hello vonnie
we're not kids anymore.
blake kathryn
will byers stan first human second
gracie abrams
trying on a metaphor
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
Noah Kahan
★
@theartofmadeline
titsay
KIROKAZE
roma★
cherry valley forever
shark vs the universe
almost home
Today's Document
JVL
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
taylor price
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@ragtagreviews
11 posts in my drafts waiting for some words. Artists include Heems, Modest Mouse, Purity Ring, Kendrick Lamar, Sufjan Stevens, Leviathan, Ghostface and BBNG, Lupe Fiasco, Father John Misty, Mount Eerie, Vietcong, and Panda Bear. I have listened to almost all of these at least once. I have a lot of notes on these and I will soon wrap them up.
The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World
The Decemberists are back with a new full length release, What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World. I am going to start by saying that I actually liked their previous release from 2011, The King is Dead. Since that release they have put out a couple EPs and a live album, but no major release. I thought that with the nice atmosphere and pleasant songwriting achieved in The King is Dead, it could only get better in the four years between releases. I had pretty high hopes for this album. I have never been a huge fan of this band, but I have always given them a chance. I was extremely let down by this album in a way that I didn't think possible.
To start off the album is too self-aware. The first track, "The Singer Addresses His Audience," is a narrative from Colin Meloy to the listener. He states that the band had to change to more suit the audience. This bothers me because I liked the sound on their last release. They didn't need to change at all. It seems to me that they needed to change for their label, Capitol Records. More and more, mainstream folk bands are starting to pander their music to the audience to make it more digestible when they hear it on the radio. I said aloud when listening to this record, "Did the writers of Portlandia write this album?"
It seems to me that the album was trying to make a different statement, They even wrote a song on the album called "Anti-summersong." On the contrary, this song and this whole album seems like diluted waste meant to escape the car speakers of people in their late teens who love "indie" music.
In conclusion, the Decemberists are better than this. The albums builds no atmosphere, progresses the sound of the band in any way, was too self-aware, and tried embarrassingly hard to be quirky. I was very disappointed.
(And yes I know the Decemberists have been featured several times in Portlandia)
1.5/5
What would your review be for The Head and the Heart's self-titled album?
I used to be super into it. I love the harmony work, I love the way that the songs flow into each other, and I loved singing along while I listened. The only thing that I disliked about this album was how long it stuck with the listener. At least for me, I loved it for a little while, but I have basically completely forgotten about it since. It is kind of a one and one record, it doesn't do a lot to challenge the listener. It is more of just a straight up pop folk album. Worth a listen, or maybe even a couple, but that's it.
3/5
Listening to “Moonlit Roads” hoping we don’t get snowed in
Working on reviews for the new Decemberists and Chief Keef releases. Neither will be positive. Sorry
Top five album openers
What I want in an album opener is to give you a good idea of what you are in for. That being said, if the opening track doesn’t frame the album or start to build an atmosphere, the album isn’t usually a favorite of mine. These are not in any order, and I might think of better choices later, but here goes
1. Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union (The Monitor)
It starts with a quote you’ll know by heart after a few weeks with the album. You might learn some other quotes that are sampled on the album by heart, but this one just feels good to say. Perfect intro to the album. Nods to Spingsteen (“Tramps like us, baby we were born to die”), and groovy melodies start this album off perfectly.
2. Deafheaven - Dream House (Sunbather)
If you have heard the song and you like the band, I can’t tell you anything you don’t know. It’s a long one, but it feels too short. For a long time this was my favorite song on the record. The lyrics give you an idea of what to expect for the rest of the album, and the other tracks seem to musically follow this as well. Masterfully done.
3. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy (Black Sheep Boy)
This is a short one. This song acts as a sort of intro to the album ass opposed to the first actual song. I am usually not a fan of this, in fact I think it is a cop out a lot of the time. Most bands can’t seem to make a short intro to the album actually give you an idea of what you’ll get for the rest of your time. Not in this case, however. Lyrically, it describes what you’ll hear for the length of the almost 50 minutes. Not only that, it introduces the theme of the album — the feeling of being a “Black Sheep Boy.”
