463: Reviews.
Two reviews, both written last night and continued, finished today.
There's something about this second half of an album that makes everything much better. It could be that it makes Mesmerize/Hypnotize a complete whole. I may be reminded of an older, stronger and more potent System of a Down. But I don't think that's the essence of it.
Hypnotize does a lot more right than you'd think. It doesn't have the lagging opener into the radio-promoted song building to an unfulfilling closer. "Attack" commences the album and sets it at a nice pace and continues until it reaches "Hypnotize", a slower, denser, more provoking song. But that's really nothing to the issues that SOAD cohesively tie together throughout the course of the record. If I noted correctly, I counted all of these: Foreign agenda ("Attack"), shitty/untalented Rockstars ("Kill Rock 'N Roll"), war ("Holy Mountains"), drugs ("Stealing Society"), religion ("Tentative"), American patriotism ("U-Fig"), television, movie stars, etc. (Well, those were also covered throughout Mesmerize).
Near the end, we're given a dose of System's bizarre blend of metal and jazzy progressiveness with the hasty, intermittent but brilliant "Vicinity of Obscenity". The song reminds me of a "Chic 'N Stu #2", but much better, actually... and of course hilarious.
Daron Malakian's voice has also improved during most of the record, because he doesn't sound like a Billy Joe Armstrong imitation. It's really great when Serj and Daron sound aligned in harmony (it's still much too often), but it is still refreshing. I'll say it before and I'll say it again; Serj Tankian is a much better vocalist.
But I must be honest; there are a lot of moments on here that sound recycled. "Holy Mountains" sounds deeply related to "Aerials". Additional scattered material sounds like it came from Steal This Album!, which in my opinion is the best summation of their work.
This album is meant to function as a whole, rather than two albums being released within six months of each other. I understand the purpose of doing this, but it turned out to be much less effective, unfortunately.
It's a well-organized and interesting cd, but certainly not their best work. I'll even excuse the improper English in "Lonely Day". haha You don't say "most loneliest"; it's either the loneliest or the most lonely.
7.5/10 Hypnotize
6/10 Mesmerize
6.75
No matter how many people try to tell me that Jarhead is a neutral film about life and war, I won't believe them. It's not a neutral film. Although it may want to be, there's nothing more awful than watching someone have their life taken away from them for absolutely no reason.
Well, Jarhead is an interesting film, because i wasn't really emotional when involved with it. It was amusing at times, but that had no effect on the overall tone of the film. I think it was a realistic portrayal of the attitudes of soldiers. They are once happy, lively, and determined men. But then what are they? Scared, manipulated, broken? I understood what I was seeing and why.
I'll only illustrate one specific scene from the film, because it struck a particular note with me; there is a disturbing dream sequence that Anthony Swofford experiences, and Sam Mendes captures it perfectly. And I can imagine having this same dream over and over. During the entire sequence, one of the most beautiful and meaningful acoustic songs ever written plays: "Something in the Way" by Nirvana.
Everyone is unprepared for everything and none of it really matters anyway. These twenty year olds psych themselves for something amazing, but it's nothing amazing at all. It's boring and horrifying. It doesn't make you a man. It doesn't make you stronger. It makes you a victim.
War has no place in today's world; it really doesn't. We have so many technological advancements; we understand so much more about the world than we ever have before. Or... at least, I thought we did.
Some people's tunnel vision keeps them in a hole their entire lives, like the sleeping holes that the soldiers dug for themselves in the film. There are plenty assholes in the world, in the United States that praise war, and I know who they are. They praise it, because it's tradition and it's what they know. It's what they did, and it's only right if their sons and daughters participate, too. I'm afraid they're wrong.
People like to point the finger at violent media for so many different reasons. I think violent media just reflects current events. If you want to point a finger at someone, point it at you and those that lived before you. We encourage war and the live killing of other human beings, and I don't think any video game could possibly recreate that, although they may eternally try.
