I like noises.
Wacky, with a pretension for eclectic, definitely Mr. Bungle-ish. While the tamer disco parts were a little weak, the rest was really enjoyable, these guys are really having fun. (9/10)
The Mothers Of Invention - Trouble Every Day
A fusion of country, blues and early rock music. From the composition and arrangement point of view, it's a strange beast: it has too much variety, which dulls the effect, makes it an amorphous flatline, 3/5.
Spiral out, keep going.
Atlas
Generic, repetitive electronic dance music... except in Russian! Honestly, there's nothing more frustrating than trying to review a generic song. At least spectacularly bad stuff is Snark Bait; the dull stuff invites no commentary at all. 5/10
Tastes better on the way back down.
9/10. Post is one of my all time favorite albums, and although The Modern Things isn't necessarily a highlight, that definitely says something about the quality of those highlights. The song goes through so many changes - like many other tracks on Post - as it ranges from minimalist vocal-centered material to extremely powerful beauty. And goddamn, can she sing on this one.
"If you spend all your heart / On something that has died / You are not alive and that can't be a life"
9/10: Olsen knows how to build to a climax. Great guitar solo at the end!
This is one of those Tom Waits songs where you go from "The fuck am I listening to?" to "Hey, this is actually quite good" in quick succession. I won't risk trying to identify what instrument is providing the wondrous beat that goes through the whole length of the song, but once the other instruments kick in, the pattern created by them becomes quite pleasing to the ear, 5/5.
Chelsea Wolfe & King Dude - Bed on Fire
edited 20th Jul '17 11:57:22 AM by Millership
Spiral out, keep going.
A nice slow guitar piece with female vocals. 7.5/10.
RIP Chester Bennington, 1976-2017.
Ah, it's been a while since I last heard this song, but I remember it being played to death on the radio when I was in middle-school. >.> But all in all, I never hated this song, and it still packs a decent punch, with the voice conveying just enough anger and distress. Not an all-time favorite by any means, but not bad.
…And wait a minute, the singer died? .−.
Shikata Akiko - Haresugita Sora no Shita de (Under the overly clear sky)
The red pebbles dance on the cracked soil,
And the sky is more beautiful than it has any right to be.
I stand here, singing at the top of my voice,
Desperately waiting for the rain to come.
Only small rocks come out of the empty well,
And the palm tree planted when I was born has now withered.
Even the flowers under the sky will soon have wilted.
My tears aren't enough water to heal them.
Oh Sun, lantern of Appolo, I do not need your kiss.
Oh Wind and Clouds, bring us the rain
And make it fall in my hands.
Oh Sun, lantern of Appolo, do not wait for dusk to disappear.
Oh Wind and Clouds, bring us the rain
And make it fall on my body.
My dry lips have the taste of sand,
And I have long gotten used to the pain in my burning throat.
No matter how much I sing and how much I pray,
And no matter how much despair torments me.
"This spring has long since dried up.
But if you want wine, we still have plenty!"
The eyes on the men in the tavern were blurry.
They danced with Bacchus under the river of stars.
And now even the hearts of people seem to wane.
My songs are not strong enough to save them.
Oh Moon and Stars, lanterns of Deneb, I do not need your embrace.
Oh Thunder, bring rain with you
And let it fall in my hands.
Oh Moon and Stars, lanterns of Deneb, do not wait for dawn to disappear.
Oh Thunder, bring rain with you
And let it fall on my body.
edited 20th Jul '17 1:06:25 PM by Lyendith
It's a bit strange to hear a Western European-style folk-ish song being sung in Japanese. I like the "Festival coming to our town" atmosphere it creates, 4/5.
Spiral out, keep going.
7/10. I'll admit that I've never been impressed by The Doors. Their style is too much a product of the times, not to mention they really depended on Jim Morrison's lyrics and vocals more than anything. But this one isn't bad by any means. The chorus is nice and catchy, and the drugged-out feeling of it gives a nice juxtaposition between the mellow playing and Jim Morrison's wild vocal style.
Car Seat Headrest - "Romantic Theory"
Atlas
The first line of the first song on Monomania being "I never loved you anyway" seems designed to make it clear as possible that this is a bitter, angry breakup album to contrast its predecessor Twin Fantasy's lovesick catharsis. For all its spunk and swagger, though, there's still a definite aura of fragility and hurt to this tune, and that's where its real charm lies. Not as fantastic as the absurdly high highs of Twin Fantasy, but it's still damn nice lo-fi indie. 8/10
X-103 - Atlantis (The Entrance)
I like noises.
