Niki N. Phaser

Tori Amos rose to prominence in the 90′s and back then, being a strong independent female didn’t mean you get to dance with high-heels surrounded by half-naked muscular dudes. She became a genuine role model for women all over the world, not just because of her artistic creativity, but also because of her activism in stopping violence against women — she co-founded RAINN, an organization dealing with helping victims of sexual assault, Amos herself being a survivor of rape. But there is so much more to Tori Amos then being this brave female artist which metamorphosized an awful experience into something beautiful. She’s a brilliant composer and an even greater lyricist.

If this would have been the review of a Single Masterpiece, it would most definitely be about Crucify, but, even so, it’s (continue reading…)

While we are waiting… and waiting… and, you guessed it… for Blink 182 to release some new material, we should all take a moment and remember the wonderful non-single masterpiece that was Violence, song which appeared on as of yet still their final album, the self-titled (or untitled) from 2003. Because of this album, the band’s 2005 hiatus was even harder, because it marked the beginning of a new sound for the band. While still punk and pop, this album had more serious tones. Unlike previous stuff, it talked about love, not about dating, about intimacy, not about hanging out. The sound was hinted at by earlier songs like Stay Together for the Kids or Adam’s Song, but Blink 182 is the album where the boys grow up, they are done with practical jokes, because they feel new things and they need to get them out there. Violence is by no means the highlight of the album. It shares the title with I Miss You, All of This or I’m Lost Without You, but, still, Violence probably has the best chorus on the entire thing. The live version sounds great, too, but you kinda notice the lack of the slight reverb on the “You kill me” line. It makes all the difference.

Album Version

Robbie Williams’ 2006 album, Rudebox, was the very definition of mixed reviews, as the pop idol went a bit too electro for what people expected of him. Once you overpass the controversy and the unlikely first single Rudebox, you find a nice collection of tracks sporting mixed styles, but all of them sounding quite catchy. The perfect example is this non-single, pop-hop tune, The 80′s. You should know from the start that if you have a problem with Robbie Williams’ rapping, you can still enjoy the great music and the hook of the chorus, one of those cases of upbeat nostalgia. It doesn’t happen too often. But The 80′s is also one of those cases when you can’t really choose which is your favourite, the music or the lyrics. Nostalgic and very funny, the lyrics make the song unfold like a movie in the listener’s mind, one of those coming of age drama-comedies. There is talk about football, family, Falklands and a lot about sex: “And it was but I couldn’t care less, I’d seen a girl’s part, made a mess on her dress, oh yes! You’re now rocking with the best, second person in my year that had seen a breast”. And in pure retro-fashion, you get a bunch of pop-culture references to the mentioned decade, stuff like The Beastie Boys, Wham, LL Cool J, Berlin (Take My Breath Away), Snap (Rhythm Is A Dancer). The song wasn’t released as a single, but there was a video contest, where directors all over the world could submit their video for this song.

SEE THE WINNER HERE