Weekend EP by Atlas Sound [rec'd by Aidiera]
20-some minutes of proto-hypnogogic bedroom pop. 128kb/s free download off mediafire via the project's blogspot. Truly this is a wonderful age we live in. I listened to this EP around midnight, having been up ~17 hours, right before going to bed. I feel like the music would have been much better served if I were quite a bit more tired, and on horse tranquilizers. I dunno. It's very atmospheric, but insubstantial in a weird way. Like, if this album were a chocolate bunny, it would be hollow. Similar to the last album I got, I have no real quarrel with the sounds it made, but I can't say I really "liked" it either.
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I don't blame you. I'm not one to put on music for sleep, but if I was that album would be high on my list. It's comforting in some deep, strange way.Seneschal wrote:Just to say I'll still be in next round, and my review of gloomp's rec will be up tomorrow. Embarrassing confession time: I was planning to do my main listen last night while lying in bed so that I could focus on the spoken word passages without any distractions, but I actually feel asleep before I finished it (and I should say not out of boredom because I was enjoying it very much) :/ Will try again tonight.
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Private Parts by Robert Ashley [via gloooooomp]
I think I can be confident in saying that this album is unlike any I’ve heard before. It’s kind of like two chapters of an audiobook played over rhythmic, bongo-driven backing instrumentals, except that instead of a novel it’s more like two stream-of-consciousness passages that are more poetic than prosaic and which appear to bear little resemblance to each other. However, though they do tell two different ‘stories’, they do still have much in common in terms of structure, style and themes. The content of each track is strange, enigmatic and, at times, not at all clear,
Of the two tracks, I think ‘The Park’, which kicks off the album, is the more accessible. My first thoughts on hearing it were that it was some sort of noirish passage due to its description of its motel setting and its first person narrator, but this soon gives way to philosophical ruminations and bizarre observations and eventually evolves into a description of a scene from a movie that may or may not exist in the narrator’s mind. It’s very meticulous and vivid, and the narrator embellishes his description with obsessive and very specific detail about visual elements and camera angles. As far as I can make out, his tendency to fly off on existential tangents here takes on a more defined role, revealing the thoughts of the characters within the scene. One of the things I love about this piece is that, despite its great specificity, it almost feels like its inviting the listener to provide the song with their own, personal meaning and wider context. It’s very easy to let your mind wander and to imagine in just what kind of movie or story this scene could occur, who these characters are, how they relate to the man in the motel whose feet are both touching the floor, and so on. Special mention should also go to the instrumentation, which could have been a lazy and simple accompaniment to the music but instead lends it greater depth and beauty. Aside from the constant bongo drums, which resonate throughout the whole album and are peculiarly appropriate, ‘The Park’ contains a tremulous, ravishing piano part that, in my mind anyway, adds to the cinematic effect by recalling the scores of countless Hollywood pics from the ‘40s (Brief Encounter springs to mind, though I haven’t seen it in a long time). The overall effect is beguiling, hypnotic and inspirational, and one that stays in the mind.
‘The Backyard’ follows on from ‘The Park’ and manages to be both similar and different at the same time. The lyrical content is, in my opinion, even more obscure and baffling than ‘The Park’, and even now I don’t think I quite understand what it was getting at. There are hints of some sort of celestial, perhaps religious meaning towards the end, but before that comes a lot of talk of numbers and how the mind regards breathing patterns; at least, I think so. There’s a girl standing in the doorway of her mother’s house which leads onto the back porch. Like in ‘The Park’, the second half of the track deals predominantly with a detailed account of how the scene is shot, but this time there doesn’t appear to be a middleman, a man in a motel in whose mind the scene takes place. Again the scene is incredibly evocative, and I am left amazed at just how easily Ashley conveys a sense of place and time so distinctly. Although this track retains the bongo rhythms of ‘The Park’, its instrumental is more clearly structured; whereas the piano seemed to swell and compress almost incidentally in the preceding track, in ‘The Backyard’ the synthesiser melody begins to gradually fade in after about five minutes. Additional melodies soon follow, and the effect of them all fading out at the end is particularly sublime. I wouldn’t rank ‘The Backyard’ as highly as ‘The Park’, since too many of its lyrical digressions strike me as somewhat incongruous and perhaps even a little obtuse. Nevertheless, it’s still captivating and is a worthy companion piece to ‘The Park’.
What I take away from Private Parts is a sense that this is an album that necessitates not only intense concentration, but also repeated listenings so as to fully unravel its secrets. I don’t know when I’ll ever feel inclined to listen to this again; for all its brilliance, I don’t think it’s an album that quite lends itself to regular listening. If I were to, however, I’d like to think that I’d be stumbling across something ripe for rediscovery.
