System of a Down - Steal This Album
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Free Music Notes for Steal This Album
Free Music Review: Worst CD? I think not!
Hit: 5 Stars
Many people say that this CD is one of SOAD's worst if not the worst CD they have put out. Whether it be because of its short length or its grittier sound, some people just dislike 'Steal This Album!'. I, however, find this to be one of my favorite SOAD albums. Actually, anything System puts out I lap up like a starved kitten.. but that aside; STA! is GOOD music. Lead singer Serj's once hard, agressive voice is sort of morphing into what we see in new albums. Serj's voice is amazing and I thank the high heavens that he was blessed with it. Daron also adds a hand in this album's vocalizing a bit more than he did in their debut or 'Toxicity'. This is a sort of transitional CD I think. But its still kiiick ass. When I first got this CD I listened to it constantly. My obsession only stopped when I purchased the first SOAD CD. Now, ON TO THE RATING!
1. Chic 'N Stu: One of SOAD's funnier, lighter, nevertheless catchy songs. About shameless and mindless advertising. Good meaning, looove Serj's rolling 'R' in the word 'pepperoni'. :)
10/10
2. Innervision: I can see how this song is related to some hits like Toxicity.. But I really don't know. There is something about this song that rubs me the wrong way. 8/10
3. Bubbles: Reminds me of 'Bounce' from Toxicity. Once of the catchiest hard rock songs I've ever come across. It gets stuck in my head almost every day. I love the chorus and the way that the band can get so quiet and get to the point where Serj is basically whispering "Life is in a Bubble-Jungle..." then BAM. God! Amazing song. 11/10
4. Boom!: A very straight forward song about how killing, wars, fighting.. all is really stupid, useless and we're only screwing ourselves. Music-wise, good song. Serj is more speaking than singing but its somewhat catchy. 8/10
5. Nüguns: Good catchy song. Powerful guitar. Not one of the strongest on the album, but they can't all be winners. I think this song is somewhat about sex or prostitution? Whatever it is about, good song. 7.5/10
6. A.D.D (American Dream Denial): This song has such a taste of ethnecity to its sound. I love that about SOAD. Serj's range is mindblowing... 9/10
7. Mr. Jack: The first song that caught my ears on this album. It is truely amazing. The intro is so smooth and just chugs along. It reminds me of the music in a Playstation game called Spyro the Dragon actually. :) After the slow intro it picks up the pace for a little of Daron's signature pumping guitar riffs then slows down again only to speed up and so on and so on. Daron and Serj's voices blend beautifully here. I love the lyrics. I just want to sing along with them and I often do. Love the end. "Put your hands up! Get out of the car!" 1000/10
8. I-E-A-I-A-I-O: To my knowledge this song has something to do with how Americans are amused by the slightest things, while there are REAL things going on like war and suffering where we just sit by and watch fireworks and stupid TV shows. This song is fast paced and powerful. Its gritty and then the chorus is a haunting chant of some sort. Amazing how they can mix to aspects together perfectly. 10/10
9. 36: Everyone says that this sucks because its short. I like it because its a perfect interlude to 'Pictures'. I actually thought that it was part of 'Pictures' at first. Popping guitars, Serj's screams, deciding that you won't fall victim to society's evil, reformed, social system, all in forty-six seconds! Oooh. Compact goodness! 9/10
10. Pictures: A SOAD funny song. "Can't you loook at my shaved ass?" xD Catchy, good to sway to, Serj sounds like Blue from Blue's Clues. Bah Bah Bah Bah! 9.5/10
11. Highway Song: This song sort of blends into the last five. Its a good song with pretty melody. I love Serj and Daron's voices 'Ooooh'ing together. It makes me happy. Makes me want to look at something pretty. 10/10
12. F*** the System: Catchy Jibberish. WARNING: Censored version of this song will be disapointing. It repeats the title quite alot. 9/10
13. Ego Brain: Very well done. If these were B-sides, I think that this song wasn't on Toxicity because Aerials beat it out. But not by much. Very nice. Powerful chorus. I'm swaying just humming it! I love these kinds of songs. BEAUTIFUL! 11/10
14. Thetawaves: Good prelude to Roulette. I didn't really like this song at first. The beginning is kind of bleh.. but then the chorus just flows down. The chorus is the highlight for sure. And the ending which transitions perfectly to Rouletter. One of the songs I belt out whenever I'm bored. 8.4/10
15. Roulette: Acoustic guitar?! Soft vocals?! VIOLINS?! Is this a SOAD song we are talking about? Yes. And I damn good one as well. This is one of the songs on my CD that I listen to when I take a bath. Just shows that SOAD can do anything. God I love this band!! 10/10
16. Streamline: Its okay. Sort of blends in. It is on the weaker spectrum of STA!. Bad way to end an album. But still better than anything any other band could put out. 7/10
Free Music Review: The Best SOAD CD Yet.
