Concord Dawn - Uprising (Mp3 Download)

Sorry, No review available....

Track Lists
01. Morning Light
02. Tonite
03. Get Ready
04. Ninja
05. Raining Blood
06. Don't Tell Me
07. Aurora
08. Horror Show
09. Let It Go
10. Scimitar
11. Zulu

The Cranberies - Bury The Hatchet (Mp3 Download)

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine @ allmusic.com

The Cranberries stumbled with their move toward heavier, politically fueled modern rock on To the Faithful Departed, losing fans enamored with their earlier sound. Like many groups that see their stardom fading, the band decided to return after a short hiatus with a mildly updated, immaculately constructed distillation of everything that earned them an audience in the first place. It's immediately apparent that Bury the Hatchet has retreated from the ludicrous posturing that marred To the Faithful. There are no blasts of distorted guitar -- as a matter of fact, there are no songs that even qualify as "rockers" -- and there is little preaching, even on Dolores O'Riordan's most earnest songs. Every note and gesture is pitched at the adult alternative mainstream, which is a good thing. Though they ran away from the dreamy jangle of their first hits, the Cranberries never sounded more convincing than on mid-tempo, folky pop tunes with polished productions. Sonically, that's precisely what Bury the Hatchet delivers, complete with little flourishes -- a Bacharachian horn chart there, cinematic strings there -- to illustrate that the band did indeed know what was hip in the late '90s. All this planning -- some might call it calculation -- shouldn't come as a surprise, since Bury the Hatchet is essentially a make-or-break album, but what is a surprise is that the end result is the most consistent record of their career. It's not necessarily their best -- it lacks the immediate singles of their first two records -- but all the songs work together to form a whole; not even embarrassments like the skittering "Copycat" interrupt the flow of the record. True, the album never challenges listeners, but it delivers on their expectations -- and after To the Faithful Departed, that comes as a relief.

Track Lists
01. Baby Blues
02. Sweetest Thing
03. Woman Without Pride
04. Such A Shame
05. Paparazzi On Mopeds
06. Promises [Live]
07. Animal Instinct [Live]
08. Loud And Clear [Live]
09. You And Me [Live]
10. Shattered [Live]
11. Deperate Andy [Live]
12. Delilah [Live]
13. Just My Imagination
14. Saving Grace
15. Copycat
16. What's On My Mind
17. Fee Fi Fo
18. Dying In The Sun
19. Sorry Son

Eagles Death Metal - Death By Sexy (Mp3 Download)

Review by Heather Phares @ allmusic.com

Taking things a little more seriously -- but never too seriously -- the second time around, the Eagles of Death Metal's Death by Sexy keeps the freewheeling, just-for-the-hell-of-it vibe that made Peace Love Death Metal so much fun and improves on it with more focused songwriting. This songwriting, as the title Death by Sexy implies, is obviously focused on a raunchy good time, which the album delivers in spades. Not so obvious, though, is how fine the line between lusty and skanky can be. Most of the time, as on "I Want You So Hard," "I Like to Move in the Night," and "Cherry Cola," the Eagles of Death Metal stay on the sexy side of that line, but they even do the nasty (so to speak) stuff well: On "I Got a Feelin' (Just 19)" and "Shasta Beast," head Eagle Jesse "The Devil" Hughes -- who sports a mustache not seen outside of '70s porn (or, possibly, Terry Richardson's high-sleaze photography) -- sings of barely legal girls who still live with their parents, and gets downright cruel on the glammy stomp of "Poor Doggie." Even though Death by Sexy is more fleshed-out than their debut was, the Eagles of Death Metal's simplest moments are still their best. Along with the previously mentioned "I Want You So Hard" and "Cherry Cola" -- which has backing vocals courtesy of Brody Dalle that give it an extra-sexy edge -- the album's standouts include "Chase the Devil," which marks the return of Hughes' demented Elvis impersonation, and "Solid Gold," a rollicking-yet-hypnotic instrumental that could soundtrack a go-go dancing contest. Fittingly for its on-the-prowl vibe, Death by Sexy spends a minimum of time on brooding tracks like "Eagles Goth" and "Bag O' Miracles." Instead, it focuses on songs that sound good in bad places, and its gloriously, thoroughly trashy fun makes it a guilt-free fling.

Track Lists
01. I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)
02. I Gotta Feeling (Just Nineteen)
03. Cherry Cola
04. I Like To Move In The Night
05. Solid Gold
06. Don't Speak (I Came To Make A Bang)
07. Keep Your Head Up
08. The Ballad Of Queen Bee And Baby Duck
09. Poor Doggie
10. Chase The Devil
11. Eagles Goth
12. Shasta Beast
13. Bag O'Miracles

Various Artists - The Departed [Soundtrack] (Mp3 Download)

Sorry, No review available...

Track Lists
01. Comfortably Numb
02. Sail On, Sailor
03. Let It Loose
04. Sweet Dreams
05. One Way Out
06. Baby Blue
07. I'm Shipping Up To Boston
08. Nobody But Me
09. Tweedle Dee
10. Sweey Dreams (Of You)
11. The Departed Tango
12. Beacon Hill

Ani DiFranco - Imperfectly (Mp3 Download)

Review by William Ruhlmann @ allmusic.com

Ani DiFranco continued to expand her musical palette gradually on her third album, using outside musicians on some tracks to support her acoustic guitar with bass and drums, and adding individual instruments -- trumpet, viola -- for color on certain tunes. But the focus was still on the evolving persona depicted in her lyrics, one who continued to flirt with lesbianism consciously on "In or Out" and "If It Isn't Her," and, perhaps unconsciously, in the what-does-she-see-in-him sentiment of "Fixing Her Hair." The larger theme of the album, also suggested in "In or Out," was the artist's inability to "fit in," either because of her sexuality, her politics, or, most tellingly, her occupation as an itinerant musician. In "Every State Line," she reflected on the difficulties of shoestring travel, and in "Good, Bad, Ugly" and "The Waiting Song," the difficulties of long-distance relationships shaped both the songwriter's anger and her self-doubt. She had not tended to question herself before this, but from its title, Imperfectly, on, DiFranco deconstructed her persona, asking, "What If No One's Watching" in one song and declaring, "I'm No Heroine" in another. At the same time, she upped the ante of her sexual politics, expanding from criticizing individual men to berating a culture she saw as dominated by male views in everything from the music business to architecture ("Who says I like right angles?"). But if Imperfectly presented the singer at her most doctrinaire, it also displayed surprising warmth for individuals, notably the uncharacteristically forgiving "Served Faithfully." Imperfectly was the work of a still-growing, still passionate, sometimes confused artist whose personal story in song was proving to be fascinating.

Track Lists
01. What If No One's Watching
02. Fixing Her Hair
03. In Or Out
04. Every State Line
05. Circle Of Light
06. If It Isn't Her
07. Good, Bad, Ugly
08. I'm No Heroine
09. Coming Up
10. Make Them Apologize
11. The Waiting Song
12. Served Faithfully
13. Imperfectly

The Darkness - One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back (Mp3 Download)