Now that's some really bare-bones techno. While I liked some of the effects in the first half of the track, the second one feels too stripped down. But to be fair, the resulting construction still does put me in a kind of trance and fires up my imagination, like a lot of good minimalist tracks do. This one feels like escaping a sinking nuclear submarine. (8/10)
Nonsense is better than no sense at all.
The guitar riffs and heavy drumming pack a punch, but as a whole it feels like a first draft of a song, it doesn't really go anywhere and evolve its ideas, 3/5.
Michael McCann - Icarus (Deus Ex Human Revolution Main Theme)
edited 20th Jul '17 3:16:04 PM by Millership
Spiral out, keep going.
It's a good theme that will get you through the game. 7/10.
Linkin Park - Breaking the Habit
I've been going on a Linkin Park marathon after Chester's tragic suicide.
Oh, I like this one. 
A bit more hip-hop than rock, but very effective in giving a sense of quiet urgency. The vocals sound a bit like a muffled scream in a way…
Shikata Akiko - Inori no Hate no Hitofuri wo (The downpour after the prayer)
The sequel of Haresugita Sora no Shita de.
Under the blazing sun, the wilted flowers
Sway in the wind, unable to bloom.
How many times have I heard my sister's prayers
While she held her own body?
(Turkish)
So I could no longer wait and decided
To leave the village for a journey.
To search for the Rain Princess
That the old stories told of.
O, scorching sun.
If you want to laugh at me, please do.
May my dearest wish lead me
To the faraway land where the rain resides.
(Turkish)
My voice is dry and my legs hurt.
But I keep on walking.
A veil of air, bearing water…
I arrived to a mysterious place…
I saw her silver hair spreading rain drops…
I had finally met with the Rain Princess.
A gaze full of pity and compassion,
Yet a cruel divine reason.
"Poor young girl who came from so far away…
I am afraid that my power can hardly reach your home…"
"However", she said with a turn-about (?)
She changed the morning dew into a cane
And handing it to me, she said:
"Here is a small blessing for your people."
A pulse of happiness
Suddenly filled my chest.
I could return to my overly sunny land,
For my long travel had not been in vain.
Please wait for me just a little longer.
edited 22nd Jul '17 5:26:50 AM by Lyendith
Love your hair, hope you win
8.4/10 I am always here for japanese folk music. Exquisite violin playing.
Joke? Why are you calling it a joke? You drew a picture of two dudes hugging and wrote "I love hugs!" on it.
Atlas
You can hear Neil's fireplace crackling in the background throughout this track, which just emphasises what an intimate song and performance it is. The melody is one of his prettiest, and the occasional psychedelic flourishes are a nice touch, but its slightly bloated runtime cruelly robs it of true classic status. 7.5/10
Tastes better on the way back down.
7/10: An aching ballad by Newman, whose somewhat froggy voice is made up for by expertly-chosen piano chords that seem almost Nyro-esque.
Decent but forgettable folk music. 6/10.
Minutes To Midnight was a New Sound Album, and this song shows that clear. Unusually militaristic, devoid of synth sound usually associated with Nu Metal, 4/5.
Spiral out, keep going.
Atlas
The longest track on Lateralus isn't among the best cuts from that album, but let's face it, that's hardly an insult. This mostly serves to show off Tool's mastery of suspense, which they've grasped better than perhaps any other metal band out there; the song is essentially ten minutes of buildup followed by a brief ambient guitar outro, yet it never feels unsatisfying and the band find ways to keep you entranced throughout. I'm also going to take this opportunity to gush about Danny Carey, who may well be the greatest rock/metal drummer of all time. Seriously, just listen to those polyrhythms! 8/10
The Afghan Whigs - Summer's Kiss
Nice little atmospheric track; really feels like I'm at the top of a cliff, watching the world run below me. Or something. I also love the drums in this, for some reason. BUT the singer's voice almost ruins the experience for me. Almost. He almost sounds off-key at times. :x
From the critically acclaimed St. Anger. 
4/10. I wouldn't even recognize this as Metallica if it weren't for the name.
The instrumentation is... well, haunting alright, helped by the somewhat strident synth. But it doesn't really go anywhere. It kinda feels like it ends before it has even started.
Is it the album's intro or outro?
(by the way, "Teen Suicide" seems like a good candidate for the "worst band names" thread >.>)
Empalot - Ua 2
(ends at 25:11)