Ke$ha- "Animal"

Warning: This blog contains heavy amounts of sexually explicit subjects.

We all knew this was going to happen sooner or later. I have been meaning to review Ke$ha for quite some time but I have been busy taking people's requests. Today I am looking at "Animal," Ke$ha's debut album that took the music world by storm in a controversial way. This is where the catchy but childish "Take it Off", the controversial "Blah Blah Blah", and the okay "Your Love is my Drug" came from. Understand I do not really like Ke$ha's music, and I did my best to not to just insult Ke$ha the entire review. However, I did not hold back my opinions either. Also, just a warning I am also going to get a little preachy about what gender equality actually means later on in this review.

Title: Animal
Year: 2009
Genre: Pop, Hip Hop, Dance, Techno, Playground Music
Artist(s): Ke$ha
Copyright: © 2010 RCA Records, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment

Songs:

1. Your Love is My Drug-

This song opens up sounding like a happier version of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face." Ke$ha's unique vocals soon enter afterwards sounding somewhat intoxicated. In this song Ke$ha is madly in love with a dude with a beard, although from the sounds of it, it's more of an extremely unhealthy obsession with the bearded man. Hence, he is her drug. The build up to the chorus picks up nicely, and the chorus is the most enjoyable of part of this song. The song has an intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, and outro. What is interesting about this song is how catchy the chorus is and how the synthesizer actually sounds half decent. Overall, a catchy chorus but nothing otherwise noteworthy with way too much slurring and being off pitch on the vocal phrases. 2 out of 5 stars.

2. Tik Tok-

The song opens up with Ke$ha sounding smashed again and very 8-bit-era-Nintendo style keyboard parts and eventually builds up to the rest of the song. This song is basically saying that Ke$ha loves to party, drink lots of Jack Daniels Whiskey, and hates being hit on by drunk guys, although she enjoys the attention. She also likes dudes who look like Mick Jagger, which probably makes a lot of sense if you're really drunk. There is an intro, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre bridge, bridge, and an outro. What makes this song interesting is the fact that the chorus is very catchy, the bridge is enjoyable, and the way the instruments come in one after another. Overall, this song has potential but Ke$ha's drunk, computerized, pitch shifting vocals break the song and steal that potential away. 2 out of 5 stars.

3. Take it Off-

The song opens up on Ke$ha using a synthesizer voice box to a playground/ stereotypical Egyptian melody from the 70's, you know the "There's a place in France where the Alligators dance" melody. After the intro we are treated to a very annoying late 2000s techno bass line in the left speaker and Ke$ha singing with reverb and pitch shifting in the right speaker. This song is about strip clubs and the lude things go on there especially in the back of the club, drinking, and Ke$ha being proud of her life style choices. The glitter is also a reference to the strippers. There is an intro, verse, chorus, bridge, keyboard "solo", second bridge with "oooh" lyrics, and an outro. What is noteworthy in this song was the idea of using the playground melody, the male backing vocalists, and the drums at the outro. Overall, this song had a somewhat creative premise but Ke$ha's drunk singing and the annoying techno bass line that never stops makes this song very hard to listen too. The lyrical content fails to carry any real creativity. 1 out of 5 stars.

4. Kiss N' Tell-

This song opens up with some simplistic synthesizer playing followed by a drum set and Ke$ha's voice. Her voice sounds comparatively better than before. Ke$ha has found out her boyfriend cheated on her through his friends and she is royally pissed at him. She proceeds to call him a "slut", but then ironically says later she would prefer a man that was more well hung anyways. This song has an intro, verse, a terrible sounding pre-chorus, a lively chorus, a sickly sounding bridge, a post-bridge, and a final chorus with Ke$ha harmonizing with herself multiple times as the outro. What makes this song interesting is... the chorus I guess. The rest of the song doesn't know what style it wants to be and is very lacking at being listenable. Overall, it has a catchy chorus but some parts like the pre-chorus, bridge, and the confusing lyrical content really drag it down. 1 out of 5 stars.

