Album Review: Weezer- Pinkerton

I couldn’t review the Blue Album without writing about the other half of one of the most essential rock duologies of the ’90s. While a lot of people never saw Weezer’s mainstream success coming, their self titled debut inexplicably became an overnight sensation, and this motley crew of lame-o dorks became unlikely rock stars. Naturally, they would begin work on a followup to this monumental icon, a tall order to be sure. Though Pinkerton has received an inordinate amount of adoration over the years, thing weren’t always so smooth for this late bloomer masterpiece. In its own time, this was the textbook definition of the infamous difficult sophomore record.

After the success of the Blue Album, Weezer went into the studio to begin work on their followup. Rivers had a vision to create a sprawling rock opera concept album with a sci-fi narrative about troubled relationships and disillusionment with the rock star lifestyle. Titled Songs From The Black Hole, the ill fated project was to feature six vocalists playing the part of six different characters. While it was certainly an ambitious concept, it was not to be. Plans changed, and what we got instead was a darker successor to an iconic ’90s album.

Around the time of recording SFTBH, Rivers underwent extensive surgery to lengthen one of his legs, as he was born with one leg shorter than the other. This led to many hospitalizations where he was treated with painkillers. The severe pain he was enduring had an adverse effect on his songwriting. Around the same time, he decided to enroll in Harvard University. College life wasn’t always a pleasant experience for him. He began to feel completely alone and grew increasingly bitter. All of a sudden, the rock opera concept seemed too whimsical to Rivers, and he was determined to craft a more abrasive confessional album. And thus, SFTBH would slowly morph into the album that would become Pinkerton.

When the album was first released, it wasn’t hailed as the seminal record it is today. The reaction was highly polarizing to say the least. It turned off many fans and critics with its noisier sonic texture and emotionally honest oversharing. What they wanted was more of the geeky charm and polished pop sheen of the Blue Album, but instead got a rawer affair with more bitter, even embarrassing lyrics. It was voted third worst album of 1996 by readers of Rolling Stone magazine, critics gave it mixed reviews, and it was a commercial disappointment, peaking at #19 on the billboard charts and not achieving platinum status until two decades after the fact. Even Rivers distanced himself from the album, seeing it as embarassing and shying away from playing the songs live before eventually coming around.

Over time though, the album’s reputation would grow in stature. It connected with an entire generation of forlorn youth who could relate to the candid honesty of the album. It paved the way for a new wave of emo pop and would continue to receive more love as the years passed by. It is now considered a high watermark in the ’90s rock canon, and is today regularly placed on “best of” lists. While it still has some dissenters, it is now beloved by the vast majority of Weezer fans. Even Rivers himself grew to love it, and has since stated that he is proud of what the band achieved with their work. So what do I think of Pinkerton?

Let me just dispel something right off the bat. Contrary to popular opinion, this is not as radical a departure from the Blue Album as people love to claim. While it is certainly different, it’s not like it’s a harsh noise rock record that sounds like it was made by a completely different band. The album does have a gritty, unrefined nature, but it is still a power pop album through and through. It still contains plenty of the sheer melodicism and catchy hooks of it’s predecessor, just with an unpolished veneer. In fact, it holds some of the most hummable melodies and contagious singalongs of Weezer’s career.

The rawer feel this time around works in the album’s favor. Looking to recreate the essence of their live performances, Weezer decided to record the album themselves. This serves to create a looser energy and gives it a sloppy edge that the Blue Album didn’t have. The scuzzy lower budget aesthetic and raw, rough around the edges imperfections give it a frailty that makes it feel more human. The noisy production compounded with the frustrated introspective lyrics succeeds in creating a powerful, touching dynamic. The noisy production combined with the pop songwriting makes for a beautiful chaos.

While the production was more raw and the playing more sloppy, Pinkerton still contains some of the finest instrumentation of Weezer’s entire catalog. Rivers, a former metal guitarist before Weezer, seemed determined to showcase his shredding capabilities with blistering, high octane guitar solos in songs like “Tired Of Sex” and “Why Bother.” Drummer Pat Wilson pounds harder than ever, and his cymbal work in particular is worthy of praise. Matt sharp contributes some of his finest basslines, making the resulting tone more bottom heavy than ever before. The interplay between Rivers Cuomo and rhythm guitarist Brian Bell is more focused than ever, and the album features some of their most complex tracks to date. Of particular note is “Falling For You,” which they’ve gone on record as stating that it’s one of their most difficult songs to perform live.

