| |
The 2009 Year-End Crazy Ambition
Member Since: 1/26/2006
Posts: 17,384
|
I like almost all the singles out of "21st Century Breakdown", but I haven't heard the whole album yet.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 11/4/2006
Posts: 37,808
|
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 5/28/2006
Posts: 8,159
|
Unfortunately 21st Century Breakdown completely disappointed me.
|
|
|
|
ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
|
The 2009 YECA: Top Ten Albums of 2009 (#2)
The top two get their own separate posts, because they are both pretty long writeups about the two best albums of the year, bar none. I feel bad about this one being #2, but there was not going to be another #1 this year. So, here's your #2, boys. You earned every last bit of it.
Okay, so you've, obviously, seen some anger protruding from the last three albums, to various degrees. As angry as albums #5-#3 are, in no way, shape or form can they compare in pure vitrol and hatred than the latest from the world's most beloved scary German band. Rammstein has always been angry, there's no debating this. Look at some of the songs from their discography. When you listen to songs like "Mein Teil", "Benzin" and "Feuer Frei", you get the feeling that this band hasn't had a good day in quite a long time. However, with their last two albums, they were starting to find a happier side, or, at the very least, a lighter side. "Amerika", "Moskau", "Te Quiero Puta!", "Stirb Nicht Vor Mir"...I can go on. While they were still as impressive as ever, their anger was starting to escape the band, little by little. So, you may be thinking to yourself, "Then, with their next album, we're going to see Rammstein fully embrace that lighter side and do away with this angry nonsense, right?"
Well, the album begins with a song called "Rammlied". The song begins with a very ominous, yet strangely calming sound, which is complimented by a choral voice that is around the same level of calm. It almost feels...soothing. And then...the bomb is dropped. BOOM. "RAMM. STEIN." All of the calm and the warm feelings that you were starting to feel with Rammstein? They're *gone*. In one moment, Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da brings you back down to earth with some of the angriest songs in the entire Rammstein discography. Only one song, the lead single "*****", can be construed as being "happy" in any way, and many will argue that it's, by far, the worst song on the album. It just doesn't match up as well on an album filled with songs that, when translated, are called "Viennesse Blood" and "I Hurt You".
"Waidmanns Heil" has one of the most bizarre openings that I can recall. It begins with a brass salute that quickly (and I do mean quickly) breaks down into one of the most fierce Rammstein riffs since the days of "Feuer Frei". "Ich Tu Dir Weh" follows a similar pattern, though it's not quite as in your face as "Waidmanns Heil". Instead, it relies on being a catchier, but still badass tune. "Buckstabu" features, arguably, the most evil vocals in the Rammstein discography, and I wouldn't be surprised if it terrifies your average music listener the first time they hear it. "Wiener Blut" and "Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da" are my two favorite songs on the album, and it's, really, because they are the two songs that most accurately represent what Rammstein is shooting for today. "Wiener Blut" starts off rather calmly in comparison to what the main portion of the song actually is, while "Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da" starts off fast and does not let up. Both of these songs are angrier than at least 90% of the music that is, currently, available for everyone to listen to, and there's an intensity in these two songs (and the entire album) that is hard to match.
This is not an album for the weak at heart. However, this is also an album for those who just want their faces melted off in the best way possible. If you are looking for a sure-fire way to release your anger, then this album can help your cause. If you are looking for an album that doesn't pull any punches and hits you over and over again, Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da is it. When I think of albums that are what bands like Rammstein are all about, I look at this album and nod furiously, and, any other year, I would be shocked if this album was not my favorite of the year. It's just that good.
TL;DR Version: OMG, THIS ALBUM IS AWESOME~!
Favorite Songs: Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da, Ich Tu Dir Weh, Waidmanns Heil, Wiener Blut, Fruhling in Paris
I'm just going to get the #1 out of the way, because, at this point, EVERYONE knows what the #1 is. Stay tuned.
|
|
|
|
ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
|
The 2009 YECA: Top Ten Albums of 2009 (#1)
Finally, we have reached #1. The #1 album was a foregone conclusion from the moment I first listened to the album. If you don't know what album it is...I mean, really, who do you think I am?
I'm sure that none of you are surprised that this album is #1. I mean, look at the artist making the album. That should have given people a hint. That being said, especially this year, it wasn't a guarantee that Muse would create the album of the year. Numbers 4-2 had a damn good chance of reaching #1. In particular, Rammstein released yet another classic, one that could even rival one of my all time favorite albums (Reise Reise) in quality. As you could tell from my post in this thread, I REALLY loved that album. It would take an album that would find a way to hit me on a deeper level to take #1 from the hands of Till Lindemann and Rammstein. As you can see, that album came.
