ashley thinks about music

not very serious, just talking to myself

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

Swan Dive part 3: 1987-1990

Children of God - Really dug this one, they took all the interesting/weird parts of Holy Money, and made an album out of it, to great success.

Love Will Tear Us Apart - The step towards their brief “pop era”. I like it, all three versions of the track and the acoustic Children of God tracks. Not what I listen to swans for, but I gladly take it in.

Feel Good Now - This one was alright, the first live recording I’ve enjoyed all the way through, for the most part. For the releases with different CD and vinyl tracklists, I planned on only listening to the CD order, as I’ve heard that Gira prefers CD, so that’s the definitive version to me. But for this I listened to both orders, since it was originally released on vinyl and switched up later for CD. Overall I prefer the CD order, but I do prefer the vinyl opening with “New Mind” and closing with “Blind Love”, rather than opening with “Blind Love”.

Skin - Blood, Women, Roses - This one is simply just neat to me. I can’t imagine revisiting it a ton, but I love to hear so much of Jarboe so up front.

Skin - Shame, Humility, Revenge - I really loved this album, the textures and arrangements are great, and perfectly compliments the core songs, and Gira’s voice.

The Burning World - The infamous “pop” album. Honestly, pretty good. Nothing crazy good, but certainly pleasant and worth revisiting.

Anonymous Bodies in an Empty Room - The first album that I enjoyed all the way through, at worst feeling content. Gives a glimpse of what The Burning World could’ve (and should’ve) been.

The World of Skin - Ten Songs for Another World - Didn’t do a whole lot for me, though the second half had some notable moments with “Black Eyed Dog”, “A Parasite and Other Memories”, and “Mystery of Faith”.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

Swan Dive part 2: 1986

This is as far as I got last time I tried to dive into them. I didn’t stop because I didn’t like the music, in fact I loved it. Life just got in the way.

The masters I used for the studio releases are somewhat unique, as the streaming versions of this era mostly use the 1992 remasters, which didn’t remaster every track, edits a few tracks, and uses the same version of Money is Flesh on both records. I found copies of the original 1986 CD versions, and did my best to “remaster” the files to match the 1992 masters. So my copies sound similar to the 1992 masters, but contain all the original edits/mixes released on CD in 1986.

Time Is Money (Bastard) - love this change up. They kept the anger of the Filth/Cop era, but brought back the driving sound of the first EP. My favourite parts of their past material.

Greed - Feeling more like a direct evolution from Cop/Young God, being slow and brooding, this has the major upgrade of being interesting. Each song feels more distinct, with a lot more sonic and tonal variety.

Holy Money - I prefer this release over Greed. Not just that it has songs that I like more, but I think it does the sequencing better, even more tonal push and pull. “You Need Me”, sung by Jarboe, is a highlight in that respect, along with being a great debut lead vocal. Also the album has “A Screw (Holy Money)”, enough said.

A Screw - Yay! More “A Screw”! And also “Blackmail” is one of my favourite Swans songs so far.

Public Castration Is a Good Idea - Feels like a bit of a step back with the haunting slow style. It’s not terrible, but a bit draining by the end of it, and not in a way that I’d hope it’d drain me. Turning the volume up higher than I usually have it did help the experience though.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Live at Barracuda (Rubber Duck Bootlegger)

A wonderfully chaotic King Gizzard show. This album, released on the Fuzz Club records imprint Rubber Duck, is the same show that’s officially released as Live At Levitation '16, though with a wonderful Coca Cola style sleeve, inspired by a Jimi Hendrix bootleg. This version’s titling is technically more accurate, as the 2016 Levitation festival was cancelled due to poor weather. Thankfully, many artists, including King Gizzard, scrambled to book last minute shows at local venues. This comes through pretty clearly with the band’s awkward troubleshooting with the sound guy, and general technical issues. It certainly does not make this show any less fun, and makes it a worthwhile listen, even compared to the similar official live album Live In San Francisco '16. The fun inclusion of “Cut Throat Boogie” also helps with differentiating the two shows.

