moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Aug 2, 2017 12:32:52 GMT -5
Another splendid review meriting a wide readership. You ought to apply for music critic to some publication worthy of your talents. Music journalism and criticism in general could certainly use more informed female voices. That's why I always encourage women to write. I imagine it will remain a hobby for me, though, since I am able to make a comfortable living as a policy wonk.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Aug 4, 2017 23:20:55 GMT -5
Teenage Fanclub - BandwagonesqueBackground: Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Bellshill in 1989. The band comprises Norman Blake (vocals, guitar), Raymond McGinley (vocals, lead guitar), Gerard Love (vocals, bass), Francis MacDonald (drums) and Dave McGowan (keyboards), with songwriting duties shared equally among Blake, McGinley and Love. In concert, the band usually alternate among the three songwriters (who all sing lead vocals on their own songs) giving equal playing time to each one's songs. Teenage Fanclub emerged from the Glasgow C86 scene. Bandwagonesque is their third album, released in 1991 on Creation Records. The album gave the band substantial US success when the single "Star Sign" reached number four on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, becoming their biggest hit in that country, with "What You Do to Me" and "The Concept" also becoming top 20 hits. Bandwagonesque was voted 'album of the year' for 1991 by American music magazine Spin, famously beating Nirvana's landmark album Nevermind. Existing prejudices: I believe I have recalled elsewhere on this forum that my first exposure to Teenage Fanclub was as the opener/co-headliner on Weezer,'s first tour - my first concert and in retrospect, a really great bill. An older guy we met on the balcony of the Aragon Ballroom told us that he was only there to see the Fanclub and their set was pretty endearing. From then on, I noted that they put out a lot of good singles, but I never really got into them. I think this was because they sounded like so many American bands. I'm reviewing them now because Ben Gibbard just covered this album in its entirety (in what can be described as the most Ben-Gibbardesque thing the man has done since, well, billing himself as Benjamin). Track by track Impressions 1. The Concept - From the opening lick of distortion, this takes me back to my tween years, when a youngmoi stomped around in Doc Marten mary janes with barrettes in my hair and a ringer tee. Unsurprisingly, the melody is infectious and heart-on-its-sleeve. I suppose this was my introduction to 'earnest' fellows like Matthew Sweet, Evan Dando, etc. but as we established, I my tastes ran more toward intelligent and horny fellows like Jarvis Cocker. I did not realize how long this song is... 2. Satan - It starts loose and jammy but doesn't quite match the insouciance of Pavement. Supergrass were smart to rip off this riff for Richard III a few years later, since Teenage Fanclub did nothing with it. 3. December - This is an indie rock song. The violins are an interesting choice, but otherwise, pretty nondescript. 4. What You Do to Me - Another classic melody, but very safe and inconsequential. This is certainly what I see a bunch of old rock critics picking over Nirvana or My Bloody Valentine. 5. I Don't Know - These are some simplistic lyrics. The guitar playing is good though. 6. Star Sign - I love this song - it sounds like Yo La Tengo (Sugercube/Cherry Chapstick, specifically). You can also hear the touches of the Byrds and other American bands like the Big Star and the 'placemats. 7. Metal Baby - This has a bit more of the archness I associate with UK rock, Though it seems deliberately un-metal, it does manage a great glam feel. 8. Pet Rock - I like the guitar solo that winds around this song. They should have done more of that - worked for Stone Roses! 9. Sidewinder - Man, these lyrics are lazy, but the melodies are on point. Songs like these are blueprints for the indie pop that was to come: Elephant 6, stuff on Minty Fresh, everything on those Moshi Moshi compilations... 10. Alcoholiday - Umm...more of the same. Does this song have a chorus? You can get away with that if you're cheeky and experimental (like Pavement). This just sounds underbaked. 11. Guiding Star - This just blended into whatever came before it. 12. Is This Music? - Oh wow, this is all dream-poppy! It also has markedly different guitar tones - more in line with Big Country or even JAMC. I would have put this on a mixtape (back when I used to make mixtapes with a dual cassette deck). Overall thoughts: Maybe this is my Xennial side coming out, but I thought this was nice; it was fine. I do not understand why Gen-Xers have so much love for this kind of middle-of-the-road earnest indie, though. It all sounds the same to me and it doesn't particularly age well. Consider that around this time, The La's released their jangle pop masterpiece - an album that sounds like it could have been recorded in 1967 or 2017. The singles still hold up here and the last track was promising. How Good Is It? As I said, not groundbreaking, but good. How Scottish Is It? It is basically an American indie/powerpop album. I give it girl next door and half-Scot, Anna Kendrick. So here's the deal: to stay on schedule, if I don't get a suggestion for additional albums to review, I'm just going to keep trucking until I reach the end of my list. Then at the end, we'll have time for the randos. Sound like a plan?
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Aug 13, 2017 21:11:49 GMT -5
The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen WintersBackground: The Twilight Sad are a Scottish post-punk indie rock band, comprising James Graham (vocals), Andy MacFarlane (guitar), and Mark Devine (drums). They took their name from a line in the poem "But I Was Looking at the Permanent Stars" by British poet Wilfred Owen, which reads "Sleep mothered them; and left the twilight sad." The band describes their sound as "folk with layers of noise"; music critics have described the band as "perennially unhappy" and "a band that inject some real emotion and dynamic excitement into a comparatively standard template." The Twilight Sad's notoriously loud live performances have been described as "completely ear-splitting." Their 2007 debut album, Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, drew widespread acclaim from critics, who noted Graham's thick Scottish accent and MacFarlane's dense sonic walls of shoegazing guitar and wheezing accordion. The album was recorded over a short period of just three days, and the songs featured were the first ones the band had ever written. It received good critical reception from independent media; the album was lauded as 2007's "Album of the Year" in Planet Sound and The Skinny in Scotland. Inspired by a stripped down performance at London's Union Chapel, the band reworked some of the songs for a new mini-album entitled Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did, released in 2008. Existing Prejudices: I know almost nothing about this band, except that they're newish and Scottish. I frequently confuse them with Frightened Rabbit, another band with whom I have only passing familiarity. Track by Track Impressions 1. Cold Days From the Birdhouse - The opening strains are twangy, fuzzy, and experimental, which suggest postrock or perhaps some Guided By Voices-style deconstructed indie rock. I've spent the day watching Craig Ferguson interviews, and I am still taken aback by the strength of this brogue. These drums are pretty strong and the accordion that emerges from the wall of noise is a rather cool touch of drone. Although the song titles and use of old-timey instruments might suggest the Decemberists, this is much cooler. (I despise the Decemberists.) 2. That Summer At Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy - These big sweeping chords aren't doing much for me (c.f. Sigur Ros, early Coldplay, The National, all their imitators). If they had stripped this down to bass, drums, angular guitar/accordion drone, I think I would like it better. At least with a stronger bassline, it would fit the description "postpunk". 3. Walking For Two Hours - This starts out like My Bloody Valentine, so I approve. I could also see emo kids being really into this. In addition, I'm willing to bet they have opened for Mogwai. 4. Last Year's Rain Didn't Fall Quite So Hard - This is some Broken Social Scene-level fuckery, which is pretty daring for a three-piece band making their debut. 5. Talking With Fireworks/Here It Never Snowed - I like the dynamics of this one: a wall of noise, followed by a shanty in waltz time. However, I'm a bit disappointed by how this just dissolves into noise. 6. As She Would Darken the Memory - This gives me a bit of Velvet Underground, or a partially excavated Stone Roses track. It has a bit of a swing among all the reverb. I like when they work with different tempos - this is my favorite so far. 7. I'm Taking the Train Home - That was a shoegaze song. Shoegazey drums, shoegazey guitar. Maybe the lyrics were good, and props for relative intelligibility, but I just feel like I've heard this before. 8. Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters - That felt like a cold morning at the train station. Evocative closer. Overall thoughts: (trigger warning: bitchy female opinions) There are so many bands these days that I just don't get: The Antlers, Bon fucking Iver - really, most slowcore/sadcore. They strike me as self-indulgent and no fun. I mean, I LOVE 'mopey' music - my second favorite band is Joy Division (and my favorite is the Smiths!). But whereas Joy Division's sound was tight, controlled, and gloriously oppressive - allowing the listener to reach a kind of catharsis - this generation's shoegazers and bedsitters just strike me as unfocused. Ian Curtis never threw the kind of sad boy tantrums you hear from his emo descendants. He was smarter than that, and he didn't have to write Drama Queen Song Titles With Subordinate Clauses to show it. How Good Is It? Not bad, but not a friggin' masterpiece, as reviews would suggest. How Scottish Is It? Extremely, though I'd like to think the Scottish are a bit more fun than this. It's Gerard Butler, shirt on.
