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This is the thread where fans can rate and appreciate every aspect of POTF: from studio songs to music videos.
Invariably, ratings reveal more about the user's preferences than about the band's talents. Please keep in mind that all ratings or reviews are purely opinion. In my opinion, Poets of the Fall is a contemporary music artist that has no equal. The song lyrics are, almost without exception, subtly elegant and evocative of vivid symbolic imagery; the vocalist's voice is always resonant and poignantly emotional; and the underlining music itself is variable and expressive. In short, Poets of the Fall is an unexpected delight that never ceases to awe and amaze.
So it is with honesty and humility that I offer my opinion. After all, everyone's a critic (unfortunately).
The following is my complete list, accompanied with a rating (out of ten). Album ratings, it should be noted, are highly deflated in comparison to contemporary music; to account for this deflation, there is a key below that translates the numbers into a typical grading system (A, B, C, D, F).
7.8-10 = A 6.8-7.7 = B 5.8-6.7 = C
(I doubt Poets of the Fall will ever score lower than a C.)
For reference: Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence - 10 Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody - 8 Lady Gaga - Bad Romance - 6
Signs of Life - 7.2 - B
An artist's debut. A good start, with deeply personal music and lyrics. While most of the songs are unimpressive, there are some real masterpieces among them (Lift, Late Goodbye, Illusion & Dream, and Sleep) and vast potential for the future.
Carnival of Rust - 7.9 - A-
An artist comes of age. This is an excellent album, and a vast improvement on their previous one. The band has much more confidence and the lyrics are deeply poetic and masterfully subtle. There are still a few weak songs (Gravity, King of Fools), but most songs are truly works of genius (Sorry Go 'Round, Carnival of Rust, Locking Up the Sun, and Delicious among others). (The extra music video for Carnival of Rust is a special treat and a rare delight.)
Revolution Roulette - 6.6 - C+
An artist experiments. While I do appreciate the band's experimentation and inventiveness, I think it's fair to say that this album doesn't quite live up to its predecessors. After about the fourth song, it gets a little tiresome and doesn't pick up again until the final numbers. I also found the unsung vocals distracting (e.g., "Hello. Anybody home? I'm coming in!"), not to mention the occasional improper enunciation (especially with the letter H as in "hallucination"). Nevertheless, there are at least a few rare gems that shine through the gloom, such as Passion Colors Everything and Where Do We Draw the Line? - although the latter hardly seems to fit on the album. (More, in particular, is sadly underrated.)
Twilight Theater - 8.7 - A+
An artist achieves alchemy. This album leaves me almost speechless, and breathless as well. It's damn close to perfection, in my opinion, and it wouldn't be an overstatement to say that this is the best music album—of any band—I've ever heard. With the singular exception of Dreaming Wide Awake, every song brims with confidence and masterful subtlety. Truly a magnum opus and worthy of the band. My personal favorites are War, Given and Denied, You're Still Here, and Smoke and Mirrors.
Alchemy, Vol. 1 - 8.4 - A
Self-portrait of an artist. A solid collection of the artist's best songs, though somewhat disappointing. It doesn't include some of their best songs (The Beautiful Ones, which is tragically not included in any album, Smoke and Mirrors, and Where Do We Draw the Line?), while it contains one or two songs which are questionable (Stay, Dreaming Wide Awake). However, the last song more than makes up for any inadequacies in song choice: No End, No Beginning deserves its place as one of the band's best pieces. Conceptually, the theme of alchemy and the imagery of the uroboros are aptly ingenious and remarkably brilliant.
Temple of Thought - 7.3 B
Great expectations lead to disappointment. This is a very good album but ultimately not the band's best. Notably, it lacks any level 10 songs (although The Lie Eternal comes close) and there are too many simple love songs. The music itself, including the vocals, are superb--but the lyrics in some cases aren't as poignant or subtle as is typical of the band. Aside from a few peculiar pronunciations, there are even some lyrics which verge on adolescent (e.g., "I ain't trying to write you into a song, 'cause you're too sacred and I would feel wrong."). Finally, there is no grand finale or climactic crescendo that was such a memorable part of the other albums; The Ballad of Jeremiah Peacekeeper, though a beautiful song (even if unlike the band's unique style), doesn't carry enough force, and The Happy Song seems tacked on (I think it would be more fitting at the end of Revolution Roulette, rather than Temple of Thought). Overall though, it's another great album and, as always, far more impressive than most of what passes for music these days.
