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Post by MyNameIsNoneOfYourGoddamnBusin on Apr 20, 2020 21:02:10 GMT -5
The Strokes, "The New Abnormal"
Okay, so yes, the title is stupid, but the album is actually good. After a career built on a great debut album with increasingly diminishing returns (their last album was almost completely irredeemable outside of a frankly mediocre single and maybe one other "I guess it's okay" song), this album finally reverses that trend. Sure, it's no "Room on Fire"--hell, it's probably not as good pound-for-pound as the mostly disappointing "Angles," but it's actually a decent album. Since their last studio album seven years ago, the band's members have put out several solo/side-project albums of varying quality (Nick Valensi's CRX's 2016) first album probably being the best, but it's not entirely surprising that much of the album, for better or worse, sounds like it could have come off of Julian Casablancas' underrated 2009 key and synth heavy solo album.
What else kind I say? Well, it's a Rick Rubin album, so it's coming out of the most-overrated producer in modern rock history (yeah, I love what he did with Johnny Cash too, but aside from that . . .), and it's a Strokes album, so it's guitar rock that liberally copies off well-known pop-rock hooks The lead single "Bad Decisions," one of the better tracks takes its chorus melody off "Dancing With Myself" so closely that Billy Idol is given a songwriting royalty check (the following track, "Eternal Summer" credits the Psychedelic Furs as co-writers but I can't quite place the source song on listening). Other highlights: "The Adults Are Talking," "Ode to the Mets" (as far as I can it's not actually about the Mets but the disconnect between Strokes titles and lyrics has always been pretty wide) and "Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus". Low-points: "At The Door." If you've heard it, you know why.
Overall grade: B-Minus maybe? I might be grading on a curve because, again, I hated their last album. Yeah, there's still a little too much of the faux-disco they've been lathering onto their records going back to the weaker tracks on "Angles," and not enough of the guitar rock I fell in love with (I spent much of 2002 and 2003 with Is This It on repeat like too many other stereotypical teenagers and I may still own a leather jacket with a Strokes patch sewn to the back"). I guess it's okay, but I wish Julian Casablancas would save this stuff for the Voidz (Hi, Jeff) and let the Strokes go back to sounding like the Strokes.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Apr 21, 2020 10:18:37 GMT -5
The Strokes, "The New Abnormal" Okay, so yes, the title is stupid, but the album is actually good. After a career built on a great debut album with increasingly diminishing returns (their last album was almost completely irredeemable outside of a frankly mediocre single and maybe one other "I guess it's okay" song), this album finally reverses that trend. Sure, it's no "Room on Fire"--hell, it's probably not as good pound-for-pound as the mostly disappointing "Angles," but it's actually a decent album. Since their last studio album seven years ago, the band's members have put out several solo/side-project albums of varying quality (Nick Valensi's CRX's 2016) first album probably being the best, but it's not entirely surprising that much of the album, for better or worse, sounds like it could have come off of Julian Casablancas' underrated 2009 key and synth heavy solo album. What else kind I say? Well, it's a Rick Rubin album, so it's coming out of the most-overrated producer in modern rock history (yeah, I love what he did with Johnny Cash too, but aside from that . . .), and it's a Strokes album, so it's guitar rock that liberally copies off well-known pop-rock hooks The lead single "Bad Decisions," one of the better tracks takes its chorus melody off "Dancing With Myself" so closely that Billy Idol is given a songwriting royalty check (the following track, "Eternal Summer" credits the Psychedelic Furs as co-writers but I can't quite place the source song on listening). Other highlights: "The Adults Are Talking," "Ode to the Mets" (as far as I can it's not actually about the Mets but the disconnect between Strokes titles and lyrics has always been pretty wide) and "Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus". Low-points: "At The Door." If you've heard it, you know why. Overall grade: B-Minus maybe? I might be grading on a curve because, again, I hated their last album. Yeah, there's still a little too much of the faux-disco they've been lathering onto their records going back to the weaker tracks on "Angles," and not enough of the guitar rock I fell in love with (I spent much of 2002 and 2003 with Is This It on repeat like too many other stereotypical teenagers and I may still own a leather jacket with a Strokes patch sewn to the back"). I guess it's okay, but I wish Julian Casablancas would save this stuff for the Voidz (Hi, Jeff) and let the Strokes go back to sounding like the Strokes. Aww, I like the Voidz. And the Psychedelic Furs lift is from the chorus of "The Ghost In You". I concur with your rating in the B range. It's not bad, but it's not fresh or exciting either. It is recognizably Strokes.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Apr 21, 2020 17:05:19 GMT -5
Fiona Apple thoughts, please. I'll start with existing prejudices: It took me a loooong time to warm up to Fiona Apple, since she came out at the height of my teenage cynicism and all I saw was yet another in the Lilith wave of music-industry-hyped white waif singers. Her evolution into white Erykah Badu (eccentric, challenging, unapologetic) has been interesting to watch, although it didn't make her any more accessible as an artist. Last year I was blown away by her cover of the Waterboys " The Whole of the Moon" - her voice has aged really well. And I would say that on this album, she truly 'lives up to her potential.' I was expecting this to be overdone and self-indulgent in the manner of Pitchfork's last 10-rated album, MBDTF, but it's actually quite restrained. The postrock experimentalism work nicely when you only tweak one element at a time: overdubs, dolphin yelps, intentional flat notes, repetition, etc. I was glad to read of David Garza's involvement, since he's super-underrated. Cara Delavigne's involvement makes me roll my eyes so hard (since she has yet to add value to any artistic project she's been a part of). My favorite tracks are "Shameika", "Under the Table", "Heavy Balloon", "For Her", and the title track.
