March CD Reviews

Bullet For My Valentine
“Scream Aim Fire”
Jive
2008

It seems like forever ago that the emo/screamo phase appeared to be on its way out, but like rap and Mariah Carey, it just won’t stay dead. The genre usually splits down the middle between the more poppy bands like Boys Like Girls and The Rocket Summer, who are more influenced by the emo bands of the 90’s like Lifetime and The Promise Ring, while the other half consists of bands like Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold, who take their cues from the metal bands of the 80s like Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden.

The second full-length release from Welsh emo-metal dude’s Bullet For My Valentine falls in the latter category. While they don’t break any new ground on “Scream Aim Fire,” and the album sounds like pretty much everything else out there, BFMV may have been smart in playing it a bit safe on this one. Lightening things up is usually a good way to cross over to the mainstream and that’s what they’ve done here. This is usually a good way to get the press on your side, too, although the hardcore fans usually revolt. But, in the end, it doesn’t really matter anyway because those fans will have moved on to another band while you’re trying to quickly record another heavier album to get them back.

What’s maybe the most interesting thing about BFMV is their band name. It’s really hard to come up with a cool band name, but they’ve done it. I’m starting to think it’s a Welsh thing since fellow screamo band Funeral For a Friend is also from there, as well as the underrated Manic Street Preachers who also sport an excellent name. Go Wales.

Rating: 6 out of 10
For Fans of: From First to Last, Avenged Sevenfold, Atreyu.
www.bulletformyvalentine1.com

Miranda Lambert
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Sony
2007

Most of country music nowadays is just pop music in disguise, and while not cool (at least to men), it’s popular as hell and consumed in mass quantities by women everywhere. Listen to any song on the radio and it becomes very apparent why: Country music, whether performed by a woman or a man is written specifically for females.Take Rascal Flatts, a group of guys who write songs that are mostly sappy, sentimental crap, yet have sold a billion albums. Trust me; guys are not listening to Rascal Flatts. Then you have Carrie Underwood, who sings songs about being cheated on and taking a bat to the guy’s car. For her as well, I guess writing a song from a scorned woman’s point of view equals a billion albums sold.

What’s maybe most disturbing about the newer female artists is the violence in their songs. Is country music the new gangsta rap? I’m surprised Bill O’Reilly hasn’t been all over this shit. I don’t know if the Dixie Chicks are to blame, or if all the songwriters in Nashville have listening to Nick Cave records lately. I have no issue with a woman inflicting damage on someone, abusing him, or smashing the headlights out of her cheater boyfriend’s car, but where do you draw the line? And what does this say to other women? I mean, if I forget an anniversary, is my girlfriend going to key my car?
The second release from country hotshot Miranda Lambert isn’t technically new (it was released mid-2007), but is worth revisiting. One reason is the opening track, “Gunpowder & Lead,” about shooting her man, see above, but mostly it’s a very solid disc from someone that has the talent to be the biggest star in country, as well as cross over to the pop charts. Like most artists, she gets a bit of help from outside songwriters like David Rawlings and Gillian Welch (!), but co-wrote most of them and even wrote a few on her own. I hate country as much as the next indie snob, but I dare you to listen to “Famous in a Small Town” and not see the future.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10
For Fans of: Dixie Chicks, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood
www.mirandalambert.com