Verdict: A
>>Seneschal
I think I can be confident in saying that this album is unlike any I’ve heard before. It’s kind of like two chapters of an audiobook played over rhythmic, bongo-driven backing instrumentals, except that instead of a novel it’s more like two stream-of-consciousness passages that are more poetic than prosaic and which appear to bear little resemblance to each other. However, though they do tell two different ‘stories’, they do still have much in common in terms of structure, style and themes. The content of each track is strange, enigmatic and, at times, not at all clear,
Of the two tracks, I think ‘The Park’, which kicks off the album, is the more accessible. My first thoughts on hearing it were that it was some sort of noirish passage due to its description of its motel setting and its first person narrator, but this soon gives way to philosophical ruminations and bizarre observations and eventually evolves into a description of a scene from a movie that may or may not exist in the narrator’s mind. It’s very meticulous and vivid, and the narrator embellishes his description with obsessive and very specific detail about visual elements and camera angles. As far as I can make out, his tendency to fly off on existential tangents here takes on a more defined role, revealing the thoughts of the characters within the scene. One of the things I love about this piece is that, despite its great specificity, it almost feels like its inviting the listener to provide the song with their own, personal meaning and wider context. It’s very easy to let your mind wander and to imagine in just what kind of movie or story this scene could occur, who these characters are, how they relate to the man in the motel whose feet are both touching the floor, and so on. Special mention should also go to the instrumentation, which could have been a lazy and simple accompaniment to the music but instead lends it greater depth and beauty. Aside from the constant bongo drums, which resonate throughout the whole album and are peculiarly appropriate, ‘The Park’ contains a tremulous, ravishing piano part that, in my mind anyway, adds to the cinematic effect by recalling the scores of countless Hollywood pics from the ‘40s (Brief Encounter springs to mind, though I haven’t seen it in a long time). The overall effect is beguiling, hypnotic and inspirational, and one that stays in the mind.
‘The Backyard’ follows on from ‘The Park’ and manages to be both similar and different at the same time. The lyrical content is, in my opinion, even more obscure and baffling than ‘The Park’, and even now I don’t think I quite understand what it was getting at. There are hints of some sort of celestial, perhaps religious meaning towards the end, but before that comes a lot of talk of numbers and how the mind regards breathing patterns; at least, I think so. There’s a girl standing in the doorway of her mother’s house which leads onto the back porch. Like in ‘The Park’, the second half of the track deals predominantly with a detailed account of how the scene is shot, but this time there doesn’t appear to be a middleman, a man in a motel in whose mind the scene takes place. Again the scene is incredibly evocative, and I am left amazed at just how easily Ashley conveys a sense of place and time so distinctly. Although this track retains the bongo rhythms of ‘The Park’, its instrumental is more clearly structured; whereas the piano seemed to swell and compress almost incidentally in the preceding track, in ‘The Backyard’ the synthesiser melody begins to gradually fade in after about five minutes. Additional melodies soon follow, and the effect of them all fading out at the end is particularly sublime. I wouldn’t rank ‘The Backyard’ as highly as ‘The Park’, since too many of its lyrical digressions strike me as somewhat incongruous and perhaps even a little obtuse. Nevertheless, it’s still captivating and is a worthy companion piece to ‘The Park’.
What I take away from Private Parts is a sense that this is an album that necessitates not only intense concentration, but also repeated listenings so as to fully unravel its secrets. I don’t know when I’ll ever feel inclined to listen to this again; for all its brilliance, I don’t think it’s an album that quite lends itself to regular listening. If I were to, however, I’d like to think that I’d be stumbling across something ripe for rediscovery.
Verdict: A
>>Seneschal
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round vi
- trance >> Aidiera [-]
- Donfuy >> xwd [-]
- Aidiera >> Tunco [-]
- Seneschal >> gloomp [-]
- xwd >> Seneschal [-]
- Yahoozy >> Donfuy
- gloomp >> Yahoozy
- Rose >> mediate [-]
- mediate >> trance
- rincewindsw >> Rose [-]
- Tunco >> rincewindsw [-]
Aidiera >> Tunco >> rincewindsw >> Rose >> mediate >> trance >> Aidiera
Donfuy >> xwd >> Seneschal >> gloomp >> Yahoozy >> Donfuy
I changed the review format a little. You don't need to put the first or last parts if you don't want to, as long as you make it clear what you got. :)Donfuy >> xwd >> Seneschal >> gloomp >> Yahoozy >> Donfuy
Last edited by aids on 2012.05.15 (07:00), edited 2 times in total.
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He's saying that calling it the "best review" because it made you want to get the album in question is the wrong rubric by which to evaluate reviews and, so, "isn't the point of a review".Rose wrote:I don't care what the point is. I'm just saying that I enjoyed it the most.centerƒire wrote:That isn't the point of a review.Rose wrote:^ Best review in this thread yet, because it's the only one that has actually made me want to get the album in question.
'rret donc d'niaser 'vec mon sirop d'erable, calis, si j't'r'vois icitte j'pellerais la police, tu l'veras l'criss de poutine de cul t'auras en prison, tabarnak
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Then would it be better if I said it was my favorite review? I'm certainly not trying to start anything.Duchess of Awesome wrote:He's saying that calling it the "best review" because it made you want to get the album in question is the wrong rubric by which to evaluate reviews and, so, "isn't the point of a review".
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I feel we've pretty much got to the point where when someone says "best" about something, we realize that they're not speaking about it in objective terms so I tend to read "best" as a synonym for "favourite". What I'm saying is that it has less to do with the adjective you used and more to with the reasoning you gave.Rose wrote:Then would it be better if I said it was my favorite review? I'm certainly not trying to start anything.Duchess of Awesome wrote:He's saying that calling it the "best review" because it made you want to get the album in question is the wrong rubric by which to evaluate reviews and, so, "isn't the point of a review".
'rret donc d'niaser 'vec mon sirop d'erable, calis, si j't'r'vois icitte j'pellerais la police, tu l'veras l'criss de poutine de cul t'auras en prison, tabarnak
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"Done" and "done".!!!!!!!!!!! wrote:"TANNER," HOW ABOUT YOU "PUT" MY "FIRM WIENER" IN YOUR "ASSHOLE." JESUS "CHRIST."
