Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (Franz Ferdinand) - Track By Track Review

Alex sings "I've found a new way, baby" on the funk-pop album opener, "Ulysses", but has he?? Yes!! Three albums now, and Franz Ferdinand are still doing the exact same thing. But if you pay attention to the details, you'll find out that the entire album thrives on retro funk. The whole hype about them working with Xenomania and all that didn't do anything for the album though. I don't think there's a single Xenomania track on the album in the first place.. Before i go on to review the album, i must say i'm impressed by their cover-art in this era... its brilliant!! And the theme they're using is very (i wanna say intelligent..but..) clever!! Here are the singles' cover art

Ulysses is a sexy song, with its electro guitar and very funk-y sound. FF are trying something new with this song. The whispery vocals will get everyone raving about this song forever! "Come on let's get high", yes!! You can literally get high listening to this song!! Catchy chorus.

Turn It On keeps the momentum going . Thick bass lines. Catchy choruses. Weird verses. Yes, very very FF. So all that change in the album ended with the first track only.

No You Girls, the current single, is this album's Take Me Out. Extremely catchy. The production on the guitars sound phenomenal. Personally, i love this track best on the album.

Twilight Omens sees FF experimenting with synthesized sounds again, but this time, combining them with their signature crisp 60's guitar sound. Its a song about being mad in love, again, one of my favourites from this album. I must compliment FF for having such weird lyrics even on a love song.
I wrote your name Upon the back of my hands Slept upon it and i woke up with it Backwards on my face Reading forwards to my mirror To my heart

Send Him Away has a very hippy sound to it. The twangy guitar in the song is sexy, but the end is so abrupt, it left me craving for more.. It goes well with the rest of the tracks on the album.

Live Alone is FF's version of Techno pop. But it still thrives hard on retro funk, carrying on the 80's sound from the previous track.

Bite Hard starts like a jazzy ballad, and i was so shocked to hear this when the song started, but a little after 30 seconds, the sound goes back to FF's signature sound.

What She Came For has an annoying groove, its very rnb-esque.. Its a new style FF experimented with, and i for one am somehow not happy with the song. The lyrics are a little strange.

Can't Stop Feeling is an older song, if i'm not wrong. Cos i heard this song much before the album came out. The song is very catchy. Quite a good tune. But i've heard the original before, and i think i prefer that. I know FF said they worked with human bones on a song called "Kiss Me" but it sounds more like this is the song they used those bones on. Listen to the strange sound of the drums

Lucid Dreams is also a re-make of an already existing song. I prefer the original demo which came out before the album. The album version has two faults. One, its very very very very long. Two, the second half is so remix-y that it doesn't fit in with the rest of the album. For God's sake, its an indie album. Not a remix album.

Dream Again is a boring track. I never got into it. But i think the synthesizers and drum programing (it does sound a lot like that) are pretty good.

Katherine Kiss Me is a big mistake!

Circus (Britney Spears) - Track By Track Review

I never thought i would like the album. But i actually did!! But compared to blackout, it definitely lacks something...the fun element??!! I don't know...

Womanizer is a fun track. The mad lyrics, the totally insane video with the boob shaking (very hot) and the fact that its a dance number made me like the song...of course i didn't like it at the beginning. I thought it was too overproduced like the entire Blackout session, but then again, i think i like her overproduced stuff a lot more than her usual stuff now.... i can't think of going back and listening to Overprotected or Stronger or stuff like that.. i've grown beyond it. I'm happy that Britney's songs are overproduced! The lesser i get to hear her, the better for my ears!! She sounds like the crow on this song... But its still entertaining, just because its overproduced!! Lol...

If U Seek Amy... Is the chorus grammatically correct?? I don't know, something about the chorus annoys me, and i don't know what.. The song is genius though! The la la la's and the haha hehe haha ho are superb!! I love them!! Again, Brit sounds like a crow on this song, but thank god for the producers!!! Yay!! Why doesn't she just go ahead and use strong language in the open..??!! Everyone knows she's grown up now and can use strong language on her songs, she doesn't have to cover the "fuck me fuck me" using a vocoder!!

Kill The Lights is effing amazing!!! Except for the intro by the producer! If this is going to be a single in the future, i'd rather the song without the intro. The song is ace though.. Britney should do more songs about bitching about people who bitch about her! Its fun to listen to them (like Piece Of Me..) The chorus is amazing!!

Circus is fun to listen to. This is the kind of song that i was talking about.. i'd rather Britney doing songs like this. But i think the idea of having the album named after this one song is criminal. The song does not represent the entire album. She could've named the album after Kill The Lights, that would have done justice.

Out From Under is the worst thing that Britney has ever done. I know everyone is going to pounce on me and say that its brilliant and blah blah, this is my opinion. I don't think i can hear her cawing on a track which is not well produced...

