Staind - Dysfunction
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Free Music Notes for Dysfunction
Free Music Review: All the demons in my head won't leave me
Hit: 5 Stars
When I bought this I hadn't heard Break The Cycle yet, I actually saw them perform on an HBO concert show and loved every song they played so I got Dysfunction. This CD will be the CD that fans will base future releases on. "It's not as heavy as Dysfunction was." "Aaron doesn't scream like he did on Dysfunction." All of this is true though. In my eyes, after Break The Cycle, Staind lost their edge. They still make some good music but nothing like they used to. Nowadays they sound like any other rock band to me, but with this release they had a sound that separated them from other bands. Aaron wrote great lyrics and proved to be a stellar frontman and the rest of the band was unrelenting. I can safely say, in all of Staind's glory, they were at the top of their game with this CD. Every song, even the hidden track, is perfect in every sense of the word. This is one of those releases where you can listen to every single song over and over and feel no need to skip any track and that's getting more and more rare these days.
Suffocate is a nice way to showcase what you'll be instore for for the whole CD, melodic in some cases, but for the most part, heaviness. While Aaron does a good job with the vocals, I think he's outshined by the rest of the band. Through the entire song they just provide the best backdrop for the lyrics you could imagine. Just Go is one of the more melodic fronts the band covers, it's in no way easygoing though, there's intensity galore throughout the whole song. The lyrics are spiteful and the band, like they are for the entire CD, is at the top of their game. Me reminds you that yes, Aaron had a bad childhood, and yes, he likes to tell you about it. But where it would normally get annoying, Aaron does have the voice to pull it off. Raw is in every right, the heaviest, most in your face song featured. Raw lets you see just how angry Staind is as a whole, just listen to the chorus and you'll know why I say that. Mudshovel is the song that got them as popular as they are. I like this song but think it was overplayed so I find it in no way to be the best song. Home is quite an emotional song, yet each track is. It follow pretty closely to the formula of Me. After Home you're introduced to the CD's true highlight, A Flat. A Flat features the best beat on the entire CD and some of the most amazing vocals you'll ever hear Aaron use. This is a song I can't possibly get tired of. Crawl and Spleen are just straight up rock songs that give the genre credit for originality. From Crawl's catchy guitar parts to Spleen's frantic vocals, they're two songs that deserve to round out such a great CD. After an excruciatingly long wait you're treated to the single greatest hidden track ever made, which I believe is called Black Rain. It's Staind's most emotional song to date and not to mention their best acoustic track. It's haunting and gorgeous and should not, under any circumstances, be looked over.
My favorite songs are Just Go, Raw, A Flat, Spleen, and the hidden track. Not a lot of band's debut album (sophomore in this case, but Tormented is extremely hard to find and tends to be more for the die-hard fan)that holds up as good as this has. While each song deals with pretty much the same emotion, depression, it doesn't become repetative at all. You never once feel like there's just too much sadness in any certain song, you're focused more on the sound to a point. Lyrics matter, and they're really good here, but there's so many other aspects that shine brighter. I see no reason for any rock lover to not fall completely in love with this CD, it's got a mixture of a lot of different genres of rock.