Hit: 5 Stars
"Steal This Album!" is excellent. It's a must buy for anybody who likes System of a Down. "Chic 'N' Stu" is very fun. If you like Serj Tankian's fast, flip floppy style of singing then you will like this song then you'll like this song. I liked the way Daron just kind of chimes in, echoing Serj.
I had a copy of "Innervision" long before this album was announced. I loved it. I though it was one of SOAD's best songs. I wondered how they could improve this song. They have answered my question. Interweaving vocals make a nice contrast. I wish I had a friend with me to sing the high part along with me.
The song "Bubbles" is classic SOAD. It's just reverberates through your ears, makes your head move up and down and then brings a smile to your face. I love the little voices in the background. My favorite part of SOAD songs, are the little details they put into them. This is a good example of what I'm talking about.
"Boom!" is another SOAD song with a powerful message. It's deep message about war is made clear with the chorus "Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Everytime you drop the bomb you kill the God your child has born."
"Nüguns" is very similar to Boom!. The first time I heard the track change from Boom! to "Nüguns" I wasn't sure if it was a different song or if it was just a break in Boom!. "Nüguns" is also a song with a message about war. The fast guitar playing and smooth vocals are very pleasing.
"A.D.D. (American Dream Denial)" will have you head banging and trying to learn the lyrics. This is the third consecutive track with a message about war on this CD. Don't get me wrong, I don't really care, I just wanted to point that out. This is another example of Serj Tankian's fast pace style of singing.
"Mr. Jack" is a song that is full of contrast. It goes from soft to loud and into an area between the two. I love how the beat of the song just switches without warning.
The song "I-E-A-I-A-I-O" is very catchy. After hearing the chorus the first time through you'll be you'll be singing along with it the second time it rolls around.
"36" is a very short song that just seams to come out of nowhere. It reminds me of the songs Bounce or Shimmy. The pounding drums switching to taps on the cymbal is very pleasing.
"Highway Song" gives me visions of Serj Tankian taking a calm walk in the middle of a tornado while singing this song. He just seems to be so fluid with his vocals while everybody else is playing their heart out.
"F**k The System" is another song I had long before this album was announced. As far as I can tell they didn't change anything. The song is one of my favorite SOAD songs. Listen to this if you want to hear just how wild Serj's vocals can get. The song is one of my favorite SOAD songs. Listen to this if you want to hear just how wild Serj's vocals can get. Once and a while my friends and I will just start singing this song. We love is sooooooooo much.
"Ego Brain" is one of those songs where when it starts your all like "Well, they can't all be good." This took me by surprise. It starts out soft and builds up like a rising thunder storm until the lighting cracks and the rain starts pouring with the lyric "Ya' see my pain is real."
"Thetawaves" is another song that reminds me of the tornado around Serj. When I hear it I just wonder how SOAD makes songs that are rap-rock, but aren't labeled as rap-rock. I like this song a lot, but the lyrics don't exactly stick with you. That's the only bad thing I can say about this track.
I would call "Roulette" a love ballad. It's just Serj singing and Daron accompanying with vocals and guitar. It's a very satisfying song, but it takes some getting used to.
The last song is "Streamline" (which can also be heard on the Scorpion King Soundtrack). It's very powerful. Full of odd beats that seem to keep doing u-turns. The whole arrangement between the vocals and rhythm make a weird kind of sense, but may take a couple of trys before you can nod your head correctly to the beat.
I love this CD. If you haven't already pressed the "Add to Shopping Cart" button then do it now! The only thing I wished they'd done different is added a few more songs. The that first comes to mind is "Johnny", an unreleased SOAD song that is also one of my favorites. Other that the lack of "Johnny" it's nearly perfect. BUY IT!
Free Music Review: It's Their Worst; But It's By No Means Bad
Hit: 5 Stars
System of a Down are by far my favorite band, and I got this a long time ago, but I'm finally writing a review for it. I've listened to this A LOT, and none of these songs are even the least bit boring to me. SOAD's music is full of tempo changes and surprises the first time you hear it. The first time you hear it, it's just amazing. And it's just as amazing 6 months after that.
This CD is their B-sides album, with songs that didn't quite make the cut for "Toxicity". They say it's not because they're not as good as the songs on Toxicity, it's because they did not fit the overall "Flow" of the album.
The songs on this CD blend together more than any other CD by System. Especially at the end of the CD, all of the songs blend into each other very well and it can be sort of hard to notice when a new song starts. But all of the songs sound different, so it's pretty easy.
1. Chic N Stu: When I first heard this, I wasn't fond of it. It was kinda... well... dumb. But I like it now. It's one of the few songs by System of a Down that I actually didn't like the first time I heard it. But it's caught on to me, and I like it. Pizza pizza pie!