Mannequin is weird!! Is it supposed to be a creative song?? Cos it really sounds like a studio accident!! The chorus is quite catchy, but the verses annoy me so much that i tend to skip, and the producer's vocals on the song with "screeeeeam" and "crrrryyyyyy" are pathetic!!

Quicksand is the first brilliant track for me!! Britney sounds great (shocking) and the song is penned perfectly. Its genuis. Wonder why its not on the album, its a bonus track!?! Madness!!!

Shattered Glass is a good concept! The song is well produced, but i would have liked it more if the song stretched on till 3 minutes and 25 seconds, with a middle 8 included in the structure of the song... The lyrics are bold, which is brilliant!! And hurray for the producers for covering up for the crow!!

Blur is boring!!

Lace And Leather is a filler really... nothing special about the song. It reminds me of Gwen's Fluorescent for some reason..

Rock Me In is actually nice!! I think i like girls singing with a bit of guitars playing the background and groove kicking faster than ever!! Although it sounds like a Rogue Traders reject, i'm sure they would have done this song better...

Unusual You is the second brilliant song for me. Its amazing!! The song, the lyrics, the melody, the feel.... just wow!! Bloodshy & Avant always do good songs!

Rock Boy is lame!! I'm glad it wasn't included on the album. Britney sounds like a wannabe on it.. (wait a minute, she always sounds like one, its just more obvious on this..lol)

Mmm Papa is very 80's which cool!! The title annoys me, but otherwise the song is ace!! I love the "mmmm" part... it turns me on, for some strange reason!! lol..

Amnesia is effing brilliant!! I actually have no words to describe this song... Its been on my ipod for just 2 days and its already topping my Top 25 most played!! Its amazing!! I'm actually happy she recorded this song, it makes me happy that i'm still listening to her songs...

Phonography is her second song about phone sex, right!?? So its true, she does like phone sex!! Kinky... The song is alright...

Trouble is different... initially it sounds like something that was thrown off Confessions On The Dancefloor but then it moves into an amazing electro number, and i have to say.. i love the structure of the chrous... with the word trouble being repeated a million times. Definitely will do well in the clubs....

Overall, the album is good.... i'm glad the producers produced it!! Lol....

FUCKING AMAZING SONGS: (in order)
Amnesia
Quicksand
Kill The Lights
Unusual You
If You Seek Amy
Circus

GOOD SONGS: (in order)
Shattered Glass
Trouble
Mmm Papa

OKAY SONGS: (in order)
Phonography
Rock Me In
Lace And Leather

HORRIBLE SONGS: (in order)
Rock Boy
Blur
Mannequin

WORST SONG EVER: (seriously!!)
Out From Under

EDIT - oh i completely forgot about My Baby... second worst song ever... Wonder how it even made it onto the final tracklist while better songs like Amnesia and Quicksand are just bonus tracks... record companies are getting crazier day by day..

Funhouse (P!nk) - Track By Track Review

When i first heard that P!nk was coming out with another album instead of a GH, i thought she would never be able to out-do her previous album. I'm Not Dead, was one of the very few perfect albums which you find these days. But i was wrong. Funhouse is absolutely amazing!! I badly wanna say every bit fun, but i can't, cos i'm not very fond of her acoustic tracks popping up suddenly. Thats my complaint against P!nk, she has these random acoustic tracks between well produced rock tunes, which sounds really lame. Lyrically those songs are probably the best on the album, but when i hear a pop-rock album, i'd love for it to be guitarry and upbeat, not acoustic.. She should either have them as b-sides or come out with a separate album with just acoustic tracks...

The album opener So What, the lead single from the album is a pop track lined with edgy guitars and crazy lyrics. The best part of the song is the pain hidden beneath the stupid lyrics. I don't know why some people say that all P!nk can do is sing about something funny. Losing her husband, and not knowing where he went is actually a strong line. But she does a good job turning this into a fun tune, which went #1 worldwide. Finally, she got what she truly deserves. I've always loved P!nk. And i've always wanted her to have a huge hit. Stupid Girls came close, but it didn't reach this position. Stupid Girls still remains a great song, much much better than anything on this or her previous album, as a pop tune...

Sober seems to have a very Red Hot Chilli Peppers influence, the opening of the track seems very very familiar, although, i'm not able to figure out where i've heard something simliar. The lyrics are superb! This will definitely end up becoming the "who knew" (pun intended) of the Funhouse era. The song is probably going to be the second single from the album. Oh and by the way, she worked with Tony Canal on this song. I was expecting a very Hella Good type of song, but this was a pleasant surprise!