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Post by MyNameIsNoneOfYourGoddamnBusin on Apr 22, 2020 8:29:40 GMT -5
Aww, I like the Voidz. And the Psychedelic Furs lift is from the chorus of "The Ghost In You". I concur with your rating in the B range. It's not bad, but it's not fresh or exciting either. It is recognizably Strokes. Going in with that knowledge and listening again, yes I absolutely hear it.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on May 25, 2020 22:23:44 GMT -5
Tim Burgess / I Love the New Sky / Bella Union /2020
This fifth solo album from the Charlatans (Charlatans UK if you must) frontman reveals unconventional and idiosyncratic impulses that belie his band's reputation as baggy britpop mainstays. With contributions from experimental musicians such as Thighpaulsandra (Julian Cope, Spiritualized, Coil) and Nik Colk Void (Factory Floor) this collection takes many left turns in its deconstructions of twee and baroque pop, beginning with the scruffy, piano-led single "Empathy for the Devil" (1). The opening chords, quoted from the Cure's "Boys Don't Cry" hint at the upbeat/downbeat dynamics throughout the album. "Sweet Old Sorry Me" (4) has a late 70s louche shuffle that culminates in some sweet Roxy Music saxophone licks. Arty krautrock influences also show up on "Warhol Me" (5) but after that the album plays it safer with the more Charlatans-esque "Lucky Creatures" (6) and "I Got This" (10). "The Mall" (7) is the most wistfully baroque track Neil Hannon never wrote. Confessional without being self-indulgent, it's an engaging hodgepodge from a still relevant fixture of the UK rock scene - if his wildly successful Twitter listening parties are any indication. RIYL: Sean O'Hagan, The Divine Comedy, early Brian Eno, The Beach Boys Smile album, anything Elephant 6
FCC: Clean
Recommended: 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Jun 14, 2020 21:21:37 GMT -5
GUM / Out In the World / Spinning Top / 2020
If you were expecting more of the same sun-kissed psych rock from this fifth solo release of Tame Impala and Pond's Jay Watson, you might be pleasantly surprised to find something a bit weirder - but no less catchy. Inspired by Brian Eno and the Canterbury psych folk scene that flourished in Pink Floyd's wake, there is a distinctly proggy feel to many of these tracks, with ornate synth lines, jazzy time signatures, and kaleidoscopic arrangements. The title track (3) evokes Trevor Horn's pop makeover of Yes, while "Down the Dream" (8) will scratch an itch for the Moody Blues. The ambition and songcraft Watson brings to his other bands are on full display in "Low to Low" (9). For some of that Tame Impala groove, check out "Don't Let It Go Out" (7) or "Alphabet Soup" (6).
Recommended: 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 FCC: 10
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Rainbow Rosa
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Post by Rainbow Rosa on Sept 30, 2020 22:36:00 GMT -5
Neil Cicierega / Mouth Dreams / self-released / 2020
Ok, the fourth album in Neil Cicierega's Mouth quadrilogy is a step down from Mouth Moods, but the highs are pretty damn high. What sets Neil apart from your average Soundclown guy (and it's always a guy) is 1) his skill at actual musical composition and 2) his willingness to venture outside of the Rock Band 2 soundtrack and the standard rap acapellas. Granted, there's plenty of Foo Fighters or Limp Bizkit or whatever, but they're just threads in a weirder and richer fabric. Xennial pop culture relics, classical music, synthwave, the goddamn Partridge Family - they're all deftly woven together here.