Review by Heather Phares @ allmusic.com

From the moment the pan flute fanfare on "One Way Ticket" kicks off One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back, it's clear that the Darkness still believes that more is more. If anything, the band believes that even more is even better: with the help of producer Roy Thomas Baker, they make their second album incredibly glossy and expensive-sounding, with layers of sitars, marching drums, bagpipes, and tubular bells on top of their already-powerful guitars, drums, and keyboards (and, of course, Justin Hawkins' formidable falsetto). But while the band's excess succeeded on Permission to Land, it loses some of its potency here: nothing on One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back is as immediate as "I Believe in a Thing Called Love." The band's debut celebrated and inflated the rock clichés of sex, drugs, and partying; this album's best songs are about longterm relationships, getting clean, and balding. The soaring power ballad "Dinner Lady Arms" highlights the good-natured streak running through a surprising amount of the Darkness' songs, while "One Way Ticket" is an episode of Behind the Music, complete with cocaine snorting, turned into a pop single. More than occasionally, though, One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back just sounds unremarkable, despite the songs' elaborate sonics. Tracks like "Knockers" -- which should be a fool-proof Darkness song just based on its title -- and "Girlfriend" sound like they were made from bits and pieces of Permission to Land rejects, while overblown-yet-slight ballads such as "Blind Man" and "Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" sound too much like stale Meat Loaf. Still, there are moments when the Darkness still sounds like the smartest, dumbest band around: "Is It Just Me?" has a chorus that rivals their best; the flamboyant Celtic rocker "Hazel Eyes" shows off both Justin Hawkins' over-the-top vocals and his brother Dan's over-the-top guitar licks; and lyrics like "English Country Garden"'s "I cherished you and you tolerated me" show that the wit that made their debut so much fun isn't entirely missing on this album. Not so much a letdown as a comedown, One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back just shows that the giddy highs of Permission to Land aren't so easy to get the second time around.

Track Lists
01. One Way Ticket
02. Knockers
03. Is It Just Me
04. Dinner Lady Arms
05. Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
06. Hazel Eyes
07. Bald
08. Girlfriend
09. English Country Garden
10. Blind Man

Crystal Method - Vegas (Mp3 Download)

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine @ allmusic.com

Perhaps it's unfair to label the Crystal Method as an American Chemical Brothers, since they are contemporaries of, not successors to, the English duo, but the comparison makes sense. Like the Chemicals, the Crystal Method is into big beats. There isn't much subtlety to their music, but there doesn't need to be, since their heady fusion of classic, late-'80s hip-hop, rave, techno, and rock is intoxicating on its own. Vegas, the duo's debut album, rushes by in a quasi-psychedelic blur, occasionally stopping for ambient detours. There aren't any revelations along the way, but the Crystal Method does this crossover techno well, which makes Vegas a pleasure.

Track List
01. Trip Like I Do
02. Busy Child
03. Cherry Twist
04. High Roller
05. Comin' Back
06. Keep Hope Alive
07. Vapor Trail
08. She's My Pusher
09. Jaded
10. Bad Stone

The Offspring - Americana (Mp3 Download)

Review by Michael Gallucci @ allmusic.com

With integrity intact and a hearty combination of poppy punk and wit throughout, the Offspring's fifth album is a raucous ride through America as seen through the eyes of a weary, but still optimistic, young kid. Riffs on political correctness, '70s radio fodder, and suburban disquiet are spread thick on Americana. If the band's targets seem a bit simple and predictable, its music rarely is. The SoCal roots aren't played to a fault, the blend of salsa and alterna-rock sounds natural, and the Offspring pretty much laugh at their culture, as well as themselves, the entire time. Best track is "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)," which manages to bridge Def Leppard and Latin hip-hop (and the musical timeline they represent) and, in the process, disrobes Middle America's average white teen's quick fascination with and instant disposability of a once-regional heritage. With Americana, the Offspring are merely contributing their part.

Track Lists
01. Welcome
02. Have You Ever
03. Staring At The Sun
04. Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)
05. The Kids Aren't Alright
06. Feelings
07. She's Got Issues
08. Walla Walla
09. The End Line
10. No Brakes
11. Why Don't You Get A Job
12. Americana
13. Pay The Man

Puddle Of Mudd - Come Clean (Mp3 Download)

Review by Bret Love @ allmusic.com

Puddle of Mudd's story is every struggling musician's dream come true: armed with a fake backstage pass, frontman Wes Scantlin snuck the band's demo to a Limp Bizkit security guy at a show in their native Kansas City, and less than one year later finds his group's debut album the first release on Fred Durst's new label. Thankfully, Come Clean sounds nothing like Limp Bizkit, but Puddle of Mudd's aggro-rock sound is indistinguishable from every other Alice in Chains- and Tool-influenced band to come along in the past few years. The opening, "Control," milks the loud/quiet formula that's been done to death since Nirvana's demise, but adds some interesting stop-time changes during the break, while the acoustic balladry of "Drift & Die" sounds so familiar, Layne Staley should get a portion of the songwriting royalties. In the end, this isn't a terrible debut album, but it doesn't really bring any original ideas to the nü-rock table. And frankly, in today's already glutted metal market, that's simply not good enough.

