It’s been a good while since my last mixed bag review so I figured that in between Def Leppard and the next band, I’d do another one. Again these are bands that have 1 or 2 albums so let’s take a look…..
Miley Cyrus: Plastic Hearts- if anybody were to tell me that I would be reviewing a Miley Cyrus album I would say you’re crazy however from what I understand, she has decided to go for I guess more of a rock or a pop rock kind of sound here. I do hate to admit that this album is actually pretty damn good. It’s got a sort of 80s pop rock vibe to it and the band that she has are really really good. It kind of reminds me of an album that would’ve come out in the 80s kind of in the vain of an artist like Blondie which is interesting because she does cover the song heart of glass and you know it’s a great cover. This album also has songs with Billy Idol and Joan Jett And The Blackhearts. After listening to this album, I am sold on the fact that she does have a really good voice and if you’ve ever seen her sing at the Chris Cornell tribute concert then I would definitely implore one to look that up on YouTube because she really can sing. So when all the sudden done, this album itself is a really good pop rock album, and this was an unexpected surprise. I will give this album an 8/10.
Standouts: WTF Do I Know, Plastic Hearts, Bad Karma
Human Waste Project: e-lux- up until this point, I had really only heard of this band. It’s a cool name but the album is also really good. The vocalist kinda has a Courtney Love meets Gwen Stefani voice and it’s really unique. The band also has Mike Tempesta (brother of drummer John Tempesta) on guitar and he does a great job. Best way to describe this album is its kind of an experimental Nu-metal album. Definitely check this one out. I’ll give it 9.5/10
Standouts: Dog, Exit Wound, Shine
Billy Howerdel: What Normal Was- so if you’re not familiar with Billy Howerdel, he is the guitar player of A Perfect Circle and if you’re looking for anything like that for this album, then look elsewhere. This is basically a love letter to Depeche Mode. No seriously, there were times that I thought that this was a Depeche Mode album. Not to say that that’s a bad thing but it’s also not an extension of APC. I did get to see him play songs off this live so I kinda knew what to expect. Overall, not bad and I’ll give it 7.5/10
Standouts: Selfish Hearts, Ani, Follower
Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures and Closer- ok so this is a band that I keep hearing about over and over and over again (you know who you are) so I thought I’d give them a shot. Let’s start with the first album Unknown Pleasures……. I can certainly see why bands like Nine Inch Nails and Interpol would be influenced by this album. The singer has a sort of monotone voice and it very much sounds like the singer from Interpol. This is definitely a very post punk album but it’s also a very dark album almost goth like. Either way, not too bad and I would say that I probably enjoyed this a lot more than I would’ve thought. Next up is Closer and while it’s not quite as dark as the previous album, it’s a pretty good follow up. It’s still got that post punk sound but I would call it gothic rock. Honestly if you’re a fan of bands like Nine Inch Nails or Interpol and you haven’t listened to these albums, then definitely do so. Overall, these guys aren’t bad in fact they’re pretty good. Would I revisit these two albums anytime soon? Probably not but I’m glad I gave them a spin. I’ll give Unknown Pleasures 8/10 and Closer 7.5/10
Standouts for Unknown Pleasures: Disorder, She’s Lost Control, Interzone
Standouts for Closer: Isolation, Passover, Colony
Definitely check out these albums that I have listed here. All are great in their own right.
Sinister Reviews 