Have been reading the old Allmusic guide to rock, finding some albums that are well-regarded that I've never heard. This is noted as something of a folk rock classic, and members of the band kept finding their way into other bands' entries, so lets get caught up.
On paper, I might not like this. The lyrical content is a bit disconnected from the days of now, the singer's not my cup of tea, and the pacing is slow at times. But somehow it actually does come together for me, for two main reasons. One is that the playing is really exemplary: the is guitar work deft and nuanced, and the solos and jams are energetic and well-performed (Matty Groves in particular is a perfect folk rockinstomper). The other reason is the details in the production, with just enough reverb and atmosphere, sounding like it surely must have inspired acts like Slint, Talk Talk and earlier Smashing Pumpkins (Reynardine in particular is a dead ringer for Starla or Window Paine).
I don't know that I'll listen to this a lot more, but it was decidedly worth hearing once, and is excellent for what it is. It caught me at a good moment, and I was struck upon hearing it, earning it a short-term but deserved 4.5/5
Thursday, December 30, 2010
#263 The Smashing Pumpkins - Teagarden by Kaleidyscope Vol. 1
I liked these guys a lot back in high school, and while I thought Zeitgeist was crap, I figured I'd give this newfangled thing a chance.
Man, that title tells you everything you need to know. Billy has just gone off the deep end, getting too wrapped up in his own bullshit, and I just don't get the idea that he has any idea how to step back from what he's doing to see if its any good. Maybe they were always this full of themselves and I was just too close to see it, but this is not good. The songs are repetitive and largely uninventive, tarted up with little production tricks that mostly don't do anything to help. Mostly. The fuzz on Astral Planes kind of works, and that song's got a nice solo that harkens back to the good days, and the acoustic chug of Stitch in Time is kind of nice.
But at the heart its Billy chanting anthems like "everyone gather on your soul, everyone gather on your soul, everyone! everyone!" and "you're everywhere at once and you can't catch me! watch out!" over and over, and the whole thing comes across as out of touch and self-indulgent. Its a shame, he's really got a knack for a hook, and can put together a lush production with the best of them, but I just can't get past how ridiculous it sounds. But the kicker is the songs just aren't interesting enough. It seems to think its being hypnotic, but its mostly just boring, Stitch in Time the only exception. Trying to hold out hope for Volume 2, but maybe this band and I have just grown apart 2.5/5
Man, that title tells you everything you need to know. Billy has just gone off the deep end, getting too wrapped up in his own bullshit, and I just don't get the idea that he has any idea how to step back from what he's doing to see if its any good. Maybe they were always this full of themselves and I was just too close to see it, but this is not good. The songs are repetitive and largely uninventive, tarted up with little production tricks that mostly don't do anything to help. Mostly. The fuzz on Astral Planes kind of works, and that song's got a nice solo that harkens back to the good days, and the acoustic chug of Stitch in Time is kind of nice.
But at the heart its Billy chanting anthems like "everyone gather on your soul, everyone gather on your soul, everyone! everyone!" and "you're everywhere at once and you can't catch me! watch out!" over and over, and the whole thing comes across as out of touch and self-indulgent. Its a shame, he's really got a knack for a hook, and can put together a lush production with the best of them, but I just can't get past how ridiculous it sounds. But the kicker is the songs just aren't interesting enough. It seems to think its being hypnotic, but its mostly just boring, Stitch in Time the only exception. Trying to hold out hope for Volume 2, but maybe this band and I have just grown apart 2.5/5
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
#262 Toro y Moi - Causers of This
Pitchlist'd.
Man, suddenly distorted vocals are in, each person with their own trick. Here, you have some fairly straightforward electronic songs that sound like someone put them on a tape and then constantly messed with the speed, making for these little surges and dips and distortions, everything speeding up and slowing down in carefully measured spans. The effect isn't more adventurous, its just more annoying. Maybe on some intellectual level I appreciate this, but its unpleasant to listen to, and even on an intellectual level, the effect wears pretty thin by the end 2/5
Man, suddenly distorted vocals are in, each person with their own trick. Here, you have some fairly straightforward electronic songs that sound like someone put them on a tape and then constantly messed with the speed, making for these little surges and dips and distortions, everything speeding up and slowing down in carefully measured spans. The effect isn't more adventurous, its just more annoying. Maybe on some intellectual level I appreciate this, but its unpleasant to listen to, and even on an intellectual level, the effect wears pretty thin by the end 2/5
#261 Women - Public Strain
Pitchlist'd.
