Pretty darn good, actually
934396
Wow.  Loki is a dad!  This one has more plot, more players and even some really interesting twists.  His PA is more than you'd think; his kid is,absolutely adorable and this is quite possibly some of the most fun I've had in a little while.  Bravo, Dawn!  Now you're rocking.
3267972
I sort my CDs carefully. Usually I only buy when I know I'll like a few of the songs on a CD. I decided to pick up "Breathing Tornadoes" after hearing only one song, the radio mix of "Nothing Much  Happens", on a local alternative station. I was expecting a fairly  routine purchase of a fair CD that might have a few other good songs on it.  So I popped it into my player. Now, having listened to the entire disk  repeatedly over the course of a weekend, and some songs over and over in  the car, I can say this: Buy The Freaking CD. Ben Lee combines a certain  80s-ish New Wave synth feel with an organic, 90s twang. Sprinkle in some  serious emotion/depth and great lyrics (on virtually every song on the  disk--hell, this guy rings such a familiar chord he feels like an old  friend), all while avoiding generic fluff, and you've got a good idea of  what to expect from this disk. Lee obviously *feels* life -- at least more  obviously than any other artist I've experienced over the past year. Sure,  this music is not for everyone. Truly exceptional musical presences like  the Pixies, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Radiohead never have been, either.  But for those who like to -feel and think-, rather than merely -listen- to  their music, this showing by Ben Lee is a must have. I'm not easily  impressed by music, and I will admit that friends seem to think my tastes a  bit ecclectic. But if I were permitted to bring only five CDs from the 90s  into the next century, "Breathing Tornadoes" would be one of  them. Yes, its that good.
4815797
Pretty darned good. I really enjoy this with a serving of rice or pasta for a hearty meal.
3380184
So, because Yahoo! Music merged with Rhapsody, I finally have a chance to hear all of these out-of-print records I've searched countless bargain bins for, but never found! This makes me quite happy. Because for some reason, despite the fact that this was a very big seller that produced a couple hit singles, CSN is out-of-print in the U.S. Why? It's good! Maybe not as good as its two predecessors, but good nonetheless. I pretty much enjoy every song here: the hit single "Fair Game" is a Latin-jazz shuffle that provided the basis for Beck's hit "Tropicala" - it also has a really, really good acoustic guitar solo and is tremendously catchy. Oh, oh, and the harmonies! Can't forget the harmonies. "Shadow Captain" is a gentle, magnificent country-folk song; "See the Changes" is fun Latin-folk; the slow, ominous religion protest/acid trip recollection "Cathedral" is a fine tune, and unloads an unexpected tempo shift or two, and is one of the few Graham Nash songs that's honestly threatening; "Dark Star"(not the Dead tune) is the funkiest any soft-rock group has ever gotten by quite a long shot, and it's really good. And then there's the big hit, "Just a Song Before I Go." It is a bit dated, but it's a soothing, well-written song with some fine harmonies. A few of these songs aren't all that good (Stills' downbeat rocker "Run from Tears," redeemed only by the well-harmonized choruses; the underdeveloped tearjerker "Cold Rain;" "Anything at All;" "Carried Away," two ballads that don't go anywhere), but they're just mediocre fillers, rather than awful insults to the world of music. There isn't a bad song on this album, in fact! And whatever's weak, it's made up for by Stills' blaring, menacing rocker "I Give You Give Blind" - that's a cool song! So this comes highly recommended, despite not being as good as its two predecessors.
2775418
Not the perfect phone, but pretty darn good.  That is, if you're looking for your cell phone to be, well, a phone and not a camera or a way to send 100 text messages a day.

I should preface this review to say that I had to return the first phone.  The normal (ear) speakers wouldn't work.  Second unit works fine!

First of all, it's sturdy.  Not that I've dropped it, but if I did, I think the chance of survival would be good.  After about 6 months usage, I haven't had any problems with the slider.  The reception has been very good.  I don't think I've had a dropped call yet!  Or not one caused by my phone, at least.

