Plague [Import]

Product Description
1997 reissue of 1983 album by the English metal quintet. Eight tracks, including 'The Plague', 'Nowhere To Run' and 'Blackheath'. An HTD release.

Plague,Demon,Htd

Average customer rating: A Parade of Their Own (4 1/2 stars)

Plague Park Handsome Furs Manufacturer: Sub Pop ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Mirrored The Reminder We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank Our Love to Admire Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters ASIN: B000OQDULG Release Date: 2007-05-22

Tracks:

1. What We Had
2. Hearts Of Iron
3. Handsome Furs Hate This City
4. Snakes On The Ladder
5. Cannot Get Started
6. Sing! Captain
7. Dead + Rural
8. Dumb Animals
9. Radio's Hot Sun, The

Amazon.com

Fans of Death Cab for Cutie will remember how the Postal Service seemed to put Ben Gibbard on a cloud of keyboards, away from the grit of Death Cab's guitars and drums, making the singer seem almost ethereal. With Handsome Furs, you have a similar musical concept, pairing Wolf Parade singer Dan Boeckner with Alexei Perry (as Gibbard did with Jimmy Tamborello), but the effect is stunningly different. Here, Boeckner isn't calmed down by the spare synthetics and drum machines. Instead, he's dystopian in his lo-fi bellow, ricocheting between electro-drums with mid-tempo guitars either strummed acoustically (as on "Snakes on the Ladder," awash in synths and yet clattering) or laying down a thick-set distortion that's a fine foil for all the electronics. The nine tracks run a tad samey-same, but that's at least part of their charm. They and assert Boeckner anew as a prescient, skeptical voice, coarsely toned and draped in machine-sounding music even as he inveighs against the post-modern world--technology and urban living and traffic and so on. --Andrew Bartlett

Album Description

Dark and minimal while noisy and earnest, the point of this duo was to be as sparse and repetitive as possible with the help of little more than vocals, guitars, and a drum machine. Disenchanted vocals thinly resonate while cloaked in a frenzied undertone of fear and uncertainty, all punctuated by bare drum machine beats. Their debut is a record of melancholic tendency and heartfelt desire; a stripped down symphony relegated between city and country, and made for ears of either side.

Customer Reviews:

A Parade of Their Own (4 1/2 stars).......2007-06-05

I really like the Wolf Parade album, but Handsome Furs, with their minor variations on the same sound, arguably have the better album. Plague Park might not have a song as fantastic as "I'll Believe in Anything" or "Dinner Bells", but I think it's consistently very good throughout, and I can't say the same for Apologies to the Queen Mary. Both bands are making some of the best indie rock around, and I look forward to hearing more from these guys.

Average customer rating: great funk Get infected. Funkalicious and fun A lost gem in my collection Grooooooooooovy

The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move Infectious Grooves Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Metal | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Alternative Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Sarsippius' Ark Groove Family Cyco Mas Borracho Lights...Camera...Revolution! How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today ASIN: B0000027KR Release Date: 1991-09-10

Tracks:

1. Punk It Up
2. Therapy
3. I Look Funny?
4. Stop Funk'n With My Head
5. I'm Gonna Be My King
6. Closed Session
7. Infectious Grooves
8. Infectious Blues
9. Monster Skank
10. Back To The People
11. Turn Your Head
12. You Lie...And Yo Breath Stank
13. Do The Sinister
14. Mandatory Love Song
15. Infecto Groovalistic
16. Thanx But No Thanx

Customer Reviews:

great funk.......2007-03-24

just a purely great album of funk, and some of the best bass work you will ever hear.
One star loss due to too much talking and filler between songs.

Get infected........2006-11-20

I'm not sure if one would call this a side-project, or supergroup, but it's a good listen. Members are from other bands such as Suicidal Tendencies, Metallica, and Jane's Addiction among others. To my ears, this basically sounds like a funkier version of Suicidal. I'd say it's a must listen for ST fans. Call it....funk-rock. It a bass slappin', drum poundin', yelling good time. Get it if you see it, as it's out of print at the moment.

Funkalicious and fun.......2005-06-27

What happens when you take the bass virtuosity of Rob Trujillo (ex-Suicidal Tendencies, later joined Metallica), the vocal stylings of Mike Muir (Suicidal Tendencies), multiple guest drummers (including Stephen Perkins of Porno For Pyros and studio drummer Josh Freese of Vandals and A Perfect Circle fame), and even more guest guitarists and miscellaneous instrumentalists, throw them into a blender on the 'puree' setting with a gallon of funk and a few quarts of punk/metal?

You get Infectious Grooves.

It's funky, it's rocking. It makes you dance and it makes you bang your head. That's what Infectious Grooves is all about.. groovin' and rockin'.

The strongest element of the album, naturally, is the incredible bass work of one Rob Trujillo. Rob shows his true colors on this album, always laying down the solid groove and occasionally stepping outside of the pocket to display incredible work with both the left and right hands. The guest guitarists on the album are all of a high level of musicianship. The title track has an incredibly sick-sounding guitar solo that is usually only heard amongst the likes of talent such as Steve Vai or John Petrucci.

The only downfall of the album is that Mike Muir has never been what I would consider a "good vocalist". He is, however, very fitting to the Infectious Grooves sound. The songs are all humorous, both musically and lyrically. Muir does a great job of keeping you laughing, whether it is his classic funk "Hey hey hey's" or the ridiculous lyrics ("You lie.. and yo breath stank.. smells just like.. a septic tank.") The skits, may I add, are amusing the first time around but the novelty quickly wears off. I was also a bit irked that the album ended with a skit track as opposed to an actual song.