Track Lists
01. Control
02. Drift & Die
03. Put Of My Head
04. Nobody Told Me
05. Blurry
06. She Hates Me
07. Bring Me Down
08. Never Change
09. Basement
10. Said
11. Piss It All Away
12. Control (Acoustic)

Various Artists - Saw III [Soundtrack] (Mp3 Download)

Review by James Christopher Monger @ allmusic.com

With a cover adorned by a trio of bicuspids and molars, roots attached and hastily transformed into necklaces, it becomes awfully apparent what awaits the listener within the jigsaw-shaped disc called Saw 3. Composer Charles Clouser has returned, providing the film with a whole lot of tripped-out, electronic and orchestral tension and the soundtrack with one measly passage called the "Sh*! hole Theme," but its' alternative/industrial/death metal that provides the third installment of the popular horror series with the kick in the gut it needs. As usual, the songs are of the "inspired by" type, meaning that most of them have little or nothing to do with the film itself, but the incorporation of hard-hitting classic acts like Slayer ("Eyes of the Insane"), Helmet ("Monochrome"), and Ministry ("Fear Is a Big Business"), as well standout contemporary acts like Mastodon and Meshuggah into the mix helps keep some of the lesser locker room meat (think Drowning Pool and Disturbed) from stinking up the whole house.

Track Lists
01. This Calling
02. No Submission
03. Eyes Of The Insane
04. Walk With Me In Hell
05. Monochrome
06. Guarded
07. Drilled A Wire Through My Cheek
08. No More
09. Burn It Down
10. Your Nightmare
11. Dead Underground
12. Suffocating Under Words Of Sorrow (What Can I Do)
13. Fear Is A Big Business
14. Wolf Is Loose
15. Killer Inside
16. Sakkara

Dresden Dolls - Yes, Virginia (Mp3 Download)

rReview by Heather Phares @ allmusic.com

The Dresden Dolls could never be accused of being shy and retiring, but on their second full-length, Yes, Virginia..., they sound more confident than ever, igniting their cabaret-rock with more crazed inventiveness and you-are-there immediacy. While there's nothing as instantly captivating as their first album's winsome "Coin-Operated Boy" or the defiant "Girl Anachronism," Yes, Virginia... is a more powerful and consistent set of songs overall, moving from musically and emotionally complex ballads like "Delilah" and the album closer, "Sing," to shouty, forceful numbers such as "Necessary Evil" and "Sex Changes." Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie's production adds to the bigger, more rock-inspired sound of the album, which invigorates Amanda Palmer's character sketches. While the highly theatrical, stylized sound of the Dresden Dolls might seem to be the substance of their music -- and, admittedly, it does draw the listener in right away -- it's the strong songwriting that makes the band truly impressive. Palmer's lyrics have a mix of sympathy and disdain for the people and subjects in her songs that makes them seem very honest in spite, or perhaps because of, their theatricality. On "Backstabber," she dismisses a "greedy little fit-haver" with a "God, I feel for you, fool" that's a perfect blend of fury and pity. She goes after and celebrates uncomfortable moments, whether it's cataloging the drunken haze of "My Alcoholic Friends" (which is one of the jauntiest, poppiest distillations of the Dolls' sound to date) or "First Orgasm," a bleak and almost creepily intimate ballad that's not at all jokey despite lines such as "I'm taking matters into my own hands" and "there won't be any second coming." Full of ambitious twists and turns, equally vulnerable and sarcastic, Yes, Virginia... alludes to the famous 1897 New York Sun editorial that reassured a little girl that Santa Claus exists for a reason: as arch and ironic as the Dresden Dolls might seem on the surface, inside their music, there's a surprising amount of hope and heart.

