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30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't judge Skye by her age...this is good stuff!, January 1, 2005
I only found out about Skye Sweetnam recently, and I'm sure glad I did! Noise From the Basement, her debut album, is nothing short of great. I admit, I was a little hesitant at first to buy this. It's easy to dismiss Skye as just another teeny-bop act. But I can tell you that Skye is *not* just another face in the crowd. This album is impressive, and goes way above what one would initially expect from this genre of music.
Yes, comparisons to Avril Lavigne are going to fly left and right. After all, both Avril and Skye are "punk-rock chicks." Both are about the same age. Both are Canadian. But that's really where the comparisons stop. While Avril's music has its merits, her albums tend to follow one single theme and stick with it, causing all the songs to sound alike. But Noise From the Basement is a refreshing change from that. Each song seems to have its own personality. There's also a quirky variety to this album, most notably an unexpected (but great) cover of Blondie's "Heart Of Glass."
Lyrically, Skye sings about stuff that, well, girls her age think about. It's sure better than if she tried to sing about more adult-oriented themes and end up coming across as pretentious or just having no clue. The lyrics on Noise From the Basement may not be deep or profound, but they're genuine. I mean, didn't we all think about these things when we were her age?
If you like music with energy to it, that's fun to listen to while not taking itself too seriously, Noise From the Basement is a great buy. Skye Sweetnam is going places.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
PRETTY IMPRESSIVE...WITH BITE and even some DEPTH..., September 22, 2004
OK, here goes...first off, I'm a discerning 36 year old, eclectic, open-minded music listener...and I don't shy away from an artist because of his/her age, even if said artist is Canadian Skye Sweetnam, who is only 15 years old...if she has something that sparks my interest, I WILL check her out, and yes, she DOES have that X-factor, and her debut album, "Noise From The Basement" is one impressive debut!! The artist also has to be just that, an HONEST ARTIST, not a corporate creation, all fake and contrived...Skye is anything BUT contrived!!
I've been waiting for a YEAR or so for the release of Skye Sweetnam's debut opus, ever since I heard "Billy S." + saw the video, and let me tell you all, it was worth the wait, and Skye did not disappoint me one iota!!!
At 14 cuts and 39+ minutes, it's a quick listen, BUT there's a lot going on and songs that completely hold your interest, so it feels like a satisfying, full meal when you are done. At first, you might think, oh no, not another Avril clone from Canada like Fefe Dobson, or Avril herself!!! What IS it about these teen girls from Canada who turn out like femme-punks??? But, if you look below the surface, peel back the layers and investigate closer, you'll find more going on here than just "Noise From The Basement". First thing you'll notice is she is no corporate board creation...no professional PRODUCERS were involved with this baby. Skye's been recording demos since she was 12!! Skye has a musical partner in James Robertson, a 21-year old multi-instrumentalist + producer, who happens to be her boyfriend. The two of them together produced the album, and recorded the tracks as DEMOS in his parents' basement!! The album is truly the title, those basement demos, not corporate studio big-budget reproductions...yet there are some well-done overdubs + mixes by the respected Tom Lord-Alge...but the heart of the album are those charming demos. Also, Skye and James co-wrote 11 of the 14 cuts, with James PLAYING all the instruments, engineering and producing too...NOT a sign of corporate tinkering whatsoever!!! The other 3 songs are a cool cover of Blondie's "Heart Of Glass", with a neat arrangement, and Skye's vocals resembling a punky Kylie Minogue (JR played everything here, engineered + produced)...the single "Tangled Up In Me", which was co-written by Skye, JR, along with Aslyn + J. Harry, and produced by cool pros Andrew Slater, Julian Raymond + Howard Willing, HW engineered it...great job...and opening cool cut "Number One", produced by LCV + Skye, all instruments played + engineered by LCV, and written by Cafaro, Konicek + Valentine, with additional lyrics by Skye...and that's it!!
Is that corporate?? No. That's actual faith of a label in an ARTIST they believe in, not so much the $$$$$...something US labels should study and take notes on...seriously!! Skye is here for the long haul.
