tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73366832699923349732024-02-19T02:45:27.758+00:00Where I Listen...One Man's Trawl Through his Accumulated Music.<br>
A creative project to occupy my mind in quiet moments. A folly. An ambition unlikely to be realised in full.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.comBlogger347125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-10133525100406536422018-05-20T21:09:00.000+01:002018-05-20T21:09:17.743+01:00Contact Note - Jon Hopkins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
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1. Circle<br />
2. Second Sense<br />
3. Contact Note<br />
4. Searchlight<br />
5. Symmetry<br />
6. 100<br />
7. Glasstop<br />
8. Sleepwalker<br />
9. Reprise<br />
10. Nightjar<br />
11. Black and Red<br />
12. Luna Moth<br />
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Running time: 61 minutes<br />
Released: 2004</td></tr>
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OK, so I'm actually excited to give this one a listen. I don't think I've ever really given much time to Contact Note before, but I love Jon Hopkins' work (and am annoyed that my pre-order of the physical release of Singularity hasn't shown up yet; Amazon seem to be losing the plot slightly of late). My challenge to myself is to do this on a weeknight; did I?</div>
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Incidentally, I love the cover of this one. The lighting, the colours and the image all. That said, given the choice of subject I do wonder why the album wasn't named after the final track.<br />
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I did not manage to make this midweek in the end, and I found myself putting in two inserts before it after a couple of new purchases, but it feels like it could be a good album to round off a sunny weekend. Circle has a simple rhythmic loop that is easy to get sucked into whilst Hopkins weaves patterns over it. It feels optimistic, but it loses its way a bit when the structure that did so much to bring me in to the track is swapped out for another, leaving the latter part of the track feeling stale and distant. Its a perfect example of my fickleness I guess; it wasn't a seismic shift or anything, but it was enough for it to lose me.<br />
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I am rather disappointed by the opening to Second Sense too... not only do I not get on with the vocal insertions but it is a little too rhythm-led this time, and those rhythms can't sustain much on their own. It gets better when there's more melody added, or tuned up perhaps.<br />
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I discovered Jon Hopkins not through electronica, but through his production of low-fi Scottish indie peeps. Now Hopkins is well known for his collaboration with King Creosote, but it was his work on And the Racket They Made (from <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2015/12/bombshell-king-creosote.html"><b>Bombshell</b></a>) that really resonated with me, some years before <b>Diamond Mine</b> appeared. There it was his use of space more than anything else, the sparseness, the knowledge of when to dial back and support. I hear the roots of that sparseness here. Sure, there is always <i>something</i> going on, but there are passages when one element or other drops out or reduces to a low level that make you consider what was there, or what might be there.<br />
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I like, too, that Hopkins can take you on a journey, and may be specifically looking to do so if I recall discussion of a later work, <b>Immunity</b>, correctly. There it applied to the whole album, mirroring the structure of a night out, here I apply that more at the single track level.<br />
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I found this <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2018/05/all-that-must-be-george-fitzgerald.html">last night</a>, too; putting thoughts to words to describe music dominated by electronic elements is surprisingly hard. Describing some of the sounds defies words, and you can't fall back on mentioning the instrument part either, because there's nothing there to identify in the same way that more... organic(?) music has. Don't get me wrong, I am not claiming for a second that non-electronic music has any primacy of place or anything like that, just suggesting that it is probably easier to describe.<br />
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There are some very different sounds on this disc, tonally I mean. 100 comes across bright and radio-friendly, almost "pop-y" which is a bit of a tonal jump. It's a good one though, breathing a life into the middle of the disc with its bold central theme. I am surprised to find I've only listened to it 6 times before as it is immediately familiar, the kind of track that could easily become an earworm. Tomorrow, as well as work I am expecting a delivery of English wine (it's getting better, they say...) and a man coming to fix my fence. It'll be nice to gain back a feeling of space in my back garden, especially given the fantastic bright, dry May we seem to have had this year. If I could bottle a day like today and carry it with me... warm but not too warm, bright, blue, full of life.<br />
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Enough whimsy. Except that the music seems to have gone that way, too... all plinky strings and xylophones.<br />
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Personally, I can't help but feel Hopkins is at his best when understated and downtempo. That isn't to say that he can't make some great tunes with more life in, but there are plenty of people who do that really well. Crafting truly engaging tracks that suit less full on moods and moments takes effort. It's easy to get tone in the right ballpark, but few manage to elevate that into something truly enjoyable in the way Jon Hopkins does. I know it's not on this disc, but I remember when I got Immunity and first heard the title track... I was absorbed, smitten. It probably helped that it includes a re-imagining of a King Creosote tune, again, and that it took me far too long to pin down what, so I had to listen to it over and over to confirm that it wasn't just similar to, but actually was the main lyric from Carbon Dating Agent (which I always loved, but since has become one of my all time favourite tracks).<br />
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I seem to be writing about anything except what I am hearing, but this has always been about where my mind goes from the music that I input as much as (or more than) about recording facts about what I hear.<br />
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There is a symmetry of sorts to this album, the first three and last three tracks have similar but reversed patterns of length, and as Nightjar begins it gives the impression that this will take the listener on a journey in the way that Contact Note did. I hope so, anyway because as it starts it is a little caught in between. Not super-sparse and considered, but not really enough going on to draw interest. On cue it opens up into a really nice simple piano, which in turn fades into more rhythm. It's not a high tempo journey, but it's going to some varied places.<br />
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Black and Red stands out as a complete oddity, blindsiding me with a load of found sound, a darker tone and not nearly as much coherence as I have come to expect from this artist to go with the absence of traditional tune, rhythm and structure. There must be a story behind this track - which ends with perhaps the most chilled sound of all of them - because it's so utterly out of place in other respects.<br />
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By ending as it does Black and Red dovetails nicely into the final track, a dreamy and ethereal number that I might appreciate more in another mood, or on another day. And that is all I could think of to write in those final 5 minutes... it must be time to start thinking about sleep and the week to come.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-88665418011110275212018-05-19T22:22:00.001+01:002018-05-19T22:22:41.650+01:00All That Must Be - George Fitzgerald<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br /><br />1. Two Moons Under<br />2. Frieda<br />3. Burns<br />4. Roll Back<br />5. Siren Calls<br />6. Nobody But You (feat. Hudson Scott)<br />7. Outgrown<br />8. Half-Light (Night Version)<br />9. The Echo Forgets<br />10. Passing Trains<br /><br />Running time: 44 minutes<br />Released: 2018</td></tr>
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Another "A" insert here, and this one a real punt as I have no other touchpoint for George Fitzgerald. This was a recommendation when I was buying <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2018/05/all-melody-nils-frahm.html"><b>All Melody</b></a>, and I heard a couple of samples on the storefront, said "sod it" and chucked it into the order. I've not listened to it yet, either. What's it like?</div>
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It opens with some street sounds, but they give way quickly to a synth-led structure creating a crucible like space for a top end that is... really odd. Words fail me, so moving on it garners a videogame soundtrack feel. The strange indescribable sounds aside, it has has something, but perhaps its thrust doesn't really sit well with me for a studied listen.</div>
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Reading up a little as the second track kicks in, it seems that Fitzgerald is much more club focused than I would have thought from this offering. My intersection with dance music is slim, but I have a fair amount of low-key electronica and that's where my head went when I heard the marketing samples, and why I picked it up on a whim. I suppose the fact I'm listening to this after dark on a Saturday means I got the timing right, but I am so uninterested in the club scene, and was similarly so in my youth. However my view of what gets played was skewed by that which made the radio and TV back when that mattered. This doesn't seem to share a lot of DNA with that guff from 20 years back.</div>
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There's more soft sounds, there's less repetitive "banging beats" and more growth within the tune. Crucially there's no paper thin plastic vocal on this either. I can't see how you'd dance to this, it just appeals to me in a more reflective way. But then I couldn't dance to anything, so what do I know?!</div>
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Where there are vocals, they are the weakest part of the compositions. And for all that I am finding the tunes to have some interest, they are also dragging. Roll Back has only just started, none of the three tracks before it are over-long and the whole disc is only 44 minutes but it feels like I have been going a while. So it's fair to say that I'm not falling wildly for it on first exposure. With that said, I'm not bouncing off it either. Any repellent effect that I get from the vocal segments is made up for by an interest in how he's constructed his loops and beats.</div>