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Post by Lord Lucan on Aug 15, 2017 17:21:46 GMT -5
Your concluding thoughts are very fair.
They're quite mediocre. The brogue helps a little.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Aug 15, 2017 19:42:11 GMT -5
Your concluding thoughts are very fair. They're quite mediocre. The brogue helps a little. Are they? I know I can be a rough critic - I fear I have a Julie Birchill-caliber vicious streak. But I have little patience for music industry hype and critical hyperbole. I am a proud contrarian.
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monodrone
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Post by monodrone on Aug 16, 2017 5:09:05 GMT -5
I saw The Twilight Sad at the AV Club SXSW party in 2012, they were introduced to the stage by Andrew WK who called them The Sad Twilights or something equally/more wrong which made them even grumpier than they already looked. I have friends who are big fans of these guys but I can't handle that amount of sadgasm.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Aug 20, 2017 22:52:34 GMT -5
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight Background: Frightened Rabbit is a Scottish indie rock band from Selkirk, formed in 2003. The line-up currently consists of Scott Hutchison (vocals, guitar), Grant Hutchison (drums), Billy Kennedy (guitar, bass), Andy Monaghan (guitar, keyboards), and Simon Liddell (guitar). Since 2004 the band has been based in Glasgow. The Midnight Organ Fight is their second studio album, released in 2008 through Fat Cat Records. Hailed by critics as "one of the finest [breakup records] of recent vintage", frontman Scott Hutchison has described the album as being "a lot more intense" than its predecessor Sing the Greys (2006). Following the album's completion, it took around a month for him to be able to listen to it. The album's title comes from a line in the song "Fast Blood", and is said to be a "euphemism for sex." Upon its release, the album was greeted with widespread critical acclaim. Praise often centered on the writing, honest lyricism, and passionate delivery of the band. Viewed as a showpiece for modern Scottish music, the album has continued to receive recognition long after its release and has been featured on various year- and decade-end critic lists. Existing Prejudices: See above. I've heard a few tracks by this band and enjoyed them, but have been unable to play them on my radio show because of random curse words. Track by Track Impressions 1. The Modern Leper - This starts out promisingly intimate, like early Belle & Sebastian. Ah, but then it goes Mumford I think some will be irritated by the lead singer's voice and some will be charmed by his accent - much like with Ben Gibbard. 2. I Feel Better - I like the the tickey-tockey drumming and the way this one builds. Other reference points I'm picking up are REM and Broken Social Scene. 3. Good Arms vs. Bad Arms - This one teeters dangerously between Dave Matthews/Counting Crows and something more interesting. I like the layered production and those shuffling, off-kilter drums, but strummy waltz-time ballads are generally the province of Jack Johnson and his ilk. 4. Fast Blood - I've heard this one before. Sounds like Pearl Jam stripped down. 5. Old Old Fashioned - This one is charming and straightforward, though I find the sentiment pretty tiresome. Perhaps this is a good place to rant about the hipster commodification of 'makers' and all things 'artisanal'. Our economy is so skewed in terms of the value of labor - particularly in the U.S. I'm sorry, 24-year old unlicensed food vendor, your quarts of unpasteurized cold press juice are not worth $9 a pop, just because a white person with student loans made them. How about we call them 'gatherers' and start paying undocumented fruit pickers a fair wage? 6. The Twist - I like these high harmonies. And I think this is the most fleshed-out drumming I've heard so far. I wish this had gone on longer. 7. Bright Pink Bookmark - Bit of a strummy interlude with accordion (or concertina?) 8. Head Rolls Off - This has single written all over it: verses, chorus, the works. Still, it's pretty nondescript. 9. My Backwards Walk - This took a while to get anywhere. Very Deathcab for Cutie. 10. Keep Yourself Warm - If this opening drone goes in any kind of JAMC direction, I will be so happy...The vocals are strong and the subject matter is raw. It's keeping me listening...finally, some excitement on this record! 11. Extrasupervery - This is great - reminds me of Mogwai/Boards of Canada. Too bad it only lasts for 1:17. 12. Poke - Is this about interacting with an ex on Facebook? The verse is clumsy or heartfelt, depending on your level of tolerance for such confessional earnestness. I bet Zach Braff loves this band. 13. Floating in the Forth - Cute keyboards. I missed the rest. 14. Who'd You Kill Now - Um, a couple strummed lines about pushing someone down stairs. 'Kay... Overall thoughts: That was underwhelming. I'm starting to reach the conclusion that big, sweeping chords have ruined modern rock music, much in the way ELP/ELO-style keyboards got out of control in the 70s and had to be smashed by punk. It all started, in my opinion, with REM's "Nightswimming" a song that REM wisely did not repeat (or maybe they did on later releases to diminishing returns - I kinda lost track at the turn of the millennium). Still, that didn't stop bozos like Chris Martin (who called "Nightswimming" the best song ever written) from taking those strings, oboes, and cloying earnestness massive and dousing rock music's mojo in cold water for half a decade. Following the garage rock revival (which got repetitive in its own ways) there was still plenty of room for earnest lads, but a little goes a very long way for me. I listened to their next album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks and found it a bit more lively, but I'd still rate these guys below Band of Horses and just above Mumford & Sons. How Good Is It? Frustratingly inoffensive, even with all the curse words. How Scottish Is It? Fairly Scottish, but bland as plain breid.