10/10
2. Innervision: This song isn't the greatest. I like it, but there's just always been something about this song I don't like. And remember, the ratings I am giving these songs is by SOAD standards. Even the worst SOAD song is better than 90% of the other songs by other artists.
8/10
3. Bubbles: Fast song. Good too. One of the best on the CD, pretty catchy.
10/10
4. Boom!: They made a video for this song. It was kinda weird and I didn't like it as much as I did other videos by SOAD. But it's a pretty good song. Catchy.
10/10
5. Nuguns: Meh. Still really good, but I don't really know, there's just something about it.
8/10
6. A.D.D.: One of the best on the CD. Awesome lyrics. "We don't give a F*ck about your world!"
10/10
7. Mr. Jack: Slow song, with its fast parts. Probably the best song on the CD, very catchy. Although it's only around 4 min. long, it's the longest song on the CD.
11/10
8. I-E-A-I-A-I-O: Okay, I take that back. THIS is the best song on the CD. Fast, almost impossible to sing, lyrics and a chant-like chorus. Just plain awesome.
11/10
9. 36: The interlude.
No rating
10. Pictures: The official start, for me, to the second half. This is when the songs start to blend together a little more. And it's not as good as the first half. But this song is still good.
9/10
11. Highway Song: A song that I just kinda haven't caught on too yet. It's still really good though.
9/10
12. F*ck The System: Aahh... 2nd best song on the CD. But, kids, if you need to get the clean version, good luck trying to listen to this. They say the f-word, like, 22 times, and the edited version kinda ruins everything. But the unedited is AWESOME!!!
11/10
13. Ego Brain: Another slower song that I just don't exactly like. But it's still awesome by other song standards.
8/10
14. Thetawaves: A good follow-up to Ego Brain. Awesome song.
9/10
15. Roulette: Okay, at first, I didn't like this CD. At the time I got it, I wanted FAST and HARD songs. And this was slow. But now I'm fine with slow songs, and this is a good song. Sort of repetitive lyrics, but who the heck cares? Just a little love song.
11/10
16. Streamline: I WASN'T THERE FOR YOU! Well, good way to end off a great CD. Kind of heavy at times, but it's not a very heavy song. Good song.
10/10
Out of 150 possible points [we don't count 36], System of a Down's "Steal This Album" comes away with a 145! That's a 96.66, and obviously a 5-star. Although this is their worst, WHO THE CRAP CARES? IT'S AWESOME AND ANY SOAD OR NON-SOAD FAN NEEDS
Thank you. Thank you very much. Buy this CD.
Free Music Review: It isn't metal.....but what is it???
Hit: 5 Stars
Once again, System of a Down comes to us with an album full of uniquely different music. Released just a year after the hugely successful "Toxicity", Steal This Album! is not more new music, but rather previously written, unreleased tracks. Like you would expect from SOAD, you get a totally different vibe from this album than you do from any of their other work. Don't expect another Toxicity or you will be sorely disappointed. This album is great in it's own way. Returning to previously touched subjects, they go into more detail--- attacking war with "Boom!"and abuse of power with "Mr. Jack."
The songs---
Chic 'n' Stu (4/5) Bizarre song which is about the damage advertising has done to our culture, hypnotizing with catchy phrases and tempting us with pictures of say a "pizza, pizza pie."
Inner Vision (4/5) Confusing song at least to me. It seems to be about the mad obsession over psychology. Very catchy song, one of those you'll find yourself screaming along with Serj Tankian and backup Daron Malakian.
Bubbles (4/5) In this song Serj and Daron sing together through nearly the entire song about a power struggle that they are forced to fight without any arms.
Boom! (5/5) Great song about the emotionless governments who bomb cities with no concern of civilian life. Children, pregnant women, innocent people dead. Very catchy song and very, very powerful. If you can find the video that is attached to this song, watch it.
Nüguns (5/5) No idea what this song means, but I think it speaks of the underground arms dealers who would sell a gun to a baby if they had the money.
A.D.D. (5/5) Meaning American Dream Denial, is about how war and government have corrupted our world and made it impossible for the American Dream to be obtained. You just want to scream with Tankian, "WE DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR WORLD!"
Mr. Jack (5/5) Starts bizarre and then it breaks into SOAD's signature heavy metal noise machine. The song is about the abuse of power especially by police. They ask "Hey where you at?" which is answered by "On the side of the freeway in the car." Then we have the standoff. Cops saying "Put your hands up, get out of the car" to which they respond in a brutal yelling "F*** YOU PIG!"
I-E-A-I-A-I-O (4/5) Very catchy song. I found myself singing along nearly immediately the first time I heard it. The chorus is muffled but once you interpret it, it is quite funny.
