with me. into the very depths of sound and its entire spectrum to get amazed and thrilled like you've never been before.

Adios, Folks.