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It's the most purely electronic, sci-fi-esque beeps and blips that appeal the most. They carry a familiarity from 10s of game soundtracks over the years, without being that at all. I have a frame of reference for it, even if it is not a reference the artist was consciously calling on (not that I would know). I can picture neon-lit streets of future dystopia, pulsing space-station bars, ship-stealing heist missions and more. I think this is why the vocal sections throw me for a loop; the music of my references rarely contains those elements.</div>
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Perhaps what surprises me the most is the volume level. It's not amped right up, but pitched lower. This allows for some more subtle sounds to be fused into the mix without getting swallowed whole. It's a world away from late nineties and early 2000s radio dance tracks that I recall (perhaps through stereotype-enforcing goggles, to be fair!). </div>
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There are times when it flies closer to those themes, though thus far even the most egregious of them has been mitigated by the general volume level and the low contrast between elements. </div>
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I think Outgrown must have been one of the samples I heard online, there's a keyboard line in there adding a nice bit of melody. It's a little bit swallowed in the hailstorm of electronics and the constant halo of the structural pulses, but it's there as a little beacon of calm, and the overall effect is nice, even if the track is probably a little busier than I would like in an ideal world. This listen is the last act of the day, a day in which I have been productive but felt completely listless away from the moments of key activity. </div>
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There are two tracks to go and having just seen off what I suspect is the weakest offering on the album I am not expecting much from them beyond carrying on the general ambience of the disc. I can't say this is going to jump into regular rotation or become a favourite, but it's also not been an instant rejection either. There are enough soft edges here to make it good for reflection, switch off and relaxation, even when it is at its busiest. In time I might want to cut the more vocal-heavy tracks back, but I think even they deserve at least a second listen.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-49756399353982681562018-05-13T09:39:00.001+01:002018-05-13T09:39:11.560+01:00All Melody - Nils Frahm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9o6OQMbhUIL_xonQY3_rlrjt2-FBSeYAp8aIwZsax2gOdrEt9S3zF4VT2tjXMmAIztE3iUAVGhAHaldNdGmGuj570jBZ6Z6BDBpu59n9MuJf8HVanRyOKXTbVw704kEVMJRlSa4lXkdS/s1600/Nils-Frahm--All-Melody-album-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9o6OQMbhUIL_xonQY3_rlrjt2-FBSeYAp8aIwZsax2gOdrEt9S3zF4VT2tjXMmAIztE3iUAVGhAHaldNdGmGuj570jBZ6Z6BDBpu59n9MuJf8HVanRyOKXTbVw704kEVMJRlSa4lXkdS/s320/Nils-Frahm--All-Melody-album-cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br /><br />1. The Whole Universe Wants to Be Touched<br />2. Sunson<br />3. A Place<br />4. My Friend the Forest<br />5. Human Range<br />6. Forever Changeless<br />7. All Melody<br />8. #2<br />9. Momentum<br />10. Fundamental Values<br />11. Kaleidoscope<br />12. Harm Hymn<br /><br />Running time: 73 minutes<br />Released: 2018</td></tr>
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So another insert here, as I decided I did want to follow up on investigating Nils Frahm after the collaboration with Ólafur Arnalds. The <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2018/05/collaborative-works-disc-1-olafur.html">first disc</a> sold me, even though I was disappointed by the <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2018/05/collaborative-works-disc-2-olafur.html">second</a>.</div>
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The first, short, intro tune starts with ~10 seconds of silence. In a sub-2 minute track that's a significant chunk of time. I can see how and why silence might be used in structuring pieces, but I do wonder about tacking it on to the start or end of the track. In a live performance it might set tone and expectation, but on record? Not so sure.</div>
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This is a long disc and I have got up early on a Sunday to make time for it. I failed to find the right energy to do it last night (wash out all round, alas) and am trying to set that right. Soon I have to go off to do a huge shop (for two separate households) and then play dutiful son for a while. Yesterday was cleaning mold from windows that hadn't seen a cleanse in too long. Life's full of fun, eh?</div>
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It takes a little while to kick in, but Sunson has the pulsing staccato electronics that endeared the first disc of the Frahm/Arnalds collaboration to me. These kind of rhythms and patterns appeal to me a lot, I wonder why? A constant reference point, perhaps, or a subconscious connection to the heartbeat? I don't think "pulse" is a bad term for it at all. Over the top of this there are wandering pipes. I am reminded a little of Vangelis of all people. There is a little bit of a throwback vibe here. Then, about two thirds of the way through the track just stops. This is better use of silence, a reset, reformulate. The theme that comes back after the break is immediately relevant to what went before but framed very differently, so the quick enforced quiet between the two presentations allows for that relationship without the change being jarring or lost.</div>
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I find this hard to place. There's more going on in the pieces than perhaps I expected there would be so it's less immediately relaxing than I anticipated. Finding the words to describe where it would sit is tough. </div>
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Vangelis probably is my best touchstone or reference point, despite this being less synth heavy, because of the variety. There are similarities in the structuring of the tracks and themes moreso than the actual sounds. Even the use of space, such as in the nice keyboard melody on My Friend the Forest, has echoes of the Greek. Actually here I feel there are actual melodic reflections of Vangelis tracks too, albeit with a more stripped down sound. The next track then veers off in a different direction, with taught trumpets that remind me of Scandinavian jazz, but with a slow tempo that, in combination, is really quite disturbing and hard to listen to.</div>
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By contrast, when Frahm brings out the keyboard, he has a nice, light touch, surprisingly so.</div>
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Is the title meant to be ironic? All Melody starts with anything but. Sure, a tune emerges from the electronics as it moves forward but it is not immediately melodic. My point of reference here dives to Ben Prunty's soundtrack for sci-fi roguelike <b>FTL</b>, a frustrating little game scored perfectly to enhance its tension. Here the track builds a similar sense of edginess, the sound rounds out over time and the crescendo this involves is effective at subtly ratcheting up that dial further too. The track evolves as it goes, whilst always maintaining that tense aspect. </div>
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You know, I totally missed a change of track there. The electronic rhythm seemed to continue right through with no break, and when you're talking two back-to-back 9 minute tunes...I am liking this mid section of the album though. Pulse, tempo, and tension. Ambient or electronica can be waffly and vague, purposeless. These three elements give it form and structure, give something to get your teeth into, something to lose yourself in, rather than simply losing track of the tune. </div>
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I am losing track of this though... my mind has checked out, seeking refuge in nothingness as an antidote to the day ahead. I look forward to the day when I don't feel put upon, but I don't know if my mind will ever let me get there. We're almost through the album now, Kaleidoscope and its messy approximation of wind chimes and devotional singing is a but jarring. The low vocals on their own are nicely curated but the sounds layered over them are less appealing. It seemed as though the track got better in the latter stages of its 8 minute timeframe but to be honest I think I blocked out the bits that were less immediately accessible to me and concentrated on the part that I enjoyed</div>
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Overall this has been a strange listen for a number of reasons. The music itself is certainly one, but the timing (starting before 9am on a Sunday) is probably the key one, along with cutting away between tracks to get things done. It's not ideal, but then neither is finding a 73 minute block to dedicate when life continues on. I need my space and time, but for my own wellbeing I need to find a way to continue things like this, too... if I am not, it means my energy levels are down and I'm probably in a rut. </div>
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The final track ends with silence, more than 10 seconds worth, but still a noticeable mirror to how it began. Overall I think there are some wonderful moments in this disc but it struggles to maintain the peak quality throughout.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-11367785268562670342018-05-07T12:11:00.000+01:002018-05-07T12:11:26.851+01:00Concubine Rice - Lone Pigeon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
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1. Dad's Blue Danube / Concubine Rice / Your Tie Perhaps?<br />
2. King Creosote's Wineglass Symphony / Sally Bradwell<br />
3. The Road Up To Harlow Square / Been So Long<br />
4. Heaven Come Down / Ancient Hubbard Cow Of Bubbletoop<br />
5. Beatmix Chocbar Rap / Victoria<br />
6. Waterfall / Boats<br />
7. Old Mr. Muncherman / Endless Ballad Of A Riccoco Moon<br />
8. Melonbeard / Lay Me Down / Stars Won't Sleep<br />
9. Lonely Vagabond<br />
10. Oh Catherine<br />
11. Bona Fide World / Johnny & Jodie / Long Way Down<br />
12. The Rainking / Don't Look Back<br />
13. Concubine Rice Reprise / I Am the Secret Unknown<br />
14. I Am the Secret Unknown <br />
15. Untitled<br />
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Running time: 60 minutes<br />
Released: 2002</td></tr>
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So I think this will be an odd one. Lone Pigeon, aka Gordon Anderson, one of three musical brothers in my library, the others recording as Pip Dylan and my perennial favourite boy, King Creosote.</div>