So Cicierega is still in a league of his own relative to the Soundclown choads who've been imitating his approach for the past five years. Unfortunately, when you make two of the best mashup albums ever (and Mouth Sounds), it's hard to reach those heights again, and Mouth Dreams is at times rather uneven. Tracks like "Ribs" and "Just a Baby" drag on for almost four minutes long after they've exhausted their jokes, which is annoying when highlights like "Wah" and "Nightmovin" are over in a minute flat. The lack of musical orgies in the vein of "Best" or "Annoyed Grunt" annoy me on an intellectual level, because those are usually the highlights of the album.
Now, there are a bunch of good songs here (which is to be expected, there are 26 of them over about an hour), and a bunch of good tracks that sort of stretch the definition of "song." But I'd give it, like, three and a half Shreks out of five or something. "Fredhammer" alone makes the album worth it.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Oct 25, 2020 21:25:07 GMT -5
Various Artists / After Dark 3 / Italians Do It Better / 2020
You know the vibe: moody, neon-lit, nihilistic. Since 2006, Johnny Jewel's roster of electronic artists has put out the music The Weeknd wishes he were making (see track 10 especially) while cultivating an Insta-enviable retro-futurist aesthetic. This third installment of the After Dark compilation series starts out in familiar languid territory, with vocal performances that range from blasé to indifferent. Things liven up a bit with the maestro's "Surgery" (3) which features some nice synth effects and utterly vapid spoken word lyrics. The Chromatics' two contributions (6, 18) are breathy and seductive - as expected - and Joon's cover of "Cruel Summer" (8) is greatly aided by gurgling synths and bouncy beats. The most fully-formed tracks, IMO, are "We Were Never Lost" (13), which could be a Robyn anthem if the vocalist had any of her energy, and "Crush" (14) which could pass for the Raveonettes. The rest is pretty boring.
Recommended: 3, 6, 10, 12, 13, 14, 18
Gorillaz / Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez / Parlophone/Warner / 2020
Yes, it is a "strange time to be alive" and no 'band' has prepared us more than Gorillaz, a ragtag gang of animated musical miscreants who have been exploring a post-consumerist apocalyptic wasteland since the turn of the millennium - with sexy results. The deluxe edition of their latest release collects 18 tracks produced over the past year and debuted as episodes of their Song Machine web series. With another impressive roster of A-list collaborators, Strange Timez is a bit of a strange beast - lacking the feel-good swagger of Demon Days or the perfect creative gelling of Plastic Beach. Many of the tracks have a weight or tension to them reminiscent of Damon Albarn and (the late) Tony Allen's work in The Good, the Bad, and The Queen. However, Gorillaz endures by offering something for everyone and there is plenty to enjoy here, including: Beck bringing his Midnight-Vultures-era freak to the "Valley of the Pagans" (2); Schoolboy Q's smooth verses on "Pac-Man" (4); further proof that anything played by a member of New Order becomes a New Order song (7), Albarn's most soulful vocals to date (9), the future of UK hip hop (8,17); a 2-tone ska throwback (11), and an expansive house banger (12).
