Get on their Bandwagon a.s.a.p. (Dead Letters - The Rasmus)

Member Name: lulu2004

Product:	Dead Letters - The Rasmus
Date:	12/03/04 (707 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: it rocks, it pops, it jingles

Disadvantages: sounds familar sometimes

Let me be the first to inform Dooyoo-ers about what might be the album of the year. I can?t believe that no one has rated this album yet, and I probably won?t do it justice, as I don?t know much about music. But this has to be one of the best albums I?ve heard!

?Dead Letters? by ?The Rasmus.? Most people in the UK aren?t terribly aware of The Rasmus, but I can guarantee with the release of ?In the Shadows,? which is scheduled for April this year, The Rasmus will replicate their European Success in Britain. If you haven?t got tickets for one of their upcoming gigs in the UK, then book them now before they release their single. They have performed sell-out gigs in London and Nottingham in the past!

Huge in Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary and their native Finland, The Rasmus hail from Helsinki. Where they formed as schoolfriends who decided that the ?Finnish music scene needed a bit of a shake-up? www.therasmus.com They?ve supported the Chilli?s and rancid on tour, so they aren?t exactly little fish!

I?m not music buff, I don?t claim to be, but I?ll give my best description of this album. I?m just going to pick my favourite songs and tell you why I like them. I?m afraid I?m not used to writing music opinions, so I?ll just try my best. I feel its worth alerting people to this band! I may be putting my head on a platter in this category when the music geniuses rate this!

*** DEAD LETTERS: PLAYLIST ***

1. First Day of My Life
2. In The Shadows
3. Still Standing
4. In My Life
5. Time To Burn
6. Guilty
7. Not Like the Other Girls
8. The One I Love
9. Back In the Picture
10. Funeral Song
11. F-F-F-Falling (UK bonus track)
12. If You Ever (UK bonus track)


It?s not often that I like a whole album, but each song here is unique. Terrific bass and drums with sexy vocals. I think I?m in love with the lead singer (Lauri) by his voice alone! Sometimes he sounds a little like Kelly
from Stereophonics, and other times he just sounds like himself and no one else.


*** FIRST DAY OF MY LIFE ***

This is the first track, and one of the best in my opinion. It starts as it means to go on- powerful guitars, the riff is incredibly catchy, and the vocals are the most distinctive I?ve heard in a long time. Lauri sings about love, but not in a soppy loved up manner, it?s tough, crazy and fast. But this tune will have you humming and on a high for the rest of the day. My rock-head friend reckons this is too poppy for him, but I think its fantastic.

*** IN THE SHADOWS ***

If you haven?t heard this song, then find it! I honestly believe that this is the song of the year. Lauri?s voice pierces your ears in the most pleasurable way possible. Pleasure through pain I suppose. This is funk-rock if there?s such a genre! The vocals alternate between shrill and husky in the most natural manner possible. ?I?ve been watching? I?ve been waiting? in the shadows?.? I?d put money on the fact that you?ll be singing the chorus for hours. I?m not entirely sure that the lyrics make an awful lot of sense, but that doesn?t matter when you?ve got that tune in your head!

*** GUILTY ***

Guilty, isn?t the strongest track here, but I do like the way it flows. I have to say it strongly reminds me of another song, but I can?t quite put my finger on which song that is. I feel this is more of an easy listening song, that the previous two that I have mentioned. Starts off sounding a little like ?Linkin Park,? but that?s quickly dispersed!

*** BACK IN THE PICTURE***

Again this starts off sounding like another song by another band. But after 30 seconds or so, it sounds original, lively and quite fun! This is most definitely one of their more poppy offerings. Full of woah woah woahs and a rapturous catchy chorus. There is something quite retro about this song.

*** FUNERAL SONG***

Oddly a song a
bout him being confused about dumping his girlfriend, and that he?s going to take her back, but probably dump her again. I think this song might make sense to some people. It sounds quite gothic and orchestral to begin with. (A lot of The Rasmus? songs do.) I think that this might be their second release from this album, and although it?s a good song, I wouldn?t say it was the strongest I?ve heard. I like it though. But I like the whole album.


*** Buy it? ***

That?s a brief synopsis of the tunes I like. The Rasmus can?t really be categorised into any genre. Rock/ Nu Metal/ Pop, this album falls into all of the above! Dead Letters is not available from all of the general online record stores, but you will find it on Amazon.co.uk for £9.99. And that?s money well spent! www.therasmus.com. The English isn?t too great, but the site is well designed and easy to navigate.

I?m telling you all now... get on the bandwagon before everyone else! ?In the Shadows? will be huge.

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