5. Stephen-

The song opens up with Ke$ha attempting to sound like a barbershop quartet, but falls short because she is off pitch at parts. The intro continues until Ke$ha talks and has an echo on the synth voice box that seriously, to quote Todd in the Shadows of ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com, "sounds like a chainsaw going through a Pacman machine" and the verse starts up. Ke$ha is obsessed with a boy named Stephen and wants to steal him away from his current girlfriend. She keeps asking him to call her and later in the song blatantly states that she wants Steven to to be the object of her affections and wishes to "wrap" him in her love. With that in mind he is likely not calling her because she is acting like a stalker. There is an interesting but terrible intro, a verse with really bad valley girl singing, a somewhat pleasant but auto-tune driven chorus, a bridge with bad singing and a very narcissistic emotion to it, and a drunk sounding outro. What makes this song interesting is that this song has a lot of harmonies in it, but none of them are that great. Again, the chorus is catchy but in a bad way because it will creep up on you at random times of the day and beat you over the head. Overall, this song has interesting ideas but the creepy and narcissistic lyrics, off pitch singing, and bad harmonizing ruin it. 1 out of 5 stars.

6. Blah Blah Blah (Ft. 30H!3)-

Ahh, my least favorite song by any artist ever. The song starts off on Ke$ha sighing, then constantly "singing" the phrase "blah blah blah" until the verse starts. In this song Ke$ha is telling a guy she meets at the bar to just shut up and let her screw his brains out. 30H!3 is saying that Ke$ha is full of herself and they are more important. I believe they all agree to a one night three way. -This is where the preaching comes in, playing on where "Stephen" left off: One, I am opposed to sexual objectification such as this in any form, male or female. Two, objectifying men will only give men more right to objectify women. Three, revenge is never the answer. And four, this is not the true road to achieving gender equality.- Now that the preaching is done, this song has an annoying and awful intro, an okay verse, a bad pre-chorus, the worst chorus I've heard in music before, one reason of which is because I know Ke$ha doesn't really have a Boston accent. There is also a mediocre bridge from 30H!3 with a TERRIBLE and grammatically incorrect ending, and a repetitive outro with the keyboard constantly playing the same lick it has been playing through out the song. There is absolutely nothing interesting about this song. Overall, this song is sexist, obnoxious, poorly written with bad singing and instrumentation, and a nightmare inducing experience. I'm giving this negative points. -5 out of 5 stars.

7. Hungover-

This song opens up drums reminiscent of Kanye West's "Jesus Walk With Me." Ke$ha soon comes in sounding actually like a good singer albeit with some weird phrases. Ke$ha has woken up from a party where she met a guy she really liked but he used her for a one night stand. She can't stop thinking about him and she can't tell if she misses him or if she is just hung over. This probably ties back to all of the Jack references and is so far her most human song on the album. There is an intro, a verse, a very beautiful chorus, a verse with weird echoes, an emotional bridge, an small interlude, and fitting outro. What makes this song interesting is the fact that Ke$ha stays on pitch 98% of the time, and only is off pitch in her backing vocals. The harmonizing actually works, and the instruments in the background actually create a convincing emotional setting with a lot of movement. Overall, a very human song that proves that Ke$ha can write good songs and makes me wonder why Ke$ha couldn't write more songs like this. It's also a nice way to forget about "Blah Blah Blah." 4 out of 5 stars.

8. Party at a Rich Dude's House-

We get a very mid 90's rock opening with where the drums come in first, and then a distorted guitar can be heard. Ke$ha keeps singing until there is a break and then the chorus comes in. Ke$ha abandons the humanity from the previous song in exchange for more crazy partying where she urinates in a salad bowl and throws up in a closet, has sex with a guy, and loses her coat all at a rich dude's house. We get a good intro, an okay verse, a very Katy Perry style chorus, a hilarious interlude where Ke$ha sings "da na na na" over the guitar like Beavis and Butt-Head would do, a short pre-chorus, an okay bridge with bad lyrics, an annoying hip-hop interlude, a keyboard "solo" which totally should have been a guitar solo, and a final chorus as the outro. What is interesting in this song is the rock intro and the "da na na na" part which was very over the top. Overall, this piece had a little potential but the lyrics and the rapping, but the lack of a guitar solo destroyed that potential. It was also a tasteless follow up to "Hungover." 2 out of 5 stars.