Free Music Review: 'JUST GO' get this album
Hit: 5 Stars
I remember exactly where I was when I heard this band for the first time. I was sitting in my hotel room in Dallas watching MTV while I was waiting for my friend to pick me up when I see this crazy hot video for this band called Staind. The video was for Mudshuvel and imediatly I was calling him up saying "get over here now I need to get to Best Buy now!" and so I did, grabbed this CD and practically broke the case in order to get the CD into the car stereo player. I was completely blown away by the power behind every track, every lyric was just heartwrenching and so real. I could feel, and still can feel the pain behinf Aarons words. This is one of, if not my favorite album every. I listen to it quite a bit and it never gets old. A lot of people give them flack for playing the 'daddy didn't love me' card but you know what, there are a lot of people who go through that in there life and just because you become famous and get rich and people know you by name and love your music and worship you as a rock god does not make what you went through in your life go away. Your still stuck with the curse of a bad childhood. Granted, I had great parents and I am greatful for that, but I've had to put up with the loss of my baby sister and things of that nature...watching my sister suffer at the hands of an abusive husband and such so I know what it's like to be around people who have issues, as well as having some of my own so don't knock someone else because they didn't grow up perfect. Aaron is brave to do what he does, and you know what, I support him for it. regardless of how you feel, you can't deny the power this CD has. The songs here are immortal. From the opening track through to the closer (the hidden track 'Excess Baggage' which in my opinion is the best on the album) the CD will hold your attention. Some of the best tracks are 'A Flat' 'Just Go' & 'Crawl'...'Suffocate' is a great opener, heavy on distortion and it just sets a great mood for the album as a whole...'Just Go' is one of my personal favorites...it really showcases Aaron ability to lay down a note, that boy can sing...'Me' grew on me....personally I was not impressed too much with this song in the beginning but now I listen and enjoy...'Raw' was my origional favorite to this album, it just has that 'moshpit' quality and the progression is amazing...I love Aarons style of screaming, it's high pitched and just different than most haevy bands out there...'Mudshuvel' is still one of the best on here, although after hearing 'Tormented' I prefer the demo version over the album version...'Home' is the lowest point of this album to me, it just lacks what the other songs have...it's not bad, just not great...'A Flat' is just amazing...the bridge part is what gets me where Aaron says 'And I' over and over...I replay this song over and over for that part alone...'Crawl' is a great song, featured on the 'Scream 3' soundtrack as well as this album and keeps in line with that classic Staind feel...'Spleen' is a little strange to me, I mean, I love the song it just almost doesn't fit with the rest of the album...and the closing 'Excess Baggage' gets you ready for Aarons softer side...it's just Aaron and a guitar which is how I like him...reminds me of songs like 'Epiphany' off of BtC or even his cover of Pearl Jams 'Black'...in closing I just wanted to reiterate that this is an amazing album and is one you should perchase ASAP!!!Free Music Review: This album suffocates you with promise and potential...
Hit: 5 Stars
A lot of fans hate what Staind has become but they can't deny that their debut album `Dysfunction' is virtually flawless. Short and sweet, the albums 9 tracks leave no room for filler and deliver track after track of pulse pounding, ear bleeding rock. From the opening `Suffocate' to the closing `Spleen' `Dysfunction' proves that this rock quartet as the goods to survive this rocky business.
There is a lot of edge here; starting with the opening track `Suffocate' which immediately grabs the listener's attention. It's heavy and straight forward and delivers the goods. `Raw' is another blunt force object that burrows itself in your eardrums. The slowed down verses help create an unsettling that all but erupts when Aaron starts screaming "raw" and the chorus ignites. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has heard the masterclass that is `Mudshovel', one of the greatest rock anthems ever. The musical arrangement is catchy and instantly recognizable (when that bass kicks in my stereo automatically goes up) and Aaron Lewis' vocals are impeccable.
`Just Go' is one of the best rock songs out there. It showcases perfectly what Staind would ultimately become, ditching the crushing guitars and pulsating drum lines for a more subtle and emotional musical experience. One thing that must be mentioned is that Aaron Lewis' voice is perfectly suited for this style of music and so it becomes elevated by the delicate flaws within his voice. `Me' is similar is style but not as emotional on impact. Next to `Home' it comes off the whineier of the tracks here. Neither is a bad track but neither are as strong as the balance.
The album ends with a string of very impressive tracks, `A Flat', `Crawl' and `Spleen' which showcase the strength in Staind's metal side. `A Flat' is my favorite of the three mainly for the brilliant closing with Aaron's overlapping "And I" and the crushing bridge. `Crawl', which can be heard on the `Scream 3' soundtrack, is also brilliantly constructed. `Spleen' closes the album on a strong note; the verses constructed to build anticipation before impact. The hidden track `Excess Baggage' is downright perfection. With Aaron Lewis alone with an acoustic guitar you have a beautiful and stirring song that reaches deeper than anything on the balance of the album. The man is genius.
There is a lot to love in this short album. All 9 tracks offer something, some more than others but none falling into that `filler' category of worthless of non-important. Staind may have changed their style in the years that followed this impressive studio debut but they have always stayed true to themselves and deserve recognition for that. They have yet to recapture the brilliance of `Dysfunction' but one day soon I expect them to.