01. Where Do We Draw the Line? - 10 02. Carnival of Rust - 10 03. Given and Denied - 10 04. Illusion & Dream - 10 05. You're Still Here - 10 06. Sorry Go 'Round - 10 07. Smoke and Mirrors - 10 08. War - 10 09. Sleep - 9 10. 15 Min Flame - 9 11. Delicious - 9 12. Late Goodbye - 9 13. The Beautiful Ones - 9 14. Locking Up the Sun - 9 15. No End, No Beginning - 9 16. The Lie Eternal - 9 17. Lift - 9 18. Morning Tide - 9 19. Dawn - 9 20. Roses - 9 21. Passion Colors Everything - 9 22. Change - 8 23. The Distance - 8 24. Heal My Wounds - 8 25. Maybe Tomorrow Is a Better Day - 8 26. Temple of Thought - 8 27. Cradled in Love - 8 28. Kamikaze Love - 8 29. Dying to Live - 8 30. Fire - 8 31. Skin - 8 32. More - 7 33. Desire - 7 34. Revolution Roulette - 7 35. Everything Fades - 7 36. Rewind - 7 37. The Ballad of Jeremiah Peacekeeper - 7 38. The Ultimate Fling - 7 39. Someone Special - 7 40. Stay - 7 41. All the Way/4U - 7 42. Dreaming Wide Awake - 7 43. Diamonds for Tears - 6 44. Miss Impossible - 6 45. Psychosis - 6 46. Shallow - 6 47. Fragile - 6 48. 3 AM - 6 49. Overboard - 6 50. Running Out of Time - 6 51. Don't Mess with Me - 6 52. Clevermind - 6 53. King of Fools - 6 54. Show Me This Life - 5 55. Can You Hear Me? - 5 56. The Happy Song - 4 57. Gravity - 4 58. Seek You Out - 4 59. Save Me - 3 60. Grinder's Blues - 1
Music Videos: 1. Carnival of Rust - 10 2. Lift - 10 3. Locking Up the Sun - 9 4. Cradled in Love - 8 5. Late Goodbye - 7 6. Dreaming Wide Awake - 6 7. War - 5 8. Can You Hear Me? - 4 9. Diamonds for Tears - 3
Playlist: "Bittersweet"
Disc One - "Bitter" 01. More 02. 15 Min Flame 03. Sorry Go 'Round 04. Carnival of Rust 05. Locking Up the Sun 06. Delicious 07. Everything Fades 08. The Beautiful Ones 09. You're Still Here 10. Given and Denied 11. Passion Colors Everything 12. The Lie Eternal 13. Smoke and Mirrors 14. Illusion & Dream 15. Where Do We Draw the Line? 16. No End, No Beginning
Disc Two - "Sweet" 01. Lift 02. Late Goodbye 03. Maybe Tomorrow Is a Better Day 04. Dawn 05. Morning Tide 06. War 07. Change 08. Temple of Thought 09. Cradled in Love 10. Kamikaze Love 11. Heal My Wounds 12. The Distance 13. Roses 14. Skin 15. Sleep
(PLEASE MAKE SURE TO BUY THE ALBUMS LEGALLY. POETS OF THE FALL NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT AND THEY DO DESERVE THE MONEY. HONESTLY, YOU CAN SPARE $10 AND PURCHASE EACH ALBUM ON ITUNES. THANK YOU.)
_________________ To see a world in a grain of sand And a heaven in a wild flower; Hold infinity in the palm of your hand And eternity in an hour. ~William Blake
Last edited by pinned_moth on 20 Jun 2012, 00:07, edited 116 times in total.
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