SOUND BITES

Reminds Me Of: Junior high Nickelback High On: The undeniably catchy lead single "Nothing Could Come Between Us", even if it is identical to every second Nickelback song. Low On: Just about everything else on this 36-minute waste of paper and plastic. Now, let's get one thing straight; I KNEW I was getting into a blatant Nickelback impersonation when I picked this up. Hell, it was co-produced by Chad Kroeger, who co-wrote 60% of the songs on the album, AND Deadman is the first singing to Kroeger's 604 Records label. And, believe me, I wouldn't mind it so much if the job wasn't so poorly done. The music, for the most part, is fine (by Nickelback standards, of course), but the vocals and (especially) lyrics are so unimpassioned and effortless that it makes me sick. Sample lyric (from "Make Up Your Mind"): "If we break up, we'll wind up losing both of our minds / So wake up, let's make up and do this for the last time". ...

DANKO JONES (w/ Bucket Truck) Wednesday, September 18, 2002 The Upper Deck, Fredericton NB Newfoundland rockers Bucket Truck took the stage at about 10:30pm, opening with the blistering headbanger "No Other Way", which kicked off a rowdy and piercing 40-minute set of metal, most of which taken from their 2001 album 'Waiting To Talk'. Most of that album was played, including highlights "Everyone's A Critic", "It's Not Unlike You", "All You Need To Know" and "Take It On The Chin". Also played was current single "Don't Call Me Judas/If It's All The Same" (spliced live, as on record, with "You Walk Behind" and "The Drama Queen"), the video for which is earning regular airplay on video channels across the country. For fun, two covers were thrown in: Motorhead's "Ace Of Spades" and Sugar Ray's "Mean Machine", both of which were kicked up a notch in this e...

Reminds Me Of: A dash of The Strokes, a pinch of Red Hot Chili Pepper's (late 80's version), a teaspoon of Radiohead, set to mulch. High On: * The manic delievery of nearly every note. * The subtle electronics which, in addition to earning a Radiohead comparison, make for a much more interesting listen. * The undeniable groove found on most of the album... it's art-rock you can shake your ass to. * The sheer creepiness of closing track "This Dirt Makes That Mud". * The undisputed creativity of the titles: in addition to the 13-word album title, Liars also throw in Goddamnable song titles like "Tumbling Walls Buried Me In The Debris With ESG" and "Nothing Is Ever Lost Or Can Be Lost My Science Friend". However, my personal favorite is "Grown Men Don't Fall In The River, Just Like That". Low On: * The album's length: sure, it's over 50 minutes long, but 22 of those minutes are taken up with a singular, continu...

Reminds Me Of: Depending on the mood, anything from Incubus and At The Drive-In to Faith No More and Deftones. High On: * The feverish energy of the album, in all aspects, definitely an asset boosted by the production of Ross Robinson. * Singer Daryl Palumbo's all-over-the-map style, drawing immediate comparisons to FNM's Mike Patton when he hits more frantic moments on the album, and Brandon Boyd of Incubus most of the rest of the time. A true highlight comes in his lightning-quick play-by-play of a horse race between his mind, heart and soul in the brilliantly titled "The Gillette Cavalcade Of Sports". * The musical ambitiousness displayed on the album, which takes them from blistering art-punk ("Tip Your Bartender") to dirgy, Deftones-ish mood pieces ("Two Tabs Of Mescaline"). Lead single "Cosmopolitan Bloodloss" is as emo as metal's ever gotten, and future single "Ape Dos Mil" captures Glassjaw at its emotional...

Reminds Me Of: Other Queens releases to date, except cranked to 11 and spawned in the same greasy fryer as old-school Motorhead, Priest, etc. High On: * The Queens' transition from pure stoner rock to loud, obnoxious, skilled riffage and deadly rhythm section * Dave Grohl... he absolutely pounds the hell out of the drums, giving the album even more of an arena sound * Josh Homme's songwriting: less repetative, more insightful * The pure diversity of the album, from metalized punk ("Millionaire") to bouncy thrash rawk ("No One Knows") to ambitious grunge ("Sky Is Fallin") to playful, obscenity-laced garage metal ("Six Shooter") to Chili Peppers meet The Doors on crack ("Hangin Tree") to tripped-out blues ("God Is In The Radio") to 60's romance shlock ("Another Love Song")... you get the idea, I'm sure. * The album's concept: A journey through a number of radio stations during a drive from...

Reminds Me Of: The last album, except way more melodic and way less psychotic. High On: * Singer David Draiman's much-improved vocal style, utilizing actual singing much more than screaming * Lead single "Prayer" and (hopefully) future single "Remember" good examples of the perfect mix of heaviness and melody Low On: * Improved melody seems to come at the expense of musicianship, which often sound thin and soulless, thanks partly to the obvious usage of ProTools-type programming * Subject matter singular in nature; nearly all tracks deal with believing in yourself, living your own life, yadda yadda yadda. * Cheese factor cranked on closing track "Darkness"; the cello and piano driven ballad does not jive well with the rest of the album, ending on a sour note Bottom Line: 'Believe' has enough good tracks on it to please fans, but overall sorely lacks the violent, ballsy energy of 'The Sickness'. 5 MEDIOCRE September 17, ...