Man, you want to talk about muddled production, these guys are really neck deep in it. For the most part, I just find it makes this album largely unpleasant and largely unlistenable. There's some highlights in the first half, with the deerhoof angularisms of Heat Distraction and the ambient bends of Bells, leading into a nice ringy bass thump on China Steps, but it really gets into muddled, repeated chiming guitars, sounding like interpol B-sides. Just don't see myself having a lot of use for it 2.5/5
Man, you want to talk about muddled production, these guys are really neck deep in it. For the most part, I just find it makes this album largely unpleasant and largely unlistenable. There's some highlights in the first half, with the deerhoof angularisms of Heat Distraction and the ambient bends of Bells, leading into a nice ringy bass thump on China Steps, but it really gets into muddled, repeated chiming guitars, sounding like interpol B-sides. Just don't see myself having a lot of use for it 2.5/5
#260 Fresh and Onlys - Play it Strange
Missed off the pitchlist.
This is vaguely surfey rock and roll, with lots of rolling drums and slithery up-and-down basslines, which I'm into. There's a good gallop to a lot of these songs, sounding a bit Smiths, a bit like a mellower version of The Exploding Hearts, in terms of their particular retro angle. That said, and maybe my hearing is going, because I keep saying this, but there's something muddled about the production, the vocals a bit swamped in the mix, the drums kind of running together. I don't know that I'll listen to this a lot more, but on the strength of those basslines its at least good for 3/5
This is vaguely surfey rock and roll, with lots of rolling drums and slithery up-and-down basslines, which I'm into. There's a good gallop to a lot of these songs, sounding a bit Smiths, a bit like a mellower version of The Exploding Hearts, in terms of their particular retro angle. That said, and maybe my hearing is going, because I keep saying this, but there's something muddled about the production, the vocals a bit swamped in the mix, the drums kind of running together. I don't know that I'll listen to this a lot more, but on the strength of those basslines its at least good for 3/5
#259 Woods - At Echo Lake
Hitting everything I missed on Pitchfork's top albums list. Say what you like about them, but they tend to recommend stuff that's at least worth hearing once.
This, in particular, is probably my favorite of this upcoming batch. Its often very spare, Microphonesey acoustics and twang, at other times shimmering electrics come in, a vague, mournful Shinsey bounce interewaves. On top there's this cracked falsetto, spouting sentimental sentiments that somehow crack my recent immunity to lyrics. The overall effect is engaging, haunting, well-paced, slipping through late nights and other moments of darkness with ease. Time Fading Lines and closer Till the Sun Rips are standouts. Even the titles exemplify the album, stretched through time, tinged with regret, but with a flourish of poetry that glimmers 4.5/5
This, in particular, is probably my favorite of this upcoming batch. Its often very spare, Microphonesey acoustics and twang, at other times shimmering electrics come in, a vague, mournful Shinsey bounce interewaves. On top there's this cracked falsetto, spouting sentimental sentiments that somehow crack my recent immunity to lyrics. The overall effect is engaging, haunting, well-paced, slipping through late nights and other moments of darkness with ease. Time Fading Lines and closer Till the Sun Rips are standouts. Even the titles exemplify the album, stretched through time, tinged with regret, but with a flourish of poetry that glimmers 4.5/5
#258 Chavez - Gone Glimmering
Still trying to find 90's albums I missed. I'd only heard of these guys in passing because their drummer later was in the smashing pumpkins for a while.
This is really the essence of 90's prot0-indie/slightly undergrunge rock. I'm done with my dissertation and enjoying the freedom of inventing words for no reason. That means its all a bit flat to me, the vocals shouty, the guitars largely mushy and overblown. The drums are actually pretty good, and there's the good hook here and there, but something about the production or the pacing doesn't move me, and I really can't keep myself focused on the lyrics, so it ends up being kind of forgettable. It reminds me of Emergency and I, which I similarly can't seem to get to live up to the hype when I listen to it. This is perfectly good, just doesn't really move me, maybe not in the right mood 2.5/5
This is really the essence of 90's prot0-indie/slightly undergrunge rock. I'm done with my dissertation and enjoying the freedom of inventing words for no reason. That means its all a bit flat to me, the vocals shouty, the guitars largely mushy and overblown. The drums are actually pretty good, and there's the good hook here and there, but something about the production or the pacing doesn't move me, and I really can't keep myself focused on the lyrics, so it ends up being kind of forgettable. It reminds me of Emergency and I, which I similarly can't seem to get to live up to the hype when I listen to it. This is perfectly good, just doesn't really move me, maybe not in the right mood 2.5/5
Saturday, December 18, 2010
#257 Ty Segall - Melted
I was interested in this when I saw it reviewed back in the day, but couldn't rummage up a copy. Its appearance on Pitchfork's list caused me to renew my search. Success!