Recommended: 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 17
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Dec 20, 2020 15:45:22 GMT -5
Girlhood / Girlhood / self-released / 2020
'Old heads' may recall that during the early '90s sampladelic era, the flirtation between hip hop and dance music proved surprisingly enduring and influential, filtering down to lo-fi hip hop through producers like J-Dilla and Kaytranada, as well as begetting trip-hop through Nellee Hooper and Bomb the Bass (to say nothing of our local hip house/footwork practitioners). The UK duo Girlhood, composed of producer Christian Pinchbeck and singer Tessa Cavanna, are the most direct heirs to this legacy I've heard in some time, combining soulful and introspective vocals with sample-heavy beats and throwback production techniques. You cannot convince me that "Bad Decisions" (7) was not written in 1995 and the Avalanches' influence is strong on "My Boy" (9). "It Might Take a Woman" (8) coasts on a classic sample ("Outstanding" by The Gap Band) and "The Love I Need" (11) closes this debut full-length on an uplifting and anthemic note. RIYL: Sault, Mark Ronson, Gabrielle, Des'ree, Soul II Soul, Neneh Cherry, Blue Lines-era Massive Attack
Recommended: 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11 FCC: 4, 6
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Feb 7, 2021 15:23:21 GMT -5
I wanted to just write, "Pitchfork and Needledrop are right about this one" but since I had to do a full review for my fellow DJs of this album that topped the UK charts for some reason:
Bicep / Isles / Ninja Tune / 2021
Despite the physicality of their moniker, this second album by Belfast-born East London duo Bicep (Matt McBriar & Andy Ferguson) is strictly music for flexing brain cells - probably while connected to a laptop by headphones. It starts out somewhat unpromisingly, with generic distillations of genres that were popular 15-20 years ago like trance (1,2), jungle (3), two-step, and even a bit of freestyle (4). Things get interesting around the icy, cavernous soundscape "Lido" (5) and the playful Chemical Bros./Crystal Method/Orbital mashup "X" (6). The album peaks with "Rever" (7), which matches breakbeat shuffling with Enigmatic (or Dead Can Dance-able?) vocals that would pair nicely with The Knife/Fever Ray. "Sundial" (8) also goes hard with techno beats and trance vocals, but they lost me with the "Sandstorm"-aping "Hawk" (10). RIYL: anything that has ever been described as IDM - you know who you are
Recommended: 5,6,7,8 FCC: clean
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Mar 7, 2021 11:23:23 GMT -5
Femi & Made Kuti, LegacyPutamayo Records-ass bullshit, a shame since Femi puts on a really good live show in my experience. What do you think of their current solo records, Stop the Hate and For(e)ward? I've liked what I've heard so far - particularly Made's record.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Jul 11, 2021 23:25:51 GMT -5
John Grant / Boy From Michigan / Bella Union / 2021
John Grant is a boy from Michigan, former frontman of the indie folk band the Czars, acolyte of Midlake, and a thickly-bearded, rugged American male. John Grant is also an HIV-positive gay electronic artist whose solo work is influenced by the likes of the Human League and Ultravox. This cognitive dissonance runs throughout his sixth full-length album, produced by the equally eclectic Cate Le Bon. Opening with soft ambient textures that recall the (highly recommended) Pure Sounds of Michigan compilation, the title track (1,13) transitions to late 70s-style glam/art rock, with a sassy interplay of synth and saxophone (see also track 8). Many of the tracks are drawn out (5 minutes+) and excessive - if not exactly experimental. But instead of the louche subject matter explored by Roxy Music or Bowie in Berlin, Grant takes more of a caustic, Lou Reed approach to dissecting the Americana of his upbringing and where that has led. Good starting points might be the lush and melodic County Fair (2) or the album's closer, Billy (12), a relatively conventional bit of chamber pop storytelling in the vein of Rufus Wainwright. The Cruise Room (4) is a piano-led ballad that approaches Magnetic Fields' romantic fatalism. By contrast, the single Rhetorical Figure (7) has the wiry energy of Devo or Iggy Pop. These reference points are only guideposts through an otherwise challenging, but original listening experience. Whatever you think this album might sound like, I assure you, it's not that.
Recommended: 2,4,7,8,12,13,15
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Oct 31, 2021 22:51:39 GMT -5
Matthew E. White / K Bay / Domino / 2021
"Eclectic" just might be his middle name, as this third solo release from the producer and Spacebomb records founder follows collaborations with experimental artist/musician Lonnie Holley and folk singer Flo Morrissey-- the latter covering influences as diverse as Leonard Cohen, Barry Gibb, and Frank Ocean. The record starts off with a double shot of sonic richness from the nervy, pulsating single "Genuine Hesitation" (1) and the infectious, electric-piano-led "Electric" (2). White follows with lush, orchestrated R&B a la Earth, Wind & Fire (4), decadent disco funk (5), and an expansive psychedelic slow jam (6). "Only In America / When The Curtains of Night Are Peeled Back" (7) is sardonic social commentary in the vein of Randy Newman or Lou Reed, which would seem out of place if the album weren't so winningly self-indulgent overall. "Never Had It Better" (8) is a jolt of hip-hop friendly beats that would sound at home on Brainfeeder, followed somewhat incredulously by the ELO/Cars-style power pop of "Judy" (9). By the album's close, "Edged in Darkness" (11), White is pulling out all the stops in grandiose, T. Rex fashion, taking his seat alongside visionary producer/artists like Beck, Cornelius, James Murphy, and Damon Albarn. Who knew he had this kind of ambition in him?
Recommended: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11
Ducks Ltd. / Modern Fiction / Carpark / 2021
Just in time for cardigan weather, we have brand new, grade-A jangle pop out of Toronto. The duo formerly known as Ducks Unlimited (before having their wings clipped by a hunting association of the same name) have a gorgeously layered sound that will take you back to the glory days of C86, Postcard, and the Dunedin sound. The strongest tracks are recommended, but it's all worth a listen for indie-pop connoisseurs (you know who you are).