4. Gregory Alan Isakov - Dandelion Wine (This Empty Northern Hemisphere)
Everything about this song makes me feel good. I will also go on record and tell you that this is an album I claim is perfect. Every song is necessary, and beautifully put together. Even the flow of the tracks is perfect. This song being the absolute place to start. The entire mood of the album is spelled out in this fairly short starter. Unbelievable that he was able to start such an album the way he did.
5. Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed (Within and Without)
I have rambled to my friends so many times about this song. Not even the song, this album. While, unlike the previous answer, I don’t think this album is perfect, I do think it has a perfect opener and a perfect closer. I can tell you exactly the situation in which you should be in when you listen to this song. I can tell you what the weather should be like. I can tell you where you should be seated. I can tell you quite a bit, but I don’t find that I need to. This song does that for you. Whatever it may be, your response will be correct.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Radiohead - Everything In It’s Right Place (Kid A)Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels (Run the Jewels)River City Extension - Friends and Family (The Unmistakable Man)FIDLAR - Cheap Beer (FIDLAR)Godspeed You! Black Emperor - The Dead Flag Blues (F#A#OO)Danny Brown - XXX (XXX)Bon Iver - Perth (Bon Iver)Swans - Lunacy (The Seer)Opeth - The Moor (Still Life)Death Grips - Beware (Exmilitary)
Share some of your favorites with me!
I have been a big lazy mess with this. At least I feel bad about it though. Gonna do some things the next few days to stay active. Some reviews, some other things.
Quick chart
Grabbed the Topsters chart used on /mu/ to make a new top 50 albums. It's hard to nail down as these change so quickly, but here is a current one.
How Do You Break Into Music Journalism?
(Basically: Don’t wait to do the thing. Especially don’t wait to be asked to do the thing. Do the thing.)
Deafheaven - Sunbather
This is one of my favorite albums. If you were expecting a critical review, this isn't it. I have but one bad thing to say about this album, and I'll save it until the very end. This album is a masterpiece and though many think that it is overrated, I disagree.
From start to finish, this album captures an environment and a mood that I had before not been able to. But then again, that's what a lot of music attempts to do, isn't it? Even more so with these two genres that Deafheaven so beautifully weave together. Black metal and shoegaze work to build an environment for you both lyrically and sonically. This environment is what you exist in through the duration of the album. And if it comes with enough emotion attached to it, it lasts even after you are finished listening. I think that Sunbather does this in a way that has been hard to top since I first heard it. I was sold very early into this album.
Though it is only seven tracks long, it comes in at just under an hour in length. It consists of four tracks that are very rich in lyrics and tones, which I refer to as the "main tracks". The other three place themselves in between these "main tracks" and act as musical interludes that help not only to transition you from one track to the next, but also to reflect on what you have just heard. This is a great format, if done correctly. I have listened to albums that do things similar to this, but they have not been as successful.
At this point I feel as though I need to point out that I am not by any means a black metal purist. I feel that the need for exploration and experimentation within and outside of the genre are important rather than doing our very best to stay KVLT to the core. Don't get me wrong, trve kvlt black metal is wonderful, but a closed-mind is the worst kind of mind. I love experimentation in music and I love when bands try something new. Nobody can ever be faulted for doing that, and they shouldn't be. That said, this album is a huge step forward for black metal.
The lush atmosphere that this album paints as well as the beautiful lyricism make this a perfect album for me. It has everything that I was in a black metal album; perfect vocal delivery, amazing riff work, and an overarching feeling of dread. It also has everything they I would want in a shoegaze album, which is amazing lead sections, great guitar and vocal effects, and an atmosphere so thick you can taste it. Plus the album art is magnificent.
No album has ever been able to do what this has done for me. I owe a lot of my own creativity to the creativity of others. Without seeing the ways in which a band can grow and experiment, I couldn't do the same for myself. I have so much more to say about this record, but I am doing my best to keep this concise. I needed this album and I still do.
(I just hate the they end this masterpiece with a fade-out)
Unwavering 5/5
Full of Hell & Merzbow - Full of Hell & Merzbow
Normally, if I see "& Merzbow" I jump at the chance as quickly as I can. I am a Merzbow fan and his album he did with Sunn O))) is actually my favorite Sunn record. So needless to say, I was very excited to listen to this album. My only problem was, his parts on this album were very subtle for the most part. On other albums he gets featured on, he plays a fairly big role. Sunn O))) and Merbow they split the album in half. Boris and Merzbow, he was front row the entire time. I guess I just set my sights a little too high. But enough of that, onto the album.