Now, the songs...really good punky powerpop TUNES...all hooks and choruses, 2-plus minutes so they are get in there and leave fast, swell harmonies, nice spunky attitude, variety of moods and vision...holds up well over the course of 14 tunes without sounding samey or like 1 big blur. Lyrically, she is smarter than most 15 year olds, artist or not. She also acknowledges that people will label her or trash her or whatnot, so she responds with "Hypocrite", taking these putdowns, turning them on their heads, and making fun of them in the process, in the vein of Toni Basil's "Mickey" or REM's "It's The End Of The World As We Know It"...very cool and brilliant really. The tunes have an energy, catchiness and irresistibility that keeps you coming back for more...all of em, espesh the first single "Billy S." with it's rebel-anti-school rant, opener "Number One", the snotty but tuneful "I Don't Really Like You", with it's minor-key + grungy verses, going into the bright chorus, just awesome. The single "Tangled Up In Me" is poppy with bite, even if it's sense of rage is "Kicking The Coke Machine"...hey that's normal for a 15-year old, at least she's not shooting guns!! Skye even shows her vulnerable side in the "ballad" "Fallen Through", which beats Avril at her own game...many might call her an Avril clone, but haven't they ever heard of an artist that BETTERS one that came before?? Skye does that, with better tunes, lack of cheesiness, lack of corporate intervention, a lyrical honesty and depth...Skye's got it all...and you think her voice was doctored + pro-tooled in the studio?? Think again...that is REALLY Skye, warts and all...seeing her live on Leno proved it and she has that magnetic stage presence you either have or you don't, Skye has that "something"...I want to see her kick ass live...no lip-synching either, lip-synching is so NOT rock + roll!!
Oh yeah, lastly, don't put Skye in a box, because she WILL experiment if she feels like it...on the CD single "Tangled Up In Me", there are 2 non-album B-sides, "Too Late" and "Tidal Wave", which Skye + James recorded themselves...it has Skye experimenting with trip-hop!! And it works!!
I think Skye is a force to be reckoned with, and her detractors better look deeper before they trash her...Skye does NOT mince words, and these critics will look like asses because their arguments don't hold water.
In my opinion, Skye Sweetnam could be like a little genius or something...she is just a helluva lot of fun, and has the brains to beat her competitors at their own game, go Skye!!!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of the best albums ever, July 17, 2006
so a lot of people have written off skye as another bubblegum pop avril rip off, mediocre at best. i've read a lot of reviews saying "she's ok, she could be better, nothing special..." well, i consider myself a very open minded person, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion... except when it comes to noise from the basement. this VERY SPECIAL album deserves no less than 5 stars, and i will tell you why.
first of all, let's get this straight. skye destroys avril lavigne. avril lavigne is fake, it's really obvious, if you don't think avril is fake, you have lost all credibility. it's ok if you like avril's music, i own her first 2 cds, but you have to at least be aware that avril is just a manufactured product of the record industry that writes little to none of her own music. the irony is that skye is everything that the record companies wanted you to believe avril to be. skye's genuine, she really does wear cool clothes all the time, she really is into punk rock, she really does write most of her songs. the most important thing is that skye appreciates her fans, unlike a lot of other artists in this genre of girl pop, skye is almost like an "underground pop" artist. that's the first rule of punk rock, it's supposed to be an underground movement, and in a paradoxical kinda way, she represents that in the context of pop.
now a lot of people give praise to skye's singles, "tangled up in me" and "number one", but that's not why skye is awesome. personally, i think those songs are ok, nothing that great, but it's still good cause it's skye. however, if you really listen to this album, you'll find the REAL creative genius comes from the combination of skye and writer/producer james robertson, who co-wrote/recorded/produced every song on this cd EXCEPT "tangled up in me" and "number one". you can hear the difference in the guitar, skye and james are not afraid to add a lot of GAIN to their distortion, they're not afraid to rock out and make it a lot HEAVIER than your average pop. you can hear the alternative/bitter-sweet sound that james and skye have crafted to call their own, it's apparent in the song writing, in the chord progressions, in the riffs, the melodies... it's a completely original sound, tho it may not be apparent to some, but noise from the basement will give you that feeling that no other artist can, and that's what sets skye apart from the crOUD (canadian accents...). the really amazing thing that you may not know is that skye and james robertson wrote and recorded all these songs BEFORE skye was signed. she wasn't doing this for any suits, she was doing this for her love of music! skye was 15 and james robertson was 21 just out of college, and the songs that you are hearing on this cd are actually their DEMOS that they recorded in his parent's basement, which were just so good and so well produced that capitol let them use it for the album! you can't get any more DIY/punk rock than that.
