Good albums

[Droopy]

Have you ever heard a song on the radio that is really good and then you go out to buy the cd and feel like you were conned after a few listens?

That, my friends, is what I'm trying to avoid by my inquiry in this thread. It's been a long time since I bought an album that was good all the way through. The last two discs I got were both clunkers except for the 1 or 2 songs that got me to buy the album. So I'm going to list a few bands that I like from what I've heard on the radio and hopefully some of you will be able to give me feedback on the albums that their hit songs come from. Also, feel free to offer up some bands that you think have made good albums lately. As you will see I listen mainly to rock-n-roll and heavy metal.

First is Muse and I think the name of their album is Absolution. The only song I've heard off of it is "Time is Running Out." I listen to 6 different rock stations and I've only heard them on one of them. I don't know why the others didn't pick up on that song because it's a good one.

I've heard 2 songs from Modest Mouse from their album Good News for People Who Like Bad News (I think that's it). They are "Float On" and "Ocean Breathe Salty." They've got a unique sound.

I've heard 3 songs from Slip Knot's latest album The Subliminal Verses. They are "Duality", "Vermilion" and "Vermilion II." I've heard some earlier Slip Knot and it sounds like they've really toned it down for this album. Are there heavier songs on their new one?

And finally Killswitch Engage. I've only heard one song by them and I don't know the name of it or the name of the album, but it would be off of their latest.

So, are these albums worth buying or have I heard all the good stuff off of them on the radio?

[PittPoliSci]

1. Killswitch Engage - "The End of Heartache"

It's probably one of the best albums ever recorded in the hxc/metal genre. I wasn't able to listen to anything else after I got it for at least 3 weeks, it's been a very very very long time since I've liked an album by a band in that genre that much.

On edit:

The song you heard was probably called "When Darkness Falls"

[Droopy]

2. Sounds like I'll be getting that one

What is the hxc/metal genre? That one song I've heard was really good.

[PittPoliSci]

5. hardcore/metal

I put killswitch more in the metal category, but they do have some elements of hardcore music. if you really like it listen to stuff by a band called "unearth" their last album "the great dividers" is pretty damn impressive, not only because of the music, but the message behind it is distinctly anti-bush.

[RandomKoolzip]

3. Expecting a consistently strong album these days is a losing bet.

Example: The band Wheat has this great fuckin' tune called "I Met a Girl" that gets a lot of airply on the local "adult rock" station in Chicago. I loved it EVRY time it came on the radio....I bought the CD and the WHOLE thing blows, except for that song. Definitely not worth the 17.99.

Apart from one big exception, the most you can hope for is five or six songs that are good, and of those, one or two that are awesome. The Shins' "Chutes Too Narrow" is like that.

The exception is Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. Everything they do is consistently strong all the way through, never any filler. Which is doubly impressive, seeing as how prolific they are.

[nickgutierrez]

4. Muse is good

I have Absolution, and I actually think it was quite good.

[last_texas_dem]

6. Good News for People Who Love Bad News

One of the few new albums I bought last year (I've gotten to where I play it safe and buy mostly sixties/seventies rock I know I'll like) and I'd recommend it. It's a little quirky and takes some getting used to, especially the second half or so of it, but it's very enjoyable. Modest Mouse seems like a very talented, very creative group; most of their songs sound very distinct, very different from one track to the next so it's one that once you start getting to know the songs well you won't get sick of them too quickly. Also, a number of the songs offer interesting perspectives and I was able to relate to them pretty easily. I'd give the album four stars on a five star scale. There a couple of weak tracks, but stuff like "Ocean Breathes Salty", "Bury Me with It", and "Black Cadillacs" more than make up for them.