I remember thinking when I read about this that it sounded right up my alley, and for the most part it is. Fuzzy, crunchy guitar rock, all stuff I like. Overloaded bass, backing acoustic strums, scuzzy production, but still totally tuneful, well paced and catchy. And short songs, I'm a fan of that. I wish it was a bit brighter at times, the scuzz gets a little daunting sometimes, but I guess I admire them for not pulling any punches. Just enough little twists and turns to keep me excited, and to get me into the territory around 4/5
I remember thinking when I read about this that it sounded right up my alley, and for the most part it is. Fuzzy, crunchy guitar rock, all stuff I like. Overloaded bass, backing acoustic strums, scuzzy production, but still totally tuneful, well paced and catchy. And short songs, I'm a fan of that. I wish it was a bit brighter at times, the scuzz gets a little daunting sometimes, but I guess I admire them for not pulling any punches. Just enough little twists and turns to keep me excited, and to get me into the territory around 4/5
#256 James Blake - Klavierwerke
3rd of 3 EPs!
The process running through these 3 is interesting. Its clearly the same guy, using the same basic spare beats, the asymetrical structures, the spatial evolution, the stirred vocals, but finding slightly different places and feelings to evoke. Here, things are bit more human somehow, with some of the noises seeming far and frail, distorted, but as if by distance and loss than by digital means. Tell her Safe and I Only Know are both quietly heartbreaking, finding secret routes into hearts that are hard to track and hard to block. Even the closer, for all its minimal beeps and boops is earwormier than the rest of his work. Or maybe it just benefited from the setup from the other EPs. Either way, I'm much happier to have these as EPs instead of one album, each has its own personality, and I think the standout tracks would have been lost in the surges if I'd perceived them as part of an 11 track opus 4/5
The process running through these 3 is interesting. Its clearly the same guy, using the same basic spare beats, the asymetrical structures, the spatial evolution, the stirred vocals, but finding slightly different places and feelings to evoke. Here, things are bit more human somehow, with some of the noises seeming far and frail, distorted, but as if by distance and loss than by digital means. Tell her Safe and I Only Know are both quietly heartbreaking, finding secret routes into hearts that are hard to track and hard to block. Even the closer, for all its minimal beeps and boops is earwormier than the rest of his work. Or maybe it just benefited from the setup from the other EPs. Either way, I'm much happier to have these as EPs instead of one album, each has its own personality, and I think the standout tracks would have been lost in the surges if I'd perceived them as part of an 11 track opus 4/5
#255 James Blake - The Bells Sketch
Dangit, I tried to listen to these chronologically, but misread the dates. Well, I guess this was the first? Anyway, heard second.
It makes sense in retrospect, the technique seems less refined here. The opener just doesn't work for me, is too weird and graceless in its voice stirring. Buzzard and Kestrel, once again, track 2, is the real highlight here though, bending the voices into usable chunks and beyond recognition, mixing them with light, evershifting whisps of strings, electronic melody and beyond sounds. Its strangely moving, actually. The big swoop ins of Give a Man a Rod are exciting, but a bit unlistenable.
I don't think I actually like this guy's core sound. His approach to vocal manipulation isn't quite what I'm looking for, and he's experimental without being quite listenable a bit too often. But at least once per EP (including his 3rd one, up next), he does something I really like. Someone to keep an eye on. It reminds me a bit of Unstoppable era Girl Talk, not quite at the point of using his tools for good, but showing off an impressive set of skills that exude potential and hope 3/5
It makes sense in retrospect, the technique seems less refined here. The opener just doesn't work for me, is too weird and graceless in its voice stirring. Buzzard and Kestrel, once again, track 2, is the real highlight here though, bending the voices into usable chunks and beyond recognition, mixing them with light, evershifting whisps of strings, electronic melody and beyond sounds. Its strangely moving, actually. The big swoop ins of Give a Man a Rod are exciting, but a bit unlistenable.
