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 You are Listening to an Excellent Dream! A++ Oct 08, 2008
Dreams:
Turn the dirt into your joy
It's all been boring lately
So I suggest we trade a question mark
In for a maybe
Time your riddles write and make a point
That has no sense
Make sure you're smiling
And make sure your money's well spent
Innocence and ignorance
It all goes hand and hand
I'm not sure that I'm right
But I hope you'll understand
I hope that you're still searching
For a start that has no end
And all the plastic people have now become your friends
Before your start to drift
And your soul begins to scream
I just wanted to tell you that you're listening to a dream
The way another fan that appreciate Shine down views the intro "Dream" on "Us and Them" will be a different perspective that allows them to decode Dream and make sense of the symbols in their own way.
The way I view the introduction of "Dream" is that the overall theme is being set as people who won't see the other side of the story anymore, that they can't see how to make happiness out of anything but make sure that they at least feign happiness. How they spend their money and can't seem to get any joy out of anything but money, which isn't real happiness. They are innocently believing that they are doing right, but ignorant of any thoughts but their own. How everyone plans ahead too far and no-one just lets time be and doesn't try to make everything have an end, and how people are slowly morphing themselves into the same shape, the same lifeless, thoughtless plastic that everyone else is becoming.
Whether the band members of Shinedown would agree with me, is another thing as they are the one's that have created this beautiful art. To some listeners it may sound as a bunch of words being recited by a girl but it's anything but especially when you take into realization that before you begin to die and drift off, before you are punished for the wicked, greedy ignorance we are all guilty and it must be understood that we are all living in what has basically become a dream, but we aren't living it only listening to it and letting ourselves be manipulated by everything else in it.
The track "Heroes" follows which by the way is a Great Song that has a grunge vibe that would find its place in the late nineties. The album does have a few misses and I think that Save Me is one of them but is made up for on the track I Dare You. I like the fact that Shinedown have attempted a pure rock record and strayed away from ballads. Just check out the amazing riffs on "Atmosphere" approximately 3.19 - 3.39 point. Excellent!
Then comes the Epic "Fake" and this song is for me worth the $28.99 Import Price I paid for the album alone. It sounds Modern without trying to come across as "please accept me" like so many other bands do to push their products.
I love the part of the song especially when the catchiest chorus kicks in:
But I'm Bleeding
And my hands are bruised
From the grip I once had on you
But I'm open for a new way
Because there's not much more that I can
Fake!
I can only take a guess that this song is about a sudden whoa I didn't expect the person I loved to grow beyond me and now the person is starting to spread new wings. I think we can all relate to where the song is coming from in that we have all felt hurt when the one's we professed our love for no longer have time for us and the more we try to grab on and keep on the quicker we see her moving away. I sense that the song is titled Fake as the singer is faking him being supportive and realizing that he's going to have to find a new way to think about her if he wants the relationship to survive.
In a word "Us and Them" by Shinedown is Excellent despite some contrary opinion.
Frigging Awesome Band Aug 25, 2008
I think they have consistently gotten stronger as a band and sound nothing like Alice In Chains. Some people are just to damn picky. Maybe Shinedown will personally cater to you when Hell freezes over, but until then RELAX and enjoy the music. Stop taking life so seriously.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Great Band Jul 13, 2008
Shinedown's second CD out doesn't disappoint. The songs are great especially Beyond The Sun, Shed Some Light, Save Me, and I Dare You. As I mentioned in a previous review Brett Smith has one of the best voices in rock right now. He definitely has the power in his voice and he's amazing live. Brett Smith is right up there with Aaron Lewis, Chester Bennington, Josey Scott, Pete Loeffler, and Lajon Witherspoon as best male vocals in rock. Shinedown has made a name for themselves in Rock right now and they'll be here for a long while. Whether it's the slow songs to the harder songs Brett Smith can do it all. Truthfully, they do not get the credit they deserve, but they will especially with their new cd The Sound Of Mandess that cd is also great.
The ONLY Review You Need to Read... Jun 27, 2008
Ok, first off, as a HUGE fan of Shinedown, I must say, compared to the first album, "Leave A Whisper," "Us and Them" blows that album away in consistency and just plain hard rock!! I will admit there isn't one track (maybe Heroes) that stands out as an instant classic, but as a fan of the genre, the only album that can really come close to the quality of this one is Sick Puppies and their album "Dressed Up As Life," which I also HIGHLY recommend!! Secondly, as you may realize by the date of this review, Shinedown's highly anticipated third album, "The Sound of Madness" has been released and its because of those reviews that I had to come back and give a review on this album. This album, just like the other two, carries the same level of commercial appeal and that is what makes this band appealing to so many people now! I promise you if you make this purchase or download this music somewhere, you will not be disappointed (as long as you're a fan of bands like seether, evans blue, crossfade, three days grace, breaking ben). Whether you are craving some fast-paced, crushing riffs or some soothing symphonies of melody, "Us and Them" provides everything that you need! The strongest songs on the Cd are Heroes, Save Me, Yer Majesty, Beyond The Sun, Begin Again, and Fake, but all the rest are still pretty powerful!
Blown Away! Nov 23, 2007
Growing up in the 70's listening to rock and suffering through the eighties and nineties, I was glad to be enlightened by my wife of the 'new school' of rock. These guys rock like I haven't heard in a while. The vocals are simply electric! Well worth checking out anything Shinedown rolls out.
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