Young Writers Society

I didn't see a thread on this, and I apologize if there already is one. I just enjoy writing about the music I listen to s o much that I often write reviews in my head when I'm walking somwhere.

So in this thread, post a review about an album that you enjoy or are listening to right now. You can write about ones that came out decades ago, or the albums that come out tomorrorw that you already have found online for free. You get the point.

I'll start..The Offspring: Rise and Fall; Rage and Grace

The Offspring's 2003 album "Splinter" was a mixed reviews for critics. Radio tracks like "hit that" were not quite what any typical Offspring fan is used to. The experimentation came as a shock to those fans, after all, because that was not The Offspring way. Albums like "Americana" and "Conspiracy of One" might have been a bit too poppy, but at least they had a few tracks like "The Kids Aren't All Right" and "Da--it, I've Changed Again" to redeem both albums.

Splinter was a half-step forward; and after five long and ardous years of waiting, fans will no doubt want to know exactly what the band now has up their sleeves this time. And that's the pleasure of 2008's "Rise and Fall; Rage and Grace" because there is no trick here. Starting off with the sad-sounding "Half-truism" the album shows the growth of The Offspring as more than just a band. These men are getting old, after all. Guitarist Noodles is in his mid-forties, after all, and the others are getting there. This isn't a typical album, as ballads like "A Lot Like Me" and "Fix You" will tell you themselves. But while this may upset the old-school fans of albums like "Smash" and "Ignition" new fans of the Offspring will find the softer side of the Offspring pleasant to listen to.

And it's not like the band is abandoning their sound for good. "Hammerhead" and "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" both show that the Offspring haven't lost their touch, or their sense of humor either. Perhaps the best example of this Old-Meets-New Offspring sound would be the track "Nothingtown" which sounds like it could've been on the album "Conspiracy of One," respectively.

Overall, this album is a step forward from Splinter. It's a step that is naturally taken by all bands as they get older and realize that sounding the same on every album works only for bands like Motorhead. I'd give it an 8/10.

I can't believe I found someone that writes reviews in their head same as I do XD So I'll do the album I'm listening to right now...

Queens of the Stone Age- Songs for the Deaf
Sometimes albums just scream awesome. And I don't mean that in a cheesy American tween way either. Some albums are just so cool, so rockstar, so goddamn mean, that you can't help but be sucked in. So put away you're acoustic guitar and 'epic' strings, and prepare to kick some ass. You're onto something good.
What's great about Songs for the Deaf is the fact that it swaggers. The whole way through you can tell Josh Homme knows how cool he is. Right from the start (after the album's occasionally hilarious radio set pieces) this album is one both of defiance and of rockstar childishness- it's only when you hear the near demented scream of "GIVE ME SOME MOOOOORRRRE!!!" that you fully realise what you've let yourself in for.
And it keeps coming: "I'LL F**KIN' TELL YOU LIES!!!!", as well as the beautifully immature Gonna Leave You. This is a body of work that doesn't take itself too seriously, and is all the better for. You can fall for the whole 'concept album' thing if you want, the world its set in and all that, but really, that's not what Songs for the Deaf is about. It's about the crushing guitar riff of 'The Sky is Fallin', the screams, the dirty bass, the sex references.
It's rock n roll. Do yourself a favour and buy it.


That was fun, I'll probably do another one some other time