'rret donc d'niaser 'vec mon sirop d'erable, calis, si j't'r'vois icitte j'pellerais la police, tu l'veras l'criss de poutine de cul t'auras en prison, tabarnak
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Can you, not do this in my thread? Pleez?
Mod edit: User has been warned for this post.
Mod edit 2: dicks
Oh you guise. c:
Mod edit: User has been warned for this post.
Mod edit 2: dicks
Oh you guise. c:
Last edited by aids on 2012.05.11 (08:24), edited 1 time in total.
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White Light from the Mouth of Inifinity by Swans [via Stephen]
I had already heard another Swans album, Children of God, before this, and disliked it. Stephen wanted me to listen to this anyway because of the stylistic difference, so I did. The thing is, though, I don't really recognize much of a difference. Granted, it's been a year or two since I listened to CoG, but the overall atmosphere seemed to be similar: medium-length songs that drone on a moderate amount with a typically dark atmosphere behind it. It didn't work on Children, and it mostly doesn't really work here. It's not that this is bad, it's just nothing special to my ears. I guess the word I'm looking for is mediocre. That said, there was one track that stood out to me: Failure. Holy shit, that song is dark. Swans is generally dark to the extent of their music that I've heard, but this... this is an entirely different level of Swans. It's a good song, but not quite enough to save the album as a whole, in my opinion. Still, this is definitely better than Children of God to me.
>> Rose
I had already heard another Swans album, Children of God, before this, and disliked it. Stephen wanted me to listen to this anyway because of the stylistic difference, so I did. The thing is, though, I don't really recognize much of a difference. Granted, it's been a year or two since I listened to CoG, but the overall atmosphere seemed to be similar: medium-length songs that drone on a moderate amount with a typically dark atmosphere behind it. It didn't work on Children, and it mostly doesn't really work here. It's not that this is bad, it's just nothing special to my ears. I guess the word I'm looking for is mediocre. That said, there was one track that stood out to me: Failure. Holy shit, that song is dark. Swans is generally dark to the extent of their music that I've heard, but this... this is an entirely different level of Swans. It's a good song, but not quite enough to save the album as a whole, in my opinion. Still, this is definitely better than Children of God to me.
>> Rose
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http://albumswapping.tumblr.com/post/22832785322
The Invitation by Thirteen Senses [via trance]
I hear a few other bands in this album. The piano is very Ben Fold Fivey to me, and some of the instrumentation reminds me of Jack’s Mannequin. The vocals are 100% britpop, and that’s not directly a bad thing, but it gets boring and tedious during the course of the album. One of the songs is basically divided into three parts, but none of the parts mesh well.
A few songs I liked were the opening song Into The Fire. The guitar riff is excellent and his voice is quite pleasant. Gone sounds very similar to the opening song, except for a quieter guitar melody. Lead Us features a piano part which (as stated above) sounds similar to BFF, a big plus for me. The last song I enjoyed is Last Forever because he vocalizes in it, and I love vocalizations.
Overall it’s a good listen, but I just didn’t like it as much as I wanted to.
» Aidiera
The Invitation by Thirteen Senses [via trance]
I hear a few other bands in this album. The piano is very Ben Fold Fivey to me, and some of the instrumentation reminds me of Jack’s Mannequin. The vocals are 100% britpop, and that’s not directly a bad thing, but it gets boring and tedious during the course of the album. One of the songs is basically divided into three parts, but none of the parts mesh well.
A few songs I liked were the opening song Into The Fire. The guitar riff is excellent and his voice is quite pleasant. Gone sounds very similar to the opening song, except for a quieter guitar melody. Lead Us features a piano part which (as stated above) sounds similar to BFF, a big plus for me. The last song I enjoyed is Last Forever because he vocalizes in it, and I love vocalizations.
Overall it’s a good listen, but I just didn’t like it as much as I wanted to.
» Aidiera
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Regresa al Vertigo by Agora (via Rose)
F*ck yes! Prog metal ... and it's awesome. Now, firstly, I have to say, I'm not Spanish nor Mexican, yet the album is exclusively in Spanish. But, I don't care. It's a band that does progressive metal and doesn't just try to copy Dream Theater. This is awesome. It starts out with a 1 minute intro, and leads into a groovy first song. Actually, that's one word that can describe the album, groovy. There's a lot of groovy riffs on this album, and it's done properly so it doesn't feel out of place (I Declare War I'm looking at you ...). It's interesting, as it isn't all heavy riffs; there's some great soloing on this album as well. It is paced properly so it doesn't feel like it's relentlessly heavy all the time, or just wanking off solos all the time (DragonForce I'm looking at YOU ...). I love this album. I'll be getting some of their previous material now, if you'll excuse me. If you're a fan of progressive metal, I highly recommend it. 10/10 for this album. Go buy it off iTunes now.
mediate
F*ck yes! Prog metal ... and it's awesome. Now, firstly, I have to say, I'm not Spanish nor Mexican, yet the album is exclusively in Spanish. But, I don't care. It's a band that does progressive metal and doesn't just try to copy Dream Theater. This is awesome. It starts out with a 1 minute intro, and leads into a groovy first song. Actually, that's one word that can describe the album, groovy. There's a lot of groovy riffs on this album, and it's done properly so it doesn't feel out of place (I Declare War I'm looking at you ...). It's interesting, as it isn't all heavy riffs; there's some great soloing on this album as well. It is paced properly so it doesn't feel like it's relentlessly heavy all the time, or just wanking off solos all the time (DragonForce I'm looking at YOU ...). I love this album. I'll be getting some of their previous material now, if you'll excuse me. If you're a fan of progressive metal, I highly recommend it. 10/10 for this album. Go buy it off iTunes now.
