New Way To Be Human-Switchfoot

I've been around this album since it's original release date back in 1999. I still love Switchfoot's New Way To Be Human even today; I'm listening to it right now as I'm writing this review. Switchfoot is said to be a Christian group, but don't let that scare you away. Switchfoot's music is not preachy in any way, and you don't hear them praising Jesus or anything over and over again. This music is meant for people of all religions; even Switchfoot's lead singer Jon Foreman said, "Christian is a belief, not a genre." So that tells you they're not all over the Christian genre. As a matter of fact some of their songs sound more like love songs anyway, which is something that pretty much almost every band does anyway, so nothing unusual there.

It's quite an experimental album; each song sounds different and wonderful in it's own way. There is a variety of acoustic and electric guitar sounds, synthesizers and many other elements of tone for each song. Some songs like Company Car, Incomplete or New Way To Be Human sound optimistic and happy, some of them are songs about emptiness like Sooner Or Later or Let That Be Enough. Switchfoot manages to slip their variety of music tastes into each song while altogether being consistent in their production. Everything fits nicely and transitions to each song beautifully. I cannot possibly point out any highlights, as each song is equally powerful in quality and meaning. But I will review each song individually.

1. New Way To Be Human - Wonderful opening about how much the world has changed it's outlook and opened up a new meaning to life in priority and performance.

2. Incomplete - I love the optimistic sound of this song. This one talks about always running away from your problems and trying to leave it all behind. But the song cuts to the chase and says, "Cause you're a missing person now, step outside your doubt and let yourself be found!"

3. Sooner Or Later (Soren's Song) - Sooner Or Later is supposed to be based upon the Danish Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. Jon Foreman displays Soren's thoughts upon the emptiness of the world lyrically in Sooner Or Later. Soren's Song is about having to face the world's problems and interfaces Sooner Or Later. Sooner or later you'll find out there is much wrong with the world we live in today.

4. Company Car - This one always puts me in a happy mood whether I'm angry or sad. A good song for almost any mood whatsoever.

5. Let That Be Enough - Another song about emptiness; don't you just love those songs? This one is about being young and under prepared to face what lies ahead (AKA real world). It's a sad but wonderful acoustic song well written.

6. Something More (Augustine's Confession) - Another song based upon a philosopher; this time it's about Augustine's book series called "Confessions." This one talks about living with the same things in life and having to cope with them. Asking the world if there is "Something More" in store for him in life (at least that's the best I could interpret the song).

7. Only Hope - This song was beautifully written; Jon begins the song telling the listener he's been trying to write the same song over and over again to get things right. The song is about hope for acceptance from the one you love, basically. It's hard to say for sure though.

8. Amy's Song - like a sequel to Concrete Girl from The Legend Of Chin (Which by the way, is also a masterpiece). Amy is a fictional character that according to Jon Foreman is based upon all the heroes in his life. She is a modern day rebel who "Burns to live and inspires these flames in everyone she meets." As Jon said.

9. I Turn Everything Over - This one just makes me want to ride my bike, don't ask why. This is a fun song about having to deal with more of the same problems and eventually turning everything over. Sounds like another song about problems but it sure sounds fun.

10. Under The Floor - The meaning behind this song is quite a mystery; but that's just what I love about it. The way it's written is kind of creepy; he talks about a strange presence in the room that can hear him, even when he sings. Not sure what it is he's talking about, but it's there, under the floor.

Overall, everything ranging from the sound to the overall production of this album is all great. I don't think I've ever heard any other music album as much as New Way To Be Human (other than Snowflakes Are Dancing). And this is coming from someone who has well over 7 days worth of music on itunes (over a dozen albums). New Way To Be Human is one of my top 5 favorite albums ever. So anyone with the slightest interest in anything Switchfoot, if any one CD of theirs to buy, get this one. Better yet check out the 3-disc package "The Early years 1997-2000" which comes with the first three Switchfoot CDs (including this one) all for the price of one.

Sting-Brand New Day

This is a pretty good album, not Sting's best CD though. I'd have to say that there are three songs on this album that stand out; A Thousand Years, Desert Rose & Ghost Story (My favorite). I guess I don't like this as much as I used to, I'm thinking it's those three songs that made me rave about it at first. I think A Thousand Years is actually the first Sting Song I've heard, so that one song alone really means something to me. Desert Rose has it's own unique sound I'm sure most people can agree with, and I'm sure many people believe this to be one of his best songs (If not Fields Of Gold or something else). Ghost Story I think is Sting's most under rated song, it has such a beautiful sound that I can never stop listening to. There are still even some nice songs on here, not my favorite but still nice to hear. Big Lie Small World is strange but has a pretty good sound. After The Rain Has Fallen has a great sound too, with all the beats and symphonies in the background to entice the overall sound. I'm sure Brand New Day was meant to stick out more on this album, but I don't think it sticks out as well as the other songs mentioned. Overall, I think this is a pretty good album, with some great sounds here and there (great lyrics too) Ghost Story is probably my favorite above all though.