Luckily, Pinkerton contains some of Weezer’s best ever songs. They’re also surprisingly diverse. The album opens with “Tired Of Sex,” one of the most abrasive songs of their career, complemented by a riotous squall of feedback and low budget keyboard. This is followed by the downtuned “Getchoo,” a destructive force that stands as one of their heaviest songs. Proving they aren’t just one trick ponies, they close the album with the acoustic ballad “Butterfly,” arguably the most tender they would ever get. There are numerous key changes throughout, and “No Other One” employs a waltz-like 3/4 rhythm. “Across The Sea” features subtle piano playing, and I dare anyone not to hum along to infectious tracks like “El Scorcho,” “Why Bother,” and “The Good Life.” Their influence from indie forefathers like the Pixies is more evident than ever, the guitars have a satisfying crunch, and they still have a knack for delicious pop hooks.

I think the deluxe edition of this gem deserves special mention. It’s jam packed with live performances, acoustic sets, alternate/demo takes, and even a snippet from a radio interview with a confused fan. But what really takes the deluxe version to the next level is the nine bonus tracks that are included, making this two disc set the definitive edition of the already classic album. These include b-sides, songs originally intended for Songs From The Black Hole, and tracks that were previously unreleased.

These songs are now among my personal favorite Weezer songs to exist. As an example, “You Gave Your Love To Me Softly” is an energetic, longing, and gleeful rollercoaster ride about a one night stand in under two minutes. “I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams”, a keyboard heavy number, is unique in that if features vocals from Rachel Haden of That Dog, the only SFTBH song to go through with the concept of different singers portraying different characters. “I Swear It’s True” is a hazy drug trip with the crunchiest riffs this side of the cereal isle. “Longtime Sunshine” is a soothing pining for the simple life. “Getting Up And Leaving” with its sun soaked melodies and vocal harmonies is arguably the closest to the Beach Boys they’ve ever gotten. “Tragic Girl” was unrecorded until the deluxe edition, and is one of the most beautiful songs from the band. “You Won’t Get With Me Tonight” is insanely catchy and the keyboard solo is sublime. Devotion is a slow waltz with the addition of church. One of my favorites, “Waiting On You,” is a scuzzy yet shimmering number about not being able to get over your ex.

This time around, the album takes on a more bitter and reflective stance. Rivers sings about his emotional issues and low self-esteem in a more direct manner than on the Blue Album. Subject matter here includes his inability to talk to girls (“El Scorcho”), not even attempting a relationship due to being hurt in the past (“Why Bother”), and turning the rock and roll groupie cliche on its head and desiring something real over casual hookups (“Tired Of Sex”). Rivers was expressing all his frustrations and fears, and he does so in a blunt fashion. He pulls no punches about his inner turmoil, and the album is littered with dark undertones. You can practically feel Rivers’ pain and anguish in his voice. Even the “happiest” song on the album, “Falling For You,” displays him getting the girl, but of course, he’s so insecure he ponders over why she would want anything to do with him.

Despite the legendary status the album now enjoys, it still has its fair share of detractors. Some will criticize it for what they perceive as embarrassing lyrics. And to be fair, the subject matter can be very awkward. Hearing Rivers obsess over a barely legal high school girl to the point of wondering what clothes she wears and whether she masturbates while thinking about him (“Across The Sea”) is unnervingly creepy, and he comes off as a stalker. Listening to him wish a lesbian he’s got a thing for was straight will likely make you cringe. His Japanese fetish is odd. In “El Scorcho,” he recounts breaking into a girl’s room and reading her diary. This is all unsettling, and more than a little toxic.

But to be completely honest, that’s part of what I love about this album. It can get very uncomfortable, but the unflinching, self aware honesty is refreshing. The unabashed confessional nature of the album takes no compromises, and as a result, feels much more personal than many albums of its breed. We all have those uneasy thoughts we just keep to ourselves. We would never tell anyone out of fear of embarrassment. That Rivers was able to be completely sincere and spill his guts in such a candid manner is admirable, however uncomfortable the lyrics can get. It’s almost as if you’re listening to someone’s personal diary, reading every private thought most people would keep secret.