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This is a solo work, though Anderson also recorded with The Beta Band and The Aliens, and I seem to recall it being weirder than his band-based work. There also seems to be no consensus on the proper track list for this album, so I've gone with what matches the titles in my player.<br />
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I rather like the simple rhythm that we start with, even if the tinny synth keys aren't exactly musical in nature. Anderson's voice is deep here, and the lyrics are definitely odd, but at the same time there is a simple charm to it all. Is that a recording of an elephant trumpeting?<br />
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This morning I have already been thwarted by bad luck once, discovering a slow puncture on the rear wheel of my bike meant I couldn't get out for some exercise before the day got too hot; I lack the necessary bits and pieces for repair so my pathetic attempts at healthy living is stymied again for now. I can well believe that the wineglass symphony is actually what it says on the tin, because the actual sound is a horrible din in places. Thankfully it gives way to more of a tune, and some repeated Beta Band limits. Recycled material is something I see a lot with Lone Pigeon - As an example, Boats crops up here as part of track 6, has it's own place on <b>Schoozzzmmii</b>, and then made it on to <b>Luna </b>by The Aliens too.<br />
<br />
This whole album cuts about all over the place, splicing vignettes together into longer tracks. It gives it a very tumbledown air, very random. In places this manifests as some frankly appalling sounds, in others its just slightly odd, and then here and there you get lovely little loops, melodies or vocal lines cutting in and out. Honestly, just from the 4 and a half tracks that have played by now, I half feel I should just cut the lot. But only half. The other half of me loves the oddity, enjoys the arbitrary nature, and finds real beauty hidden in those nicer, more melodic moments.<br />
<br />
I'm pretty sure my track list is wrong. Track 6 seems to have the Ancient Hubbard Cow of Bubbletoop at the start. You would have thought in this day and age it would be easy to get a definitive listing but... no. The rest of 6 sounds like it should be Beatmix Chocbar Rap, but no list I see anywhere fuses those two half-tracks together. I think this must be deliberate. Even pausing and going to look for the physical disc and liner notes really doesn't help clear anything up because the presentation there doesn't click with the 15 tracks it ripped to. I don't like the inaccuracy, but at the same time I'm damned if I can be arsed to sort through this any further.<br />
<br />
There's a really nice guitar part at the start of what I have as track 7. It doesn't last long before we get into a really low-fi, echoing recording all sharp sounds and over-sustained vocals obscured by fuzz. Completely random, and still no Boats.<br />
<br />
Of course.<br />
<br />
The very next thing that plays is Boats. At the start of track 8. Only the opening hook though, then we're on to something else.<br />
<br />
By this point the constant switcheroo is getting tiring. The interesting bits and lovely melodies are fewer in number than the meandering dross. I have been reluctant to mention it to this point, as someone who has been through (minor) depressive episodes in the past, but I find it hard to escape the thought that this disc might reflect Gordon Anderson's struggles with the mental illness that caused him to drop out of the Betas just as they made their name. The lack of cohesion in particular gives me that impression. Between the muddled track presentation, the skipping between styles, bits of atonal or incidental recordings and frankly nonsense lyrics its a hard one to escape.<br />
<br />
Those nice moments are now so rare, and presented in such chaotic context that I'm considering junking the lot. Lonely Vagabond has a nicer touch to it, but of course the player things I'm on Oh Catherine now; only 1 tune out by this point, but still. It's frustrating me enough that I'm seriously considering junking the listen here, and there's still 20 minutes to go, including a 9 minute epic.<br />
<br />
Somewhere along the way I have tuned out and got distracted by other things. It seems that might be a sensible thing, but it is contrary to the intent of these listens. I'm really rather disappointed by this. I knew this disc was weird but I hadn't realised just how poor most of it actually is. That said, if it was an endeavour that got Gordon Anderson through tough times and poor mental health then for all I dislike it I am happy that it exists.<br />
<br />
I am the Unknown foreshadows the Aliens some, that rockier sound points towards things like I am the Robot Man, and The Happy Song... or rather to itself. This appeared on <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2014/12/astronomy-for-dogs-aliens.html"><b>Astronomy for Dogs</b></a> as well. The clashing guitars are actually a really welcome change from all that went before but not enough for me to save anything from this hot mess of an album.</div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-52431364853510544502018-05-06T12:44:00.001+01:002018-05-06T12:44:35.516+01:00Concierto - Jim Hall<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRd6Hy9jAwtT88o7BAsdbKEyaQdl4Kr8GtARRd3syF25YD2LpHmppT5-XA1Xl03ibzdwrHAUtColKBtpuhET3W1rKg04MFNOF3kiO0mQ_xnZxRVOFD4-ysgfiEZo7IzmmG7wA1BGDBakao/s1600/Concierto_Jim_Hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRd6Hy9jAwtT88o7BAsdbKEyaQdl4Kr8GtARRd3syF25YD2LpHmppT5-XA1Xl03ibzdwrHAUtColKBtpuhET3W1rKg04MFNOF3kiO0mQ_xnZxRVOFD4-ysgfiEZo7IzmmG7wA1BGDBakao/s1600/Concierto_Jim_Hall.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To<br />
2. Two's Blues<br />
3. The Answer Is Yes<br />
4. Concierto De Aranjuez<br />
5. Rock Skippin'<br />
6. Unfinished Business<br />
7. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (Alt. Take)<br />
8. The Answer Is Yes (Alt. Take)<br />
9. Rock Skippin' (Alt. Take)<br />
<br />
Running time: 65 minutes<br />
Released: 1975</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another almost random disc now, as this came as part of a big box of jazz classics. I've never heard of Jim Hall before so don't know what to expect. Apparently he's a staple of jazz guitar and the original disc was just 4 or 5 tracks but there are 9 here so a bit more to work with. I suspect this will not be my thing, but lets plow on and see...<br />
<br />
The opening refrains have that light, dated electric guitar sound that I associate with noodling and cheese. The melody is perfectly likeable but there is something about the timbre of the 70s jazz guitar that is instinctively off-putting. The wind/brass led section that takes over from that guitar-driven opening is more my thing, but even then the tune tends a little too much to the cheesy for my tastes, I think its the constant nature of the bass and business of the drums and keys. Too much going on.<br />
<br />
I'm not having a great day. Yesterday I failed to get this listen in and thus missed my target of 1 a day through the point I return to work, today I have woken up with a strange burning pain in my hands - just down the sides around the knuckles of my little fingers. It's much worse on the right, which I can barely touch to anything, and I've managed to give myself a blister because my trainer socks didn't cover the tops of my trainers when walking to do some shopping. Oh well, at least the sun is out, and in lieu of the listen yesterday I got stuff done in the garden and got out on my bike for the first time in too long.<br />
<br />
The tune has grown on me a little bit as I digressed, leading me to think that maybe its a question of accepting it on its own terms. Certainly when the second track starts, then gets into its swing, I am more favourably disposed to it, though perhaps that is something to do with it not being the awful sounds I can hear being played next door, tasteless euro-pop. Ugh.<br />
<br />
As much as I hate track-by-track statements, here it feels appropriate to call out the change with The Answer Is Yes, too. This tune has more space, more time, and feels better crafted as a result. One thing I really like here is how the guitar lead and the keyboard seem to be playing as extensions to each other in places - one starts a line, the other finishes it. The tune as a whole feels closer to the areas of older jazz that I have been fond of.<br />
<br />
I am struggling to find many words this morning (well, midday now). I should by rights feel massively rested by now after a week off, what with it being Sunday, but I don't. Struggle to sleep last night as my mind wouldn't shut off didn't help. After a quick break to baste the lamb I have roasting for lunch it's into the centrepiece of the disc - a 20 minute concerto. Checking on LastFM I am surprised to find that I have clocked up 20 listens to Jim Hall (including the first 3 here), and that I have apparently heard enough of the Concierto De Aranjuez to scrobble it twice before. Surprised because consciously I was not really aware of this disc at all.<br />
<br />
I rather like the tune though, a Latin rhythm, softly delivered by the bass with a little help from the drums keeps it rolling gently along as the various other musicians give their rotating parts over the top of it all. It has a nice gentle relaxation to it. The parts swap in and out in such a way that it doesn't get repetitive, at least through the first 10 minutes, only half way I'll grant, and the flow of the tune is really spot on. I could probably do with it coming to a close sooner than another 7-8 minutes though. Without the context of a live performance, immensely long tracks can strain the attention, and any dissatisfaction with the tune as it continues is more because I am trying to be attentive rather than doing something else whilst it plays. When really giving it a close ear, the patterns that provide that nice gentle sway are the ones that strain the interest. In general relaxation I wouldn't hear them as much, the melodic parts would win out, but here it was harder to escape them.<br />
<br />
The ending of Concierto De Aranjuez is heralded by a complete change of pace and rhythm, it becomes ploddingly slow and patchy, losing all the coherence it had for most of its run. Now I really do wish the piece concluded 5 minutes earlier.<br />
<br />
There is one more tune of note, what looks like a 2-minute interlude, and 3 alternate takes to come. Retakes, remixes, acoustic versions etc. are all well and good, but I do wonder about including so many on the same disc as the original cut. Yes, this was a re-issue thing, but when you only have a handful of tunes in the first place...? This kind of thing is less annoying if it's one or two tunes in 10-20; when it's 3 in 8 the ratio is all wrong. Anyhow, minor rant aside, it seems to me that Rock Skippin' is well named - the sounds are bouncy, jumping around and I can immediately relate them to skimming stones, or clambering and jumping over boulders as a kid. Having said that, I then think again; in my memory or visualisation of those activities they're solo affairs, out in the countryside, slow pace, escapism. I don't know where I am going with this thought at all, but I feel that I need to get out into the countryside more, but finding the motivation to do so alone is... eugh.<br />