I don't think I actually like this guy's core sound. His approach to vocal manipulation isn't quite what I'm looking for, and he's experimental without being quite listenable a bit too often. But at least once per EP (including his 3rd one, up next), he does something I really like. Someone to keep an eye on. It reminds me a bit of Unstoppable era Girl Talk, not quite at the point of using his tools for good, but showing off an impressive set of skills that exude potential and hope 3/5
#254 James Blake - CMYK
One of the few "albums" I hadn't heard on Pitchfork's top albums list was this set of 3 EPs.
I've always liked chopped vocals, and the title track starts off with a mission statement on the matter, not so much chopping the vocals as stirring them. One gets the impression of the voice as a viscous mass, with a stick stuck in, pulled up and around, pink taffy. Meanwhile skittery beats dance around, forming the baseline that would form the rest of this 3 ep series. The real highlight here is Footnotes, which has a great sense of stereo space, and this delicious buzzy synth part that seems incredibly alive, arriving, looking around, and fleeing. Its got more personality than a synthesizer ever should, seemingly existing as a sputtering electric pink faceless snake, like the Abyss snake made of electricity and sound. Its an impressive bit of evocation, something that really helps set this release apart from all those other "background music might revisit" electronic albums of this year. The last two tracks try to be a bit more airy, a bit more uprock, and it doesn't quite work for me. Still, mostly on the promise of the overall sound, and the strength of that one track's trick, its good for 3.5/5
I've always liked chopped vocals, and the title track starts off with a mission statement on the matter, not so much chopping the vocals as stirring them. One gets the impression of the voice as a viscous mass, with a stick stuck in, pulled up and around, pink taffy. Meanwhile skittery beats dance around, forming the baseline that would form the rest of this 3 ep series. The real highlight here is Footnotes, which has a great sense of stereo space, and this delicious buzzy synth part that seems incredibly alive, arriving, looking around, and fleeing. Its got more personality than a synthesizer ever should, seemingly existing as a sputtering electric pink faceless snake, like the Abyss snake made of electricity and sound. Its an impressive bit of evocation, something that really helps set this release apart from all those other "background music might revisit" electronic albums of this year. The last two tracks try to be a bit more airy, a bit more uprock, and it doesn't quite work for me. Still, mostly on the promise of the overall sound, and the strength of that one track's trick, its good for 3.5/5
#253 VA - No New York
This is something of a touchstone I hear.
I also hear its pretty unlistenable, and it is, sounding like early Gang of Four if they wanted to be more annoying and even less tuneful. The four "no wave" bands Brian Eno put on display here aren't talentless, but rather focus their talents on being almost as unlistenable as the Shaggs. Its all shouting, sheetmetal guitars, swerving pacing, layers of noise; the result is wholly unpleasant, confronationally, aggressively dissonant stuff - I kind of admire it, and I'm a little fascinated by it, but i need to find some time when I don't mind getting a migraine to listen to it again. I hated the Shaggs album, but admired it. I hated this album, but admired the guys making it, which is probably a step up. In any case, this also probably falls into that 'glad I heard it so I can never hear it again' category, though at least I'm tempted to work up the nerve 3/5
I also hear its pretty unlistenable, and it is, sounding like early Gang of Four if they wanted to be more annoying and even less tuneful. The four "no wave" bands Brian Eno put on display here aren't talentless, but rather focus their talents on being almost as unlistenable as the Shaggs. Its all shouting, sheetmetal guitars, swerving pacing, layers of noise; the result is wholly unpleasant, confronationally, aggressively dissonant stuff - I kind of admire it, and I'm a little fascinated by it, but i need to find some time when I don't mind getting a migraine to listen to it again. I hated the Shaggs album, but admired it. I hated this album, but admired the guys making it, which is probably a step up. In any case, this also probably falls into that 'glad I heard it so I can never hear it again' category, though at least I'm tempted to work up the nerve 3/5
#252 The Shaggs - Philosophy of the World
Back! Was plumbing some 90's lists and came across this.
Backstory: teenage girls get coerced into recording an album by their father. They can't play for crap. This is possibly one of the most talentless albums I've ever heard, it makes the sex pistols sound like rush. And the result is mostly unlistenable: poorly sung, lyrics a parody of simplicity, everything slightly off rhythm. It sounds like what it is. I will never listen to this again, is my guess.