The first song that I heard from this album, and the song that almost everyone heard first, was "United States of Eurasia". I'm still not sure how to accurately describe my feelings about that song. In many ways, it's what I've always wanted to see from Muse. I will readily admit that Muse should not always be taken seriously. This is a band that made a song that sounds as if it could have come from today's latest pop-rock band (though, just like Muse, they had to do just enough to differentiate the song from everything else on the market by including a classic French aria), so they, obviously, have some sort of tongue-in-cheek attitude. The first time that I listened to "United States of Eurasia", however, I found myself going to a different train of thought entirely. I felt as if I was listening to something that was *important*, something that my children and my children's children would still be listening to, decades later. Yes, "Eura-SIA-SIA-SIA-SIA" is silly, but it's the kind of silly that people remember.
"Uprising", of course, was next. When you consider the material on this album that would follow, this song doesn't really seem to fit, at first glance. Then again, every song seems to serve a different purpose. In the case of "Uprising", it is meant to start the album with a piece that got the heart pumping, the mood right, and the senses pounding. Mission accomplished. The rest of the album is also a feast for the senses, as well as a variety lover's dream, as there is, literally, something for everyone. You like to listen to songs that offer that quintessential Muse sound? Look no further than "Unnatural Selection", a near seven-minute song that harkens back to the greatness of "Citizen Erased", in terms of scale and power. Want something more on the pop side? "Undisclosed Desires" has that area more than covered, with its infectious hooks and dreamy vocals. Looking for a song that tugs at the heart strings AND gets your heart pumping, at the same time? "Resistance". Period.
But the biggest influence on Muse's sound here can be heard from the moment you listen to the opening of "United States of Eurasia". I have loved Matthew Bellamy from the moment he first told me that time is running out, and I have loved everything he has accomplished before or since, but it is here, on The Resistance, where Matt finds his true calling. In a world full of musicians who don't try to innovate and stick to the basics, Bellamy tries something more with every Muse album. On this album, there is a more orchestral feel, a truly classical sound that permeates the entire album, in varying degrees.
Nowhere is this more important and promoted than the most spectacular piece on the album, and one of the defining songs of Muse's entire career, the massive three-part "Exogenesis: Symphony". For those of you who do not like classical music or think it's "boring", steer FAR away from this song, because it was not meant for your ears. Those who can appreciate the intricacies and beauty of classical music will find their new favorite song of the 21st century. Instead of being intimidated by classical music's overpowering sound, as quite a few artists would be justified as being, Bellamy meets the sound head-on, with no hesitation or fear. As a result, he has created a near thirteen minute long masterpiece that comes closest to being a representative of what music of the classical and romanticism eras would sound like today. It is a work of pure genius. No other song gave me quite the same emotion and same purpose in 2009, and it is the main reason why Muse has, once again, created a #1 album of the year of yours truly.
TL;DR Version: OMG, THIS ALBUM IS AWESOME-R~!
Favorite Songs: Exogenesis: Symphony, Resistance, Unnatural Selection, MK Ultra, Uprising
And there you have it, my top ten albums of 2009. There's only two more countdowns to go, and they're the BIG ones. However, there may be a few surprises before we get to the beginning of the Top 100 Singles of 2009! Be on the lookout.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 1/20/2009
Posts: 17,143
|
Unquestionably "The Resistance" is here to stay inside our brains, I really love that album 
|
|
|
|
ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 6/9/2002
Posts: 6,789
|
Wow, Ryan. Really well done writeups for two albums I have yet to hear. You really sell those things, and how I haven't listened to the new Muse album is pretty insane, I know. Your writeup definitely convinced me to finally check it out.
You nailed the albums portion. Now time to nail the rest, which you will. A+ work
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 6/7/2005
Posts: 20,766
|
Wow. Rammstein.  
|
|
|
|
ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 3/19/2008
Posts: 37,076
|
The Resistance = irresistible. I can't believe I missed the 21CB update.  I thank you for putting them on the list lol.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 6/24/2008
Posts: 21,950
|
"The Resistance" was almost my favorite album of 2009 lol
great list so far
|
|
|
|
ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 12/7/2008
Posts: 87,284
|
21stcb!! 
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 10/18/2007
Posts: 28,980
|
The Resistance is darker than previous but it's a great album 
|
|
|
|
ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 11/6/2002
Posts: 10,641
|
A predictable top 2, but a damn good top 2. Love those write-ups as well.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 1/14/2007
Posts: 6,202
|
Should I pretend to act shocked?
Even pretending might be difficult as #1 was a forgone conclusion from before the album even came out. #2 was a forgone conclusion to me once I realized it wasn't #3 or #4.
That doesn't make them any less awesome. I did almost decide not to even come in here because the chance of a surprise was negative 100%.
Anyway, 2/2, 9/10 overall
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 4/6/2007
Posts: 25,604
|
2/2
The Resistance.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 9/3/2006
Posts: 27,884
|
Muse Expected #1 but sure it's good.
|
|
|
|
ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 7/24/2004
Posts: 12,563
|
haha, I expected Muse to be your number one album. I can't argue with you that their latest isn't a great album.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 5/28/2006
Posts: 8,159
|
Muse has done it again. Great review
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 2/26/2006
Posts: 62,897
|
The Resistance is a great album. Awesome review by the way.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 2/22/2008
Posts: 46,108
|
**** YEAH!
The resistance>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Life
|
|
|
|
|
|
