Bend Me Shape Me - Amen Corner

Advantages: Fine gossomer touches allied to acute lyrics with firework explosions of guitar
Disadvantages: Unfairly overshadowed now maybe by later releases

...After immersing myself in Kid A and Amnesiac for months I got this out and rediscovered the joys of listening to simpler, more accessible, almost singalong, good old fashioned adult rock. This for me is the best album they have so far produced. Add to the fact that they dedicated it to Bill Hicks just raises them in my eyes by another notch. This was actually the first Radiohead album I had bought, enticed in by the ethereal sounds of Street Spirit on a free magazine cover disk. Thank you Q !! From the opening reverb and guitars on Planet Telex to the opening words, “you can force it but it will not come” sums up the style of writing and delivery of song in this album and later that will soon take over his entire voice in Kid A etc. In this particular song Thom sings with a gusto and only a hint of an edge leaving... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Awesome album, all songs are brilliant
Disadvantages: Lyrics very confusing to read

...to sing his lyrics, the music either quietens or pauses for a few seconds. The chorus completely changes from the verse, as with alot of amen songs, very infectious. Track 9 (Ungrateful dead) Is for me still a good song, HOWEVER is one of the less memorable ones. It isnt really that infectious, till the post chorus/chorus...the lyrics for this song are awesome considering the message chaos was trying to put accross. Track 10 (Piss virus) Is quite possibly the most angry, explicit, violent song on the album. After a distortion intro, and the real singing begins, chaos screams "I f***ing hate yoooou! I f***ing hate myself". This is one where you truly hear chaos' true vocal ability. The centre of this song is deffinately the lyrics and vocals. The guitar and bass are just more of a back ground filler, and the main beat is pretty... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: It's new...It's different........hell it grows on you....
Disadvantages: Not as noisy,or catchy as previous work.

.... "Putting Holes in Happiness" improves the stakes with some *pretty* sounding guitar work but is not the noise you're used to. "The Red Carpet Grave" Starts off a bit more bouncy as the last but still goes on much in the same theme though Manson does start to raise his voice a bit. "They Said That Hell's Not Hot" more of this all new Manson. I don't rate "Heart Shaped Glasses" as the best of the lot and I wouldn't say the title track " Eat Me, Drink Me " is the best either, it's pretty good apart from the quieter gaps. But the album as a whole has new good songs OK maybe no instant classics but a lot of good stuff. (The only real question/complaint I have is what the F? is with the dance remix style tracks? Track 12 and Track 13 *That* I was really SO not impressed with those and am so not going to change my mind. I don't think... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful