Next Week On Amplifier Review & News...

We will be reviewing the following albums on April 1st:

Moby 'Last Night'

R.E.M 'Accelerate'

Anti-Flag 'The Bright Lights of America'

I also know the following week (April 8th) we will be reviewing:

Leona Lewis 'Spirit'

The Long Blondes 'Couples'

and that's all we know so far we will be reviewing...

Update: We have decided to post an exclusive... We will be reviewing Leona Lewis' new CD 'Spirit' the week of April 1st! more to come soon...

Day26 - Day26

If you read my previous review on Danity Kane you would know that I was disappointed. So the question is will their boy counterparts Day26 follow suit? Their are so many reasons why I would say yes but surprisingly not. Their album does not try to belt out the notes everytime they step up to the mike and their album seems to have been better produced. If you would have told me a month or two ago that the boys would do better than Danity Kane I would have said "are you sniffing anything?". Why? well on Making The Band it seemed they had so much more trouble than the girls making their record. But in the end all the vocal training payed off. Their voices sound mature and not half bad. Now that you have heard all the good things about the record here are some of the not so great things... at times the album seems kind of generic R&B and to tell you the truth if you do not pick it up you won't be missing anything extraordinary but for those of you who watched Making

/The Band you probably will enjoy it but for those who do not watch skip it.

Rating: 3.25

5

The B-52s - Funplex

If there's one group that likes to be known as a band to f**k around on their albums it's the B-52s. They are back after a 16 year hiatus and I used to like them when I was like 9 but after that I disliked them. I don't blame myself for that because when I listen to it now it sounds horrible. This album is not different. I don't know but this album to me sounds worse than their previous albums (amazingly). To me this album has way to much f**king around. I like fun albums at certain parts of albums, but this album sounds like they are trying to hard to be fun and to me it shows. First of all Fred Schneider sounds like he is over this music and is trying to have fun but it's not working for me.

Rating: 1/5

The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely

Following the lead of Radiohead, The Raconteurs are trying to shake up the music industry with an album they have done zero promotion and just announced would even be released a week before hand. But the one thing Radiohead produced was a good record and so have The Raconteurs to a certain degree. The album is heavy rock influenced and quite different from their previous album 'Broken Toy Soldiers'. Although it is not as high quality music as their previous album it is more enjoyable than most in the genre. The album provides some much needed breaks and breaks the amps when it needs to. Another influence you sense in a few songs is country. Heck, they even break out the trumpets from The White Stripes song 'Conquest' in 'The Switch and The Spur'. Although the album is not going to be one of the contenders for the most catchy album of the year, it is definitely a contender for some of the best riffs this year.

Rating: 3.75/5

Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

2 years ago a little diddy came out called 'Crazy' by this unknown group called Gnarls Barkley. This little diddy went on to hit #1 in 10 countries and top 10 in many more. If we fast forward to today, Gnarls Barkley is trying to copy this success with their new album 'The Odd Couple'. But the question is have they? It probably will not emulate the commercial success of their first album (St. Elsewhere) but it is just as good. The great thing about this album is each track is special in it's own way. Some of the tracks you should give a spin are 'Run', 'Charity Case', 'Going On' and 'Who's Gonna Save My Soul Now'.If you enjoyed their previous album in my opinion you should pick up this one. As I said before it will not sell as many copies of this album but for those who do pick it up you are in for some of the most original lyrics and as a result one of the most original records of the year.

Rating: 4.5/5

Gnarls Barkley & Raconteurs: New Release Date!

Gnarls Barkley have moved their release date from April to March 25th! That means that we at Amplifier Reviews will be reviewing their album on March 25th instead of April. We will also be reviewing on March 25th (More details on The Raconteurs below) :

The B-52's 'Funplex'

Day 26 'Day 26'

The Raconteurs 'Consolers of the Lonely' *

Plants And Animals 'Parc Avenue'

*The Raconteurs album came out of left field as well. They only confirmed it would even release March 25th this week! And they have literally have had no promotion so this was a complete shock! I am very excited for the album though!

4 Minutes (To Save The World) - Madonna Feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland Review

If you would have told me when 'Confessions ...' came out that Madonna would be releasing a hip-hop album in 2008 I would have said you were crazy. Why? Because it's something completely different from what Madonna has tried in the past. Like Dr. Phil says "the best indicator of future behaviour is past". But I guess Dr. Phil is wrong in this situation. Although Madonna has dipped here and there in hip-hop it never became a main focus of an album. But judging from this single '4 Minutes' it should have been. This single is infectious. But when I first heard it I admit I was disappointed. But after a few listens you can't stop listening to it. The horns in the background just give it that extra something that brings it over the edge. If Madonna continues with this catchy hip-hop for this album it will be one for the ages.

Rating: 4.5/5

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles

If you ever heard mayhem in your earphones just listen the the punk-electronica band Crystal Castles. But never has mayhem sounded so good. Their blend of punk and electronica amazingly, are so cohesive it makes to be possibly one of the best albums of the year. A prime example of their mayhem is one their tracks 'Alice Practice', 'XXZCUZX Me' and 'Love and Caring' where the beats are all over the place and it accompanies the wailing of Maggie's voice. But their are some very good put together songs like 'Untrust Us', 'Crimewave', 'Courtship Date' and 'Vanished'. This mix of mayhem and put together songs makes for the most original and brilliant albums so far this year. Although it does at points go a little all over the place, that's the beauty of the album, it's flaws. They have been compared to Justice but to tell you the truth their in a whole other league because each song is different from the next. Although it is fairly early in the year I predict this will be a contender for album of the year and maybe next as well.