Track listing (favorites marked with *)

1. A Thousand Years*
2. Desert Rose*
3. Big Lie Small World
4. After The Rain Has Fallen*
5. Perfect Love...Gone Wrong
6. Tomorrow We'll See
7. Prelude To The End Of The Game
9. Fill Her Up
10. Ghost Story*
11. Brand New Day*

Rating: ****

Vertical Horizon-Live Stages

Oh my, this is it, Live Stages. The ultimate album, the almighty straight shot in glorifying their earlier hits. This is the live album of Vertical Horizon (so to speak) this has got to be my all time favorite Vertical Horizon album. (alongside Running On Ice) They sing the songs exactly the way you want them to sing it, without becoming too predicable. Everything is executed very well, plenty of beats to get stuck in your head and repeat, and lovably strong lyrics. Yeah I know it sounds weird, but I can't help it, I'm even listening to it as I type this review; I can't stop. Words cannot do this album justice, if you even like music at all, do yourself justice and buy this album; right now. Matt Scannell and Keith Kane both have great voices and are well worth listening to. Everything you want is actually right here, on this album.

Anyways, here's the list of songs on this album. (the ones marked with [*] are my favorite)

1. The Man Who Would Be Santa*
2. The Ride*
3. Falling Down*
4. On The Sea*
5. Japan*
6. It's Only Me*
7. Candy Man*
8. Fragments*
9. The Unchosen One*
10. Heart In Hand*
11. Wash Away*
12. The Great Divide*

Rating: *****

Vertical Horizon-Go

I had a lot of fun listening to Vertical Horizon again. Especially since I've really been into the "Everything You Want" album; I just couldn't wait to hear more from them. To my surprise I'd have to say I enjoyed this album just as much. It almost felt like the continuation of Everything You Want. The music seems so consistent in it's own theme of rock music and it's usage of the chorus within the lyrics. (I love it when music has a chorus) That is something I failed to mention last time; Vertical Horizon uses the chorus a lot. To me it's not a bad thing, I love hearing some of the same parts of a song over and over again; they really carry the message all the way through with their poetry.

Yes, this may be a continuation of the same style of music they've been doing since their 1999 album. But it still maintains a fresh breath of new air; it's not a bad thing that they're making more of the same music. They manage to make each song memorable in their own unique ways, such songs as "When You Cry" or "Forever." It's one of those things where the second release of something is just as great as the first, but that's my opinion. Anyway, I have to say if you own the album "Everything You Want" you'll definitely have to check this out.

Again, here is the list of songs. (ones marked with a * are my favorite)

1. When You Cry*
2. I'm Still Here*
3. Forever*
4.Sunshine
5. Goodbye Again*
6. Echo*
7. It's Over
8. One Of You*
9. Won't Go Away
10. Inside*
11. Underwater*

Rating: ****1/2

By the way, they re-released this album under the Hybrid label called "Go 2.0" which includes an extra track and has a re-arranged track listing which looks like this:

1. When You Cry*
2. I'm Still Here*
3. Forever*
4. Better When You're Not Here*
5. Goodbye Again*
6. Echo*
7. Sunshine
8. It's Over
9. One Of You*
10. Won't Go Away
11. Inside*
12. Underwater*

Rating: *****

Yet again, I also ordered the album "Running On Ice" Which I will eventually talk about. Maybe not so much on the next update seeing as I've already made 2 about how good Vertical Horizon's music is. I also bought an album today by Third Eye Blind A Collection, so far I don't know what to say about it but maybe I'll get to it; just maybe.

Edit: On a side note, I'm extremely hyped about the new Contra 4 coming to the DS. I never thought Contra would ever come to the DS. To me, it's literally a "dream" come true.

Vertical Horizon-Everything You Want

Vertical Horizon is one of my personal favorite bands. I do like other artists like Sting, The Police, and even artists most people don't know like Isao Tomita of albums like "Snowflakes Are Dancing" and "Pictures At An Exhibition"

Vertical Horizon actually has their own history; they started off in 1992 with the album "There And Back Again" then they worked their way up with albums like "Running On Ice" and "Live Stages." But the first album to truly make them famous was the 1999 album "Everything You Want." I'm sure most people know the song "Everything You Want" it's been played hundreds of times on the radio in the year 2000. There were also some other great songs like "You're A God" and "Best I Ever Had" and many others. My personal favorite from this particular album would have be "Miracle" because this was not only the first song I heard from this band, but also the most nostalgic. I used to hear this song a lot when I lived in California. (very long time ago) I actually still hear it for it's nostalgic value, but anyway. Here's the list of songs this album comes with:

(ones with the [*] are my favorites)

1. We Are
2. You're A God*
3. Everything You Want*
4. Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)*
5. You Say*
6. Finding Me*
7. Miracle*
8. Send It Up
9. Give You Back*
10. All Of You
11. Shackled*

Rating: ****1/2

So Vertical Horizon may not be the most popular music artist (nor the most well-known) but I always found them to be very enjoyable. I recently ordered the Vertical Horizon album called "Go" so maybe I'll be able to tell you about it sometime after I've heard the music. I might also do artists like Sting & The Police, but we'll see in the next update. Overall, I just wanted to say the Vertical Horizon album called "Everything You Want" is very enjoyable music. It may not be very complicated, but the overall sound of the music and the way they bring the poetry to life in my opinion is memorable. I recommend this to anyone who likes rock/pop music.

