No post last week, I was to busy, but I've made a list of things I want to blog about in the future, so hopefully that'll facilitate more updating.
On to the task at hand....
I don't know what exactly motivated it, but this week I've been going over Björk's solo discography (minus Selmasongs, but maybe I'll watch Dancer In The Dark?). According to my music journal, I haven't listened to Björk since February 7, when I listened to the song "Unravel" -- I'm pretty sure I was on a bus somewhere in France. And I haven't listened to any of her albums since August of last year, when I listened to most of them in order throughout the month (kind of like what I'm doing now). And having been a fan for a long time, I'm surprised to say that my opinions haven't changed much.
-I still don't like Post. Like, I REALLY don't like Post. There's maybe 4 really good songs on there and the rest sound kind of dated or are overlong. And "It's Oh So Quiet" is kind of terrible. It doesn't fit Björk's style at all; she's such a perculiar vocalist and she's singing a flat showtune. She can sing conventionally just fine, but she doesn't in this song, and it just sounds kind of embarrasing and corny. The album overall suffers from a lack of consistency, and it feels disjointed. It's a bad dance club record from the 90's. How could anyone say it's her best album? I just don't get it.
-On the opposite side of the spectrum, Homogenic is bloody genius. The disjointedness is totally gone; it really feels like a whole album. Every song is a winner, so second is wasted. It's only 10 songs and 40 some minutes, the perfect length for an album of this sort. Björk's vocals are the strongest and most polished of any of her albums, while still retaining her signature characteristics. The album is emotionally very rich, with aggressive songs ("5 Years" "Pluto"), a sad song ("Unravel" -- still devastating), optimism ("Alarm Call"), happiness (Jóga"), etc. It never sounds samey, boring, or dated. It demands to be heard.
-Debut is a strange case. I really like it, but I realize it has a lot of problems. It may be more disjointed than Post and it certainly covers a lot more styles, but it's so fun and Björk-ian. I don't think it sounds too dated, though when it does, it comes off as charming and nostalgic (versus on Post when it just sounds annoying and tasteless). Debut was the first Björk album I bought, so it holds a special place in my heart. There are no songs I'd skip when listening to it, but I do think the lyrics can be a bit silly. The vocals are a bit rough, but it recalls the Sugarcubes a little, when Björk was doing a more rock and roll kind of style. Special mention of "The Anchor Song," I think it's a particularly strong (closing) track. I like the imagination of it and the dissonance.
-Now I'm listening to Vespertine right now, and it is also a great record. It's just as consistent as Homogenic, though the style is very quiet and warm. It's a good album for fall or winter (i.e. - right now), while you're drinking some hot cocoa or wearing a sweater, or laying in your bed at night. It's good music to listen to in the dark. I never realized how sexy the album is. It seems like every song is about having sex or something. It's very much internal and personal. My only complaint is that it's kind of long for a pop album. I think a few of the songs, like "Undo," "It's Not Up To You," and "Heirloom" could be edited down a little. The songs aren't really sprawling or unfolding, which doesn't merit the extended times. I think they'd be more effective if they were shorter. Nonetheless, it's a beautiful record.
So I haven't gotten to Medulla or Volta yet, so there will be part 2. And I'll rank the albums overall.
Sunday, 4 October 2009
Friday, 18 September 2009
Videos
The other day, I was eating at the cafeteria and they have these TVs that are constantly showing the "MTVu" channel (I guess the "u" means "university"). And what video was on, might you ask? Why, it was the Shakira video for the song "Loba" (link on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx5839kaxzs). Now, I think I've seen the video before, but this time it made me think about the concept of "sex sells" and all (watching the video makes it quite obvious why I'd mention that).
When I was younger and watched MTV, I always thought of videos as being a way to hear new music or to see my favorite artists on the screen. I was rather misguided. The whole point of videos is to make money by getting people to buy the artist's music. They are advertisments in the guise of entertainment and/or fun. Why else would artists even make videos, unless maybe they're multi-media artists and not just musicians? Not likely, most of the time.
I'm no prude, but this Shakira video just seems to be playing to the lowest of the low. When you watch this video, do you pay attention to the song at all? I know I don't, I'm too busy watching Shakira dance like a stripper in a box. It just disgusts me that the music is so insignificant.
Now, I realize we're talking about the commercial music biz and it is what you'd expect, but being that it's the "music" industry, can't the music actually have some importance? I'm not a fan of music videos in general, since they are distracting from the music, but this particular video doesn't even give the music a chance at all. It's like it was an afterthought and the video came first and then someone thought "we need a soundtrack to this Shakira porn! Wait, she sometimes dabbles in music occasionally? Use that!"
Switching subjects.....
I was reading the All Songs Considered blog, and they posted an absolutely hilarious video about a guy and his relationship to the Dave Matthews Band (it kind of sums up my feelings about them as well). Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2009/09/regrets_the_dave_matthews_band_1.html
When I was younger and watched MTV, I always thought of videos as being a way to hear new music or to see my favorite artists on the screen. I was rather misguided. The whole point of videos is to make money by getting people to buy the artist's music. They are advertisments in the guise of entertainment and/or fun. Why else would artists even make videos, unless maybe they're multi-media artists and not just musicians? Not likely, most of the time.