Track Lists
01. Sex Changes
02. Backstabber
03. Modern Moonlight
04. My Alcoholic Friends
05. Delilah
06. Dirty Business
07. First Orgasm
08. Mrs. O
09. Shores Of California
10. Necesarry Evil
11. Mandy Goes To Med School
12. Me & The Minibar
13. Sing

The Darkness - One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back (Mp3 Download)

Review by Heather Phares @ allmusic.com

From the moment the pan flute fanfare on "One Way Ticket" kicks off One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back, it's clear that the Darkness still believes that more is more. If anything, the band believes that even more is even better: with the help of producer Roy Thomas Baker, they make their second album incredibly glossy and expensive-sounding, with layers of sitars, marching drums, bagpipes, and tubular bells on top of their already-powerful guitars, drums, and keyboards (and, of course, Justin Hawkins' formidable falsetto). But while the band's excess succeeded on Permission to Land, it loses some of its potency here: nothing on One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back is as immediate as "I Believe in a Thing Called Love." The band's debut celebrated and inflated the rock clichés of sex, drugs, and partying; this album's best songs are about longterm relationships, getting clean, and balding. The soaring power ballad "Dinner Lady Arms" highlights the good-natured streak running through a surprising amount of the Darkness' songs, while "One Way Ticket" is an episode of Behind the Music, complete with cocaine snorting, turned into a pop single. More than occasionally, though, One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back just sounds unremarkable, despite the songs' elaborate sonics. Tracks like "Knockers" -- which should be a fool-proof Darkness song just based on its title -- and "Girlfriend" sound like they were made from bits and pieces of Permission to Land rejects, while overblown-yet-slight ballads such as "Blind Man" and "Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" sound too much like stale Meat Loaf. Still, there are moments when the Darkness still sounds like the smartest, dumbest band around: "Is It Just Me?" has a chorus that rivals their best; the flamboyant Celtic rocker "Hazel Eyes" shows off both Justin Hawkins' over-the-top vocals and his brother Dan's over-the-top guitar licks; and lyrics like "English Country Garden"'s "I cherished you and you tolerated me" show that the wit that made their debut so much fun isn't entirely missing on this album. Not so much a letdown as a comedown, One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back just shows that the giddy highs of Permission to Land aren't so easy to get the second time around.

Track Lists
01. One Way Ticket
02. Knockers
03. Is It Just Me
04. Dinner Lady Arms
05. Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
06. Hazel Eyes
07. Bald
08. Girlfriend
09. English Country Garden
10. Blind Man

Thievery Corporation - Mirror Conspiracy (Mp3 Download)

Review by John Bush @ allmusic.com

Like their debut album, Thievery Corporation's second, The Mirror Conspiracy, is a pleasant album of sublime mid-tempo trip-hop, reminiscent of easy listening groove music, and continually referencing the breezier, atmospheric side of Brazilian, Jamaican, French, and Indian forms. The nocturnal dub-poetry of "Treasures" sets a tone for the bruising basslines and echoey keys throughout the album, and "Lebanese Blonde" is another early highlight, with the graceful vocalese of Pam Bricker framing live sitar by Rob Myers and a Jamaican-style horn section. Brazil represents with a triple-shot of "Air Batucada," "So Com Voce" (with vocals from Bebel Gilberto), and "Samba Tranquille." French chanteuse Lou Lou adds a bit of downtempo continental flair on "Le Monde" and "Shadows of Ourselves," and Thievery Corporation even samples Ella Fitzgerald on the ambient-jungle closer "Tomorrow." As on their first LP, Garza and Hilton occasionally appear satisfied to just push a few grooves and reference their favorite styles of music over the top -- at the expense of any new ideas -- but The Mirror Conspiracy is excellently produced and almost as stylish as the duo's swinging suits on the cover.

