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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2017 15:07:34 GMT -5
I broke the tie, so the winner of the January Anniversary Record Club is Sunn O)))’s second album, Flight of the Behemoth, released January 22, 2002. The album was mixed in part by noise artist Merzbow (tracks “O))) Bow 1” and “O))) Bow 2”). Tell us what you think about this record after 15 years, which saw the band continuing its explorations in metal, ambient, and electronic sounds and member Stephen O’Malley’s side career as a graphic designer. What else was happening in January 2002: - Much of Antarctica’s Larsen Ice Shelf begins disintegrating
- The UN Security Council freezes the assets of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban and announces an arms embargo
- Euro currency is introduced in 12 nations
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2017 15:10:54 GMT -5
Youtube playlistNote that the playlist is not in the correct order, which is as follows: 1. "Mocking Solemnity" 2. "Death Becomes You" 3. "O))) Bow 1" 4. "O))) Bow 2" 5. "F.W.T.B.T."
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Post by ganews on Jan 1, 2017 17:59:31 GMT -5
BOOOOOOO THE PARTY ESTABLISHMENT THREW THE PRIMARY
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Post by Nudeviking on Jan 2, 2017 1:42:45 GMT -5
My thoughts and opinions of Kerplunk will be up shortly.
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Post by ganews on Jan 4, 2017 13:37:17 GMT -5
Wikipedia says "drone, ambient, noise, and extreme metal". I strongly suspect that I am about to hate this. Prove me wrong, Sunn O)))...
No. What is the point of this? I call upon those who voted for this to come forth and defend themselves for wasting our time. I listened to the whole first track without skipping before I started moving forward a few minutes at a time. Nothing changed before things got noisier on Bow 1, well over 20 minutes in. I didn't hear a second unique sound until a good ten minutes after that. I heard a bass and a drum kit on track 5. This is hands-down the worst thing that has ever come across any iteration of a Record Club.
I genuinely want to know why this is appealing. I've listened to instrumentals, I've listened to noise (mostly just Parts & Labor and scattered college radio tracks, but there), I've listened to Modernist final performances by Percussion music majors. Why does anyone want this? If the answer involves drugs, I write it off forever. If the answer involves artistically making me angry, the tracks should have been either 30 seconds each to save effort or one hour each to prove commitment.
P.S. I know it's supposedly pronounced "sun", but in my mind it will always be "sun ohjjjj".
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Post by ganews on Jan 4, 2017 13:58:23 GMT -5
Wikipedia says "drone, ambient, noise, and extreme metal". I strongly suspect that I am about to hate this. Prove me wrong, Sunn O)))... No. What is the point of this? I call upon those who voted for this to come forth and defend themselves for wasting our time. I listened to the whole first track without skipping before I started moving forward a few minutes at a time. Nothing changed before things got noisier on Bow 1, well over 20 minutes in. I didn't hear a second unique sound until a good ten minutes after that. I heard a bass and a drum kit on track 5. This is hands-down the worst thing that has ever come across any iteration of a Record Club. I genuinely want to know why this is appealing. I've listened to instrumentals, I've listened to noise (mostly just Parts & Labor and scattered college radio tracks, but there), I've listened to Modernist final performances by Percussion music majors. Why does anyone want this? If the answer involves drugs, I write it off forever. If the answer involves artistically making me angry, the tracks should have been either 30 seconds each to save effort or one hour each to prove commitment. P.S. I know it's supposedly pronounced "sun", but in my mind it will always be "sun ohjjjj". I nominated this because it is good experimental music. Head on over to the Nurse With Wound Listening Club thread for many, many more examples. No drugs are required. Think of it as an auditory meditation guide. You're allowed not to like it, but pump the brakes on the dismissiveness, it makes you sound like a Philistine. It's the exact opposite of a waste of time. You and Nudeviking go start a thread of your own and review Kerplunk. Nooo thanks, I've had enough. I gave it an honest try. Good for you that you have your own thread so you can be equally dismissive of pop, or whatever. The history of art is surely people calling each other Philistines. I was at least expecting what must by now be a carbon-copy explanation of why this is worthwhile, as I imagine this genre combination gets this sort of reaction constantly. The YouTube playlist I was following only had a couple comments, one of which positively mentioned listening to music masochistically, so I didn't get a lot of illumination there. As for meditation, it wouldn't be my choice. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2017 14:46:35 GMT -5