9. Backstabber-

This song starts off a little bit like a salsa song with a trumpet but soon turns into a generic late 2000s pop techno song with singing where Ke$ha sounds asleep and angry at the same time. In this song one of Ke$ha's friend has spread lies about her personal life. Ke$ha calls her friend a backstabber and tells her that everyone Ke$ha knows thinks she is a lunatic. There is an interesting intro, a boring verse, a boring chorus, a boring bridge, a somewhat interesting chorus, and an outro with Ke$ha's signature drunk vocals. What made this song interesting was the use of the trumpet and the "everybody knows it" backing lyric Ke$ha sang. Unfortunately the trumpet just played the same five notes at different parts in the song which probably means that they recorded it once and played it multiple times. You know, that must have been fun for the trumpet player. In fact they have probably recorded each part once and repeated through out this entire album. Overall, this song has interesting ideas but yet again they are poorly executed as the song is supposed to represent anger, but Ke$ha sounds asleep half the time. This was also lazily put together in the studio. 1 out of 5 stars.

10. Blind-

The opening is vaguely reminiscent of "Paper Planes" by M.I.A. It remains just as silly but turns into a weirder song with the synthesizer and Ke$ha's Katy Perry/Akon style singing. Yet again one of Ke$ha's boyfriends has cheated on her, this time she is calling him blind because he doesn't know that he is hurting her. Ke$ha says she will not miss him. We get an intro, a verse, a pre-chorus, and a very good chorus that hits home the frustration and message of the song perfectly. The bridge is okay, and the final chorus until Ke$ha sings A'capella and I can hear the rough and mucous heavy timbre of her voice. What makes this song interesting is the correct emoting, the strong chorus, and the workable transition from silly to powerful. The song is weak everywhere else starting off with the silly intro, and then Ke$ha's drunken vocals holding back the song's potential. Overall, a decent song set back by Ke$ha's off key singing. 3 out of 5 stars.

11. Dinosaur-

The song opens up with a dinosaur roaring, then it turns into a song very similar to the "bananas" part in "Holla Back Girl" by Gwen Stefani with the same annoying rapping and drums except this one has the obnoxious "bonus" of very annoying filtered auto tune backing vocals. Ke$ha is being hit on by a creepy old dude, and is calling him an old man through out the ENTIRE song. He is creepy, but there comes a point where you're just being rude. There is eventually an interlude with a whistling solo. There is an annoying opening, an annoying verse, a surprising voice whistle with the WORST auto tuned laughing I have ever heard in my life, a bridge with Ke$ha harmonizing over the whistling with terrible backing vocals by Ke$ha, a crappy rap interlude, and a mediocre chorus as the finale. The ONLY thing that makes this song interesting is the whistling section, which is reminiscent of seeing a peanut in a turd. This song sounds like "You Spin me Round (Like a Record Baby)" by Dead or Alive mixed with "Holla Back Girl." It is more annoying than "Friday" and "Whip My Hair" combined, and it has the attitude of a child on a playground going "nyah nyah nyah na na nyah." The vocals are especially horrendous with notes that are auto tuned off pitch ON PURPOSE, the singing even manages to be worse than "Blah Blah Blah." I can sympathize because there are a lot of creeps in the world, but Ke$ha should remember the rule of being respectful to the elderly. Overall, this song is the true musical embodiment of S-H-I-Z-N-A-T!!! -6 out of 5 stars.

12. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes-

This song opens up sounding like someone broke Akon's voice box and rewound it, but soon turns into a 30 Seconds to Mars song with Ke$ha sounding depressed and feeling like she can't go on. In an "ironic" twist it seems that Ke$ha has destroyed the love of her life by either cheating on him or lying too much. Ke$ha now feels her life is over because she has lost him. It has a funny intro, a mellow dramatic verse, a sleepy sounding pre-chorus, a pause, a generic 2009 break up song chorus, an okay bridge with annoying backing vocals, a terrible voice echo interlude, a random pause and then another mellow dramatic chorus with what sounds like a keyboard being forced quit. What makes this song sort of interesting was the bridge. Everything else is generic and badly emoted. Overall, this song is boring , not a good followup to Dinosaur, and sucks even more when compared to "Hung Over." 1 out of 5 stars.

13. Boots & Boys-

I am running out of patience here, the music is just too awful. No one who writes a song like "Dinosaur" deserves to be taken seriously. In this song Ke$ha says she loves both boots and boys, especially the cowboy kind. This song sounds like if Tim Curry sang a techno funk song. The singing is horrible. Plus there is a solo where the keyboard sounds like it is going to self destruct. Overall, this song is crappy. 1 out of 5 stars.

14. Animal-

There is actual piano in this song. It sounds like a late 90s love song. The singing had potential but Ke$ha's tone deafness has ruined it. The chorus is catchy, as always. Ke$ha is asking the man that she is interested in to have sex with her before the night is over because he seems timid. Overall the song is okay, but too mellow dramatic and shows Ke$ha can't decide what sound she wants for her self. 2 out of 5 stars.

