Reviews by Matt

You may not know this, but in the office, we have a lot of CDs. We get sent CDs and press kits all the time. I sort through the entertainment mail a couple times a week and leave the CDs stacked in a corner. I am the movie guy so I could care less about music. I leave that to others to do.

On the suggestion of one of my esteemed coworkers I took the time to actually review one of the many CDs in the office. When he handed “Curses” by Future of the Left to me this person, we will call him by the alias of “Sean, the associate arts editor” said it was bad, but I was up to the challenge. I had reviewed bad movies before and those were more fun to write than a barrel of monkeys.

He was not lying. This was complete and total crap.

I do not know about you, but when I listen to music, I like to understand what is being said and have the music not over power the vocals. The first song on the album was just that, screaming vocals and overpowering music.

I would like to draw your attention to the back of the CD. It gives a little history about the band. Then is says something that I find very interesting, “It finds Future of the Left trying to stretch and bend the boundaries of what rock should be.”

Are you kidding me?

There, I just threw the CD into the living room out of pure disbelief and a need to see if I can actually hit the recliner from my room, I cannot by the way.

“Stretch the boundaries of what rock should be.” If you believe this then I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.
It is not rock, it is crap packaged as music. There is nothing new or innovative here, it is just the same tired screaming that you can find in any number of bands.

I feel like my grandfather when I say this, but it is just noise. There is nothing redeeming about it. Even the lyrics are superficial. Check out this bit from a song titled “Plague of Ounces.” “Come alone/ Yes/ Why put the body where the body don't want to go?/ Under my nails? / Yes /Why put the body where the body don't want to go?”

WHAT????

This may just be the ramblings of a pissed off editor, and maybe I am not as versed in music as I am in film, but “Curses” is a fitting title for the album because that was all I was saying for the entire time I had to listen to it.