That said, it was totally worth having heard once. There is something unique about it, something slightly charming in its utter naivete. All the roundabout postmodern praise I could give has already been given, and is the only kind of praise you can give this, so lets keep it quick. If you're feeling patient, brace yourself and hear it once. Believe it or not, I'm being generous with 2.5/5
Backstory: teenage girls get coerced into recording an album by their father. They can't play for crap. This is possibly one of the most talentless albums I've ever heard, it makes the sex pistols sound like rush. And the result is mostly unlistenable: poorly sung, lyrics a parody of simplicity, everything slightly off rhythm. It sounds like what it is. I will never listen to this again, is my guess.
That said, it was totally worth having heard once. There is something unique about it, something slightly charming in its utter naivete. All the roundabout postmodern praise I could give has already been given, and is the only kind of praise you can give this, so lets keep it quick. If you're feeling patient, brace yourself and hear it once. Believe it or not, I'm being generous with 2.5/5
Monday, December 6, 2010
#251 Mouse On Mars - Iaora Tahiti
Again, floating around in 90's lists. I really liked Actionist Respoke, but found the rest of Idiology fairly boring. Lets see what else there is.
Well , this is kind of what I heard from them before. Mildly complex, but generally sparse beats, with little woops and woos and cheeps and buzzes surging in and out. Its a little more minimal than a lot of stuff I've been hearing, but Again, I don't know why I even bother with electronic music, it all ends up sounding largely the same to me, or at very least I lack the vocabulary to talk about it competently, and I always end up commenting that its decent, and that it makes good work music, and that its a little interesting and/or atmospheric, and maybe I'll return to it and then I give it something like a 3/5
Well , this is kind of what I heard from them before. Mildly complex, but generally sparse beats, with little woops and woos and cheeps and buzzes surging in and out. Its a little more minimal than a lot of stuff I've been hearing, but Again, I don't know why I even bother with electronic music, it all ends up sounding largely the same to me, or at very least I lack the vocabulary to talk about it competently, and I always end up commenting that its decent, and that it makes good work music, and that its a little interesting and/or atmospheric, and maybe I'll return to it and then I give it something like a 3/5
#250 Brainiac - Bonsai Superstar
I liked Enon back in the day, and I flirted with checking these guys out, but never got around to it. Until now!
The ancestry of Enon is not sublte, with a similar overall sound: general spazziness, an electronic edge, swerves of structure, and the same yowled singing, sounding a bit like a more mellow Polysics. Its pretty cool; complex, interesting, energetic and only slightly unlistenable. Its a bit much to take in, and I kind of feel like the sweet spot in my life for this kind of music has passed, but good enough for 3.5/5
The ancestry of Enon is not sublte, with a similar overall sound: general spazziness, an electronic edge, swerves of structure, and the same yowled singing, sounding a bit like a more mellow Polysics. Its pretty cool; complex, interesting, energetic and only slightly unlistenable. Its a bit much to take in, and I kind of feel like the sweet spot in my life for this kind of music has passed, but good enough for 3.5/5
#249 Wilco - Summerteeth
Further catching up on the holes in my older indie rock experience.
I was wary of this, having found Yankee Hotel Foxtrot good, but a bit overlong and overblown. This, by comparison, is much more ramshackle, much faster paced, much more immediate, and just maybe better. My theme today is blaspheming against sacred indie cows. Tune in later when I take a huge shit on In the Aeroplane over the Sea.
I really find this to have much better energy though, benefiting from less ego, less perfectionism, and a generally tighter sense of pacing. Plus I love all the grungy synths and mellotrons. Man, I like me some mellotron. Somewhere in the middle of this indie kick I longed for some older pumpkins b-sides, and that mellotron totally nails what I was secretly longing for, that frail, gasping surge of epic meaning, that doomed grasp at greatness.
YHF is still there when I need to feel blighted and epic and empty and generally evoke the bleak expanses of just-post-9-11 American malaise. But as far as actual listenable twangy Tweedy? Its a real nice one 4.5/5
I was wary of this, having found Yankee Hotel Foxtrot good, but a bit overlong and overblown. This, by comparison, is much more ramshackle, much faster paced, much more immediate, and just maybe better. My theme today is blaspheming against sacred indie cows. Tune in later when I take a huge shit on In the Aeroplane over the Sea.