Recommended: 1, 3, 8, 9, 10
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Oct 31, 2021 22:54:14 GMT -5
Pond / 9 / Spinning Top / 2021
Of this new release from Tame Impala's sister band, frontman Nick Allbrook explains to the NME: "After three albums of polished psych-op, we've earned our reward of doing something completely f-cked." While that might be an exaggeration, it is an advisory for anyone expecting laid-back Antipodean poolside tunes. The backup singers that open "Song for Agnes" (1) are the first hint of the glammy excesses and proggy flourishes throughout the album. "America's Cup" (3) is the funky, catchy single, along with the LCD Soundsystem/Liquid Liquid workout of "Pink Lunettes" (5). "Take Me Avalon I'm Young" (4) - with its string section, woodwinds, and drum breaks - suggests the playful sonic experimentation of Big Audio Dynamite or Primal Scream. The album's closer, "Toast" (9) is a more grandiose take on psych rock, with a well-placed sax solo and spacey synths.
Recommended: 1, 3, 4, 5, 9
Yola / Standing for Myself / Rough Trade / 2021
Cot damn, that's a VOICE. Yolanda Quartey (aka Yola Carter) is only 38 years old, but she has a voice that spans decades, continents, genres, and octaves. Following the critically-acclaimed and Grammy-nominated Walk Through Fire, she reunited with producer Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys for this second full-length, which branches out a bit from the 'Americana' (Yola is from Bristol UK, but currently based in Nashville) of her last album, with more nods to retro soul and R&B. Backed by the likes of Billy Sanford and the McCrary Sisters, the album starts off with the Daptone-esque "Barely Alive" (1) and Philly soul/disco delight "Dancing Away the Tears" (2). "Diamond Studded Shoes" (3) would pair nicely with the Doobie Brothers and "Be My Friend" (4) features outstanding harmonies from (Yola's real-life pal) Brandi Carlisle. "Starlight" (6) and the title track (12) are the most impressive showcases for Yola's powerhouse vocals, but everything is worth a listen. "Now You're Here" (8) has the lightness and intimacy of Roberta Flack and "Whatever You Want" (9) is straightforward country. "Break the Bough" (10) gives you gutbucket soul and "Like a Photograph" (11) has the swaying sophistication of a Bacharach/David composition. With strength, flamboyance, versatility, and an upraised fist, she may be this century's next great diva in the making.
Recommended: 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Nov 21, 2021 20:58:24 GMT -5
Damon Albarn / The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream / Transgressive / 2021
The critics are right - this is a beautiful solo album from the Blur/Gorillaz mastermind and 'thinkin' gal's crumpet' (as described by the British press in the 90s). However, like his previous solo effort, Everyday Robots, it is a much more sedate and melancholy collection than you'd expect from either of Albarn's beloved bands. Recorded in Iceland, the album started out as an orchestral project commissioned in 2019 by a French arts festival, taking shape over pandemic lockdown and in grief over the death of Albarn's collaborator and hero, the legendary percussionist Tony Allen. The title track that opens is just too sad for radio, but "The Cormorant" (2) bubbles and simmers with interesting electronic and analog textures. "Royal Morning Blue (3) is nearly a Gorillaz song but, like others on this album, it is intentionally unresolved. "Combustion" (4) sounds like an outtake of Roxy Music's "Virginia Plain" bookended by Sun Ra's jazz skronk and Chopin's Nocturnes. "Darkness to Light" (6) is a sweetly melancholy ballad in swing time and "Tower of Montevideo" (8) has touches of bossa nova, with extravagant saxophone throughout. The single "Polaris" sounds rather like Brian Eno circa Another Green World, which may be intentional, since it sounds like Dan Abnormal is increasingly of One Brain (see what I did there?) with the influences that have shaped him.
Recommended: 2, 3, 6, 8, 10
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Post by Jean Luc de Lemur on Dec 19, 2021 17:16:36 GMT -5
As much as I like Around the House and Body Parts, Herbert’s latest, Musca, is incredibly boring, even as background music. I have nothing today because it’s just well-made blah, completely uninteresting because it makes no flaws even as it does nothing special. Maybe it’s inevitable when you’re basically sticking with or resurrecting a nearly twenty year old sound.