This is hands-down the worst thing that has ever come across any iteration of a Record Club. Jesus, ganews. I don't come into your Record Club and insult the taste of the people who participate. Of this conversation, I will say that I chose to break the tie in this record's favor because I want this Record Club to reflect many different listening experiences. I feel like, in the case of Kerplunk, we've had many examples of punk and pop-punk (The Clash, Rancid, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, etc.) winning this Club and I wanted the people who voted for an experimental metal album to have their time for once. No one's forcing you to listen to this, ganews, as it isn't your Club, so cool it with the "wasting our time" nonsense. By the way, I don't own Flight of the Behemoth and I wanted to compare it to another listening of the Sunn O))) albums I do own before weighing in. Thoughts to come very soon. |
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Post by ganews on Jan 4, 2017 15:09:47 GMT -5
This is hands-down the worst thing that has ever come across any iteration of a Record Club. Jesus, ganews. I don't come into your Record Club and insult the taste of the people who participate. Of this conversation, I will say that I chose to break the tie in this record's favor because I want this Record Club to reflect many different listening experiences. I feel like, in the case of Kerplunk, we've had many examples of punk and pop-punk (The Clash, Rancid, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, etc.) winning this Club and I wanted the people who voted for an experimental metal album to have their time for once. No one's forcing you to listen to this, ganews, as it isn't your Club, so cool it with the "wasting our time" nonsense. By the way, I don't own Flight of the Behemoth and I wanted to compare it to another listening of the Sunn O))) albums I do own before weighing in. Thoughts to come very soon. Relax man. I was just joshing you about breaking the tie. I listen to the club selections whatever they may be because there's a lot out there I haven't heard. But man was this not for me. This is your side, but on the other there's no rule of "only say nice things". |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2017 15:20:01 GMT -5
Jesus, ganews. I don't come into your Record Club and insult the taste of the people who participate. Of this conversation, I will say that I chose to break the tie in this record's favor because I want this Record Club to reflect many different listening experiences. I feel like, in the case of Kerplunk, we've had many examples of punk and pop-punk (The Clash, Rancid, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, etc.) winning this Club and I wanted the people who voted for an experimental metal album to have their time for once. No one's forcing you to listen to this, ganews, as it isn't your Club, so cool it with the "wasting our time" nonsense. By the way, I don't own Flight of the Behemoth and I wanted to compare it to another listening of the Sunn O))) albums I do own before weighing in. Thoughts to come very soon. Relax man. I was just joshing you about breaking the tie. I listen to the club selections whatever they may be because there's a lot out there I haven't heard. But man was this not for me. This is your side, but on the other there's no rule of "only say nice things". You're the one who said that the people who voted for this album (which includes me, since I broke the tie as the admin) are wasting not just yours but "our" time. So don't pretend you're being the ultimate diplomat here. |
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Post by rimjobflashmob on Jan 4, 2017 15:35:49 GMT -5
Please tell me that next month is an anniversary of Merzbient so we can really drive ganews off the deep end. |
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Post by ganews on Jan 4, 2017 15:44:08 GMT -5
Relax man. I was just joshing you about breaking the tie. I listen to the club selections whatever they may be because there's a lot out there I haven't heard. But man was this not for me. This is your side, but on the other there's no rule of "only say nice things". You're the one who said that the people who voted for this album (which includes me, since I broke the tie as the admin) are wasting not just yours but "our" time. So don't pretend you're being the ultimate diplomat here. Fair enough. I should have spoken clearly only for myself, you're right. For what it's worth, I do plan to read others' thoughts. I find this sort of music impossible to analyze. |
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Post by Nudeviking on Jan 5, 2017 0:07:17 GMT -5
Prelude
I think there's a rule that every young man goes through a period of seeking out and partaking in the extreme. How this quest manifests itself varies from young man to young man. Some take up surfing or mixed martial arts. Some drive Honda Civics with ridiculous rear spoilers up and down suburban streets while blasting bass at 2:00 in the morning. Others will engage in backyard wrestling or Jackass-esque feats of stupidity with their friends. And then there are those young men who throw themselves into the world of extreme music and movies. Though I did once win the Capital District Tag Team Championship in a closely contested Nunchucks Match, I would probably fit better into the fourth category. I listened to obscure Japanese noise bands and shitty grindcore. My friends and I watched every terrible horror movie we could find: Guinea Pig and things of that ilk, but after awhile we grew out of it. It all became so much noise and gore for the sake of noise and gore.
