Sister Machine Gun - Burn [1995]

The first track is pretty unimpressive. It's a bit boring, far too repetitive, and very hollow compared to SotF. So, all in all, there's only two decent songs on the fucking album and it's the title track and "Snake". The rest is just thin and not very catchy. I like the fact that they tried something different for "Snake", but it can't save the fucking album.

Rating: 4.5

http://www.sistermachinegun.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Porcupine Tree - The Incident [2009]

Wow, I've got to admit it, I'm less than two minutes into the second track and I'm THOUROUGHLY impressed by the heavy sections. The chorus is a bit worrying, though, with it's influence heavily taken from the more popular side of alternative rock. However, there are a lot of other elements at play in this song, so I'll just wait and see how the rest of the album plays out. I'm at track 5 and I'm quite happy. The effects usage is great and the album that started off with such heaviness and an odd sound has settled down to the more contemplative and sedate style that I'm used to with PT. However, it's small sections like the chorus of track 5 that throw me off a bit. It doesn't really fit well. And then, without any warning, the next song kicks off with a cool trip-hop beat and ominous effects. Porcupine Tree is really trying to put it all under one roof with this album. Overall, it's a very conflicting feeling I get from this album. It's not very catchy through and through. There are a few songs where sections feel like they dive TOO deeply into pop and very little of the album stays with me after listening. This certainly isn't one of PT's greats, but it is a bit creative and the heavy parts don't dominate the album like on previous efforts.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.porcupinetree.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Sister Machine Gun - Sins of the Flesh [1992]

Not a bad start at all. I was expecting much less. "Sins of the Flesh" is pretty catchy and it's got a solid beat with good feeling samples. Second track is a really enjoyable listen as well. I've been sort of subconsciously hoping to add an Industrial Rock band like this to my library. There's virtually nothing at all in the way of variation between the tracks, but I expected that from a band in this genre and from this time period. The songwriting is solid all the way through, even if it's based on a bit of a formula. One thing that seems to keep coming back to nag me throughout the album is that the vocals feel a bit amateur at times.

Rating: 7

http://www.sistermachinegun.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Porcupine Tree - Nil Recurring [2007]

Well, this is odd... PT seem to have actually put out quite a good EP for once. The first track doesn't feel that inspired, but things immediately pick up with "Normal". It's a nice and calm EP with significant bouts of the more aggressive and heavy sections they have recently become so fond of. It's a decent length for an EP as well.

Rating: 8

http://www.porcupinetree.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Incubus - Light Grenades [2006]

Trippy start with "Quicksand" and then into a much more catchy, confident, and bold "A Kiss to Send Us Off". This album is yet another step up in their careers. There's a decent amount of catchiness littered about the album along with some creative songwriting, soothing melodies and moods, exciting riffs, and the classic Incubus style and feel. Very well-polished songs. They have hit a ceiling, though. It can't get much better than this without increasing the creativity... and maybe add a few more of those hard rock sections.

Rating: 8.25

http://www.enjoyincubus.com/us/home

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet [2007]

Off to a very promising start. "Fear of a Blank Planet" starts off with more psychedelia and verve than before until the heavier guitars come in. It's a little darker as well. Pretty catchy chorus. "My Ashes" is much more like a slightly more modern version of the more subdued era of PT. Time really seems to fly when listening to this album. "Anesthetize" is too large of a song to explain, but it's quite a journey. "Sentimental" REALLY feels like the PT of old. Overall, I'm much happier with this album than the previous couple. The metal influence doesn't dominate the experience, and, most importantly, the songwriting isn't as dumbed down and mainstream-oriented. This feels much more like a modern progressive rock album. The first two tracks had me a bit worried, but by the end of the album it really felt like a Porcupine Tree effort. I'll need to listen to it a few more times before I start to think that it's their best yet, but for now, it's equal to any of their other releases.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.porcupinetree.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Porcupine Tree - Deadwing [2005]

Starts off even deeper into the more Metal territory until the verse starts. It's a much more active side of PT that I'm not used to hearing. If the whole album is in this new style, then it may take some getting used to. The production definitely feels a bit more "in-your-face" than previous albums. "Shallow" feels more like a straight forward Hard Rock song. "Lazarus" feels much more like the classic PT that I know. "Halo" continues on with the more calm and sedate songwriting. It's still a significant departure from the older style, but I'm slowly warming up to it. In the end, I do enjoy the new style, but I also pine for the days where the focus was more on the Progressive and Psychedelic moods. None of the songs really fall flat, but there is a certain quality and depth that seems to have gone missing from them overall.

Rating: 8

http://www.porcupinetree.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

ミドリ - あらためまして、はじめまして、ミドリです。 [2008]

Great news after listening to track 2: this may be the breakthrough that I have been looking for from these guys. Track 4 is a re-recording from the first album, but it actually feels better than most re-recordings. This is, indeed, a large step up from the previous material. The production is great. The songwriting has much more of the punky and screamy feel, but the cute parts are still adorable and the jazz is just as prevalent as ever. There isn't one song that falls flat on this album and there is quite a bit of variation between the songs so that boredom is impossible.

Rating: 8.5

http://midori072.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.