mediate
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Paralytic Stalks by of Montreal [via Donfuy]
This album's fun. It's kind of indie rock with various influences from all over the place (including disco!), but the one I notice most often is the psychadelia stuff. That's mostly seen with all kinds of fun and crazy effects that randomly get turned on and make things awesome. Which brings me to my first point, this album is very well produced. The sounds are very dense and complex with a whole lot to listen for (I swear they have an orchestra) but at the same time you can make out the lyrics pretty easily. I mean, if the singer's actually enunciating properly you can. Which brings me to the lyrics. They're pretty weird. I understand this is something that of Montreal does on a regular basis, so whatever. Kind of a dissonance going on with the music, but I think it works. At the very least the vocals aren't grating and very well integrated with the mix.
The album mostly has pretty upbeat songs, which is usually how I roll, but it gets really freaking weird at the end, starting with about a third through Wintered Debts. That's good. Capitalize on that good feeling that was going on in the rest of the album and make really dark stuff come out of nowhere. Then you can use all the studio tricks for evil. Lots of creepy sounds, reverb, strings playing whatever damn notes they feel like, that sort of thing. It's really upseting, which I think is the purpose. It's also annoying.
Standout tracks include Spiteful Intervention, Dour Percentage, We Will Commit Wolf Murder, and Ye, Renew the Plaintiff. Low point is Exorcismic Breeding Knife which gets on my nerves after a few minutes, which means I have about 5 minutes of being annoyed. Basically, I love this album whenever it's in upbeat mode, and kind of tolerate it when it's in random noises mode.
>> xwd
http://ilovecopyleft.tumblr.com/
This album's fun. It's kind of indie rock with various influences from all over the place (including disco!), but the one I notice most often is the psychadelia stuff. That's mostly seen with all kinds of fun and crazy effects that randomly get turned on and make things awesome. Which brings me to my first point, this album is very well produced. The sounds are very dense and complex with a whole lot to listen for (I swear they have an orchestra) but at the same time you can make out the lyrics pretty easily. I mean, if the singer's actually enunciating properly you can. Which brings me to the lyrics. They're pretty weird. I understand this is something that of Montreal does on a regular basis, so whatever. Kind of a dissonance going on with the music, but I think it works. At the very least the vocals aren't grating and very well integrated with the mix.
The album mostly has pretty upbeat songs, which is usually how I roll, but it gets really freaking weird at the end, starting with about a third through Wintered Debts. That's good. Capitalize on that good feeling that was going on in the rest of the album and make really dark stuff come out of nowhere. Then you can use all the studio tricks for evil. Lots of creepy sounds, reverb, strings playing whatever damn notes they feel like, that sort of thing. It's really upseting, which I think is the purpose. It's also annoying.
Standout tracks include Spiteful Intervention, Dour Percentage, We Will Commit Wolf Murder, and Ye, Renew the Plaintiff. Low point is Exorcismic Breeding Knife which gets on my nerves after a few minutes, which means I have about 5 minutes of being annoyed. Basically, I love this album whenever it's in upbeat mode, and kind of tolerate it when it's in random noises mode.
>> xwd
http://ilovecopyleft.tumblr.com/
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Regeneration by The Divine Comedy [rec'd by Sneschal]
When giving this to me, Sen said it's one of his favorite albums ever. I can't say I feel anywhere near as strongly about it. Regeneration is an album of very classy baroque britpop. It's a highly enjoyable listen, but not a particularly intense one. This is really the sort of album should probably be approached with a track-by-track mindset, but I'm unfortunately not in the habit of paying attention to such stuff, unless it's one of my favorite albums ever, which this is not. Certainly worth a listen, though.
When giving this to me, Sen said it's one of his favorite albums ever. I can't say I feel anywhere near as strongly about it. Regeneration is an album of very classy baroque britpop. It's a highly enjoyable listen, but not a particularly intense one. This is really the sort of album should probably be approached with a track-by-track mindset, but I'm unfortunately not in the habit of paying attention to such stuff, unless it's one of my favorite albums ever, which this is not. Certainly worth a listen, though.
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Black Sands by Bonobo [via xwd]
I think this is the kind of album that I was after when I criticised Rose’s ambient recommendation. Black Sands clocks in at roughly half the length (or at least it seems like it) and provides an eclectic range of sounds to spice up its electronic textures. The short but utterly gorgeous ‘Prelude’, for example, makes superb use oriental melodies (think the ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ soundtrack), which I’ll admit I have a weakness for. After a seamless transition into the album’s second track, ‘Kiara’, the album’s electronic elements come to the fore while retaining a few of the sonic motifs of the opening track. Along with the slightly jazzy third track ‘Kong’, these opening tracks demonstrate a consistent yet experimental and varied approach which means that the album never truly becomes boring. Though some of the later tracks perhaps don’t hold up as well as the earlier ones – ‘The Keeper’ in particular introduces a vocal aspect that I don’t think was necessary - but this is nonetheless a solid album throughout and a thoroughly pleasant listen.