I'm no prude, but this Shakira video just seems to be playing to the lowest of the low. When you watch this video, do you pay attention to the song at all? I know I don't, I'm too busy watching Shakira dance like a stripper in a box. It just disgusts me that the music is so insignificant.
Now, I realize we're talking about the commercial music biz and it is what you'd expect, but being that it's the "music" industry, can't the music actually have some importance? I'm not a fan of music videos in general, since they are distracting from the music, but this particular video doesn't even give the music a chance at all. It's like it was an afterthought and the video came first and then someone thought "we need a soundtrack to this Shakira porn! Wait, she sometimes dabbles in music occasionally? Use that!"
Switching subjects.....
I was reading the All Songs Considered blog, and they posted an absolutely hilarious video about a guy and his relationship to the Dave Matthews Band (it kind of sums up my feelings about them as well). Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2009/09/regrets_the_dave_matthews_band_1.html
New Flaming Lips Album
I was watching The Colbert Report the other day and the Flaming Lips were on the show, doing a song from their new album Embryonic. I was impressed. Now, a bit of context: I own only one album by the Lips, The Soft Bulletin, which is a great record, though I've also heard Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, and have seen the film about the band, The Fearless Freaks. So, that's obviously not a comprehensive discography. What intrigued me about the song, though, is that it didn't sound like anything I've heard before from the band. It's not the floaty, funny, clean, bouncy sound of TSB or Yoshimi. It was louder and freakier and the vocals were so low (both in the arrangement and in pitch). Kind of reminds me of the vocals on Electric Wizard's Dopethrone record in a way.
So the whole album is now streaming on Colbertnation.com and I'm listening to it right now. The song they played on the show seems to be pretty representative of the album as a whole. There's no track names, which sucks, but it really feels like an album. It kind of sounds like the nightmare version of the band. The Soft Bulletin is a very dreamy and fairly cheerful record, with the exception of a few songs. Embryonic is so dark and trippy, as if most of the pop elements have been ripped away. And I couldn't be happier about that.
For a while, I thought the Lips were pretty overrated, because even though I love TSB, it's not one of my favorite records ever or anything, it's just really really good. I really don't listen to it a lot. And I think I listened to Yoshimi once or twice and nothing about it caught my attention. It just seemed like your average pop record, some catchy choruses here and there, slick production, loud vocals, etc. But I guess this band is capable or a lot more than that. I'm glad to hear that they've made an exciting and sonically intriguing record by going in a different direction.
So the whole album is now streaming on Colbertnation.com and I'm listening to it right now. The song they played on the show seems to be pretty representative of the album as a whole. There's no track names, which sucks, but it really feels like an album. It kind of sounds like the nightmare version of the band. The Soft Bulletin is a very dreamy and fairly cheerful record, with the exception of a few songs. Embryonic is so dark and trippy, as if most of the pop elements have been ripped away. And I couldn't be happier about that.
For a while, I thought the Lips were pretty overrated, because even though I love TSB, it's not one of my favorite records ever or anything, it's just really really good. I really don't listen to it a lot. And I think I listened to Yoshimi once or twice and nothing about it caught my attention. It just seemed like your average pop record, some catchy choruses here and there, slick production, loud vocals, etc. But I guess this band is capable or a lot more than that. I'm glad to hear that they've made an exciting and sonically intriguing record by going in a different direction.
Saturday, 12 September 2009
Finding New Music
How do people learn about new music? There's so much music out there and there exists many a channel in finding it. In our current times, The best way seems to be to turn to the internet. Any band or artist who actually might want people to listen to their/his/her music typically makes some sort of web presence, sometimes a regular, old-fashioned website, or more often, I think, a MySpace or Facebook page (or maybe a blog!). But that begs the question: how does a band/artist get someone to know about and find their page/site? That's where it gets trickier. That's where journalism helps out a lot. It's weird sometimes when bands are annoyed by the critics and reviewers and they might say something to the extent that "we make music for ourselves/the fans/etc." and not the critics. But how would people hear about new music if not for critics, who, though they may give a bad review, still get someone's name out there? I guess there's always promotion on the mass-media scale, but I'm not really concerning myself with that, since most of those artists have already established some kind of popularity or are in the process of doing so (you need lots of money for commercials, thus these are probably major label artists with big budgets). And that leaves another option: word of mouth, but in this case, I'm limiting it to friends/acquaintances in real life, as opposed to some dude on a forum. I've been exposed to very few new musics by actually discussing them with people, probably due to the fact that the music that might interest me is not so well-known.
In short: I mostly rely on critics and the verbal press to turn me on to new music. That is, I like to read books, magazines and websites to find out about new music (in this sense: anything I haven't heard). And then I go to the internet to investigate further, by listening to a few songs on their MySpace pages, or to the record labels that sometimes offer a few free MP3s of their bands for preview purposes, or by listening a bit in iTunes/Amazon or a combination thereof. Recently, though, I've been getting into music podcasts as well, particularly Requiem Metal Podcast and NPR's All Songs Considered podcast. Both are great sources and offer a lot to hear.
....And then the really hard part comes in. It's almost like a horrible auditioning process, weeding through all the new music out there and finding what I actually like. Having been searching for years and years, I'd have to conclude that probably 90% (or maybe more) of music is actually bad or horribly mediocre, or being a bit more honest, music that I don't give a crap about. And the small percentage that is good, is in fact, hard to find. And I don't trust my first impression of a band ever. If I like something the first time I hear it, I may not like it at all in a month. So I have to listen to things over and over before deciding if it's good or not. Then I often ask myself: Could I listen to a whole album of this? (since I'm usually dealing with hearing a few individual songs at first and I'm a staunch album loyalist) et puis: Would I like to listen to a whole album of this?
