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
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