Pagoda

Pagoda | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 27, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ecstatic Peace
• ASIN: B000MM1FC8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,243 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Debut Alt. Rock At Its Best, March 23, 2007

By 

Jay - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pagoda (Audio CD)

The debut self-titled album by Pagoda may not be an alternative rock masterpiece, but it does deliver with definite flare and strength. A key mix of grunge, punk, and uber-college rock is certainly worth a listen...

1. Lesson Learned - Easy choice for the first track. Melodic song with fluid flow. Pitt hits with his angst-fill lyrics, backed by superb drums. Everything works, which is why it's the single to the album. (4/5)

2. Amego- A definate punk inspired track. A strong bass line filled with fast delivered lyrics bellow throughout the song. "Blah, blah, blah, etc" is all Pitt says for a full verse, giving no doubt that this is an instrumental highlight for the band. The chorus line of 'Yeah yo ,Amego/I know you think I'm loco/So slow, I don't grow/ take me back to Mexico' is defiantly one of the most catchy lines you'll find on the album, much less rock music today. (4/5)

3. Fetus- Slow growing, anti/pro abortion song (or neither) that kicks in with strange, yet catchy precession. Again, Pitt shows his angst ridden side to his lyrics. He also shows the beginning of heavy lyrical content that has yet to fully develop. The cello is also a nice touch. (Now that I think about it, this could totally be a Nirvana 'In Utero' b-side.) (3/5)

4. Voices- Strange, paranoid track that lacks depth. Rhythms go everywhere in this one, aside from the in-your-face chorus that makes the track more than a one-track listen. This could have been a great track, but flow is definitely lacking. (2/5)

5. Death to Birth- The slowest, moodiest, most known, and likely most introspective song on the album, 'Death to Birth' breathes some fresh air into the slow rock that sadly Pagoda didn't explore any further in the album. I always felt distain towards the cello playing, but I guess it adds more atmosphere in the end. (3/5)

6. Botus- Funny, storyline lyrics by Pitt works nicely with the distorted grunge riff of a chorus. Some would consider this a filler track, but if you give it time you can tell that it really does deserve time on the album. Without a doubt 'Botus' has the most profound guitar riff on the album.(3/5)

7. Sadartha- I personally have never enjoyed this song at all. The melody is twisted and not catchy at all. The only fun part is the constant Arabian-like chanting paired with Pitt saying "Until we meet again" near the end of the track. (2/5)

8. Alone- Slow and grungy- just how I love it. Don't mean to compare Pitt to Cobain, but Pitt molds his lyrics towards the melody almost verbatim towards how Cobain would handle it. Only negative part is the out of place violin (or is it a cello) played around the middle of the track. This isn't exactly any we've haven't heard before, but it's the tempo makes it a personal favorite to me. (4/5)

9. Fear Cloud- Forgettable track that I don't even know why was even put on the album. Only lasts below a minute though, so it truly doesn't matter anyways. (1/5)

10. I Do- This was my personal favorite when it was released on their EP. Awesome bass line with a catchy guitar part, not to mention fun lyrics by Pitt and various moaning by anonymous ladies. After the 4:00 mark though, it switches to a strange spoken word/diary/LSD induced sequence running 10:00 or so. I love 'I Do', but I could certainly do without the spoken word stuff (leave that for MySpace.)
'I Do' (4/5). After the track (1/5)

One negative thing that I will comment on Pagodas debut is the lack of soft rock songs. Only 'Death To Birth' can be considered soft and thats been out for years now. I'm as hard rocking as they come, but a new slow, ballad-like rock song wouldn't hurt for variety . A plus I find though, is that every song is different. Take that Nickelback...

Another negative aspect I would like to point out is the bulk of the album. I don't think nine songs does it (I don't count 'Fear Cloud' as a song.) This is especially evident considering Pagoda released a demo in 2005 (free on MySpace mind you) with four of the nine songs on the demo also included on this album. Thats means it took them two years to create five new songs. I'm all for quality over quantity, but with all due respect, there should have been a few more songs made for this album. There's no doubt they have the talent.

Overall, I feel pretty happy with the end result of the album. They got angst-ridden when the wanted to. They got fun when they wanted to. The got experimental when they wanted to. And it all worked. No epics, no ballads, and no Generation X anthems- just straight up rock.

Rating: 3.5/5

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Grunge with progressive and death rock threats, June 2, 2007

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pagoda (Audio CD)

Formed around actor Michael Pitt, this '90s grunge throwback is stronger than a vanity project but not nearly strong enough to transcend its influences. Pitt's vocals - particularly the whisper-to-a-scream range -- will remind many of Kurt Cobain, as will the thrashing rhythm guitars and angst-filled lyrics. Where the band adds something novel are in touches of prog-rock (particularly noticeable in Ryan Donowho's drumming), death-rock overtones, and the cello playing of Indigo Ruth Davis.

Four of this album's tracks were released in 2005, leaving only six new tracks from the past two years (and that includes the 56-second "Fear Cloud"). In fact, the entire album was recorded in 2004, along with dozens of additional tracks that have yet to see release. The selected tracks rock hard, save the pained ballad "Death to Birth," often building from mid-tempo to cathartic crescendo. In the end, neither Pitt's voice or his songs resonate with the inner turmoil that erupted to the surface of grunge's greatest works, leaving Pagoda as fierce but not forceful. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pagoda...Rocks, April 16, 2007

By 

Gazamoon (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pagoda (Audio CD)

If you would like to add some variety to your rock collection, get Pagoda's self-titled debut album (this one). They rock hard and soft and the melodies in between songs is a beautiful touch to the album. Mike Pitt, Ryan Donowho, and Luca Amedolara are awesome together live and in the studio.