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monodrone
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Post by monodrone on Aug 21, 2017 8:56:09 GMT -5
I haven't listened to this album but I have seen them live so I feel safe in saying the following:
Fuck off, Frightened Rabbit, you boring sacks of shit.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Aug 27, 2017 14:12:34 GMT -5
Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe WaitressBackground: Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released 9 albums to date. Though often praised by critics, Belle and Sebastian have enjoyed only limited commercial success. After leaving indie label Jeepster in 2002, the band signed to Rough Trade and released Dear Catastrophe Waitress, produced by Trevor Horn. The album showed a markedly more "produced" sound compared to their first four LPs, as the band was making a concerted effort to produce more "radio-friendly" music. The album was warmly received and is credited with restoring the band's "indie cred". The album also marked the return of Murdoch as the group's primary songwriter, following the poorly received Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant and Storytelling, both of which were more collaborative than the band's early work. The album was nominated for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize, while the song "Step into My Office, Baby" was shortlisted for an Ivor Novello Award in the Best Song category. The Thin Lizzy-inspired "I'm a Cuckoo" was the second single from the album, achieving their highest chart position yet, reaching No. 14 in the UK. In January 2005, B&S was voted Scotland's greatest band in a poll by The List, beating Simple Minds, Idlewild, Travis, Franz Ferdinand, and The Proclaimers, among others. Existing Prejudices: This was a tough assignment, but with mediocre showings in the last two weeks and the growing autumnal atmosphere, I feel I can put them off no longer. I've been a big fan of B&S pretty much since they came out. Tigermilk, If You're Feeling Sinister, and The Boy With the Arab Strap were my soundtrack to freshman year of college (along with stuff like Looper, The Soft Bulletin, and one album I have yet to cover here). Years later, The Life Pursuit got me through grad school, fitting uneasily on my Nano alongside Interpol, but snugly between the Shins and the Postal Service. They are an odd, cultish band with at least five 'essential' albums, but because of how fans connect with these releases, I don't think anyone will agree on which five are the essential. Their fandom spans a generation and their music is timeless, but despite wide critical praise, none of their albums has enjoyed significant chart success. So where on earth to start? I tried to narrow down my choices with brackets: The Life Pursuit vs. Dear Catastrophe Waitress; The Boy with The Arab Strap vs. If You're Feeling Sinister vs. Tigermilk. In the former match-up, I chose Dear Catastrophe Waitress, but I simply couldn't decide in the latter match-up. So I'm going to start with what I feel is B&S's great transitional album and hope I get a suggestion for which album to cover next week. Track by Track Impressions 1. Step Into My Office, Baby - Ah, that curious little horn riff leading into a rockabilly-lite shuffle is probably the last thing B&S fans were expecting, yet now it's something of a signature tune. The chorus gets a little too baroque, in my opinion, but it is a good indicator of what this album is like: a playful melange and juxtaposition of all sorts of musical ideas. B&S Bingo: references somewhere mundane, like an office, library or shop 2. Dear Catastrophe Waitress - Something always bugged me about starting a song with its title, but it quickly gains momentum, building into a bit of a Jacques Brel-style epic. The strings and horns have Trevor Horn's thumbprint all over them. B&S Bingo: champions an underdog in grandiose fashion 3. If She Wants Me - Goddamn, this song. This is simple sincerity done right. Every line of the first verse lands, and that chorus: "If I could do just one near perfect thing I'd be happy. They'd write it on my grave or when they scattered my ashes. On second thought I'd rather hang about and be there with my best friend if she wants me" perfectly captures the sense of inadequacy and limitation most people feel in terms of connecting. A dear friend of mine once said that this song made her cry, which was a huge window on to her personality. It's also a very warm composition, with a tight rhythm section, bouncing bass, and a sweet organ solo. B&S Bingo: books and letters, platonic love, "melancholy" 4. Piazza, New York Catcher - A lot of things made me mad about the film Juno, but in particular its soundtrack, which was so self-consciously curated to appeal to the indie audience, instead of reflecting what characters that age might actually listen to. This is one of B&S's most straight ahead folk songs, so not a favorite, but it's well done. B&S Bingo: sedate people throwing caution to the wind 5. Asleep On a Sunbeam - Hey, it's not Isobel Campbell! It's Sarah Martin, whose voice like better. B&S Bingo: sleep, dreams, summer, feet, wilderness 4. I'm a Cuckoo - Thin Lizzy is always worthy of tribute and this is quite a likable one. The only bum note for me is those overdone horns. I highly recommend the avalanches remix, which highlights Stuart Murdoch's vocal (but at the expense of the Thin Lizzy guitars). B&S Bingo: twee self-deprecation and mockery "you were wearing funny shoes..." 5. You Don't Send Me - The horns and vibraphone were jarring at first listen, but have since grown on me. This might be too polished for some fans - a little too Swingle Singers - but dude knows how to write a tune, that's for sure. B&S Bingo: false confidence (see also: Step Into My Office, Baby) 6. Wrapped Up in Books - After a couple stylistic departures, here is some quintessential B&S. I could see this on any of their first three albums. The video even features a sexy (South Asian) librarian. The Haircut 100 horn breakdown in the middle is a masterstroke. B&S Bingo: books, tentative and unrequited romance 7. Lord Anthony - Another in classic mode. Can we blame the banjo and harmonica in this song for spawning Mumford? B&S Bingo: school bullies, champions an underdog 8. If You Find Yourself Caught in Love - And the winner of "Cutest Song by the Cutest Band in the World" is...! Still, I have to praise the songcraft - this is some Brill Building caliber catchiness. B&S Bingo: books (natch), throwing caution to the wind 9. Roy Walker - This starts out with some Laurel Canyon harmonizing, but then it breaks into cool-daddy snapping. The effect is like Greased Lightning crashing into a pickup carrying CSNY. Weird. B&S Bingo: gangly youth, concern over being too smart (see: Lord Anthony) 10. Stay Loose - The prototype for "We Are the Sleepyheads"? Rhythmically they are similar, though this is more of an early New Wave experiment, like Boomtown Rats or Elvis Costello. I'm kind of surprised this made it on to the album, since sticks out a bit more from the rest. I would have made this a one-off single or stuck it on an EP. B&S Bingo: self-deprecation, gangly youth Overall Thoughts: Much was made of this being their album where they 'went electric', but plugged-in, hi-fi B&S is still very recognizably them. And why would a deliberate stab for commercial success renew their indie cred? I think it's because they took such a big chance. They didn't keep doing the same thing to diminishing returns (at least not on this album) and sure, it goes all over the place, but it also signaled all the different directions their music could take. I remember listening to this album while cleaning the bathroom of my first apartment (they really are the soundtrack to my life) and realizing, somewhere around "If She Wants Me" that this band was more than just twee indie pop. They certainly built an indie pop template and opened that door for tons of bands all over the world, but they are also one of the few bands to regularly transcend the genre. Ambitious indie pop sounds like an oxymoron, but somehow, they make it work. How Good Is It? messy and ambitious and even daring - words you would never associate with this genre How Scottish Is It? B&S form an effective counter-stereotype to the surly Scotsman: prim and bookish, but also acerbic. They are none other than Miss Jean Brodie, Maggie Smith.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Sept 5, 2017 22:41:55 GMT -5