I really find this to have much better energy though, benefiting from less ego, less perfectionism, and a generally tighter sense of pacing. Plus I love all the grungy synths and mellotrons. Man, I like me some mellotron. Somewhere in the middle of this indie kick I longed for some older pumpkins b-sides, and that mellotron totally nails what I was secretly longing for, that frail, gasping surge of epic meaning, that doomed grasp at greatness.
YHF is still there when I need to feel blighted and epic and empty and generally evoke the bleak expanses of just-post-9-11 American malaise. But as far as actual listenable twangy Tweedy? Its a real nice one 4.5/5
#248 Sebedoh - III
Its kind of insane, in retrospect, that I've never heard this. Also on a list of good indie rock.
This is more like it, with a great combination of aggressive punk, the occasional weird experiment, and lots of hooky constructions, sounding not unlike fellow indie flagbearers Pavement. Except I think I actually (blasphemy alert) like this better than Slanted and Enchanted. At least at first listen; I found Pavement a bit inaccessible, and still don't like them as much as everyone else seems to. I don't think hard-line indie rock is actually something that really resonates with me quite right, something about the razor thin sheet metal chords and half-tuneless singing.
Anyway, we'll see how this holds up, but I found this to really nail the combination of ferocity, hookiness, artiness and fun, even if its in a style I don't quite get 4/5
This is more like it, with a great combination of aggressive punk, the occasional weird experiment, and lots of hooky constructions, sounding not unlike fellow indie flagbearers Pavement. Except I think I actually (blasphemy alert) like this better than Slanted and Enchanted. At least at first listen; I found Pavement a bit inaccessible, and still don't like them as much as everyone else seems to. I don't think hard-line indie rock is actually something that really resonates with me quite right, something about the razor thin sheet metal chords and half-tuneless singing.
Anyway, we'll see how this holds up, but I found this to really nail the combination of ferocity, hookiness, artiness and fun, even if its in a style I don't quite get 4/5
#247 The Vaselines - The Way of the Vaselines
Got back into regular ole indie rock, some list (and kurt cobain, famously) said these guys were good.
Meh, sing songey, kind noisy pop, very pre-90's indie in a way that reminds me obliquely of REM and doesn't move me. The main problem is the female singer's voice, which I find a bit unlistenable. It also has the kind of sassiness that I just don't think has aged well, with song titles like Bitch, Monsterpussy, and Sex Sux. Its pleasant at times, unpleasant (not in a good way) in others, not any better than 2.5/5
Meh, sing songey, kind noisy pop, very pre-90's indie in a way that reminds me obliquely of REM and doesn't move me. The main problem is the female singer's voice, which I find a bit unlistenable. It also has the kind of sassiness that I just don't think has aged well, with song titles like Bitch, Monsterpussy, and Sex Sux. Its pleasant at times, unpleasant (not in a good way) in others, not any better than 2.5/5
Saturday, December 4, 2010
#246 Wu Tang Clan - The W
I liked 36 chambers good enough, but never really felt like I got these guys. Word is this is another good one.
Pretty good, the production's more spare than I normally like, but the rapping is diverse (unsurprisingly) and generally solid. The gunshot-sample-quotient is higher than I'd like, but its at least not constant murder fantasies.
I think I'd like these guys better if I learned to tell who was who and could start to get a sense of their styles, which might be more work than I'm likely to get around to. As it is, its a bit scattered. I don't see a reason to listen to this instead of 36 chambers, it'll be in line if I eventually decide to put in the work 3/5
Pretty good, the production's more spare than I normally like, but the rapping is diverse (unsurprisingly) and generally solid. The gunshot-sample-quotient is higher than I'd like, but its at least not constant murder fantasies.
I think I'd like these guys better if I learned to tell who was who and could start to get a sense of their styles, which might be more work than I'm likely to get around to. As it is, its a bit scattered. I don't see a reason to listen to this instead of 36 chambers, it'll be in line if I eventually decide to put in the work 3/5
#245 Orange Juice - The Glasgow School
Have been hearing buzz about these guys for a while, recently read some review that spurred getting this, a compilation, but maybe their best album, from what I hear.