Audio Mixing:

The audio mixing is overly compressed making all of the higher pitched instruemnts louder. That is the problem, why would anyone want make Ke$ha's voice audible? Also I despise Auto Tune, it is like sports steroids for singers. Anyone who relies on Auto Tune either is tone deaf or is a quitter. Also auto tuning out of pitch isn't "experimental", it's stupid and obnoxious!

Singing:

Ke$ha can't sing, she shows signs of potential but her style is awful and hard to understand. Her voice is very mucus heavy and throaty, she slurs too much, and plays with auto tune like a five year old. The bad harmonizing is also half the reason this album suffers.

Lyrics:

The lyrics are good and bad because they are easy to understand, but mainly poorly written about crappy subjects.

Instrumentation:

The instrumentation is the other reason the album suffers, because it is just a random mediocre keyboard player stealing all the attention while the other instruments provide static support, especially that trumpet player from "Back Stabber". I would complain that there is no bass guitar and only a synthesizer doing low notes, but that just means every bass player in LA was spared from being credited for this atrocity. Only the choruses and some of the bridges were good, but that is because Ke$ha has been a song writer all of her life and as such I am also granting her the title of "master of psychological warfare."

What I didn't like:

EVERYTHING except "Hungover".

What I did like:

"Hungover" proves that Ke$ha COULD write good songs but chooses to write this tripe instead.

Who would enjoy this album:

Whatever amount of fans Ke$ha has left.

Overall: This album had potential but it was ruined by poor editing, writing, playing, and singing. Plus there were some fishy similarities to other songs on this album that were all over the place. I hate this album so much, I would rather hear Rebecca Black, Nick Jonas, and Pete Wentz do a collaboration album then ever listen to this embodiment of arrogance and trash, and I used to pray for the end of Wentz's career as a musician and "bass player." Next week I am going to through a spiritual cleansing with "Quadrophenia" by The Who on my Requests Blog. Now if you excuse me, I need to listen to jazz and heavy metal to get this crap out of my head.

Rating: *

No music videos today. This album was so bad we need Keyboard Cat to save us.

Play Ke$ha off Keyboard Cat!

Special Request: Julian Casablancas "Phrazes for The Young"

I am doing another request this week, and it is very different from my previous two. I am vaguely familiar with The Strokes and I like what I have heard of their music, and I also like Julian Casablancas's voice and single "11th Dimension" so this should be an interesting experience. Please understand I am not going to compare this album to The Strokes as I feel the styles are very different.

Title: Phrazes For The Young
Year: 2009
Genre: Pop, Alternative
Artist(s): Julian Casablancas
Copyright: © 2009 RCA/Jive Label Group, a unit of SONY Music Company.

Songs:

1. Out of The Blue-

This song starts off very oddly with techno synth playing, until it fades away and gets replaced with guitars and Casablancas comes in shortly after with the lyrics.I believe that in this song the singer is talking to his current girlfriend about his past actions, saying how revenge twisted him to become careless and that he knows he is going to hell for hurting people that didn't deserve his actions and now lives an empty life with his girlfriend being a stripper. He also muses that the people who deserved the revenge would not have understood it and that when people's roles are reversed so are their opinions. The verses sound very careless and happy to offset the lyrics nicely. The chorus is much brighter sounding representing the character's love for his girlfriend. Throughout the song we get little solos and melodies played alongside Casablancas to help emphasize his point. This song has a nice balance and trade-off in emotions and sounds. Overall, a bit of a long song to analyze but definitely a nice song to listen to. 5 out of 5 stars.


2. Left & Right in The Dark-

This song starts off very mellow and happy with a synthesizer and drums, and even breathing noises for the intro. Eventually the lyrics come in with a matter of fact but calm emotion and tonality. I believe in this song Casablancas is saying it doesn't matter where you are from or what background you have, time catches up to all of us eventually, meaning we are all mortal so you might as well live life to the fullest instead of wasting it. The verses are pretty calm with little embellishments from the guitar. When the choruses come in things get much faster and heavier with a more exciting sound to emphasize living life to the fullest which comes out best when Casablancas sings "wake up". Through out the song the synth and lead guitar trade off playing between Casablancas to help bring greater movement to the song, and Casablancas himself delivers the climax with his voice alongside the guitars. At the end there is a sudden volume swell that is slightly abrupt but is a welcome surprise. Overall, a fun little piece to listen to with a nice message to it. 5 out of 5 stars.


