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Top 5 Albums of 2010

5. Contra - Vampire Weekend



This is great second album by New York City's Vampire Weekend. What I love about it is that they didn't really change what they had going on in their self-titled debut. The band still experiments with weird melodies and rhythm and it all works out fantastic. Ezra's voice continues to be my favorite piece of this band. It just seems to fit really well with the music they're doing. NME said it best when they described Vampire Weekend as "one of the most unique bands on the planet."

Score: 4/5
Key Songs: "Holiday" "Run" "Cousins" and "Horchata"

4. Plastic Beach - Gorillaz

Damon Albarn keeps putting out great music with each album he releases. Yet have I heard a Gorillaz song that is horrible. As a huge Gorillaz fan, I was really excited for the release of Plastic Beach, and when it finally came out, I was not disappointed. All of the songs are great and there are some surprise cameos that left me shocked (Snoop Dogg in "Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach" and Mos Def "Stylo" and"Sweepstakes") when I first heard them, since they are really good and well done. I have yet to hear The Fallby Gorillaz, but I doubt it'll surpass the awesome-ness that is Plastic Beach.

Score: 4/5
Key Songs: "Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach" "Rhinestone Eyes" "Sweepstakes" and "Some Kind of Nature"

3. Teenage Dream - Katy Perry

Yes, I wrote Katy Perry. I love Katy Perry and I'm a huge fan. I was anxiously awaiting this album for a while and after I heard "California Gurls" and "Teenage Dream" I was just left wanting to hear more and more. Once the album came out, I was not disappointed. It's a lovable album. A lot of dance songs too, which make it fun. I keep listening to this album over and over, it just never gets old. Not to mention that it really relates to me at present time with certain situations that I'm going through.

Score: 4/5
Key Songs: "Teenage Dream" "Firework" "The One that Got Away" and "Hummingbird Heartbeat"

2. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

This is truly a fantastic third album. Of course it does not surpass the greatness that is Funeral, but I believe it is on par with Neon Bible. Win Butler's voice continues to be my favorite piece of the band. His lyrics are amazing and the delivery is just so strong, that it is almost too scary. I highly recommend everyone go out and buy this album right now.

Score: 4.5/5
Key Songs: "Ready to Start" "We Used to Wait" and "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West

Whether you hate the guy or not, you have to admit: he's a freaking genius. This is the best album I've heard all year and probably his best work yet. The lyrics of fame-obsession ("Monster"), love ("Blame Game"), loneliness ("Lost in the World") and self-awareness ("Runaway") are what makes this album great. Not to mention that this album had one of the best cameos I've heard all year: Nicki Minaj in "Monster."

Score: 5/5
Key Songs: "Monster" "Blame Game" "Runaway" and "Lost in the World"

Everyone needs to stop what they're doing and go buy these two albums. Nao.

So, I'm not gonna make a list of the best films of 2009 because there are still a few that I need to see. Instead, I'll do my Top 5 Favorite Albums of 2009. Any recommendations for any other music is more than appreciated.

5. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

This was a surprise to me. I had only heard "1901" on the radio and seen their album cover on the pink iPod nano in the Apple ads, so when I saw the actual album at work, I decided to buy it. It was a good decision. The French band's alternative styIe really puts a smile on my face. 4/5

Key Tracks: "Lisztomania" and "Fences"

4. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

A lot of people hated this album because "they changed their sound... I want the old Arctic Monkeys back." This really irks me. What the ****ing good does keeping the same sound album after album do for a band? Won't you get tired of it? I know I would. Arctic Monkeys fast-paced rock is awesome, but I gotta admit, so is this album. One of the main reasons why I loved it is because Joshua Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) produced it. You can really hear some Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal influences in the music and Alex Turner's lyrics. Very awesome album. 4.5/5

Key Tracks: "Fire and a Thud" and "Secret Door"

3. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures

Since I first read that the band was formed by Joshua Homme (Queens of the Stone), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), I knew this was one of my must have albums of 2009. I gotta say, I loved this album. It has a lot of hard rock sounds, as well as blues influence, and to me that was just awesome. And I gotta say, Dave Grohl is a beast on the drums... that's why he's one of my idols. 5/5

Key Tracks: "No One Loves Me & Neither Do I" and "Scumbag Blues"

2. Metric - Fantasies

The sound of Emily Haines' voice is what I fell in love with when I first heard a Metric song. It was so soothing and angelic. Her voice doesn't disappoint in this album, nor does the music. And if it wasn't for Game Spot Off-Topic, I would've never found out about this band, so thanks. :) Anyway, this is actually one of the few albums I own that I can listen to from beginning to end over and over and not get tired of it ("Hot Fuss" by The Killers comes to mind). Very good music. 5/5

Key Tracks: "Twilight Galaxy" and "Collect Call"

1. Paramore - brand new eyes

This band really matured from their previous albums and it shows in this album. Hayley's lyrics are just fantastic and beautiful ("Brick by Boring Brick" and "Misguided Ghosts" come to my mind). The music is also different. It doesn't feel like a Riot! continuation, but more like an All We Know is Falling continuation in terms of sound. This is definitely my favorite album of 2009. The best thing about Paramore is that they're still young, and if they keep going in the direction, we're going to continue seeing great music from them. 5/5

Key Tracks: "Playing God" and "Misguided Ghosts"

Well, that's about it. I would write some more, but it's past midnight and I really need to go to sleep... school in the morning. :P

Hope you like my choice. :)

Haven't written a blog since Muse's album came out. I don't know what to write about.

Okay...

Christmas is coming up fast. It seems that Halloween ended just a few days ago. Work is pretty rough right now and it's only gonna get worse... that's what I get for choosing to work in retail. The best part though is as I'm working, I'm shopping for my family's presents. :p I found so many things to buy for my baby nephew, so I'm excited about that. I think I'm gonna buy myself an ipod, a 16gb purple nano. I have an 8gb nano and it's not enough, I need more space because I'm tired of deleting albums to put in new ones. It's very annoying.

The last two albums I got were The Fame Monster (yes, you heard right, got a problem? :x) and Them Crooked Vultures. The former, I believe, is her best work yet. The latter is just AWESOME!! Even before I heard it, reading the line-up of Dave Grohl (drums), Joshua Homme (Guitar/Vocals) and John Paul Jones (Bass) was awesome. If you like Queens of the Stone Age, you'll love this album. I recommend it. I've been meaning to listen to some new music, but I'm lost. If you have any suggestions let me know. (Not really a fan of metal and/or anything with screaming vocals)

Moviewise, I recently "acquired" The Damned United and I loved it. It's high up there on the list of my favorite films this year. Michael Sheen was brilliant and deserves to be nominated for Best Actor (after being snubbed for Frost/Nixon :x). I really want to see A Serious Man and An Education. Hope I can see them soon.

Anyway, I guess that's all I have to write about. Nothing else comes to mind. So, I guess it's back to seeing Legally Blonde for like the 100th time. :P

Peace.

It's just a little small review, nothing too big or fancy. Anyway, Muse's new album is called The Resistance. If you're expecting Showbiz or Origin of Symmetry... then this album may not be for you. However, if you really loved Absolution and Blackholes & Revelations, then you will love this album. Let's go through the tracklist:

1. Uprising - A great way to start off the album. Also kinda gives you a feel of what's coming. 4/5
2. Resistance - The cool catchy chorus is was attracted me to his song. 4/5
3. Undisclosed Desires - The beat of this song for some strage reason reminds me of Supermassive Black Hole. It's an interesting experiment with the use of computer beats by the band. 3.5/5
4. United States of Eurasia(+Collateral Damage) - Another good song... very Queen-esque too. The Chopin piece at the end won me over. 4.5/5
5. Guiding Light - Amazing song. Probably one of the best of the album. 5/5
6. Unnatural Selection - Another contender, I believe, for best song of the album too. It's just so raw and great how they change tempos a lot. This gets very close to something you could find in Origin of Symmetry. 5/5
7. MK Ultra - Another good song that does very well with tempo changes. Not as raw as Unnatural Selection, but close. 4/5
8. I Belong To You/Mon Coeur S'Ourve a Ta Voix - I get a very jazzy feel to this song. I wouldn't say the best of the album, but it's definately one of my favorites. 4.5/5
9. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 (Overture) 4/5
10. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 2 (Cross-Pollination) 4.5/5
11. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption) 5/5

