fun. - "Aim and Ignite"

fun. - Aim and Ignite
2009, Nettwerk

1. Be Calm
2. Benson Hedges
3. All the Pretty Girls
4. I Wanna Be the One
5. At Least I'm Not as Sad (As I Used to Be)
6. Light a Roman Candle With Me
7. Walking the Dog
8. Barlights
9. The Gambler
10. Take Your Time (Coming Home)

I really don't know what to say about fun. Well... here goes nothin'. I was originally introduced to fun. by my buddy Uvulapie. He sent me a link to the band's quirky single (and video) "Walking the Dog." I got the album expecting more of that (and there is to an extent) but what I mostly got was something that I'd never really heard before. I guess I'd call it...um... New York City/Broadway/Coffe House pop. Some songs (like the opener "Be Calm" and the closer "Take Your Time") almost sound a bit like showtunes. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just trying to describe it. "The Gambler," a poignant piano ballad, is quite possibly one of the most beautiful songs I've heard in a long time. The lyrics are amazing - telling the story of a couple's life together. Don't know why it's called "The Gambler" though.

Useless Fact: fun. has become pretty trendy lately. A song from their newest album, Some Nights, was featured on Glee ("We Are Young" to be exact).

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - "And In This Corner..."

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - And In This Corner...
1989, Jive

1. Then She Bit Me
2. I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson
3. Jazzy's Groove
4. Everything That Glitters (Ain't Always Gold)
5. You Got It (Donut)
6. The Girlie Had a Mustache
7. The Reverend
8. Who Stole My Car?
9. The Men of Your Dreams
10. Numero Uno
11. Too Damn Hype
12. Jeff Waz On the Beat Box

After the smashing success of He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, the duo put out this album the very next year. However, I never really heard much from it. I think I saw "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson" a grand total of one time on MTV. And In This Corner... didn't match the previous album. This album focuses a little more on wacky stories and such a la "Parents Just Don't Understand." "Then She Bit Me" immediately recalls the creepy vibe of "Nightmare on My Street" but instead of an amusing horror rap it's filled with non-sequiturs and lame rhymes and almost none of it makes sense. It's really annoying and not the way you want to start an album. Also, I think Will Smith flows better when he's just plain rapping instead of telling a story. As a result, while this album is full of old school fun, I don't quite like it as much. The group took some time off after this one to regroup and came back in a big way with Homebase later.

Useless Fact: Well... there's that "Too Damn Hype" song I was talking about but it's completely different from the one I mentioned in my other review. I STILL don't know where I heard that song. Heck, I'm starting to think I imagined it.

3 - "The End is Begun"

3 - The End is Begun
2008, Metal Blade

1. The World is Born of Flame
2. The End is Begun
3. Battle Cry
4. All That Remains
5. My Divided Falling
6. Serpents in Disguise
7. Been to the Future
8. Bleeding Me Home
9. Live Entertainment
10. Diamond in the Crush
11. Shadow Play
12. These Iron Bones
13. The Last Day
Bonus Track
14. See Emily Play

The End is Begun is another fantastic album by 3. Though it's the only album with a couple songs I was apathetic about. For some reason "Battle Cry" and "Bleeding Me Home" didn't really do anything for me. The rest of the disc is rock solid. I love this band. I did manage to score the special edition of this album which includes a DVD. It has three live songs ("Monster/Bramfatura," "Amaze Disgrace," and "Bramfatura")on it and two music videos ("All That Remains" and "Alien Angel").

Useless Fact: The normal edition of this CD has the band's name spelled out ("Three") versus just using the number like they normally do.

PFR - "Them"

PFR - Them
1996, Sparrow

1. Pour Me Out
2. Daddy Never Cried
3. Anything
4. Fight
5. Line of Love
6. Ordinary Day
7. Tried to Tell Her
8. Face to Face
9. Them
10. Kingdom Smile
11. Say
12. Garden

When it originally came out, Them was billed as PFR's "heavier, edgier" album. And it is - for the the first two songs. "Pour Me Out" and "Daddy Never Cried" are definitely some of the hardest stuff they'd done. The vocalists can't quite grasp the raspy-type vocals as the guy sounds like Cartman from South Park on "Daddy Never Cried." The rest of the album, though, is pretty standard PFR. This is not a bad thing. It's just as pleasant to listen to as any of their other discs.

Useless Fact: The band put out a greatest hits album before breaking up for awhile. They also released another album some time later called Disappear.

Carman - "The Champion"

Carman - The Champion
1988, Benson

1. Prepare to Die
2. Abundance of Rain
3. Revive Us, Oh Lord
4. A Little Bit More Conviction
5. It Happened to Me
6. The Destination is There
7. Fear Not My Child
8. Love Can
9. The Champion

I've already written a little bit about this album over at my other blog when I was doing my 30 Days of Nintendo series. My aunt and uncle gave me The Champion for Christmas the same year I got my Nintendo. They were trying to get me into Christian music because at the time I was grooving to Metallica's ...And Justice For All. They were the same relatives that would hate Tourniquet years later. So my cousin and I sat in my grandma's computer room and listened to Carman. She was unimpressed (her favorite band was Skid Row). Surprisingly, I liked it. I still do somewhat - the fast songs anyway. Carman's ballads are about as captivating as listening to grass grow. He's still cheesy though. I literally laughed out loud at points. I distinctly remember my dad yelling at me while I listened to this and played Super Mario Bros. The part in "A Little Bit More Conviction" where Carman sings about two brothers going to a "sexy movie show" caused my father to yell, "WHAT KIND OF TRASH ARE YOU LISTENING TO!?" Of course, this is the same man who thought Bride's "Hell No" was about Vietnam.

Useless Fact: Carman starred in a movie called The Champion. The only thing I know about that movie is that Carman totally makes out with an ex-Mexican soap star. I have GOT to see that movie.