[quote="aukm0el"][quote="[Mr. Lostman]"][quote="AlucardX24"]Oh my God, I just thought about it and...

I haven't heard one Oh Yeah in this album. [/quote]

Other than those prominent ones in Tokyo Bambi and PIED PIPER? [/quote]

And those few but significant ones in Last Holiday?[/quote]

AlucardX24 gets owned.

This is a review for the album I did for Electric Sista Hood:

http://www.electricsistahood.com/review ... -pied.html

I know the Beatles/Pixies comparison has kind of run its course, but those two bands are what I think of when I hear Sawao & Co.

I listened to it a couple more times, and it still sticks to me like glue . Though I do wish they put another song on there instead of "Across the metropolis" .

^To be honest... I didn't really like that review at all.

It was too brief... and I don't like how it said all of the hardcore fans were waiting for the pillows to return to their "older sound". That's not necessarily true for all hardcore fans...

I've finally got some time, so as I sit here with my laptop in front of a fan, I'ma put on the album and give it a full run through. Review to come.

Pied Piper-Not bad. A nice opening track, the bends really make it such. It's like they're leading up to something. I'ma say 8.5/10.
New Animal-This one I'm pretty familiar with by now. The bass is really awesome. I like the harmonies. I liek how the first verse is spoken and the second is classic Sawao. The chorus is great. It's an old song by now but it's still awesome. The solo is great. 9/10
No Surrender-Honestly I didn't expect to like the song as much as I did. The intro was kinda lackluster. When they say No Surrender however, it has me won. The chorus is great. I like the . The No Surrender after the solo is just sex. The part at the end of the song that is the intro sounds a lot better by the end. It's wierd. Great song though. 8.5/10
Last Holiday-Awsum. The solo is awesome. The melody is amazing. Great track. When everything cools down for a sec and its just Sawo and a little instrumentation it's awesome, and the i don't even know what to call it at the end of that part is very remniscient of Fool On The Planet. I like how it really picks up at the end and finishes hard too. Great stuff. 9.5/10
Tokyo Zombie-What is there to say? It's just wierd. It's plain wierd. And SO cool. Crazy stuff. The main riff that it starts with is just so odd. But so good. I like the part that is the guitar in the right ear with chorus. Sounds great. I'ma say 8.5/10
Across the Metropolis-Having not bought the TB single, I haven't heard this song yet. It was a great surprise. You guys were saying it shouldn't be on the album and such, I thought it was gonna be a sleeper. I loved it. Has a great layed back feel, the chorus has a very retro feel, I feel like I've it sounds like something, but I can't think of it. Either way, great song. 9/10
Purrple Apple-Great stuff. Lovin the bass. The claps are catchy. The guitar part is reggae-ish, in the verse at least. THe 2nd Sawao in the verse is...yeah...wonder how they'd work that out live? Manabe or someone might do it. Anyway, great chorus, love it a lot. The whistle solo is pretty great too. Ha, 8.75/10
Tokyo Bambi- Like New Animal, but even more so, I know thise one by now. I loved it then and I love it now. The bass is great, the chorus is amazing, and the solo is pretty cool. The Oh yeahs really make it. 9/10
Ladybird Girl-This one is pretty familiar as well. I didn't get the single, but I have yuotube'd it a bit. Contrary to a lot of opinions I've seen, I love it. I love the chorus. I really like the whole thing. The guitar lines are really great and the solo is cool. 9/10
That's a Wonderful World-I LOVE it. Has an amazing feel to it. Goes all over the place, gives me tons of different vibes. I'm in love. 9.75/10

Shitcock, I just realized Poison Rock and Roll didn't come through. I'll have to get it.
Overall, I love this album. I wouldn't say best album since TYMT or whatever you all are saying, because I personally loved My Foot. I'd say it gives it fair competition, very possibly even beating it. Great stuff. I love the bass on this album. It's all over the place, really great to listen to.

Overall album score: 8.95, weighted score of a 9/10. Great job.

arent numbers just a tad arbitrary?