<br />
So, into the repeats we dive and I find myself less at odds with it than I expect, but without anything to say.<br />
<br />
My overall impression of this disc is positive, actually, which surprises me - especially given my initial reaction. I still rather resent the sound of the jazz guitar as exemplified on You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To, as a lead instrument anyway, but the one instrument doesn't make or break the track, and when it is employed with a less "ringing" sound the guitar is an excellent instrument for any genre. It's the specific electric rounded note guitar sound of the 70s that irks me. It's employed a little too much here for me to be 100% on board with the album but the general flow, pace and energy of the disc makes up for that some.<br />
<br />
I have run out of steam entirely over the last 20 minutes, so I am grateful for the end when it comes. Now to go halve the lamb and take one half off to be eaten. Yum!</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-14603590063259332502018-05-04T11:08:00.001+01:002018-05-04T11:08:04.571+01:00Complete Peel Sessions (Disc 6) - The Wedding Present<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzjxDQYaCFHx8CAQDFIm85hOQesLre4Bj6KlB24MV-D8ooyw3hajK31pJjltQ8i9PYsOmetqJxiGoPh7ZBpoR8BjE3t5ijykupACu4K8sPNOyhXmAxaxN5_emT_kSEhm92p0U5BpdrC3t/s1600/Complete+Peel+Sessions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzjxDQYaCFHx8CAQDFIm85hOQesLre4Bj6KlB24MV-D8ooyw3hajK31pJjltQ8i9PYsOmetqJxiGoPh7ZBpoR8BjE3t5ijykupACu4K8sPNOyhXmAxaxN5_emT_kSEhm92p0U5BpdrC3t/s320/Complete+Peel+Sessions.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. Go Go Dancer<br />
2. Sports Car<br />
3. Kansas<br />
4. 2, 3, Go<br />
5. Bewitched<br />
6. Venus<br />
7. Loveslave<br />
8. Real Thing<br />
9. Drive<br />
10. Montreal<br />
11. Come Play with Me<br />
12. Brassneck<br />
13. Crawl<br />
<br />
Running time: 44 minutes<br />
Released: 2007</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
OK, so the final part of the Peel Sessions box set now. It's been a long time since the first disc almost blew my head off since I haven't managed to maintain any consistency of posting. That makes this marathon of The Wedding Present more like a series of middle-distance ambles. Crap analogies out of the way, how does this last live stuff sound?<br />
<br />
There is a brief introduction before the band launch into Go Go Dancer, and it is a launch. A few taps of the drum sticks and its 0-60 in an instant with insanely fast drums and guitar to keep pace with. The sound is a little muted, but the essential energy of a Wedding Present tune is there all the same, peppy and two-speed, the vocal seeming to be in a different time to the backing.<br />
<br />
It's now May, and I started this six-disc box set in January. That's shocking, even allowing for a few insertions, but life gets in the way sometimes. This is a hobby project, but it has been relegated underneath the need to maintain some kind of equilibrium. The plaintive voice on this rendition of Sports Car reminds me of how I have felt over the last bit... on edge, at my limit. It's the Friday of a week off, and I am only just beginning to feel like I haven't been working, it's taken this long.<br />
<br />
There is something very weird about hearing a middle-aged man sing the lyrics of Kansas. I don't want to elaborate, because I don't want to think about it any more than I have.<br />
<br />
I am feeling lost for words this morning. A few things to do today, not much going on upstairs as I find myself content to just hear tracks out without comment. It's a sign of comfort in one sense, and enjoyment in another. This listen is an oasis of calm before I have to rush out and shop for two people, do someone else's washing and other chores. Then, when I get home I have to home the bright morning is turning into a bright afternoon so I can motivate myself to do some essential outdoor work, else it's more spring cleaning. With that in mind there is reassurance in the constant guitar chords and familiar rhythms here, I don't need to think too hard about them.<br />
<br />
Even the "new" (yeah, that doesn't mean much on an old live recording) songs are familiar, though apparently I have heard Venus just once before. The familiarity is by pattern, not specifics. Of course, then Loveslave starts and it breaks the rules. Slow pace that in some ways sits more easily with David Gedge's vocal style, which is expanded here to include imploring cries in the chorus. I'm not a huge fan of the track if I'm honest. The familiarity factor has been pulled away in that one track though and it doesn't immediately return which is a little disconcerting.<br />
<br />
After a brief digression about a puppet (!) we're back onto firmer, more recognisable ground with Drive. When the pace drops I feel The Wedding Present lose their USP. It is the contrast between the busy guitars and bustling drums and the vocals that really sets them up. Having said that, Montreal creates more space and time and works really well, something about the melodics, and when it segues into Come Play With Me and maintains that lower pace I find my preconceptions challenged again until the closing of the second track brings its familiar refrains, and I think my favourite repeated loops (vocal and otherwise) in TWP's catalogue. It's over indeed.<br />
<br />
Brassneck sounds very different, and I'm not sure if this is because they've changed the score or because it's not the song I thought it was. Probably the latter, but then songs do evolve from time to time. I really like the ringing on the guitar parts on the final number, Crawl. It's richer and lighter, and it feels like a good way to end the set on a positive sound even if the last lyrical utterance is a threat.<br />
<br />
So, then... no more Wedding Presents for me for a while. On to other things...</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-69192466523751049052018-05-03T12:34:00.000+01:002018-05-03T12:34:15.452+01:00Collaborative Works, Disc 2 - Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVDVaFGPsg8XD20uzQ9sWP8qjzshfL5nzChksUKjd3RFYSmDhmDozQ2ud9ZBaEhJm3k01ZFul0CvIiQCL2Ryz-MZ7E0wr8fHMPlYoj95UrIDpxYiCO0eoWDAAKjFRHnMkTmHygTxHJm7h/s1600/Collaborative_Works_Compilation_grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVDVaFGPsg8XD20uzQ9sWP8qjzshfL5nzChksUKjd3RFYSmDhmDozQ2ud9ZBaEhJm3k01ZFul0CvIiQCL2Ryz-MZ7E0wr8fHMPlYoj95UrIDpxYiCO0eoWDAAKjFRHnMkTmHygTxHJm7h/s320/Collaborative_Works_Compilation_grande.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. 20:17<br />
2. 21:05<br />
3. 23:17<br />
4. 23:52<br />
5. 00:26<br />
6. 01:41<br />
7. 03:06<br />
8. Untitled<br />
<br />
Running time: 40 minutes<br />
Released: 2015</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After the first disc of this collection was largely a hit, what does round two have to offer?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If the track titles for the first half of this set were odd, these are just as inscrutable. I can only assume that the titles are timestamps as the liner notes suggest these tunes were put together in a single sitting. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The soft piano that opens us up is clear, unadorned by any electronics this time around, its melody is sweet and simple, but not really a midday kind of sound. Then, in truth, it rather meanders to a conclusion, and a very unclear track changeover. Thus far it lacks the urgency and demanding features of the companion disc. For all the beauty in the notes there is something missing here. Vibrancy, points of difference. In another mood, where I was looking for laid back light melody, I think I would value this highly, but right now - this listen being a way of kickstarting my day, far later than it should have been - it falls a little flat.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Isn't it funny how our sense of self can completely realign how we view things? It's not just appreciation of music that depends wildly on mood, I've noticed it with books too of late. One evening I read a passage and thought it was dross, that I'd jack the book in there and then. I went back to it the next night and ended up with a more charitable view. The last time I picked up that book, a couple of days ago now, I ended up back in the first camp. Now, clearly that suggests it isn't a <i>great </i>read, but it is also interesting the degree to which my impressions of it shifted. I think I might be done with it now but... I kinda feel like I have to give it one more chance?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Why the digression? Because thinking about that is to think, too, about this project. When I started I was itchy on the trigger finger, cutting quite a lot. I have dialed back on that some of late (I didn't excise B1 from <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2018/05/collaborative-works-disc-1-olafur.html">disc 1</a> for example). Does that mean another chance to appreciate things, or does it mean more dross in the mix? Probably both, to different degrees.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile the lonely piano has been joined by some other sounds. The aural tapestry is better for it, but I still don't feel that this disc is living up to yesterday's standards. It was the whirs and clicks, the obfuscation of the melodies and tunes, those subtle electronic highlights that Arnalds made a name with that made those first pieces sing. Here they are either absent or applied with more force than is required. As we approach midnight (assuming timestamps) things are darker, edgier, but rather than a coherent aesthetic evoking in me memories or thoughts of references to other mediums, 23:52 ends up presenting me with a wall of wails, not song. It's not <i>bad</i> but it's not what I had hoped for on the basis of yesterday evening.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ah, now. Into the new day and there we have it. Those staccato statics, and a pulsing sound to the main instrumentation. It's more sparse than anything preceding it on this disc, but also more vital, more immediate - all because of some sonic disruption that provides a constant nagging rhythm. It reminds me a bit of Boards of Canada's <b>Tomorrow's Harvest</b>, which is a good thing. There is still a more urgent edge to the following piece too, though it seems to be a solo xylaphone or similar, the pace is kept up. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Until it morphs into a recording of people moving around the studio anyway, then it mellows out and loses the urgency. Sigh.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It recovers a little in the end, through presentation of a nice central theme, but my disappointment with the piece as a whole stands, and at the moment that disappointment reflects my overall feeling on this album. As the last titled track begins, another nice key-led tune, I wonder how much today's disappointment was setup by last night's enjoyment. This is nice, but doesn't have the same wow factor, doesn't draw me in and demand my attention. It's like there's no real sell here, just a meander through some notes and sounds for the sake of it. Some of those notes and sounds are gorgeous, some less so, but on its own that isn't enough somehow. They spoiled me before.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-7016007666001551632018-05-02T19:20:00.001+01:002018-05-02T19:26:40.002+01:00Collaborative Works, Disc 1 - Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2u-0UXh6MBOzUbxU_oIAr7aqjVP43HBfLV0qxK7XJS7x86OgWYTI9c4QS8BGq9PmvTaqQ4XIqB8vc5DPFCFAVD9EJkYP1-t1X704I4hKQne5F65v8BXHuDqio5tMbGt8L86EGySCDE9-O/s1600/Collaborative_Works_Compilation_grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2u-0UXh6MBOzUbxU_oIAr7aqjVP43HBfLV0qxK7XJS7x86OgWYTI9c4QS8BGq9PmvTaqQ4XIqB8vc5DPFCFAVD9EJkYP1-t1X704I4hKQne5F65v8BXHuDqio5tMbGt8L86EGySCDE9-O/s320/Collaborative_Works_Compilation_grande.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. Four<br />
