Debut Album of Modern Heist

Modern Heist – All I Ever Loved

A new indie band by the name of Modern Heist approached me about a week ago to check out their album and to write them a review on it.  I HAPPILY took them up on their offer and listened to the album that I predict will become a hit within time as a debut album.  Modern Heist was born in the city of  San Diego, California and their primary genre is Heavy Folk with a touch of Alternative.

1.       Sad Condition – I really wish that this song was longer.  Even for being only a minute and 44 seconds, it is still my 2^nd favorite song on the album.  I thought that the lyrics were great and there was a progressive story being told throughout the duration.  The guitar riff at the very beginning was an awesome opening to the entire album, and the beat that followed it gave a very specific and yet very appropriate tone to the song.  I really wish that this song could have progressed to a longer version.  Adding another verse would have been a good add on.  “I know you forgave me” kind of left a cliff hanger that left much to desire. (8.5/10)

2.       Be Honest – Transition from verses one and two (1:22 – 1:26) was a little rough.  It was definitely the first thing I noticed when I listened to this.  The tone suddenly changed with no smooth transition.  I mean, it didn’t degrade the overall value of the song; it was just a…less than appealing attribute.  Overall though, I thought it was a decent song by itself; however, another transition that bugged me was the lyrics of this song compared to the first.  I feel like that; it didn’t flow from the first song nearly as well as it should have.  “Sad Condition” was talking about how the singer blamed themselves for the unhappiness, and now here, the general mood of the rest of the album was set.  It’s his fault, not the singers.  Maybe it’s just me.  Don’t get me wrong, still a great song. (7.5/10)

3.       Creature Own Adventure – First off, I wasn’t too sure on the title.  At first I thought it was a typo, but now I’m not too sure.  I think it may be a play on words?  Not too sure if I’m right.  I really liked the sound of this song, but the biggest thing that I liked was the lyrics of the song.  It was an extremely sad story that actually made me think of my own father.  A very relatable song about depression and anguish in life.  Small complaint. The traffic at the end was a little unnecessary. I wound up skipping over it all three times that I listened to it. (7/10)

4.       So L.A. – This was by far my favorite song of the album.  Right off the bat, the rhythm/lead guitar started off with a killer riff.  Definitely a catchy sound that kept me entertained the entire song.  I also enjoyed the lyrics.  More specifically the “Sit your ass in your beamer”.  I have to say that I laughed when I heard that.  Being that I know people who own new BMW’s who act just like the person in the story of the song. (10/10)

5.       Dance Number – I honestly found this to be my least favorite, even though it’s a fan favorite.  It had a good rhythm and a very catchy tone, but I found the lyrics lacking, especially compared to the rest of the album.  To me, this song was kind of a breather from the past four roller coaster rides of songs.  For that I give respect, but it’s definitely not the first song on my playlist. (5/10)

6.       The Natives are on Dexaphenadrine – The most fun song.  The tone of the song was definitely playful.  Although, I found the lyrics to be humorous, but then again, once the very end of the song hits and the lyrics, “For you I would change my evil ways, put all of the bodies back in their graves. I know I've done a lot of shit in my life but I'd do anything if I could make things right” sends a certain message to the listener about the singer.  Even though they like and enjoy their lifestyle that they possess at the moment, they’d give it all up for one person.  It’s a heavy hitter if you think about it. (6.5/10)

7.       Postcards from Perfect – a song with respectable lyrics.  The character of the story very much misses their loved one, even though they never write back.  This song kind of hints at the tone of the first song “Sad Condition”.  The singer is once again blaming herself for what has happened, but she still puts part of him at fault.  This song was honestly hard to interpret.  I liked the tone as always.  Very upbeat.  (7.2/10) <-- only because I couldn’t interpret the song

8.       Tithing – definitely the….black sheep of the album.  I’m not saying this in a bad way, but it’s obviously the most unique song of the album.  As far as the guitar and drums, it was done well and on par with the rest of the album, but the lyrics were definitely a lot more powerful in this song.  The singer steps away from talking about one person, and speaks to society and speaks her mind.  She strong, independent and not willing to back down.  I guess, in my opinion, I take it as a recovery song from the rest of the album.  The singer realizing that she’s strong, she doesn’t need him, or his lies. (8/10)

Overall, for a first time releasing, this was an excellent album.  I really enjoyed listening to the play through of the entire thing multiple times.  I bought So L.A. on iTunes instead of downloading it for free.  I love contributing to a band that doesn’t have a lot of followers.  I suspect bright things in the future for Modern Heist and I cannot wait to hear what they have to offer next.