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Post by pantsgoblin on Dec 19, 2021 20:49:30 GMT -5
As much as I like Around the House and Body Parts, Herbert’s latest, Musca, is incredibly boring, even as background music. I have nothing today because it’s just well-made blah, completely uninteresting because it makes no flaws even as it does nothing special. Maybe it’s inevitable when you’re basically sticking with or resurrecting a nearly twenty year old sound. Glad it's not just me--haven't been able to connect with it whatsoever.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Feb 20, 2022 23:26:33 GMT -5
Raveena / Asha's Awakening / Warner / 2022
Raveena Aurora is not (thankfully) the first South Asian woman to profit from Western fetishization of South Asian culture (see also: MIA, Rachel Roy, Lilly Singh, Padma Lakshmi, et al) but with her second release, she does much to remedy the icky early 00s hip hop trend in which the likes of Timbaland and Dre appropriated Subcontinental music and aesthetics in service of embarrassingly inferior tracks. With direct inspiration (and a guest spot on track 10) from eclectic singer-songwriter Asha Puthli, Raveena switches from sultry R&B siren in the vein of Aaliyah/Ciara on the opening three tracks, to jazzy exotica a la Bebel Gilberto (4), to Solange-esque ethereal and experimental (7, 14), and finally to Minnie Riperton or Roberta Flack's warm, psychedelic soul (10, 13). Track 8 is spoken word and Track 15 is a 13-minute guided meditation, if you're really looking to end your set on a chill note.
Recommended: 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 14
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Post by Jean Luc de Lemur on Mar 12, 2022 16:37:19 GMT -5
I have mixed thoughts on the Maylee Todds’s Maloo. It tended a bit twee for me, but was still fairly effective, and I did like the instrumentation a lot. A lot of it almost sounds like it could be on the Kankyō ongaku (“environmental music” is the standard translation) compilation of 80s Japanese ambient music. It’s interesting hearing this backing, or rather working alongside and truly contributing to, a less-abstract emotional environment. I say almost, though, because kankyō ongaku was interested in the relationship of actual projected sound with physical space. It makes for interesting and effective room-filling music. On headphones Maloo doesn’t quite reach that sense of space and, since it’s a complement to the lyrics, remains tied to their pop sentiments. “Tony Chiffon” is a nice little instrumental tune, nothing more.
I think the shallowness also comes, in part, from Todd’s enthusiasm for the metaverse, where there is no literal space. I liked the album enough to look into Todd a bit more, particularly the aesthetic of her motion-captured, long-necked avatar. I think trying something kind of weird (there’s another, kind of intentionally goofy fat child-like avatar) in a virtual world is much better than the Second Life-style stuff I’ve seen there so far. Aesthetically all of it reminds me of a remix of various 10s stuff—the early-mid 10s body-shifting stuff from Holy Motors/Under the Skin/(probably most importantly) FKA Twigs smoothed out by the mid-late 10s vaporwave/Aum Shirinkyo anime/Scratch-y New Age aesthetic, so nothing that seems really new.
Brian Eno’s comment on NFT’s that he hadn’t seen anything of them that made them specifically worth making—I think that works the other way too, where there’s stuff worth making that doesn’t have to be tied to NFTs. Maloo basically owes its sound to half a decade’s worth of .rar file sharing of previously-obscure Japanese tapes and discs (a quasi-scene I participated in). The new agey aesthetic revival similarly derive from culture made by groups that dissolved and copyrights that are obscure. I liked Maloo as a product of these explorations, but seeing it as the tip of an NFT iceberg (plus my own misgivings about both the metaverse and new age itself), maybe unfairly, changed my mind.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Mar 27, 2022 19:26:52 GMT -5
Ed Schrader's Music Beat / Nightclub Daydreaming / Carpark / 2022
A pity this duo, composed of Ed Schrader on bass and Devlin Rice on drums, is from Baltimore instead of Brighton, because the NME would be hyping any UK band that sounded like this to the hilt. The sound in question is angular post-punk, heavily influenced by Bowie's Berlin trilogy and the art rock of his myriad descendents (particularly dance/dub experimentalists like Public Image Ltd., The Pop Group, and A Certain Ratio). "European Moons" (4) reminds one of a lo-fi Interpol, while "Hamburg" (5) is a taste of Sisters of Mercy unplugged. "Skedaddle" (8) is the most identifiably American track, with the Southern Gothic jangle of early REM. Much of the darkness comes from Schrader's howling baritone, which imports each track with the kind of drama that is sure to catch listeners' attention. (NOTE: Schrader is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.) If this is your jam, explore freely.