so this album, from start to finish, is SUCH a well constructed album. the track order couldn't be more complementary to the progression of the album as a whole. it begins with number one, which is a great opener, although the line "i saw my boyfriend hangin with this girl that i hate" is kinda dumb, once again it was a record company song, so i will forgive her, and if you like that sorta thing, GOOD FOR YOU! from there it goes right into billy s. (one of my personal favs), which is the first james robertson track you'll hear. billy s. was also a single, and did really well in canada as well as was in the movie "how to deal", however the video was out WAY before noise from the basement was released in usa. you might think it's amateurish, but come on, what do you expect from a 15 year old girl? and who thinks to call william shakespeare BILLY S? it's genius i tell you!! so after billy s comes tuim, which is a pretty good track 3. the first 5 or 6 tracks really have a lot of energy and give you a good feel for their sound. heart of glass is a pretty good cover, i'm not really a big fan of the original, it's ok... but skye's cover is cool cause she does more than just play the song, she makes it her own. sharada has a cool off-time beat and great hook. "it sucks" is another one of my favs, it's just so much heavier than you'd expect to hear in pop, it's really alternative-punk disguised as pop. fallen thru would've been the fourth single if they got that far, it's one of the fan favorites, and it's the obligatory sad ballad. i've heard this song live and they play it AMAZING! hypocrite is skye's way of saying, "i know you'll just write me off, but i couldn't give a *%#$". she even says in the first verse "anime, avril-lite, pro-tools all the way," and in the second verse, "manufacured skate-punk wannabe, never was". this girl is WELL aware that people will label her another avril, but it's that self awareness and honesty that make her awesome. she even mentions pro-tools, even tho pro-tools has taken over the modern recording industry and even the most diehard indie band probably uses it, but still she mentions that!! what 15 year old pop artist sings about protools?!? only skye, that's who. and obviously her main fan base probably won't catch that reference, but that's what makes any artist better than the rest, when they write the music for themselves.
unpredictable is more of an electronic sound, closer to the sound of the b-sides on the billy s single, but the chord progression and melody is very unique. i've heard skye and her band play this live, and they tear it up and play it different, another one of my favs (you can hear them play this song live on sessions @ aol).
shot to pieces is a perfect second to last track, it's upbeat and has a sense of urgency, and the hook in the chorus is just so cool.
smoke and mirrors is the PERFECT closer for this album, you could play this song for someone that isn't into pop, but they would still like this song (i've done this many times). this is the perfect song to listen to when you're feeling down about anything. i often find myself saying, "you're right. thanks skye!"
now depending on what version of the cd you have, you'll either get "split personality" or "imaginary superstar" as the bonus track. i think most people get "split personality" which is also one of my favorite skye songs alongside billy s and sugar guitar. at first i was dissapointed that they didn't have "split personality" on the cd when i first got it, but when i realized it was the secret track, it just made the album 10 times better as a whole for me. it's about taking the stage and rocking out, it starts off with horror movie music, and it's probably the HEAVIEST skye song ever!!
so bottom line: skye sweetnam rocks. if you get a chance, go see her live, her voice is just as consistent live as it is on the album. her voice is so good live that i thought she was lip synching when i first heard her, but she DEFINITELY doesn't pull that bs.
the best thing about skye is that she is just a really cool person. just from reading her interviews and hearing her speak, you can tell she is really nice and genuinely cool, and she is 100% about the music, unlike a lot of pop artists.
i would recommend this album to anyone open-minded with an ecclectic taste in music. someone that listens to ashlee simpson and britney spears may not necessarily "get" this album, but if you're into feel-good punk rock, alternative, indie, and you like many genres of music and really truly listen with an open mind, then you should definitely pick this up. also, if you are into j-pop at all, you will LOVE this album (skye is really huge in japan). i bought this the day it came out in usa, september 21, and two years later, it has NEVER left the 6 cd changer in my car, that's how much i like it. give it a chance, listen to it a few times, and i guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised. noise from the basement has become one of my all time favorite albums EVER.
her next album, as of today's date, is scheduled to be released in october.
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