I love grind. I always have. It's quick and to the point, no bullshit. This album is no exception, no bullshit. You may not know from the delivery, but this album has great lyrics. The first three tracks have lyrics written as if the band just took poetry and turned them into songs. I really love the AA BB rhyme scheme that they used. The lyrics paint a very grim picture. I relate it to being pulled through mud covered in nails and razor wire. The vocals on their own aren't super impressive here. I think the kind of sound like they could belong to a deathcore band that I wouldn't normally listen to. But coupled with the great lyrics and musicality on this album, they are fantastic. Everything comes together very well.
The album contains several tracks that are longer than the others. What makes these tracks special for me is that these are the tracks that seem to have more Merzbow influence. The ninth track in particular stands apart from the rest. The tribal drums that accompany the interesting narrative sell this track for me. The production is good too! They use an effect that puts the band in the left headphone and Merzbow in the right, creating an unreal juxtaposition. Very well done.
Overall, this album is solid. Definitely worth a listen if you are a fan of either of these artists, or if you love harsh music in general. It also i not a very long listen, as you may expect for this type of music.
4/5
The National’s Matt Beringer dressed like an elf hanging from a Christmas tree. Yup, that happened,
i sing happy songs about being uncomfortable and have a pretty new album out and would like to know what you think. we are called "billy mack collector" ! lemme know where i can send a link yay!
Feel free to send it just like you did this! I'll do my best to listen to it tonight
If you’re in the Kansas City area, come celebrate New Year’s Eve with us and bring in 2015!
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F♯ A♯ ∞
Bleak. The one word that can describe this album, is bleak. In fact, I made it about 6 minutes into the first track of this album during my first listen, and had to take a break because I felt sick. The music I heard scared me. I came back to it a little while later with the knowledge of what I was getting into and had a more pleasant experience.
Though the album is only three tracks long, it lasts more than an hour. In that hour, what you will hear will disturb you but it will make you better for it. It paints a picture of a very bleak future using samples of things from train sounds to the shouting of the homeless on the streets of Canada, the county the band is from. A mixture of these samples, guitar melodies, and spoken word pieces allow for an album that keeps you guessing at every turn.
Since the tracks making up the album are so few in numbers, but so long in run time, you notice less what tracks you like, but more what movements of songs you really like. For example, there is a movement in the first track The Dead Flag Blues that I really love, but my favorite movement is probably in the final track Providence.
This album is hard to hate. Aside from the few people that have just told me that it was boring, the only feedback I have received has been very positive. If you are looking for a place to start with this band, i'd say this is the album for you. Just, go into it with an open mind and be prepared for it to sting a little bit when you get finished.
5/5
The Middle East - I Want That You Are Always Happy
This is one of my favorite albums of all time, but it is by no means a happy album. From the moment it starts, you are floored by the size of it. It seemingly comes out of nowhere. The first song, Black Death 1349, leaves you breathless, and the second, My Grandma Was Pearl Hall, crushes your spirit. It takes a while to come back from that. Even through the upbeat fourth track, Jesus Came to my Birthday Party, you still have feelings of uneasiness and dread. It isn't until after that you get a bit of relief. If only or an instant, Land of the Bloody Unknown allows you to glance at a glimpse of any good feeling. After that, you are left with a couple instrumental tracks followed by songs that speak desperately of longing. The feeling is conveyed so unequivocally that you can't help feel the same.
The biggest part of this album is the actual flow of it. It ends just as it starts. After two upbeat songs, Dan's Silverleaf and Hunger Song, they dump you back down again. The last two tracks are so emotionally driven that if you didn't feel drained of hope before, they sap whatever it left. Ninth Avenue Reverie and Deep Water flow into each other seamlessly and leave you dazed.
To say that this album is a roller coaster of emotion is an understatement. What starts out as a sad album with some slow jams turns into an upbeat, groovy good time halfway through. And just when you think you have it figured it out, they shove you back down without a second thought. This album will always fascinate me and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The only downside to this is that we won't have another release after this one, because the band broke up a few months after it's release. Much like the album, a huge bummer.
5/5
Going to start off with some reviews of albums that I really like, just to get used to actually writing about things again. My main concern is saying too much, I would like the writing to say as much as I can with as little as possible.
