CDs That Didn't Get Their Own Page

This is a page for CDs that don't deserve their own page. Basically, it's a page for bands who I got a CD for free from or something, and I haven't made up my mind if I want to continue to follow their career.

The Ghost

This Pen is a Weapon (2004) 5 Thumbs Up

The Ghost are one of those post-hardcore bands that could be accused of just trying to ride on a trend of meaningless, seemingly-pretentious indie rock. While I don't know enough about the band to assess their convictions, this album seems to be nothing but one huge misstep. The main problem with "This Pen is a Weapon" is how easily The Ghost gets bogged down by extra effects. I guess they thought it would sound cool, but it just makes the songs long and tiresome. "Exorcism in the Key of a Minor" and "...And Now For My Disappearing Act," for example, start out as great songs, but quickly degenerate into misplaced attempts at experimentation.

The best track on the album is probably the final one, an instrumental, with opening track "Broken Ears/Poison Hearts" being not so bad, either. But other than that, this album is really, really shoddy. Getting the singer to sing through one of those filters that makes your voice sound like a robot? I don't know who came up with that one, but it's one of the worst moments on the album. This band's music sounds like it could be not so bad, but they have to work on not getting distracted by making things "experimental" where it clearly doesn't work.

Protest the Hero

A Calculated Use of Sound [EP] (2003) 6 Thumbs Up

Protest the Hero are from my hometown. Everyone who has heard of them here is divided between passionate hatred for "those screaming bastards" or obsessive love for "our most intelligent band." I was given their EP for free, and after listening to it with high hopes, quickly deduced that they might not be the worst band in the world, but are really overrated. Every girl in town with black eyeshadow and a pyramid belt must want to lynch me now.

This EP opens up with a quote from some government official followed by a really cool pounding guitar intro. "Aw yeah," I thought to myself. "Here comes Whitby's finest." Then, the lead vocalist kicked in and everything went downhill from there. My thoughts on Protest the Hero are very straightforward: the instrumental work is great, but the vocalist is horrible. He just screams endlessly in a strained, semi-whiny voice that grates on my nerves so badly that it was a chore to finish just an EP. I'm sure a full-length would've killed me.

Another thing that bothers me is the lyrics. If I want political punk, I put on something like The Clash or the Dead Kennedys. The Clash used catchy songwriting and the Dead Kennedys used humour and sarcasm to get their point across. When you listen to their music, you can still enjoy it even if you don't agree with their viewpoint. I can't stand political punk that sounds like it's trying to indoctrinate you; it's why I hate bands like Anti-Flag or Propaghandi. Screaming a point like "YES I WANT TO TOPPLE THE SYSTEM" over and over is just preaching to the choir, and doesn't accomplish anything. I'm willing to bet half the kids who sing along to every word this band says have no idea what the band is talking about. You should try to educate your listeners, not indoctrinate them. The more I listen to people go on about how intelligent this band is and basically gush over them left and right like Protest the Hero invented poltical punk or something, the angrier I get. Everything about this band rubs me the wrong way. Just because they're local, doesn't mean I'm obligated to like them.

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