I am not a music reviewer. I do
not know what instrument makes what sound. I just know what I
like. So, if you will pardon my ignorance concerning these things,
I would like to share my thoughts on the Politics Apocalypse CD.
Oh, and I should add that I am a 43 year old male from the uSA,
not a school kid.
Like many, I downloaded the
free music. I listened to it on my PC and my MP3 player. I really
liked what I heard. I agreed with some of the messages. I
disagreed with others. I did appreciate the honesty of the music
and lyrics, though. I contacted Cliffe and we corresponded for a
while. He seems very genuine. I only wish that we lived closer as
I would love to sit and talk with him for a while.
Anyway, I sent in my
donation so that I could receive my “real” CD. I am very glad that
I did. Although I enjoyed the mp3s, there is nothing like holding
the jewel box and looking at the cover art while the music is
playing. And I didn’t play it on my PC. I stuck it in my home
audio system. I sat in “my chair” to evaluate the disc. And I was
blown away. I found myself turning up the volume higher and
higher. I am sure my neighbors were thrilled!
The first track, Realised
Eschatology Part I: Apocalypse Now, sounds great and begins “the
story” that this disc will tell. It sounded much better than what
I was hearing on my MP3 player. I really started getting into the
music.
Track two, Oppressed by the
Authorities, kept drawing me in. I just feel the song should have
ended around 4:30 or 4:40. I didn’t care for the “extra” stuff at
the end.
The Leaders are Liars echoes
my beliefs. And Chani’s vocals are absolutely incredible. She has
one of the finest voices I have heard in a long, long time.
Track four, The Kind of
Peace War Provides, keeps propelling me on my journey. It is a
very good track. My only “issue” that I have is the distortion. I
am sure I am just showing my age, but, to me, it makes my speakers
sound like they are blown out instead of adding a positive feeling
to the song.
Off to War keeps telling the
truth of the times. I just wish it was a minute or so longer.
Sheep has the most honest
lyrics on the disc. If I had any talent, it is exactly what I
would have written. Since it affects me on a deeper level, I can
ignore the distortion in the vocals. I just wish I didn’t have to.
Sheep had the potential to be my favorite track on the disc.
Now, my new favorite song,
Fight the Storm, is, sorry for the lack of descriptive language,
absolutely amazing. It is absolutely amazing. And if I haven’t
mentioned it yet, Fight the Storm is absolutely amazing. Chani’s
voice is stunning! If I understand it correctly, this track
started out as an instrumental. I am so glad it ended up the way
it did. This song just transports me away from my tedious life and
finishes sucking me into Politics Apocalypse’s world. It is a
tremendous escape for me.
Now, revelation fascinates
me. When I first heard it, I mentioned to Cliffe that it didn’t do
anything for me. The more I listened, the more it spoke to me.
This track has moved into my top 3 of the album. Again, it seems
that the ones I really like are too short.
Track nine, DEUS CARITAS EST
(God is Love), has a great sound. It has a good beat. I love the
way the vocals change throughout the track. I think the message is
a little different than that of the rest of the disc. It’s not
that it’s a bad message, just different. And it prompted me to do
some research (thanks Cliffe!).
Do Not Be Conformed is
another track that I truly enjoy listening to. It has a very
scattered but organized sound to it. Emotionally, it is very
powerful. And, of course Chani makes it work with her “rap” in the
middle of the track.
Realised Eschatology Part II
- The Kingdom, the final track, wraps things up very nicely. I
never asked Cliffe what this track meant to him, but I will tell
you how I understand it. It seems that it is about the minor signs
that the prophet Muhammad spoke of regarding “the signs of the
Hour” where there are great liars and the worst of people are made
into leaders. There is more to it than just that, but this is
supposed to be a music review, not a religious class.
I am so glad that I
purchased the actual CD. It has helped me move from entertainment
and protest songs (the downloads) to actually following a story of
where the world is headed. Even if you don’t care about political
or religious messages, you should buy this disc for the great
sound that it has.
I give it a 4 out of 5.
greG