2. Three<br />
3. Wide Open<br />
4. W<br />
5. M<br />
6. A1<br />
7. A2<br />
8. B1<br />
9. Life Story<br />
10. Love And Glory<br />
<br />
Running time: 61 minutes<br />
Released: 2015</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
OK, so another impulse purchase makes its way in before I can close out the Wedding Present box set of Peel. This time it is a collaboration between Ólafur Arnalds, of whom I am a fan, and Nils Frahm, who I don't know from Adam, but might find myself interested in after this...</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
These tracks are named... oddly. For the most part they say absolutely nothing about what they might contain. I find the opening notes of Four to be <i>almost</i> brilliantly enticing. I like the tune they play but the buzzing electro edge to them is annoying in the same way a wasp or fly in the room can be. When the tune dies out and we are left with just chimes if feels empty, unfulfilling. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Fulfillment is something I am craving right now. April was a difficult month in a number of ways and whilst I am starting May on holiday (well, not working this week; I'm at home) I am yet to get back to a baseline where I feel truly myself, or truly human. A combination of work stress and family matters, and a growing dissatisfaction with my solitary life. I am hoping that somewhere in these swirling sounds there might be some gold dust, the touchstone to reignite my velocity on this project (I'd like to get a listen in every day between now and when I go back to work on the 8th, but...). </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Three is also very mellow and feels more complete somehow, whilst Wide Open has punching static, needle scratches, giving a staccato, radio-signal loss effect. I think this is really effective. It sounds like the tune behind these breaks would work as a fluid number but the ticks shake it up, making it sound more dense with notes than it actually is. I feel like the closest thing to this I've heard before is Jon Hopkins, not Arnalds' solo work. In places it hints at a much deeper web of sounds, but they are all inaccessible, held back behind the barrier built by the static. It could be massively frustrating and a let down, but it ends up being highly satisfying. </div>
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W sounds like videogame music... rising tension, peaks and troughs, right out of cyberpunk. I don't mean that in a pejorative sense at all, by the by. Even listening on a sunny spring evening this piece is very effective at generating an oppressive atmosphere of dark intrigue. There isn't really that much going on in the track, and yet it is gripping for most of its length. By the end the trick has grown old, and the relaxing tension leaves me cold. </div>
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It seems that this double-disc collection was originally 4 releases, three of which make up the one album I am listening to tonight. There has definitely been a shift in tone from the laid back sounds of that first trio of tunes to this next couple, all edgy. There is a nice rhythm to this though, more staccato, pulsing, evoking sci-fi and space. </div>
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On the surface level this is quite a bleak sound but beneath the distant beeps and clicks and whirs there is real heart, and I find myself tapping out rhythms that aren't necessarily actually there as it plays. These two composers have created a space that invites you to hear things in it. Whether claustrophobic or wide open in tone their sounds push you to imagine others, faint echoes in their chambers, tapping time. These pieces work best when they are busy, the slower, sparser moments feel empty, if only by comparison to the main thrust of the work. </div>
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As much as I am rather enjoying this, it is awfully samey in places, and when they hit on a theme or loop that doesn't jive with me the charm falls away fast.</div>
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I see that at the start of the 13 minute long epic, B1. A low warbling sound with a repeating pattern of odd sounds that I cannot put into words. It leaves me very cold and there is not enough variation in the first 3 minutes of the track to make the discomfiture abate. The track does evolve a bit over its run, but it never really breaks from the initial mould and I find it by far the weakest moment to date. There is just too much emphasis on repetition and those odd pattern-notes. I would argue the main meat of the track is the background, where the change really happens, but it is locked away behind these unpleasant blotchy sounds which simply make the piece too unapproachable for me. And then it ends in the most abrupt fashion... just odd.</div>
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Hopefully the last two numbers return to form... early signs are good, as Life Story is a nice piano melody that, whilst very different in tone from the early tracks does have the same base engagement, the underlying warmth of the sound, framed in a way as to draw you into the web. The rustling static that serves as percussion is so soft in places as to be almost imperceptible, but I guarantee you would miss it if it wasn't there... it adds a fuzz, a glow, to the sounds of the keys which otherwise might be too stark and cold.</div>
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With all that said, there is still a loneliness to the track, and it leaves me with a little lump in my throat as it closes and we tick over into Love and Glory, which has a similar structure. This piece is more hopeful, lighter. Uncertain but expected happiness, this feels much more a celebration, as befits its title.</div>
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Overall, then... a wonderful set of tunes, one outlier aside. It's a pity that outlier was almost 25% of the disc by time. </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-34174378233057992242018-04-08T21:57:00.000+01:002018-04-08T21:57:36.682+01:00Cold Moon - Alela Diane and Ryan Francesconi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28ZFRtrmFeHfeJpl8rnLOFGnG4rKHhqPca308brQoc-LzE4o1kunVJjXO8j63gfwyORtzgElQ5a1CytyNesFGdUjqiRyJHSYyhNDjjKqfcsaZKxG5DrFl8Z7nMCFJm1DfS-gZYWjs3SW_/s1600/Cold+Moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28ZFRtrmFeHfeJpl8rnLOFGnG4rKHhqPca308brQoc-LzE4o1kunVJjXO8j63gfwyORtzgElQ5a1CytyNesFGdUjqiRyJHSYyhNDjjKqfcsaZKxG5DrFl8Z7nMCFJm1DfS-gZYWjs3SW_/s320/Cold+Moon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br /><br />1. Quiet Corner<br />2. Migration<br />3. The Sun Today<br />4. No Thought of Leaving<br />5. Cold Moon<br />6. Shapeless<br />7. Shift<br />8. Roy<br /><br />Running time: 37 minutes<br />Released: 2015 </td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
So another insert now, and another new purchase. This one ordered last night after loving <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2018/04/alela-diane-wild-divine-alela-diane.html"><b>Alela Diane & Wild Divine</b></a>. I'm hoping this will keep up the hit rate.</div>
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The opening sounds are rather lighter, airier. The vocal has a weightless quality, even where it goes deeper in tone, and the guitar work that forms the basis of the song is flowery, until the point where it is all cut back, a deliberate change of pace. There is something a little unreal about the sound, it too rounded, too bright. I lack suitable words to put my disquiet with this sound into text. It just feels as though it isn't quite grounded?</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Not the strongest start, then, but the first little ripples of Migration are better. This is very sparse indeed, and so laid back it may as well be prone. It is softer, warmer and more grounded. They leave space aplenty in the first couple of minutes, and it becomes more like a leisurely delivered topic speech than a song in terms of tempo. Diane's voice is completely comfortable in this space though, and although some of the strings go a little stark in places I really like the overall effect on this one, especially when the sound grows in the latter half.</div>
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I am treating this as a lazy evening, though really I had hoped to get the listen done earlier in the day. To be honest if I hadn't really, really been struck by Alela Diane's music in the last couple of weeks I doubt I would have found the impetus to do a single listen this weekend, let alone two. In the grander scheme of things these two posts don't actually advance me, since both were new purchases and both slipped in before my current position.Thus far I don't find this anything like as appealing as the album I listened to last night, it's a little too stripped back, a little too reflective. What sold me on Wild Divine was the energy from the band, ditched here in place of Francesconi's guitar work. He brings definition, sure, but there is a dearth of urgency and tone.</div>
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Alela Diane doesn't half have a wonderful voice though.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I find the pace too low, the approach a little too noodling. The guitar work feels more suited to a solo bedroom exploration of the strings than a recorded performance, an exercise in self relaxation. Alas that doesn't translate well. Things pick up a little when more is added to the arrangement, but I can't help but feel this album is lacking by comparison to everything of hers that I have been enjoying of late. I think this is the problem of expectation. I bought this excited, expectant and hopeful. I bought <b>Cusp</b> blind, unknowing and was charmed. Each disc acquired since has been shaped in its appreciation by that charm - either failing to impress by comparison or surviving the pulling up of standards.</div>