This copy in my library is quite redundant actually, since I already had the semi-official Live at Levitation, from Levitation’s own Reverberation Appreciation Society label. That release includes both the 2014 Austin Psych Fest show, and the 2016 show on this album, sans the Mind Fuzz suite (presumably to cut for time, and to have no repeated tracks). Having a version of this show with the Mind Fuzz suite is nice, though I’ll have to compare the audio quality when I get to the Levitation edition of this set. The main reason I got this release was for the very cool sleeve, designed to imitate the Enjoy Jimi Hendrix bootleg, which it does very well. My copy arrived somewhat beat up, but I think that almost adds to the aesthetic of the release…

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us 2LP

One of, if not my absolutely, favourite albums of last year. Just a great album front to back, amazing production and amazing songwriting. It deserves all the praise it gets. Another one that took way too long to find, and I’m happy the version I found was the indie store alternate cover, it’s a very cool pic.

Unfortunately the vinyl doesn’t sound as good as I’d hoped. When the band were talking about it and their decision to make it a 2LP, they talked about it as if it’d be almost mind blowing. But really, it’s just fine, good in fact, and it’s got almost no pops or clicks. Just underwhelmed. It was also definitely the right choice to release it as a 2LP instead of cramming it into 1.

I do like the rest of the package, the gatefold pic is really neat, and the simple black on white typography of the liner notes and centre labels. It’s also an album where black vinyl really suits the aesthetic.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

Here’s my January vinyl ranking. I rank each record by:

- Music - how much I enjoy the music, regardless of format I'm listening to

- Audio - how good the record sounds, both the music itself and any scratches or whatever

- Pressing - how much I like the vinyl colour. I do consider how well black matches the album's vibe, not just as a neutral colour

- Sleeve - how cool the sleeve (or any other extras) are. also taking into account any damage to the sleeve

- Attachment - how willing I'd be to give up this specific copy. Gifts, long sought after and generally ones I like will rank higher here

I’ll probably tweak all these numbers as I rank more releases, as I rank them in relation to each other

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

The Smile - Europe: Live Recordings 2022 EP

The Smile are a band that really shines live, and I’m glad they released such a great sounding live EP to show that off. Great choices on this EP, especially “Thin Thing” and “Free in the Knowledge”. “FeelingPulledApartByHorses” sounds great here too, very happy that there’s a properly mixed recording of the Smile version of this song. This is seriously one of the best sounding records I own, the only thing bringing down the physical release is the slightly flimsy sleeve.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Teenage Gizzard (Zenith Records Bootlegger) LP

I quite enjoy this compilation. The carefree fun attitude of this early incarnation of the band is infectious. Complexity, skill or concept is the furthest thing in the mind of these teenagers, to great effect. This specific bootleg is on a lovely clear emerald coloured record, and honestly sounds amazing, even if the music itself is very lo-fi. It just sounds so good, as good as the digital masters.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

King Crimson - Red LP

Great sounding record. This is the original mix, and it’s both punchy and crisp. I’ve been considering replacing it with the Steven Wilson mix, but I’ve been on the fence on that for a while. The music itself is a classic, there’s a million other reviews that can sum it up better than I could, so I won’t try here. The package isn’t too interesting aside from the audio quality, it’s just totally fine. But the vinyl really is amazing sounding. This is actually my second copy, as my first copy’s disc was fully glued to the inside of the anti static sleeve it comes in.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

As a side note, my dog found the sounds in Providence, especially the violin, very strange, lots and lots of head tilting all the way through.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

King Crimson - Red LP

Great sounding record. This is the original mix, and it’s both punchy and crisp. I’ve been considering replacing it with the Steven Wilson mix, but I’ve been on the fence on that for a while. The music itself is a classic, there’s a million other reviews that can sum it up better than I could, so I won’t try here. The package isn’t too interesting aside from the audio quality, it’s just totally fine. But the vinyl really is amazing sounding. This is actually my second copy, as my first copy’s disc was fully glued to the inside of the anti static sleeve it comes in.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

I’ve also been starting a Swans deep dive. Might do a little thoughts update roughly every era

Swans EP - I love this strange little EP. I love how driving it is all the way through, and its general eeriness, and how both these elements enhance how disconcerting the lyrics are.

