You have to listen to this
 

I am going to post an album from my collection and instead of me doing the reviewing, I want YOU fellow MB'ers to review it instead. Once every fourteen days I will post an album, PM me for usual details and a link to the album then review away. Even if you hate the album you may still hear something outside of your comfort zone. Here is the first choice:

Flaming Tsunamis - Fear Everything

EDIT: A clue it's very noisy but it has horns' too!

no picture. :(

It should be up now.

A lack of balls. I knew even when I posted this that I would be writing a rant a few hours later. It's only a thread people.

I'll do it.

I'm interested in listening to this.

PM'S out there.

Flaming Tsunami's are one of the few great skacore bands. I have their albums because you recommended me them in some ska thread awhile ago. Good ****.

I'm pleased I achieved something!

alright so i just downloaded this album. here's my method for reviewing a disc.

1 - headphones - regular speakers are fine when you want to have music playing in the background, but when i want to actually focus on what i'm hearing i don't want to hear anything else so i go for full ear coverage. hate ear buds.

2 - hmm no smoking emoticon - either way, not glamourizing, just saying, it helps me relax and focus on the tunes.

3 - i listen to the album while writing comments as it plays through in real time. then i'll listen to it (or selected tracks) a 2nd time and make revisions if necessary. more often than not my initial reactions are pretty accurate to my long term tastes.

so onto the album...

the ritalin conspiracy - i was about to say it sounded like a younger cleaner version of meshuggah until the horns kicked in. holy **** i'm liking that sax solo. HELL YES! kind of disappointed it went back to a 'WAH i'm pissed off' metal tune.

bird-watching and vice versa - YAY more horns. again i'm let down by the black / white style their songs feature. why not keep the ska horns over the death metal guitars? .... as i typed that they came back :D it's ska mr. bungle tune hehe. not so keen on the la la la bit. the breakdown immediately following is glorious

again the funny cartoon theme thing to end the tune...

corpse disposal for dummies - the chick robot backing vocals is pretty cool. again - mr. bungle. holy crap, it's not a bad thing, they do it better than anyone else i've heard so far. the influence is definitely there without sounding like a clone. i think it's mainly due to the evolution of metal since bungle's debut and their subsequent move away from metal.

fear everything - political songs annoy me.

the great red cross robbery - i like the horns coming back in the middle but aside from the first tune why don't they get solos like the guitarists? actually why does no one solo? doesn't need to be flashy

if you really love me - back to the bungle with a twist. it's quite refreshing after the last 2 songs. seems at least one guitar player can do lead, but why no horn solos?.... tsk tsk haha the trade offs would rock.

the first rule - yay more politics :rolleyes: it's not that it's musically bad or anything, i like the trippy middle bit after the 2nd round of eff the white house. it's just that specific political tunes date songs horribly. in the grand scheme of things if i play this to my niece in a few years she's not going to have a clue as to why they're chanting it. YAY horn solos!

satan vs. the unites states of america - i was expecting more grr-politics with a title like the above but the court case angle is freaking awesome hehe PRAIShE JASUS!

world of chaos - like a weird circus ballad that flies through all sorts of freak out and funk metal haha again it's like getting lectured by mr. bungle. kind of goes long, probably great on stage though.

bennett brauer - the chaos is too organized for me in this one. it's so short so why not add more tension to the build up? the horns could have been louder and more dissonant. it left me lacking

weaug, teaug, peaug (the powder of life) - wow, so they're playing a jazz tune now. will it go into metal? closing on the minute mark... another sax solo... might the twist be a lack of twist?

suppose not :laughing: but a raggae switch is always cool in my book hehe

almost turns into a pink floyd / mogwai tune near the middle. by this point i'm really preferring these type of changes to the metal that was dominating the bulk of the other tunes. really liking the build near the end.

**** piss die - that intro sample about being pets makes me want to dig out some porno for pyros haha. the metal in this one totally reminds me of meshuggah's 'future breed machine'.

really liking the almost surf breakdown around the 2 minute mark. the interplay around 3 minutes between the guitar and horns is what i was talking about earlier. why only on one tune?

the outro vamp is pretty cool although there are some spots where the rhythm guitar was doing cool stuff but seemed buried in the mix. i also think if a band is going to fade out a tune they should let it all hang out as opposed to just repeating the motif again and again.