Though sometimes it is "love at first listen" and I'm thinking "I want this album NOW". I kind of hate when that happens since I usually can't buy stuff immediately, though it's almost a relief and makes me feel like some good music is out there and the painstaking search is worth finding a few gems. It doesn't feel like a waste of time.
So right now I'm going through tons of MySpace pages in hopes of something good coming up, and it's interesting to go back through all the pages I book-marked in the past as bands I'd want to hear again and how many of those book-marks I end up deleting and never wanting to hear again (which is most of them). It's like, at one point I thought I'd found so many interesting artists, but in reality, it comes down to so few (which is good for my wallet and consequently, my health). It's like a funnel.
Playlist for the week: Dirty Projectors "Bitte Orca", Mouse On Mars "Autoditacker", Juana Molina - "Un Día"
In short: I mostly rely on critics and the verbal press to turn me on to new music. That is, I like to read books, magazines and websites to find out about new music (in this sense: anything I haven't heard). And then I go to the internet to investigate further, by listening to a few songs on their MySpace pages, or to the record labels that sometimes offer a few free MP3s of their bands for preview purposes, or by listening a bit in iTunes/Amazon or a combination thereof. Recently, though, I've been getting into music podcasts as well, particularly Requiem Metal Podcast and NPR's All Songs Considered podcast. Both are great sources and offer a lot to hear.
....And then the really hard part comes in. It's almost like a horrible auditioning process, weeding through all the new music out there and finding what I actually like. Having been searching for years and years, I'd have to conclude that probably 90% (or maybe more) of music is actually bad or horribly mediocre, or being a bit more honest, music that I don't give a crap about. And the small percentage that is good, is in fact, hard to find. And I don't trust my first impression of a band ever. If I like something the first time I hear it, I may not like it at all in a month. So I have to listen to things over and over before deciding if it's good or not. Then I often ask myself: Could I listen to a whole album of this? (since I'm usually dealing with hearing a few individual songs at first and I'm a staunch album loyalist) et puis: Would I like to listen to a whole album of this?
Though sometimes it is "love at first listen" and I'm thinking "I want this album NOW". I kind of hate when that happens since I usually can't buy stuff immediately, though it's almost a relief and makes me feel like some good music is out there and the painstaking search is worth finding a few gems. It doesn't feel like a waste of time.
So right now I'm going through tons of MySpace pages in hopes of something good coming up, and it's interesting to go back through all the pages I book-marked in the past as bands I'd want to hear again and how many of those book-marks I end up deleting and never wanting to hear again (which is most of them). It's like, at one point I thought I'd found so many interesting artists, but in reality, it comes down to so few (which is good for my wallet and consequently, my health). It's like a funnel.
Playlist for the week: Dirty Projectors "Bitte Orca", Mouse On Mars "Autoditacker", Juana Molina - "Un Día"
Sunday, 6 September 2009
Back From The Dead: The best albums of the year so far....
It's too early to tell the best of the year and I'm way too poor to have bought all the albums I want to hear this year, which eliminates many possible contenders. So this is really just a review of what I've bought so far and what's been going on since I abandonned this ol' blog.
Black Dice - Repo
Well, it's a Black Dice album (that means it's great). Compared to their last release, Load Blown, which was actually just a singles compilation, it's certainly more consistent. There's actually quite a few vocal samples used on this one and they're integrated pretty well into the BD sound. And the tracks are longer and shorter than on older albums. Overall, not a huge change for the group, but a nice progression and an enjoyable album.
Dirty Projectors - Bitte, Orca
I've only listened to it once so far, but it's promising. This is the first release by DP that I've bought, so I can't compare, though I've read several times that it's their "most accesible." And it is for the most part. It is pretty much a pop record that integrates various influences, such as punk, funk, classical, soul, etc. It's interesting for sure and after the first listen I couldn't remember a whole lot, a good sign. It's going to take many listens to penetrate this album, as it is very detailed and nuanced. One more remark: some of the lyrics seem kinda cheesy-romantic.
Isis - Wavering Radiant
I love Isis, and I've finally acquired all their full-lengths. This album seems to be another step of slight progress of the general and often-imiated Isis sound, with some added touches of proggy keyboards. The question I've wrestled with concerning Isis is: is this band "metal"? And I don't have a definitive answer. WR doesn't resolve the issue. Early Isis albums Celestial and Oceanic were heavy and incredibly loud, but since Panopticon, they've moved into post-rockin'-spacey-loud/soft-dynamic-sprawling territory, though still retaining the bear vocals and heaviness. I may not be able to answer the question if Isis is metal or not, but the more important question is: is this album good? And I definitely think it is. The songwriting is still about the same, maybe a bit more concentrated, a bit more dense. The production is quite good, it's clean, but not too clean. The sound is warm and flowy. I'd say it's for fans of the band, it won't win over new fans unless this is the first they've heard of Isis.