Filth - I liked this less than the EP, but overall I enjoyed it. The dark sludgy sound also works so well with Gira’s lyrics, just in a different way to the EP that I personally like less.

Cop - Didn’t like this one. Felt like Filth but slower and boring. Not much thoughts. I do want to revisit it though, I think it just needs to marinate in my mind.

Young God - Basically the same thoughts as above. I did like this marginally more, and not just because it was shorter, I just think these songs did the thing Cop did more effectively.

Body to Body, Job to Job - my favourite release of the era. I think that even though it’s much longer than the proper album releases, the variance in tone track to track really elevated the experience. I think that’s my biggest issue with this era, each record might have a good sound, but it’s all pretty uniform. Maybe I should just put the whole 1982-1985 era on shuffle for a bit…

Live Recordings 1982-4 - Not an actual album, but the bonus live recordings scattered throughout the Filth deluxe edition. I listened to each set individually, after the releases they’re attached to on the Filth deluxe CDs. But even giving each 20 min set some space between listening sessions, they’ve all kinda blended together in my head. Based off my favourites in Apple Music, I did seem to like the more recent sets than the first ones from 1982. I’d say these are neither terrible, nor great. Just an extra layer to add to my conception of the band as I move through their discography.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

Pond - 9 DLX 2LP

I’d been looking for this album for a good price for ages, and eventually found it on the Rough Trade when making another order. Adding it to that order ended up being cheaper than buying the standard edition from JB Hi-Fi here in Australia. My troubles didn’t end though, it took a whole month for it to leave New York, and made an unusual stop in Japan before finally reaching Australia.

Anyway, onto the music. This is by far my favourite Pond album, specially the deluxe edition. Just catchy all the way through, and their best incorporation of dance to their sound. I’ve also been a bit turned off by their slower songs, but even those work for me here. I’m glad I got this deluxe edition too, “Hang A Cross On Me” is my favourite track from them of all time, and I can’t believe it was saved for the deluxe edition. I’ll also say, I do like how the bonus tracks really feel like an extension to the album, not just an addendum.

As for the physical copy itself, the metallic sleeve looks super cool, though the crease in the gatefold looks a bit messy, but not a dealbreaker. The metallic silver vinyl looks awesome too, very fitting with the rest of the packaging. I’m glad more manufacturers are learning that the like, thin wispy metallic in clear vinyl looks much more metallic than just glitter solid colours. Sound wise it’s fine. Gets the music out, but it doesn’t really shine as much as I’d like it to.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

Thee Oh Sees - Dog Poison LP

Perhaps the most underrated Oh Sees album, it had mostly escaped my mind, until I was on a road trip with this as one of the few albums I had downloaded, so I got to absorb it many times over while doing not much else. It’s full of fun and inventive songwriting and production, all drenched in low quality mp3 crunch. The vinyl is surprisingly good sounding for how scuffed the source audio is (insert comment about the “warmth” here).

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

Nine Inch Nails - Not The Actual Events LP

The EP trilogy is the era of Nine Inch Nails I was first properly introduced to, so of course it’s my favourite era. Not The Actual Events is probably the release I listen to the least, but when I do, I’m always pleasantly surprised by its quality. Though it has its ups and downs in energy, it’s peak “creepy textural NIN”, like The Downward Spiral from an emptier, post apocalyptic world. The side B of the album also reversed versions of “Hurt”, “The Downward Spiral” and “Reptile”, all from The Downward Spiral.