It’s no surprise that Pinkerton was such a cornerstone of the emo movement. Its brutal honesty connected with generations of despondent youth who wore their hearts on their sleeves. It’s tough to imagine third wave bands like Saves The Day, the Get Up Kids, Jimmy Eat World, or My Chemical Romance existing without Pinkerton moving the genre in a more pop direction. While it was a flop in its own time, over the years, many would relate to its themes of insecurity, bitterness, and low self esteem, myself included. Its portrayal of failed relationships was among the most candid in rock history up to that point. Combined with its delicious pop coating and rough (some would say more natural sounding) production, it’s easy to see why it’s hailed as such a masterpiece. Personally, this is my favorite album of all time.

Album Review: Weezer- The Blue Album

When Weezer burst onto the alternative scene in the early ’90s, their geeky brand of classic rock influenced power pop confounded audiences. Crowds they would play in front of gave them little to no reaction, and in fact only 90 copies of their debut were sold in the first week of release. The simple truth of the matter was that rock fans of the time wanted more cynical pessimistic grunge with dirty, noisy hooks. The kind of goofy introspection and melodic pop glossiness that Weezer was pushing was considered lame and embarrassing.

Album Review: Alice In Chains- Dirt

As a Seattle based band that rose to prominence in the early ’90s, Alice In Chains was often lumped in with the grunge scene that was so popular at that time. But to paint them as just another band among their flannel clad peers would be doing a huge disservice to their legacy. With a run of fantastic albums, they’ve influenced a vast legion of (unfortunately mostly lame) bands from Godsmack to Staind. And their sophomore effort Dirt is arguably the pinnacle of their work.

Album Review: The Ramones- Ramones

That iconic black and white cover of the leather clad New Yorkers is enough to get even non-punks fawning over this legendary debut. Some fans might argue over whether the Ramones count as pop punk or not. I believe they do, but if they don’t, they definitely helped set the template.

Album Review: Jimmy Eat World- Clarity

What’s this? Another 1999 album? That’s right! It was a fantastic year for music, and this won’t be the last 1999 album I talk about by a long shot. While most well known for their very successful Bleed American and accompanying single “The Middle,” their third album and major label debut was quite a different beast from that pop punk classic.

Album Review: The Get Up Kids- Something To Write Home About

While this album does tend to get overlooked in the glut of great albums released in 1999 (one of the best and most underappreciated years in music history, in my opinion), it has achieved critical acclaim and moderate commercial success. Like its predecessor, The Four Minute Mile, this is rightfully considered a landmark in the emo and pop punk genres. It’s an important record in emo’s shift from the post-hardcore of bands like Sunny Day Real Estate and Rites Of Spring to the pop punk of My Chemical Romance and Panic At The Disco!. Let me tell you why this is one of my top ten all time favorites.

The Last Guardian: Not Shadow of the Colossus, But Well Worth the Wait

The Last Guardian.

If you’ve owned a Sony product in the last nine years, you’ve no doubt heard of this particular game. What was intended to be the spiritual successor to one of the most critically acclaimed video games of all time, Shadow of the Colossus, this game by the same makers has been delayed, put off, and even rumored to be cancelled more times than can be counted. Originally announced at E3 in 2009 as a PS3 exclusive, December 2016 finally saw the PS4 release of this long-awaited, long-hyped, potential masterpiece.

Was it perfect? No. Not at all.

But was it worth the wait?

Yes. Yes, it was.

Before I start the critical part of this review, however, there is something I want to address quickly:

The Last Guardian is not Shadow of the Colossus, and doesn’t try to be. They are entirely different games, similar in art style and control scheme only. This game has received somewhat mixed reviews, and I think I know why, but I’ll go into detail about that later. A lot of people went into this game expecting a sequel or HD rehash of SotC, but that’s not what it is.

The Last Guardian focuses on puzzles, getting from one point to another, with the aid of a gigantic animal companion, all while building a strong emotional bond with it. In that sense, The Last Guardian is much more like ICO than SotC. If you’re going into expecting it to be Shadow of the Colossus 2, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. If you haven’t played it, try to appreciate The Last Guardian as it’s own entity and appreciate it for what it wants to do, because it is a completely different story with a drastically different tone.

As anyone who is familiar with Team ICO would come to expect, like the games that came before it, The Last Guardian excels with it’s minimalist story, that leaves most of the deeper themes completely open to the player’s personal interpretation. You play as a boy that remains unnamed through the entire game. He wakes up in a temple somewhere, mere feet from a gigantic cat-dog-bat-bird…thing named Trico.

