Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion
Merriweather Post Pavilion is an album that is difficult to describe, but not difficult to grade. It's hard to point out what exactly makes it a masterpiece, but it's also easy to tell that it is in fact a masterpiece. There is so much going on here that it's hard to filter out what's coming from where and how everything has been put together. That, however, is the genius of Merriweather Post Pavilion. Each listener will have a completely different experience with the music, and not just in the way that you'd expect from a work of art. The album's first impression will depend entirely on what you pick up first, and Animal Collective haven't made one specific part of the album stand out more than another. Just about everything stands out, and again, it can be overwhelming. However, with each listen more and more of the album comes together, and eventually it will click. The fact that someone actually wrote music like this and recorded an album with as many layers as Merriweather Post Pavilion is staggering. It's simply genius, as nothing about this album is simple other than its genius, and each song is completely different from the last. As a whole, the album is noisy, catchy, trippy, intelligent, clever, and incredibly subtle. There's more here than what one can write about, and there's more here than what one can pick up on after even a few listens. Animal Collective have crafted a gem in Merriweather Post Pavilion, and any true fan of music should not only listen to it, but invest the time into understanding all that's going on in this beautifully chaotic album.
Grade: A
Stuck Mojo- The Great Revival
I'll admit that I don't know a whole lot about Stuck Mojo. I love rap and I love metal, but the combination of the two has rarely resulted in quality music, so forgive me for not remembering much about this late 90s rap-metal act. What I can say is that whether you like rap, rock, metal, previous Stuck Mojo albums, or even music in general, you should avoid The Great Revival. This is as awful of an album as there is, and I can't imagine anyone being able to stand it for more than a track or two. It is, however, hilarious. It's not trying to be, but it is. Songs like the Limp Bizkit-meets-Hannah Montana "Friends" and the nauseating cover of "Country Road" (where West Virginia randomly becomes North Carolina, even though the band is actually from Georgia) are guaranteed to make any fan of real rap or metal laugh, but most of the other tracks are just awful in the less humorous way. The songwriting is horrific on just about every level, the rapping is even worse than Fred Durst's, the lyrics are laughably bad throughout, and the same generic drop-d riff is played over and over again. On top of all of that, Stuck Mojo throws in random style changes at the most inopportune times, making it even more obvious that this band has absolutely no clue what they're doing. The "experimentation" adds nothing to the music, partly because the band doesn't seem to understand how to play the styles they add in. If The Great Revival is any indication, Stuck Mojo don't understand rap, metal, or any form of music they attempt to play. Other than for comedic purposes, there is no reason to listen to this album. Please, do yourself a favor and stay clear of The Great Revival. Even though it's one the first albums released in 2009, it will almost certainly be among the worst albums released all year.
Grade: F
Merriweather Post Pavilion is an album that is difficult to describe, but not difficult to grade. It's hard to point out what exactly makes it a masterpiece, but it's also easy to tell that it is in fact a masterpiece. There is so much going on here that it's hard to filter out what's coming from where and how everything has been put together. That, however, is the genius of Merriweather Post Pavilion. Each listener will have a completely different experience with the music, and not just in the way that you'd expect from a work of art. The album's first impression will depend entirely on what you pick up first, and Animal Collective haven't made one specific part of the album stand out more than another. Just about everything stands out, and again, it can be overwhelming. However, with each listen more and more of the album comes together, and eventually it will click. The fact that someone actually wrote music like this and recorded an album with as many layers as Merriweather Post Pavilion is staggering. It's simply genius, as nothing about this album is simple other than its genius, and each song is completely different from the last. As a whole, the album is noisy, catchy, trippy, intelligent, clever, and incredibly subtle. There's more here than what one can write about, and there's more here than what one can pick up on after even a few listens. Animal Collective have crafted a gem in Merriweather Post Pavilion, and any true fan of music should not only listen to it, but invest the time into understanding all that's going on in this beautifully chaotic album.
Grade: A
Stuck Mojo- The Great Revival
I'll admit that I don't know a whole lot about Stuck Mojo. I love rap and I love metal, but the combination of the two has rarely resulted in quality music, so forgive me for not remembering much about this late 90s rap-metal act. What I can say is that whether you like rap, rock, metal, previous Stuck Mojo albums, or even music in general, you should avoid The Great Revival. This is as awful of an album as there is, and I can't imagine anyone being able to stand it for more than a track or two. It is, however, hilarious. It's not trying to be, but it is. Songs like the Limp Bizkit-meets-Hannah Montana "Friends" and the nauseating cover of "Country Road" (where West Virginia randomly becomes North Carolina, even though the band is actually from Georgia) are guaranteed to make any fan of real rap or metal laugh, but most of the other tracks are just awful in the less humorous way. The songwriting is horrific on just about every level, the rapping is even worse than Fred Durst's, the lyrics are laughably bad throughout, and the same generic drop-d riff is played over and over again. On top of all of that, Stuck Mojo throws in random style changes at the most inopportune times, making it even more obvious that this band has absolutely no clue what they're doing. The "experimentation" adds nothing to the music, partly because the band doesn't seem to understand how to play the styles they add in. If The Great Revival is any indication, Stuck Mojo don't understand rap, metal, or any form of music they attempt to play. Other than for comedic purposes, there is no reason to listen to this album. Please, do yourself a favor and stay clear of The Great Revival. Even though it's one the first albums released in 2009, it will almost certainly be among the worst albums released all year.
Grade: F
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