This was the last in the trilogy I got my hands on. I hadn’t been able to find it here in Australia, and anywhere online had insane shipping prices. But when I visited America in 2022, it was one of the handful of records I’d been searching for that I found at this really cool store called Criminal Records in Atlanta. The vinyl itself sounds great, as most Nine Inch Nails albums do. The sleeve is a matte textured cardboard instead of your regular glossy stuff, which really suits this album too.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity (Deluxe Edition) 2LP

I honestly don’t have a ton to say about this album. Not that I don’t love it, I really do, I kinda just think it speaks for itself. Is great, wild, crunchy a little camp and a lot of fun. I love this edition too, along with the gatefold that all copies have, the gold lettering on the cover is gold embossed, and both discs are unique from each other, and incredibly cool and incredibly fitting for the album’s vibes and visuals.

Speaking of multiple discs, this edition also has an extra disc of demos. Most are previously released on King Gizzard’s various Demos compilations, but it’s still an interesting listen. Especially since most of the demos are songs that didn’t end up on Nonagon Infinity, it gives you a taste of how Murder Of The Universe, Gumboot Soup and possibly even Flying Microtonal Banana had their origins in this album.

Oh yeah, and the vinyl sounds like shit, but that’s kinda just how Nonagon Infinity sounds like, so I guess bonus points for enhancing the experience?

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

Thee Oh Sees / Total Control split EP

Splitting my thoughts as the EP is split:

Thee Oh Sees - I don’t know much about these tracks. They seem to be possibly live in studio re-recordings of tracks found on John Dwyer’s semi-solo albums Dog Poison and Castlemania. As they’re recorded with the full band, they’re well worth checking out, even if you’re familiar with the originals, they’re all totally reinvented. They’re worth checking out anyway, even if you haven’t heard the originals.

Total Control - I know even less about this side. I really only know them from this EP. But I’m glad they’re on it, they’re equally as cool as Thee Oh Sees here. They jump between more straightforward punk, and very intense post-punk/rock. It almost gives you the full album experience in only 8 minutes.

I really like the pressing I have, the half and half crystal clear/yellow split vinyl, it matches the cover arts for each band perfectly, and otherwise just looks cool. Unfortunately for parts of The Oh Sees’ side, there’s audible clicks on the split seems, but it’s easy to ignore for most of time. I really love how all the packaging makes it feel like it’s 2 EPs on equal parts, with their own liner notes and designs. Even the sleeve it came with has hype stickers on both sides.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

LCD Soundsystem - london sessions 2LP

I don’t even remember buying this, it’s just been in my collection for so long. I do love all their albums, but I found and fell in love with them from live performances, so it makes sense that I went for the album that’s both live, and a sort of greatest hits record. Really though, the version of “us v them” was more than enough to make it worthwhile.

While the performances are great and well recorded, the master is a little constrained feeling. Just a little more muffled and muddy than I’d like from LCD Soundsystem.

[ashleythinksaboutmusic]

Thee Oh Sees - Floating Coffin LP

I’ll also be using that spin the wheel website to randomly select albums if I’m not itching for any album in particular. First offering is Floating Coffin, the last of Thee Oh Sees’ “classic lineup”, with Petey Dammit!, Mike Shoun, Brigid Dawson and John Dwyer + live member Lars Finberg. It really feels like the culmination of all this band’s sounds, heavy riffs, off kilter songwriting, JPD’s entire vocal range, it’s a great starting point for the band’s run from 2008-2013. To me, it also hints a little towards what the current lineup would do, it’s like 10% more progressive than anything they’d done before. It’s been too long since I’ve dived into this album, it grows on me every time I listen.

My copy is the Newbury Comics red blob in clear vinyl with white splatter edition, an incredibly cool looking pressing. The only downside is it’s slightly warped, but I can’t hear any distortion from it. Speaking of sound, it’s a pretty good LP. The album is pretty mid-fi, so you’re not gonna get anything crazy out of it, and the high end roll off that vinyl has takes away any harshness that the digital master has, which suits this album really well. And that roll off certainly doesn’t take the oomph that the heavier tracks have.