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Perhaps in another mood this would appeal. To be clear I don't think it is bad as such, it's more that it is slow, lonely, and intimate - the stripped back sound, just guitar and vocal, the deliberate pacing, it feels a little confessional, a private conversation that we just happen to have been invited to assess but not partake in. There are times when this works and there are times when it perversely feels like it drives a wedge between me as the listener and the performance. Sometimes those different impressions are made within the same song, and I am struggling a little with the contrast between those moments.</div>
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Final track, Roy, has a return to the sounds that defied my words in the opening moments. It seems fitting that it ends as it began, with me far from sure. First listen caveats apply, but whilst last time out proved that a strong first impression can be made, this album didn't leave anything like that.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-62337048953726139732018-04-07T22:04:00.000+01:002018-04-07T22:04:07.854+01:00Alela Diane & Wild Divine - Alela Diane<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAvfzPKO-JGT7s73WiDf7DGTp0sHRzcUezaYWjzrmpUFMZmWlGNcO_ZxnFMg3JIUnVUBk4Pmwg7gL06RIfXNXV0XEEVKWu5D_jSvW5_DlMsTBNAfBm3986CzkW6xm7UgdLgpi0GFCqXWx/s1600/Alela-Diane+Wild+Divine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1600" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAvfzPKO-JGT7s73WiDf7DGTp0sHRzcUezaYWjzrmpUFMZmWlGNcO_ZxnFMg3JIUnVUBk4Pmwg7gL06RIfXNXV0XEEVKWu5D_jSvW5_DlMsTBNAfBm3986CzkW6xm7UgdLgpi0GFCqXWx/s320/Alela-Diane+Wild+Divine.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br /><br />1. To Begin<br />2. Elijah<br />3. Long Way Down<br />4. Suzanne<br />5. The Wind<br />6. Of Many Colors<br />7. Desire<br />8. Heartless Highway<br />9. White Horse<br />10. Rising Greatness<br /><br />Running time: 38 minutes<br />Released: 2011 </td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
So we break with the Wedding Present for an unexpected interlude. Not a long time without a post (though that too), but three discs that I have picked up over the last couple of weeks.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The first of these comes from Alela Diane, who I was aware of but never actually explored before picking up <b>Cusp</b> when it released. Once I got that into the car for a few listens to and from work, I found a charming little album that immediately made me want to explore more. This dropped through my door a couple of days ago and I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
It starts with a bolder musical line than I was perhaps expecting, but it is a nice warm one, and supplemented very nicely by our singer's voice, which has an enveloping, drawing quality to it. Obviously this is a younger performer than the Alela Diane of Cusp, since the record predates it by 7 years, but that fact is also evidenced in the contrasting performances. Here there is a strut of youth rather than the reflection of one's 30s. I ordered this, <b>To Be Still</b> and <b>The Pirate's Gospel </b>at the same time; the other two arrived first and gave contrasting impressions. Wild Divine is on the better side of those two, more in common with To Be Still. </div>
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On the evidence of the first two tracks I think this might become my favourite of the works I have picked up. I like the bolder, bigger sound and the easy flow. Whilst I was smitten with Cusp - which compared favourably with a couple of other 2018 albums I picked up around the same time, a result I think of no real expectations, as I found my hopes dashed a little by <b>Ruins </b>and <b>I'll Be Your Girl</b> by First Aid Kit and The Decemberists respectively - its appeal isn't visceral, but considered. The early tracks of Alela Diane & Wild Divine on the other hand just feel right from the off. The arrangements are nice and full, with enough of a big-sky America feel to them to trip that switch; Diane's voice is generally louder, bolder, here but in concert with the tunes behind her. Her tones have a warm sound that I find really engaging and were one of the primary drivers for me picking up all these other albums on top of that first introduction. </div>
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To be honest, I think there are parts of Diane's songs which could be better; I am far from convinced by her as a lyricist as I find she relies too much on repetition. As I typed that I was thinking that trait was less evident on this disc than the others, but then it appears in The Wind... not in an offensive way, but in an apt one from a timing perspective.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Oh wow, I love the opening of Of Many Colors. The simple rhythm is nice but the strings of the guitars have such a nice roll to them... very American, but it feels small town, slow pace of life, rootsy. It's a sound that appeals... the myth of inland America as a storied place different from (what I imagine is) the reality of life in those parts. The mythic America is a place to visit in the imagination, full of wondrous places and tales aplenty; the real small town America appeals to me not at all.</div>
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This album is good at feeding that imagination.</div>
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I suspect I am missing finer details, because the general themes and tones are so strong and evocative I can't help but let my mind wander with those, drifting away from the specifics of the individual songs. And just like that I am almost through. The penultimate track just began, this a punchier twang to begin with, but then growing in refinement as the track builds. It then hops around between tones a bit, giving a bit of a strange overall impression. None of those tones are bad, but they don't necessarily feel as though they hang together perfectly. </div>
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The strongest theme running through these tracks is the warmth of both the guitars and the vocal, it feels right for an evening. It has the country-ish edge to it that keeps it honest, but which also offers favourable comparisons with similar artists; whilst not American First Aid Kit at their best are a strong point of comparison, and I think Alela Diane comes off favourably in that. This album made for a good evening; I could quite happily repeat it... in fact I think I shall.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-90357165551498531022018-03-25T22:12:00.000+01:002018-03-25T22:12:06.852+01:00Complete Peel Sessions (Disc 5) - The Wedding Present<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6y1ywY0yMNZff6mhiyFs040p4nRd7Q7YXsTEqsAnrsAy0-10tQFnBXnY6-Jm59XuvAxf03beTQBvb13YyelTCfTMppUe29pOTN6m-bk8wzmogkMu4QtiKh2qRv1cvJ4yQICn3lI_sLjG/s1600/Complete+Peel+Sessions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6y1ywY0yMNZff6mhiyFs040p4nRd7Q7YXsTEqsAnrsAy0-10tQFnBXnY6-Jm59XuvAxf03beTQBvb13YyelTCfTMppUe29pOTN6m-bk8wzmogkMu4QtiKh2qRv1cvJ4yQICn3lI_sLjG/s320/Complete+Peel+Sessions.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. John Peel Introduces the Wedding Present<br />
2. Silver Shorts<br />
3. Love Machine<br />
4. Snake Eyes<br />
5. Sports Car<br />
6. Convertible<br />
7. Click Click<br />
8. My Favourite Dress<br />
9. Real Thing<br />
10. It's a Gas<br />
11. Skin Diving<br />
12. Sucker<br />
13. Corduroy<br />
14. Mini Prize Draw<br />
<br />
Running time: 44 minutes<br />
Released: 2007</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, with <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2018/02/complete-peel-sessions-disc-4-wedding.html">disc 4</a> of this box set we moved out of the studio and into live performances. This disc is a complete set from a 1996 BBC event, topped and tailed once more with John Peel himself. A few familiar tracks pop up again, but there are many here that haven't been heard on the previous 4 discs too.<br />
<br />
After a break of three weeks I finally make the time for this one. I can't plead "too long" or "too much Wedding Present" because in the first instance this is a short gig set, and in the second I've hardly heard any of them in weeks. I managed to make myself (temporarily) sick of PJ Harvey's seminal <b>Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea</b> to and from work in the interim though!<br />
<br />
John Peel introduces the set, then the first actual number has a tortuously long intro, but it sets up a peppy sound that the recording makes feel sparse, but I suspect in person it was a bit busier. The tune ends with an outro to match the intro... so the song itself is sandwiched between repetitive cycles that don't quite work for me. Thankfully Love Machine is straight into the meat of the song so the experience isn't repeated.<br />
<br />
Clocks have gone forward, evenings have some light again. Hopefully this marks an uptick in weather, warmth and ultimately mood. I've been struggling for sleep lately and with work being full on I have been escaping my evenings in the cyclical grind of turn based strategy rather than more creative or expansive pursuits. I really like the lighter touch on the outro of Love Machine, sure the guitars come in for a final thrash but the tenor is nice. The crowd sound like a rowdy bunch; Gedge gives it a bit of chat between numbers (a line or two, no more), and then we're off again. The sound on this recording makes the guitars a little flat. I can hear the start of the spangly sound I associate with The Wedding Present, but it is strangled out rather than soaring free. Snake Eyes comes and goes in less than 2 minutes... it feels half baked.<br />
<br />
The crowd noise is voracious between tracks but they drop to silence whilst the band are actually playing. It makes me wonder if this is natural or something engineered. Really like this version of Sports Car, even as I don't recognise the song from <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2018/02/complete-peel-sessions-disc-3-wedding.html">disc 3</a>! Again, though, after the main vocal is done, the tune loses its interest. I've never seen the Wedding Present live; I don't think I've ever seen footage of them playing either... but I can imagine that David Gedge must be a pretty magnetic performer. His vision and person drives this vehicle and makes it work.<br />
<br />
Oops! Click Click has a false start, with a predictable reaction from the crowd. Some kind of technical hitch... festivals! When it does get going the growl on the guitar part feels closer to the pickup for the recording. It's a glorious rumble, slightly fuzzy in shape but full of character, and as if to spite me for the last paragraph here it is the vocal that lets down the backing - though the tune is still better when both are in play. Isn't it funny how taste goes in waves? I've been mostly listening to growling guitar based indie in the last week or two and forgoing the jazz and folk that formed my mainstay for much of the last year. I've been skipping more folk song on shuffle than in a long while, looking for something louder, brasher and something that will give that kick.<br />