Kylesa - Static Tensions
Everything about this album is a notch above their previous album Time Will Fuse Its Worth. Tighter songs, more fluid genre fusion, musicianship has been stepped up, more variety in vocals and melodies, better utitlization of their two drummers and so forth. At first I was hugely disappointed with this album because Kylesa is just so awesome and fun live and the album seemed to lack the energy and spirit of the live experience. But much time has passed and I can't remember the specifics of the live show anymore, so the album officially rules now.
Pelican - Ephemeral EP
It's great. I love to hear that Pelican are getting heavier and more distorted again. The post-rockisms are toned downed, as are the cock-rockisms from City Of Echoes (not that that album wasn't good). And there's a track with Dylan Carlson on it! Neato! I've very curious to hear the next full-length.
Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions
They couldn't have picked a more appropriate album title. This is a totally new direction for the band, and certainly a welcome one. Attila is back, there are two different choirs, there's tons of new instruments, but it all stays in the Sunn O))) template, i.e. - loooooooooow and slooooooooooooow. All four tracks have totally different characters, but they are united by the infinite drone. It's a nice addition to the band's highly innovative catalogue.
So what else is there?:
>>Michael Jackson = dead, not entirely surprising, not a total loss either, he pretty much wasn't
musically relevant anymore. I will always love "Billie Jean" though.
>>I'm not into the hype surrounding the band Phoenix. Yeah, "Lisztomania" is kinda fun and catchy, but there's not much more to say than that. Why don't they sing in French? If they did, I probably like them better.
>>Animal Collective still sucks.
>>I still am completely ambivalent towards Sonic Youth.
>>Death Magnetic wasn't the apocalypse, but it wasn't the second comming either (did Metallica have a first comming?)
>>My favorite metal show on WBGU, Auditory Demise, has met its.... demise. It's a shame, but there's some new shows to carry the torch(e).
>>Latest Decibel has Immortal on the cover. Good story, I think I'm going to move to Blashyrkh.
>>Summer Shows: Mastodon/Kylesa/Intronaut, Isis/Pelican/Keelhaul, Enon/some locals bands that weren't so good
>>Shows I'll miss due to being in BG: Converge/High On Fire, Kylesa/Saviours, Os Mutantes (I don't think I go to this anyway, but I wanted to mention that they've made a new album and are touring now with Sergio Diaz the only remaining original member)
>>I heard that the Misfits will be in BG sometime this year, which I'm perplexed by.
>>That new HBO show "Hung" has "I'll Be Your Man" by the Black Keys as a theme song, and it's very fitting.
That's all for now, I'm going to try to update weekly.
Black Dice - Repo
Well, it's a Black Dice album (that means it's great). Compared to their last release, Load Blown, which was actually just a singles compilation, it's certainly more consistent. There's actually quite a few vocal samples used on this one and they're integrated pretty well into the BD sound. And the tracks are longer and shorter than on older albums. Overall, not a huge change for the group, but a nice progression and an enjoyable album.
Dirty Projectors - Bitte, Orca
I've only listened to it once so far, but it's promising. This is the first release by DP that I've bought, so I can't compare, though I've read several times that it's their "most accesible." And it is for the most part. It is pretty much a pop record that integrates various influences, such as punk, funk, classical, soul, etc. It's interesting for sure and after the first listen I couldn't remember a whole lot, a good sign. It's going to take many listens to penetrate this album, as it is very detailed and nuanced. One more remark: some of the lyrics seem kinda cheesy-romantic.
Isis - Wavering Radiant
I love Isis, and I've finally acquired all their full-lengths. This album seems to be another step of slight progress of the general and often-imiated Isis sound, with some added touches of proggy keyboards. The question I've wrestled with concerning Isis is: is this band "metal"? And I don't have a definitive answer. WR doesn't resolve the issue. Early Isis albums Celestial and Oceanic were heavy and incredibly loud, but since Panopticon, they've moved into post-rockin'-spacey-loud/soft-dynamic-sprawling territory, though still retaining the bear vocals and heaviness. I may not be able to answer the question if Isis is metal or not, but the more important question is: is this album good? And I definitely think it is. The songwriting is still about the same, maybe a bit more concentrated, a bit more dense. The production is quite good, it's clean, but not too clean. The sound is warm and flowy. I'd say it's for fans of the band, it won't win over new fans unless this is the first they've heard of Isis.
Kylesa - Static Tensions
Everything about this album is a notch above their previous album Time Will Fuse Its Worth. Tighter songs, more fluid genre fusion, musicianship has been stepped up, more variety in vocals and melodies, better utitlization of their two drummers and so forth. At first I was hugely disappointed with this album because Kylesa is just so awesome and fun live and the album seemed to lack the energy and spirit of the live experience. But much time has passed and I can't remember the specifics of the live show anymore, so the album officially rules now.
Pelican - Ephemeral EP
It's great. I love to hear that Pelican are getting heavier and more distorted again. The post-rockisms are toned downed, as are the cock-rockisms from City Of Echoes (not that that album wasn't good). And there's a track with Dylan Carlson on it! Neato! I've very curious to hear the next full-length.
Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions
They couldn't have picked a more appropriate album title. This is a totally new direction for the band, and certainly a welcome one. Attila is back, there are two different choirs, there's tons of new instruments, but it all stays in the Sunn O))) template, i.e. - loooooooooow and slooooooooooooow. All four tracks have totally different characters, but they are united by the infinite drone. It's a nice addition to the band's highly innovative catalogue.