[quote="MyFoot"]
Across the Metropolis-Having not bought the TB single, I haven't heard this song yet. It was a great surprise. You guys were saying it shouldn't be on the album and such, I thought it was gonna be a sleeper. I loved it. Has a great layed back feel, the chorus has a very retro feel, I feel like I've it sounds like something, but I can't think of it. Either way, great song. 9/10
[/quote]

across the metropolis is based off of the beatles across the universe

"Nothins gonna change you world"

but i like the pillows version better lol

[quote="zfalcon43"][quote="MyFoot"]
Across the Metropolis-Having not bought the TB single, I haven't heard this song yet. It was a great surprise. You guys were saying it shouldn't be on the album and such, I thought it was gonna be a sleeper. I loved it. Has a great layed back feel, the chorus has a very retro feel, I feel like I've it sounds like something, but I can't think of it. Either way, great song. 9/10
[/quote]

across the metropolis is based off of the beatles across the universe

"Nothins gonna change you world"

but i like the pillows version better lol[/quote]

Yeah I got that referance quickly. I was more specifically referring to the repeat of 'Nothing's gonna change'. It sounded remniscient of something...

so far poison rock'n'roll is the song thats sticking strongest of the tracks we didnt hear before release.

I'M NOT CONSIDERATE MAN

[quote]AlucardX24 gets owned.[/quote]

Damn! I need to listen more carefully.

[quote="omnistry"]http://www.electricsistahood.com/reviews/2008/06/king-baby-ducks-j-volution-pillows-pied.html[/quote]

I'll just point a few things out here...
"The title track is quite the hip-shaker": Uhhh, the beat of Pied Piper's verses is one of the most undanceable things the pillows have recorded in recent memory. And really, "hip shaker?" Is that really an everyday term for you?

"'Last Holiday,' another track that would’ve fit with the band’s Big Four, just about matches up with 'One Life'": BLASPHEMY. It's good, but nowhere near One Life good.

"with 'One Life' as one of their most beautiful and lighter-in-the-air-inducing ballads.": I have no idea what you are trying to convey with the phrase "lighter-in-the-air-inducing".

"'Across the metropolis,' a B-side from the 'Tokyo Bambi' single is the only real misstep in this album; though the Beatles homage in the chorus is kind of nice.": This is your opinion, fine, but you may want to justify it somehow. Is it a misstep because they decided to include a b-side on the album? Is it a misstep because you didn't like the song? Is it a misstep because it screwed up the pacing of the album? Saying things like: "This was bad, but sort of nice I guess" doesn't convey much at all.

"'Purple Apple,' the album’s first English song, doesn’t make much sense; but its happy-go-lucky beat makes it quite the enjoyable track.": Nitpicking, incorrect semi-colon usage.

"'Tokyo Bambi'...is a poppy ditty.": Poppy ditty? Hip-shaker? How are your dentures holding up, omnistry?

"'That’s a wonderful song,' which is dedicated to their friends Hermit...": 1) Title, 2) Hermit is a guy.

"'Poison Rock’n’Roll,' the album’s other English track. It starts off soft, and then goes into a riff...": Uh, POISON ROCK'N'ROLL had no noticeable riffs to speak of...We listening to the same song?

Style wise, I'd just say that you're really clinging to a track-by-track rundown of the album, and that sort of hurts the review. Reviews are generally written for people who don't already own the album and want to know if its worth the money. Readers generally aren't asking: "So how was track 1? Ah, alright. So how was track 2? Ok. So how was track 3? Hm. So how was track 4? Oh really? So how was track 5? Sounds great. So...etc."
Consider taking a more broad approach - hit the highs and the lows (track-wise), but try to focus on the general sound of the album. The flow of it. How cohesive it is. What musical developments you can hear - has the guitar work changed? How are Sawao's vocals holding up? How does it stack up sound-wise to their most recent albums? You may want to mention any other characteristics, such as, oh I dunno...the extremely short running time of this album.

A short little summary of each track is pretty superficial. In the end, readers have taken away the fact that you enjoyed it, and that you think many of the songs are pretty good. What does that mean for them? Not much. Someone can tell me a song by Slayer has a killer chorus, tons of badass riffs and a solid beat...but until I get more detail or actually listen to the song, I won't know it's death metal. Which I pretty much loathe.

Also, I just want to mention this statement: "[Pied Piper (the album)] will also put smiles on the older fans that have been waiting for their classic sound to return. That wait has ended."