Grade A-
>>Seneschal
I think this is the kind of album that I was after when I criticised Rose’s ambient recommendation. Black Sands clocks in at roughly half the length (or at least it seems like it) and provides an eclectic range of sounds to spice up its electronic textures. The short but utterly gorgeous ‘Prelude’, for example, makes superb use oriental melodies (think the ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ soundtrack), which I’ll admit I have a weakness for. After a seamless transition into the album’s second track, ‘Kiara’, the album’s electronic elements come to the fore while retaining a few of the sonic motifs of the opening track. Along with the slightly jazzy third track ‘Kong’, these opening tracks demonstrate a consistent yet experimental and varied approach which means that the album never truly becomes boring. Though some of the later tracks perhaps don’t hold up as well as the earlier ones – ‘The Keeper’ in particular introduces a vocal aspect that I don’t think was necessary - but this is nonetheless a solid album throughout and a thoroughly pleasant listen.
Grade A-
>>Seneschal
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Menos El Oso by Minus The Bear (rec'd by Aidiera)
This album felt like it sort of just flew by as I was listening to it, despite the ~40 minute album length. A track-by-track approach is useless here, each song is good as one another; the standart being 'alright'. None of the songs stand out in comparison to one another, most of them have a similar style; albeit it got a bit more fast paced as I eventually reached the end of the album.
It made me do air drums; it was a fun and generic (doesn't denote a bad quality, in this case) post-rock listen.
This album felt like it sort of just flew by as I was listening to it, despite the ~40 minute album length. A track-by-track approach is useless here, each song is good as one another; the standart being 'alright'. None of the songs stand out in comparison to one another, most of them have a similar style; albeit it got a bit more fast paced as I eventually reached the end of the album.
It made me do air drums; it was a fun and generic (doesn't denote a bad quality, in this case) post-rock listen.
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Nah, that's fine. Thanks for telling me.!!!!!!!!!!! wrote:Shit. Take me off next week, I'll get you guys the two I owe you.
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<ortsz> ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
<ortsz> i hate critiquing things
<ortsz> it's fucking five am
<ortsz> i have to be up at ten
<ortsz> i have written nothing
<ortsz> examine the strengths and weaknesses of the argument
<ortsz> the fuck would i know
<ortsz> it seems pretty good to me
<ortsz> i would trust the person with the phd
<gloomp> you should just say fuck it
<gloomp> and review denseland
<ortsz> denseland is sucky
<gloomp> what you're wrong
<ortsz> it's weird and nothing happens
<ortsz> like i appreciate it
<ortsz> it's not unpleasant at all and it is certainly interestingish
<ortsz> a couple of the tracks get into a groove
<ortsz> and i start thinking ooo
<ortsz> but of course they aren't going to become actual songs
<gloomp> well of course not
<gloomp> that'd be boring
<ortsz> see i disagree
<ortsz> i think the sort of idea that this kind of improvisation is superior or more interesting or intelligent than thoughtful song writing and arrangement isn't correct
<kuri> i have to agree with ortsz on that one!
<ortsz> the bottom line is that the atmosphere is nice and the weirdness is appreciable
<ortsz> but i don't wholeheartedly agree with the sort of romanticist notion of unfiltered spontaneous creativity
<ortsz> at least not this kind
<ortsz> because it's not that creatively interesting
<ortsz> it's
<ortsz> i mean it's just clearly something that would not have taken much effort to make, you know
<gloomp> i think you underestimate the difficulty of collective free improvisation
<ortsz> i don't know about that
<ortsz> it's not as if the output is impressively cohesive
<gloomp> it is for free improv
<gloomp> one of the things that made it stick with me was just how coherent it sounded
<gloomp> like, waaay above average
<ortsz> all that's required for that is for someone to say before the recording 'hey, guys, let's have some restraint'
<ortsz> and in any case
<ortsz> am i supposed to simply appreciate this on a conceptual level
<ortsz> because that i can do
<ortsz> but in the end i'm listening to music
<ortsz> and considering the finished product
<ortsz> should it be applauded merely for being "way above average" in terms of cohesiveness
<ortsz> the constraints are noteworthy but they don't excuse the quality of the finished product
<ortsz> if someone were to make an album consisting entirely of the clicking of a pen
<gloomp> honestly i applaud it because it's the only instance of vocal improvisation i've liked at all
<ortsz> i could appreciate that the method of production was constrained
<ortsz> and even if the pen was clicked really well
<ortsz> i couldn't say the music was really good just because it was way above average for the pen-clicking genre
<ortsz> to state another bottomline
<gloomp> this is definitely good stuff for a review even if you're dumb which you are
<ortsz> so is your mom
<ortsz> also like i don't object to the music
<ortsz> it's interesting
<gloomp> is that your bottomline
<ortsz> nice noises and stuff
<gloomp> becuase it's a good one
<ortsz> but i do object to any notion that the way something was produced might excuse its poor quality
<ortsz> kind of unfairly phrased
<ortsz> but if you get my drift
<ortsz> catch my gist
<gloomp> well of course
<OutrightOJ> which album/singer are you talking about?
