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Post by Joaquim on Nov 12, 2018 7:18:23 GMT
8/10
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Deceit
Full Member
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Post by Deceit on Nov 13, 2018 4:33:05 GMT
Drawing of Sound - Windy and Carl
7.5/10
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Post by Joaquim on Nov 17, 2018 19:25:12 GMT
9/10
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Post by Ryan_MYeah on Nov 18, 2018 4:15:29 GMT
The Greatest Showman: Reimagined
I love The Greatest Showman. That is, I love it the same way I love cheesy 90’s trash like Cutthroat Island and Dragonheart. It’s by all means a terrible film, and yet there’s heart, charm, and blissful fun behind its awfulness. And I’m a sucker for musicals, so of course I love the songs.
But if you thought even the songs couldn’t salvage it, wait until you hear this shipwreck. It’s not even the charming bad. It’s just unpleasant. Let me take you through the songs one by one.
”The Greatest Show” - Panic! at the Disco/Pentatonix One version features PATD, the poor man’s Fall Out Boy. They’re trying their best, but their best is just incredibly stagnant, and can’t convey the energy that this number called for. This needed a Queen type of energy (as if the original’s rhythmic stomping didn’t make that clear). It’s not unlistenable, but it is incredibly dull.
But dull is better than whatever Pentatonix does in their version. Pentatonix is crap. Simple as that. And this cover doesn’t fix that. No scale, no energy, no excitement, once again they just sound like the Pitch Perfect version of themselves. At least Panic tried to get that epic arena sound getting people to dance, whereas this cover will actively encourage people to plop back down. It would be the worst of the bunch if not for one other song later.
”A Million Dreams (& Reprise)” - P!nk (Willow Sage Hart) This song really needed Taylor Swift. It was practically a Swift song all the time, but you know they couldn’t afford her. And while P!nk gives it a decent shot, it’s no less generic than any other emotional pop ballad she’s tried pushing in the last ten years. Her daughter’s not much of a singer, and she’s really piling the “pwecious” on, but it’s cute. It’s harmless. Next.
”Come Alive” - Years & Years And Jess Glynne/Craig David My least favorite song still managed to disappoint. The first cover so blatantly wants to be “Can’t Stop the Feeling”, but with no charm, and the male vocals are just grating. Glynne, the featured artist of that violin dance song from a couple years back, doesn’t manage to be much better. It’s so thoroughly underwhelming.
But it’s better than the second cover, by some nobody I’ve never heard of, and who can’t project to save his life. It’s boring.
”The Other Side” - MAX and Ty Dolla $ign This was the hardest one to do, given its so plot centric it can’t really be separated from the context. This cover didn’t alleviate my fears, not possessing an ounce of the chemistry that the duo’s match-up would call for. Ty has it better than the other bland nobody, but he doesn’t fit the character he’s given. It’s doesn’t sound natural to hear him go ”I live among the swells, and we don’t pick up peanut shells.” Honestly, I’d have taken a Shelton and Levine cover over this.
”Never Enough” - Kelly Clarkson One of the only songs to escape relatively unscathed. Partly because it still retains the grandiosity of the original cover. And there’s very few singers powerful enough to do this song justice, and Kelly Claekson is one of them. But something about it is still mechanical, like Clarkson’s heart isn’t totally in it. But it’s better than almost all of the other songs here.
”This Is Me” - Kesha, Keala Settle, Missy Elliot The funny thing is, Kesha has her own solo cover, and it’s... fine. It’s fine. But that’s not the big one.
The big one here is Missy Elliot cherry picking and remixing the best parts of Kesha and Keala’s versions of the song, and putting her own faux-inspirational raps alongside them. Completely out of place, and totally uncharacteristic of Elliot’s usual attitude, the lyrics she wrote herself make me want to punch a puppy. You’ll die a little inside when you hear ”Did I do that? Urkel.” Just no!
”Rewrite the Stars” - James Arthur and Anne-Marie Oh, god, this song is horrible. This is the worst one. Not only does it do no justice to the original version, not only is it limp and unlistenable, it is unintentionally hilarious to listen to.
The guy they got for Zac Efron has absolutely no charm and struggles to hit those high notes, and seriously sings like he’s been gurgling novocaine. Every syllable is more unintelligible than the last (”I know you want beef, so don’t keep seeing our pants are tight.”). And then for Zendaya, we have some discount Halsey pop princess who sounds bored out of her mind, and uses ALL the autotune in the world. At least Efron and Zendaya know how to project emotion into their song, but these two sound like the two kids at school whose parents arranged them to be prom dates, and they hate every minute of the night. And it is comedy gold.
”Tightrope” - Sara Bareilles By default, this is the best song on the album. But that’s not to undercut it, because it’s... legitimately good. Sara Bareilles sounds like the only one who really cares about what she’s doing. She commits, she takes what she’s given and sells it, she keeps the context but still makes it an engaging solo listen. If it weren’t on the film’s soundtrack, you could easily mistake it as one of her own original songs, it’s that seamless. Not perfect, but still good stuff.
”From Now On” - Zac Brown Band I could have seen this song go a number of different ways. Bro Country wasn’t one of them. Even Mumford and Sons could have had trouble selling it, but this is just a complete mismatch of vocals and lyrics. I don’t really see these guys as people politicians would praise, and while their heart may be in the right place, they don’t have the right heart for it. They’re just the wrong people to sell this big, emotional finale number.
And that’s TGS: Reimagined. It isn’t all bad, but it is still pretty bad. If you want a much better version of this same exact concept, go listen to The Hamilton Mixtape. That is far more inspired, engaging, and personal than anything that this cash grab can sell you.