3. 11th Dimension-

This is the only single off this album, and we will try to see why. The song opens up on a catchy bass line with a very 80s style synth playing the rhythm track. The emotion in this song that comes to my mind is mellow but serious. In this song Casablancas is telling us that it isn't right to try and find yourself in other people, and that doing so will only end up hurting you. Instead, believe in yourself and try to have patience and forgiveness for your enemies. The chorus is much more exciting with Casablancas letting people know how they should treat their enemies and be happy with who they are. What makes this song interesting is how the synth takes over in place of the guitar, how the guitar adds extra feel to the music at parts, and the amazing synth solo that is nicely built up to and is followed by an equally good bridge with a very serious emotion to it. Overall, the song has a lot of replay value and is very catchy with a great message to it, even if Casablancas is somewhat nasally. It also acts as a nice 80s throwback. 5 out of 5 stars.


4. 4 Chords of the Apocalypse-

This song starts off very much like an old Gospel song, very mellow and calming which contrasts nicely with the meaning of the lyrics. I believe that in this song Casablancas is telling the story of a couple who argue often and aren't right for each other, so they agree to break up. One partner is happy to be free but the other misses their ex. There are also references to John Lennon and Rocky Horror respectively with the lyrics "war is over" and "time Warp." In the verse things remain calm, but in the chorus things get heavier with distorted guitars and turn funnier and more aggressive. What makes this song special is how quickly things change between calm and angry, Casablancas emoting with his singing, and the first true guitar solo on the album so far. Overall, this piece starts off calm and becomes more intense over time and has good emoting behind it. 5 out of 5 stars.


5. Ludlow Street-

This song starts off with what I believe to be traditional native American instruments playing with what sounds like the experience of being drunk and depressed. The song quickly changes to a more western sounding song followed by the lyrics. This song is a commentary on how European settlers stole away Native American lands, on how much they party and happy they are with the land along with many other cultures they got while most Natives are depressed and drink to forget about how horribly their land was stolen. Casablancas drinks heavily because he knows that the issue over the land will never be solved. The verses are steady and bare drunken anger from Casablancas, the choruses are a little bit happier with louder drums and louder singing. There is also a banjo solo that sounds pretty nice. What makes this song special is the solo, how nicely Casablancas can sound like an angry drunk, albeit with better singing, the banjo solo along with the louder bass and drums, and the overall feel of the song delivering the message. Overall, a very enjoyable song with yet another good message. 5 out of 5 stars.


6. River of Brakelights-

This song starts off like a heavy angry techno song. After a lot of thought it seems this song again plays on the mortality theme, but also seems to imply that life in a city can crush people's dreams from when they were young, turning them old before they can reach their goals. The verses sound like the intro, the pre-choruses are much calmer but repetitive, followed by a climatic chorus. What makes this song special is how easily Casablancas managed to switch all the part together, the interesting dissonant synth solo, the catchy pre-chorus, the emoting Casablancas has here, and how the climax first builds up and then breaks down randomly twice and then stops suddenly. Overall, a very abstract but fun song to listen to with an overall nice sound to it. 5 out of 5 stars.

7. Glass-

This song starts off very oddly with synth sounds and a chorus of whistles, and then Casablancas comes in with very happy sounding music that turns tragic rather quickly. From what I can gather a married couple are talking to each other, and let's say the mafia is coming to kill the husband and he is telling his wife she will be safe behind bulletproof glass. In the later verses it seems the couple are talking. The wife knows secrets that the mafia doesn't want to know, and it is later revealed that the mob boss who sent out his goons wants the wife for himself. The verses get progressively sadder, and the choruses get even more dramatic. What makes this song special is the interesting whistling melodies, Casablancas' very sad vocals where he shows off his higher range, and the most fittingly dramatic guitar solo on the album. Overall, this piece is very powerful but also still happy, and serves as an interesting contrast. 5 out of 5 stars.

8. Tourist-

This song starts off serious, reminiscent of a late Johny Cash song in terms of the guitar playing. In this song Casablancas is talking to a love interest commenting that he feels like a tourist everywhere and that the world will soon be nothing but cities, but when he is with his lover he always feels at home. The verses are serious and very Cash like, but the choruses sound happier with more playing from the synth changing the texture to being happier representing Casablancas love for his partner. What makes this song special is the overall sad feel and switch to happiness, the dual solo from the guitars that changes to a heavier dual solo, and the trumpet used for the climax at the end. Overall, a good song with nice switch of emotion, but tends to drag a lot being the second longest song on the album at 5:03 and not as interesting as "River of Brakelights". 3 out of 5 stars.