overall - there's definitely a mr. bungle influence throughout this group and that's not a bad thing. they seem to have been able to draw from it as opposed to try to mimic it. some of the songs had superfluous parts to them but for the most part the sections were short enough that it didn't really matter. my only other gripe is the lack of musical interplay through some of the different styles, the first tune had some serious action going on, but the parts sound like a forced mash up. not really a fan of grr politics tunes but that's just me.

on the plus side the album kept me guessing what direction the band would head in next straight through to the end and pulled it off effectively throughout. by the end the band showcases some of the interplay i found lacking earlier in the album. i guess it comes down to a hoping for more of a free jazz element to the music. either way, it's a great disc and worth checking out if you like stuff like mr, bungle, meshuggah, and les savy fav.





tl/dr - get this disc

Nice review and I'm glad it kept you on your toes.

thanks, is this going to be a monthly / every other week kind of thing?

There's your answer

This sounds interesting. I'm definitely up for a listen.

I'll do this as well, although I pretty much blow at reviewing. More new music one way or the other :D.

You know i'm in.

I would love to participate.

Flippin' hell, what an insane album. Always good, i like to be kept on my toes :D

I'm not much of a ska person so when the horns blasted in i prepared myself for disappointment. Wasn't a fan of the vocals either. That said as the album went on the vast scope of what they play was unveiled and it's clear they have a ton of influences which i always appreciate. It's a loud album sure but there's catchy moments in there too and a ton of ideas.

I won't rate it yet, first listen n' all, but it's definitely getting another play, probably several.

The Flaming Tsunamis - Fear Everything [2006; Kill Normal Records]

Before getting on to the review, I have to agree on the Mr. Bungle comparison. It's the first thing that came to mind when listening to the opening track, The Ritalin Conspiracy. It reminded me of Girls of Porn.

One Sentence Review: The Flaming Tsunamis' hardcore record does without the frightening disposition common to the genre to create something surprisingly light, varied, often eclectic, and niche unique. 8.8/10

Comments: I don't enjoy hardcore music, though there are times when truly inspired bands such as Refused, ****ed Up, and Alexisonfire make me think twice. The Flaming Tsunamis will, from this point on, be the reason why I will never say that again. "Fear Everything" takes you to unconventional places, yet never feels too experimental, nor does it outlast its welcome. For something truly unique, catchy, and worth the entirety of your time, listen to The Flaming Tsunami's "Fear Everything."

Notable tracks: Bird-Watching And Vice Versa, Corpse Disposal For Dummies, World of Chaos.

I'm going to have to listen again before I can give a verdict.

Sorry, but I'm really hating the first half of this album. I'll review in full after I finish.

Where as I am finding it very interesting indeed. It is going to be interesting to see the differing views and that, my fellow Music Banters, is what makes our obsession so wonderful.

Can't wait for the next album : )

Could you pm me this?

Ok, here's what I thought after listening to it few times -

The Good:

They've got a lot of ideas floating around here. I like the fact that they screw around with genres. The music itself is completely chaotic and unpredictable! I mean, ska, punk, hardcore, metal, funk, jazz, even some reggae in there. And many unexpected events, like tempo changes and the circus themes, which added to the experience, in a good way.

The Bad:

Some of the core-ish/metal intros sounded a bit generic. Once the twist does occur though, you catch on. One thing I disliked was when they would scream some line or something all of a sudden, near the end of each track. Wasn't exactly a bad thing, but most of it didn't go all that well either. Lines such as the "lalalala" part in Bird-watching, "Homogonize the earth so no matter where you go you're in America" in fear everything and so on and so forth.

1. The ritalin conspiracy
I loved the horn arrangements here. The core/metalish intro reminds me of meshuggah, but the horns are just WIN. An early highlight me thinks.

2. Bird-watching and vice versa
A great track, except for the lalalala part. Some strange twists and turns, that's for sure :p:. Love it, when those sorta things happen. Most of the transitions were sudden, but still smooth enough and didn't spoil the track at all. In fact, the entire charm about the album is it's unpredictable nature ;).

3. Corpse disposal for dummies
Starts off the usual way, with some technical bits, but the middle part is soo damn catchy :D. Again goes back the way it started, but that didn't spoil it for me. I would re-listen for the middle part alone.

4. Fear everything
Again, same formula as the first half, but that's not necessarily a bad thing as I have found out. I liked the riffing here a bit more, but like I said earlier, I could do without the repeated screams at the end.

5. The great red cross robbery
For some reason, I didn't like the horn arrangements here, but great riffing and a fierce intro saves it quite a bit. Still though, not amongst my favorite.

