Quite possibly the best Sunscreem album
351082
If you love Sunscreem you will totally love 10 mile bank.  The tone is mostly upbeat-at times angry rather than sad, and excellent music for power-walking, running, cardio, or dance.  Change is my favorite track, followed closely by their cover of Joan Armatrading's Walk Under Ladders.
794361
It's no surprise "Selling England" comes so highly recommended on Amazon. It's the best album Genesis ever made, and therefore, one of the best albums of all time, period.  It's detractors sometimes point to the inclusion of "More Fool Me" and "The Battle Of Epping Forest"--but "More Fool Me" makes an excellent resting point after the histrionics of "Firth Of Fifth", and while "Epping Forest" does take several listens to get used to,
its many colorful characters and fine band interplay are worth it.  Everything else is stunning, and "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight", "Firth Of Fifth" and "Cinema Show/Aisle Of Plenty" are three of the greatest prog-rock cuts ever created.  The conceptual focus of the album veers away from the fantasy/sci-fi
elements of "Foxtrot" and into an earthier social commentary, although still informed by Gabriel's surrealist tendencies.  The result is a work which both defines and transcends its era.
The opening "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight" begins with a lovely a capella vocal by Gabriel, followed by graceful piano ballad, earth-shaking heavy metal and spacey psychedelic fadeout which sends shivers down the spine.  The group's first pop hit "I Know What I Like" follows, and matches a clever bit of social comment with a catchy chorus and an unusual arrangement featuring electric sitar, synth, lawnmower sounds, and exotic percussion.  The epic "Firth Of Fifth" is worthy of the great
classical composers of the past, building mathematically from
its grand piano intro through a piano/flute duet and The Guitar Solo Which Made Steve Hackett A Legend; its emotional pull
defies category or description.  Side one closes with the fragile acoustic ballad "More Fool Me", Collins' solo vocal debut and a welcome bit of modest, soft-focus understatement on his part (its only real detractors are those prog fans for whom
everything has to be over eight minutes in length).
Side two opens with the problematic "Battle Of Epping Forest", for which even the band admitted that the densely inserted lyric did not allow the music room to breathe.  Nonetheless, close
listening will reveal many humorous character moments, and if one can focus on the background, some great playing from the band.  The instrumental "After The Ordeal"--which almost didn't make the album--is another perfect comedown, a forlorn Hackett-led piece which is backed by Banks' typically romantic piano work.  The closing epic "Cinema Show/Aisle Of Plenty" is a
fan favorite and my favorite Genesis track, moving as it does from its lacey acoustic first half to a stunningly evocative keyboard solo, synths and mellotrons providing rich layers of atmosphere.  With Hackett's solo on "Firth Of Fifth", Banks' work on "Cinema Show" and Collins' superb drumming throughout, it's no wonder this album represents for so many the pinnacle
of progressive rock; the shorter numbers, "I Know What I Like"
and "More Fool Me", provide a perfect counterpoint.
1427537
Every Genesis album is different and this one marked the departure of Steve Hackett resulting in a trio.  It was a huge loss but they pulled it off.  Although an often overlooked album, this album is nothing short of amazing and truly demonstrates their musical range.

When I got into this album it was summer time and sunny beautiful in San Diego.  The songs are generally warm, introspective and uplifting, kind of winter into spring and summer.  If you can imprint this CD to yourself  in summer time at a good point in your life, I think you will have even a better result.

This album also has their first #1 hit (or it was top 10, I can't remember), Follow You, Follow Me, but the rest of the album was completely forgotten.
202182
Like most of the other reviewers of the album, I first Awolnation with the song 'Sail' and almost instantly fell in love. I didn't preview any of the other songs based on my love for the song 'Sail' before purchasing the album, and I was pleasantly surprised in the several directions that the songs take.