If you like funk and are open to experimentation, I highly recommend this album. Being an individual who has an undying love for both funk and metal, this album is extremely appealing to me.

I reiterate.. HIGHLY recommended.

A lost gem in my collection.......2003-12-19

I'll make this short and sweet: GET IT, IT'S ONLY $4.00!! Being a big fan of Suicidal at the time, I've had this since it came out in 1991. I hadn't listened to it for years, even though I knew it was really good. Well, today I resurrected it, and holy moly it's really good. Super bass funkiness, catchy hooks, addictive riffs, sing-a-long refrains...maybe that doesn't sound good but it really is! And funny too. Like I said, this is a lost gem in my collection.

Grooooooooooovy.......2002-04-18

Uauuuu... that's funky man! Funk with heavy riffs. Funny and mostly: groovy!!!!
In my opinion Sarssipius Ark's is better (the sound quality and mix is better).
Try to hear "Feed the monkey" or "Stop funk'n with my head". Yeah!! I like it so much!!!!!
I think all Infetious Grooves CDs are excellent. Buy them if you like funk, metal distortion & riffs and a "bass in your face" sound.

Average customer rating: A Haunting Masterpiece! This is garbage. Frightening! The eight legs of the Devil will not let my people go. All Music Guide Review

Plague Mass (1984 End of the Epidemic) Diamanda Galas Manufacturer: Mute U.S. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Live Albums | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Alternative | Live Albums | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Indie & Lo Fi | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Malediction & Prayer The Singer La Serpenta Canta The Sporting Life Vena Cava ASIN: B000003Z4Z Release Date: 1991-04-02

Tracks:

1. There Are No More Tickets To The Funeral
2. This Is The Law Of The Plague
3. I Wake Up And I See The Face Of The Devil
4. Confessional (Give Me Sodomy Or Give Me Death)
5. How Shall Our Judgement Be Carried Out Upon The Wicked? (With Excerpts From Revelations 19:11-14...
6. Let Us Praise The Masters Of Slow Death
7. Consecration
8. Sono L'Antichristo
9. Cris D'Aveugle
10. Let My People Go
11. Bonus Track 1
12. Bonus Track 2
13. Bonus Track 3
14. Bonus Track 4

Customer Reviews:

A Haunting Masterpiece!.......2007-04-10

This is a requiem mass,for all people throughout the world who have died of aids.A disease created by right wing republican fascists to kill off the gays,blacks,and all the undesirables,according to those sick nazi a--holes.This cd is a beautiful and sometimes frightening performance by galas for all who have suffered needlessly.Galas brother had died of aids,and she knows many other who have died,from that horrific disease!In this performance she also takes a stab at all those right wing chrisitan bigots who misinterpret the bible to make others suffer,and to make others slaves!This is one unnerving and passionate,and powerful album.The acoustics are amazing,and her operatic voice is massive and cuts like steel through a cathedral!

This is garbage........2007-01-19

I have tried to keep an open mind towards Diamanda Galas. I have an appreciation of all things "musical" ranging from Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music" to Throbbing Gristle's "Heathen Earth" to the works of Laurie Anderson, early Swans, Lydia Lunch, even Neil Young's "Arc". But this and most of her other works are crapola posing (not too well I might add) as "music" or "art" and they are neither. Even dear, sweet Yoko(an obvious influence), sounds like Beverly Sills compared to this caterwauling, shrieking spawn of Satan. I guess I just don't get it. Give me "Cambridge 1969" any old time :)

How could anyone sit through an entire disc of this? I think Diamanda needs an exorcism or something.

Good God, man.

Frightening!.......2006-10-04

Two words describe this cd- DISTURBING and CREEPY. I can only listen to certain sections of this cd because there are times when Diamanda's voice gets to that chilling, blood curdling point that I'm about to experience an anxiety attack. But the irony of it all is that there is something about her performance that wants you to remain and continue to listen to her. There's just that fascination factor that keeps me enthralled. I just skip to the parts I can't handle. Also I can only listen to this cd in the daytime-too frightening to listen to at night! This was a live recorded concert at Saint John of the Divine Cross(I've forgotten-maybe in error?)in NYC. Her message of how the Regan administration ignored the relevance of AIDS in it's early days(lack of funding for research)and it being considered a gay disease and the igorance it accompanied; to how it is akin to the black plague to contemporary times. She takes you through sections set up as a mass; with each section having a purpose and meaning. Diamanda shreiks at the ignorance of the plague and how it eats away at it's host.

