Alive, Has anyone heard the CD?? Options

[mattyeagles]

If possible, can we keep this thread to discuss music and not argue with each other?

[Pokey]

Ok so I have it, and before Nick starts demanding to know how anyone outside of Holland could POSSIBLY have it, I'll be honest with you Nick .... I got a knock on the door last night, as I opened it there was nobody there but the album was sitting on my door step.. I looked up to just catch a quick flash of a bald head disappearing around the corner .. Now I'm not saying it was Ed himself, but I can only tell you what I saw.

Before I review this, I'm just gonna say that I'm not doing this to delibritly shit on the album, I haven't even heard it yet and I will type this as I listen to it for the first time. Just honest thoughts.

Drive - Only took about 3 seconds into the album before we got some "ooooooooo'ing", terrible sound and I wish Ed just wouldn't make it. It's not outright terrible, it's generic and very Idol like (I assume this will be used to describe almost every song on the album). The transition from verse to chorus is quite good in an "epic" type of way. Kelly Clarkson did it well too. 4/10

The Great Beyond - There is already a cage match set up, in it is Home, Love Shines, The River, OK?, You Are Not Alone ... now they are being joined by a new one, The Great Beyond, this one is up there with the worst he's ever done. The lyrics are just painful. The upbeat tempo just doesn't work. The drumming serves its purpose I know, it's just there to keep a beat in this song but after so long hearing Gracey pounding the skins and making the drumming in Live songs really interesting it's just sad. 1/10

Grace - We've all hear it, it's generic but not disgraceful. Not much more you can say .. it's a sad state of affairs when the music is so bland that you just can't figure out what more you can say about it. The line "Every time I feel the sun shine I thank the lord up above" is just bad. 4/10

Stand - Man I love Chris Dou... wait it's Ed. I imagine this song and Grace was what Ed thought was "bringing the Rock" on this album. It isn't. It's another attempt at making an epic sounding song. Once again it's epicly generic. It just doesn't rock ... it gets loud, but loudness doesn't equate to rocking. Once again in a song that is SUPPOSED to rock, the drumming is woeful. 3/10

Drink - Wasn't a fan of this one from the accoustic version and nothing much has changed. One thing I must say so far is that Ed's singing has been a step up from the last little while. The production is better too than SFBM. The song is boring, I imagine that if I had JUST met a girl and I was in the process of falling in love that this song might speak to me or something if I was on a new love high. But as Morrissey sang "It says nothing to me about my life". Which isn't a fault with the song, it's just not for me. That doesn't stop it from being generic. 4/10

Zion - Once again I prefered the accoustic version. But this is the first song that seems different and also seems slightly out of place on the album, which isn't a bad thing. I like the vibe that it's a "work song". The piano is kinda a nice touch which wasn't as prominant in the version we all have. The drumming once again lets it down, maybe thats why I prefered it accoustic because Remy or Ramy or whatever the creepy fuck's name is wasn't there to put his big old mark of 1 dimensional drumming on it. Either way, it's not terrible at all and is probably the best song on the album so far. 6/10

In Your Light - I wonder what time Doctor Who airs tonight? It's the season finale and I'm really looking forward to seeing how The Doctor escapes the pandorica. Oh wait, theres a song playing. The fact my mind was able to wander to other things like this when I am listening to an album by someone I once called one of my musical hero's is sad. Once upon a time putting a new album on by one of my favorite artists was a sacred thing. I think there might be a little more space in the cage match. Jesus this is terrible. I bet this never gets played at gigs, it just screams filler. This song also seems to have the honor of being the longest song on the album at an epic 4.24. 1/10

Just In Time - sigh. Is this not over yet? The best thing I can say about this song is that it does have a catchy chorus. I feel like this album is just relentlessly trying to pull my mouth into a smile and it's not working. It's like continuously being beat over the head with nothing at all. at 3.09 this is the shortest song on the album and it's over now, and just in time! 2/10

Rome - This is a little bit more interesting. It's a strange song. For some reason it reminds me of being a really bad TDTH out take. Which I guess is kind of like a back handed compliment. I don't outright hate it. It's just more about love shining and such. I don't quite get why it's called Rome. It could be called just about anything really. 4/10

Fire On The Mountain - For fuck's sake Ed shut up. There's actually a kind of nice musical intro and he's going "oooooooo, ohhhhhh yeah-eeee-yyeeah lord". God damnit. Again it's not terrible, the chorus just makes me think "Wherever you go, Whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you". The fact it reminds me a little of Bryan Adams is not a good thing. 3/10

Soul Whispers - It's a terrible title. I listen to a lot of non english music. A lot of it is chinese, when they do a song in English it's not as if they have broken english or anything, but the titles are things like Soul Whispers, things that they might think would sound good in English but instead sound awkward. wtf is a soul whisper? But the song isn't all that bad I guess. It just doesn't hit me hard and doesn't feel emotional. 4/10

New World - This sounds like every song on the album so far. It all just sounds the same, by the time the chorus is about to hit it could be the chorus of Just in Time or Rome or The Great Beyond, it all just seems so interchangeable. Just a nothing song ... I heard Nick say this song rocks, how he can think this is what rock is but dismiss a song like Closer from TGF blows my mind. 2/10


So in summary ... There's just no god damn substance, no depth, nothing to make me go "damn I'm gonna get more and more out of this on each listen". That's what I love, albums that give you more and more on each listen .. like a really good movie that you watch the second time and go "wow I never picked up on that the first time!" and there is a whole new level of appreciation all over again. This is all just surface deep. It's really sad ... the themes of the album just don't speak to me ..God, Water, Love, Daughters, Church ... they might really hit home to devote Christians, but I'm affraid the man has completely lost me.