With no memories of how he ended up in this situation, the kid trudges through the temple, slowly building a bond with Trico as the two of them attempt to escape together. That’s really all the story the game gives you – it is revealed through flashbacks how the two of you ended up in this isolated series of temples and ruins in the first place, but without the use of dialogue, leaving the player to make their own interpretations of why the events play out.

And the ending is a ride and a half, but I’m not going to spoil that – much like Shadow of the Colossus, spoiling the ending to this game is a crime.

So yeah, there’s all the story the game gives you, and that’s honestly where Team ICO in general excels. They are masters at creating games that focus much more on showing, and not telling – on letting the player discover what to do by interacting with the beautful environments, and only giving obscure hints if the player is truly struggling. The Last Guardian probably does this better than either of the games that came before it.

Trico will regularly rub its head up against you like a dog , solely to be pet. Does this accomplish anything? No. But god, is it cute.

Now, this is not a fast-paced game by any stretch of the imagination, to the point where a lot of people don’t like it for that exact reason. Trico seems to be a polarizing element to this game – some people are endeared by it, sucked right into it’s dog-like mannerisms and actions.

Some people will fall in love with the beast as the story progresses and genuinely care about the bond it has with the child. Those are the people who will ultimately get more out of the beautiful story The Last Guardian has to offer – the ones who can look past the more tedious elements and occasional hiccups in Trico’s AI, in exchange for the emotional impact that Team ICO was clearly going for.

However, if you don’t like Trico, you’re in for a fairly unpleasant experience. As just stated, there can be elements to Trico that can be called tedious, to say the very least. There’s no quick way to progress through this game. You are never given control over Trico,

One of many casual resting animations this ball of feathers will endear you with.

and that makes the game all the more special. Being successful in The Last Guardian requires you, the player, to learn to understand this gigantic beast. And as you progress, you will. Trico has numerous body signals that tells you when it’s prepared to interact with objects, ledges, gaps, etc, and you have to learn to read those signs to advance in the game. It’s not something the game can be blamed for, because it boils down to whether or not the player is immersed enough to be able to learn to do this.

Just as the boy learns more about Trico in order to understand it more, the player is going through the same experiences. And it works flawlessly to this game’s advantage. Yes, the AI can be touchy at times. Trico can sometimes just completely fail to catch you while you’re doing leaps of faith where the game demands that it catches you. However, it’s not supposed to obey your every little command. Trico is an animal. It’s not on the same level of thinking that the kid is. You can guide it, but can never control it, and the game never changes that dynamic. You have to learn to trust the beast and work together with it to progress, AI hiccups or not. Kinda like having a real pet, eh?

When I had to jump over a bottomless pit, watch Trico attempt to to catch me in it’s mouth, only to just miss by a hair, then tuck it’s tail under the bridge to catch me as I fell, I knew this game was something special.

It was cool at E3, it was amazing when it experienced myself.

Now, mechanically speaking, it can be clunky. Many people have experienced framerate issues and, yeah, sometimes climbing Trico can be touchy. Oftentimes, you’ll get caught on a body part and the child won’t be able to just smoothly transition from one body part to the other – an issue that was very much present in SotC as well. Also, when you put something as big as Trico in tight hallways of temple ruins, camera issues also come forward. These elements can be annoying, but don’t really detract from the enjoyment of the game as a whole. The Last Guardian cares very much more about the story and the relationship between Trico and the kid then it does basic gameplay mechanics, but, hey, that’s something that has always been par for the course with Team ICO.

As far as being a puzzle platformer goes, The Last Guardian has it pretty much down to a science. You can interact with almost every ledge, path, stone outcrops, vines, tunnel, etc in the game, sometimes to lead you to a dead end, and other times to find hidden items and collectibles. It is very rare that the solution to a climbing puzzles is obvious – oftentimes, you will actually need look around your surrounds to find hints about what to do next. Your goal won’t be glowing brightly. And those goals tend to be pretty obscure. I remember one puzzle in particular that involved climbing through a window to unlock it from the other side, finding a pot hanging on a chain near the ceiling, safely delivering that pot to another chain near Trico so it could pull on it, which then opened a door the kid could barely fit through, where he then had to time wedging a pillar under said door with Trico yanking on the chain to prop it open for the beast.

There is a near-constant transparent reminder of the basic control scheme for climbing in the top right-hand corner of the screen as well, for those who may be unfamiliar with the somewhat unorthodox configuration Team ICO has been known to use in their games. It’s not entirely necessary for those who have played ICO and SotC, but it’s a nice touch for newcomers.