The eight legs of the Devil will not let my people go........2004-03-04

In 1991, on the month of October, Diamanda Galas ascended the stage of New York City's Cathedral of St. John the Divine. There, she performed and recorded what may be the most memorable sound ritual ever to be heard by audiences. Both harrowing and angelic, "The Plague Mass" is a vocal exorcism birthed by a modern banshee. In most of the tracks, her operatic screams echo off the walls of the church, piercing the brain like flying shards of stained glass. Other moments allow her to disturb listeners with her hoarse, beastly hisses. However, Galas's intention was not merely to shock the religious. Instead, she turned the Holy Bible inside out in order to address the rampant suffering caused by AIDS. At a time when this disease was ruled as a divine punishment for gays and lesbians, Galas chose to spit gospel curses to every Christian responsible for persecuting and ostracizing HIV-infected patients. With candles flickering in the darkness, she speaks in manic tongues, vomiting forth a gospel hurricane that showed compassion to AIDS victims and unforgiveness to the viciously pious.
In "Were you a Witness?," Galas first expresses her anger towards America's mass media. It's apparent that the many deaths caused by the disease (including those of famous musicians like Freddy Mercury and Liberace) were treated like exhibits in a sensationalistic tabloid circus. She faces the money-hungry reporters and warns, "To all cowards and voyeurs, there are no more tickets to the funeral." "This is the Law of the Plague" incorporates several Psalms and Chapter 15 of the Old Testament. Here, in front of the rolling roar of dragon drums, Galas cackles in the role of a corrupt judge; a sanctimonious fascist who vehemently labels AIDS patients as "unclean." With a blood red light looming over her, Galas takes an appalling look at society itself. It's one where doctors, priests, and politicians deliberately leave HIV patients for dead just to avoid scandal and hatred. In addition, the singer labels the Devil as an impotent homophobe who can only be aroused by human suffering. "I Wake Up and See the Face of the Devil" allows Galas to portray the average victim. With a mind ravaged by dementia, she lies helplessly in a sterilized hospital room as a stern cleric forces her to confess her sins. The members of the clergy are warped into dirty angels that hover over the morgue like buzzards. Later, as the heartbeat percussion rises in its volume, Galas rips out some Revelations text. Predicting the arrival of the Antichrist, she leads 3,000 of his armies to massacre all devoted Christians who slaughtered and oppressed people with HIV. In an alarming fury, Galas spews a bitter poem concerning how anyone carrying the virus is shamelessly denied access to medical care, insurance, and surgery. She validly declared Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome as a form of homicide, making her audience aware of how infected men and women are robbed of their dignity. From there, in the track "Sono L'Anticristo," she proudly labels herself the son of Satan, since the Antichrist was as much of an outcast on Earth as Jesus. Then, "Cris D'Aveugle: Blind Man's Cry," a text originally written in 1873 by Tristan Corbiere, becomes a sad and spiritual communion played by a demonic symphony. In the Frency language, Galas leads her choir into a pit of despair, an afterlife that gives no love or comfort after HIV. As the bell tolls, Galas decrys the scourge of injustice. It's one in which family members killed by AIDS aren't properly buried because even the morticians are too afraid to embalm the corpses. During this song (as well as others on this album), her whispers get increasingly suffocated through a pair of hemorrhaged lungs, fading into a grim silence. Finally, the raw emotion of the blues tune, "Let My People Go" spills over the grim notes of a grand piano. Nothing is more terrifying than a virus that destroys the body's ability to defend itself. Galas believed that once AIDS strikes another host, that individual is doomed to suffer a lifetime of sorrow and cruelty. While comparing the illness to a sentence of life in prison, she expresses that person's depression in one sentence: "The Devil has designed my death, and he's waiting to be sure that plenty of his black sheep die before he finds a cure."
I recommend this album to anyone craving the works of a powerful, controversial artist. Diamanda Galas is a sonic martyr that liberates the soul from mainstream bondage.

All Music Guide Review.......2003-11-08

"Galas, who has been known for both her own work and as a singer of extremely demanding modern scores, has created this heart-wrenching cry about the physical suffering caused by the AIDS plague being compounded by the shameful arrogance of self-appointed moralists. Maintaining an incredible intensity and depth for over an hour's solo vocal (recorded live at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine, NYC, with suitably minimal band and electronics backup), Galas proceeds through Mahalia Jackson-influenced spiritual singing, saxophone-like wails, to dramatic dialogues in many dialects and languages ("there are no more tickets to the funeral") to engrossing Portugese "fado" singing to taking on the attributes of Satan (in "Sono L'Antichristo," I Am The Anti-Christ) in order to challenge the concept of a vengeful, instead of compassionate deity (and society), much as Nina Simone did in her controversial song "God is a Killer" in the 60's... the Mass ends with the heart-felt lyrics "I go to sleep each evening now dreaming of the grave and see the friends I used to know calling out my name. O Lord Jesus, do you think I've served my time?""

Average customer rating:

Riders of the Plague The Absence Manufacturer: Metal Blade ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Alternative Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Genesis ASIN: B000SO7OXY Release Date: 2007-08-07

Tracks:

1. Riders of The Plague
2. Dead and Gone
3. The Murder
4. Echos
5. World Divides
6. Prosperity (instrumental)
7. Awakening
8. Merciless
9. Into The Pit
10. The Victorious Dead
11. Outro

Average customer rating: unique prog rock true 21st century avant-rock. Ingenious blend of styles. intelligent, heartfelt and playful

A History of Madness Thinking Plague Manufacturer: Cuneiform ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: In Extremis Early Plague Years Ahvak In This Life Heresie ASIN: B0000C0FAV Release Date: 2003-09-16

Tracks:

1. Blown Apart
2. Consolamentum
3. Rapture Of The Deep (For Leslie)
4. Gudamy Le Mayagot (An Phocainn Theard Delg)
5. Marching As To War, No. 1
6. Our 'Way Of Life' And 'War On Terra'
7. Marching, No. 2
8. Least Aether For Saxophone & Le Gouffre
9. The Underground Stream
10. Marching, No. 3
11. Lux Lucet
12. Marching, No. 4 - Reverie For The Children

Customer Reviews:

unique prog rock.......2004-04-22

prog, art, advant, whatever you want to call it, basically not your top 40. This, as well as their previous release, In Extremus, are gems if you are a fan of 20th century classical, progressive rock, jazz, or just something different. The musicianship is excellent. The songs are dense, layered, busy, and at times frightening, but somehow very contagious. At times resembles King Crimson, Gentle Giant, or Zappa. The singer (Deborah Perry) has a unique style and a good voice. I can't say enough about this band.

true 21st century avant-rock........2003-12-06

From the beginning, Thinking Plague has been a band of original, fun, and challenging music -- a real "complete package." Their songs were always complex and often atonal, noisy, and scary, yet it always had a real visceral "rock" and fiery inspiration that made it very fun to listen to.