1. Megalithic Symphony - 3/5 - A simple intro song. Interesting sounding, a good start to the album.
2. Some Sort of Creature - 1/5 - I don't really know why this song is on the album. It kind of ruins the flow set up by the first song.
3. Soul Wars - 5/5 - The first real song on the album and it kicks it off with a bang. This song is up tempo and extremely fun. It combines a quick fun verse, and then a hard hitting chorus that combines screaming and singing. Great song.
4. People - 4/5 - I've never been a fan of songs that start off with talking, and this song takes a penalty for this. But as soon as it gets to the actual song, this song is more of an uplifting close-to-epic track.
5. Jump on My Shoulders - 4/5 - This song is similar to People, but much more simple. It's basically a fun tune, and nothing more.
6. Burn it Down - 5/5 - The sheer anarchy of this song is what makes it so perfect. Starting off with a crazy drum fill and then a quick beat and lots of screaming makes this song not only fun to listen to, but also gives the feeling of being on a thrill ride. One of the best songs on the album.
7. Guilty Filthy Soul - 5/5 - I love this song! It sort of sounds like a modern rock version of a Jackson 5 song.
8. Kill Your Heroes - 5/5 - Not as dark as it sounds, and actually turns out to be a bit up-lifting with lyrics "No need to worry, because everybody will die," in one of the best choruses of the album. Great song.
9. My Nightmare's Dream - ?/5 - Interlude. Can't really rate this song.
10. Sail - 6/5 - I have to give this song a little of a bonus point, since not only is it putting this band on the radar of the music scene, but is doing so for great reason. This song is pure dark-electronic heaven.
11. Wake Up - 3/5 - The opening is a bit odd, with an female vocalist that sets up the song to be somewhat of an anthem, and then becomes a song similar to Soul Wars, but not as good. Not a bad song, but the band is clearly capable of more.
12. Not Your Fault - 5/5 - Another favorite on the album, great verse, great chorus, a simply great upbeat song.
13. All I Need - 5/5 - The only true slow song on the album, and it shows that Awolnation has the ability to do a slow tempo song just as well as a quick one. The only downside is that makes me wish for more ballads on the album.
14. Knights of Shame - 2/5 - This song is five minute long song, drawn out over fifteen minutes. It's not all bad, but after a few minutes it causes the loss of interest. Especially with the unnecessary two minutes of silence at the end of the song.
15. Shoestrings - 4/5 - A fun song. Not the best closer for the album, but it ends the album on a light note at least.

The ratings obviously don't add up to the 5/5 that I gave the entire album, but as a whole, the entire album works perfectly. Some songs are better than others, but it flows perfectly and is one of the best Electronic/Indie-Rock albums ever (Not that it has much competition...)
653734
What a wonderful album - from the opener "Oceanus" which finds Towner and Garbarek at their finest, the album rolls on to new places and evocative soundscapes which have come to epitomise the ECM sound.  This is  certainly one of Ralph's finest moments on disc, and remains a clear  favourite here.  Back to back with Blue Sun, this is spiritual, creative  and brilliant.
2357843
From Pikul to Carnavas to Swoon, the Silversun Pickups have improved on every album. Most notable about Swoon is that this is a harder and deeper album with less immediately radio-friendly songs. I agree with the reviewer above that this album is best taken in as a whole but I also think there are some brilliant songs on this album that remain brilliant outside the album context.
While many people note the Smashing Pumpkins as an influence I hear some of the first Sunny Day Real Estate album as well (if Enigk had turned the amp to 11). That is not to say they should be classified into the demonized genre of e m o, as they are solidly alternative rock with shoegaze infuences.
In the end, call them what you want, this is a damn good album and $4 for the mp3 version is a steal. So, don't steal it. ;)
4314194
As a long-time Evanescence fan, I can definitely say that this album is one of their best. I didn't expect this to be such a polished album.

From the fast paced and high energy delivering What You Want to the haunting and beautifully orchestrated Lost In Paradise, this album will keep you on your toes. Oceans is a great track full of guitars, strings and synthesizers, making it very unique for the band. And the slow paced, but yet beautiful Swimming Home is a great ender for the standard album. Make sure that you get the Deluxe Edition so you can get the bonus tracks. New Way To Bleed is definitely Amys way of saying, I cant these games anymore. Im going all out!, and Say You Will and Disappear shows that the band is going all out, due to its hard guitars and bass.

Secret Door, the true final track, is not only the only track of the album that is fully orchestrated without the guitars, drums and bass, but it shows off Amys harp playing skills.

I highly recommend this album for metal fans.
1444742
As a previous reviewer said about his love for Blind Guardian, it suddenly hit me.  Well, first of all, Manticora is a Power/Progressive Metal band kind of in the same vein of Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, and their side-project, Demons & Wizards.  By that I mean, their music is very progressive in time, and melody changes.  And for that it's never boring.  Really, music wise, you could probably compare them to the Prog Metal band, Communic.  But as for how to make this band better is to get a better singer.  Now I know what he's trying to do, or at least this is what it sounds like to me, and that is sound a bit like Hansi Kursch from Blind Guardian and Demons & Wizards, but he's just not quite there.  So why not get Hansi, himself to do vocals for this otherwise great band?