Also, this game is just gorgeous. One look at how complex the tunnels are, how ambient the lighting is, how detailed every single environment is, the mannerisms and astonishing amount of effort that went into every single animistic animation Trico makes, and I knew why this game was put off as long as it was. The PS3 would have never would have been able to handle the scope of what The Last Guardian wanted to do – hell, the PS4 barely pulled it off.

Just look at some of these lighting effects, animations and environments.

Especially note how the wetness effect works.

Hell, the game even makes crawling though dark temples look beautiful.

The astounding visuals also enhance the scope of just how huge the boy’s animal companion is – he’s about the same height as Trico’s front foot, and often while playing, I found myself stopping to just look up in awe at how beautful and intimating this gargantuan puppy really is. Anyone who has played Shadow of the Colossus knows exactly what I’m referring to. It’s something that needs to be experienced to full get a grasp of.

The sound design is near-flawless as well. From the sounds that Trico makes, to the music that plays in the more scenic and dramatic parts, to the noise of temples and bridges crashing down around you, all the way to the the slight padding noise that the boy’s feet makes as he walks across different kinds of terrain, the ambiance has just as much attention to detail as everything else in The Last Guardian.

Final rubric:

Story: 10/10 – The Last Guardian boasts a beautifully minimalist story that focuses on building a bond with the characters, all through the use of interactions together and almost no dialogue and direction besides what you experience while trudging along with Trico.

Gameplay: 7/10 – This is where the game suffers the most. The Last Guardian is occasionally plagued by framerate and camera issues and awkward controls while scaling Trico. The obscurity of some of the puzzles and hiccups in the beast’s AI can makes this game tedious at the best of times and downright frustrating at its worst (I’m looking at one segment I had to replay seven times because Trico continually failed to catch me over and over again), but the smoothness of the platforming and the fact that almost everything in the environment can be interacted with more than makes up for Trico behaving like a dumb animal at times.

Visuals and Sound: 10/10 – I’d give it 11/10 if I could. The Last Guardian is breathtakingly beautful, scenic and grand in the outdoor segments with lighting effects, sound design and scenery that is nothing short of artistic, while the indoor parts of the game are atmospheric and dark and intricately detailed.

Average Score: 9/10 – The Last Guardian is a beautiful, emotional, engrossing, immersive labor of love, twelve years in the making, and to me personally, it was well worth the wait. I rarely find games that endear me the way the boy and Trico have. Maybe it’s just the animal lover deep in my soul, but I just couldn’t bring myself to feel anything but love for Trico and it’s story with the young boy.

Obviously, this game is not for everyone. If gameplay is more important to you than a deeply beautful, emotionally charged story, you won’t get the most out of it. If you go into The Last Guardian expecting the guilt ridden angst-fest that was Shadow of the Colossus, you won’t get the most out of it. If you spend the entire game comparing The Last Guardian to it’s critically acclaimed predecessor, you won’t get the most out of it.

The Last Guardian is absolutely another masterpiece by Team ICO, and easily fits on the list of my favorite games of all time. No, it’s not Shadow of the Colossus, but it’s a damn good game, and well worth the wait and hype that it has generated over the last decade or so.

Video Game Review- Smashing Drive (Nintendo GameCube)

Have you ever played a video game that a lot of people don’t like, yet you find to be enjoyable? This is one such game. I never really knew why critics hated it, as I always thought this was a fun game. So in this review, I’ll try to shed a different light on this unappreciated gem. Without further adieu, let’s begin.

Dookie Album Review (Green Day Retrospective)

So, to start our retrospective we have to start at what gave them their popularity, Dookie. Please remember that this is based on opinions. Don’t be sending hate if my opinion is not yours. So, without further ado, here is Dookie.

Dookie is Green Day’s debut studio album and their best selling album to date. It stuck with the more punk sound of their two previous albums and is an absolutely amazing sounding album. Vinyl, CD, or on my iPod, I just love listening to it. In my retrospective series, we will go track by track with a little review of each song; then a quick review of the album itself; and then end it off with an overall score. So, on to the review

Burnout

This song just blasts you in the face with sound. It doesn’t waste time to kick you in the face with drum and vocals. It’s a fast paced song and gets you pumped up for the rest of the album. A great song to start off the album. The lyrics repeat, which is kind of crappy, but the sound of the song is just great.