Things are different thing time around. The lineup is pretty much the same as before: twelve-tone based vocals, guitar, bass, drums, clarinet, saxophone, piano, and synths. Looks like a fleshed-out rock band at first glance, but the overall sound is pretty different. _A History of Madness_ is very chamber-y sounding, with the rock element assimilated into a collective with refined poise. This is not so much a "fun" album. On the whole this more Henry Cow - _Western Culture_-ish than previous Thinking Plague albums. The drums and bass are not given the punch of their last album, _In Extremis_, -- the overall mix has the instruments in a balanced, egalitarian way into a big tapestry of polymetrical atonal frenzy. Basically it sounds like all the elements, individually, stand out less than before and the total composite intricacy and dynamic relationships are emphasized in a great fashion. The result is a dense, dissonant, and elaborate stuff that can completely arrest your attention. And it does require a lot of attention: in order to really appreciate it, one must listen very carefully and deconstruct the individual elements, understand their purpose, and rebuild to view the whole picture. The acuity in some of the sonic architecture here is superlative. I should also say that David Shamrock plays some of the weirdest rock drumming I've ever heard.

The album also uses quite a bit of minimalism to build-up for the thorny atonal eruptions the band undergoes, a powerful example being the middle of first song. Some songs drift into hazy soundscapes, eerie ambience in the way only Thinking Plague can do it. (Consider some of the more soundscapey parts of _In Extremis_ -- these ones are better realized and more musically accomplished.) "Least Aether For Saxophone & Le Gouffre" is two main parts, first a tonally wrenching piece for solo horn and the second a haunting soundscape of menace, darkness, and tension. There are also the four "Marching As To War" pieces. I'm not really sure what they are, just strange, short (all of them are around a minute in length) pieces for piano ensemble, rather playful in a deranged way. "Gúdamy le Máyagot (An Phocainn Theard Deig)" is like a forgotten secret from a hidden sphere of Eastern European folk music, a dark, demented gypsy jam.

I think my only beef with the album is "Rapture of the Deep", which is an uncanny, beautiful song but it just SCREAMS for vocals from Susanne Lewis (TP's former vocalist). But that's really more of a personal wish than a detriment to the CD. Deborah Perry's precise vocal virtuosity is stunning in any case.

None of the songs are as long as previous TP epics, but they are still greatly epic, due to the gravity of their themes and the dark, dramatic, powerful flow (songs like "Blown Apart" and "Lux Lucet"). Apparently this is also a concept album but I have no clue what it's about.

I found it addicting from the get-go and it continues to mesmerize me with each listen. Truly progressive, avant-rock at its finest. I'd say if you're new to the band, _In This Life_ is the best starting point -- it remains their most definitive work (in my opinion) and is one of the best albums I have ever heard. As I said, this is the least "fun" Thinking Plague album and it can be difficult to listen to. Nonetheless, this is probably the most complex 'modernist' TP album and is worthy of your attention. I go to sleep to it often (a compliment!). The next album can't come soon enough.

Ingenious blend of styles........2003-11-18

Thinking Plague uses very contemporary avant-garde techniques to create some of the most provocative "progressive rock" music to date. In my opinion, even calling this music "progressive rock" is a bit demeaning. People who want to hear more Rush or Dream Theater should look elsewhere, but those who want to hear 'progressive' music in the strict sense of the term have come to the right place.

Take a lot of Stravinsky, a little Bartok, a ton of Messiaen, a tad of early King Crimson, and a hell of a lot of stuff that you've never heard in your life, and you've got what appears to be the best ensemble going into the 21st century: Thinking Plague.

A word of warning about History of Madness: The layers upon layers of dissonant vocal overdubs might scare off a first-time listener of the band. It's really quite brilliant the way it's done, but it's extremely unusual - keep an open mind.

My vote for album of the year (if that means anything).

intelligent, heartfelt and playful.......2003-10-08

Thinking Plague's intelligent and deeply felt compositions stimulate both the mind and the soul. Dense, layered, tuneful, and rhythmically exuberant, these pieces offer the listener hidden treasures that grow the more one hears it. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating: jackhammering stuff Another disappointment Just what I needed. 23 minutes of perfection ! 4.5 Stars

Plague Soundscapes The Locust Manufacturer: Anti ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Noise | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Locust Safety Second, Body Last New Erections The Locust Flight of the Wounded Locust ASIN: B00009IB58 Release Date: 2003-06-24

Tracks:

1. Recyclable Body Fluids In Human Shape
2. Identity Exchange Program Rectum Return Policy
3. Solar Panel Asses
4. Live from the Russian Compound
5. Earwax Halo Manufactured for the Champion in All of Us
6. Wet Dream War Machine
7. Listen The Mighty Ear Is Here
8. Who Wants A Dose Of The Clap?
9. Teenage Mustache
10. How To Become A Virgin
11. Anything Jesus Does I Can Do Better
12. Late For A Double Date With A Pile Of Atoms In The Water Closet
13. File Under 'Soft Core Seizures'
14. Practiced Hatred
15. PSst! Is That a Halfie in Your Pants?
16. The Half-Eaten Sausage Would Like To See You In His Office
17. Pulling the Christmas Pig by the Wrong Pair of Ears
18. Can We Get Another Nail in the Coffin of Culture Theft?
19. Your Mantel Disguised as a Psychic Sasquatch
20. Twenty-Three Lubed Up Schizophrenics With Delusions of Grandeur
21. Captain Gaydar It's Time to Wind Your Clock Again
22. Priest With the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Get Out of My Bed
23. Pickup Truck Full of Forty Minutes

Album Description

The Locust has been throwing up in the face of conventional music since 1995, when the band formed from the pieces of San Diego hardcore stalwarts, Swing Kids and Struggle. This 2003 album is described as a ''car-wreck with vocal'' or ''Devo-meets-Napalm Death''. 23 tracks. Epitaph.