Exogenesis: Symphony is an amazing piece of work. Probably the best Muse has ever done. It was better than I expected. I really felt that it got better as it went on. Part 3 is definately the best of the three. Kudos to Muse for pulling off something this huge.

Well, that's pretty much it. Overall i give the album 4/5. There is not a single song I don't like here. I guess I love it because I really love Absolution and BH&R more than Origin of Symmetry and Showbiz. If you do too, I recommend this album.

The Hurt Locker, Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, Starring Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie.
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War movies these days today tend to focus on either one of two things: action throughout whole movie, with not that much character development; or character development and not that much action at all. (If you know one that does both things, please let me know so I can watch it). The Hurt Locker thankfully focuses on a perfect mix of both, not mention adding suspense throughout the film.

From Wiki, The Hurt Locker follows a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit as it works to defuse a series of improvised explosive devices in the streets of Iraq. Jeremy Renner plays the leader of the EOD team, as he contends with not only defusing bombs in the backdrop of a war, but also the psychological and emotional strain that it inflicts. As the unit deals with one explosive device after another, it confronts the unpredictable and extreme violence of a growing Iraqi insurgency. Team members struggle constantly to distinguish enemy insurgents from innocent Iraqis and to protect themselves while avoiding civilian casualties.

The film stars Jeremy Renner, Brian Geraghty, and Anthony Mackie as the three members of the EOD unit. First-time screenwriter Mark Boal did an amazing job with the screenplay. Everytime they go to disarm a bomb, you're on the edge of your seat, cringing, hoping that the bomb doesn't go off. This is due to the wonderful character development he created with these three soldiers, that you just care for them so much, you don't want them to die at all. Throughout the course of the film, the horrors of war begin to take a toll on them, emotionally and physically and it's done very well because it's happening right in front of your eyes.

Kathryn Bigelow does a fantastic job directing the film. Yeah, it uses handheld camera possibly 85% of the time (mind you that's just a guesstimation, but it's a lot) and it really works. It's not like the motion-sickeness-Cloverfield camera. It's a little hard to explain, but when you see it, you'll find the camera movements to be soothing. Jeremy Renner, whom I believe to be a very underrated actor, was fantastic in the film, as was Anthony Mackie. Other members of the cast include Guy Pierce (Memento) and Academy Award nominee, and one of my favorite actors, Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List).

I find The Hurt Locker to be one of the best war movies to come out about the war in Iraq, and in general probably one of the best war movies since Saving Private Ryan, but I might be jumping the gun a little. Another viewing to two might make me settle down on a definite position of what I really think of this film. Who knows, it might make me lower the rating a little, but I doubt it. I would enjoy seeing it again.

Final Words: This film should be on the top of the list of best films come Oscar season.

...as soon as I come up with an idea for one. Haven't even started, and I already have writer's block. Maybe I'll do a slasher or a drama.

Well, regardless, I'm off to create creative characters creatively (tongue twister!:P) or maybe just some cliche teenagers who have sex and are murdered by a guy in a motorcycle helmet.

Hasta la vista. 8)

with Emily Haines and Metric.

My cousin told me about them and he let me borrow Fantasies. So I added it to my ipod and I really cannot stop listening to it. I just love Emily's voice, it sounds so soothing and amazing. She's right up there with Hayley as my favorite female vocalists. I now need to get their previous albums. I'll just keep enjoying Fantasies for the mean time. :D

Have you guys heard of them? I'm pretty sure few have here... thoughts?