3/10
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Post by Joaquim on Nov 18, 2018 6:05:35 GMT
8/10
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Post by countjohn on Nov 22, 2018 4:33:35 GMT
I've been a big fan of The Killing Moon for a long time and listened to it over and over and finally got around to listening to the whole album. Damn is it ever spectacular. It does lose some steam on the second side, but the opening sequence of songs is pure bliss. It strikes an odd balance between goth rock, new wave, and Beatles-esq psych/baroque pop to create a very unique sound. 10/10. One of the very best albums of the 80's.
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Deceit
Full Member
Posts: 651
Likes: 688
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Post by Deceit on Nov 24, 2018 2:29:44 GMT
Relisten, some fantastic percussion on this. 8/10 Also a relisten, holy fucking balls this sounds like something you'd hear a band of marauding machines would be playing in some post-apocalyptic zone. Goddamm masterpiece. 10/10
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Post by Joaquim on Dec 7, 2018 4:58:51 GMT
9/10 8/10 8/10 7/10 7/10 10/10 8/10
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Post by Joaquim on Dec 15, 2018 5:34:31 GMT
9/10
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jan 9, 2019 13:33:45 GMT
&
These two, combined with Debut are some amount of evidence toward calling Bjork one of, if not the most important solo artist of the 1990s. In fact if it wasn't for a few bands, I would crown her overall.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jan 10, 2019 12:07:36 GMT
Overall this is a very strong and cohesive album, with a few all time great pop-rock tunes on there. 9/10
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jan 10, 2019 13:24:44 GMT
I can still barely fault this album. It's just pure class. 10/10
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jan 11, 2019 9:05:33 GMT
Carrying on with my Bjork re-listen or whatever you want to call it.
I'm into the 2000s now, and this is another outright winner from the incredibly brilliant woman. It's incredibly spacey, weird and ethereal and I love it.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jan 17, 2019 12:31:28 GMT
#5 in my re-listen.
I love this album too. It's full of all the quirkiness you expect, and as Bjork goes it is probably her most easy listening of the handful so far.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jan 17, 2019 12:36:49 GMT
Taking a Bjork break for a little while, and gave this a first listen through in I don't know how many years.
It really is a fantastic album and so, so listenable. Side A is so good and packed with all those legendary songs, so you would be forgiven for thinking Side B won't live up to it, but it does. In fact, thanks to songs like "Make Up", "New York Telephone Conversation" & "Goodnight Ladies", I might even prefer it. As complete a musical work as you are likely to get. This one goes to 11.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jan 17, 2019 13:43:27 GMT
At its most beautiful, this music always manages to impose a sense of the sinister. The borderline peppy and infectious "Audrey's Dance", even manages to be slightly disconcerting for me. The David Lynch / Angelo Badalamenti combo is one of the best pairings of artists that Film and Television has seen.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jan 17, 2019 16:17:31 GMT
#6 in my odyssey.
Volta is probably the most immediately arresting and memorable of Bjork's Albums since Debut and Post. It definitely has the most 'standout' and even 'catchy' tracks since her 90's offerings.
On to the 2010s next.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2019 19:14:24 GMT
10/10
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Post by Martin Stett on Jan 18, 2019 0:11:27 GMT
The highs (The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Houses, Send in the Clowns) are spectacular, some of the best music I've ever heard. I mean it. The lows are just as spectacular. Her version of Salt of the Earth was sickening. The Lovin' of the Game, Angel Spread Your Wings, City of New Orleans are uniformly terrible. Apparently, she can't do catchy pop. And the highs, those slower, majestic songs of sorrow and reflection, are far outnumbered by the wannabe pop hits. I'm still gonna listen to some more of her albums (this is my first experience with Judy), but this was a frustrating experience. I'mma say... 5/10 for the big three. Unfortunately, they each get hit with a lousy song right after and that disrupts the rhythm. Songs ranked: THE GREAT Send in the Clowns (track 6) Houses (track 3) The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (track 1) THE GOOD Pirate Ships (track 11) THE AVERAGE Song for Duke (track 5) I'll Be Seeing You (track 10) Born to the Breed (track 12) THE BAD Angel Spread Your Wings (track 2) City of New Orleans (track 9) The Lovin' of the Game (track 4) Brother Can You Spare a Dime (track 8) Salt of the Earth (track 7)
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Post by Joaquim on Jan 22, 2019 4:04:52 GMT
9/10
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Post by Joaquim on Jan 22, 2019 4:52:47 GMT
9/10
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Post by Joaquim on Jan 22, 2019 6:20:02 GMT
9/10
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Post by Joaquim on Jan 22, 2019 7:11:35 GMT
10/10
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Post by Joaquim on Jan 22, 2019 7:36:15 GMT
10/10
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Post by Martin Stett on Jan 22, 2019 18:44:28 GMT
The A Side is a haunting mix, with the orchestra and choir providing the perfect backdrop to Dalida's vocals: If this was in English, she'd have been a magnificent singer for a Bond movie. Un pò d'amore (an cover of Nights in White Satin) starts off the album and blows me away. Other terrific songs are Aranjuez, la tua voce (adapted from the piece by Rodrigo) and Mama ( an original a cover of Sonny and Cher's song). The second half drops the ball a bit, providing a lot of good music, but nothing that hits those depths. They're all more fun and less meaty, and that's fine. I just felt that the first half did better. I'm gonna say 8/10 but rating albums is really hard for me. If it's a bad album, I rarely finish it.
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