The Vaselines - Enter the Vaselines as suggested by Patrick BatmanBackground: The Vaselines are an alternative rock band from Glasgow. Formed in 1986, the band was originally a duo between its songwriters Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, but later added James Seenan and Eugene's brother Charlie Kelly on bass and drums respectively. Though they were not widely known outside Scotland during their short career, their association with Nirvana brought exposure to the band. Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain once described Kelly and McKee as his "favorite songwriters in the whole world". With their songs "Son of a Gun" and "Molly's Lips" covered on Nirvana's album Incesticide and "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" covered on MTV Unplugged in New York, the band gained a new audience. Enter the Vaselines is a compilation album released in 2009 through Sub Pop.The album is a deluxe reissue of their 1992 compilation The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History. Existing Prejudices: I've seen their name in music magazines enough to know they're a cult band. However, I always erroneously placed them in the punk era (perhaps confusing them with The Rezillos) rather than indie/college rock. Track-by-track Impressions 1. Son of a Gun – The intro is quite a misdirect - from heavy guitar fuzz to jangly indie pop, complete with a toy drum beat, piano tinkle, and boy/girl trade-off vocals. I'm hearing a clear Velvet Underground influence. Could this be Scotland's answer to Yo La Tengo? 2. Rory Rides Me Raw – Suggestive, but the straight-ahead folk treatment seems gimmicky. Also, who would want to be ridden (or ride) someone named Rory? I can hardly think of a less sexy name, but then, I have vague childhood memories of the Great Space Coaster. 3. You Think You're a Man – I like the synth and guitar riff, but by god, this Divine cover is annoying: repetitive, goes on too long, and the girl's singing is flat. It's like one of Magnetic Fields' duds. I'm going to have to listen to "Particle Man" to get this out of my head. 4. Dying for It – This sounds like Jesus & Mary Chain, with a touch of "Run, Run, Run". I like it. 5. Teenage Superstars – More VU/JAMC. With better production values, I could see this as a 'single' of sorts. "I'm a teenage jesus superstar" is a pretty silly refrain to write a song around, though. After the fourth repetition, they start sounding like Bis. 6. Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam - More strumming about sunbeams, plus strings and woodwinds. B&S were taking notes. Nice harmonizing. 7. Sex Sux (Amen)" – I like the heavier garage rock sound. This is quite underrated - probably because of that unfortunate title/chorus. 8. Slushy – I like the bassline and rhyme guitar, but the production is too low-fi to really appreciate. This one is kind of lazy; they only wrote a chorus. 9. Monsterpussy - Ugh, it's cheeky ironic indie humor. I'd rather listen to the Cramps sing about pussy. 10. Bitch – Strummy and swirly, with good vocals. I bit inconsequential, though. 11. No Hope – That was vaguely shoegazey. The bag of tricks is looking somewhat limited. 12. Oliver Twisted – I like the viola solo, but Sons & Daughters did better with this rhythm section on "Johnny Cash". 13. The Day I Was a Horse – A nice fuzzed-out call-and-response racket. Extremely catchy, but also extremely expletive-laden. 14. Dum-Dum – Iggy Pop, by way of Bis. Good thing it's short. 15. Hairy – Some interesting percussion, but the lo-fi production is doing it no favors. Did they get Josef K's engineer? 16. Lovecraft – Another solid composition with tubthumping that should be foregrounded. The sitar touches are neato. 17. Dying for It (The Blues) – A bit of Scottish-accented swampy psychedelia. Primal Scream were taking notes. 18. Let's Get Ugly – This sounds like the other ones - fuzzy, psychedelic, and jangly, with good drumming and harmonizing. Overall thoughts: I don't know who was the first band to be 'ironic' in the much-maligned (and deservedly so) hipster sense; it is also possible that the idea spread organically, like a damn virus. A surfeit of irony infected some of my favorite bands of the late 80s/early 90s (Sonic Youth, Pavement), along with a lot of silly one-hit wonders of the Alternative Nation. Even as a teenager, all that nonsense got to be tedious real quick. At the same time, alternative's messiah was championing ironic primitivism (ex. Shonen Knife), which always bugged me. The Ramones could pull it off because they rawked, they were funny, they committed, and they weren't really being ironic. But somehow, this begat shit like the Mouldy Peaches. The Vaselines cover both ends of the irony spectrum - on one end wearing rompers with puffy paint and playing toy instruments with Deerhoof (who I like) and on other end, writing gynocological puns with Peaches (who I think is overrated). I'd think I'd like them better without the layers of irony. The songs are strong and the two vocalists are endearing on their own (cf. YO LA TENGO). How good is it: It's good, they just need to cut out the dumb shit. How Scottish is it? See description above. Karen Gillan's character in Selfie
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Post by Some Kind of Munster on Sept 6, 2017 16:25:31 GMT -5
Sons & Daughters - The Repulsion Box - as suggested by Some Kind of MunsterBackground: Sons and Daughters were a rock band from Glasgow, Scotland formed from 2001 to 2012. Their debut release, the 25-minute-long Love the Cup was financed by the band and re-released on Domino Records in 2004.Their second album, The Repulsion Box was released in June 2005. In February 2006 the band were invited to tour with Morrissey on the first leg of his UK tour. Their third album, This Gift, produced by Bernard Butler, was released in 2008. They disbanded following their fourth album in 2012. Not sure how I missed this when it was originally posted, but glad to see you took up my suggestion AND enjoyed it. They did in fact play with Franz Ferdinand, as that was my intro to Sons & Daughters – saw them open for FF at the height of their “Take Me Out” popularity and along with a handful of other early arrivals was utterly transfixed by this band. I later described them to a friend as “The Clash if they were Scottish and all their songs were ‘Know Your Rights’”. They didn’t have any CDs for sale at the venue but I was able to track down a copy of Love The Cup shortly thereafter. Saw them a year later when they toured behind this album and again was really impressed. I recall at one point toward the end of the night the two singers were indulging in an extended guitar outro (might have been on “Rama Lama”) and were eye-fucking each other so hard I actually started to feel uncomfortable, like I was witnessing an unspeakably intimate moment between these two people. If it wasn’t genuine, it was definitely one of the better pieces of stage theatrics I’ve ever seen. I don’t recall if I ever heard their fourth and final album, but the third one This Gift was pretty solid but seemed to be a lot more polished and to have shifted the focus much more to the female singer, a change I found unfortunate as I really liked the male singer’s contributions on the first two records. As for the songs on Repulsion Box, “Rama Lama” and “Taste The Last Girl” were always the highlights for me, the latter sounding like a cross between the New Pornographers’ “Mass Romantic” and the Smiths’ “What Difference Does it Make?”, i.e. two great songs that sound great together.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Sept 7, 2017 8:21:51 GMT -5
Thank you for the writeup! I'm sorry it wasn't more to your taste, but I still enjoyed reading your take on the songs a great deal. My appetite for cheeky irony in music appears to be nigh-insatiable. I assume this is a relic of the fact that, aside from Blur's "Song 2," I wasn't really exposed to the European spectrum of '80s and '90s alternative music until late (specifically 1999, when I was already a college freshman) and so it still seems to me like a breath of fresh air compared to the po-faced, sludgy ploddings of Pearl Jam and their countless imitators who dominated the rock radio of my formative years. I'll take irony over po-faced earnestness any day. They were a good suggestion for this thread!
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Sept 7, 2017 8:23:28 GMT -5
Sons & Daughters - The Repulsion Box - as suggested by Some Kind of MunsterBackground: Sons and Daughters were a rock band from Glasgow, Scotland formed from 2001 to 2012. Their debut release, the 25-minute-long Love the Cup was financed by the band and re-released on Domino Records in 2004.Their second album, The Repulsion Box was released in June 2005. In February 2006 the band were invited to tour with Morrissey on the first leg of his UK tour. Their third album, This Gift, produced by Bernard Butler, was released in 2008. They disbanded following their fourth album in 2012. Not sure how I missed this when it was originally posted, but glad to see you took up my suggestion AND enjoyed it. They did in fact play with Franz Ferdinand, as that was my intro to Sons & Daughters – saw them open for FF at the height of their “Take Me Out” popularity and along with a handful of other early arrivals was utterly transfixed by this band. I later described them to a friend as “The Clash if they were Scottish and all their songs were ‘Know Your Rights’”. They didn’t have any CDs for sale at the venue but I was able to track down a copy of Love The Cup shortly thereafter. Saw them a year later when they toured behind this album and again was really impressed. I recall at one point toward the end of the night the two singers were indulging in an extended guitar outro (might have been on “Rama Lama”) and were eye-fucking each other so hard I actually started to feel uncomfortable, like I was witnessing an unspeakably intimate moment between these two people. If it wasn’t genuine, it was definitely one of the better pieces of stage theatrics I’ve ever seen. I don’t recall if I ever heard their fourth and final album, but the third one This Gift was pretty solid but seemed to be a lot more polished and to have shifted the focus much more to the female singer, a change I found unfortunate as I really liked the male singer’s contributions on the first two records. As for the songs on Repulsion Box, “Rama Lama” and “Taste The Last Girl” were always the highlights for me, the latter sounding like a cross between the New Pornographers’ “Mass Romantic” and the Smiths’ “What Difference Does it Make?”, i.e. two great songs that sound great together. That's so cool you got to see them with FF! I straight up like this band now. Thank you again for helping me discover them.