<ortsz> chunk by denseland
final review as demanded:
chunk by denseland is an album of interesting improvised sounds including vocals. it is not unpleasant at all and a couple of the tracks start to get into a solid groove; however, by the nature of this kind of music, they never become actual songs. some post-hipsters would argue that "of course" they don't, because that would be "boring". however, this critic would disagree with the notion that this kind of improvisational work is somehow superior or more interesting or intelligent or creative than thoughtful song writing and arrangement. it sounds like something that would not have taken much effort to make; again, the post-hipster apologist might suggest i am underestimating the difficulty of collective free improvisation and argue that the album is impressive because it sounds "waaay above average" in terms of cohesiveness. again, however, i would argue that, althought i can appreciate the conceptual challenges and constraints involved, they should not significantly factor in to how i judge the final musical work. an analogy could be made to an album consisting entirely of the clicking of a pen; even if the pen was clicked with great finesse and expertise, though i would be aware of the difficulties involved in the method of production, the bottom-line is that i wouldn't be able to say that that music was great just because it was "waaay above average" for the pen-clicking genre. at this point, my hypothetical opponent might suggest that what we have been discussing is "definitely good stuff for a review even if you're dumb which you are"; i might reply by suggesting his mother is also dumb. the final conclusion i reach is that this album is like a number of improvisational works i have listened to, in that i can enjoy it to various extents. it has some interesting--and good--sounds and creates an interesting atmosphere. there are things to like about it and i could play it again and not regret doing so. however, i can't help but feel that the addition of more structure and intelligent songwriting would do nothing but improve it. the only thing that would be lost would be conceptual, and i am not listening or judging the music on the concept but rather the end result.
<ortsz> i hate critiquing things
<ortsz> it's fucking five am
<ortsz> i have to be up at ten
<ortsz> i have written nothing
<ortsz> examine the strengths and weaknesses of the argument
<ortsz> the fuck would i know
<ortsz> it seems pretty good to me
<ortsz> i would trust the person with the phd
<gloomp> you should just say fuck it
<gloomp> and review denseland
<ortsz> denseland is sucky
<gloomp> what you're wrong
<ortsz> it's weird and nothing happens
<ortsz> like i appreciate it
<ortsz> it's not unpleasant at all and it is certainly interestingish
<ortsz> a couple of the tracks get into a groove
<ortsz> and i start thinking ooo
<ortsz> but of course they aren't going to become actual songs
<gloomp> well of course not
<gloomp> that'd be boring
<ortsz> see i disagree
<ortsz> i think the sort of idea that this kind of improvisation is superior or more interesting or intelligent than thoughtful song writing and arrangement isn't correct
<kuri> i have to agree with ortsz on that one!
<ortsz> the bottom line is that the atmosphere is nice and the weirdness is appreciable
<ortsz> but i don't wholeheartedly agree with the sort of romanticist notion of unfiltered spontaneous creativity
<ortsz> at least not this kind
<ortsz> because it's not that creatively interesting
<ortsz> it's
<ortsz> i mean it's just clearly something that would not have taken much effort to make, you know
<gloomp> i think you underestimate the difficulty of collective free improvisation
<ortsz> i don't know about that
<ortsz> it's not as if the output is impressively cohesive
<gloomp> it is for free improv
<gloomp> one of the things that made it stick with me was just how coherent it sounded
<gloomp> like, waaay above average
<ortsz> all that's required for that is for someone to say before the recording 'hey, guys, let's have some restraint'
<ortsz> and in any case
<ortsz> am i supposed to simply appreciate this on a conceptual level
<ortsz> because that i can do
<ortsz> but in the end i'm listening to music
<ortsz> and considering the finished product
<ortsz> should it be applauded merely for being "way above average" in terms of cohesiveness
<ortsz> the constraints are noteworthy but they don't excuse the quality of the finished product
<ortsz> if someone were to make an album consisting entirely of the clicking of a pen
<gloomp> honestly i applaud it because it's the only instance of vocal improvisation i've liked at all
<ortsz> i could appreciate that the method of production was constrained
<ortsz> and even if the pen was clicked really well
<ortsz> i couldn't say the music was really good just because it was way above average for the pen-clicking genre
<ortsz> to state another bottomline
<gloomp> this is definitely good stuff for a review even if you're dumb which you are
<ortsz> so is your mom
<ortsz> also like i don't object to the music
<ortsz> it's interesting
<gloomp> is that your bottomline
<ortsz> nice noises and stuff
<gloomp> becuase it's a good one
<ortsz> but i do object to any notion that the way something was produced might excuse its poor quality
<ortsz> kind of unfairly phrased
<ortsz> but if you get my drift
<ortsz> catch my gist
<gloomp> well of course
<OutrightOJ> which album/singer are you talking about?
<ortsz> chunk by denseland
final review as demanded:
chunk by denseland is an album of interesting improvised sounds including vocals. it is not unpleasant at all and a couple of the tracks start to get into a solid groove; however, by the nature of this kind of music, they never become actual songs. some post-hipsters would argue that "of course" they don't, because that would be "boring". however, this critic would disagree with the notion that this kind of improvisational work is somehow superior or more interesting or intelligent or creative than thoughtful song writing and arrangement. it sounds like something that would not have taken much effort to make; again, the post-hipster apologist might suggest i am underestimating the difficulty of collective free improvisation and argue that the album is impressive because it sounds "waaay above average" in terms of cohesiveness. again, however, i would argue that, althought i can appreciate the conceptual challenges and constraints involved, they should not significantly factor in to how i judge the final musical work. an analogy could be made to an album consisting entirely of the clicking of a pen; even if the pen was clicked with great finesse and expertise, though i would be aware of the difficulties involved in the method of production, the bottom-line is that i wouldn't be able to say that that music was great just because it was "waaay above average" for the pen-clicking genre. at this point, my hypothetical opponent might suggest that what we have been discussing is "definitely good stuff for a review even if you're dumb which you are"; i might reply by suggesting his mother is also dumb. the final conclusion i reach is that this album is like a number of improvisational works i have listened to, in that i can enjoy it to various extents. it has some interesting--and good--sounds and creates an interesting atmosphere. there are things to like about it and i could play it again and not regret doing so. however, i can't help but feel that the addition of more structure and intelligent songwriting would do nothing but improve it. the only thing that would be lost would be conceptual, and i am not listening or judging the music on the concept but rather the end result.
