random thing i noticed about the movie Valkyrie

ok, so i saw the movie Valkyrie just a couple days ago, and it was awesome. i loved it. i DID notice one thing that really kept me annoyed throughout the film, and that was that the cast was almost exclusively taken from Pirates of the Caribbean. here’s the proof: Bill Nighy played General Friedrich Olbricht and happened to play Davy Jones in Pirates, Kevin McNally played Dr. Carl Goerdeler and played Gibbs in Pirates, and the most noticeable was Tom Hollander, who played Colonel Heinz Brandt and was Cutler Beckett in Pirates. Also, David Schofield played Erwin von Witzleben and played Mercer in Pirates. everyone else was in another movie i had seen, as well, (especially Eddie Izzard, who was the voice for the mouse Reepicheep in Prince Caspian) and that usually ruins movies for me, but they all played their new roles extremely well. definitely go see the movie.

the 12th and final micro-review!!!!

oh man! the last one! i’ll try to make it good… well, the final micro-review is a review of…..

the newest cd from I Am Robot And Proud, formally known as Uphill City! this is hands down the most cheerful cd i have ever heard. period. there is not one sad song on it. not one. i love it’s quirky nature and incredibly synthetic sound. it’s one of those rare cd’s where every song on it sounds the same, yet completely different at the same time. basically, if you’re in the mood for listening to one of the songs on Uphill City, you’re in the mood for listening to them all. i would have liked to see some melodies thrown in there, but hey, nothing’s perfect. it’s catchy enough without melodies to make me happy. and that’s really what it boils down to, right? whatever you enjoy listening to is what you’ll listen to the most, and let me tell you, i am going to be listening to a LOT of this cd!

the eleventh post….

ok! today’s (tonight’s, actually) micro-review is…..

the latest album from christian metalcore band Haste the Day, entitled Dreamer.  it’s not too bad, an all-around decent metal album, great for getting pumped up and stuff like that, but musically, not the best from Haste the Day.  i have to say, if you’re looking for the great melodic metalcore that Haste the Day is more prominently known for, you should listen to their previous release, Pressure the Hinges.  it’s got some really great songs that get stuck in your head the first time you listen to them.  but all-in-all, if you want to listen to Dreamer, don’t buy it. borrow it or something.

10! only 2 more to go!!!!

alrighty! here goes today’s micro-review!

the latest release from Forgive Durden, a pop-punky musical entitled Razia’s Shadow!  i’m not sure how i found out about it, but i gave it a listen, and i thought it was pretty interesting and a nice alternative to the whiney, guitar-heavy pop-punk that wastes most of today’s radio stations.  it still has all the catchy pop-ness, but most of the punk-ness is replaced with a full orchestra, but they’ve still got their drummer.  it changes things up a bit, because after the first few songs you stop and think “wait a second, there’s no guitars!”.  it’s not as catchy as i’d like it to be, the choruses are easily forgotten, but overall it’s a pretty good album and a very interesting concept that i hope some other bands of the same genre will pick up and try on for size!

#9!

ok! micro-review number 10 minus 1!

Minus the Bear’s latest EP, Acoustics!  so it’s not really a “new” album in the sense of the term “new”, but it does change things up a bit!  first off, there’s only one actually new song on the EP, and it’s the first track, entitled “Guns & Ammo”.  the rest of the songs are acoustic re-records of songs off of MtB’s previous studio albums.  now, let me say that i thoroughly enjoyed the original versions of the re-recorded tracks, but these acoustic versions i like even more, and that’s saying something!  if you’re into acoustic music at all, and you like a decent drummer and singer, then definitely go listen to this!

alrighty! time for #8!

ok, time for the 8th micro-review! today’s is…

the first fully solo album by Steven Wilson, titled Insurgentes! let me start off by saying that i am a fan of Steven Wilson’s progressive band, Porcupine Tree, so when i heard that this was a solo album, i got nervous.  what if this wasn’t as good as Wilson’s previous work with Porcupine Tree? what if he went off the deep end and made some weird, senseless album? well, instead, he made an incredible, profound progressive album that was everything i was hoping it would be and more.  the vocals are spot-on, the guitar work is nothing short of masterful, and the drumming’s not too shabby, either! definitely the best progressive album of the year in my opinion.  possibly best overall album of the year for me as well!