And the battery seems to last.  Mind you, I'm not a big talker ... maybe an hour a week.  But I can keep the phone charged up 5-7 days.  Speaking of charging, there's a little rubber gizmo that you need to push aside to charge the phone.  Right from the start I was afraid it would come loose and get lost.  And, sighs, it recently did that.  Also, the instructions say never to remove the connector to the phone while the plugged into the outlet.  So, yeah, you're supposed to unplug it at the outlet first and then remove the connector.  (Shakes head ... don't get it.)

The camera is unimpressive.  No zoom feature.  But I don't expect my phone to be a camera.

It's not the most intuitive phone, nor does it have a good users manual.  For example, if you wanted to learn about how to use the camera you'd have to look in the index for "Take a Picture" instead of "Camera."  And quite a few features aren't discussed.  I'm still trying to figure out what causes it to go into multimode, and what to do to get it out of it.  (After a while it just goes away.  Maybe that's all that can be done.)  At the store, the tech showed me this cool feature of how to copy the phone numbers to the SIM card.  Do you think those instructions were in the manual?  Puh-lease!  The menus are not very intuitive; by luck I'll find things like "tip calculator" or "tape recorder" .... but when I try to find it later, it's not where I'd expect it to be.

As much as I bellyache about the phone, I like it overall.  Again, if you are looking for a solid, reliable phone with good reception and decent battery, this will do the job nicely.
2366087
Pretty tasty...and simple/quick! Oh, and very filling.
1556073
After the horribly disappointing American Gods I was worried that I would never end up liking this very beloved author.  Not that something like that should worry me, but I felt like I was missing out on something good.  So, one day I saw this skinny book sitting on a shelf in my school library and figured, why not?  It didn't take long to read through, and I found the story rather enjoyable.  It's nothing amazing, so I still don't see why Gaiman has such hype, but it kept me entertained and even made me think a little.  The main characters are decent at best.  I've learned that characterization is perhaps Gaiman's weakest point.  The narrator of the story is about as flat as paper, but thankfully he's articulate enough to get some strong prose across and paint a nice picture of his little world.  However, this is a fairytale, and often times in fairy tales the protagonists are people who experience things instead of go out and do them.  It's essentially the difference between a passive and active character.  The supporting cast is also decent.  Really nothing to write home about, but they have their charming little moments, and fortunately the novel is short enough that those moments can carry you through.

I think Gaiman's strongest point is his creativity.  His ideas are what bring vividness and life into this story (and were the only thing, I think, going for him in American Gods).  He has a strong balance between unique and familiar which brings the reader into the story without having it slap them in the face, if that makes any sense.  The two antagonists are visually quite interesting and have cool functions, perhaps even a little scary.  The way the first antagonist intervenes into the narrator's personal life was the most compelling part, and perhaps the only part during which I felt much sympathy for the narrator.

Gaiman's prose is interesting.  On a technical level it's probably some of the best out there.  Images are vivid, the word choice is precise and economical, and yet it's simple enough to keep the voice grounded and real.  However, I always get the sense that his prose is too practiced, too perfect.  He never yields to excess, and so the sense of careful control is never abandoned, even during more emotional scenes and moments.  There are writers who create much more distance between the story and the readers, but the fact that Gaiman comes so close to, at least for me, hitting the nail right on the head makes it all the more irritating.  If he could just bring himself to inject a stronger sense of humanity into the prose his stories might become all the more vivid and real.  Yet, I can't help but feel that this is partially tied into his weak sense of characterization.  If his characters were stronger, he might be more inclined to jump into them a little more and give us some erratic humanity.