M E A T N E T 1 9 9 2
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Murmuüre - Murmuüre (rec'd by Tunco)
If this album's bandcamp page hadn't proclaimed it to be black metal I don't think I'd have associated Murmuüre with the genre any more than the myriad of others it evokes. When this album begins (after what sounds like a sample of cartoon noises) it sort of sounds like the noodling in between songs on prog records, electronic washes and swoops of guitar noise. The opener climaxes into something with some booming metal drumming, but it's choked in billowing feedback noise. And in spite of how thick the guitar tones are, there's always a sense that the album is holding back (until perhaps the end of 'Amethyst'); it's a lengthy exercise in tension.
The whole thing is purportedly constructed out of "a one hour guitar improvisation from November 2006". The thing is distorted to the point that it's full of chimerical pseudo-melodies, echoing about breathlessly. They've taken the guitar track and embellished it with what sounds like a cavalcade of effects from every possible source, including "original programmed drums, and some (extremely re-edited) additional live drumming" and (completely smothered) "vocals recorded during a cathartic trance at a sacred place in the forest, with a mini-disc recorder". It's difficult to tell, but I imagine there are many additional dozens of synth/pedal noise/field recordings/feedback tracks at any given point.
What Murmuüre have assembled is intentionally a totally monstrous mess of sound, that mostly feels quite directionless, but is always very impressive. They emulate so many styles and inspire so many adjectives that it's impossible to take it in as a cohesive experience - but that seems to be the whole point, and I enjoyed it a lot.
If this album's bandcamp page hadn't proclaimed it to be black metal I don't think I'd have associated Murmuüre with the genre any more than the myriad of others it evokes. When this album begins (after what sounds like a sample of cartoon noises) it sort of sounds like the noodling in between songs on prog records, electronic washes and swoops of guitar noise. The opener climaxes into something with some booming metal drumming, but it's choked in billowing feedback noise. And in spite of how thick the guitar tones are, there's always a sense that the album is holding back (until perhaps the end of 'Amethyst'); it's a lengthy exercise in tension.
The whole thing is purportedly constructed out of "a one hour guitar improvisation from November 2006". The thing is distorted to the point that it's full of chimerical pseudo-melodies, echoing about breathlessly. They've taken the guitar track and embellished it with what sounds like a cavalcade of effects from every possible source, including "original programmed drums, and some (extremely re-edited) additional live drumming" and (completely smothered) "vocals recorded during a cathartic trance at a sacred place in the forest, with a mini-disc recorder". It's difficult to tell, but I imagine there are many additional dozens of synth/pedal noise/field recordings/feedback tracks at any given point.
What Murmuüre have assembled is intentionally a totally monstrous mess of sound, that mostly feels quite directionless, but is always very impressive. They emulate so many styles and inspire so many adjectives that it's impossible to take it in as a cohesive experience - but that seems to be the whole point, and I enjoyed it a lot.
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round vii
- xwd >> Donfuy
- ortsz >> xwd [-]
- gloomp >> Tunco [-]
- Rose >> gloomp [-]
- Stephen >> Seneschal [-]
- Seneschal >> Aidiera [-]
- Tunco >> mediate [-]
- Aidiera >> Rose [-]
- Donfuy >> Stephen
- mediate >> ortsz
Aidiera >> Rose >> gloomp >> Tunco >> mediate >> ortsz >> xwd >> Donfuy >> Stephen >> Seneschal >> Aidiera
Last edited by aids on 2012.05.22 (04:05), edited 2 times in total.
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Computer World by Kraftwerk [via ortsz]
Robots are awesome. Computers are awesome. (If you disagree, why are you on one right now, nerd?) So albums about robots and computers have to be awesome, right? Yeah, you're right. Kraftwerk is one of the most influential bands in the history of modern music. They're the innovators in whose footsteps almost all electronic music genres followed. So it's probably a good thing I've finally gotten around to getting one of their albums in my scrobbled list. (I was hoping for some j-pop, though. I'm like the only person here who can take it.)
Computer World is one of their later albums. As you can tell from the cover art, it is about early home computers. You know, like the TRS-80 and Apple II and Commodore PET. The songs are bleepy and silly and not all that powerful like those computers. I know this is the problem with listening to this album 30 years after it's been released. Electronic music has come so far since then that everything here just feels so tinny and weak and slow. The beats are subdued, the bass doesn't make the room shake, and the song structure is too long. Strangely, despite all of that stuff, this is still an enjoyable album. I'm a sucker for fun bleepy songs (this is why I have 3 Freezepop t-shirts) and Kraftwerk practically invented that stuff. It's probably the vocoders. I love vocoders and talk boxes.
So you have about half an hour of songs that go on for slightly too long without something happening. Sometimes there are moments of brilliance and I wish they could just cut out all those boring parts and make this a killer EP or something. Maybe it's supposed to be danced to but there isn't a strong enough groove for me to get my butt out of my seat. (That's what happens when you get a bunch of German guys making dance music.) High point is probably Home Computer for the line "I program my home computer / beam myself into the future." You need to realize, this is back when the first thing your computer probably did when you turned it on was load BASIC, so if you didn't know how to program it you were literally stuck with a $600 paperweight. Besides, it's more fun to compute.