But anyway, how is this album?  Awesome really.  Probably one of the best debut albums from any band of this genre I have ever heard.  Hell, probably any genre at that.  Every song is catchy with its different tempo, rhythm, melody changes and all.  The musicianship in this band is outstanding.  And to be honest, I have all of Manticora's album up through the Black Circus albums, and this album is the only one that I have thoroughly listened to.  With so many bands out there these days, I tend to buy up whole catalogs of new bands that I find, but never take the time to listen to everything I buy.  It ain't like the old days of a handful of bands and you'd have to wait years for a new record from them.  So alot of times, I notice that when I do take the time to listen to one of my many unlistened to album, I find a gem.  Manticora's albums are total gems.  Just takes a little getting used to the vocals.  But fortunately, the majority of the songs are instrumental....not fully instrumental, but the majority of the song is just plain guitar jamming.
902551
I bought this album after listening to the previews here on Amazon, which I thought were good but in reality don't begin to capture how good the album really is.  I've listened to it several times and I'm at a loss for superlatives, this is truly one of the best albums I've heard in quite some time.  Each song is unique and the whole shows a range of musical craftsmanship that is both outstanding and impressive. I'd give it 4.5 stars, as I find "Kiss with a Fist" and "Girl with One Eye" to be the weak points, whereas virtually every other song is a standout, with "You've Got the Love" being my favorite.  I can't wait to pick up Ceremonials.
2146535
I've seen reviews that say this album suffers from childlike lyrics and simple concepts. I say, "So What?" It sounds great and it's full of hooks. It's definitely evocative of the Beach Boys' Sunflower album to me, with its breezy feel and gorgeous harmonies. All the standard instrumental highlights are there - bass clarinets, sleigh bells, flutes, all those sounds that make me think of the Pet Sounds album.

 My favorites after the first couple listens are "Soul Searchin", with a very emotional Carl Wilson vocal; "A Friend Like You", with Paul McCartney, which could have been lifted off of McCartney's "Flowers in the Dirt"; and "Fairy Tale" (best lyrics on the album). The Eric Clapton guitar work on "City Blues" doesn't work for me, and comes off as too heavy-handed, like Eric is trying to show that he can still rock (also see Toots and the Maytals "True Love" for other evidence of this).

 But, like everyone else has said, give Brian Wilson credit for just being able to do this, let alone produce something that sounds this good.
2154666
For me, the key point is this: I would much rather listen to the Sunshine Superman album than ANY of the countless Donovan anthologies out there.  Once you get to know this album, every single song, without exception, is fantastic.  An important example of this is the second track, Legend of a Girl Named Linda, a slower song that I've seen, in another review, referred to as a "clunker."  No no no!  Once you become familiar with this song, it becomes a cherished, spiritually nourishing favorite, with cool lyrics, like the children who "make fun of the grownups, with their silly frowns."  The track has a true sense of "trippy calmness" to it.  And how about the tune "Celeste," wherein Donovan, with grand humility, refers to the creative process...new songs passing through his head: "you're lucky to catch a few..."  The whole album has an incredible depth of feeling to it, with real "soul" and acceptance of chaotic/humorous reality.  Take it from me, someone who almost always programs CDs to skip certain tracks...once one becomes familiar with Sunshine Superman, one plays the whole CD, beginning to end; and every bit of it is magically fresh...like an eternally breaking dawn.  Because of this, any album that purports to be a "best of" Donovan...and doesn't include songs like Celeste, etc.... are, in my view, to be ignored in light of the fabulous Sunshine Superman album.
165458
This was an incredible album.  Every band I've heard, they have a couple excellent, excellent songs, and then the others are just average.  I didn't hear one song that sounded average to me on Away from the Sun.  Yeah, I know everyone's two fav. songs are When I'm Gone and Here Without You, but mine have to be Away from the Sun and Going Down in Flames.  God that was an amazing CD.  Very powerful too and I think everyone can relate to at least one song.
3614247
This album grows on you with each listen, and after a week with it I am really enjoying it. I think this is their best work since RTR or Clayman, but then I have enjoyed all of IF's releases. Sure, I like their old stuff. But I enjoy the new sound too.