Free Music Review: RAW
Hit: 5 Stars
Fame didn't fall into Staind's lap. They toured as a metal band in New England for almost four full years before finally gaining an opportunity (through Fred Durst) to produce their first album, Dysfunction. This CD was produced under Terry Date, who has also worked with Limp Bizkit, Pantera, Soundgarden, and Deftones. This album is much different than any later Staind releases, there is much more energy and a metal sound. Aaron Lewis' lyrics are mostly self-induced; depressing and pertaining to drug problems and family issues. There is a good balance between melodies and screams on this album, and one can tell that Aaron Lewis has an exceptional range in his voice.
The album opener "Suffocate" sets the tone for the entire album, though much more upbeat than the next several tracks. "Just Go" and "Me" are slower paced grinding tracks, with minimal screaming and depressing lyrics. Mike Mushok's rumbling baritone guitar adds a heavy grunge style sound which adds to the moods of the songs. From there "Raw" kicks in, quite possibly the heaviest song on the cd. The album's high point, "Mudshovel", combines Lewis's impressive vocal range during the verses with his powerful screams throughout the choruses ("You can't feel my anger...you can't feel my pain..."). Its intensity yet melodic overlap gave it a place on every rock radio station in the country for several months. The next single "Home" contains another slow-crunching riff accompanied by down-in-the-dumps lyrics (almost whiny at times), but yet very catchy when all said and done. The following couple of songs, "A Flat" and "Crawl", continue with the heaviness, but they are most likely the most underplayed songs on the album. "Spleen" brings back the fire that was shown on "Raw" and "Mudshovel" and ends the cd with a bang (before the hidden track, "Excess Baggage" sneaks in).
As compelling as Dysfunction was for metal and heavy rock fans, the sounds of Dysfunction turned out to be short-lived for Staind. Fans witnessed a dramatic change in their sound when Break the Cycle hit the shelves, and since then it has been very rare to hear the amount of powerful screams Aaron Lewis once thrived on. This is Staind in its rawest form, before they become a mainstream act (even my 58 year old mother likes Staind now). Granted, there is nothing wrong with bands changing directions with their music, and that is why it is so interesting to give Dysfunction a listen, keeping in mind that this was the style that enticed Fred Durst to first sign them.
Free Music Review: Pound For Pound, Staind's Best
Hit: 5 Stars
By now, most music listeners know Staind by their numerous ballads, like "Outside" and "So Far Away", which is all good and well, considering those are good songs. But, for those people who liked 14 Shades Of Gray's first single, "Price To Pay", a heavier, more rock track, there is Staind's major label debut, "Dysfunction".If you're looking for another 14 Shades Of Gray here, look elsewhere, because there are only two actual ballads here: "Home" and the hidden track, "Excess Baggage". The rest of this album is straight up ROCK. (Well, a couple of slower-tempo songs, like "Just Go" and "Me", but they're still pretty heavy.) This album starts off with a bang with "Suffocate", with Aaron Lewis's signature emotional lyrics over slamming guitars.
It proceeds into the previously mentioned slower, but
not-really-ballads songs. Very nice.
"Raw" is more like "Suffocate", in that it's heavier, and features more throaty yelling.
Then there's the single, "Mudshovel", which is the song that got me into Staind months before Break The Cycle was out. It's a great track, with a great mix of melodic singing, slamming guitars, and some throaty yelling.
"Home" is an okay ballad.
The next song, "A Flat", is one of my two favorite songs on the album. It actually has (gasp) a grunge feel to it (think early Stone Temple Pilots influence), with some great singing, a great middle part, and nice finish.
The next song, "Crawl", is a heavier song as well, until we go into the big finish...
"Spleen", the hardest song on the album, my other favorite, and always a crowd favorite at concerts (it fired up the pit at Musikfest last August). Features more crunching guitars and Aaron Lewis screaming "CAN'T BREEEAAATTHHEE!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!!". I daresay you won't find THAT being used as any high school's prom song. Great stuff.
"Hidden Baggage" is a good ballad as well.
All in all, please ignore Fred Durst's name on this. I may like "Break The Cycle" a little more because it reminds me of the summer of 2001 (great times), but pound for pound, this is the best one. I recommend "Dysfunction" to the following people:
* Hard Rock Fans
* Nu-Metal Fans
* Staind Fans In General
* People Who Like "Price To Play"
So get the album and get dysfunctioned.