Having a Blast

A bit more of a slow song, but the vocals are a lot better than the first song and the song feels a bit more well constructed than Burnout. The beat is really nice and it’s just an overall amazing song to listen to. One of my personal favorites on the album.

Chump

To be honest, I have not listened to this one very much. Whenever I listened to Dookie I would always skip this one, I don’t really know why. So, this is basically a review based on listening to it once. Well…it’s okay. Honestly, it sounds a lot like Having a Blast to me and not original so I’m gonna say it’s not really worth a listen. The little bass thing towards the middle is pretty cool though.

Longview

One of the most famous songs by Green Day. Anyone who hears that guitar riff in the beginning gets chills down their spine. Anyone who knows Dookie will know the lyrics to this song by heart. This song is just an absolute staple in the “Greeniverse”. If you’re going to listen to Green Day, listen to this song.

Welcome to Paradise

Another staple song in the “Greeniverse”. If you’re a Green Day fan and don’t know the lyrics to this song then go home, you’re drunk. The bass work done in this song is absolutely spectacular and Tre did wonderful on drums, as always. This song will put you in “paradise”.

Pulling Teeth

Another song I didn’t listen to a lot. I wish I had though, because this song is really good. This song is more for the vocals and lyrics, and it is very solid. Listening to this song made me smile with it’s harmony. So, if that is more of what you were looking for, then listen to this song.

Basket Case

Yes. YES. YES! This song is one of my absolute favorite songs of all time. The lyrics are just engraved in my brain. The guitar part in this song is engraved in my brain. This song is engraved in my brain. To listen to one of the greatest punk songs of all time, then listen to this song. Seriously, just listen to it…right now.

She

Another slower paced song, but another one made more for vocals and lyrics, and they are again solid. I found myself bobbing my head to the music. It’s a pretty catchy song and another great showing of Armstrong’s guitar skills.

Sassafras Roots

Personally…I’m not a fan of this song. Yeah, I know, I should be because from what I can tell from fans is that this is a well-liked song from Green Day. I do love the instrumental part of the song, but the lyrics and vocals of this one just fell flat with me. Don’t kill me…

When I Come Around

Oh my Morgan Freeman yes! This song is just absolute ecstasy. Another one of my favorite songs of all time. The lyrics are wonderful, the guitar riff is wonderful, Tre on drums is wonderful…just everything about this song is wonderful. Listen to it…NOW!

Coming Clean

A nice little short song to start closing off the album. The song never really stops being fast-paced and it makes it a great song to listen to when trying to staying awake or wanting to be pumped up. A song not really here for the lyrics, but the instrumental, and the instrumental is spot on.

Emenius Sleepus

Another short song, but this time more emphasis on vocals and lyrics, and while good, I think it could have been better. I love the little part about half-way where it slows down but other than that the song is just decent.

In the End

Be careful with headphones on this one. Just like Burnout it punches you in the crotch with sound. It’s a nice and welcomed change in the sound and, after Emenius Sleepus, it’s great to listen to.

F.O.D.

Going from In the End‘s fast-paced, guitar riffing sound to this more acoustic sounding slower-paced song is a noticeably drastic change…that is until about 1:45 into the song and sound kills your ear drum! My god do I love it when that happens and this song is a blast to listen to.

All By Myself

An absolutely hilarious song by Tre and a great way to end the album. It’s a hidden track added on to the end of F.O.D. and it makes me laugh everytime I listen to it. There isn’t much to say about it other than it is an absolutely hilarious masterpiece of writing.

 

So, we went through every song on the album. As you can see, the songs on the album are , for the most part, all fantastic.Other than a few songs, I love every song on Dookie. Most of Dookie is fast-paced and very fun to listen to. The writing can be very smart at times and just an absolute blast to sing along with. The guitar/bass work is phenomenal and the drums just perfect. So, I would have given Dookie a perfect score if it wasn’t for those songs that fell short. If you like fast-paced punk music, this is the album for you.

Lyrics: 9/10

Guitar/Bass: 10/10

Drums: 10/10

Vocals: 8/10

Flow: 6/10

Overall Score: 8.6/10

Video Game Review- The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (Nintendo 64)

When The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time was released in 1998, it was truly a groundbreaking game. Like Super Mario 64 before it, it opened many gamers eyes to the possibilities of 3D. The critics loved it and many Zelda fans consider this the greatest game of all time. So, why review a game that’s been talked about so many times already? Because I want to, that’s why!