Track Lists
01. Treasures
02. Le Monde
03. Indra
04. Lebanese Blonde
05. Focus On Sight
06. Air Batucada
07. So Com Voce
08. Samba Tranquile
09. Shadows Of Ourselves
10. The Hong Kong Triad
11. Illumination
12. The Mirror Conspiracy
13. Tomorrow

Various Artists - The Break Up [Soundtrack] (Mp3 Download)

Sorry, No review available....

Track Lists
01. 26 - Shawn Lee
02. It's Only A Paper Moon - Ella Fitzgerald
03. Mirror - Jon Brion
04. Time - Rich Jacques
05. La Vem A Baiana - Jussara Silviera
06. I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
07. Rainbow Connection - John Michael Higgins & Orchestra
08. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Dwight Yoakam
09. Who Loves You Baby - Telly Savalas
10. Story Of My Life - Social Distortion
11. The Break-Up Theme - Jon Brion
12. Timebomb - Old 97's
13. Boogie Nights - John Michael Higgins & Orchestra
14. Ay Cosita Linda - Perez Prado

Peter Tosh - Super Hits (Mp3 Download)

Review by Jo-Ann Greene @ allmusic.com

Whatever were they thinking calling this parsimonious collection Super Hits, when the set brazenly omits Peter Tosh's two actual hits -- 1978's "(You Gotta Walk) Don't Look Back" and 1981's "Johnny B. Goode," both of which broke the U.K. Top 50 and the U.S. Top 100? That takes real chutzpah. However, if one were going to come up with a ten-song list beyond that pair of heavy-hitters, this is what most selectors would choose. Of course, real fans might also want to hear the likes of "Magadog," "Ketchy Shuby," "Buk-In-Hamm Palace," "I'm the Toughest," "Reggaemylitis," and "Mama Africa." And why should they be deprived of that pleasure? The whole point of CDs is that they hold more music than vinyl, and the idea that in the 21st century fans are being subjected to the limits left behind in the 20th is just unacceptable. This Scrooge-like compilation, besides its inept title, is so obviously a ripoff that from his grave Tosh must be shouting at fans to shun it.

Track Lists
01. Legalize It
02. Downpressor Man
03. Stepping Razor
04. Equal Rights
05. Whatcha Gonna Do
06. Get Up, Stand Up
07. Why Must I Cry
08. African
09. Brand New Second Hand
10. Burial

Joan Baez - Speaking Of Dreams (Mp3 Download)

Sorry, No review available....

Track Lists
01. China
02. Warrior Of The Sun
03. Carrickfergus
04. Hand To Mouth
05. Speaking Of Dreams
06. El Salvador
07. Rambler Gambler/Whispering Bells
08. Fairfax County
09. A Mi Manera

Sum 41 - Chuck (Mp3 Download)

Review by Johnny Loftus @ allmusic.com

In June 2004, Sum 41 was in Congo filming a documentary for charity when they found themselves caught in the midst of the country's ongoing hostilities. But a UN aid worker named Chuck Pelletier was instrumental in getting the band to safety, and a grateful Sum 41 named their fourth album in his honor. As they say in their liners, "Without him, we'd be dead. Chuck rules!" The experience also seems to have mellowed the group's sarcastic streak. From its aggressive metal and hardcore overtones to lyrics that rail against societal ignorance and a world gone wrong, Chuck is a few steps ahead of the smirking, jocular anthems that populated Sum 41's previous output. This suddenly sober outlook hasn't lessened the rock power, though. "Why is there no reason we all can't change?" Deryck Whibley wonders in "No Reason," but the cut also binds the rapid-fire pace of hardcore to a great chorus hook. Lead single "We're All to Blame" lashes out at greed with some vicious metal riffing, "Bitter End" takes its cues from the double-bass kicks and furious lead solos of Anthrax, and "There's No Solution"'s layered vocals, psychological fretting, and explosive chorus shift give it a Linkin Park feel. Sum 41 also avoids employing too many "serious" add-ons, such as string sections or synthesizers. Chuck does have a few passages of acoustic guitar (most effectively on the low-key "Slipping Away"). But like Sum 41's previous efforts, it's a concise album that clocks in at just over a half-hour, with a basic understanding that fast and loud is what the band does best. But this time around, Sum 41 has made sure to set its message at the same high volume.

