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Special Event: atrlcritic | Ed Sheeran's new songs after the upgrade
Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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I will check out Something In The Water after I get my LIGHTS review up in a bit. It seems like a lot of Carrie fans love it. I'm excited to hear it.
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Member Since: 11/15/2011
Posts: 13,901
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when will the submission of reviews for SITW end?
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by cheers09
when will the submission of reviews for SITW end?
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2 more days.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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I'm going to bed. I guess my LIGHTS review will be posted tomorrow morning. It'll definitely be posted, though. An interesting album.
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Member Since: 8/13/2012
Posts: 25,749
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Can we please review Hozier
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by YR.
Can we please review Hozier
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Yes, you're the 4th request so we'll definitely be reviewing it. 
Check the OP, the full review schedule is there.
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Member Since: 11/18/2011
Posts: 5,396
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Lights - Little Machines
Release Date: September 23, 2014
"Everyone here is ready to go, it’s been a long year and I only know, from down this low, it’s only up we go, up we go."
Having her first child is definitely not slowing down singer-songwriter Lights (Valerie Poxleitner’s before a name change to legally keep the moniker). Coming fresh off of a tour from an acoustic version of album #2 Siberia and a couple months of trying out platinum blonde hair, Lights quickly got to work on her next studio effort. She even took time to work on the album whilst pregnant! But how does Little Machines compare to her past albums?
Well, to answer that question, Little Machines kind of has a mix of both The Listening and Siberia. There is potentially more of an influence from her debut, however, as the new album is softer and feels more like a pop album. Her vocals still soar over the songs, especially in songs like The Same Sea. Speeding could be a track on Siberia with Lights’s softer tone and throbbing beats rather than synths. The same could be said about the trembling beat on Oil & Water.
Little Machines does have its own flavor to it as well. Lyrically, it has more of a focus on the good ole days. The production has slight differences from The Listening. It has more of an 80s synthpop sound going for it rather than the “modern day Owl City synthpop.” It’s actually really refreshing that she can keep her synthpop sound, but also slightly change it up. Running with the Boys has a guitar riff in the chorus heavier than any guitars in previous Lights songs.
Looking at songs by themselves, Up We Go is a blissful, looking-ahead, 80’s near-bubblegum pop track and the lead single. Portal opens the album in a slow, calm tone. Meteorites is extremely synth-heavy and talks about adventurous and mystical subjects, such as volcanoes and meteorites. Muscle Memory is another synth-heavy song where Lights’s vocals float up and down through the chorus.
Lights has come a long way from her Old Navy commercial days. Yes, that’s how I became a fan of hers. Comparing to Lights’s other work, I definitely prefer Siberia over Little Machines, but it’s better than her debut. There aren’t really any huge stand-out tracks like previous albums, but it feels more like one cohesive package. I almost prefer Little Machines in that way, though, which is why Lights continues to do a good job with her music.
7.0/10
★★★★★★★✩✩✩
Top Tracks: Portal, Up We Go, Speeding, Oil & Water
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 8,420
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One direction are of course the biggest gang on the planet earth and have released over 2 studio albums and have 1 hit single 'what makes you beautiful" there new single doesnt sound like What makes u beuatiful but it is still a good song to release never the less teen girls will be stampeding to pick up their 1d new signle physical copy along with 1d stationary for school e.g. 1d pens. the song has no guitar at the start which is unsual for a 1direction song. overall it is good and i give it 10/10!!
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Member Since: 4/22/2012
Posts: 33,490
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Quote:
Originally posted by MillionLights
One direction are of course the biggest gang on the planet earth and have released over 2 studio albums and have 1 hit single 'what makes you beautiful" there new single doesnt sound like What makes u beuatiful but it is still a good song to release never the less teen girls will be stampeding to pick up their 1d new signle physical copy along with 1d stationary for school e.g. 1d pens. the song has no guitar at the start which is unsual for a 1direction song. overall it is good and i give it 10/10!!
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Punctuation exists, you know 
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 27,248
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What kind of mess. 
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Member Since: 4/22/2012
Posts: 33,490
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Carrie Underwood - Something in the Water: 10/10
With the lead single from her upcoming Best Of album, Carrie has managed to deliver one of the most powerful songs of the year. Her strong vocal performance paired up with uplifting, empowering lyrics manage to truly touch the listener, causing goosebumps especially when the choir kicks in towards the end.
It’s not the first time for Carrie to venture into religious territory, and while there is always a risk of sounding preachy or cheesy, she manages to stay clear of any of that and instead comes across as authentic, empowering and inspiring. The lyrics are simple but effective - telling a story that everyone can understand without trying to push any beliefs on anyone.
The same goes for the instrumentation, we hear a banjo - one of country’s most typical instruments - but it’s used wisely, staying clear of clichés and just enhancing the feel of the song instead by softly popping up in the background once in a while. The verses are built in such a way that they create some tension, you can feel it building up mostly due to the drums, and then in the pre-chorus there is a short anti-climax where it sounds like Carrie is singing to herself - only to burst out into the huge chorus, belting about the Lord saving her, and eventually being accompanied by a gospel choir singing Amazing Grace in the background which just does the rest.