Rating: 5/5

Panic At The Disco - Pretty.Odd.

Pretty.Odd. is one way of expressing some people's feelings about this album. But we have another way of expressing it... Pretty.Good. suprisingly. It just seems like yesterday Panic At The Disco were all over our radios with 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies'. But this album makes it seem like generations ago. For one simple reason, it's more mature. It seems like Panic At The Disco have produced an album that every track does not sound the same like the previous album which seemed like a long track. I was not expecting much from this album but was I wrong. It seems I should not have underestimated Panic. This album has suprising depth. This album is full of horns, trumpets and suprisingly it works for them. Sure the album has one or two duds. But they make up for it by creating some real gems on this album like 'When The Day Met The Night', 'I Have Friends In Lonely Places', 'Do You Know What I'm Seeing', 'The Piano Knows Something I Don't Know' and 'Behind The Sea'. You can definatly tell that one of their big influences was The Beatles 'Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Band Club'. They try to be Beatle-esque while keeping their originality and they do it almost perfectly. It may have taken a little while to complete but man was the wait worth it. Hopefully they will continue on this path.

Rating: 4/5

Yael Naim - Yael Naim (Review)

Apple really has the magic touch. I do not mean in technology but picking out the next big music star. A prime example of this is Feist and now they have moved on to a french singer Yael Naim. Her song 'New Soul' was used on the Macbook Air commercial. Ever since then everyone has had two question on their minds. 1. Is she the next Feist? 2. Is her album worth the money?. To answer the first question no. The answer to the second is yes. You may be wondering why I said no to the first. Well, it is because she is completely different as a artist. Now to answer why I said her album is worth the money. It is because this album is something that sounds familiar but it sounds original at the same time. A great example is the haunting cover version of Britney Spears 'Toxic'. It sounds almost as if their is a carnival gone wrong in the backround while Yael sings as if she is just as freaked out as us listening to it. Another welcome addition to the album are the different languages she uses throughout the album which include french, hebrew and of course english. You know someone is a good artist when even though you do not understend most of the track 'Paris' you can tell it's something beautiful. It would be wrong to say the album does not have it flaws. Like sometimes she does get a little carried away with the foreign language tracks but for the most part this album is something beautiful that everyone should have the chance to experience.

Rating: 3.5/5

Danity Kane - Welcome To The Dollhouse

It's amazing what MTV can do for your career. One day your average girls and the next your Diddy's newest sensation. When Diddy made up a girl group called Danity Kane everyone went crazy. Their lead single from their first album 'Danity Kane' called 'Showstopper' was a hit and people were eating it up. Now with their second studio album they are trying to capitalize on their mainstream success with big producers like Danja, Diddy and Mario Winans. But even big name producers can't save this album. I admit I watch Making The Band which followed both Danity Kane, Day26 and Donnie J. as they try to make their albums. It was probably the best marketing machine out their and from the sound of the songs they made on the series I thought I would like this album. But man was I wrong. Is it wrong that I had some sort of expectations for a album made by a girl band made by Diddy? Okay, maybe, but even so. This is a first for me and I cannot believe I am going to say this but, the problem with the album is that they try to show off their vocals way to much when the truth is they don't have to. We all know they can sing, but the truth is the best tracks are when they don't belt out the vocals everytime they get a chance to sing. That's why the best song off the album is 'Damaged' it clubby and catchy instead of trying to sound like Mariah Carey on steroids. To me this album was a disappointment not even the collaborations could save this mess.

Rating: 2 / 5

EXCLUSIVE Flo Rida - Mail On Sunday (Review)

By now we've all heard the song on the radio, the song with the repetitive "Low,low,low...". Once people found out who was the creator of this record most (who were amazingly not annoyed by it) were on the prowl for the album. The only problem was the album was not out yet! So, this is the answer to all your distress. Flo Rida's new album 'Mail On Sunday'. If you enjoyed the track 'Low' then yes, this album is for you. The album is full with beats that you will hear in clubs and catch your mom shaking her rump-shaker to in the privacy of her own home. In my opinion this album is above your average Hip-Hop/Rap album for the main reason that the production from Timbaland, J.R. Rotem, T-Pain and Will.I.Am just to name a few, make the album make up for some of it's flaws. Flo Rida said he wanted to make an album that you would hear at a club and you can listen to in your car. He has achieved this. Although the album can get a little generic and typical of the hip-hop genre it definitely has some gems like 'Roll', 'Elevator' and 'Priceless'. I do not think I would ever said this about a hip-hop album but, I wish the album had more collaborations. The reason is I believe Flo Rida is pushed more when he is with other artists rather then solo on his tracks. Sample the songs mentioned before (Roll,Elevator and Priceless) and if you enjoy the 3 of them. I would buy the album.

Rating: 3.25 / 5