9. Old Hollywood-

This song starts off in a very techno style with the emotion of wonderment behind it. After careful deliberation with the I believe the lyrics tell of how often people argue and are influenced by things like television. Casablancas is also commenting that men settle arguments with violence, while women settle them with venom and backstabbing, which is very true. The song is asking for people to stop arguing with each other over what they believe. The verses are slow and laid back but pick up in pace, while the choruses have more layers but keep the same pace as the verses. What makes this song special is the guitar and keyboard duet panned in the left and right speakers, the interesting texture of darkness throughout the song, and how this song uses a little to accomplish a lot. Overall, a nice break from the previous song and very thought provoking and somewhat reminiscent of Depeche Mode's "Stripped". 5 out of 5 stars.

10. 30 Minute Boyfriend-

The song starts off yet again like a Depeche Mode song, very sleazy and like something wrong is going on. The lyrics in this song tell of a girl who had a one night stand with her friend hence cheating on her boyfriend. The girl talks with her boyfriend and he is afraid that she will become what other people think of her, which I assume means that they think she is a whore. The boyfriend wants to spend time with her, but she doesn't want to be with him anymore so she dumps him. The verses are sleazy, but the choruses have a sense of longing like the boyfriend is talking to the girlfriend. What makes this song interesting is the synth solo that puts out the emotion of the song well, Casablancas's emoting, and the overall sound of the song that captures the better elements of dark techno music. Overall, a pretty solid techno song. 5 out of 5 stars.


11. I Wish it Was Christmas Today-

This song is pretty much made of most Christmas music standards, vaguely reminiscent of the Beach Boys "The Baron" except more New Wave and enjoyable. The lyrics in this song are pretty much what the title suggests, and I am not going to bother going into them because this is a joke song from Saturday Night Live. The verses are calmer, while the choruses show how excited Casablancas is in his wish. What makes this song special is how enjoyable the twin guitar solo is again being in both speakers, the jam session after the solo, and the loud bass in the climax to the sound of sleigh bells. Overall, a quick and very enjoyable little Christmas style song. 5 out of 5 stars.


Audio Mixing:

The mixing on this album is pretty good in how well most instruments can be heard. There is nothing immensely over-powering. My only complaints are that the bass is underpowered in most parts, and for a while I wasn't sure if it was there. It is in the mix, it's just very quiet and is replaced by the synth often and Casablancas voice can be hard to hear at times in certain songs because of how low he sings, like "11th Dimension" and "Ludlow Street". Otherwise the mixing is good, just not as good as "The Wall."

Singing:

Casabalncas has a fairly wide range, being able to sing Baritone, Tenor, and Bass parts without the cursed program auto tune. His singing is nasally and his words are hard to hear at parts, but I liken this to the fact that he has a very noticeable Spanish accent. Casablancas is also very good at emoting for what he sings. His best vocals were in "Glass", "Ludlow Street", "Out of the Blue", "Tourist", and "11th Dimension." Casablancas has a good voice and knows how to use it pretty well.

Instrumentation:

Three words, fitting and diverse. The Instrumentation borrows from a lot of standards and different artists but is performed uniquely. He often solos two instruments at once, and has the synth and guitar trade places for different songs. The instrumentation also reflects the emotions of the lyrics well in most cases and has a very enjoyable sound to them.

What I didn't like:

I disliked how much "Tourist" dragged on, which especially didn't help as I had a headache while reviewing that song.

What I did like:

The album has a nice sound to it and is fun to listen to over time. It has a nice pace and has some very enjoyable songs.


Who would enjoy this album:

Fans of Depeche Mode, Gospel, Johnny Cash, New Wave, and possibly the Beach Boys as the surfer rock vibe is still there from The Strokes. I think fans of The Strokes could go either way on this album as it is very different from The Strokes music.

Overall:

This is a solid first album, with good songs, fairly good lyrics, and songs with wide range of influences. Only one song really drags on, otherwise this album is very solid and enjoyable. Next week I am going to finally resume my other blog and review Ke$ha's first album.

Rating: ****

11th Dimension Official Video: