Customer Reviews

Songs to Love & Die By

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

8mm is one of those bands that is far too easy to write off. Juliette has a great voice but it's not in-your-face so, in all honesty, it's easy to forget if you're not paying attention to what you're hearing. As intricate as the music can be I couldn't have told you a single standout beat the first time I heard this CD. However! Once you make a point to sit down and listen and focus solely on this CD, woo! It's a heck of a listen. From beginning to end there might be one song you think is inferior to the rest of the pack but even then you still like it.

One of the many reasons I decided to check out 8mm is simply because every singer (well, mainly Free Dominguez) kept referring to them. With good reason it turns out. Once you get a taste for what's brought to the table on Songs to Love and Die By... you'll find yourself singing a certain lyric to yourself without even realizing it, a sign of a great CD for sure.

Juliette has quite the seemingly delicate voice. No Way Back makes you think this at least. From Bones on though you realize that she definitely knows what she's doing. Her vocal delivery in some songs (You Know most prodominantly) is splendid and her vocals never overpower the music itself which is nice as well. Songs like Bones, You Know, Never Enough, Quicksand, and Give It Up are all immediate hits that will never fail to please. As for the rest, especially the unbelievable Sean-led Forever and Ever Amen, are sure to find their way into your head as well.

My favorite songs are You Know, Never Enough, Quicksand, Give It Up, and Forever and Ever Amen. Here's hoping you won't make the same mistake I did by overlooking them for so long because 8mm is such a great band with so much potential to only get better that it can be sickening to think about. Worth checking out.

I learned about 8mm after hearing (and being quite impressed by) the final track, "Forever and Ever Amen." Unfortunately, that cut seems to be out of synch with 8mm's characteristic style. Other reviewers have said it and I agree: 8mm has a solid sound, but you could play the album and every track would blend into the next forming a general 8mm stream. The tone, tempo, key, and subject matter do not differ significantly enough from song to song for individual pieces to stand out--with the exception of the excellent final track. "Forever and Ever Amen" is a wonderful piece of music and I hope to see more diversity in that vein from 8mm.

I came across this band randomly through myspace (what a wonderful invention, allowing people across the world to unite through tearful blogs and spouting hate at ex loved ones) and they are truly magnificent. Admittedly I have not played their album for quite some time (then again when your collection is 500+ albums, you tend to forget a few) but whenever I do it is an aural pleasure that is perfect when you just want to relax and smoke a j and spend quality time in peace.

Think of a chillout jazz band with trip hop influence and you have these guys.

I first came across 8mm on Myspace a few years ago. I finally got around to buying one of their cds recently. A few weekends ago I found a new, unsealed copy of Songs to Love and Die By at my local used cd store and of course bought it. As a big fan of trip hop music, Songs to Love and Die By was an immediate hit with me. I really enjoyed listening to Juliette's delicate vocals set to Sean's laid-back electronic beats and the occasional acoustic guitar. I think the strongest tracks on the album are "Stunning", "Never Enough", "Liar", and "Quicksand". The songs really captures all the elements that I like in trip hop music. I wish I bought this cd sooner but I suppose better late than never.

You and your partner looks into each others' eyes after a long, long time you've spent together. You don't remember when did those lovely sparkling eyes turned so dull and lifeless. They appear weary, dreaded to your sight. You are afraid to hold them, there is no spark anymore, it doesn't feel right at all. It maybe better if you forget about the whole thing, just end it and stop wasting each others' time.

The next morning you wake up, they are no longer in the bed with you. The empty space is cold, you don't remember how long that had been cold and you don't want to wake up every morning thinking they are still there.

There has been a time where one of us will act differently than the happily ever after scene, and needless to say it wasn't the greatest feeling for the either of us. While your heart is all curled up, hardened but yet vulnerable to a lot of negative influences. Hard liquor, violence, drugs, suicide, deeper depression; these are exactly what Juliette Beavan is pouring in your ear when your unstable hand slip the CD into your dusty stereo system.

"You are stuck, you're out of luck." First words you'll hear and somehow your subconscious agrees. You will submerge yourself into a sea of sorrow, thinking about the past, the present and the near future without them.

I do not remember a single second of the entire album, but rest assure, I will never forget the way my soul was stung by every tear and the sharp, red fingernails that 8mm had spun. It made me feel things I have not been able to feel without such guidance. It made me question the very question, what is love? Yet, I had the courage to convince myself that the definition is nothing but what you make of it. Before I knew it, the stereo stopped for quite sometime, I sat alone at the desk under dim lights looking outside the window into the dark, busy streets. I whispered, "Honey, I wish you are still here with me. I'm sorry for everything I have done to hurt you and I could not have been the most foolish person alive to let you go. I hope, sincerely, that you will be happy without me. I wish for nothing but the best, for you and your family."

Thank you for your time you took to read this.

I really love this cd. Every song has a different vibe and they all hit deep - great CD to groove to!

Aside from the actual music on the CD, the ECD portion of the disk will launch a "VIP" area (internet explorer window pops up) offering exclusive stuff for having got the CD. The video to "Give it Up" is smooth like the song (I haven't been able to get it out of my head for days). It also offers the first of what (I hope) will be many "bedroom sessions" where the group have a little live show in their house; just them and a camera. The acoustics aren't bad at all and it's actually really nice (especially if you liked the song before) to hear without any effects on it.

As far as the track list goes: Outstanding! The songs have a pretty even flow from one to the next (no stop-start-stop non-sequential tracks at all), letting the mood carry over from one song to the next, though there is no mixing what-so-ever, so your favorite songs aren't getting their toes stepped on :)

My personal favorites are "Give It Up" "Never Enough" and "No Way Back", with "Give It Up" taking the lead in catchy play and the gets-stuck-in-your-head quotient is through the roof (followed closely by "No Way Back")

All together, it's a solid CD with no songs out of place (though a few styles are used, they still fit together like a jigsaw puzzle), and I recommend it highly to any trip-hop aficionado or indie fans who are into the likes of Trespassers William or Eva Abraham.

My boyfriend had the EP for months. We listened to it over and over again. Once the CD came in the mail, I quickly swiped it and it's been in my car ever since! It's hands-down one of the most gorgeous sounds out there right now! I highly, highly recommend this band!

I like this kind of music but after listening to this cd with my mother, she pointed out that all of the songs sound the same. I think she's right, ever since she mentioned that I can only listen to a couple songs at a time. But there is a difinite need for this kind of music, it's soothing, romantic and mysterious. Just listen to it in small doses!

AFTER HAVING THE OPENER EP AND KEEPING UP TO DATE WITH 8MM ON MYSPACE I HAVE BECOME A VERY BIG FAN FOR LIFE!! SONGS TO LOVE AND DIE BY DOES IT ALL FOR ME!! THE TITLE PRETTY MUCH SAYS IT ALL. IT'S KINDA A SOUNDTRACK TO YOUR LIFE BUT I PREFER TO LOVE BY!!:) IF YOUR IN THE MOOD FOR SOMETHING SOOOOO SWEET AND SULTRY YET DARN FUN U GOTTA CHECK THIS OUT!! I'M SOOOO INTO PORTISHEAD, MASSIVE ATTACK, HOOVERPHONIC AND WELL ALL THOSE SOUNDS OF PURE MMMMMMMM! 8MM COVERS IT ALL FOR ME! SO DO YOURSELF A FLAVOR AND GIVE IT A GOOD LISTEN CAUSE JULIETTE AND SEAN ARE THE SEXIEST COUPLE OUT THERE AND DAMN GOOD PEOPLE SO GO SEE EM LIVE AND SHOW EM LOVE!!!