Track Lists
01. Intro
02. No Reason
03. We're All To Blame
04. Angel With Dirty Faces
05. Some Say
06. The Bitter End
07. Open Your Eyes
08. Slipping Away
09. I'm Not The One
10. Welcome To Hell
11. Pieces
12. There's No Solution
13. 88
14. Noots (Bonus Track)
15. Moron (Bonus Track)
16. Subject To Change (Bonus Track)

Various Artists - Marie Antoniette [Soundtrack] (Mp3 Download)

Review by Heather Phares @ allmusic.com

The way the visuals and music clashed in the first round of trailers for Marie Antoinette, in which the teenage Queen of France and her powdered wig- and silk brocade-wearing courtiers frolicked in the garden and played dice to the strains of New Order's "Ceremony," fell somewhere between being exciting and contrived. The full soundtrack to the movie -- all two discs and 90-odd minutes of it -- keeps this bold contrast, but gives it more nuance. In fact, its mix of new wave, post-punk, dream pop, electronica, and classical pieces really sells Sofia Coppola's vision of Marie Antoinette as an innocent young girl, transformed into her era's version of a hipster fashionista, who gets in way over (and ultimately loses) her head. The size of the soundtrack suggests the decadence of her times, but the way the music is actually used is far from indulgent. Disc one relies on new wave to illustrate the giddy rush of her rise, while disc two is mostly electronica and darker, more atmospheric classical pieces tracing her fall with a stylish, bittersweet atmosphere similar to the Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation soundtracks. "Hong Kong Garden" kicks off Marie Antoinette, beginning with a brief prelude that at first sounds like it escaped from A Chamber Music Tribute to Siouxsie Sioux but then sounds utterly right, and helps make the rest of the soundtrack's switches from pop to classical and back again sound inspired instead of forced; there's a lightness and playfulness in the new wave songs that connects them to Vivaldi's Concerto in G. Throughout the soundtrack, Bow Wow Wow seems to function as Marie Antoinette's voice: after all, "I Want Candy" isn't such a far cry from "let them eat cake," and on the second disc, "Fools Rush In" captures her plight perfectly. By working with a carefully selected palette of tracks by a handful of artists -- Air, Aphex Twin (whose "Jynweythek Ylow" has all the delicacy of chamber music), the Cure, and the Radio Dept. are among the chief sources -- Marie Antoinette's daring gambit pays off in a long but exquisitely curated soundtrack.

Track Lists
01. Natural's Not In
02. Opus #17
03. The Melody Of A Fallen Tree
04. I Don't Like It Like This
05. Jynweythek Ylow
06. Menuets I & II
07. Pulling Our Weight
08. Il Secondo Giorno
09. Keen On Boys
10. I Want Candys
11. Hong Kong Garden
12. Aphrodisiac
13. Fools Rush In
14. Plainsong
15. Ceremony
16. Tommib Help Buss
17. Kings Of The Wild Frontier
18. Avril 14th
19. What Ever Happened
20. All Cats Are Grey

Jeny Lewis And The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat (Mp3 Download)