I think a real Gaiman fan might get more out of this than me, so I would still recommend it for all its flaws.
942473
It was good, not great, but good. What more can I say?
3524731
Okay, so I guess I'm a beginner at this, seeing how I'm not familiar with any other Texas works. With that, one must forgive me for speaking somewhat objectively.
I really enjoyed "In Our Lifetime" until I  realised it was because I love the TLC "Creep" sample, or  interpolation, or whatever you want to call it. Still, the song does grow  on you with some listening. Indeed, it's all very pop-ish, which isn't  necessarily a bad thing. I was just expecting something different.
Nonetheless, there are some simple, catchy tunes here, which make for  good listening...and then there are a couple of gems as well.  "Saint" and "The Hush" are absolute marvels, full of  rich, textured sounds and ambience. Both songs reminded me of a strange,  yet personally emotional fusion, somewhere along the lines of the Golden  Palominos meets early St. Etienne. I had hoped the entire album could have  the same amount of depth and intensity as on these two tracks. "The  Day Before I Went Away" is also very good, even though it takes some  effort to get over the incredibly weak "break it down" sample  thrown into the refrain. I don't know why it's there in the first place. I  don't mind sampling (a la Golden Palominos), but this sounds very  clumsy.
Anyway, production is very good, and overall I'd say it is a  rather enjoyable album. Sharleen Spiteri's voice is incredibly soothing.  Her ethereal whispers on "The Hush" blend beautifully with the  heavy bass line and guitar atmospherics. I wanted more of this, which is  why I can't help but feel a little cheated.
4030961
First off, I am a long time fan of all things Bill Leeb. FLA, Delerium, Noise Unit, etc. I think the FLA catalog is a treasure trove of inspired sound. That said, while I respect every album FLA has put out for different reasons, some are most definitely stronger than others. Honestly, I was not entirely optimistic about the new Front Line album since their previous proper album, "Improvised Electronic Device" was one of their weakest albums IMO. It was not bad, but it seemed lacking in new ideas and truly "wow" moments. The Air Mech soundtrack that followed was actually much more interesting and did perhaps give me some hope for Echogenetic.

So...I've had the album on non-stop for over a week now. And it is TOP NOTCH. There are echoes of past FLA albums here (particularly Caustic Grip and Civilization). But the impressive thing is that there are new aspects as well. Contrary to some reports, this is NOT a dubstep album. There are glitchy elements here and there in some songs, and even a "wub-wub" bass sound in one song's chorus. So yes, there may be a hint of that style in parts, but it is used sparingly and EFFECTIVELY. I am NOT a fan of dubstep, so believe me, it's OK to buy this! It should be noted that Front Line was doing these same types of glitchy sounds in the 90's....I sometimes wonder if they in part invented some of dubstep's sounds anyway. So I don't really understand some of the complaints about these elements when really they have been a part of their sound for quite some time...

The two most striking things about Echogenetic are the atmosphere and the tempo. This is a very dark sounding album, with an apocalyptic feel to it. Most of the songs are pretty SLOW for FLA. This actually works incredibly, leading to a dark creepy grindy atmosphere throughout. There are still a couple of more uptempo songs as well tho (Killing Grounds and Exhale), which are both excellent. While the songs are slower and more gloomy, there are still plenty of "hooks" in my opinion. A few of these choruses are absolutely epic and beautiful (especially "Ghosts", "Exhale", and "Exo").