So what else is there?:
>>Michael Jackson = dead, not entirely surprising, not a total loss either, he pretty much wasn't
musically relevant anymore. I will always love "Billie Jean" though.
>>I'm not into the hype surrounding the band Phoenix. Yeah, "Lisztomania" is kinda fun and catchy, but there's not much more to say than that. Why don't they sing in French? If they did, I probably like them better.
>>Animal Collective still sucks.
>>I still am completely ambivalent towards Sonic Youth.
>>Death Magnetic wasn't the apocalypse, but it wasn't the second comming either (did Metallica have a first comming?)
>>My favorite metal show on WBGU, Auditory Demise, has met its.... demise. It's a shame, but there's some new shows to carry the torch(e).
>>Latest Decibel has Immortal on the cover. Good story, I think I'm going to move to Blashyrkh.
>>Summer Shows: Mastodon/Kylesa/Intronaut, Isis/Pelican/Keelhaul, Enon/some locals bands that weren't so good
>>Shows I'll miss due to being in BG: Converge/High On Fire, Kylesa/Saviours, Os Mutantes (I don't think I go to this anyway, but I wanted to mention that they've made a new album and are touring now with Sergio Diaz the only remaining original member)
>>I heard that the Misfits will be in BG sometime this year, which I'm perplexed by.
>>That new HBO show "Hung" has "I'll Be Your Man" by the Black Keys as a theme song, and it's very fitting.
That's all for now, I'm going to try to update weekly.
Thursday, 18 December 2008
A Guide To Listening To Earth 2
I recently remarked that I was disappointed by the latest Earth record. Other than the fact that it was just a boring record, I'm bothered by how it just isn't Earth 2. Now, now, repeating the same thing is not the best for artists who want to grow and change and evolve and all, but Earth 2!! It is a classic, great album and easily one of my favorite albums ever (genres aside, it needs no specific categorization). However, Earth 2 is not everyday listening. The grandiosity, the magnitude of the compositions is basis for not playing it all the time. It is for a special occasion (whatever that may be), but more importantly, under specific conditions. You don't just put on Earth 2 and check your e-mail or read a book. It may be "ambient" or "atmospheric" or some other rather pretentious adjective, but it is not background. Henceforth, I suggest that one ought to abide by the following conditions while listening to Earth 2:
1. Go to the bathroom first. Interruptions are BAD.
2. Also make sure you've eaten, because you'd hate to have a rumbling in your stomach while the speakers are rumbling incredibly loudly.
3. Find somewhere comfortable to sit and/or lay down. A bed is a good place, but a couch also works. Pillows are a worthwhile investment. I highly recommend having blankets if it is cold outside or you're in an air-conditioned room.
4. Don't be in an air-conditioned room. The sounds will distract you from the music. Actually, this rule ought to be don't be in a room with too many loud or noticeable aural distractions.
5. No headphones. You want the sound to seem like it is filling up the room with its heaviosity. Also, if you are laying down, headphones will eventually become uncomfortable.
6. Darkness is your friend. The room should be as dark as possible. It's good to do this at night or have drapes on your windows. A basement would be a good room.
7. You should probably be alone. If your friends (and you) can shut up for about 80 minutes, then it could be OK, but it's not likely.
8. Try not to move around too much while listening. Not so much because it makes noise, but you want to focus on what you are hearing and not what you are feeling on you skin.
9. No food and drink, except, maybe some water. I told you to eat first! This goes back to the focusing on aural sensations and not other senses.
10. Drugs are optional. They are not necessary, but may help. Something to help you focus or something to mellow you out (some stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens...)
11. Have yourself a good stereo. I did mention that you must not use headphones, but it is also important to have a stereo that can ably handle extreme low-end sounds (subwoofer!)
12. Turn it up. This should be self-explanatory. Louder = better, in this case.
13. Don't fall asleep. Meditation is fine, but no sleeping, you must listen.
14. Clothes are optional. I haven't tried listening without clothes on, but it is worth trying. It could possibly be distracting, though.
15. It's worth reiterating that you should NOT interupt your listening experience and prepare yourself before.
I think that's all (there may be more later). According to my iTunes, Earth 2 lasts 73:01. It really isn't that long. If you can sit through most films, you can take the time to follow these instructions and listen to Earth 2, without anything else getting in your way. And if you do, you will sleep better and you will be saved.
1. Go to the bathroom first. Interruptions are BAD.
2. Also make sure you've eaten, because you'd hate to have a rumbling in your stomach while the speakers are rumbling incredibly loudly.
3. Find somewhere comfortable to sit and/or lay down. A bed is a good place, but a couch also works. Pillows are a worthwhile investment. I highly recommend having blankets if it is cold outside or you're in an air-conditioned room.
4. Don't be in an air-conditioned room. The sounds will distract you from the music. Actually, this rule ought to be don't be in a room with too many loud or noticeable aural distractions.
5. No headphones. You want the sound to seem like it is filling up the room with its heaviosity. Also, if you are laying down, headphones will eventually become uncomfortable.
6. Darkness is your friend. The room should be as dark as possible. It's good to do this at night or have drapes on your windows. A basement would be a good room.
7. You should probably be alone. If your friends (and you) can shut up for about 80 minutes, then it could be OK, but it's not likely.
8. Try not to move around too much while listening. Not so much because it makes noise, but you want to focus on what you are hearing and not what you are feeling on you skin.