<br />
This is hitting the spot from that point of view.<br />
<br />
A few of these songs have Gedge's voice backed up by a female singer; she sounds as if she's closer to the mic somehow, despite clearly being backing it doesn't always come across that way, especially on Real Thing and I find that quite jarring. The track lengths here are misleading with significant downtime scattered through the set. Much less annoying if you're actually in the audience... but there we go. I find I am warming to the sound on this set though, it has a warmth to it, which makes those guitar riffs comfortable.<br />
<br />
Over the course of the box set (with one more to finish) we've definitely moved from a raw, too bright, too strong sound to a rounder, tempered one. The way the guitars are used hasn't changed that much, but the tone they impart has. They're still bright and breezy but they're also controlled, not overdone. They're not the star, and everyone has accepted that. There is room for them to be slower, not 100mph all the time. That said, right now I think I hanker for some really loud stuff... not a good desire to have this late on a Sunday, but the growl on Corduroy is perfectly aligned with that desire. As it fades back down a bit to allow the vocal to breathe the tune loses the immediate appeal it held in the moment, but finds a new happy medium. This is the final number, after this is a recording of a prize draw, closing out the disc. Festivals!<br />
<br />
Not sure what to look for in my library to pick up from there. The prize draw recording by the way has Peel and Gedge talking for 3 minutes, complete with Fast Show references and farce. The two clearly got on very well.<br />
<br />
One to go. </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-90047874289341697162018-03-04T12:48:00.001+00:002018-03-04T12:48:23.908+00:00Pyre - Darren Korb<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLK55w5DbEPExyXWA1n2YEOuf1oT2OiKUE-PDewGon6JeQnNM8MB_cc_3FBcQ2QhTybbCPO3SHCwNsCh7ubOsfHJIg4wMuBG9IGEKoWzurGMtO-koi4OLfCwnYD53LHQSY5ZnasUCf5cx8/s1600/Pyre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLK55w5DbEPExyXWA1n2YEOuf1oT2OiKUE-PDewGon6JeQnNM8MB_cc_3FBcQ2QhTybbCPO3SHCwNsCh7ubOsfHJIg4wMuBG9IGEKoWzurGMtO-koi4OLfCwnYD53LHQSY5ZnasUCf5cx8/s320/Pyre.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br /><br />1. In the Flame<br />2. Downriver<br />3. Downside Ballad<br />4. Path to Glory<br />5. Life Sentence<br />6. Surviving Exile<br />7. Forbidden Knowledge<br />8. Moon-Touched<br />9. Through the Valley <br />10. Night Howlers<br />11. The Herald<br />12. Mourning Song<br />13. The Eight Scribes<br />14. Glorious Tradition<br />15. Flutter Fly<br />16. Thrash Pack<br />17. A Step Closer<br />18. Dirty Deal<br />19. Sinking Feeling <br />20. Dread Design <br />21. Snake Soul<br />22. Strange Voyage<br />23. Quest for Honor<br />24. Knights of the Sea<br />25. Vagrant Song<br />26. Shattered Lands<br />27. Talon Sheath<br />28. Sky Dance<br />29. Certain Plan<br />30. Grand Ceremony<br />31. To the Stars<br />32. The Old Ways<br />33. Never to Return<br />34. Time Passes<br />35. The Blackwagon <br />36. Rage of Demons<br />37. Will of the Scribes<br />38. New Union<br />39. Bound Together<br /><br />Running time: 110 minutes<br />Released: 2017</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
So I am going to break the chain here and jump forward a long way for this post. Why? Because I have just finished playing through the Pyre campaign and I have the feeling that this listen might be more relevant in closer proximity to to my having played the game. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I loved Darren Korb's score for <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2015/04/bastion-original-soundtrack-darren-korb.html"><b>Bastion</b></a> and was very struck by the music for <b>Transistor </b>too, so I bought the Pyre soundtrack when the game first came out last year. I didn't buy the game until last week, though it was always on my "to do" list. Whilst actually <i>playing </i>Pyre I didn't really notice the music that much - unlike the other two games where it was a key plank of the experience. I think that is probably because I didn't get on with much of the gameplay so I was furiously trying to get through it ASAP to experience the story elements. I will probably dip in and out of relaying some game commentary here, but that isn't a priority here.</div>
<br />
This is a long one - almost 2 hours. I might break it up; we'll see,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The opening song, for it is such, is the story of the Rites that you perform in the game, lyrics speak to the nature of the goal in the gameplay, the situation the narrative focuses on. I'm not a huge fan of this approach. The voices work well enough together but the music lacks the immediate connection of Korb's previous two soundtracks somehow - perhaps because it is in service to the song here, not doing it's own thing. This soundtrack is a mix of songs and little in game themes - typified in the opening couplet with one of each.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Downside Ballad is a much more promising track, with time to establish an atmosphere - a sort of distant and sombre one - and a sound that builds nicely. I find I cannot place it within the game, but I think this is actually a positive. It is a slow, peaceful number - pleasant without ever really drawing me into full engagement. It is not, however, a ballad.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ah, now. The first sounds that really hark back to the richer tapestry and unique flavour of the previous soundtracks. All clicks, whirs and electricity. Path to Glory brings some urgency, some greater tone, deeper sounds and a busy nature. More of this please! It's not that the slower tunes lack character, but that they don't really offer the same kind of experience as music. The keyboards sometimes have a kind of tinny, chiming sound to them which I find destroys the atmosphere that the notes might otherwise create. What really struck me about Bastion was how it was just good music that happened to be game music. Here I feel it is more clearly supporting the game, and less a statement in its own right; I am not sure it is quite as effective. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As mentioned above I didn't really clock the music so much whilst playing, but it is only fair to say that composing for games should place the game first and foremost, so complaining that this doesn't necessarily work as well removed from its context is not an entirely fair criticism. However moreso than I remember either of the other soundtracks doing, this disappeared for me in play. Now outside of that context it is up and down.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I think, though, that it is growing on me. The longer pieces, at least - where Korb has enough time to really grow into his themes. Or, no... it's the higher energy pieces that work for me more. There is a correlation there. I would imagine that the longer tracks are largely those played during the Rites, the 3-a-side not really sports strategy game that forms the meat of Pyre's play time. I've probably heard most of them a lot over the past week, as I plodded through, without taking them in. I was focused on making the damn things finish as fast as I could because I found them tedious and un-fun. Pyre is a game where I really liked the characters and some of the writing but where much else - the Rites, the presentation of the story - fell very flat for me.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I do not see myself building a connection to these tracks in the way that I have with Korb's other work.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I think what maybe sets Pyre apart so far is that it doesn't draw me in or establish that immediate connection. There is good richness and depth in the work here, but it doesn't strike me as something to sit and listen to... it is a bit more detached than that. It's "nice" but not demanding, not attention grabbing. Less big and bold on the whole than Bastion, not as resonant or emotional as Transistor. Of course, by the time I get to Transistor - if I get that far! - I will likely have forgotten the game and its context altogether, which is kinda sad; I'm not sure when I played through it, but it came out a few months before this project started. Steam says I bought it in November 2014 when I was actually managing a good turnover of posts and had designs on, y'know, actually making it through everything. Two and a half years later I'm still on C!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Thrash Pack has energy, but this one leaves me cold. I'm not a big guitar hero fan. Whilst screaming guitars can be great, I find most of the time I bounce off and there needs to be something more to it. Here it's a bit too American garage rock bank for my taste; it's someone's kinda thing and more power to them, but it isn't mine.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hearing the tunes playing back now, it is funny how they can be so familiar, and yet simultaneously I cannot place them in the context of the game I only finished last night. I cannot bring to mind the screen or screens associated with each piece very easily. I get the impression from the track list and the vague voice at the back of my skull that we are progressing through the first pass of the game, meeting each of the opposing triumvirates in turn, their theme and their Rite accompaniment. Because I disliked the Rites themselves so much I never clocked whether it was a tune for each opponent or a tune for each arena. I did recognise certain themes though, or thought I did. I'll find out a bit later into this listen...</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I mind my thoughts on the game are already scrambled. Dread Design is a very familiar track, and I relate it to a particular opponent very strongly, but I still can't quite work out if it was attached to the enemy or the place I first met them... I think the former.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Strange Voyage carries a jauntiness that I remember really liking in game, too. It's one of the tracks that actually does have an immediate connection for me, despite being on the more pastoral end of the spectrum. Jaunty but relaxed, then. The sound though is big and bold, so while it is clearly a "downtime" piece it is much more engaging for the big riffs. The name has connotations of travel - one of the parts of the game I did really like was the movement around between the different locations, different styles of backdrop, overlaying each other in a pleasing way as you hopped around. The first time in the Sea of Solis area was one of my highlights from gameplay.