Customer Reviews:

jackhammering stuff.......2007-05-03

if you like the fantomas, you'll like this. if you like agoraphobic nosebleed, you'll like this. if you like jackhammering stuff on your spare time, you'll like this. if you like having cavities filled (not only in your mouth), you'll like this. if you're my brother, you probibly won't like this. i dunno why, he's just not really into this style, thats all.

Another disappointment.......2007-01-13

I was told that this was the savior of the underground. Well I really should have just listened to Orchid instead.

Just what I needed........2007-01-10

This was the first Locust album I had ever heard. While I had been listening to other, similar artists, I was not (and yet entirely) prepared for Plague Soundscapes. This album was exactly the swift kick in the sensibilities I needed at the time.

If you can't understand the lyrics, then at least enjoy the song titles. "Anything Jesus Does I Can Do Better" is brilliant enough as a title, but then you get to the amazing chorus of "Would the owner of an ounce of dignity please contact the mall security?" Ahhh...

Definitely worth the listen and the resulting quantum shift in your view of music and its possibilities.

23 minutes of perfection !.......2006-08-24

The Locust is a strange strange band.. wearing " bug costumes " is nothing compared to their music. Really satrical and sometimes quite funny lyrics,SUPER fast songs,and spacy synths. Tracks are usually about 1 minute long,but they do 100 riffs in 30 seconds..If this is grindcore,it's really experimental and futuristic. After many spins you'll recognise the hooks and nice melodies. the lyrics are important for you to understand this album. You will not understand them if you dont read them at the same time you listen to this ( believe me).. Original chaos !!

4.5 Stars .......2006-07-01

There's a lot bad to be said about the locust. they are abrasive, unintelligible, and annoying (in all the best ways, of course). And they have awesome song titles. The best part about this slab of (slightly) organized noise? They sound exactly the same live. Not recommended for people who need things like melody, song structure, or a chance to take a breath. Fans of bands like Fantomas, Melt Banana, or Ceephax Acid Crew would do well to look into this.
Also, if you ever find your home invaded by, say, your lame girlfriend's country friends (or emo friends), or you're having a party and are trying to get people to leave, play this FULL BLAST and watch the room empty, horrified looks on the faces of the victims. Then you're free to rock out to the Space Age Grooves of THE LOCUST!

Average customer rating: Two Plagues too many Disappointing Intriguing A dreadful mess featuring two gems

Plague Songs Various Artists Manufacturer: 4ad / Ada ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Experimental Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Compilations | Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Chamber Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys Ys Release the Stars Volta The Crane Wife ASIN: B000ICLGNK Release Date: 2006-11-21

Tracks:

1. Blood - Klashnekoff
2. Relate The Tale - King Creosote
3. The Meaning Of Lice - Stephin Merritt
4. Flies - Brian Eno With Robert Wyatt
5. The Fifth Plague - Laurie Anderson
6. Boils - Cody Chesnutt 2:41
7. Hailstones - The Tiger Lillies
8. Glittering Cloud (Locusts) - Imogen Heap
9. Darkness - Scott Walker
10. Katonah - Rufus Wainwright

Amazon.com

Here we have a sweet little pick-me-up: 10 songs based on the biblical plagues that occur in the book of Exodus, arranged in order. The whole thing was commissioned by a British arts council, and for better and worse it sounds like it. Super literate singer-songwriters (Scott Walker, Rufus Wainwright, Stephin Merritt) and a few wannabes (Imogen Heap, Tiger Lilies) contribute tunes that tend towards a dynamic miserabilism. The songs that avoid such an obvious approach (those by Merritt, Cody Chesnutt, and Laurie Anderson) are a nice respite, though Walker's song is pure, super-totally-scary a capella brilliance. As mixed bags go, this one is mixed enough to not disappoint, though one wishes the artists' work extended even a bit beyond such Hal Willner/NPR-approved fare. The highlights are Rufus Wainwright's woozy, lyrical "Katona" and "Flies," a beautiful, disturbing, and atmospheric number by Robert Wyatt with Brian Eno. --Mike McGonigal

Album Description

A collection of songs based on the ten biblical plagues that take place in the book of Exodus. These songs were commissioned by a British arts organization called Artangel to form part of a large-scale public art event. The Margate Exodus takes place in September 2006, transforming a dilapidated seaside town on the North Kent Coast into the setting for a vibrant modern recreation of the Israelites' flight from Egypt. During the event, the plague songs will be performed by local singers and musicians. Contributions on this CD come from Scott Walker, Rufus Wainright, Brian Eno, Robert Wyatt, Stephin Merritt, Laurie Anderson, and Imogen Heap.