Then the album's pace reduces and we have a nice synth/violin ballad - I Don't Believe You, which i think is excellent. Its something like Christina's Hurt, a ballad with absolutely no beats whatsoever, just melody and P!nk sounds so mature on the song. Anyone who brands P!nk as "that punk ass who sings about sex and lesbians" should probably listen to this song and close their eyes and feel the emotion!! This is soooooooo much better than Who Knew

One Foot Wrong is a weird song, it reminds me of how weird Last To Know felt on Try This, soundwise! I'm not particularly fond of this song, i've probably heard it like 4 times till now, i generally prefer to skip through. Its a perfect filler, not sure why P!nk recorded something like this...

Please Don't Leave Me starts with P!nk's dadada's and its a very very cute song. The sound of the song is very pop. Its a mid tempo track. For some reason, this verse really appeals to me
"I forgot to say out loud how beautiful you really are to me
I can't be without, you're my perfect little punching bag
And I need you, I'm sorry."
This is going to be a single someday, i just know it..

The next song reminds me of how much fun P!nk's songs are. The very first listen makes you think Bad Influence is the Cuz I Can of this era.
"I’m the instigator of underwear
Showing up here and there"
Haha!! This song should end up being a single, it will do very well on the radio! It would be stupid to leave this one out.

The title track, Funhouse, seems to have been in the same recording session as Bad Influence. I think the whole pain in the lyrics is hidden behind the funky beats and guitars.. Again, single material.

The first acoustic track comes in here - Crystal Ball. Lyrically perfect! But i don't like the sound.

Mean is weird. Its a little country, little pop, little rock?? I don't know...its a weird song..

Its All Your Fault and Ave Mary A are both brilliant rock tunes, especially the latter. That song is the Try Too Hard of this era.

Glitter In The Air is the second acoustic track, which i'm just not fond of...

This Is How It Goes Down is undoubtedly the best track on the album. Its superb. Wonder why its a UK bonus track. In fact, this should have been a single. Then there's Boring and Why Did I Ever Like You which are both fucking brilliant, much better than the acoustic tracks on the album. Oh and the b-side Could've Had Everything is singe quality. Again a stupid thing to make it a b-side.

In all, the album is good and i'm looking foward for the next b-side

Journey To The Centre Of The Earth

Journey To The Centre Earth is a science fiction movie. Its about having a whole little world inside the earth, just above the core, but beneath the miles beneath crust... I love how every little thing has been explained in the movie. How some creatures survived there, how the luminuous gases are like the sun providing light. There are luminous birds which got extinct ages ago. There are sea reptiles and even a dinosaur (which is lame, cos they showed one single dinosaur). The concept is based on the book JOurney To The Centre Of The Earth and the movie couldn't have been made any better. I loved it!!

Movies i watched recently

Mummy 3 was a fun movie really. It was very different from the previous two, not just because the lead female has been changed, but its because its a lot crazier and the action is terrific!! The war towards the end of the movie is brilliant. The whole concept of a stone statue come to life and try to find shangri la to live forever is brilliant. Definitely worth watching...


Bachna Ae Haseeno is a very cute movie. The basic story line is this guy who is pretty much who makes two girls fall deep in love with him, when he's just fooling around, and when its his time to fall in love truly, the same thing happens to him. And then he goes and sets things right for the two girls' hearts that he broke and then he wins his love toward the end... typical bollywood. Still, something about the movie is nice....oh and there's a song in the movie which was shot in venice, the same EXACT places where Sophie's song "Catch You" was shot...what a rip off!!!


Phoonk was shit!! I cannot believe its based on THE EXORCIST!!! Phoonk is about Black Magic and revenge. Its not scary, its not spooky, its just plain stupid!!! I can't believe there was a huge bet in the press to watch the movie alone...anyone could!!!! Its so lame. Everyone in the theatre came out laughing after the movie, thats how lame it was!!

The Dark Knight

"This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object." There's something in that dialogue which hit me...i absolutely love it!! The movie is brilliant, nothing short of the action and suspense that any Batman movie would require..

Batman faces two of his enemies in this movie - The Joker and Two Face. The movie gets its name because Harvey Dent, Gotham City's white knight, saves the city from peril and ends up becoming Two Face, while Batman who tries to save the city from everything, ends up becoming the reason for so much chaos. Hence, the Dark Knight!

The best part of the movie is the 360 degree flip of the truck. Batman comes on his batbike and ropes the truck to a pole and it flips. Here's a recording that gave away the scene

Quite Honestly

I didn't have much time to read this time cos i spent most of my holidays with my cousins. So i picked up a rather small book, which i took a whole month to read (shockingly). And yet, it was a really good read. I didn't drop off reading..

The book is about this praeceptor Lucy who tries to reform a convict Terry and ends up living his life, turns to crime, goes to jail...all to experience how it is to be him. Why? Cos she falls in love with him. Thats why praeceptors from SCRAP (the organisation she works for) aren't supposed to fall in love with criminals