9. No food and drink, except, maybe some water. I told you to eat first! This goes back to the focusing on aural sensations and not other senses.
10. Drugs are optional. They are not necessary, but may help. Something to help you focus or something to mellow you out (some stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens...)
11. Have yourself a good stereo. I did mention that you must not use headphones, but it is also important to have a stereo that can ably handle extreme low-end sounds (subwoofer!)
12. Turn it up. This should be self-explanatory. Louder = better, in this case.
13. Don't fall asleep. Meditation is fine, but no sleeping, you must listen.
14. Clothes are optional. I haven't tried listening without clothes on, but it is worth trying. It could possibly be distracting, though.
15. It's worth reiterating that you should NOT interupt your listening experience and prepare yourself before.
I think that's all (there may be more later). According to my iTunes, Earth 2 lasts 73:01. It really isn't that long. If you can sit through most films, you can take the time to follow these instructions and listen to Earth 2, without anything else getting in your way. And if you do, you will sleep better and you will be saved.
Saturday, 13 December 2008
2008: A Look Back, The Year In Review, Year-End Wrap Up...
I realize the year is not over, but it's close enough for me. I don't think I'll be hearing any new music in the next 2 1/2 weeks. Maybe! But I doubt it. So, here's my lists and such.
Top 20 Best Albums:
1. Marnie Stern - This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That
I couldn't stop listening to this album. It's a bunch of weird things put together that somehow work. Insane overdubbed vocals, motivational lyrics, SHRED, furious drums, and excellent, disjointed songwriting somehow made this album this best thing ever.
2. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
I also could not stop listening to this album. When I first heard CC, I dismissed it as lame, video game music. After a while, I noticed the complexity and craftsmanship that went into it. It's not just video game sounds, there are actual songs and a lot of punk attitude and sass.
3. Boris - Smile
This may be the most inconsistent Boris album, but that's probably why I love it so much. All their different styles, noise, drone, rock-n-roll, experimental, krautrock, and even shoegaze, appear somewhere on this album, making diverse, but still distinctly Boris.
4. Titus Andronicus - The Airing Of Grievances
ROCK.
5. Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
Noisy, droney, hypnotic and addictive is how I'd describe this record. It's abrasive, yet beautiful. It's the kind of album designed for a stereo and best listened to without any distractions.
6. Ellen Allien - Sool
A huge departure for Ellen Allien, but an exciting new direction. I don't know if I'd call this her best album, but it is great.
7. Black Mountain - In The Future
This was a real surprise. At first, it just seemed to be a derivative, 70s rocknroll/psych retread. And it kind of is. But the songs are interesting and memorable. They have two vocalists, both of whom are distinct and add something different. The guitar tones are lovely and the riffs are effective.
8. Enslaved - Vertebrae
This rules. I've liked pretty much any Enslaved tracks I've heard over the years and this is the first proper Enslaved album I've heard. It's just amazing proggy, black-ish metal. It's like a much more interesting and just plain better version of Opeth.
9. Basic Channel - BCD-2
Best album to dance to of 2008. It's minimal, but pounding techno with 10+ minute tracks that get stuck in your head right away.
10. Indian - Slights And Abuse/The Sycophant
Amped up doom metal with savage vocals. Perfect for the stereo.
11. the Magnetic Fields - Distortion
So many good songs, plenty of biting humor and guitars turned up to 11: a winning combination.
12. Juana Molina - Un Día
I don't know what to say about this album, other than that it's wonderful. I can't find the right words to describe it or even a genre that accurately suits it.
13. Gigan - The Order Of The False Eye
This is the best death psych-inflected death metal album Dillinger Escape Plan never made. I really can't stand Dillinger post-Irony Is A Dead Scene, so it's good to hear the tech-metal style continuing and still being innovative.
14. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
One of the most surprising albums of the year. It's beautiful and relaxing, but full of force and strength. It's mind-bending, but danceable.
15. Intronaut - Prehistoricisms
Another surprise. I liked Intronaut a lot on the strength of The Challenger EP and eagerly awaited a new full-length. I couldn't believe how proggy this album is and how much awesome bass work is present. I mostly expected it to be a relatively good Neu-Isis/Metalgaze record.
16. Matmos - Supreme Balloon
I love Matmos. Doing an all-synth album sounded a bit too restrictive to me, but they managed to make something completely out-there, with each track sounding totally different (and incredibly Kraftwerk-ian).
17. Portishead - Third
Portishead's comeback is a resounding success. The songwriting is stronger than ever and the sampling is refreshing and modern.
18. Origin - Antithesis
Absolutely brutal technical death metal, no surprise that I like it. But Origin knows how to write a song and these dudes really brought their A-game to this record. I now want to buy their older albums...
19. Roots Manuva - Slime & Reason
I can't get these songs out of my head. At first, I thought it was a bit gimmicky and one-note, but it's got a lot more heft and innovation than it initially lets on. Roots is a fabulous emcee and his beats incorporate reggae and electro.
20. Cynic - Traced In Air
Cynic is back and kickin'. The disparate elements that make up Cynic's sound are better incorporated on this album than on Focus (I'm not sure that it's necessarily better, only time will tell). I'm glad that Cynic didn't botch (or Botch) this one. I was afraid it might not have the artistic merit of Focus and would be a sell-out album (not that that could be good also), but my fears were in vain.