6. If you really love me
Nice funky-kinda bass intro, and the middle sections makes you come back for more. Funny lyrics :D. A nice solo as well. Liked it quite a bit.

7. The first rule
A catchy dub twist in the middle, but I could do without the "Bomb the white house part" part. Spoiled it somewhat for me.

8. Satan vs. the united states of america
Phew, for once, the line near the end didn't put me off. Funny track, with somewhat similar formula; This one is a bit more strait up hardcore-punk + Ska without too much of a twist.

9. world of chaos
Funky, catchy intro. But before you even know it, the track descends into chaos, with a weird dance-able kinda feel, which isn't a bad thing at all. Liked it quite a bit.

10. Bennett brauer
A bit too short and random. But I guess a necessity after following a similar formula so far. (other than a couple of exceptions)

11. weaug, teaug, peaug (the powder of life) - Another nice reggae twist, which is quite welcoming. Great track, to change the mood a bit although the intensity does pick up later.

12. **** piss die - Great way to end it all. Nice breakdowns here! Quite fierce and I think this might be my favorite from the album. Intense to say the least.

Highlights: The ritalin conspiracy, bird-watching and vice versa, If you really love me, world of chaos, **** piss die.

Overall: I'd give it a 7/10, but in terms of actual enjoyability, I'd say 8/10 as this definitely was a fun listen! I wouldn't mind re-listening again in the future. But there's still a lot of areas they could improve on which is why I'd give it a 7. The riffs seemed a bit generic at times. The vocals could use some improvement, although none of it put me off. The screaming part can change a bit as well, or maybe it's only me and I need to get used to it. Oh well, at least they tried to change it up a bit, which I'll always appreciate. A nice addition which would definitely get more listens in the future.

Okay here we go, I'm writing it as I listen to it:

The Ritalin Conspiracy: It's a deadly combination of free jazz and bad metalcore. I like chaotic music, but this is awful. Stop changing the beat too. This track is pretty bad. Didn't make my stomach churn though, oddly.

Bird-Watching and Vise Versa: Cool ska-y opening. I enjoy the horns here. Then it takes a turn into that same bad metalcore we heard on the first track. It's not as bad as it was, because this time the horns are used more effectively. It's still a little too sludgy for my taste. The ska bit about halfway is nice, but when it goes back into the slow metalcore, that's when my stomach didn't feel so good. Better, but still bad.

Corpse Disposal For Dummies: Yes! They finally succeed in blending ska and metalcore. Why? Because they don't resort to awful breakdownish sections, and once again, the horns are well used. It gets real funky about a third of the way in, and I enjoyed that. Even the really slow part sounds good, mainly thanks to the wonderful horns.

Fear Everything: This isn't bad, but the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. I love the clean singing on this track. It sounds pretty bad in some parts, but it's listenable. Politicallyricfail.

The Great Red Cross Robbery: Sounds a bit more like a straight-up ska-punk song. The metalcore isn't done too badly in this song. Check it out, yes it is. Awful breakdown alert. Oh look, let's get some more ska cred by throwing in a soft horn section. Boooooorrrrrrrriiiiiiiiinnnnngggg. Oh look, my Bad Religion download finished, can I listen to that and forget the rest of the album?

If You Really Love Me: Okay, this sounds promising. I like the instrumental hooks here. The vocals are done nicely. Ooooh, this heavier part is done really nicely. It's good to hear a more ska oriented song, this is how the rest of the album should be. The lyrics have Misfits written all over them. Solid track.

The First Rule: It's got the metalcore vocals, but it's tolerable because the beat is faster. The horn instrumental bits sound great. It's decent.

Satan vs. The United States Of America: Yet again, good ska instrumental. But wait! We can't have anymore good ska punk. METALCORE. UGGHHHH. And then it does this neat punk rock thing, before going back to some annoying yelling over a ska instrumental. Stop yelling bullshit about the system, I've heard it all before.

World Of Chaos: I know how this is gonna go, soft ska, and then metalcore. Well, not quite, it's a little better than that. The intense part is pretty solid. Love the little guitar lick when it returns to the ska. This is pretty fun.

Bennett Brauer: Awesome sample at the beginning. Decent, short hardcore track.

Weaug, Teaug, Peaug (The Powder Of Life): No no no, don't bullshit around with this mellow stuff. Wait... are they actually just gonna do a full-out ska song? This could be enjoyable. It makes the transition into a pretty nice ska-punky song. This is great track.