38/120

[sh4rpz]

Ok so I have it, and before Nick starts demanding to know how anyone outside of Holland could POSSIBLY have it, I'll be honest with you Nick .... I got a knock on the door last night, as I opened it there was nobody there but the album was sitting on my door step.. I looked up to just catch a quick flash of a bald head disappearing around the corner .. Now I'm not saying it was Ed himself, but I can only tell you what I saw.

Before I review this, I'm just gonna say that I'm not doing this to delibritly shit on the album, I haven't even heard it yet and I will type this as I listen to it for the first time. Just honest thoughts.

Drive - Only took about 3 seconds into the album before we got some "ooooooooo'ing", terrible sound and I wish Ed just wouldn't make it. It's not outright terrible, it's generic and very Idol like (I assume this will be used to describe almost every song on the album). The transition from verse to chorus is quite good in an "epic" type of way. Kelly Clarkson did it well too. 4/10

The Great Beyond - There is already a cage match set up, in it is Home, Love Shines, The River, OK?, You Are Not Alone ... now they are being joined by a new one, The Great Beyond, this one is up there with the worst he's ever done. The lyrics are just painful. The upbeat tempo just doesn't work. The drumming serves its purpose I know, it's just there to keep a beat in this song but after so long hearing Gracey pounding the skins and making the drumming in Live songs really interesting it's just sad. 1/10

Grace - We've all hear it, it's generic but not disgraceful. Not much more you can say .. it's a sad state of affairs when the music is so bland that you just can't figure out what more you can say about it. The line "Every time I feel the sun shine I thank the lord up above" is just bad. 4/10

Stand - Man I love Chris Dou... wait it's Ed. I imagine this song and Grace was what Ed thought was "bringing the Rock" on this album. It isn't. It's another attempt at making an epic sounding song. Once again it's epicly generic. It just doesn't rock ... it gets loud, but loudness doesn't equate to rocking. Once again in a song that is SUPPOSED to rock, the drumming is woeful. 3/10

Drink - Wasn't a fan of this one from the accoustic version and nothing much has changed. One thing I must say so far is that Ed's singing has been a step up from the last little while. The production is better too than SFBM. The song is boring, I imagine that if I had JUST met a girl and I was in the process of falling in love that this song might speak to me or something if I was on a new love high. But as Morrissey sang "It says nothing to me about my life". Which isn't a fault with the song, it's just not for me. That doesn't stop it from being generic. 4/10

Zion - Once again I prefered the accoustic version. But this is the first song that seems different and also seems slightly out of place on the album, which isn't a bad thing. I like the vibe that it's a "work song". The piano is kinda a nice touch which wasn't as prominant in the version we all have. The drumming once again lets it down, maybe thats why I prefered it accoustic because Remy or Ramy or whatever the creepy fuck's name is wasn't there to put his big old mark of 1 dimensional drumming on it. Either way, it's not terrible at all and is probably the best song on the album so far. 6/10

In Your Light - I wonder what time Doctor Who airs tonight? It's the season finale and I'm really looking forward to seeing how The Doctor escapes the pandorica. Oh wait, theres a song playing. The fact my mind was able to wander to other things like this when I am listening to an album by someone I once called one of my musical hero's is sad. Once upon a time putting a new album on by one of my favorite artists was a sacred thing. I think there might be a little more space in the cage match. Jesus this is terrible. I bet this never gets played at gigs, it just screams filler. This song also seems to have the honor of being the longest song on the album at an epic 4.24. 1/10

Just In Time - sigh. Is this not over yet? The best thing I can say about this song is that it does have a catchy chorus. I feel like this album is just relentlessly trying to pull my mouth into a smile and it's not working. It's like continuously being beat over the head with nothing at all. at 3.09 this is the shortest song on the album and it's over now, and just in time! 2/10

Rome - This is a little bit more interesting. It's a strange song. For some reason it reminds me of being a really bad TDTH out take. Which I guess is kind of like a back handed compliment. I don't outright hate it. It's just more about love shining and such. I don't quite get why it's called Rome. It could be called just about anything really. 4/10

Fire On The Mountain - For fuck's sake Ed shut up. There's actually a kind of nice musical intro and he's going "oooooooo, ohhhhhh yeah-eeee-yyeeah lord". God damnit. Again it's not terrible, the chorus just makes me think "Wherever you go, Whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you". The fact it reminds me a little of Bryan Adams is not a good thing. 3/10

Soul Whispers - It's a terrible title. I listen to a lot of non english music. A lot of it is chinese, when they do a song in English it's not as if they have broken english or anything, but the titles are things like Soul Whispers, things that they might think would sound good in English but instead sound awkward. wtf is a soul whisper? But the song isn't all that bad I guess. It just doesn't hit me hard and doesn't feel emotional. 4/10

New World - This sounds like every song on the album so far. It all just sounds the same, by the time the chorus is about to hit it could be the chorus of Just in Time or Rome or The Great Beyond, it all just seems so interchangeable. Just a nothing song ... I heard Nick say this song rocks, how he can think this is what rock is but dismiss a song like Closer from TGF blows my mind. 2/10
So in summary ... There's just no god damn substance, no depth, nothing to make me go "damn I'm gonna get more and more out of this on each listen". That's what I love, albums that give you more and more on each listen .. like a really good movie that you watch the second time and go "wow I never picked up on that the first time!" and there is a whole new level of appreciation all over again. This is all just surface deep. It's really sad ... the themes of the album just don't speak to me ..God, Water, Love, Daughters, Church ... they might really hit home to devote Christians, but I'm affraid the man has completely lost me.

38/120

I agree with everything you say here buddy, and I include the bits about how I received a copy of the album.

We shoulda taken that bet with Nick yesterday. Pffft! Oh well.