Honorable Mentions:
These are some enjoyable albums that I didn't think were great per se, but still worth my time in some way. Some were very close to making the top 20, but there was something else better.
AIDS Wolf - Cities Of Glass
Bison B.C. - Quiet Earth
Black Spade - To Serve With Love
Blink - The Epidemic Of Ideas
the Breeders - Mountain Battles
the Bug - London Zoo
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Cosmologic - Eyes In The Back Of My Head
Cult Of Luna - Eternal Kingdom
Dismember - Untitled
Dub Trio - Another Sound Is Dying
Dungen - 4
Eagle Nebula - Cosmic Headphones
Experimental Dental School - Jane Doe Loves Me
Fujiya & Miyagi - Lightbulbs
Jucifer - L'Autrichienne
Gong Linna - Chinese Folksongs
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
Maus Haus - Lark Marvels
Meshuggah - ObZen
the Microscopic Septet - Lobster Leaps In
Murs - Murs For President
Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 2
Hossam Ramzy - Sabla Tolo III
Saviours - Into Abaddon
Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
Squarepusher - Just A Souvenir
Jessica Williams - Songs For A New Century
Withered - Folie Circulaire
EPs:
the Bad Hand - In This Line Wish You Happiness,
Starting Teeth - I Continue In The Nude
Talk Normal - Secret Cog
Haven't Heard, But Wanted To:
I didn't have the time or the money to check out these albums, unfortunately.
5ive - Hesperus
Autechre - Quaristice
Capricorns - River, Bear Your Bones
Clark - Turning Dragon
Coffins - Buried Death
Grails - Doomsdayer's Holiday
Harvey Milk - Life... The Best Game In Town
Hennes Siste Høst - Host
Kasai Allstars - 17 In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic
Krallice - Krallice
Mamiffer - Hirror Enniffer
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
the Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
Ocrilim - ANNWN
She & Him - Volume 1
Stereolab - Chemical Chords
Syclops - I've Got My Eyes On You
There's probably some others
Worst/Biggest Disappointments:
In no order...
1. Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skill
What is this? Earth? WHAT? This isn't drone or metal at all. My expectations were all wrong for this album and frankly, it just isn't very interesting music at all. What happened, Earth?
2. Made Out Of Babies - The Ruiner
I can't stand Julie Christmas. She's awful. Her singing is just garbage, it doesn't have any feeling. It's like she's just trying to be weird for no real reason.
3. Disfear - Live The Storm
Wow, why is this crap even getting any praise? It's been done and better. There's nothing new or particularly invigorating here. Tomas Lindberg doesn't make an album suddenly good. All the songs sound the same to the point that listening to this album is tedious.
4. Gojira - The Way Of All Flesh
I really wanted to like this album, but I can't connect with it or even just enjoy the sounds. It's like a big mess of polished, overproduced, pristine nothingness. The lack of humanity makes it hard to care about. They band has some serious chops, sure, but where's the heart?
5. the Kills - Midnight Boom
This is crap. Some songs are OK, but what happened to the blues? Why is this band suddenly a crappy, boring indie-pop group? I know, I know, bands change, blah, blah, but this was a horrible change. This band used to actually be interesting and have some substence.
No best songs list, it would take waaaaaaay to much time to compile, even if I only did singles. I guess my playlists in the past would sort of be like best song lists. So look at them.
Top 20 Best Albums:
1. Marnie Stern - This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That
I couldn't stop listening to this album. It's a bunch of weird things put together that somehow work. Insane overdubbed vocals, motivational lyrics, SHRED, furious drums, and excellent, disjointed songwriting somehow made this album this best thing ever.
2. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
I also could not stop listening to this album. When I first heard CC, I dismissed it as lame, video game music. After a while, I noticed the complexity and craftsmanship that went into it. It's not just video game sounds, there are actual songs and a lot of punk attitude and sass.
3. Boris - Smile
This may be the most inconsistent Boris album, but that's probably why I love it so much. All their different styles, noise, drone, rock-n-roll, experimental, krautrock, and even shoegaze, appear somewhere on this album, making diverse, but still distinctly Boris.
4. Titus Andronicus - The Airing Of Grievances
ROCK.
5. Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
Noisy, droney, hypnotic and addictive is how I'd describe this record. It's abrasive, yet beautiful. It's the kind of album designed for a stereo and best listened to without any distractions.
6. Ellen Allien - Sool
A huge departure for Ellen Allien, but an exciting new direction. I don't know if I'd call this her best album, but it is great.
7. Black Mountain - In The Future
This was a real surprise. At first, it just seemed to be a derivative, 70s rocknroll/psych retread. And it kind of is. But the songs are interesting and memorable. They have two vocalists, both of whom are distinct and add something different. The guitar tones are lovely and the riffs are effective.
8. Enslaved - Vertebrae
This rules. I've liked pretty much any Enslaved tracks I've heard over the years and this is the first proper Enslaved album I've heard. It's just amazing proggy, black-ish metal. It's like a much more interesting and just plain better version of Opeth.
9. Basic Channel - BCD-2
Best album to dance to of 2008. It's minimal, but pounding techno with 10+ minute tracks that get stuck in your head right away.
10. Indian - Slights And Abuse/The Sycophant
Amped up doom metal with savage vocals. Perfect for the stereo.
11. the Magnetic Fields - Distortion
So many good songs, plenty of biting humor and guitars turned up to 11: a winning combination.