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine @ allmusic.com

The story line on Rabbit Fur Coat is this: for her first venture outside of celebrated indie sensations Rilo Kiley, singer/songwriter Jenny Lewis has made a "white soul" album, along the lines of Dusty Springfield or Laura Nyro. Which is why, of course, she brought in Kentucky duo the Watson Twins to provide bluegrass harmonies for the entire record. Which is to say that Rabbit Fur Coat doesn't quite live up to its billing -- especially when compared to The Greatest, Cat Power's genuine white-soul album that hit the stores the week after Lewis' solo affair. What Rabbit Fur Coat brings to mind is not Laura Nyro but, perhaps inevitably, Neko Case and the stark, arty Americana intimacy of her breakthrough, Furnace Room Lullaby. Not that Lewis has Case's throaty voice or commanding presence -- she can growl and slide into notes, but at her core she has a small, fragile voice, one that lends this muted set of songs intimacy, even if it also brings them to the verge of cutsiness. And that's not a word that should be associated with Rabbit Fur Coat, an album that's designed to be a comforting late-night confessional, from rousing stompers like "The Big Guns" through the bluesy crawl of "Rise Up With Fists" to bittersweet ruminations like the seemingly autobiographical title track and the cheerful, gangs-all-here singalong to the Traveling Wilburys "Handle With Care." Musically, this hits the mark -- not only does it return Lewis to the country leanings of Rilo Kiley's first album, it feels suspended in time and space, the perfect soundtrack to 2 A.M. But the spareness of its sound also puts undue emphasis on her writing, and while she can structure a song, she tends to overwork her lyrics, cramming too many words into a phrase and moralizing like a college sophomore ("Still they're dying on the dark continent/it's been happening long enough to mention it" or "Are you really that pure sir?/I thought I saw you in Vegas/it was not pretty/but she was," where the Watson Twins helpfully respond with "not your wife"). At her best, her songs have a grace and flow that obscure these flaws -- such as on "Happy," whose melody and attitude are not all that far removed from her most prominent booster in rock's old guard, Elvis Costello -- and -- even if they're still quite prominent upon any close listen. And since Rabbit Fur Coat is an album that's designed for close listening, that's a bit of a problem, but as a pure sonic experience, it's a moody, atmospheric listen that never gets quite as melancholy as it suggests and holds together better than any Rilo Kiley album to date.

Track Lists
01. Run Devil Run
02. Big Guns
03. Rise Up With First
04. Happy
05. The Charging Sky
06. Melt Your Heart
07. You Are What You Love
08. Rabbit Fur Coat
09. Handle With Care
10. Born Secular
11. It Wasnt Me
12. Happy (reprise)

Sum 41 - Chuck (Mp3 Download)

Review by Johnny Loftus @ allmusic.com

In June 2004, Sum 41 was in Congo filming a documentary for charity when they found themselves caught in the midst of the country's ongoing hostilities. But a UN aid worker named Chuck Pelletier was instrumental in getting the band to safety, and a grateful Sum 41 named their fourth album in his honor. As they say in their liners, "Without him, we'd be dead. Chuck rules!" The experience also seems to have mellowed the group's sarcastic streak. From its aggressive metal and hardcore overtones to lyrics that rail against societal ignorance and a world gone wrong, Chuck is a few steps ahead of the smirking, jocular anthems that populated Sum 41's previous output. This suddenly sober outlook hasn't lessened the rock power, though. "Why is there no reason we all can't change?" Deryck Whibley wonders in "No Reason," but the cut also binds the rapid-fire pace of hardcore to a great chorus hook. Lead single "We're All to Blame" lashes out at greed with some vicious metal riffing, "Bitter End" takes its cues from the double-bass kicks and furious lead solos of Anthrax, and "There's No Solution"'s layered vocals, psychological fretting, and explosive chorus shift give it a Linkin Park feel. Sum 41 also avoids employing too many "serious" add-ons, such as string sections or synthesizers. Chuck does have a few passages of acoustic guitar (most effectively on the low-key "Slipping Away"). But like Sum 41's previous efforts, it's a concise album that clocks in at just over a half-hour, with a basic understanding that fast and loud is what the band does best. But this time around, Sum 41 has made sure to set its message at the same high volume.

Track Lists
01. Intro
02. No Reason
03. We're All To Blame
04. Angel With Dirty Faces
05. Some Say
06. The Bitter End
07. Open Your Eyes
08. Slipping Away
09. I'm Not The One
10. Welcome To Hell
11. Pieces
12. There's No Solution
13. 88
14. Noots (Bonus Track)
15. Moron (Bonus Track)
16. Subject To Change (Bonus Track)