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Post by Lord Lucan on Sept 11, 2017 21:00:50 GMT -5
I'll submit Deacon Blue's "Raintown" for consideration if there's space wanting to be filled.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Sept 17, 2017 17:21:20 GMT -5
Donovan - Sunshine Superman Background: Sunshine Superman is the third album from singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the US in September 1966, but was not released in the UK because of a contractual dispute. In June 1967, a compilation of the Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow albums was released as Sunshine Superman in the UK. "Sunshine Superman" reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and No. 2 in the UK. The tracks from Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow were not mixed into stereo, with the exception of "Season of the Witch", until the 2011 2-CD deluxe edition issued by UK EMI. In 2017, Sunshine Superman was ranked the 199th greatest album of the 1960s by Pitchfork. In the video for the Beatles' "A Day in the Life", a close up of a spinning turntable shows the Epic Records version of Sunshine Superman playing. The song's working title was "For John and Paul" and both Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones played on the track. Writer Grant Morrison referenced the song in an issue of Animal Man by creating Sunshine Superman, an African American version of Superman who was a member of the Love Syndicate of Dreamworld, from a world based on the drug culture of the 1960s. Notable covers include Mel Tormé on his 1969 album Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head, Dr. Lonnie Smith recorded live on Move Your Hand and by the Sugarman 3 on their 1998 debut Sugar's Boogaloo. Hüsker Dü covered "Sunshine Superman" as a brief 1:56 rendition on their 1983 studio debut Everything Falls Apart. The song was sampled for Imani Coppola's 1997 hit "Legend of a Cowgirl" and the first two lines of the lyrics are parodied in the chorus to The Happy Mondays' song "Donovan" - Shaun Ryder, the lead singer, was at the time in a relationship with Donovan's daughter, Oriole. Vanilla Fudge achieved mild success with a cover of "Season of the Witch" on their album Renaissance. A cover version of "The Fat Angel" was recorded by Jefferson Airplane for their 1968 live album Bless Its Pointed Little Head. Hole covered "Season of the Witch" during their MTV Unplugged session and Luna released it as a single in 1996. Monster Magnet covered "Three King Fishers" (as "Three Kingfishers") on their 2013 album Last Patrol. Existing Prejudices: So I have a complex relationship with hippies. On one hand, I'm a big fan of the mid-sixties and psychedelic music/aesthetics. On the other hand, as person if Indian descent, my firsthand experience with hippies ranks them among my least favorite types of white person. I don't mind peace/love colorful rave hippies; I can't stand damn dirty granola/birkenstock hippies. Thankfully, Donovan is the prince of the former and not of the latter - the latter's main man is Dylan (archetype of the insufferable head-up-his-ass hipster). Sure, Donovan is a name dropper and fey to the point of parody, but at least he's fun. Track-by-track Impressions 1. Sunshine Superman - This has a groovy, handmade shuffle that is most endearing. Donovan's singing isn't great, but he has just enough charm and swagger to pull of a line like "Superman or Green Lantern ain't got nothin' on me". 2. Legend of a Girl Child Linda - I like the intimacy, but this gets a bit repetitive. It needs a bridge or chorus or something. 3. Three King Fishers - I dig the bongos or possibly tabla (sound more like bongos). I'm curious about this dirge-y song form, though. It's not really a raga, even if it uses raga instruments. Is this some medieval thing he's reviving? 4. Ferris Wheel - A pretty tune with ridiculously hippie lyrics. 5. Bert's Blues - I like the descending chords and organ line. The harpsichord reminds me of "Golden Brown" and the strings give me "Eleanor Rigby". The final break into jazz is cool and Donovan almost pulls off the vocal, but he doesn't have the pipes of a Van Morrison 6. Season of the Witch - The rhyming is kind of silly, so I'm not surprised this is one of his most popular songs. Also nice guitar work from Jimmy Page. 7. The Trip - The bassline does sound a bit like "The Beat Goes On" but with more effort in the chorus. The name-checking of Dylan, combined with his peculiar phrasing/enunciation is ripe for parody. 8. Guinevere - Boring. 9. The Fat Angel - The sitars and tabla on this sound like something the Chemical Brothers would sample, if they haven't already. I don't know why this level of hippie posturing doesn't bother me more. "Fly trans-love airways, gets you there on time"? Okay... 10. Celeste - This kind of reminds me of "Breezes of Patchouli", with its magisterial descending chords and faraway, Joe Meek-esque production. Donovan's vocal is stronger on that one though - more Bee Gees soulful than Lou Reed detached, as it is here. This reminds me of modern indie pop of the Elephant 6 variety. Just a beautiful production. Overall thoughts: Donovan's underrated, man. Despite all the things you could knock him for, I've liked pretty much everything I've heard by him. How good is it: Groovy baby yeah! How Scottish is it? Obviously Billy Connolly
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Post by Incense on Sept 17, 2017 21:17:33 GMT -5
Sept 17, 2017 18:21:20 GMT -4 moimoi ❥ said: Donovan - Sunshine Superman Vanilla Fudge achieved mild success with a cover of "Season of the Witch" on their album Renaissance. Hole covered "Season of the Witch" during their MTV Unplugged session and Luna released it as a single in 1996. Existing Prejudices: So I have a complex relationship with hippies. On one hand, I'm a big fan of the mid-sixties and psychedelic music/aesthetics. On the other hand, as person if Indian descent, my firsthand experience with hippies ranks them among my least favorite types of white person. I don't mind peace/love colorful rave hippies; I can't stand damn dirty granola/birkenstock hippies. I grew concerned at first reading your feelings about hippies, but I'm a rock n' roll hippie witch, leaning more toward the flower child than the filthy, so we're probably good. I wear a lot of patchouli, but I shower frequently, so it evens out. On my hard drive, I also have a Joan Jett cover of Season of the Witch that's pretty awesome ... and a Lou Rawls cover that's not so much. Season of the Witch is one of my favorite eerie October songs, and important to me because well, I'm a hippie witch. God, I love that song. I have always liked Donovan, but I've only really heard the hits, so you've inspired me to go looking for some albums and listen to them. Maybe I'll also go looking for whichever one has Jennifer Juniper on it too; I've always loved that one. So lovely, so hippy-dippy sweet. And that's a fab picture of Billy.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Sept 18, 2017 19:06:20 GMT -5
Sept 17, 2017 18:21:20 GMT -4 moimoi ❥ said: Donovan - Sunshine Superman Vanilla Fudge achieved mild success with a cover of "Season of the Witch" on their album Renaissance. Hole covered "Season of the Witch" during their MTV Unplugged session and Luna released it as a single in 1996. Existing Prejudices: So I have a complex relationship with hippies. On one hand, I'm a big fan of the mid-sixties and psychedelic music/aesthetics. On the other hand, as person if Indian descent, my firsthand experience with hippies ranks them among my least favorite types of white person. I don't mind peace/love colorful rave hippies; I can't stand damn dirty granola/birkenstock hippies. I grew concerned at first reading your feelings about hippies, but I'm a rock n' roll hippie witch, leaning more toward the flower child than the filthy, so we're probably good. I wear a lot of patchouli, but I shower frequently, so it evens out. On my hard drive, I also have a Joan Jett cover of Season of the Witch that's pretty awesome ... and a Lou Rawls cover that's not so much. Season of the Witch is one of my favorite eerie October songs, and important to me because well, I'm a hippie witch. God, I love that song. I have always liked Donovan, but I've only really heard the hits, so you've inspired me to go looking for some albums and listen to them. Maybe I'll also go looking for whichever one has Jennifer Juniper on it too; I've always loved that one. So lovely, so hippy-dippy sweet. And that's a fab picture of Billy. I don't know the nuances of hippiedom to easily classify the kind of hippie that pisses me off, but basically it's the ones (and I've met probably 50 over the course of my life) who spot a brown person like myself and immediately have to 'connect' with them on mutual love of India. Usually, the conversation goes something like this: Hippie I am trying to ignore on the other side of the room: [strolls over to me, grinning] So moimoi, I was wondering if you're INdian or Paakistaani?moi: [wanting to tell them I'm Malay just to fuck with them] My parents are from India.Hippie: Oh you're INNdian? Both your parents? [not sure why people think I must be part white. Is it because I don't have an accent or look fresh-off-the-boat? Fucking insulting] I just love INNNdia!
moi: Yeah...[not knowing what to say to that, since I don't work for the Board of Tourism]
Hippie: I'd love to go to INNNNdia someday / I've been to INNNNdia, you know! I just love INNNNNdian food! / The food was so amazing! I wish I could find something like what I had there over here.
[At this point, their naked desire to be invited to an Indian person's house for a home-cooked meal is pretty obvious. Clearly they have seen too many movies where brown people cook for white folks as a generous gesture of acceptance and mutual understanding]
moi: [feeling militantly anticolonial] Yeah, restaurants usually don't make it as good as we do at home. [walks off to talk to somebody else]Plus there's the sanctimony. And the smell. I know that's not everybody who identifies as a hippie, so I do try to give the benefit of the doubt. I also sought out more Donovan after doing this review (I already had his anthology). "Jennifer Juniper" is a favorite of mine as well. I believe that's on the same album as "Wear Your Love Like Heaven".