Buy this album, and put on some good headphones. The sonic sculpting is incredible, and I think it really does sound best on headphones. I like listening to the whole thing straight-through, but "key" tracks would be "Killing Grounds", "Deadened", "Ghosts", "Exhale", and "Exo".
2795451
Works pretty darn good.  Not waterproof, but very OK for everyday.
1288148
I guess the best thing I can say about Evanescence is that they're good enough to not have to rely on the fact they're fronted by an attractive female (that probably won't stop them though, will it?).
Fallen is one of the very few mainstream albums I've ever bought without caring much for what I'd heard of it on the radio.  "Bring Me To Life," "Going Under," and "My Immortal" didn't really do it for me, but I was very intrigued by Amy Lee's beautiful voice, their liberal use of piano, and the fact that they seem to be pretty good songwriters, something that's not commonplace in today's rock music market.
For the most part, it was a risk that paid off for me.  It's not as if Evanescence doesn't fit into the current crop of faceless modern rock bands, it's just that they're probably the best of the bunch.  And yes, they are good songwriters, even though the guitars are a bit too crunchy at times and Amy Lee's lyrics sometimes seem like they were written by that depressed girl that sat behind me in my 11th grade creative writing class ("I'm pouring crimson regret and betrayal..." Hoo-boy.).
In fact, I should mention that there are no mediocre tracks on Fallen, the only exception being the gag-me-with-a-violin-string album version of "My Immortal," which is *way* to cheesy for me to take seriously (thankfully, the more enjoyable radio version appears as the unlisted 12th track).  But there's not really any song on here that I can classify as being better than "pretty good," either.  I guess the best song on the album would have to be "Everybody's Fool," which has a great melody (I don't know if it's a good thing that they just released this song as a single or not).  I've also grown to like "Going Under," as well as their breakthrough song "Bring Me To Life" (despite the bordering-on-hilarious guest appearance of What's His Name from That One Band).  "Whisper," which sounds like a good Dream Theater song (a phrase I would've previously thought to be an oxymoron), is heavy and haunting, and even the melodramatic chanting that closes the track (and album proper) doesn't bring it down.
It occurs to me now that I've said a lot of not-so-kind things about this album, and only given it backhanded compliments.  I don't want to give the wrong impression- Fallen is indeed a good rock album.  Will the next release by Evanescence be as good or better, or will they just peter out creatively and commercially?  Only time will tell, but I'll be rooting for them.
1831399
Enough with the hyperbole, and all the melodrama.  This album is not horrendous.  It is pedestrian.  It's not terrible; it's average.  Sure, maybe you're expecting more from dredg, but let's keep this in perspective.

There are two or three decent tracks here, and most of the others are listenable, even if they're not great.  That alone makes this ten times better than, say, Chris Cornell's "Scream," or that pretentious new Bright Eyes album.  Yes, there is plenty to hate about this album, but there are some things to like, too!

Do I think it's worth the deal of the day price for the mp3s?  I can't say.  But it's definitely good enough to at least warrant consideration.
4843615
They're suprisingly good. I shouldn't be surprised, but there it is: They're excellent. Crisper mids and highs than my old set of Klipsch ProCinema 2.1 and Logitech z5500 before that. Decent bass--I'm a bit on the fence of whether or not if they need a sub, they DON'T, but one probably wouldn't hurt either. They have 0 issue getting loud and delivering clean audio. I have half a mind to see if I can rig this up to my home cinema setup. Alas, it will not be so, they shall remain connected to my desktop.
3480955
My wife and I are both serious musicians. We were aghast at the lack of pitch fidelity of a Fisher Price glockenspiel that we were given as a gift for our young daughter, so quickly bought this one in its stead based off of the reviews stating that it's actually in tune.

Well, it's not quite perfect, but it's good enough. The other one was probably 50 cents off on some notes if not more, while this one is close enough to not be painful--perhaps no more than 10 cents off at worst? These instruments don't register well with my tuner, for better or worse.

The only unexpected thing is having an octave with the tonic as the bottom note plus a fourth on the top end. We had expected it to be an octave on the top end going down to the dominant on the low end. Not a huge deal, this.
1572467
Depending on my mood, this can be my favorite Ween album.  Ween will never be mistaken for a master band, but they are extremely talented, and Aaron Freeman has some pretty astounding songwriting skills.  I am giving this five stars for being very good at what it is.  If I were comparing this to albums like the Replacements' Tim, or pretty much anything by Beck, it would lose a star.

If you are not familiar with Ween, check it out.  Excellent pop-rock-alternative.
2594426
Very good.  The anti-skipping is the main reason I purchased this model, and I must say, it doesn't disappoint.  Right after I put the batteries in this thing (not included by the way) I tested the heck out of it by shaking it every which way while playing a CD.  Right-side-up, Up-side-down, sideways ... you name it ... I shook it as hard as I could and couldn't get it to skip once.  Not too shabby.  The sound is pretty good, not incredible.  Oh, and that color on the outside (of my model anyway) is dark blue ... not black.  Not a big deal, I really didn't care, but in the ad it looks black and silver.  Overall, good item.  Very pleased.