Customer Reviews:

Two Plagues too many.......2007-07-09

Some very interesting artists comissioned for this recording along with the grandiose concept made it a pretty irresistable purchase. Having Scott Walker, Brian Eno, Stephin Merritt and Laurie Anderson all on the same compilation is pretty much impossible for someone like myself to ignore. But, although the contributions from the artists mentioned above are all fairly effective, the weaker contributions make it difficult to go back for repeat listenings. Cody ChestnuTT sticks out like a sore thumb(covered in boils) with his take on the plague; "Boils". In the liner notes Cody explains how his goal was something along the lines of being an instrument of Gods glory or some such nonsense. Exceedingly more cringeworthy is the song itself which sounds like a Dave Matthews band outtake. Other standouts(in the negative sense) include the completely banal disco pop stylings of Imogen Heap. Omit these two aberrations and you've got a rather cohesive record. There were however, some pleasant surprises as well from two artists I was previously unfamilar with; King Creosote, and Tiger Lilies who held their own alongside some pretty legendary artists. In fact Creosotes', "Relate the Tale" is the most memorable selection of the lot.

Disappointing.......2007-03-25

There are some big indie names on this album and when I read about the Margate Exodus project the music seemed like a promising outgrowth. Unfortunately, most of the songs on this disk suck and those that don't arouse only mild interest. You'd do better to buy an individual album by one of the artists so unfortunately here -- say, 69 Love Songs by Magnetic Fields.

Intriguing.......2006-12-28

I love this collection! It's an intriguing idea to take some of today's most fascinating & talented musicians to write & perform songs based upon Biblical plagues. Highlights include Imogen Heap, Laurie Anderson & Rufus Wainwright!

A dreadful mess featuring two gems.......2006-12-04

As if the concept of this project weren't strange enough, the bulk of the artists approach their contributions subjects too literally making this a quite painful listening experience. Particularly guilty are the tracks by Klashnekoff, Scott Walker, Stephen Merritt, & Cody ChesnuTT. What makes this CD so frustrating is that it contains two tracks that are brilliant creative gems by Imogen Heap & Rufus Wainwright. These contributions shine as among those artists best works and are the only reason to give this disc a listen or purchase.

Average customer rating: once again, back in fine form way better then any of the emo that has come out! A less articulately worded review from a long time fan "Misery" Loves My Stereo. Not even a little disappointed

The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years Boy Sets Fire Manufacturer: Equal Vision Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Emo | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Post Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music $8.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Alternative Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $8.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Tomorrow Come Today (Ltd Edition With Bonus DVD) After the Eulogy This Crying, This Screaming, My Voice Is Being Born A City by the Light Divided The Day the Sun Went Out ASIN: B000EBCED6 Release Date: 2006-03-21

Tracks:

1. Walk Astray
2. Requiem
3. Final Communique
4. The Misery Index
5. (10) And Counting
6. Falling Out Theme
7. Empire
8. So Long... And Thanks For The Crutches
9. With Cold Eyes
10. Deja Coup
11. Social Register Fanclub
12. Nostalgic For Guillotines
13. A Far Cry

Customer Reviews:

once again, back in fine form.......2006-08-11

Nathan Gray and the boys are finally back doing what they do best. After "tomorrow come today" and their disasterous time with wind up records, i didnt think id ever be hearing from boysetsfire again.
Now signed to equal visions records, an indie that understands them, the band has revisited their "after the eulogy" years a little with this release. Grey's hartbroken vocals and bloodcurdling screams are back at the forefront, while the music is the usual miox of hardcore/emo-punk it always was. Welcome back boys.............we missed you

way better then any of the emo that has come out!.......2006-05-23

yes this album is no After the Eulogy or The day the Sun Went out but it is a damn good album and the dvd it comes with is one great dvd they play almost every song they have written in one live set. you cant go if you havent got this album yet get it you will not be disappointed

A less articulately worded review from a long time fan.......2006-04-14

BSF have always amazed me with their ability to combine powerfully moving lyrics with music that I have yet to get bored listening to. I have never written a review on here before, and the first few that I read, I was very pleased with. I scrolled down further and saw a comparison to Christina Aquilera "Its a little reminiscent of Cristina Aguilera's vocal contortions, which is scary." I wouldn't usually write a review but when I saw that review I felt it was not only a huge injustice to the cd, but to anyone considering buying it. In my opinion the "originality and passion" you speak of was far better captured in their music prior to After the Eulogy. Songs such as "In Hope" and "Resection" are what drew me in as a life long fan. I consider every record they have made since then to be the sound of a band not afraid to experiment with something new. Once again, I am not a english major I am a fan giving my honest opinion. If you have ever enjoyed Boy Sets Fire then ignore the closed minded review I mentioned.

"Misery" Loves My Stereo........2006-04-05

One thing I've always looked for in a band or artist is an evolving sound. I don't want to listen to the same songs rehashed again and again that start leaving a stale flavor like old fishsticks. Fortunately, BSF doesn't disappoint.

"Misery Index" is really a great composition of vocals, lyrics, and smashing guitars and beats. It does sound slightly disjointed, but that's what keeps the listener interested. They tried a lot of new sounds instead of the now generally accepted "scream until their ears bleed" routine.

For fans who enjoy the hardcore political scream ballads of past albums, this may be a bit difficult for you to get into. Granted, screaming is present in a few tracks ("So Long and Thanks for the Crutches" and "Final Communique"), but "Misery Index" seems to be centered around helplessness, hope and anguish rather than explosive outrage. This is an album comprised of songs that make you want to sing along (and you actually can!) because your feelings really connect with the beautiful vocals.

I have always enjoyed BSF's unique style, and this new edition to the collection really rounds out their abilities. It's been living and breathing in my cd player since I bought it. Excellent work. Go. Buy it. It's worth every penny.

Not even a little disappointed.......2006-04-02

"Tomorrow Comes Today was a great album but this album - "Misery Index" - seems a more fitting follow-up to "Before the Eulogy". If you've been a fan since the beginning then there's no reason to be disappointed with this release. Unless of course you're the type that writes negative reviews because for some odd reason you expected the exact same album as before with the same composition, simply different song names; appreciate a band's evolution.

