[CD Tree] Going Mental... in a Dustbin (Deadman97)

[lankinpark]

Right, I'm going to review this without using band names or song titles, on the grounds that if you were supposed to know those details beforehand, they'd be written somewhere. And there are 21 of the buggers, so I'm gonna focus on the really notable ones.

First things first; track 2. I recognise those vocals anywhere: it's ***** ******** in one of his many diverse incarnations. And as usual he manages to be both melodic and crushingly loud.

3 is one that I almost included on my CD - it was a choice between this and one or two others on the same album. In the event, I chose something by Radiator instead, but that's beside the point. The point is, I like this song and I'm glad it's on here.

5 is something of a departure. Up 'til now we've had a techno-ey opener and three tracks of solid rock. This is altogether more mellow and pretty. I get the feeling I should recognise the band, but I don't.

7. Short but sweet.

8. Another band I recognise and like, although I know an embarrassingly small number of their songs. A quick investigation reveals that this is on the album of theirs that I own and haven't listened to many times (As opposed to the two that I own and have listened to many times). We're back on track with the loudness, by the way.

Skip forward to track 14. (There's nothing wrong with the stuff in between, but none of it really stands out and I don't feel qualified to comment on the hip-hop or electronic stuff other than saying "Yeah, that's okay".) Another heavy and melodic one. Good stuff. I'll be after some more by this band, whoever they might be.

16. I had to google these lyrics to see what the hell was going on, and now it all makes sense. I'd been wondering what these guys sounded like. They've very twee, aren't they?

18 really reminds me of Kerbdog. Not the vocals so much as the guitars and the structure of the song. Yeah, I like this one. Makes me feel 14 again. This is so Kerbdog it hurts.

19. Another great one. Pure pop (barely) disguised as rock. Maybe my favourite on the CD.

20. I know who this is, too. One of those bands I love and hate in equal doses, and the hate part has been strong enough to prevent me ever buying any of their albums. This pushes my buttons though, so maybe I've just been being a stubborn arse. It's perhaps a bit long, if I must let my negative side make some criticism, but the vocals are, as always, gorgeous.

21 is weird. Like a four-and-a-half minute intro. I like.

All in all - damn good. Not a track on here I don't like and definitely a few bands I'll look further into. And at least one album I own that's gonna get a proper listen in the near future. I've been neglecting the heavier side of my taste in recent years, so this is much appreciated.