7! over halfway done!

alrighty then! today’s micro-review is…..

that’s right! Introducing Foxy Shazam (by Foxy Shazam….)! let me start by saying that this band takes some getting used to.  definitely an acquired taste.  it’s such an eclectic mix of rock’n'roll, post-hardcore, piano rock, and everything else in between that it’s hard to not get caught up in how odd it sounds at first (mainly the singer, who doesn’t like to stay on the same note for very long), but it grows on you over time.  i listened to the album about 2 times before i started to really get into their music, and once you get into it, you love it.  it’s that simple.  might i suggest listening to the songs “The Rocketeer” and “Yes! Yes! Yes!”? they are definitely great introductions into the amazing musical awesomeness experience that is Foxy Shazam.  go listen! now!

number 6! w00t!

micro-review six! that’s right!

yay! hooray for the long-awaited concept EP from The Fall of Troy! known formally as Phantom On The Horizon, this EP has been on fans’ brains for four years (since the original recording of three of the five tracks on the EP were first released, dubbed “ghostship demos”)… let me tell you, IT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT! this is definitely the best EP i’ve heard in a very long time, partly because it feels like a full album, and partly because i’ve been anxiously awaiting it’s release for four years! it starts off with a very ethereal, bassy intro that lasts for a while and sets the “mood” for the whole rest of the EP.  the best part is, it only gets better and better from there.  the singer/guitarist has definitely improved on all fronts, along with the drummer, who definitely has some serious talent!  this isn’t one of those get-stuck-in-your-head, pop-ish EP’s either; it’s one of those smack-you-in-the-face-with-awesomeness ones! my verdict: possibly my favorite 2008 release, definitely go buy it now! (off of The Fall Of Troy’s online store or iTunes. there’s only 3000 physical copies of the EP, and half of them are for sale on the band’s webstore!)

whoa! number 5!

alrighty! i am on a roll! haha. here goes micro-review number 5!

Bon Iver (somewhat slangy french for “good winter” [bon hiver]) is amazing on all accounts.  the vocals are spot on, especially the falsetto-to-normal-and-back transitions.  the instrumentation is fantastic. the quiet percussion adds a lot to the depth of the songs.  this album, “For Emma, Forever Ago”, is definitely one of my favorites from this year.  well, technically he independently released it in ’07, but it was released on a label this year, so it counts! ha! my favorites from this album are definitely Skinny Love (great non-falsetto melody!), Lump Sum (interesting intro! very reminiscent of a monestary choir), and Blindsided (mellow amazingness).  if you enjoy some acoustic/folk every once in a while (like me), then definitely give this a listen!

numero quatro! imabeast!!!

alrighty! here goes number 4 in the 12-part leading up to Christmas micro-review series!

yay! time for a negative review! i was looking at the sputnikmusic.com top albums of 2008 list, and this one (Cynic’s latest album, Traced In Air) was at #2 (the #1 position is occupied by BTBAM’s new live album, Colors_LIVE, naturally), so i figured it couldn’t be that bad, even if it did have the “death metal” label placed on it… well let’s just say that after listening to it, the only death metal-esque part of the entire album is the way the singer sounds, which is CRAPPY!  he’s terrible at screaming/roaring/whatever-you-want-to-call-it! it sounds so fake!  so anyways, the album starts off with a fairly lengthy intro, which gave it a very “epic” feeling… little did i know that the intro would be the most epic part on the cd.  after that, it keeps sounding like it wants to get better and more dramatic, but falls short on all accounts.  the vocals all sound synthesized and somewhat overdone, and it’s more of a progressive metal album than anything else.  there are also ZERO breakdowns in the entire album, and it seems like the band doesn’t know how to hold a steady beat for more than half a measure (veryyyy annoying).  i, being a HUGE fan of breakdowns and drum fills, was sorely disappointed by this.  all-in-all, if you want a mediocre introduction into the world of “progressive death metal”, and you don’t care if it reaches the “pinnacle” the intro hints at, than this is your album.  otherwise, listen to something like BTBAM’s Colors or anything by Protest The Hero.