Average customer rating: Marduk is back, with an almost new lineup EXTREME! Just as fast as PDM Good enough for the new vokil-ist,Mortuus OK, But World Funeral Was Rawer

Plague Angel Marduk Manufacturer: Candlelight ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Sweden | Scandinavia | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Panzer Division Marduk Rom 5:12 World Funeral Hate Them La Grande Danse Macabre ASIN: B0007LPRX2 Release Date: 2005-03-08

Tracks:

1. Hangman of Prague
2. Throne of Rats
3. Seven Angels, Seven Trumpets
4. Life's Emblem
5. Steel Inferno
6. Perish in Flames
7. Holy Blood, Holy Grail
8. Warschau
9. Deathmarch
10. Everything Bleeds
11. Blutrache

Customer Reviews:

Marduk is back, with an almost new lineup.......2006-04-08

Sweden has been the homeland of death metal of all kinds: old school death, thrash death, melodic death, etc. They have produced dozens of great bands leaving the black metal industry to their Norwegian neighbours. However, one Swedish band refused to jump on the bandwagon and be another Entombed, At the Gates, or even Dark Tranquillity ripoff: the one and only Bathory playing a strict form of old school black metal. Yet, if there is another band from Sweden that made a name for themselves (be it good or bad), that must be Marduk. This band has been around for over a decade, creating much controversy with their first couple of releases, especially their infamous demos. Marduk has always been a pioneer of black metal in the Swedish underground scene and they sure deserve respect for that.

Plague Angel is their last studio album as of now, considering they just released the Deathmarch EP and a live DVD after this one. The album also marks a completely new era for these Swedish veterans. Long-time vocalist Legion and bassit B. War are out. They are replaced by the band's first guitarist Devo Anderson (who also produced the album) from about ten years ago and new singer Mortuus of Funeral Mist. For starters, Mortuus is a totally different singer than Legion, and he will fairly or unfairly be compared to his predecessor, labeled as either a horrible singer or an excellent replacement. That has always been the fate of Marduk, their albums, songs, lyrics, member changes, and history. People either hate their guts or praise them to heavens (!). I'll be the first to say Mortuus' raw, beast-like vocals certainly bring a new air of freshness, as he screams and blurts out the lyrics with the utmost conviction. On songs like the compact "Steel Inferno" and the tremelo-picked old school black piece "Life's Emblem", his vocals are arguably more powerful and effective than Legion's, especially on the last couple of Marduk discs. The production is raw and evil. Gone is the clean, sterile production of Marduk's last set of releases mixed in the Abyss Studios. The drumming is sick and fast; the riffs are violent with occasional clean guitar breakdowns and epic overtones. One of the darkest and most absorbing songs is "Throne of Rats", as the song breathes atmosphere, just like in the early 90's black metal albums. "Perish in Flames" will certainly cause more discussion among fans, for its extended build-up and extraordinary chord progressions. The song is epic-sounding, and simply huge in its scope. The riffs are noticably slower and a bit sludgier than their other work, enhanced with pure and raw shrieking. Another lengthy piece is the last cut "Blutrache" (Blood Revenge) with weird sound effects, atmospherics, and a sudden burst into one of the most uncompromising Marduk songs in a long time.

Though described as "a new era of songwriting", I beg to differ. Plague Angel is no where near as surprising or groundbreaking as the older albums. It is, however, strongly written, produced and delivered, just as many fans had expected.

EXTREME!.......2005-10-24

If you like it brutal and extreme this is the one for you. Great lyrical content, and the vocals will send a chill down your spine! Fast and non-relenting, not a mid-tempo song in the bunch. This is all out brutality! Great musicianship and an all around awesome black metal album. It's nice to see some black metal groups have not sold out and gone soft!

Just as fast as PDM.......2005-05-22

Ok, the new singer...Mortuus...is DEFINETLY not as good as Legion, in my opinion i dont think they will ever get a singer as good as him. But this very good, its really fast, and it slows down on two songs on the cd. The slower ones are good too. The best songs are Lifes Emblem, Throne Of Rats, and Everything Bleeds. Go Buy it bitches.

Good enough for the new vokil-ist,Mortuus.......2005-05-14

well if you are a Marduk listener,not like those below me that you see, you would know that Legion is gone.No mote Legion in Marduk!! Mortuus is good but no Legion.Thats the main reason for the 4 stars not 5.But thats just my mood right now.Plague Angel is brutal and black to the bone.Nothing better that war and satanizm.Good combination. Panzer Division combined with World Funeral.What ever Marduk will release next, will destroy this world.So, get ready for the DEATHMARCH!!!!!!!!

OK, But World Funeral Was Rawer.......2005-05-11

Plague Angel is a fairly good album. Well crafted, and Legion's vocals are very black metal. The only thing that sets it back so much is the songs are too much alike and they are not as catchy as earlier albums. World Funeral had more hooks and more precise clean guitar work. The drumming is good, and that makes up a good part of this album. This album is good, but I don't think it was as raw and agressive as World Funeral, Pazner Division Marduk, F**k Me Jesus, or their earlier stuff.

