Customer Reviews

Golden

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Sony's copy protection scheme installs harmful rootkit software on Windows machines. This software can crash your machine, and make it easier for viruses to infect you. It also causes a small but constant drain on your processing power - even when you're not listening to music. By design, it is impossible to uninstall without advanced technical skills.

Sony recently released a patch to mitigate these concerns. However, the patch only addresses the issue of potential virus infection. Uninstalling the software is still nearly impossible, and if attempted incorrectly can render your CD drive unusable.

For more information, search for "sony rootkit" on the sysinternals web site.

good cd but the copy protection kills it for me. i'll never support sony\bmg and there new protection methods.

last cd iam buying from them {sony\bmg} until the copy protection is gone.

way to kill music sales sony!

FABULOUS!

I saw Elkland for the first time at the Avalon in Los Angeles, because they opened for Erasure. Opening bands are usually...well, you know...but Elkland captured me at first sound! Let me tell you, they are INFECTIOUS, DELIGHTFUL and absolutely kick it live!

The BAND SOUNDS A LOT LIKE ERASURE (lots of old school, 80's synthesizer) and THE LEAD SINGER'S VOICE SOUNDS LIKE A HAUNTING INCARNATION OF ROBERT SMITH (FROM THE CURE), MINUS THE DARKNESS. The lead singer definitely has his own thing going on when he performs! Odd (albeit uninhibited), stiff, robotic dancing is his signature. I would have sworn that this band was straight from England and was completely shocked to find that they are, in fact, American and from upstate New York!

As I am constantly dipping into the 80's, romantic, new wave, British, dance music (Duran Duran, New Order, Spandau Ballet, ABC, OMD, Talk Talk, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, etc.) to get my fix of "happy" music from bands that were made up of refined, European gents with lovely accented vocals, it is so thrilling to see a new band representing that whole scene. You can hear samples of all 12 songs from this album at MSN music and you can watch the video for their first single at the band's own website.

My god, they are refreshing! There is such a huge void in the current rotation of music in the MTV and alternative radio universe, so this fun, fast-paced, dance-only, retro-80's sound should be out there! In fact, I was sad to find that this is the only album available from Elkland, because I already crave more!

You will certainly not be disappointed with this album. Every song is fantastic! Their beats will move your body and their words and melodies (ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL, ROMANTIC AND TOUCHING) will move the giddy or love struck part of your mind! Can we say guilty pleasure?

I HOPE THEY STICK AROUND FOR A LONG TIME! THIS IS EXACTLY THE PRESCRIPTION THE ALTERNATIVE DOCTOR HAS ORDERED FOR 2005!

I can't believe some of these reviews I'm reading. Yes, Elkland is pretty good(saw em 3 times live as they opened for the best band around, Erasure). However, some of these reviewers have no idea what they're talking about.

First off, Elkland is not better than The Cure. Elkland have ONE good album. The Cure have around 11 good albums(their entire catalog). Hell, Elkand doesn't even have a bass player. They might want to try fixing that if they ever want to become anything close to The Cure's greatness.

Second, another reviewer said Elkland sound the same live as they do on the album. That's hardly the case, as the album is just about all electronically(you can barely hear the guitar) and the drums are way down. Now in concert, they sound like a rock band with guitars and drums pumped up and keyboards down. If it weren't for the lyrics, you could have fooled me for it being a different band.

Now, the songs are pretty good but they do get old after awhile. All of them are far too simplistic lyrically but the lead singer does keep things fresh, there's some passion in his voice.

My favorite picks are Find Me, It's Not Your Fault and I Never. Sadly, their greatest song isn't even on the album...which would be I Think I Hate Her, which can be found on their single for Apart.

I enjoyed em live and while they sound different on the album, I enjoy their performance there as well. They have a long ways to become The Cure, but this debut shows they have some promise but they just need to work on those lyrics and get a bass player.

I saw this band open up for Erasure in Orlando, Florida. I don't think I ever had an opening band make an impression on me like they did. The lead singer has such incredible stage presence. They were fun and the music was so catchy and infectious.
I bought the album at the show and highly recommend to anyone, especially to those who love retro 80's.

I bought this from my local record store after reading it sounded like a cross between The Cure, Joy Division, and New Order. I played the album for the first time and I loved it, second time I liked it, thrid time it was just good. It has a really cool sound and good vocals, but the whole thing seemed shallow. They really need to work on their lyrics because they sound very forced. There really isnt't much diversity in their songs and they suffer a bit from synth overkill. Dont get me wrong, the sound is very cool and incredibly danceable, and the singer does sound alot like Robert Smith. It is a good album and I enjoy listening to it; just dont expect it to be very deep. As for comments about them being better then The Cure... how idiotic can you get. Saying Elkland is better then The Cure is like saying Brittany Spears is better then Jimmy Hendrix. The Cure are legendary and about as perfect as a band could get, Elkland on the other hand can make a couple good pop songs. I seriously doubt Elkland will last thirty years, something The Cure did.

I picked up Elkland's CD at the Erasure show last night. They were the opening act, but I don't think it will be long until these guys are the main event! I was seriously impressed with their energy during their live performance. They had Massey Hall moving and were a little taken aback I think. So, during the intermission I picked up a copy(all of which sold out last night) and jammed to it all the way home!!! Stand-out tracks are: Apart, I Need You Tonight and We Share A Heart. Their sound is a little bit of The Cure, mashed in with some Duran Duran, a bleep and blip from New Order and the emergence of Martin Gore-styled Depeche Mode-esque lyrics. Any fan of neo-New Wave (or the original New Wave, from back in the day) will dig this album!!!

spirited, fun-loving synth pop by a band that helps get the party started. I'd like to see some stronger lyrics and a "harder" sound down the road, but this is an auspicious start. They opened for Erasure last night in Dallas and were lots of fun to see live: very energetic and catchy sounds.

I too saw Elkland on the "Erasue Show" tour. Usually, obscure opening bands are not all that exciting but it was interesting to see the vibe of the crowd--and myself--shift from uninterest to curiosity to ultimate excitement for this new group.

Their stage presence needs a little work but their energy was truely infectious. You could tell they were just so grateful to be performing in front of a large audience. Actually, their CD sold out at the venue immediately after their set, so I had to wait to buy my copy at a store the following day. The CDs at the venue were 20 dollars, so if you can get a used copy on Amazon for a few bucks, then that is such a steal!

The sound, as other reviewers have mentioned, is very 80's electropop with a funky edge that makes it noticeably from this time period...if you pay attention to the latest trends in music. Most of the tracks are musically layered in such an interesting way with traditional rock instruments (guitar, drums), along with the unusual keyboard elements reminiscent of New Order perhaps (but a new wave-sounding vocal where the lead singer inserts all kinds of up-and-down inflections making the songs really interesting to listen to).

In the end, it really depends on your perspective: I listened the CD and thought it sounded unique and a couple other people just thought it sounded unoriginal. Lyrically more tracks than not are so very catchy. Even the maxi single for "Apart" is worth getting. The B-Sides "Salvation" and especially "I Think I Hate Her" are fantastic! The latter repeats "...you go to your doctor, I'll go to my disco..." They performed this track live and the crowd loved it! Seven out of the nine friends who have heard "Golden" playing in my car or around the house bought or were planning to buy a copy for themselves which really surprised me, especially since a couple of them don't like dance music at all. One of my friends asked me what group from the 80's that was...She was surprised to have missed them! Fans of dance and 80's uptempo tunes should really like this, as well as anyone who appreciates something different in the pop arena. If anything it makes for a great conversation piece!

The sad reality is that without the right marketing and promotion this group won't get too far. They obviously have the ability to gain some notoriety if they are selling-out CDs in the venues they're performing. I see already that there are so many cheap used copies! It just goes to show that sometimes a few great groups slip through the cracks.

I can't believe anyone would compare any of these songs to the legends of the 80s such as New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen, the Cure, etc. I've been in to 80s music since it was the 80s.

Elkland is more an innocent synthpop boy band. I would compare them more to Haircut 100, General Public, or an early Depeche Mode. I love these guys because they capture the fun and innocence of the 80s. These other bands' music was usually much darker and more complicated, capturing the somewhat darker side of the new wave movement.

Elkland definitely has the potential to develop in to a great band, but in the mean time I'm perfectly happy listening to them as they are.