The Album
If I had heard this album 16 or 17 years ago I would have probably been all about it. It's brooding and loud. It would have annoyed my parents. Now, however I find it both dull and annoying. It's vacuum cleaners and airplanes flying overhead. The first time anything close to "traditional music" appears during the track "O))) Bow 1" it's distorted, discordant banging on a piano while guitars that sound like dentist drills screech in the background. The album is now TV static and detuned guitars howling in agony. The guitars chug along like the Little Engine that Could while static swirls as if I can't quite get the radio station I want to be tuned in.
BACKMASKING!
The piano has returned even more out of tune and this time sounds like it's being played on a Walkman that's eating the cassette the recording is on. The guitars have become little more than a low rumble in the background. It was a trap, lulling me into a false sense of security before they return. It is a furiously awful din that ceases as abruptly as it began. The guitars sound like shifting tectonic plates. Demons playing detuned Casio keyboards mock me as Earth grinds itself into nothingness. The ground beneath my feet has crumbled and yet the guitars continue to drone and the Casio keyboard fiends continue to mock me for wanting structure and order in my music.
I have come to the final leg of this journey, a song titled, "F.W.T.B.T." which I can only assume stands for "Friends With The Best Tits," begins. I am assailed by guitars that sounds like riding lawn mowers while distant church bells peal ominously. What ho! Wither for came this jazz drumming? The lone jazz drummer is gone. His brushes and smooth syncopation were never a match for the incessant grind of the moaning guitars. The guitarists play a dirge for the jazz drummer. It is a repetitive four note melody that drips with vile magicks.
The drummer has returned. He is not the man he once was. The life has gone out of his veins and he now drags cinder blocks and steel cauldrons across melting asphalt as a demon growls commands at him. Was I the lone jazz drummer? Perhaps I was. Perhaps not. Like him, however, I am not the man I once was. No longer do I have the desire to watch simulated gore or listen to "extreme" bands who take such a cavalier attitude toward good taste and song structure. The guitars cease, for good this time.
Aftermath
This was not for me. It was bleak and joyless and while there was a time in my life when such things would have appealed to me, now they do not. I don't begrudge anyone who genuinely enjoys this, but to me it is more or less pointless. I find little use for songs that you could not fight, fuck, dance, or drive to, and this is more or less music that is only suitable for summoning demons or wearing hooded robes to. Maybe if I lived in the wilds where I could walk in ancient pine forests where the Old Gods still dwell I'd be a bit more about this, but I live in a major metropolis and ride the subway. I need something with a beat.
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monodrone
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Post by monodrone on Jan 5, 2017 6:15:18 GMT -5
What I was listening to in January 2002: International Superhits by Green Day which I'd recently received as a Christmas present from one of my brothers. It didn't have any songs from Kerplunk on it.
I am familiar with the band Sunn O))) - I've definitely heard their collaboration with Boris and I'm pretty sure I've heard White 1 somewhere along the line. I have friends who are very much into Sunn O))) who walk around saying things in *extremely Sunn O))) voice* when they get drunk. It's sweet. I have a nagging sensation that I might have seen them once - it's certainly possible that they could have been a tour support for Boris when I saw them back in 2008. There was definitely some extremely loud drone band on before Boris, anyway.
I haven't heard Flight of the Behemoth though, so here goes.
The first two tracks - I can get with this. It's a bit more extreme drone than I usually go but sitting at my desk staring out across the city I'm not finding myself drifting away from the sounds or itching to turn it off.
O)))Bow 1. Fucking lol. That piano is a joke, right? That's supposed to be humourous? I'm struggling to stifle a laugh. PLINK PLONK PLINK PLAUNK.