Really now? You'd consider Pied Piper to be a return to the pillows' "classic sound"?
Now before you hit that quote button to defend yourself, let's define a few things:
1) Let's not automatically tie "Classic sound" with "high quality stuff I/we really enjoy"
2) Just because we adore the holy trio (LB/RH/HB) and Please Mr. Lostman which we'd consider "classic" doesn't mean that any following album we adore is also "classic."

CLASSIC PILLOWS:
-More conservative use of distortion
-More open chords
-Less palm-muting
-Heavier distortion is rougher, less polished.
-Vocals sound more distant, less polished, and youthful (well, of course).
-Tracks with generally longer running times.
-Wider musical/sonic variety (Blues Drive Monster, Black Sheep, and Patricia were all on the same album)
-Vocals (and vocal melodies) along with lead guitar sound arguably more "tender" and nuanced.

"CURRENT" PILLOWS (from My Foot to Pied Piper):
-Sharp sounding distortion
-Palm-muting, more partial powerchords from Sawao
-Vocals are much cleaner, more "present"
-Less musical/sonic variety
-This is a much more subjective bullet, but it sounds to me like they're willing to take less risks. Songs, even the better ones that I love (No Surrender, YOUNGSTER, Ladybird Girl...) sound more "cranked out", less "carefully crafted while raw." Seriously, I mean listen to all the different stuff going on in BDM. Sawao almost has an echo, Manabe's riff has the perfect presence in the background, keeping a driving attitude without being overbearing. The guitar effect that comes in at 1:32. The increasing noise and wah that brings the song to a powerful, crumbling ending.

So that's why I think it's completely incorrect to say Pied Piper is a "return to their classic sound." Quite simply, it's not. It's an improvement on the more modern, cleaner pop rock sound they've been working on for the past few years. That's not a bad thing at all, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. But this really isn't the pillows shifting genres or shifting phases. This is just building on the sound they already have.

my two cents.

edit: Oh yeah and would you please stop sucking Japan's metaphorical dick all the time? Seriously, it's really irritating. I know you're mostly joking, but when you say "If it ain't made in Japan, it's usually crap!" it's just really ignorant and obnoxious. Being a fanboy is fine up to a point, but you just have to wrap your head around the fact that Japan and Japanese media have flaws. Just like other countries and their media. Sometimes you remind me of the immigrants that believed America's streets were paved with gold and you could easily get a well-paying job no matter who you were.

Well put. That review was kind of um...yeah.

Especially this line at the bottom:

[quote]This is King Baby Duck saying "If it ain't made in Japan, it's usually crap!"[/quote]

This really, really reminds me of this:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3424&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

And the beautiful line h2o and I crafted together in awesomeness:
[quote]"There's no word in English to describe just HOW green the fields were.. I think the only word fit for this situation is midori (green in Japanese)."[/quote]

Seriously dude...please. It's cool to like Japan and all, but as Grey just said, can you pull it's metaphoric cock out of your mouth once in a while? Please?

Call me bat shit crazy, but on second listen, Last Holiday sounds a lot like a Penalty Life era track.

It has a Scar Whispers air.

[quote="MyFoot"]Call me bat shit crazy, but on second listen, Last Holiday sounds a lot like a Penalty Life era track.

It has a Scar Whispers air.[/quote]

Yes, it does.

Aren't we being a little harsh on omnistry? BTW, here's my review.

1. PIED PIPER - 9.5/10
2. New Animal - 10/10
3. No Surrender - 9/10
4. Last Holiday - 10/10
5. Tokyo Zombie (The knock came at dead of night) - 10/10
6. Across the metropolis - 8.5/10
7. Purple Apple - 8/10
8. Tokyo Bambi - 9.5/10
9. Ladybird girl - 9.5/10
10. That's a wonderful world - 9.5/10
11. POISON ROCK'N'ROLL - 9.5/10
And just for fun:
12. TEXAN DAILY LIFE - 7.5./10

I'm sure rhino is trying to be nice with omnistry by pointing out how flawed he think the review is, but I'd have to agree with lostman on it.....

I mean it sounds childish to say but, rhino, I don't see you writing roger ebert level music reviews in the new york times so I'd lay off the review beatdown.

And come on, its a review man. Review, as I've come to understand it, is an opinionated piece that gives insight on what the particular reviewer draws from what he/she is reviewing. Like what more can you expect other than the reviewer's opinion? If you want the reviewer to write something you like, then write it yourself.