In a music world where emotion and real feelings have become a rarity, Carrie manages to give people something that they can relate to, reaching out to the listeners with this song that is comforting but also inspiring, and the best thing is you don’t even have to be religious to feel it. And that shows true skill, the fact that this song isn’t just aimed at a religious audience but that it’s so universal that everyone can enjoy it.
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Member Since: 4/29/2012
Posts: 15,977
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Carrie Underwood - Something In The Water
While Carrie Underwood definitely has a remarkable and strong voice which she seems to have absolute control over, the song is overall boring.It sounds like an album filler for a Kelly Clarkson album since the pop rock production is much more prominent than the subtle country influence which is merely shown shown through the religious lyrics.
Overall the song is decent enough to function as a radio filler but nothing interesting or awe-inspiring to get you interested in Carrie as a musician.
Final Say: The first Carrie Underwood song I've ever heard will most likely stay the last one.
3/10
One Direction - Steal My Girl
One Direction have never been more than the boyband-of-the-moment but at least they usually managed to make catchy earworms that you would never admit to bopping along on the radio.There was never any substance but at least it was fun to listen to. But with their latest offering they don't even manage to create something catchy.The song ends up as an awkward attempt to mix their clearly made for pop voices with a classic rock inspired production.
Final Say: The end result is neither catchy,nor entertaining nor remakable in any way.
2/10
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 27,248
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 I thought Carrie was gonna have a clean positive streak. 
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 27,248
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holyground: music in review 
7.8
"indelible sweetness, which may overwhelm"
highlights
running with the boys
portal
oil and water
| Little Machines
Lights
Valerie Anne Poxleitner, or Lights Bokan, or just Lights, has been around for quite some time, slowly gathering a modest fanbase. However, I've never really heard any of her songs prior to this. Thankfully this album makes me feel that she is an artist worth checking out, and also slightly baffles me how her music aren't pop radio staples.
Her music is soaked in synthpop goodness and her voice is like honey, it's like a perfect combination to get diabetes, in a good way. Not only are these songs catchy as hell, they evoke a feeling of nostalgia and happiness, maybe due to the dreamy sound of the music.
The album opens with Portal, a haunting midtempo ballad which indicates nothing of what's to come. Despite the sonic disconnect, it is a very delicate song and somehow works as an album opener. Then in the second track, Running With the Boys, we go full speed ahead. Wonderful hooks, solid production, this has to be a future single. And then we go through a couple of happy bops like Up We Go, till we reach the more slower songs like Oil and Water. These slower songs create a nice balance with the more sugary upbeat stuff.
However, I feel that after Slow Down, things aren't as magnificent anymore. The subsequent tracks are weak and have nothing special to itself that makes it different from each other or the earlier tracks. It feels like it's just there to continue the mood of the album. At least the last track, Don't Go Home Without Me, is a lovely album closer.
Also, such electronics and synths come at a price, at least for me. I feel like I could get sick of it after some time, because usually such sounds could make me feel bored. But I'm just saying for now, it may or may not happen with this album, so we shall see.
Overall, listening to this album was beyond pleasant. There is a right amount of fun and melancholy in the album, yet overall what you feel from this album is pure happiness.
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previous reviews
archives
...
goddess - banks - 8.8
blame (feat. john newman) - calvin harris - 6.0
yellow flicker beat - lorde - 8.8
l.a. love (la la) - fergie - 5.0
something in the water - carrie underwood - 8.5
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Member Since: 4/22/2012
Posts: 33,490
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Quote:
Originally posted by holyground
I thought Carrie was gonna have a clean positive streak. |
As you might remember from my rate, Luke likes to ruin things 
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Member Since: 5/22/2011
Posts: 21,227
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Quote:
Originally posted by Lucas32
Carrie Underwood - Something In The Water
While Carrie Underwood definitely has a remarkable and strong voice which she seems to have absolute control over, the song is overall boring.It sounds like an album filler for a Kelly Clarkson album since the pop rock production is much more prominent than the subtle country influence which is merely shown shown through the religious lyrics.
Overall the song is decent enough to function as a radio filler but nothing interesting or awe-inspiring to get you interested in Carrie as a musician.
Final Say: The first Carrie Underwood song I've ever heard will most likely stay the last one.
3/10
One Direction - Steal My Girl
One Direction have never been more than the boyband-of-the-moment but at least they usually managed to make catchy earworms that you would never admit to bopping along on the radio.There was never any substance but at least it was fun to listen to. But with their latest offering they don't even manage to create something catchy.The song ends up as an awkward attempt to mix their clearly made for pop voices with a classic rock inspired production.
Final Say: The end result is neither catchy,nor entertaining nor remakable in any way.
2/10
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Do bias reviews count?
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 39,572
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Quote:
Originally posted by Sugar Rush
Do bias reviews count?
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At a glance I don't think they're long enough anyway.
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Member Since: 8/18/2013
Posts: 20,070
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Quote:
Originally posted by hello_world
At a glance I don't think they're long enough anyway.
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nobody should tell him about it
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by Sugar Rush
Do bias reviews count?
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His Carrie review is 99 words, and his 1D review is 91. They will count.
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Member Since: 4/22/2012
Posts: 33,490
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Quote:
Originally posted by Sugar Rush
Do bias reviews count?
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He is not biased.
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