I dig. Good groovin bass, leading to a Minutemen-esque democracy among the instruments, with an interesting mix of catchy, noisy motion. I hear they're post punk, which makes me want to give up on that term forever. Its a bit arty, a bit old school, kind of like the new Girls album, which this is a nice counterpoint to. The album experience is a little bit funny, with some songs that seem to be variant versions of eachother, so themes keep coming back in an around, in a way thats distracting. I like it, its fun 3.5/5
I dig. Good groovin bass, leading to a Minutemen-esque democracy among the instruments, with an interesting mix of catchy, noisy motion. I hear they're post punk, which makes me want to give up on that term forever. Its a bit arty, a bit old school, kind of like the new Girls album, which this is a nice counterpoint to. The album experience is a little bit funny, with some songs that seem to be variant versions of eachother, so themes keep coming back in an around, in a way thats distracting. I like it, its fun 3.5/5
#244 The Fugees - The Score
Dave was shocked I hadn't heard this, so I did. I was wary of this. I didn't like Killing Me Softly at all, and my impression of these guys was that they would be too positive for me.
In practice, its better than I expected. I still don't like the singles, but Lauren Hills is better rapper than I realized; the rapping is tighter than I expected across the board, and the jazzy elements are more subdued than I feared. I think this represents the far end of positivity/jazziness that I am able to tolerate in rap, it toes the line and just barely stops short, putting up a novel kind of groove without totally going soft. I feel like on another day I might not like this, but maybe it got lucky. First impression? 3.5/5
In practice, its better than I expected. I still don't like the singles, but Lauren Hills is better rapper than I realized; the rapping is tighter than I expected across the board, and the jazzy elements are more subdued than I feared. I think this represents the far end of positivity/jazziness that I am able to tolerate in rap, it toes the line and just barely stops short, putting up a novel kind of groove without totally going soft. I feel like on another day I might not like this, but maybe it got lucky. First impression? 3.5/5
#243 Purling Hiss - Hissteria
Might as well pick up the 3rd one at this point.
I hate when I read something that steals my thunder. Some review described this as evoking the stooges circa funhouse, and that nails it. Here's a much sludgier, more menacing version of their debut, much more lumbering and methodical and tinny, with shades of A Place to Bury Strangers. I don't really have a lot of use for this sound, this lacks the excitement of the debut, and lumbering menace is something I've heard done better 2.5/5
I hate when I read something that steals my thunder. Some review described this as evoking the stooges circa funhouse, and that nails it. Here's a much sludgier, more menacing version of their debut, much more lumbering and methodical and tinny, with shades of A Place to Bury Strangers. I don't really have a lot of use for this sound, this lacks the excitement of the debut, and lumbering menace is something I've heard done better 2.5/5
#242 Purling Hiss - Public Service Announcement
This is the one Dusted actually reviewed. The intersection of their debut and the sample track on dusted seemed impossible, so lets see.
There are bare vestiges of the jam band found on the last album here, this sounds more like a more aggressive Guided by Voices. Yes, there's some jamming, but the songs are much shorter, sound like they were recorded live in a living room (Run From the City could be right off Bee Thousand if it was shorter by a third), and they're downright catchy at times. Contrary to the dusted claim, this is the one I actually like the best, there's a diverse, creative, immediate sound on display here 4/5
There are bare vestiges of the jam band found on the last album here, this sounds more like a more aggressive Guided by Voices. Yes, there's some jamming, but the songs are much shorter, sound like they were recorded live in a living room (Run From the City could be right off Bee Thousand if it was shorter by a third), and they're downright catchy at times. Contrary to the dusted claim, this is the one I actually like the best, there's a diverse, creative, immediate sound on display here 4/5
#241 Purling Hiss - Purling Hiss
Get ready for some short ones: doing cites means lots of listening time, but still not that much time to write em up. Read about their new one on dusted, which said to check out their other ones instead. K.
Here's noisy, jammy rock, with a roughly velvets level disinterest in the listener's approval. There's the underlying groove, which repeats largely unchanged for 5 minutes at a time, and then some shreddy soloing on top, but the overall sound is just rough, ferocious and live raw enough to make it interesting. There is the feel of a live band going out there and thrashing ass, rather than some guys in a studio trying to make something good, with just enough organic shifts in structure to keep you on your toes. Kinda unlistenable, nonetheless, though 3.5/5
Here's noisy, jammy rock, with a roughly velvets level disinterest in the listener's approval. There's the underlying groove, which repeats largely unchanged for 5 minutes at a time, and then some shreddy soloing on top, but the overall sound is just rough, ferocious and live raw enough to make it interesting. There is the feel of a live band going out there and thrashing ass, rather than some guys in a studio trying to make something good, with just enough organic shifts in structure to keep you on your toes. Kinda unlistenable, nonetheless, though 3.5/5
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