Epinions Recent Reviews for divad23

This state of emergency is where I want to be.

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:54:48 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - I would like to hereby declare 1997 as "The Year of Great Albums that I Stupidly Missed the First Time Around." While it's true that there's a lot of stuff from all over the late 90's that I've discovered as I discovered quality artists later in their...

...In which Third Day reveal absolutely nothing interesting about themselves.

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:27:46 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - It seems like every other album that Third Day comes out with is an attempt to re-establish their credibility as a rock band after a previous album that was much more "inspirational" or "worship"-oriented in terms of its content. This pattern goes...

Elbow 's Latest Joint Shows Much Flexibility

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:59:54 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - Here's a statement that oughta p!ss off fans of two completely different bands simultaneously: "Elbow is the thinking man's Coldplay." Now I didn't make up that statement, mind you. But it was one of the first things that I read about...

Spring and Summer - Jon Foreman: I wish I could Spring forward into an endless Summer.

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:39:24 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - After releasing the Fall
and Winter EPs at roughly the appropriate time of year for each (late 2007 and early 2008, respectively), singer/songwriter Jon Foreman returns to complete the cycle of...

Fall lacks color, but desolate beauty is found in Winter

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:12:01 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - Jon Foreman is truly a prolific man. You probably know him best as the slightly tattered but highly spirited lead vox for Switchfoot,
a band bent on causing its listeners to ponder a way out of their...

Coldplay Is Dead. Long Live Coldplay!

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 03:24:58 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - Have I ever mentioned that it's been cool to hate Coldplay for a few years now? Or have I ever made the comparison between Coldplay and Creed?
I'm sure I must have, since I've covered my share of...

When Soulful Musicianship and Awkward Lyricism Dance

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 03:46:39 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - Is it just me, or are there a lot of popular rock bands out there who would be better off without their lead singers? Have you ever made such an observation about a band? "Hey, these guys are pretty tight, but what's up with this dude's voice, and what...

The Lord Giveth Comfort, and the Lord Taketh Comfort Away.

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:39:20 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - So I'll just come out and say this from the get-go: I was really disappointed to find out that the latest Delirious? album, the UK-based modern worship band's first since 2005's The
Mission Bell, was...

Straightjacket - Steven Delopoulos: Insanely Good Folk Music

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 21:54:15 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - Well, it's official. Steven Delopoulos's solo career has now outlasted that of his former band, the legendary Greek and Latin-infused acoustic rock outfit Burlap
to Cashmere. I loved Burlap something...

Apparently, not everyone has their own sound.

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 02:28:55 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - I'm learning to get used to disappointment when it comes to Leeland's music. It's not like my expectations for this group were ever all that high - when I first read the press on their debut album, I fully expected a lame, unimaginative ripoff of...

Wouldn't it be nice if we could break all of the rules for just one day?

Thu, 22 May 2008 03:15:41 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - At last, it's here! I've been waiting for this new album from Seattle-area band The Myriad ever since I saw them perform a nearly show-stealing opening slot on the David
Crowder Band's fall tour last...

Oh, to be more than lovely!

Sat, 10 May 2008 03:29:59 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - You've got a lot to live up to when you name your band after not one, but two, individuals with brilliant minds. Such is the case for the Long Island, New York-based band known as Edison Glass. This is a semi-independent modern rock outfit who...

This is the real adventure, to move past what's mediocre.

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:50:47 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - I don't know about you, but one thing that really drives me nuts as someone who prides himself on his ability to pay close attention to music is when I hear what seems to be a really solid rock album that I just listen to endless for days, and then I get...

Hits? Mostly. Greatest? Not even close.

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:45:04 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - It's always hard for a critic to give a mediocre grade to a band whose music he is absolutely in love with. Even harder when the album he's grading is genuinely packed with solid material. But, as much as I hate to say it, that's the case all too often...

Dust in the Wind

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:50:47 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - OK, time to change things up and actually review a record upon its release, rather than letting my thoughts languish for months due to a backlog of other still-yet-unwritten reviews. Every now and then I'm lucky enough to get to hear a highly anticipated...

Hey, Nosferatu! Got any plans this Saturday?

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:32:33 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - Whenever I get into a band that I first became aware of due to a performance on Saturday Night Live, I usually assume that this makes me a bit of a Johnny-come-lately who might be jumping on a trend long after the indie music community has came,...

Unbreakable? More like Unbearable.

Mon, 7 Apr 2008 00:14:00 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - So, what's a critic gotta do to get himself off of a record label's mailing list? Not that I'm actively trying or anything, but you'd think that after a few years of getting a bunch of free CDs, most of which were so uninteresting to listen to that I...

No Halos Here... But No Horns, Either.

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 03:12:21 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - I hate to be the one to accuse a band of selling out. So I'm not gonna do it this time. Instead, I'm going to apply a little perspective and treat Luna Halo's self-titled album the way the band probably intended: As a brand new start by a brand...

Blink - Plumb: Blink: Plumb opens our eyes to the joys of motherhood

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:36:05 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - Alright, I'll just warn you upfront - this review is going to get a bit more personal than most. That's because singer/songwriter Plumb has managed to come up with an album that not only sounds strikingly different from pretty much everything...

Apparently, these guys have never heard of Mauna Kea.

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:40:59 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - Alright. I promised myself I wouldn't be so easy on Olivia the Band the second time around just because they happened to be from the great state of Hawaii. After all, where a band comes from really doesn't make much of a difference when you're...

Fake Plastic Trees, Real Human Emotion

Thu, 6 Mar 2008 04:05:53 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - I feel a very strong urge to give Leigh Nash a big hug right about now. You see, it's been a rough couple of years for the girl with the unique, lilting voice who first made a name for herself as the lead singer of...

Let's hope this White Bird doesn't turn into a Crow.

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:25:08 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - Scottish singer/songwriter KT Tunstall has decided to strike while the iron is hot. Only about a year and a half after the stateside release of her debut album Eye
to the Telescope, she's made her best...

Smoke on the Water

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:47:33 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - I've decided that Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue has a certain affinity for wasting space. Normally, such a statement would preface a negative review of an album (such as the type of review I would have written for his so-called solo...

If there's complications, pull the plug out.

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:48:27 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - Falling Up is one of those bands that feels like a big anomaly no matter how I try to categorize them. Ever since the group debuted in 2004 with its power-chord heavy, DJ-effect-laced brand of Christian rock, I was tempted to tout them as the...

"Welcome to the Wonderful World of Not Knowing What the Hell's Going On."

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 04:31:47 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author divad23 - "Good things come to those who wait." It's a mantra that seasoned Lost fans have learned to adopt, because due to all of the twists and turns of this juggernaut TV series that inspires such rabid devotion (and equally passionate frustration) from...