I only have a couple complaints as a whole on the album.  As a whole, the flow was good, just the transition from “Sad Condition” to “Be Honest” was rough.  Maybe next time, write a song that kind of talks about the narrators transition from blaming herself to blaming the male?  Just a thought.  The next complaint is a couple of the songs endings seemed to drag a bit.  As in…added sound effects or just transitions to the next song seemed to take forever.  Maybe cut it up a bit at the ends of the song to make transitions a little smoother.  Again, maybe it’s only me.  Overall, as I said, this was an awesome attempt at a debut.  I really enjoyed it in its entirety.  Grade?  81/100 …..B

Links to Modern Society:

http://modernheist.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/modernheist/info

Bond 23

I've been anticipating Skyfall for as long as I can remember.  I first saw the trailer during the Dark Knight Rises premiere but I've known about it since the beginning of 2012.  Dubbed "Bond 23" starring Daniel Craig, I was hoping and praying that it was nothing like the atrocity of a movie that we call Quantum of Solace.  Director Sam Mendes delivered with superior excellency.  Skyfall is a hell of a ride and nothing to be forgotten soon.  My buddy Luke asked me to go in early December and I'm so happy I went.  Everything about Skyfall is what Bond needed to be through every movie, and then a little extra.  I couldn't ask for a better Bond with the exception of Goldfinger.
The story is rather, bold for a Bond film.  007 is shot on a routine mission to stop a criminal from stealing a lot of money and killing a lot of people.  His partner, Eve, played by Naomie Harris, covers him with a sniper rifle.  Bond is on the roof of a train fighting a man before the train enters a tunnel.  Eve and Bond are both talking to M as the incident is happening.  As Bond as fighting, Eve is trying to get a clean shot of the target.  She's running out of time and M tells her to take the shot.  Eve is hesitant, but M insists.  She shoots, and Bond is hit in the chest.  He plummets 500 feet off the bridge, straight down into the river.  The next camera shot sent chills down my spine.  A close up of M just waiting for a response from Eve.  All she says is, "Agent down".  M responds, the scene cuts to black, and the opening credits for the movie start playing, which is led by the amazing song "Skyfall" written by Adele.  The opening 10 minutes was very well done, and by the time the opening credits were over, I was ready for more.  MI6 is attacked by an unknown enemy and it leave M in a minefield not knowing what to do.  She's being volunteered into retirement for the loss of Bond and now the bombing of the agency.  Gareth Mallory, played by Ralph Fiennes, is the consultant for M that is trying to make her decisions for her.  I won't dwell on telling the whole plot.  Summed up, the agency is attacked, Bond comes back, and thus a quest is delivered of epic proportions.  Javier Bardem plays the antagonist, Silva, who is a former agent of MI6.  His character is very interesting.  The way that Bardem plays it is incredible.  As I watched his villain, I felt vibes of Heath Ledger's Joker.  He was a very playful and yet incredibly dark and insane villain.  Beautifully acted.  Silva wants to sabotage MI6 forever.  Bond is not going to have that.  Together, Even and Bond go after Silva.
I think the reason I liked this movie so much, besides the incredible story and acting, was the fact that the audience got to see a side of 007 that nobody has ever seen before.  We got to know a little about James' past and where he grew up.  It brought the movie down to a personal level, instead of it being a straight action movie like the rest of them.  Never has and Bond movie brought his past into it like Skyfall did, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Acting in it was top notch.  Javier Bardem steals the show with flying colors with his Silva.  I couldn't get enough of him.  Dare I say Oscar Worthy?  Editing was very well done.  The movie flowed like a river and from what I viewed, there we're no plot holes.  I really enjoyed how this became a more of a detective movie and not just an action movie.  Using the cool gadgets and using stealth to achieve his goals.
Skyfall is a great movie that is not to be trifled with.  A truly monumental Bond that hasn't had this kind of momentum since the Sean Connery days.  Daniel Craig is one of the best bonds that the series has seen and Javier Bardem plays the best villain since Goldfinger.
The music of Skyfall is amazing.  Rarely do I ever download a soundtrack to a movie, but Skyfall was a soundtrack that immediately went into my collection.  It kept a dark but driving mood to the movie.
Overall, I loved this movie.  After Quantum of Solace, I honestly didn't know what to expect.  I didn't know if the movie was going to be bad or good.  I was really hoping the film would be good, and I wasn't disappointed.  This movie really shows that comebacks are possible.   8.5/10