My Amazon Reviews: 30 Seconds To Mars "This Is War"

Battle Anthems - 4 Out of 5 Stars 

For their 3rd album, 30 Seconds To Marswant you to know that they're deep. They've got big thoughts. They're serious thinkers. They are epic. You will pump your fists. You'll feel liberated. Get on board, brothers and sisters, The Revolution will be digitized. Lights, fog machine, action! Drama! Get on your feet! Lift those cell-phones in the air and light up the stadium, concert goers!

"This Is War" is Jared Leto's big statement. There's plenty of rising up to be done here, with victory, faith, and railing against the

oppressors. Youthful choirs raise hopefully from song after song, with militaristic beats propelling Leto as he goes from whispers to screams. The music itself follows suit, with crashing, anthemic guitars blasting through barricades like U2 hadn't been invented yet. Lead single "Kings and Queens" is a penultimate radio record, all meat and huge hooks, utterly destroying any chance of you noticing how derivative the song itself is. Same with "Night Of The Hunter," "Stranger In A Strange Land" and the title track.

That pretty much describes "This Is War" overall. Like any good actor, Leto knows his moves and his music is both crowd pleasing and widescreening. Heck, I could imagine this being played under the visuals for "Avatar," or even some sci-fi cheese like "Starship Troopers" The big, emotive roar that is 30 Seconds to Mars - and worked so well on A Beautiful Lie- is still in full effect here, and "This Is War" is a really ambitious sounding album. However, the constant battle-cries that push this album to nearly an hour's running time eventually weigh it down, and when you compare it to the similarly themed Muse CD The Resistance, "This Is War" ultimately comes up short.

My Amazon Reviews: The Arctic Monkeys "Humbug"

Monkeys in Slo-Mo, 
4 Out Of 5 Stars
 
The Arctic Monkeys aren't kids anymore. The mere need for speed no longer thrills the way it used to, and their third album is a darker, more complex batch of songs than anything they've ever attempted. Stone Age QueenJosh Homme may have pushed the band in this direction, but since some of the songs on Favourite Worst Nightmare seemed to me to already be moving towards the dark, I suspect a natural progression. In many ways, "Humbug" reminds me of The Undertones as they progressed to their Positive Touchalbum. The bands both started out as hyper-adolescent punkier outfits, with their lyrical sights set on teen girls and gear (Mars Bars to Nikes), and both sounded like a group that could have only formed in a British DiY environment.

While their fans might have wanted the Monkeys to do songs like "I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor" forever, band leader Alex Turner appears to be tired of the form. So he minor-keys it, slows the pace down (allowing drummer Matt Helders room to show off) and allows his voice to flow like an instrument. That makes songs like "Propeller" sound almost menacing. Or let the hook in the first single, "Crying Lightning," evolve out from the song instead of sledgehammering you. Or to experiment with textures, like the backwards guitar on "Cornerstone." With "Humbug," the Arctic Monkeys prove once and for all that they're a three dimensional act, and will outlast the hype that swept them to their original stardom.

Passings: Kate McGarrigle

Canadian folk singer Kate McGarrigle has died, aged 63, after losing her battle with cancer. It was reported last week that McGarrigle was "critically ill" after her son, the singer Rufus Wainwright, cancelled his Australian tour to be with her. CBC News now reports that McGarrigle's brother-in-law, Dane Lanken, has confirmed the singer's death, while Canadian radio station CJAD has stated that she passed away yesterday (Monday 18 January) at her Montreal home, where she was surrounded by family and friends. McGarrigle's doctor, Robert Taba, said she played a three-and-a-half-hour show at the Royal Albert Hall last month despite being "gravely ill". He said: "I was amazed by her courage and her stamina in order to do this."

McGarrigle performed widely with her sister, Anna McGarrigle, for more than three decades, recording 10 albums. She was also well-known for being the matriarch of a musical family, the Wainrights. McGarrigle was the mother of singers Rufus and Martha Wainwright, and the ex-wife of Loudon Wainwrightlll. (Reposted from Winstonthriller)