Shit Piss Die: Oh crap, not again. There's a few nice parts to this song, but there's a lot of the same elements in other songs on here that I disliked.

This album wasn't bad, it wasn't good, and it wasn't really mediocre either. It was annoying in some parts, good in others, and I don't really know overall. I'll give it a 5/10. Most of the tracks were dislikeable, but most had at least something enjoyable about them. The concept of ska with metalcore is kinda cool, but they sound like they're trying too hard. The thing about metalcore is that it has to be done right, or else it will certainly suck. This band should just try for a ska punk sound and drop all the metal.

Some contrasting views on this but it's all good. Some great reviews too. Keep it up!

A thing I found about the album is that all too often it was the horns that saved the songs.

Contrasting views indeed. I just wasn't distracted by the core elements that much tbh. I'm sure all of us can safely say that without the horns, this would have been nothing. The surprise element definitely helped in boosting the score!

Sounds interesting. Can I get a PM?

Ditto.

The opening track The Ritalin Conspiracy to me sums up the entire album. A mix of hard edged Metal, Ska, found sounds and along with the extreme vocal technique and oddball time changes, it makes for a good opening song that is indicative of the future. Bird-watching And Vice Versa is seemingly standard Ska but just rips away that pretence within seconds. Corpse Disposal For Dummies. One has to impressed with the title of the track. Again we are treated to various stylistic changes that jump at the listener. "They Won't Stay in the Ground" the singer screams as we switch into hand clapping ska. Witty stuff. Fear Everything. I am unable to understand the singer at all and then he shocks us with clear and concise vocal that reminds one, for a moment, that he can sing with out growling. Is that criticism? No. Just a comment on style. The Great Red Cross Robbery follows with the same heady mix of Ska and Metal. Not a melodic track at all with even the horns playing off key at the end. If You Really Love Me is a favourite. Catchy horn lick and less hard edged singing (I think). The First Rule starts with the usual Metal sounds and approximately half way through heads into super ska beats and horns. Satin V The United States Of America. God-damn your soul to the fires of hell. He already has. Haa haa! Witty stuff. I think so anyway. World Of Chaos. Album of chaos morelike but I have been enjoying it. Is that a hint of eastern folk influenced Ska? Not for long. Bennett Bruar is a hard edged 1 minute bust that leads to the gentle Weaug, Teaug, Peaug (the powder of life). This is more reggae than ska. We finish with the delightfully named **** Piss Die. What a name for a song. Kinda sums it all up.
In conclusion I enjoyed this record. It was definitely a mix of styles that was very new to me. Initially I was sceptical that it was working but after several plays I began to enjoy the oddball mix. When extreme vocals are used I generally prefer the vocal technique employed by say the likes of Yamatsuka Eye but I have found that the vocals on this album became more palatable with each listen. I think there is in fact a sense of humour that seems to carry through the album and that drags it along to the end.

Well met Jackhammer. I am up for more to test my senses.

Glad you liked it and the disparate sounds hold together, only just but it's still a racuous listen when I'm in the mood. New album will be up within the next week.

The only redeeming factor of this is the horns. The screams are horrible and the guitar often falls into being cheesy. Bad bad album.

^though I won't go as far as to say that it's a bad album, I agree with you.

My friend is really going to like these guys. I can feel it.

New album up tomorrow, so any oustanding reviews-get them in please.

Next album is up:


Dreamy, acoustic, dual female/male vocal lead kooky atmospheric quality is your clue this time. Again PM if you need.

Late, but screw it.

the ritalin conspiracy: A little patchy at the transition, but other then that not half bad.

bird watching and vice-versa: Started out great, got bad, got better, got great, ended terribley.

corpse disposal for dummies: *covers ears*

fear everything: Really likedit, impressive horn use, loved the vocals, possibly the best song on the album.

The great red cross robbery: one of the better tracks on the album that seems to thrive off of the ska element.

if you really love me:nevermind what I said before,hands down the best track.

the first rule:Love it, becaue it sounded more like convential ska, the horns actually impressed, and seemed more then just background.

satan vs. the united states of america: a better The First Rule

World of chaos: just okay, was looking for something better after the intro

bennett brauer: good inerlude, that's it/

weaug, teaug peaug: Really impressive compared to the rest of the album, I will listen to this song again.

**** piss die: *again covers ears*

It was hit and miss, I may listen to a couple tracks again, but I'm sticking with Josh Ritter ;)
5/10


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Has anybody listened to Mice Parade yet?