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Post by Incense on Sept 18, 2017 19:45:53 GMT -5
I don't know the nuances of hippiedom to easily classify the kind of hippie that pisses me off, but basically it's the ones (and I've met probably 50 over the course of my life) who spot a brown person like myself and immediately have to 'connect' with them on mutual love of India. Usually, the conversation goes something like this: Hippie I am trying to ignore on the other side of the room: [strolls over to me, grinning] So moimoi, I was wondering if you're INdian or Paakistaani?moi: [wanting to tell them I'm Malay just to fuck with them] My parents are from India.Hippie: Oh you're INNdian? Both your parents? [not sure why people think I must be part white. Is it because I don't have an accent or look fresh-off-the-boat? Fucking insulting] I just love INNNdia!
moi: Yeah...[not knowing what to say to that, since I don't work for the Board of Tourism]
Hippie: I'd love to go to INNNNdia someday / I've been to INNNNdia, you know! I just love INNNNNdian food! / The food was so amazing! I wish I could find something like what I had there over here.
[At this point, their naked desire to be invited to an Indian person's house for a home-cooked meal is pretty obvious. Clearly they have seen too many movies where brown people cook for white folks as a generous gesture of acceptance and mutual understanding]
moi: [feeling militantly anticolonial] Yeah, restaurants usually don't make it as good as we do at home. [walks off to talk to somebody else]Plus there's the sanctimony. And the smell. I know that's not everybody who identifies as a hippie, so I do try to give the benefit of the doubt. I also sought out more Donovan after doing this review (I already had his anthology). "Jennifer Juniper" is a favorite of mine as well. I believe that's on the same album as "Wear Your Love Like Heaven". Good Christ. Some people . No wonder you're not cool with hippies. If you've met 50 even roughly like that, I'm surprised you bother with anyone wearing patchouli or a peace sign. Good of you to give the benefit of the doubt. My parents always made the distinction between damn, dirty, hippies and happy, brightly colored flower children. Whenever I said I was a hippie, they'd correct me; "no, you're a flower child. You're okay." And then I got a pointed look that made it clear I was to stay on that side of the line. Looks like Hurdy Gurdy Man is on that album!
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dwarfoscar
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Post by dwarfoscar on Sept 20, 2017 5:22:41 GMT -5
Do you take suggestions ? 'Cause I'd like to suggest one of my favorite albums : Arab Strap's The Red Thread...
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Sept 20, 2017 16:15:56 GMT -5
Do you take suggestions ? 'Cause I'd like to suggest one of my favorite albums : Arab Strap's The Red Thread... Yay suggestions! I've always been curious about Arab Strap, so that goes on the list...
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Post by Lord Lucan on Sept 29, 2017 21:35:41 GMT -5
Have you not done Tull? Have I forgot?
If not, "Songs From the Wood" or "Heavy Horses". Perhaps the first.
I didn't know Donovan was Scottish. I'm put in mind of Bert Jansch, though. Perhaps one of his solo albums or one of Pentangle?
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Post by songstarliner on Sept 30, 2017 23:07:11 GMT -5
I really love Donovan. I love him so much that the good songs sound great and the bad songs sound charming.
Favorite Hits: Season of the Witch, Wear Your Love Like Heaven, There Is a Mountain Favorite Songs: Barabajagal (love is hot, truuuuth is molten), Riki Tiki Tavi (oh oh oh inside of myself some more) Favorite Song When I Was a Kid: Mellow Yellow Favorite Cover:
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Oct 2, 2017 22:19:18 GMT -5
Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions - suggested by SnapeBroBackground: Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil (guitar, lead vocals), James Johnston (bass, vocals) and Ben Johnston (drums, vocals). Only Revolutions is their fifth studio album, released in 2009 on 14th Floor Records. As with its predecessor, Puzzle, the album was a critical and commercial success, entering at #8 on the UK Album Chart and certified gold by the BPI shortly afterwards. It was certified platinum in June 2010, making it the band's largest selling album. The album also achieved a new peak position of #3. It was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize, which is awarded annually for the best album in the UK or Ireland, and Rock Sound declared it third in its list of the 75 best albums of 2009. Existing prejudices: Between 2009 and 2011, I traveled extensively for my job, including a whirlwind 12 countries in a 12 month period. It was also a time when I grappled with various challenges in my personal life. As a result, there are some large gaps in my pop cultural memory of the time. I visited the UK twice during this period, but I never really ran across Biffy Clyro, which seems odd in retrospect. I was definitely more into the scummy and shambolic stylings of Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, Palma Violets, etc. at the time. Track by track impressions 1. The Captain - Woo? The singer has that weird fake British accent that punk/emo singers put on, which is especially weird because they're Scottish. The horns are novel and unexpected; I would not expect them to work as well as they do. Plus I'm a sucker for those fuzzed out indie/emo chords filling out the rhythm on this. Not bad. 2. That Golden Rule - Kind of sounds like Foo Fighters. Here we have unexpected strings, but I'm afraid they teeter into Mannheim Steamroller territory. 3. Bubbles - This reminds me of a heavy Decembrists song, so that's vaguely annoying. Josh Homme's guest guitar solo is underwhelming. 4. God & Satan - This is skirting the Christian rock line of earnestness and the strings really aren't helping here. 5. Born on a Horse - Another novel bit of instrumentation in the form of a low buzzing keyboard line. This one starts out playful before rocking out. My favorite so far. 6. Mountains - There's some strong songcraft on display here (changing time signatures, strong melodies), as on the other tracks, but it still strikes me as a touch overdone. 7. Shock Shock - Most conventionally emo. Not much else to say about this one. 8. Many of Horror - Oh here's a ballad. Woo. 9. Booooom, Blast & Ruin - I think this is the one song of theirs I know. I wonder where from??? I like the dive-bombing guitars. Overall, this has a great musicality: the breakdown almost veers into math rock. And yet this wasn't a single? 10. Cloud of Stink - Funny title. Also Foo fighty. I like the thrashing tempo. 11. Know Your Quarry - The intro sounds too much like the Eagles for my liking, but at least they ease back into acceptable Band of Horses territory. The pizzicato strings are a nice touch. As slow jams go, I like this one better than "Many of Horror". 12. Whorses - This has a nice thunderous rhythm section for a closing track. General thoughts: Again, I must not be the audience for this band, because I think their singles are far inferior to the non-single cuts. How Good is it? Solid, conventional. How Scottish is it? A little agro, but endearing. A greased-up Groundskeeper Willie
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Oct 2, 2017 22:31:39 GMT -5
Have you not done Tull? Have I forgot? If not, "Songs From the Wood" or "Heavy Horses". Perhaps the first. I didn't know Donovan was Scottish. I'm put in mind of Bert Jansch, though. Perhaps one of his solo albums or one of Pentangle? Disqualifying Jethro Tull on the grounds that the band was formed in Luton and Blackpool! Ha! [wipes brow] EDIT: Bert Jansch counts, though.
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Post by Lord Lucan on Oct 3, 2017 7:21:09 GMT -5
I accept that declination with good grace, though I will also post these in lieu of a review.
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monodrone
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Post by monodrone on Oct 5, 2017 4:36:56 GMT -5
Biffy Fucking Clyro.
Only Revolutions came out the year after I'd moved to Scotland, they were a group I'd been aware of before having seen them at festivals and liked some of their early singles but suddenly they were impossible to ignore.
The Captain - I hated this song when I first heard it, I thought it was hokey and the horns and organ were a real turn off. Then I saw them play it live and it turned me round. It's a great sing along.
That Golden Rule - this was the second single to come out, prior to the album's release and this one didn't require a year to get into. I was hooked from the opening riff and I still love everything about this song, even the daft overly dramatic strings. I'm a sucker for that kind of big, dumb riff I guess.
Bubbles - I've never listened to The Decemberists, I've always assumed they'd be too 'nice' for me to get into so I can't comment on any similarities but this is about as 'nice' as I can take from Biffy and is entirely redeemed by the extended outro which is the kind of pointless build up I like to hear.
God & Satan - you can't be a big Scottish band without getting overly earnest at least once. It's like a group of pals on their 9th whisky getting down to some Big Chat towards the end of a night out. Classic Scotch behaviour. Instinctively I feel I should hate it but by that last chorus I'm always there with them, swaying out of the pub and into the dark night.