12. Juana Molina - Un Día
I don't know what to say about this album, other than that it's wonderful. I can't find the right words to describe it or even a genre that accurately suits it.
13. Gigan - The Order Of The False Eye
This is the best death psych-inflected death metal album Dillinger Escape Plan never made. I really can't stand Dillinger post-Irony Is A Dead Scene, so it's good to hear the tech-metal style continuing and still being innovative.
14. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
One of the most surprising albums of the year. It's beautiful and relaxing, but full of force and strength. It's mind-bending, but danceable.
15. Intronaut - Prehistoricisms
Another surprise. I liked Intronaut a lot on the strength of The Challenger EP and eagerly awaited a new full-length. I couldn't believe how proggy this album is and how much awesome bass work is present. I mostly expected it to be a relatively good Neu-Isis/Metalgaze record.
16. Matmos - Supreme Balloon
I love Matmos. Doing an all-synth album sounded a bit too restrictive to me, but they managed to make something completely out-there, with each track sounding totally different (and incredibly Kraftwerk-ian).
17. Portishead - Third
Portishead's comeback is a resounding success. The songwriting is stronger than ever and the sampling is refreshing and modern.
18. Origin - Antithesis
Absolutely brutal technical death metal, no surprise that I like it. But Origin knows how to write a song and these dudes really brought their A-game to this record. I now want to buy their older albums...
19. Roots Manuva - Slime & Reason
I can't get these songs out of my head. At first, I thought it was a bit gimmicky and one-note, but it's got a lot more heft and innovation than it initially lets on. Roots is a fabulous emcee and his beats incorporate reggae and electro.
20. Cynic - Traced In Air
Cynic is back and kickin'. The disparate elements that make up Cynic's sound are better incorporated on this album than on Focus (I'm not sure that it's necessarily better, only time will tell). I'm glad that Cynic didn't botch (or Botch) this one. I was afraid it might not have the artistic merit of Focus and would be a sell-out album (not that that could be good also), but my fears were in vain.
Honorable Mentions:
These are some enjoyable albums that I didn't think were great per se, but still worth my time in some way. Some were very close to making the top 20, but there was something else better.
AIDS Wolf - Cities Of Glass
Bison B.C. - Quiet Earth
Black Spade - To Serve With Love
Blink - The Epidemic Of Ideas
the Breeders - Mountain Battles
the Bug - London Zoo
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Cosmologic - Eyes In The Back Of My Head
Cult Of Luna - Eternal Kingdom
Dismember - Untitled
Dub Trio - Another Sound Is Dying
Dungen - 4
Eagle Nebula - Cosmic Headphones
Experimental Dental School - Jane Doe Loves Me
Fujiya & Miyagi - Lightbulbs
Jucifer - L'Autrichienne
Gong Linna - Chinese Folksongs
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
Maus Haus - Lark Marvels
Meshuggah - ObZen
the Microscopic Septet - Lobster Leaps In
Murs - Murs For President
Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 2
Hossam Ramzy - Sabla Tolo III
Saviours - Into Abaddon
Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
Squarepusher - Just A Souvenir
Jessica Williams - Songs For A New Century
Withered - Folie Circulaire
EPs:
the Bad Hand - In This Line Wish You Happiness,
Starting Teeth - I Continue In The Nude
Talk Normal - Secret Cog
Haven't Heard, But Wanted To:
I didn't have the time or the money to check out these albums, unfortunately.
5ive - Hesperus
Autechre - Quaristice
Capricorns - River, Bear Your Bones
Clark - Turning Dragon
Coffins - Buried Death
Grails - Doomsdayer's Holiday
Harvey Milk - Life... The Best Game In Town
Hennes Siste Høst - Host
Kasai Allstars - 17 In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic
Krallice - Krallice
Mamiffer - Hirror Enniffer
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
the Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
Ocrilim - ANNWN
She & Him - Volume 1
Stereolab - Chemical Chords
Syclops - I've Got My Eyes On You
There's probably some others
Worst/Biggest Disappointments:
In no order...
1. Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skill
What is this? Earth? WHAT? This isn't drone or metal at all. My expectations were all wrong for this album and frankly, it just isn't very interesting music at all. What happened, Earth?
2. Made Out Of Babies - The Ruiner
I can't stand Julie Christmas. She's awful. Her singing is just garbage, it doesn't have any feeling. It's like she's just trying to be weird for no real reason.
3. Disfear - Live The Storm
Wow, why is this crap even getting any praise? It's been done and better. There's nothing new or particularly invigorating here. Tomas Lindberg doesn't make an album suddenly good. All the songs sound the same to the point that listening to this album is tedious.
4. Gojira - The Way Of All Flesh
I really wanted to like this album, but I can't connect with it or even just enjoy the sounds. It's like a big mess of polished, overproduced, pristine nothingness. The lack of humanity makes it hard to care about. They band has some serious chops, sure, but where's the heart?
5. the Kills - Midnight Boom
This is crap. Some songs are OK, but what happened to the blues? Why is this band suddenly a crappy, boring indie-pop group? I know, I know, bands change, blah, blah, but this was a horrible change. This band used to actually be interesting and have some substence.
No best songs list, it would take waaaaaaay to much time to compile, even if I only did singles. I guess my playlists in the past would sort of be like best song lists. So look at them.
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