O)))Bow 2. Now we're talking. Guitars as swirling buzzsaws that occasionally make contact with wood and/or flesh. I'm finding myself really interested in how the only discernable rhythm/beat is coming from the delay on the guitars. For a drummer it's jarring to listen to music this way. Oh fuck. The piano's back. I'm dying. This is so shitty. It's the Tombliboos from one of my daughter's favourite tv shows, In The Night Garden (go to about 3:20, if it doesn't start there by default)
Side Note: this video makes me laugh even more than the dumb pianos
F.W.T.B.T. - Good bells. Oh, there's the *extremely Sunn O))) voice*. I get it. The drums sure were there for a bit, doing nothing of note.
Conclusion - if it wasn't for the piano I'd be up for listening to this again but I can't take it seriously. I'll still listen to stupidly loud, slow music though possibly not quite this slow. I do admire the restaint that's required to make this racket, I tried playing in a doom band once upon a time but I don't have the patience. I still want to be Tre Cool from Green Day, just like I did when I started playing drums in my first band aged in 2001.
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Post by monodrone on Jan 5, 2017 6:16:58 GMT -5
Reccommendation for people who like crushingly slow and loud but with slightly more going on and the odd burst of ACTION:
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Post by Nudeviking on Jan 5, 2017 8:45:45 GMT -5
Can someone who's actually into this band tell me whether or not "F.W.T.B.T." is in fact a "cover" of the Metallica song "For Whom the Bell Tolls?" After listening to it and determining there is no way it could actually be "Friends With the Best Tits," I took to Google and found a less than reputable site that claimed it to be a Metallica cover.
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Post by monodrone on Jan 5, 2017 9:44:07 GMT -5
Can someone who's actually into this band tell me whether or not "F.W.T.B.T." is in fact a "cover" of the Metallica song "For Whom the Bell Tolls?" After listening to it and determining there is no way it could actually be "Friends With the Best Tits," I took to Google and found a less than reputable site that claimed it to be a Metallica cover. I can't believe I didn't get that. It definitely is - listening to it again with that in my head it seems reasonably clear, especially with the bit at 44 seconds on the original which comes in at 3:20ish on the Sunn O))) version. |
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Post by ganews on Jan 5, 2017 9:46:17 GMT -5
Can someone who's actually into this band tell me whether or not "F.W.T.B.T." is in fact a "cover" of the Metallica song "For Whom the Bell Tolls?" After listening to it and determining there is no way it could actually be "Friends With the Best Tits," I took to Google and found a less than reputable site that claimed it to be a Metallica cover. I can't believe I didn't get that. It definitely is - listening to it again with that in my head it seems reasonably clear, especially with the bit at 44 seconds on the original which comes in at 3:20ish on the Sunn O))) version. *Lars Ulrich calls his lawyer* |
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Post by Djse (and a Sack of Cats) on Jan 5, 2017 17:06:06 GMT -5
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Post by repulsionist on Jan 5, 2017 17:52:17 GMT -5
My experience with drone, noise, outsider music is varied. I've been to more than a few (or too many) experimental music shows. I don't have an immediate connection with this. I listened to it completely. I heard the "For Whom The Bell Tolls" song structure, after those here pointed it out. For me, this sounded and felt "too much like the other" when I compared my listening memories of Earth (another drone band hailing from Seattle, WA). I don't go on the same kind of introspective dive with this art-noise as I would with the works of early Tangerine Dream (Zeit, in particular), Folke Rabe, or only a few of the artists revealed in Nurse With Wound List. This band, and this record, for me, requires further investigation re. interviews to ferret out aspects of intention that may make for a richer musical experience; however, it's not something terribly high on my "to do" agenda. Hurray for the victors! Hurray for those who like this stuff.
