There's a couple reasons for it. First off, it's an easy metric; it's not some number I'm pulling from nowhere, I don't have to think about it, I just have to look at my iTunes library. Secondly, although I'm reviewing the album as such, the way I listen to music tends to mean that if I don't 5-star a song, it's unlikely I'll ever listen to it; thus, you can view 5-starred songs as the number of songs in an album that I personally would re-listen to (and do).
Perhaps this means I should be doing individual song reviews rather than album, but there's a key reason why I don't, even though it kind of sucks: my backlog of albums means if a song wasn't memorable, as logically follows I don't remember it and probably don't have anything to say about it. Considering my short-story reviews tend to be broken down into individual stories as well as the collection as a whole, it probably follows that albums deserve similar treatment, but the backlog means this would be more work than I'm willing to do.
In the future, once I'm caught up, I may change my methods, but no promises. Keep in mind that while the metric is useful, since if I 5-starred every song on an album (such as the case for At Mount Zoomer) it probably means I think the album as a whole as fantastic, the reverse is not necessarily true. Although I suspect you already know, the written words are more important than a vague number, and although I will continue to provide the number it is by no means the main point of the review.
Artist: Avenged Sevenfold
Album: City of Evil
Genre: Metal (Metalcore)
5-Starred Songs: 4 (out of 11)
Avenged Sevenfold is an interesting band because initially I wasn't a big fan of them, for numerous reasons, although chief among them was their singer's voice occasionally veers into the whiny. However, after my second attempt at listening to some of their better known songs they kind of began to grow on me. In the tradition of metalcore, they combine the instrumentals of hard metal sounds with the more "pop"ish lyrics and vocal style. Overall I'm probably a pretty big metalcore fan; although I can appreciate death-metal style rough vocals, given a choice I think I tend to prefer so-called "clean" vocals.
The album contains the Guitar-Hero-famous Beast and the Harlot, the rollicking ride of Bat Country, and the surprisingly powerful and positive Seize the Day (once you get back the vocals, since I think this is the prime example of vocal "whininess") in terms of its stand-out songs. Beyond that, though, I don't feel the album is particularly strong. A lot of the songs sound kind of similar, and not very many of them are catchy; normally not a complaint I would levy against a metal band, but given how close it sometimes veers to pop I think it's legitimate in this case. A couple songs were actually close to being downright boring, which is surprising for a metal album. Overall it has some strong points, but for once I don't feel like you're missing much if you pass on the rest of the album. I think moreso than many bands, Avenged Sevenfold is much more hit-or-miss: when they're good, you get a powerful, memorable song that you can relisten to many times, but if they don't hit that goal the songs end up merely passable on average.
Artist: Broken Social Scene
Album: You Forgot It In People
Genre: Alternative (Indie Rock)
5-Starred Songs: 4 (out of 13)
Perhaps the most famous of the BSS albums (featuring the well-known song Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl, a song I had heard many times but never had actually known the title/band of) You Forgot It In People features a well-rounded set of somewhat laid-back yet energetic songs that on the whole it quite enjoyable. Almost Crimes features a nice-build up into a catchy chorus, whereas Cause = Time has a kind of off-beat-ness that bounces all around, creating a different yet enjoyable sound. Pacific Theme proves BSS can do instrumental-only songs very well and creates a fun atmosphere that matches the title exactly.
I think as much as I overall enjoyed the album, though, as I mentioned in a previous post I feel that "Spirit If..." is just a much better album overall despite having a somewhat different sound than the "normal" BSS albums. Spirit If feels a bit more tight and darker, whereas You Forgot It In People feels much more lighthearted and closer to traditional pop. Neither is necessarily better, I just think Spirit If stands out a bit more and casts You Forgot It In People in a different light.
Artist: Sunset Rubdown
Album: Random Spirit Lover
Genre: Alternative (Indie Rock)
5-Starred Songs: 4 (out of 12)
Unlike the previously reviewed Sunset Rubdown albums, this one feels much closer to having a less experimental sound and much more similar to Wolf Parade stuff. Again, neither option is necessarily better than the other, but I feel like the difference makes this later album more accessible and in my mind less "situational" than the earlier pieces. With that said, it's still a bit on the odder side, as can be evidenced by (excellent) song titles such as Up On Your Leopard, Upon The End of Your Feral Days and The Taming of the Hands That Came Back To Life. Overall it features the notably weird lyrics and sound I associate with Sunset Rubdown, and certain songs definitely shine, such as Winged/Wicked Things. However, as I've talked about for the previous albums, some of the songs feel a little unfocused and feel like they could be tightened up in some fashion. While still good, I don't think it's their best album.
Artist: Avenged Sevenfold
Album: Waking the Fallen
Genre: Metal (Metalcore)
5-Starred Songs: 2 (out of 12)
"Waking the Fallen" was frankly a bit disappointing. Despite a couple of excellent songs, such as the soaring, long I Won't See You Tonight Pt. 1 and the focused, exhilarating blast of Unholy Confessions, overall the album suffers from many of the complains I levied against the band in "City of Evil." Many of the songs are simply bland, and I got bored and stopped paying close attention half-way through. Once again, A7X feels very hit-or-miss, and for once it feels like their "Best of" songs are all that's worth listening to. A bit disappointing, since they obviously have moments of excellence and the ability to write great songs, it just seems like this ability does not manifest itself consistently.
