Us and Them - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Naysayers take note: Shinedown's Us and Them does not disappoint. Longtime fans and a horde of new and faithful followers will revel in heavy, swaggering, bloozy stomps ("Heroes," "Atmosphere"), anthemic radio-ready ballads ("Beyond The Sun," "Some Day") and the tracks that fall somewhere in between (including the pop-ish "I Dare You"). The quartet evokes a different mood on virtually every track here, whipping out Led Zeppelin-esque riffs one moment, then moving onward to delightfully bloated classic rock fodder (the finely flawed "Lady So Divine") the next. Us and Them does hit two bum notes, albeit gracefully, toward the album's end with the forgettable "Fake" and "Begin Again," but even those tunes fail to ruin the celebratory vibe found elsewhere. Easily one of the most memorable rock releases of 2005. --Jedd Beaudoin

Customer Reviews: Read 114 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Ignore the naysayers...this album rocks!!!! October 11, 2005
28 out of 31 found this review helpful

Wow, I am really enjoying this album. I cannot believe all the complaints. First, you can't compare this one to `Leave A Whisper'. Duplicating or surpassing that album would be very, very difficult because that album is a masterpiece. So you need to judge this album on its own merits. This album is just growing on me. The more I listen to it, the more I like it. I must admit, when I first listened to it, I thought I would only listen to a couple songs and skip the rest. Well funny thing, when I went ahead to start skipping, I didn't want to. Even the songs I thought I wouldn't like that much, I find myself singing in my head. These songs are catchy.

I will call out a few songs: "I Dare You"--What an up-tempo fun song, it has to be the next single. It kind of reminds me of "Better Version". "Shed Some Light" and "Beyond The Sun" are slower deeper ballads, reminiscent of "In Memory". "Some Day" and "Save Me" are also a couple my favorites. I do not skip a song, all of them are enjoyable to listen to. I even don't mind the poem "The Dream".

In short, very, very well done Shinedown!!! Thank you for another great album!!!

4 out of 5 stars

You one star guys are on crack. October 14, 2005
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

I have to start this out by saying I have been dying to hear this album for quite some time. 'Leave a Whisper' was one of the best albums to be released by any band in years. I could not wait for Shinedown to pump out there next album.

I got my hands on Us and Them about 2 weeks ago, and will admit when I first listened to it - I was not impressed, at all. It just wasnt what I was expecting somehow - and the funny thing is, I had no idea what to expect. The music then grew on me, literally - and I have to say, this album completely rocks.

I think somehow it is a little different than Leave a Whisper, but thats what bands do - they evolve just like everything else on this earth.

How anyone could give this album 1 star is beyond me, unless they have britney spears posters on there wall.

After listening to it solidly for about a week now, I cant stop listening to it. I find myself humming the tunes in my head at all times of the day.

It is different than Leave a Whisper, but I cant quite put my finger on to it as what makes it so. All I can say, is if you liked Shinedown before, give this album some time to grow on you before you toss it in the garbage.

Tracks I find great - Lady So Divine, Fake, Shed some Light, Beyond the Sun, Yer Majesty, I dare you, Save Me, Heroes - so thats like, 80% of the album. And damn, those songs all roooooock.

Thank you Shinedown for another awesome album.

5 out of 5 stars

Great album from the best rock band October 7, 2005
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

Don't listen to these fools. Why don't they like it? Cause they're not screaming the lyrics on every song. Come on this is a great album, great lyrics, great music, and the best vocals I've ever heard from a rock band. Brent Smith is the man. This album has a lot of solid songs and a few great ones.
1. Dream 4/5 It's a poem
2. Heroes 5/5 Definitley great song
3. Save Me 5/5 Also great
4. I Dare You 4/5 Good track
5. Yer Majesty 4/5 Hard track
6. Beyond the Sun 5/5 Awesome song
7. Trade Yourself In 4/5 Not that bad
8. Lady So Divine 3/5 Not one of my faves
9. Shed Some Light 5/5 Close to the best
10. Begin Again 4.5/5 Very Good
11. Atmosphere 4/5 Another hard song
12. Fake 4/5 Not the best
13. Some Day 5/5 IMO The best song on the album

1 out of 5 stars

a complete departure from the original "shinedown" style October 5, 2005
6 out of 18 found this review helpful

It was during middle 2003 that shinedown made a somewhat successful name for themselves with the hit single ".45". That song alone drew thousands of fans to shinedown's dark, introspective music. To further prove that they were no "one-hit wonders", shinedown released 11 more quality songs via "leave a whisper" (issue 1). Although some were put off by their "radio-ready" sound, most found shinedown to be a refreshing change of pace from the too-cute pop/punk and nu-metal dominating the airwaves. one year later (to the day), shinedown re-issued "leave a whisper" w/ bonus material. this move allowed them [shinedown] to market their disc in retail/department store chains, making their music further accessible to the masses. by early 2005, shinedown fans were hungry for more, and so, shinedown returned to the studio to create what is now known as "us and them".

the problem with "us and them" is that it really is a complete departure from their original style. As mentioned before, (most) fans were drawn to the dark, moody lyrics/melodies that shinedown offered. I know that I myself could get lost in a shinedown song if I was having a crappy day, and most fans I know feel the same way. "us and them" provides no such outlet through it's lyrical content, and the music, for lack of a better word, is just boring. I used to think of shinedown as a musical powerhouse, a band that could sweep you away with their songs and provide an almost therapeutic experience, but now, they just sound like every other band out there. Nothing on "us and them" is memorable, and without a track listing in front of me, I'd be hard pressed to distinguish one song from another.

Since the beginning of time, bands have always had to choose between making the same record twice to please fans, or branching out and experimenting to obtain new ones. I, in no way, shape or form, wanted a carbon copy of "leave a whisper". I just didn't want a completely different shinedown either. In the 60's, one of the biggest bands in the world were the beetles. This now legendary act was known for never making the same record twice, but always being able to keep the fans they had. It's a formula that, if mastered properly, can give you lifelong success and make you a better band. With "us and them", shinedown has proved they have yet to master that formula.

I know that despite the lack of quality and overall poor sound of "us and them", a few diehard shinedown fans will continue to support this band and make excuses for their slump. I, however, prefer to call em' how I see em', and all I see in shinedown this time around is complete and total mediocrity. Boring, bland, stale and formulaic, "us and them" is one of the biggest letdowns in 2005. Save your money and purchase "leave a whisper" instead.

RIP shinedown :(

5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic! December 5, 2005
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

You knew the vocals were going to be top notch. But let's face the facts here. Yes, the first album was decent...held afloat by about three excellent songs, really. But anybody with any taste could tell that Shinedown would be just the same as all the other trend-following bands that one sees these days were it not for the phenomenal voice of lead singer Brent Smith. I myself thought that Leave a Whisper was just not very good, and could have done without everything but Fly From the Inside, Burning Bright, and 45. The band didn't bring much that was really dynamic to the table. Boy have they made a complete turnaround. Apparently the rest of the band decided to play catch-up with their lead man. Everything about this album is improved, from the guitar playing to the drums, heck even Smith shows that he has a little more diversity...which is impressive considering what he showed off last album. I'd say this is a job well done for Shinedown. Way to say the heck with the trend following and expand musically rather than stagnate like the rest of todays bands. This CD is a must-buy.

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