Robots and computers are still awesome, even if the earlier models aren't as agile and powerful as modern ones. It's great getting back to your roots and seeing where everything came from. I'm gonna go listen to some "progressive" now.
>> xwd
http://ilovecopyleft.tumblr.com/
Robots are awesome. Computers are awesome. (If you disagree, why are you on one right now, nerd?) So albums about robots and computers have to be awesome, right? Yeah, you're right. Kraftwerk is one of the most influential bands in the history of modern music. They're the innovators in whose footsteps almost all electronic music genres followed. So it's probably a good thing I've finally gotten around to getting one of their albums in my scrobbled list. (I was hoping for some j-pop, though. I'm like the only person here who can take it.)
Computer World is one of their later albums. As you can tell from the cover art, it is about early home computers. You know, like the TRS-80 and Apple II and Commodore PET. The songs are bleepy and silly and not all that powerful like those computers. I know this is the problem with listening to this album 30 years after it's been released. Electronic music has come so far since then that everything here just feels so tinny and weak and slow. The beats are subdued, the bass doesn't make the room shake, and the song structure is too long. Strangely, despite all of that stuff, this is still an enjoyable album. I'm a sucker for fun bleepy songs (this is why I have 3 Freezepop t-shirts) and Kraftwerk practically invented that stuff. It's probably the vocoders. I love vocoders and talk boxes.
So you have about half an hour of songs that go on for slightly too long without something happening. Sometimes there are moments of brilliance and I wish they could just cut out all those boring parts and make this a killer EP or something. Maybe it's supposed to be danced to but there isn't a strong enough groove for me to get my butt out of my seat. (That's what happens when you get a bunch of German guys making dance music.) High point is probably Home Computer for the line "I program my home computer / beam myself into the future." You need to realize, this is back when the first thing your computer probably did when you turned it on was load BASIC, so if you didn't know how to program it you were literally stuck with a $600 paperweight. Besides, it's more fun to compute.
Robots and computers are still awesome, even if the earlier models aren't as agile and powerful as modern ones. It's great getting back to your roots and seeing where everything came from. I'm gonna go listen to some "progressive" now.
>> xwd
http://ilovecopyleft.tumblr.com/
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http://albumswapping.tumblr.com/post/23327585385
Vows by Kimbra [via Seneschal]
I’d like to write more about this, but I’m tired and want to sleep. You of course know Kimbra from her contribution to Gotye’s overplayed jam. I wouldn’t expect her to be a pop singer, but this is pretty much your standard pop album. It starts off with a trio of great songs, but generally gets worse as the album progresses. Several of the songs have intros or outros attached to them, which is only good if you listen to albums in full. (I do not.) One song has a jazz outro, and another has a strange acapella beginning. Another negative is that the last song has a “hidden” track at the end, which is not something I want any digitally downloaded album to have. That shit’s not cool anymore, it’s tacky (and I hate you).
Songs I like: Settle Down, Cameo Lover, Two Way Street, Call Me
Vows by Kimbra [via Seneschal]
I’d like to write more about this, but I’m tired and want to sleep. You of course know Kimbra from her contribution to Gotye’s overplayed jam. I wouldn’t expect her to be a pop singer, but this is pretty much your standard pop album. It starts off with a trio of great songs, but generally gets worse as the album progresses. Several of the songs have intros or outros attached to them, which is only good if you listen to albums in full. (I do not.) One song has a jazz outro, and another has a strange acapella beginning. Another negative is that the last song has a “hidden” track at the end, which is not something I want any digitally downloaded album to have. That shit’s not cool anymore, it’s tacky (and I hate you).
Songs I like: Settle Down, Cameo Lover, Two Way Street, Call Me
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El Lago De Los Muertes Vivientes (Zombie Lake, I believe?) by The Rita [via Tunco]
... nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope [x100000] not my thing. What the hell is ... what is this I don't even. This ... this is noise. Definitely has noise. This album has just the one 20 minute song, and is noise throughout. There's some form of a rhythm going (as far as I can tell, there's a rhythm to this) but nothing I can headbang, dance, or otherwise move to. This is simply ... 20 minutes of noise. Sigh ... okay ... look, I'll admit, Sunn O))) is pretty cool at times (and, if you're in the right mood for it, can be quite relaxing) but ... this is too much. This is going entirely the other way. This ... this is much too harsh for me to get into this form of music. Sorry. Can't like it, can't enjoy it, can't recommend it. 0/10. I will give everything an honest listen if you recommend it, but I can safely (and confidently) say The Rita is not for me.
... nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope [x100000] not my thing. What the hell is ... what is this I don't even. This ... this is noise. Definitely has noise. This album has just the one 20 minute song, and is noise throughout. There's some form of a rhythm going (as far as I can tell, there's a rhythm to this) but nothing I can headbang, dance, or otherwise move to. This is simply ... 20 minutes of noise. Sigh ... okay ... look, I'll admit, Sunn O))) is pretty cool at times (and, if you're in the right mood for it, can be quite relaxing) but ... this is too much. This is going entirely the other way. This ... this is much too harsh for me to get into this form of music. Sorry. Can't like it, can't enjoy it, can't recommend it. 0/10. I will give everything an honest listen if you recommend it, but I can safely (and confidently) say The Rita is not for me.
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