Recommended: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Apr 17, 2022 23:45:14 GMT -5
I have mixed thoughts on the Maylee Todds’s Maloo. It tended a bit twee for me, but was still fairly effective, and I did like the instrumentation a lot. A lot of it almost sounds like it could be on the Kankyō ongaku (“environmental music” is the standard translation) compilation of 80s Japanese ambient music. It’s interesting hearing this backing, or rather working alongside and truly contributing to, a less-abstract emotional environment. I say almost, though, because kankyō ongaku was interested in the relationship of actual projected sound with physical space. It makes for interesting and effective room-filling music. On headphones Maloo doesn’t quite reach that sense of space and, since it’s a complement to the lyrics, remains tied to their pop sentiments. “Tony Chiffon” is a nice little instrumental tune, nothing more. I think the shallowness also comes, in part, from Todd’s enthusiasm for the metaverse, where there is no literal space. I liked the album enough to look into Todd a bit more, particularly the aesthetic of her motion-captured, long-necked avatar. I think trying something kind of weird (there’s another, kind of intentionally goofy fat child-like avatar) in a virtual world is much better than the Second Life-style stuff I’ve seen there so far. Aesthetically all of it reminds me of a remix of various 10s stuff—the early-mid 10s body-shifting stuff from Holy Motors/ Under the Skin/(probably most importantly) FKA Twigs smoothed out by the mid-late 10s vaporwave/Aum Shirinkyo anime/Scratch-y New Age aesthetic, so nothing that seems really new. Brian Eno’s comment on NFT’s that he hadn’t seen anything of them that made them specifically worth making—I think that works the other way too, where there’s stuff worth making that doesn’t have to be tied to NFTs. Maloo basically owes its sound to half a decade’s worth of .rar file sharing of previously-obscure Japanese tapes and discs (a quasi-scene I participated in). The new agey aesthetic revival similarly derive from culture made by groups that dissolved and copyrights that are obscure. I liked Maloo as a product of these explorations, but seeing it as the tip of an NFT iceberg (plus my own misgivings about both the metaverse and new age itself), maybe unfairly, changed my mind. FWIW I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I've played from this album so far.
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moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,004
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Post by moimoi on Apr 17, 2022 23:45:35 GMT -5
Daniel Rossen / You Belong There / Warp / 2022
If you've missed Grizzly Bear as much as I have, this may be your album of the year. With his solo full-length debut (surprising for a veteran who used to put out buzzy EPs, side projects, and covers with regularity) Rossen picks up where the band left off since indefinitely parting ways in 2017. Whereas previous solo work has been sparser and more intimate than his tracks with Droste & co., these compositions are ambitious, expansive, and overall rather impressive. The opener, "It's a Passage" (1) is everything you could want in progressive-chamber-indie-folk: intricate strings, high harmonies, and enough groove to keep things interesting. The gorgeous "Shadow In the Frame" (2) is more classical in structure and "Unpeopled Space" (4) has jazzy tension, aided by Grizzly bandmate Chris Bear on percussion. The guitars on "Celia" (5) have a Latin touch - inspired by Rossen's move from upstate New York to Santa Fe during recording. "I'll Wait for Your Visit" (7) is a full suite crackling with drama and "Keeper and Kin" (8) features otherworldly synths. "The Last One" (9) is not the final track, but it is a nice encapsulation of the Van Dyke Parks/Nick Drake/Elliot Smith approach to songwriting and arranging that Rossen does so well.
Recommended: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9
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Dellarigg
AV Clubber
This is a public service announcement - with guitars
Posts: 7,502
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Post by Dellarigg on Apr 25, 2022 7:00:54 GMT -5
Everything Was Beautiful, Spiritualized
A solid album by one of my favourites, though it's slightly disquieting too - just about every song features a callback to an earlier song in the discography. I'm hoping this isn't a way of wrapping things up and saying fare thee well.
Chris, Ryan Adams
Well, in spite of it all, he still has a way with a melancholy melody and a sparse, silvery backing. His best album in a while.
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Post by [Citrus] on Apr 25, 2022 12:27:06 GMT -5
Wet Leg by Wet Leg
This sounds like something that was number 47 on a Pitchfork best of from 2009 and then swiftly forgotten about soon after.
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Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on May 11, 2022 17:03:37 GMT -5
Wet Leg by Wet Leg This sounds like something that was number 47 on a Pitchfork best of from 2009 and then swiftly forgotten about soon after. I disagree. In 2009, Pitchfork’s Best Albums of the Year list had Where Were U in ‘92 by dubstep artist Zomby coming in at number 47. Wet Leg plays music from a totally different genre and sounds nothing like Zomby.