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Post by Nudeviking on Jan 5, 2017 19:10:17 GMT -5
Can someone who's actually into this band tell me whether or not "F.W.T.B.T." is in fact a "cover" of the Metallica song "For Whom the Bell Tolls?" After listening to it and determining there is no way it could actually be "Friends With the Best Tits," I took to Google and found a less than reputable site that claimed it to be a Metallica cover. I can't believe I didn't get that. It definitely is - listening to it again with that in my head it seems reasonably clear, especially with the bit at 44 seconds on the original which comes in at 3:20ish on the Sunn O))) version. I didn't either, but I listened to it a second time after learning of this alleged Metallica cover song status and could pick out some DNA of the original in the primordial sludge they turned it into: the bells, the part you mentioned, etc. Can someone who's actually into this band tell me whether or not "F.W.T.B.T." is in fact a "cover" of the Metallica song "For Whom the Bell Tolls?" After listening to it and determining there is no way it could actually be "Friends With the Best Tits," I took to Google and found a less than reputable site that claimed it to be a Metallica cover. This is true, although I'd call it an interpretation rather than a straight cover. That's why I put cover in scare quotes. The less than reputable site called it a cover, but there was very little in their version that would cause a person to instantly be like, "Oh it's that Metallica song!" unless they knew what they were listening for. |
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Post by Djse (and a Sack of Cats) on Jan 11, 2017 23:54:03 GMT -5
Gosh, what can I say that hasn't already been said...
I came into this familiar with the concept of Sunn O))) without really knowing any of their material other than 2015's Kannon (which I enjoyed) and that Scott Walker comp (which I did not, as I can not get into Walker's voice at all)...so if you're hoping for a really insightful deep dive, you'll want to go ahead and skip this post. Here are some scattered thoughts as I plow through this beast of an album for the very first time.
"Mocking Solemnity" - I can dig it. I know this sort of thing isn't for everybody, but I like a good droning guitar sound. There are bits of this that remind me a bit of Sleep, which is not a bad thing.
"Death Becomes You" - All right, a bit more of the same, but I'm still on board.
"O))) Bow 1" - This is the song that makes me think that maybe Sunn O))) is one of those bands that just goes into a studio, records a shit-ton of random material with a ton of effects pedals, and then mines hours of recordings for 10 minute stretches of time decent enough that they can call them "songs". That fucking piano. Why?
"O))) Bow 2" - See above, plus backmasking. Lots of fun with knob twiddling on this one. However, I was tempted to skip the rest of this song when the piano showed up half way through, and by the end of the song I truly regretted not doing so. The last 3 minutes or so appear to just be the band standing around waiting for the effects pedals to wrap up, while one guy gets bored and plays more shitty piano.
"F.W.T.B.T" - I wouldn't have immediately recognized this as an interpretation of a Metallica song, but now that others have pointed it out I can kind of hear it. I like this better than the "Bow" tracks by far. The ultra-deep growling gave me a serious case of the giggles though, particularly when it sounded more like a flushing toilet than a human voice. And then, all of a sudden, it's over.
All in all, this (and most other Sunn O))) albums, I'd bet) is the kind of album that I see myself listening to on occasion while watching a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie muted with the subtitles on, most likely very stoned.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2017 15:24:19 GMT -5
OK, so in my previous post, I said was going to compare this album to all of the other Sunn O))) albums I own, which are their debut ØØ Void and Dømkirke. However, time constraints are going to force me to just do a chronological comparison with Flight and ØØ Void.
Additionally, those interested should listen to their collaboration with Nurse With Wound, The Iron Soul of Nothing, which to be honest I've put on more often than anything of Sunn O))).
OK, the album.
"Mocking Solemnity" and "Death Becomes You" are more dynamic than any of the drone pieces on ØØ Void, in that I wasn't checking the clock on these tracks. While they lack the (slight) vocal tracks apparent on ØØ Void's "NN O)))" they make up for it with more diversity in tonality and range.
Some have quibbled with the piano on "O))) Bow 1" but I enjoyed it as a counterpoint to the band switching up from drone to a power electronics sound. More industrial noise on "O))) Bow 2" no doubt due to the mixing by Merzbow, whose work I've often liked. How much of this is Stephen O'Malley & Co.'s sound is up for debate, I suppose. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this "Bow" suite of tracks.
"F.W.T.B.T.": By far the least interesting track for me. Never had a particular affinity for the Metallica song and it just buzzes like a fridge for the most part.
Final take: I'll keep this album, largely for the "Bow" tracks and whenever I need a 20-minute zone out that's slightly melodic, i.e. the first two tracks. Thanks for nominating, @patrickbatman.
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