My review of the new album Options

[NectarDan]

I had the privelage of listening to the new album, so I thought I would write a review and share it with all of you. First, I have to say that the tracks that leaked last year were unmixed demos, some of which had different lyrics. Now on to my review...

1) The River - Not a big fan of this song, esepcially with all the "la la la's" in it, but it does seem to have a pretty good flow to it

2) Mystery - The bridge doesn't seem to fit into the song very well, and I wished Ed didn't sing the word "mystery" so high.

3) Get Ready - Reminds me of anthemic type of song, sort of like "They Stood Up For Love. I can see this song being a fan favorite and being played in concert on the upcoming tour. The acoustic guitar suits the song perfectly, and the tiny solo near the end sounds great.

4) Show - I wasn't a big fan of this song when the demo first leaked, but I guess it has grown on me some. Unfortunately, it's probably the heaviest song on the album.

5) Wings - This is the point at which I start wondeirng if I'm even to listening to Live anymore, because it doesn't sound like them (it's very "poppy"). Very cheesy chorus line, too ("could be the wings").

6) Sofia - Nice guitar intro and great song overall. Some of the lyrics are pretty cheesy, but it's probably my favorite song on the album. The tiny guitar riff/solo near the end is pleasant as well.

7) Love Shines - Not liking the "ooooohhhh" intro or the song that much for that matter. Too much use of the word "shines" throughout the song. The outro is not pleasant either, especially with Ed trying to reach those unreachable high notes again. Another very "poppy" song.

8) Where Do We Go From Here - Starts off with a good beat and rhythm that remains constant throughout the whole song. Some nice riffing action by Chad as well. My only beef is that as the bridge ends, Chad plays a riff that sounds exactly like the one featured on Metallica's "Fade To Black" - I know everyone will know exactly what I'm talking about when it comes to this point in the song. Aside from that and Ed trying to add his falsetto touch at the end, it's a pretty good song overall.

9) Home - Sounds like a rip-off of "What Are We Fighting For?" - even has that silence before the chorus kicks in. Not a fan of this one at all.

10) All I Need - As soon as the guitar intro begins, you know that this song is going to be very "poppy". Another happy, poppy, love song. I begin to wonder again if this is actually Live I'm listening to.

11) You Are Not Alone - Begins with a promising intro riff that sounds like it could have easily come from Elton Johns "The Bitch is Back", but quickly turns into another happy, poppy song. Are you sure this is Live?

12) Night Of Nights - I like how there is a change in rhythm right before the chorus kicks in each time, but can't really get into the song that much. Not as poppy as the previous 2 songs, but too much mentioning of "love" to really do anything for me.

Overall, I'd have to say this album sounds like "Birds Of Pray" older sister, with much more of a Pop feel and less rocking. I guess it's kind of hard to write a non-Pop album when almost all the lyrics deal with love and happiness though. The production seems to be very similiar to BOP too. There really aren't any stand-out tracks like "Like I Do" on this one though, unfortunately. Highlights include "Sofia", "Get Ready", and "Where Do We Go From Here". Too many dull moments to list, frankly. I did take into fact that Live went into the studio trying to make a pop record - and I am fine with that - but I just don't think that they sound good doing this type of music. Maybe it's just that I'm not a big fan of pop music in general - so many of you may have drastically different opinions that that of mine. I just wish that Live could have put some of the vibrant energy so evident in their live show on this album - it just yearns for some heavier music and rougher lyrics, but sadly it doesn't seem to get any help.

[mrmcpheezy]

Especially for you, pheezy, to consider, but everyone should read this.

Fact: There are quantifiable measures of music in determining several elements:

- Complexity
- Cadence
- Harmony
- Etc.

Thus, someone can demonstrably prove those and other elements exist in music and to what degree. To describe The River, for example, as a simple song with uncreative elements is an objective observation. Some people like that, others do not.

Opinion: Any or all of those elements amount to "good" or "bad" music. This is not an argument that everything's subjective and let's all be happy. However, it is an argument that something that is "good" or "bad" or "awesome" or "sucks" is an opinion masked as allegation of fact. This is where subjective interpretation rears its head. We're all socialized in different cultures with different expectations and social norms. What is "weird" to you may not be so to someone else. Likewise, a song that "sucks" to you may not be regarded as such by the majority opinion, and that is the key distinction. While you may be able to demonstrably prove the existence (or lack thereof) of elements in a song, you have no basis for describing the song as "good" or "bad" other than your opinion. And that opinion is formed based on your interpretation of the importance of musical elements (and that of the majority opinion in a given field) and whether they ultimately constitute a good or bad product.

Songs can be insanely complex and still not strike a cord with us. That's where unmeasurable elements come in: emotion, resonance, soul.

I agree with most of what you say here.


My main thing is that while comments about whether or not you like the album are based soley on how you feel when you hear the song, but comments about its quality must be founded in the objective aspects that you mentioned. As liverocks pointed out, subjectivity still comes into play (I've never denied that it has) but those subjective comments must be about objective aspects of the song.

The only valid basis for making comments about the quality of a song is its objective aspects. To say that a song is good or bad because you like it or don't like it is bullshit. It implies that the song's value is based on how much you like it. It isn't. The value of a song is based on the quality of the writing. Not all well written songs strike me in a manner that makes me want to listen to them over and over again, but that does not take anything away from the quality of the writing.

All the things that scott mentioned in his post (and many others) can be measured objectively, and it is from those objective elements that the quality of a song is determined. Subjectivity comes into play in the sense that different listeners will give different amounts of importance to different objective aspects.

But again, if you think that liking a song makes it ok for you to say that that song is good, stfu. You're wrong and probably an idiot.