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Post by [Citrus] on May 11, 2022 17:26:57 GMT -5
Wet Leg by Wet Leg This sounds like something that was number 47 on a Pitchfork best of from 2009 and then swiftly forgotten about soon after. I disagree. In 2009, Pitchfork’s Best Albums of the Year list had Where Were U in ‘92 by dubstep artist Zomby coming in at number 47. Wet Leg plays music from a totally different genre and sounds nothing like Zomby. I'm describing a vibe, not a specific album. And that vibe is "mediocre indie rock album from the late '00s."
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moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,004
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Post by moimoi on May 11, 2022 18:16:48 GMT -5
I disagree. In 2009, Pitchfork’s Best Albums of the Year list had Where Were U in ‘92 by dubstep artist Zomby coming in at number 47. Wet Leg plays music from a totally different genre and sounds nothing like Zomby. I'm describing a vibe, not a specific album. And that vibe is "mediocre indie rock album from the late '00s." I dunno, I'll take a 'mediocre 00s indie rehash' over 'mediocre 90's indie rehash' any day of the week. The 00s may have been derivative, but at least they sounded fun. I'm getting really sick of Soccer Mommy and all these bands that sound like 90s alt rock with the irreverence dialed way down and the whining dialed way up.
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moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,004
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Post by moimoi on May 22, 2022 22:59:24 GMT -5
Kikagaku Moyo / Kumoyo Island / Guruguru Brain / 2022
Ten years and four albums ago, brothers Go and Ryu Kurasawa teamed with Tomo Katsurada, a fellow long-hair and Japanese student abroad, to form one of the best psych rock bands in the world and to start a groundbreaking record label showcasing Asian indie music. Now with their fifth and final release (it was announced that the band would go on indefinite hiatus having accomplished their mission...) Kikagaku Moyo (trans. "geometric patterns") leave us with hypnotic, mind-expanding sounds--occasionally peppered by nonsense lyrics and an insouciant stance toward the global audience begging for more. "Monaka" (1), named after a wafer snack or possibly a Dragon Ball character, is sweet sitar funk delivered by the classically-trained Ryu, followed by the woozy tropicália of "Dancing Blue' (2). "Effe" (3) is a highly sample-able jazz funk instrumental and "Meu Mar" (4) is an Erasmus Carlo cover. "Gomugomu" (6) is an-all-too brief peak into a campfire hootenanny and "Nap Song" (10) has the atmospheric intimacy of Grizzly Bear. "Yayoi, Iyayoi" (9) is the most 'rocking' track, with changing time signatures that bring it into prog territory. Other tracks are mostly instrumental, but otherwise worth exploring. RIYL: The Boredoms, Can, Altun Gun
Recommended: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10
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Post by Jean Luc de Lemur on May 27, 2022 15:49:06 GMT -5
Batu, Opal
It’s loud, immersive, and good for drowning out your surroundings. It’s not really fair to judge an album based on that sort of things, but I do think it’s linked to what Batu’s trying to accomplish—the sound’s fat and multilayered enough to be immersive—it’s not one wall of sound but several overlapping and shifting ones. There’s some cool stuff in there (a bit of throat singing), but a lot of the sounds are pretty recognizable from dance music over the past decade. It’s just put together more, in both senses of the word.
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Post by Jean Luc de Lemur on Jun 16, 2022 18:53:27 GMT -5
Ricardo Villalobos & Samuel Rohrer, Microgestures
It took me a while to listen to this a few times because it only seemed right to listen at night, like it had to emerge nocturnally. I’ve been a fan of Villalobos since college and his best albums navigate the limitations of minimalist techno really well, adding enough to feel like there’s a progression, varying enough to make each track feel like an individual song (rather than just an extended set) while holding the album together. Working with Samuel Rohrer the tonal/melodic stuff is replaced by more bubbly electric stuff, working with or ordered by the beat. I bought this on a whim and it’s a double album and each side counts as one song. They do have their own identity with definite beginnings and ends, though long middles. Given this is instrumentasl, very abstract music it’s hard to really differentiate one from another, but I wonder if I’m missing something because there’s no continuous progression; I have to flip of change discs. I’m leaning towards that not being an issue—rather, each song stands on its own, somewhat interchangeably—you can definitely play this out of order without losing much if anything. It’s good, but I won’t ever really think about it just out of the blue like with Thé au harem d’Archimède or Vasco (which also has very long songs), for example.
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