Artist: Gojira
Album: Terra Incognita
Genre: Metal (Trance Metal)
5-Starred Songs: 1 (out of 17)
To continue on the thread of disappointing albums we have "Terra Incognita." The album has one redeeming song, Deliverance, which nonetheless is probably still one of the weaker songs out of the ones I like. Unlike their other albums, which manage to make a great mix of their incredibly hard sound intermixed with moments of tranquility, "Terra Incognita" was almost all noise. Perhaps I wasn't in the right mood, but there were just no moments that really stood out; it quickly moved from one harsh song onto another with rarely a break. Perhaps part of the problem is the average length of the songs; only a handful exceed 5 minutes, and in the other albums I felt Gojira was best with longer songs where they could fully develop a theme and have a kind of "wave" in terms of rise and fall. This, unfortunately, is a album I would firmly advise "skip" on.
Artist: Dragonforce
Album: Valley of the Damned
Genre: Metal (Power Metal)
5-Starred Songs: 2 (out of 9)
Dragonforce is another interesting band. A complaint of all their songs being "too similar" definitely has some truth behind it; if you really dislike a given Dragonforce song, it's unlikely you'll like anything from their discography. Although every album usually has one or two less intense, more melodic songs, overall they're about power, speed, and ferocity. With that said, if you're in the mood for them, they're great, and in particular they've been fantastic accompaniment to Gears 3 multiplayer, which kind of makes sense given their stated influence from videogames.
The crowning song of the album is the titular Valley of The Damned, with the characistic fast riffs and memorable chorus that makes Dragonforce songs excellent. Starfire provides a bit slower but no less fun counterpoint to the album. Alongside that there are a number of songs that, as the complaint states, sound kind of similar and lack anything super memorable but yet are still solid songs. If you're looking for a particular sound, Dragonforce is great and the album as a whole is solid, but I think other of their albums are a bit stronger.
Artist: Rage Against the Machine
Album: Rage Against the Machine
Genre: Rock (Weird mix of stuff)
5-Starred Songs: 5 (out of 10)
Rage Against the Machine enjoys a strong popularity with good reason. Despite never really having had a rebellious phase nor rarely feeling the emotions so strongly portrayed in their music, they're still incredibly catchy and strongly inspiring in a weird way, and I think it's a testament to their music that they're as appealing to me as they are despite me not really necessarily identifying with their themes. The famous Killing in the Name of provides a strong, repeatably screamable message, while the more subversive Take the Power Back provides a similar message with slightly lower yet no less strong mood. Township Rebellion starts out with a punkish, off-beat sound and crescendos into another strong, yellable polemic. Kind of like metal as a whole, the sound isn't appropriate for every situation, but when it is, it's fantastic.
Artist: Broken Social Scene
Album: Forgiveness Rock Record
Genre: Alternative (Indie Rock)
5-Starred Songs: 5 (out of 14)
To be honest, much of what I stated in the "You Forgot It In People" could be restated here. There are some very strong, very memorable songs contained with "Forgiveness Rock Record." World Sick has an incredibly slow, strong build up to a great end, All to All's thrumming, consistent sound is quite enjoyable, Sentimental X's also is a great example of a slow-build up to a powerful finish, and Meet Me In the Basement once again showcases the bands' instrumental ability. However, as mentioned in the other review, while there's a smattering of other good songs, overall I just prefer the sound of "Spirit If..." It's a solid album, no better or worse than "You Forgot It In People" and quite enjoyable in it sown way.
Artist: Dragonforce
Album: Sonic Firestorm
Genre: Metal (Power Metal)
5-starred Songs: 6 (out of 9)
Again, much of what I said for "Valley of the Damned" can be repeated here, except that Sonic Firestorm overall is a much stronger album, and probably their best album (although it's a close tie with Inhuman Rampage). My Spirit Will Go On and Fury Of the Storm are excellent examples of what makes Dragonforce a great band, and Once In A Lifetime, in addition to carrying a great message, is just a genuinely happy song. The band it shows it can carry itself across 7+ minute long songs quite sucessfully, and shows enough variety (within its own constraints) to make a very well-rounded album. Again, if you don't like their overall sound there's not much new to see here, but if you enjoy what they do then Sonic Firestorm is powerful, memorable, and exciting.
Artist: The Decemberists
Album: The King is Dead
Genre: Alternative (Folk Rock)
5-starred Songs: 8 (out of 10)
Considering that their last album, "The Hazards of Love," was surprisingly disappointing for me given how much I like this band, I had a bit of trepidation about "The King is Dead." However, my fears prove unfounded, as the album returns to their bands roots. If anything, the "folk" element of their folk-rock sound is more evident in this album than any of their others, and they sacrifice a bit of their traditional lyrical genius in favor of some more simple yet pretty songs. This Is Why We Fight offers a robust and surprisingly moving piece that's exactly what it sounds like, whereas Don't Carry It All starts off the album with a strong, upbeat piece that resolves into memorable chorus. After the complex and thematic elements of "Hazards of Love," this album proved to be a fresh breath of air and one of their more stronger albums. Perhaps it is true that simpler is often better; this album make a strong case for it, in any case. Although no single song stands out from amongst the rest, it's just a very pretty, really relaxing album that greatly showcases the bands ability.
-HTMC
Totally agree about Spirit If... even if it isn't (technically) a BSS album. I really wish Kevin Drew had more creative control over BSS cause I'd love for them to keep going in that direction.
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