Born On A Horse - donkdonkdonkdonkdonkdonk. I see this as a correction to the previous song. They've noticed that God & Satan was a bit straight faced so they've gone with something silly to follow it up. I'm into it.
Mountains - this turned up a good year or so before the album and in retrospect was a great way to signal their intentions as they moved up a bracket in terms of commercial success. A lot of old school Biffy fans were turned off by this which is understandable, it can be hard to see a band you love for being scrappy and lo-fi moving up the ladder and having to tailor their music to bigger venues. I get it. I think they've managed the transition better than most, keeping just enough of the weird off-kilter stuff mixed in with those Big Rock Anthems. It's astonishing to me that a band as challenging musically as they were/are has ended up being the biggest band in the country, selling over 70,000 tickets for a show in a field in Glasgow last year. It really warms my heart.
Shock Shock - I was too busy typing the stuff up there to listen to it. I always like it when this comes on when I'm doing an 'everything shuffle' but it suffers for being next to Mountains. Anything was going to be a come down after Mountains. Let's talk about Mountains some more. It's a good song.
Many Of Horror - oh hey, it's this song. In 2010 X Factor UK winner Matt Cardle performed a cover of this as his first single, performed for the first time at the end of the final. It's a shitty cover but it did wonders for getting new eyes on the band (though they insisted that the title be changed for his version, they went with When We Collide). Ballads suck.
Booooom, Blast & Ruin - BETTER. It's funny you mention them approaching math-rock in this song because on earlier albums this would have been one of the more straightforward numbers.
Cloud of Stink - someone else is singing! One of things I generally associate with Biffy is good harmonies but on this listen through I've not really noticed them and now I'm wondering if I've just missed them or if they were more noticable in their earlier/later stuff. Huh. I like the outro. One chord played with a cool rhythm.
Know Your Quarry - meh. Mid-tempo meandering that doesn't achieve anything, I can barely be bothered to tap along to the drums.
Whorses - bit of fun to round things out. Nice use of toms in the verse to keep it sounding tight before blowing up for the dynamite chorus.
Only Revolutions, then. Not the strongest album in their catalogue but it hits some lofty heights and was an entirely necessary step in their evolution. I thought your Foo Fighters comparison was interesting, mostly because I've never thought to put them together like that but there's definitely something there in some of the choruses. I'm a Foo Fighters apologist (to a point, and that point is One By One) so it makes sense that I'd be into both. Cool!
If you're game I'd be interested to see what you make of Infinity Land, their 3rd album, which is math-rock as heck and the one I default to when I want my Biffy fix. As a taster, this was the first single from it:
Hot dang.
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monodrone
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Post by monodrone on Oct 5, 2017 5:03:53 GMT -5
Further Biffy Clyro chat. A few years back they had a design-a-tshirt-for-us competition that went to a public vote and for a long time this was the leading design, as made by some guy who is pals with a bunch of my friends: There was some controversy amid calls of vote rigging when it didn't win and another, less funny, t-shirt was made. It was very disappointing for everyone not in Biffy Clyro but it has meant that I can't hear the phrase 'great bunch of lads' without instinctively following it up with 'all the best' and vice versa. Stick it in the Things That Make Me Irrationally Happy thread. The icing on this particular cake is that they did end up making a limited run of them when they performed some small full album shows after the Opposites tour ended to prove that they really are a great bunch of lads who can take a wee joke: All The Best.
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Post by Some Kind of Munster on Oct 5, 2017 8:35:11 GMT -5
I really love Donovan. I love him so much that the good songs sound great and the bad songs sound charming. Favorite Hits: Season of the Witch, Wear Your Love Like Heaven, There Is a Mountain Favorite Songs: Barabajagal ( love is hot, truuuuth is molten), Riki Tiki Tavi ( oh oh oh inside of myself some more) Favorite Song When I Was a Kid: Mellow Yellow Favorite Cover: I’m always kinda surprised by how much I like Donovan since I generally have a low tolerance for hippie dippy bullshit and Donovan is like the dippiest hippie that ever hipped, but there’s something I find really charming about him too. I can’t count the number of times I’ve rolled my eyes at the opening spoken word part of “Atlantis” and thought “what an absolute crock of shit this song is”, and then two minutes later I’m belting out “WAY DOWN BELOW THE OCEAN, WHERE I WANNA BE, SHE MAY BE!” like a madman. His actual discography seems a little daunting because as I understand it there are a bunch of childrens’ albums strewn throughout it and it’s all kind of hit or miss, but I have 3 slightly different “Best Of” comps (two have basically identical tracklists except one is on vinyl and the other CD, and the third one I bought solely because it has “Riki Tiki Tavi” which the others were somehow missing). There was a time I preferred the Butthole Surfers’ cover of “Hurdy Gurdy Man” to the original and while I still like it a lot I’ve come around on the Donovan version – nothing in the Buttholes’ version comes close to the drum sound on the original. Also, while no one is 100% sure who was actually playing on the recorded version, there’s a good chance it was an early Led Zeppelin-sans-Robert Plant – it was definitely arranged by John Paul Jones (who played bass on the track), and both Jimmy Page and John Bonham were brought in as session players around the same time. Donovan himself has claimed that this session may have been the inspiration for Zeppelin to form.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Oct 14, 2017 13:29:05 GMT -5
Biffy Clyro - Infinity Land as suggested by MonodroneBackground: Infinity Land is the third studio album by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro, released in October 2004 on Beggars Banquet. The album saw the band move into darker territory, in terms of both sound and lyrical content. It also furthered various experiments from The Vertigo of Bliss, such as using 5/4 time ("There is no Such Thing as a Jaggy Snake"), multiple time changes, key changes, instrumental variation, unpredictable riffs and complex song structures Simon Neil has stated in various interviews that the title Infinity Land is a reference to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. “It was in a Jeffrey Dahmer book, he talks about his ideal place, which is called Infinity Land - his idea of heaven - which is really grim, being surrounded by corpses and shit. You don't know what it's about, it could sound hopeful, but when you know what it's referring to, it becomes quite sinister. In a way, it's kinda cool that people don't know what we're referring to, that people make up their own meanings for things... it could be quite optimistic, but it's not." Existing Prejudices: Never heard of this album until Monodrone suggested it. The Jeffrey Dahmer thing leaves me uneasy. Track by Track Impressions 1. Glitter & Trauma - This starts out like Nine Inch Nails before the drums kick in, which is encouraging. Then there's a nifty little processed guitar riff, some guitar chunk, and math rock, as promised! I like this. 2. Strung to Your Ribcage - Screamy, but just at the beginning. The rest is rather conventional - I rather like the hook on this one. 3. My Recovery Injection - Ooh, reggae time. I like the pneumatic bassline and the chorus. 4. Got Wrong - Heavy. I could hear this on WKQX (local rock station) along with Foo Fighters, Local H, etc. 5. The Atrocity - Bit pedestrian, given the title. It's a piano and guitar ballad with some tinkling. 6. Some Kind of Wizard - I find this one repetitive and nondescript. 7. Wave Upon Wave Upon Wave - Starts with sassy handclaps and fingersnaps, which is novel. The screaming seems a bit random, but it must be fun for the lead singer. 8. Only One Word Comes to Mind - The intro is very indie rock circa...2012? But then it travels back to the 90s for some standard alt rock. 9. There's No Such Man as Crasp - Just a little hymn as an interlude before...what's to come. Maybe they were going for a "Bohemian Rhapsody" vibe? 10. There's No Such Thing as a Jaggy Snake - I'm sorry, this screaming is silly. I mean, it rocks, but the lead singer sounds like a chicken or gila monster or something. It does grow on me, though. I like the last 'movement' - how this comes together at the end. 11. The Kids from Kibble and the Fist of Light - On this and other tracks, there's an interesting interplay of heavy and light. At times it gets proggy, but here they throw in a fairly accessible and conventional indie/alternative track before ending on a jazzy note. 12. The Weapons Are Concealed - I don't know how I feel about the opening section, which seems almost deliberately blah to contrast with the forward momentum of the rest, which I rather like. 13. Pause It and Turn It Up - This one just kind of sat there. Too conventional for me, with those Coldplay chords. 14. Tradition Feed" (Hidden track starting at 24:27 of previous track) - Dissonance with a simple tune sung over it. General impressions: This is kind of all over the place, like Batteries. It's like a new hybrid of metal-industrial-emo-indie-prog. I just don't think I have the patience for this. How good is it? Good, I think? Look, I'm not a professional critic. I may be out of my depth with this one. How Scottish is it? No idea. This one's kind of a head-scratcher. James McAvoy in Split.