The second half of the album is definitely the best. My two favorite songs are "Condemned" and "March to the Shore." Come on guys, play one of them for me in Philly on April 24! I can't understand why they did not include the B-sides they put on The Mirror's Truth EP on ASOP but I have both, so no loss to me!  Keep it up IF!!!! \m/
3451594
Amazing album.  1000 Suns was one of the best albums, and Living Things is a great addition to their lineup.
2367962
The Classic Crime is my favorite, and for good reason. This album is overall very good, with songs like The Fight, The Coldest Heart, and The Poet being quite enjoyable. Then, there are they really great songs like Flight of Kings and We All Look Elsewhere (Make sure you listen to that song all the way, there 's a full verse-chorus-verse-chorus before it suddenly becomes fantastic). The band has a few nics to the polish, but the overall style is really great-- it's somewhat light-end but somehow with enough emotional power to make what would be a mediocre style its own strength (their 3rd CD showed where the style can come up short when it lacks the depth). The singer has a good voice, even if he has certain cracks and imperfections in his singing, his voice is perfect for the style.

But then there are two songs which suddenly make this one of the best albums ever. When I was first introduced to the band, I quickly latched onto Say the Word, and for good reason. The song packs such a huge amount of raw power and it's well polished to boot; it's easily my 4th favorite song-and I rank things obsessively.  I also noticed Headlights, but it didn't impress me too much.

Now I can't figure out why. Headlights... Headlights is a masterpiece of such unimaginable greatness I can't begin to describe it. It is the utter epitome of the "bittersweet" emotion, an emotion made so powerful by being a combination of both Happiness and Sorrow, the two most powerful emotions to begin with. And this song accentuates that feeling beautifully. It begins with more of a slow sad feel to it, but not the hopeless kind of sorrow (there are so many shades of sorrow) but rather the soft, weeping caress. Then it speeds up in the second chorus, but not in the RJA's "Your Guardian Angel" kind where a slow song morphs into a fast one (which was well done in that song) Rather, this is a subtle increase in speed and volume. The song is just so wonderfully complex, so heart-wrenching and incredible, with fantastic vocals to boot. His voice manages to be flawless for this song; a friend has told me he's electronically assited, and while I don't know the truth of this I can say it doesn't SOUND electronic at all, and that's ALL I care about. The song is easily, EASILY my favorite song.

So, with my 1st and 4th favorite song on one album and many other good pieces, Albatross becomes phenomenal.
883694
this album is the best you will get out of reef because they can't get any better than this. Glow has some all time great song's and bursting riffs. THe album has space for great songs like (place your hands)come back  brighter,and(yer old).My top 5 on this album are. 1-come back brighter  2-place your hands 3-consideration 4-yer old 5-summer's is in bloom. BUY  THIS NOW DON'T WAIT.
2458564
Porcupine Tree's latest album is the smooth, enchanting fix metal heads like myself need without feeling guilty. I've heard a few songs by them before this album (they have lots, and aren't all easily accessible), and they definitely are one of the most original bands in music history. Why? Well, Steve Wilson is just a musical genius, and the whole band came out with a album of HIGH variety, amazing creativity, hypnotic grooves, and progressive 70's flare. He can write extremely catchy songs with great longevity and replay value, and more intriguing tunes that put you in a trance, thus, a few more listens are necessary to appreciate them, but you'll be glad you did. The album sounds like a less technical RadioHead with a 70's influence.
I loved almost every song off this record, from their most catchiest to their most mellow to thier most technical and hypnotic. No instrument is ever overused; for example, the keyboard work isn't in every song, and only in those parts where it would be most effective, nothing is ever used to "save" a song from bordem like tons of other bands do. Also, no 2 songs sound alike. Every single one is distinctive and unique from the ones before and after it, yet still keeping the progressive rock roots in mind, which I should say is an INCREDIBLY difficult thing to achieve. You'll have to hear it to know what I mean. Although, from all the other PT stuff I've heard before, that's nothing new, all thier songs are very unique from one another. For example, with some songs I couldn't help but think of outer space, other parts made me feel like dancing like a hobbit, and others made me think of the seasons (if this makes any sense).
Anyway, with all this said, the reason I didn't give this a full 5 stars is only because there are 2 mediocre tracks on it. Track 10 just seems to go on forever and is one I tend to skip, track 11 is pretty good, mostly during the end but I won't listen to it all the time. Track 12 though ends the album BEAUTIFULLY. I don't know why, but the whole mood during that final masterpiece just makes you feel like you took a huge journey through the minds of these guys and are recalling every gorgeous second of it; a great ending.
Still, about 90% of this album is remarkable, and I highly recommend it to any metalhead or just plain rock music fan, or folk music for that matter. There's not many albums out there that make you listen to the whole thing and just word to yourself "niccce " once it's over. This is one of them. Buy this NOW!!