Conker: Live & Reloaded

Conker: Live & Reloaded is one of my all-time favorite video games. Most people may not be satisfied with it because of Conker's Bad Fur Day, and yes I've played Bad Fur Day, but this game has everything Bad Fur Day had and more.

Let me first say that I like the tagnames a lot more, although some people hate that I find it useful. Sometimes I'll get pissed off when I die in the game, and considering there are tagnames in the game, sometimes I find out it's the same guy killing me over and over again, so I atleast know who to get revenge upon. Not to mention this game also uses xbox live so you can play with your friends from around the world. But I don't have xbox live so I can't tell you everything about that, only that there are plenty of things you can unlock during xbox live like Flame Fire or Purple Streak, (changes the color of the bullets) and lots of other crap like that.

Another thing that I really like about this game is the camera angle, thank God it's not another FPS. I'm completely satisfied with the 3rd person camera angles. Some people also don't like that about the game, like maybe it's hard to see with the character in the way or whatever. It never really bothered me, it's much better than a FPS. Don't get me wrong I like FPS but there have been just way too many FPS games coming out lately that it's hard for me to enjoy the same thing over and over again. What I really like about the 3rd person camera angle is that you could have the controls of a FPS while maintaining other abilities. For example, you've got the sneeker who can do frontflip no problem, but can you do frontflips in a FPS? No, does it really matter if you can do frontflips in a game at all? Not really, but I'd say it's useful for dodging attacks from other players. The Long Ranger and the Sky Jockey can also do sideflips when holding their Krotch 45 and DP500 weapons, but anyway. I'm just saying there's a lot more you can do in a 3rd person game than an FPS game. I really enjoy 3rd person games more too, I'm not saying they're better that's only my opinion. There are actually really good FPS games out there too like Perfect Dark, Quake III Arena, Unreal Tournament 2000, etc. I've just been falling out of the mood lately, I guess.



The Graphics for this game are really smooth, everything looks so neat whether it be Old War or Future War. (I prefer Future War) The game actually does have a lot of glitches, yes, but some of it's funny. Like of you headshoot a Long Ranger or Sneeker on an R-Hog Their vehicle disappears, (that's supossed to happen, considering the player can no longer use it) but the character is still sitting up as if there was one. I'm not trying to make the glitches sound like a good thing here, I'm just saying, there are plenty of weird things that happen in the battlefield, but overall it doesn't bother me. (it never really interferes with the way I play the game)

The gameplay is a whole lot of fun, there are 6 classes you can play as: The Grunt, The Thermophile, The Sneeker, The Demolisher, The Long Ranger & The Sky Jockey. Personally I like the Grunt and the Long Ranger Best, but the other classes offer you a different way to play the game. Like a Sky Jockey of course flies the Steed (or Mule 52) and bombs enemies from above, the Sneeker uses the Sabre sword (whether it be a katana or a light saber) to decapitate enemies or throw knives at them. (they can also run faster than any class) Each class has their upside, basically. (although I think The Sky Jockey and the Sneeker should have more health 'cause they die fast)

Each class also has their own set of special abilities like infravision, self-heal, beserk, and other stuff. The Sneeker seems to have the most differing abilities from all the other classes, like the cloak, which allows you to be invisible for some time. (even though most of the time it can be pretty useless unless used to hide from a Sky Jockey or Long Ranger) They also have this one ability in which they feign death, which never works. I've tried it but somehow they always know I'm not really dead, not sure how, but anyway. Then they also have this disguise which to my suprise, works a lot better than to feign death. The Demolisher can go Beserk, which causes them to use this kind of smashing move. (which for some reason blows players up) There are a lot more abilities I haven't mentioned, but I think you get the idea.


I know I'm leaving out the "Bad Fur Day" part of the game, but basically, the graphics are updated with very few changes made to the game. (like the bat instead of the frying pan, which doesn't bother me because I couldn't care less for what kind of weapon I have) I mostly play the multiplayer more than this anyways, so yeah.

Overall, I love the amount of options you're given in this game better than BFD. I also like that you can manage your team mates in naming everyone whatever you want. (and you can edit the game so you could play around with stuff like how many lives you have, how long the game is, etc.) Also, you can change the classes for each game around so you could play with Sky Jockeys or Grunts only in the game. (whatever class you want it to be) This game never really gets old to me, I've been playing it for about a year and a half now. (I've also managed to get really good at sniping with the Long Ranger, you can see my video at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dci35kWTubE

I recommend this game to anyone who has an xbox. I give it a 10/10.

Movies & Stuff

Hello, this is gunrunner2. This is my new blog I'm going to make about movies, games, poetry, etc. Not sure how to start thing off, but I will say I am heavily into movies and video games, I also enjoy poetry, drawing, and plenty of other things. I don't have much to say about this first post, but I would like to post a link to my dA account if you'd like to check it out.

http://gunrunner2.deviantart.com/