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ayatollahcm
TI Pariah
The Bringer of Peacatollah
Posts: 1,689
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Post by ayatollahcm on Oct 14, 2017 15:09:50 GMT -5
Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe WaitressBackground: Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released 9 albums to date. Though often praised by critics, Belle and Sebastian have enjoyed only limited commercial success. After leaving indie label Jeepster in 2002, the band signed to Rough Trade and released Dear Catastrophe Waitress, produced by Trevor Horn. The album showed a markedly more "produced" sound compared to their first four LPs, as the band was making a concerted effort to produce more "radio-friendly" music. The album was warmly received and is credited with restoring the band's "indie cred". The album also marked the return of Murdoch as the group's primary songwriter, following the poorly received Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant and Storytelling, both of which were more collaborative than the band's early work. The album was nominated for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize, while the song "Step into My Office, Baby" was shortlisted for an Ivor Novello Award in the Best Song category. The Thin Lizzy-inspired "I'm a Cuckoo" was the second single from the album, achieving their highest chart position yet, reaching No. 14 in the UK. In January 2005, B&S was voted Scotland's greatest band in a poll by The List, beating Simple Minds, Idlewild, Travis, Franz Ferdinand, and The Proclaimers, among others. Existing Prejudices: This was a tough assignment, but with mediocre showings in the last two weeks and the growing autumnal atmosphere, I feel I can put them off no longer. I've been a big fan of B&S pretty much since they came out. Tigermilk, If You're Feeling Sinister, and The Boy With the Arab Strap were my soundtrack to freshman year of college (along with stuff like Looper, The Soft Bulletin, and one album I have yet to cover here). Years later, The Life Pursuit got me through grad school, fitting uneasily on my Nano alongside Interpol, but snugly between the Shins and the Postal Service. They are an odd, cultish band with at least five 'essential' albums, but because of how fans connect with these releases, I don't think anyone will agree on which five are the essential. Their fandom spans a generation and their music is timeless, but despite wide critical praise, none of their albums has enjoyed significant chart success. So where on earth to start? I tried to narrow down my choices with brackets: The Life Pursuit vs. Dear Catastrophe Waitress; The Boy with The Arab Strap vs. If You're Feeling Sinister vs. Tigermilk. In the former match-up, I chose Dear Catastrophe Waitress, but I simply couldn't decide in the latter match-up. So I'm going to start with what I feel is B&S's great transitional album and hope I get a suggestion for which album to cover next week. Track by Track Impressions 1. Step Into My Office, Baby - Ah, that curious little horn riff leading into a rockabilly-lite shuffle is probably the last thing B&S fans were expecting, yet now it's something of a signature tune. The chorus gets a little too baroque, in my opinion, but it is a good indicator of what this album is like: a playful melange and juxtaposition of all sorts of musical ideas. B&S Bingo: references somewhere mundane, like an office, library or shop 2. Dear Catastrophe Waitress - Something always bugged me about starting a song with its title, but it quickly gains momentum, building into a bit of a Jacques Brel-style epic. The strings and horns have Trevor Horn's thumbprint all over them. B&S Bingo: champions an underdog in grandiose fashion 3. If She Wants Me - Goddamn, this song. This is simple sincerity done right. Every line of the first verse lands, and that chorus: "If I could do just one near perfect thing I'd be happy. They'd write it on my grave or when they scattered my ashes. On second thought I'd rather hang about and be there with my best friend if she wants me" perfectly captures the sense of inadequacy and limitation most people feel in terms of connecting. A dear friend of mine once said that this song made her cry, which was a huge window on to her personality. It's also a very warm composition, with a tight rhythm section, bouncing bass, and a sweet organ solo. B&S Bingo: books and letters, platonic love, "melancholy" 4. Piazza, New York Catcher - A lot of things made me mad about the film Juno, but in particular its soundtrack, which was so self-consciously curated to appeal to the indie audience, instead of reflecting what characters that age might actually listen to. This is one of B&S's most straight ahead folk songs, so not a favorite, but it's well done. B&S Bingo: sedate people throwing caution to the wind 5. Asleep On a Sunbeam - Hey, it's not Isobel Campbell! It's Sarah Martin, whose voice like better. B&S Bingo: sleep, dreams, summer, feet, wilderness 4. I'm a Cuckoo - Thin Lizzy is always worthy of tribute and this is quite a likable one. The only bum note for me is those overdone horns. I highly recommend the avalanches remix, which highlights Stuart Murdoch's vocal (but at the expense of the Thin Lizzy guitars). B&S Bingo: twee self-deprecation and mockery "you were wearing funny shoes..." 5. You Don't Send Me - The horns and vibraphone were jarring at first listen, but have since grown on me. This might be too polished for some fans - a little too Swingle Singers - but dude knows how to write a tune, that's for sure. B&S Bingo: false confidence (see also: Step Into My Office, Baby) 6. Wrapped Up in Books - After a couple stylistic departures, here is some quintessential B&S. I could see this on any of their first three albums. The video even features a sexy (South Asian) librarian. The Haircut 100 horn breakdown in the middle is a masterstroke. B&S Bingo: books, tentative and unrequited romance 7. Lord Anthony - Another in classic mode. Can we blame the banjo and harmonica in this song for spawning Mumford? B&S Bingo: school bullies, champions an underdog 8. If You Find Yourself Caught in Love - And the winner of "Cutest Song by the Cutest Band in the World" is...! Still, I have to praise the songcraft - this is some Brill Building caliber catchiness. B&S Bingo: books (natch), throwing caution to the wind 9. Roy Walker - This starts out with some Laurel Canyon harmonizing, but then it breaks into cool-daddy snapping. The effect is like Greased Lightning crashing into a pickup carrying CSNY. Weird. B&S Bingo: gangly youth, concern over being too smart (see: Lord Anthony) 10. Stay Loose - The prototype for "We Are the Sleepyheads"? Rhythmically they are similar, though this is more of an early New Wave experiment, like Boomtown Rats or Elvis Costello. I'm kind of surprised this made it on to the album, since sticks out a bit more from the rest. I would have made this a one-off single or stuck it on an EP. B&S Bingo: self-deprecation, gangly youth Overall Thoughts: Much was made of this being their album where they 'went electric', but plugged-in, hi-fi B&S is still very recognizably them. And why would a deliberate stab for commercial success renew their indie cred? I think it's because they took such a big chance. They didn't keep doing the same thing to diminishing returns (at least not on this album) and sure, it goes all over the place, but it also signaled all the different directions their music could take. I remember listening to this album while cleaning the bathroom of my first apartment (they really are the soundtrack to my life) and realizing, somewhere around "If She Wants Me" that this band was more than just twee indie pop. They certainly built an indie pop template and opened that door for tons of bands all over the world, but they are also one of the few bands to regularly transcend the genre. Ambitious indie pop sounds like an oxymoron, but somehow, they make it work. How Good Is It? messy and ambitious and even daring - words you would never associate with this genre How Scottish Is It? B&S form an effective counter-stereotype to the surly Scotsman: prim and bookish, but also acerbic. They are none other than Miss Jean Brodie, Maggie Smith. I'm two months late to this game, but this is a very important album for my 18-year-old self: the first B&S song I ever heard was "If She Wants Me", spurred on by a girl I became head over heels for the first night in college. That was a mess, but the song always became, in part, a symbol of my slowly changing ethics, demeanor, and personality from a conservative nerd to a neurotic loner doofus.
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