Yeah, I pretty much agree with everything E said in regards to Bullet for My Valentine. Any kind of metal is far from my "thing" but the album was actually really listenable. I quite liked "Hearts Burst into Fire". (As well as a lot of the album's "softer" moments.)
I also really appreciate the amount of talent it must take to ****ING PLAY THE GUITAR LIKE THAT. I'd love to play some of these songs on Guitar Hero/Rock Band.
The Electric 6 album was good. I've heard their first album and I'd still say it's better. (It's pretty hard to beat "Danger! High Voltage" or "Gay Bar".) But I enjoyed it. I think Electric 6 do better with "novelty". They're at their best when they're being really over the top and not taking themselves seriously at all. That's not to say that they ever take themselves very seriously, as far as I've seen.
I found and listened to all 3 albums but was wondering...is there any kind of format to the discussion or reviews we should be using?
Nope. Just say what you think and we shall chat.
Next up: Microcastle by Deerhunter. I liked this a lot more. A huge part of the album has a real dreamy soundscape to it that would probably be awesome if I did drugs, which I don't. It gets tedious by the middle of the album but not unlistenable. Another drawback is that by the time "Saved By Old Times" came up it sort of felt like the album was just beginning. I get a real 60s rock vibe from the whole thing, and maybe a little of The Strokes (both of which I like, so that's good). I would be interested in checking out more of their work, especially if it varies a little more.
Yeah, the structuring of the album is a little bizarre, but I think the highlights make up for the slower sections. "Never Stops" and "Nothing Ever Happened" are some of my favorite songs of 2008.
It's interesting that you ask about their other work: Microcastle was a very pleasant surprise because I'd listened to their previous, critically-acclaimed album Cryptograms and was totally bored and unimpressed by it. There's a whole lot more of that slow, instrumental stuff, but with droning guitar sound. And the two or three infrequently dispersed pop songs are nowhere near anything on Microcastle. (Not to mention the whole thing being annoyingly lo-fi. I usually like the "lo-fi sound", but in this case it just comes off sounding obstructive and unprofessional.)
I therefore went into Microcastle with very low expectations and was so pleasantly surprised when the album opened with two of the catchiest, best pop songs of the year and beautifully crystal clear production.
Considering Christmas being tomorrow, I will not ask for any new suggestions until this weekend, but I'm hoping that those of you who didn't pick anything the first time around will think about this between now and then and find something to recommend...