Average customer rating: Like Rachmaninov's music? Then you will like this recording. Very impressive CUI BONO? For Russophiles, a more than worthwhile effort

César Cui: A Feast in Time of Plague Manufacturer: Chandos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Cui, César | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Balakirev: Symphony No. 1; Islamey; Tamara Felix Draeseke: Symphony 3/Funeral March Cui: Orchestral Suites Nos.2 & 4 Borodin: String Quartets Nos 1 & 2 Dohnányi: Symphony No. 2; Symphonic Minutes ASIN: B00022M478 Release Date: 2004-06-29

Tracks:

1. A Feast In Time Of Plague
2. No. 1 in C Major
3. No. 2 in F Major
4. No. 3 in Minor
5. Les Deux Menetriers, Op. 42
6. Fair Spring
7. Budrys And His Sons, Op. 98

Customer Reviews:

Like Rachmaninov's music? Then you will like this recording........2005-08-20

Top notch performances. Liner notes whet one's appetite for more from this composer. Chandos, please sir can we have some more? (My apologies to Oliver Twist).

Very impressive.......2005-05-15

Cui is one of those composers who is nowhere near as bad as he is sometimes said to be. He was a member of one of the most exciting groups of young composers ever to assemble, the Russian "Five" (the others being Balakirev, Borodin, Mussorgsky and Rimsky Korsakov), and undoubtedly lacked some of the fire and originality of the others. That said, his best music is very listenable, and this CD contains the best available. I bought it more from curiosity than anything else, as with other Cui releases, but was most pleasantly surprised by the quality of the main work, the opera, which is taut, urgent, and exciting--and with all respect to Pushkin, this has more to do with Cui's music than the words. Cui even produces themes here which you find yourself humming several days after hearing them. A serious case for Cui's interest as an opera composer has been established with this release and it is certainly to be hoped that other Cui operas will be recorded soon. All serious lovers of Russian opera will hope that the next one is "William Ratcliff," as that was central not only to Cui's development as a composer, but to the emerging ideals of the "Five" in the 1860s.

CUI BONO?.......2004-09-19

I could not help myself but indulge in this cui-osity.
As a self-confessed collector of russian classical music it has interest.It brings us back to the bygone age when Russia was an empire and its culture was a part of the european mainstream tradition, for that it has its charms and sentimental value.
Far from being earth-moving or extravagant it tends to blandness and a narrow dynamic range but makes up for it in sensitivity of music to text and its overall lightweight easily digestible oldworld manner.
For Russians this is part of their cultural heritage and should be better known precisely because for 70 years it along with so much other music was deemed not 'socialist realist' enough and irrelevant to their society.
Chandos have done a great service in illuminating this music and filling in for us the missing pieces of Russian cultural history.
Thankyou Chandos.

For Russophiles, a more than worthwhile effort.......2004-07-20

This is a most welcome CD -- at least for this writer, who has admired the music and career of Cesar Cui for many years. This would seem to be the first complete commercial recording of an opera by Cui -- a CD of his children's opera "Puss-in-Boots" (as "Der gestiefelte Kater") was issued in Germany several years ago, but a portion of the dances was cut, and the whole was restyled for radio, with overdubbing by spoken voices. Granted, the opera presented here is barely longer than 30 minutes, but "Feast in Time of Plague" provides an excellent introduction to Cui the opera composer. This selection also now completes our audio access to all four of the operas taken from Pushkin's "Little Tragedies," the others being Dargomyzhsky's "Stone Guest," Rimsky-Korsakov's "Mozart and Salieri," and Rachmaninoff's "Miserly Knight." Cui held Pushkin in most high regard; indeed, besides composing dozens of songs to Pushkin's poems, Cui's first and last operas, "Prisoner of the Caucasus" and "The Captain's Daughter," were derived from the great Russian poet's works. Hopefully more of Cui's opera music will emerge in coming years, his arguable masterpiece "William Ratcliff" (premiered in 1869) being the most desired by this particular writer.

As the selection of works on the CD suggest, Cui was first and foremost a composer for the voice. Although not anything near a virtuoso orchestrator like Tchaikovsky or Rimsky-Korsakov, his handling of the orchestra to enhance the dramatic or emotional condition presented in the sung text is quite convincingly realized here in these performances. Cui believed that the orchestra in opera should enhance the text and dramatic situation, but not to overpower the voice or make it insignificant (as he judged was the case with Wagner's music dramas); this musical stance certainly comes through in all the vocal works on this recording. This may explain why the orchestral writing in these vocal works seems stronger than in the three orchestral scherzos on the CD. The latter, while quite charming and conscientiously rendered by the performers, make much less of an impact, as do other orchestral selections by Cui that have been made available in recent years. It is as if the lack of a vocally rendered text somehow reduced the composer's degree of inspiration from the muse of orchestration, or even of composition. (Rimsky-Korsakov distinguished between excellent capacity for orchestration and excellent capacity for composition for orchestra; perhaps Cui was not quite capable of either.)

It is difficult, yet not even necessary, to detect profundity in Cui's concert music for orchestra (as opposed to the orchestral moments in the operas -- those in "Feast," for instance, are quite effective for their dramatic import). The fact that he never composed a symphony, symphonic poem, or concert overture of some type would support this contention, although one should not conclude that this music is not heartfelt or sincere. His purely instrumental music comes off much better in the chamber varieties -- numerous pieces for piano, three string quartets, a violin sonata, other works for solo instrument and piano, etc.

Nevertheless, Cui's most moving music uses the voice: he composed hundreds of songs and romances, mostly in Russian, but also several solos in Polish and German, and many in French (his father's native language), and, of course, six full-length operas, a one-act comic opera ("The Mandarin's Son"), three short musical dramas (including "Feast"), four children's operas, and the first act of the collaborative opera-ballet "Mlada" from 1872. The cause of promoting Cui's music for voice and orchestra -- and demonstrating how good it is -- is well served by this recording. I resoundingly applaud the singers, instrumentalists, and conductor for making this effort.

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