36 (2/5) Very short song (46 seconds). Lots of noise.
Pictures (3/5) At two minutes, this song is far too long. It is basically Tankian and Malakian saying the same three lines repeatedly. Not much substance at all.
Highway Song (4/5) Yet another confusing song, but like the others this too is quite catchy. Toward the end of the song we get some sounds that we wouldn't even expect from SOAD.
F*** the System (4/5) About the fact that went to war with Iraq without UN support. The message is great and the energy of this song is even better. You just want to scream it!
Ego Brain (5/5) I love this song because it is so calm and almost dreamy at the beginning. It leads nicely into a beautiful chorus. It speaks of pain and suffering, they sound like they are crying it out.
Thetawaves (3/5) Seems to be the sequel to Toxicity's "Science" as they now speak of technological science and how we now depend so much on computers and such.
Roulette (4/5) This song almost sounds like it could be on the end of the Hypnotize album with "Lonely Day" and "Soldier Side." Very quiet song in which our two singers are singing along side each other the whole length of the song.
Streamline (5/5) About the feeling of helplessness when you can't help someone you love and they are lost as a result. A beautiful ending.
Peace to all. Make a difference. Vote!
Free Music Review: Can't wait 'till the next album.
Hit: 5 Stars
Not as powerful as their debut, but certainly packs a punch. Extremely addictive, not a single song is bad in any way. However, I would suggest that those who are yet to discover SoaD and their true greatness to start from the ground up and get their first album before moving onto Toxicity and Steal This Album. Not that there's anything wrong with starting here, I just think it gives a much better feel of what they're all about. I know for a fact that I didn't completely appreciate Steal This Album until checking out the first two, but of course, that's just me. Moving onto the review itself, below is a quick rating and comments on each song.
1. CHIC 'N' STU - A great way to start a great album. Very addictive, one listen and you'll be hooked. Crazy lyrics, the opening is nice as well. A perfect example that SoaD hasn't changed, still just as good as they've always been. (10/10)
2. INNERVISION - One of the best tracks on the CD. The lyrics are actually kind of beautiful in a strange sense, and the way Serj rips into it at points makes it even better. (10/10)
3. BUBBLES - Not bad, I suppose, but not great. It's pretty cool the first couple times around, but something about it just doesn't pull you in like most songs on the album does. (8/10)
4. BOOM! - Excellent song about war and the unnesessary death involved. Powerful lyrics and ever better riffs, they really do rock out in this one. It's got a certain sound unlike the rest that makes you want to play it over and over again (10/10)
5. NUGUNS - Probably the weakest song on the album. Like Bubbles, it just doesn't hit me as hard as the others. Still a good song, never the less. Takes a few listens to warm up to, but still very good in it's ways. (7/10)
6. A.D.D - Good song, somewhat haunting. Anyone who believes that System of a Down is getting soft or loosing their touch needs to give this a spin. (10/10)
7. MR. JACK - The best song on the album, without a doubt. If I could go higher than 10 out of 10, I would. Starts out kinda slow, beautiful use of just about everything. By the end, you'll see what I mean when I say this is probably the most emotional song on CD. Nice cursing bit at the end. Really stands out above the rest. (10/10)
8. I-E-A-I-A-I-O - Strange song, but really kinda fun and addictive the first couple times you listen to it. (9/10)
9. 36 - Nice beginning, but far too short. Would be much better if it had another minute or so added. (9/10)
10. PICTURES - One of my favorites, often overlooked, I think. The lyrics are strange, you really don't know what the hell they're saying the first couple times around, but it's got an addictive sound to it that keeps you coming back for me. (10/10))
11. HIGHWAY SONG - Great drums and guitar with even better lyrics. The first time I listened to it, I was hooked. (9/10)
12. F*CK THE SYSTEM - Great opening with silly lyrics (if you would even consider them lyrics, that is). Mainly just a bunch of jibberish, but just as addictive as the rest. (10/10)
13. EGO BRAIN - Pretty good song, nice lyrics. The melody is different, not that there's anything wrong with that. I felt that it could have been better, perhaps less boring. (9/10)
14. THETAWAVES - Kinda simple, but once I listened to it a couple of times, it was stuck in my head for good. Cool lyrics. The perfect way to begin Roulette, too. (9/10)
15. ROULETTE - Beautiful song. I didn't like it the first time I heard it, but it tends to grow on you after a while. Mixes in the rest of the album quite well. (10/10)
16. STREAMLINE - A lot of emotion involved, the perfect way to end with a bang. Great in every aspect. (10/10)
To sum it all up, nothing has changed in my eyes. This is still System of a Down, and if anything, this is a high point. As the title for the review says, can't wait 'till the next ablum.