8/10
There's something about this second half of an album that makes everything much better. It could be that it makes Mesmerize/Hypnotize a complete whole. I may be reminded of an older, stronger and more potent System of a Down. But I don't think that's the essence of it.
Hypnotize does a lot more right than you'd think. It doesn't have the lagging opener into the radio-promoted song building to an unfulfilling closer. "Attack" commences the album and sets it at a nice pace and continues until it reaches "Hypnotize", a slower, denser, more provoking song. But that's really nothing to the issues that SOAD cohesively tie together throughout the course of the record. If I noted correctly, I counted all of these: Foreign agenda ("Attack"), shitty/untalented Rockstars ("Kill Rock 'N Roll"), war ("Holy Mountains"), drugs ("Stealing Society"), religion ("Tentative"), American patriotism ("U-Fig"), television, movie stars, etc. (Well, those were also covered throughout Mesmerize).
Near the end, we're given a dose of System's bizarre blend of metal and jazzy progressiveness with the hasty, intermittent but brilliant "Vicinity of Obscenity". The song reminds me of a "Chic 'N Stu #2", but much better, actually... and of course hilarious.
Daron Malakian's voice has also improved during most of the record, because he doesn't sound like a Billy Joe Armstrong imitation. It's really great when Serj and Daron sound aligned in harmony (it's still much too often), but it is still refreshing. I'll say it before and I'll say it again; Serj Tankian is a much better vocalist.
But I must be honest; there are a lot of moments on here that sound recycled. "Holy Mountains" sounds deeply related to "Aerials". Additional scattered material sounds like it came from Steal This Album!, which in my opinion is the best summation of their work.
This album is meant to function as a whole, rather than two albums being released within six months of each other. I understand the purpose of doing this, but it turned out to be much less effective, unfortunately.
It's a well-organized and interesting cd, but certainly not their best work. I'll even excuse the improper English in "Lonely Day". haha You don't say "most loneliest"; it's either the loneliest or the most lonely.
7.5/10 Hypnotize
6/10 Mesmerize
6.75
No matter how many people try to tell me that Jarhead is a neutral film about life and war, I won't believe them. It's not a neutral film. Although it may want to be, there's nothing more awful than watching someone have their life taken away from them for absolutely no reason.
Well, Jarhead is an interesting film, because i wasn't really emotional when involved with it. It was amusing at times, but that had no effect on the overall tone of the film. I think it was a realistic portrayal of the attitudes of soldiers. They are once happy, lively, and determined men. But then what are they? Scared, manipulated, broken? I understood what I was seeing and why.
I'll only illustrate one specific scene from the film, because it struck a particular note with me; there is a disturbing dream sequence that Anthony Swofford experiences, and Sam Mendes captures it perfectly. And I can imagine having this same dream over and over. During the entire sequence, one of the most beautiful and meaningful acoustic songs ever written plays: "Something in the Way" by Nirvana.
Everyone is unprepared for everything and none of it really matters anyway. These twenty year olds psych themselves for something amazing, but it's nothing amazing at all. It's boring and horrifying. It doesn't make you a man. It doesn't make you stronger. It makes you a victim.
War has no place in today's world; it really doesn't. We have so many technological advancements; we understand so much more about the world than we ever have before. Or... at least, I thought we did.
Some people's tunnel vision keeps them in a hole their entire lives, like the sleeping holes that the soldiers dug for themselves in the film. There are plenty assholes in the world, in the United States that praise war, and I know who they are. They praise it, because it's tradition and it's what they know. It's what they did, and it's only right if their sons and daughters participate, too. I'm afraid they're wrong.
People like to point the finger at violent media for so many different reasons. I think violent media just reflects current events. If you want to point a finger at someone, point it at you and those that lived before you. We encourage war and the live killing of other human beings, and I don't think any video game could possibly recreate that, although they may eternally try.
8/10