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The naval jauntiness is part of the Knights of the Sea, the Pyrehearts. Probably the most frustrating of all opponents in the game for me, but their theme - and this is clearly their theme - was one of the pieces that stood out immediately when I heard it in game. I am pleased to find it as enjoyable removed from the context. The rolling nature of the rhythm is just gorgeous, and whilst the brilliant light riff that opens the tune gets somewhat swallowed by the build up of rich textured sounds the piece as a whole still works.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One area where Korb shines is in making low, bassy guitar riffs sing. He gives them a resonance, a big deep sound, creating a crucible for his other sounds. It would be trite to call it "twangy" but there is certainly a swagger or twang to his best basslines which is essential to the DNA of his tracks, and a key ingredient in making his work stand out and be recognised. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Still 11 tracks to go and this is starting to feel a little bit of a marathon as I am aware of the time passed, and that yet to come. However I am certainly appreciating the tracks more now, having grasped the tone of them better through exposure. That isn't to say they're all great and I am now elevating this soundtrack above his others, but that I am more able to see it for itself and less in comparison to past work. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The bassiness that I like in Korb's work does tend to push the tracks to darker sounds, and when he tries to lighten the mood over a base built from bass I sometimes feel as though there is a fundamental conflict within the tune, as if it is fighting to go two different ways at once. Contrast can be a very effective tool in all the arts, but just occasionally it feels as though it is all getting away from him a bit. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I feel like I am throwing unconnected thoughts together rather than making coherent points. That's probably been the case for longer than I would care to admit with these posts. As they happen less frequently the lessons learned in the past are fading, and every paragraph turns into a throwaway thought, like this one.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's always good to know your flaws, but it's not meant to be so that you can live down to them!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was slightly surprised (I'm not sure why) to find that the male voice in the songs is Korb's own. The female voice is Ashley Barrett, whose tones I recognised immediately since she was key to the appeal of Transistor. They work well together and whilst I am not necessarily convinced of the songwriting, I can't really fault the approach of the male/female duet. So far, though, whilst the tracks have grown on me I don't think there's anything here that I am likely to dive straight for, to actively decide to play again.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It feels quite sudden, to be in the final stretch. I couldn't say the same for the gameplay experience. That seemed to drag out longer than it needed to, with doing anything taking more button presses and more screens than it should in order to see the better part of the content - the static art, the writing. Here I look up and find just 2 tracks left. I'm not quite sure where the latter third of the album as gone... reading back up the page there isn't that much I have written; did I zone out? Unsure. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The final track is placed over the credits, unsurprisingly. It plays as a camera pans over an image representing all of the characters that make up your group in the game. It is another song that chronicles what happened, naming them one by one and giving a one line summary. I don't find it makes for a compelling song at all... which is a shame because the reason for this approach is embedded in game content, two minstrels form part of the ritual around the Rites and watching, recording and recounting is clearly a theme. It could have been a powerful ending, but unfortunately the actual song they came up with to represent this is rather weak, the contrived nature of its form and the prominence of the lyrics disappoints.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Like the game itself, the Pyre soundtrack is a little bit of a let-down. Not because it's not good, but because it's not great. There are some familiar grooves, crests and peaks in there, but there is also material here that doesn't work too well - though not quite to the extent that I will ditch anything though.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-58958461201647481092018-02-25T14:36:00.002+00:002018-02-25T14:36:58.048+00:00Complete Peel Sessions (Disc 4) - The Wedding Present<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYbQ3IBBjdPHdGLHbXTeWWBwhzKGVUt9ICOyFc5HxthdOBIb7EUw6iLXJXVQCK0vYxGb-KN5jEqvyg8gaPoHtaqp81BLkexzpWx1WfWeddcDPvj4CaiSlZZ2pXVp_ZyX5adPaNvVxo54k/s1600/Complete+Peel+Sessions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYbQ3IBBjdPHdGLHbXTeWWBwhzKGVUt9ICOyFc5HxthdOBIb7EUw6iLXJXVQCK0vYxGb-KN5jEqvyg8gaPoHtaqp81BLkexzpWx1WfWeddcDPvj4CaiSlZZ2pXVp_ZyX5adPaNvVxo54k/s320/Complete+Peel+Sessions.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. What Have I Said Now?<br />
2. Crushed<br />
3. Kennedy<br />
4. Thanks<br />
5. Bewitched<br />
6. Granadaland<br />
7. John Peel Interviews David Gedge, Part 1<br />
8. Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah<br />
9. Kennedy<br />
10. Swimming Pools, Movie Stars<br />
11. Click Click<br />
12. It's a Gas<br />
13. Spangle (Acoustic)<br />
14. Gazebo (Acoustic)<br />
15. Fleshworld<br />
16. Sucker<br />
17. The Queen of Outer Space<br />
18. John Peel Interviews David Gedge, Part 2<br />
<br />
Running time: 59 minutes<br />
Released: 2007</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've made it half-way through The Wedding Present's assembled Peel Sessions. What lies ahead now? We have the first repeats that I can spot - Kennedy appearing twice, and acoustic renditions of Gazebo and Spangle from disc 3.<br />
<br />
This disc is kicked off with an intro espousing the continuation of "fabness" (or so I hear). How very British. I guess this must be a festival recording or something because the voice was not Peel's and there is a background noise on the track that sounds a bit like general crowd sounds though it is not very distinct and could be the rough edges around the instrument parts. This doesn't sound like a very clean recording. The song, for what it's worth, is a sort of plodding but pleasant indie cycle, one very prominent guitar line and some very structural drumming. There's no sense of real interest, but neither is there anything pushing me away. It's a gently enjoyable tune, but far too long for the lack of any real hook.<br />
<br />
Yep, definitely in front of an audience. The applause is a giveaway!<br />
<br />
OK, so I think all of these 6 discs are live anyway (as part of the conceit of the Peel Session), but these tracks being in front of an audience not just live in a studio it lends a different interpretation. The sounds here hark back to the first disc, the tinniness of the guitars, a flatness to the overall sound and a distance in the vocal. I am sure I have a better version of Crushed, though ironically it's on another live album; I didn't go back and buy the studio output.<br />
<br />
There's definitely a dullness in these recordings which lends a distance to the music. It is as if the recording was incidental and unplanned. The richness that I had become used to over the latter parts of disc 2 and all of disc 3 is absent, and with it some of the engagement. That said, Crushed and Kennedy - which here both suffer by the measures mentioned - are both tunes that showcase the energy of The Wedding Present really well. The breakneck pace is evident and a key part of their makeup, it is just a shame that the sound is a little flat.<br />
<br />
The paciness of these first few tunes is really welcome, a good jolt to what has been a lethargic Sunday so far. I've been playing Pyre, finally, and finding it a little bit of a chore in terms of the UI and the amount of clicking it appears to take to get anywhere. It sucked up most of my morning - the characterisation is great, but I wish you could move through the story a bit faster. Now this listen is serving as a break point; this afternoon is cooking and other productive pursuits, at least it is per plan.<br />
<br />
I don't know what it says that I find myself half loving and half loathing the tuneset so far. I love the energy and pace, the solid structure and the general tone but I am massively frustrated by the distance of the sound. A few tracks in and this is not the disc 1 scenario of guitars so spangly I had to go lie down with my eyes closed to clear my head; the harsher edge to the instruments is there, but the level of the recording neuters that effect. I'm not sure which is worse... being affected to the extent of headaches or not really feeling the effect at all because of the distance. I've looked it up in the meantime and the live event covering the first 6 tracks, which all flow together well, is the occasion of John Peel's 50th birthday. The subsequent 12 tracks, including both interviews to bookend the show, are another festival performance from the mid 90s. This disc, then, has a distinctly different flavour for those crowd dynamics.<br />
<br />
Hearing John Peel's voice, even many years after his death (14 years ago now... how time flies) is still massively evocative, oh so familiar. I have never been the biggest listener of the radio - too much guff to put up with - but somehow Peel's style and tone made it through to me. He was a giant presence, a huge influence. For those of my generation and the one before, a true legend.<br />
<br />
The second rendition of Kennedy loses something for being included here so soon after the first. Of course when this was originally broadcast it wouldn't have had the proximity, but here only 5 tracks have passed since it concluded last. Sound quality here is better though. Oh, but I really like the opening of Swimming Pools, Movie Stars. The peppiness here is balanced perfectly by the dryness of the vocal, the pace is positive, the sound rounded. The track loses some lustre as is goes as the pattern is set and becomes familiar, but the opening is really strong. It's dragged back, too - the lull is fought off by more guitars, a little acoustic twang then an overdriven fuzz. Nice.<br />
<br />
Isn't our mood and appreciation fickle? Suddenly I am not feeling all that engaged, in the space of two tracks I've gone from stoked to burnt out as my mind wandered. Sure, the over-long Click Click wasn't the best thing ever but neither was it that bad, so why do I now feel nothing but a desire for the listen to close out? So frustrating (as Gedge sings on It's a Gas). That frustration and ending-wish is intensified as the acoustic delivery of Spangle kicks in. Here everything feels off, its almost like a spoiler of an insert - the sound balancing is really weird. All the focus is on Gedge's vocal and the predominant instrumentation is a really shonky piano sound from some form of keyboard. The keys sound so wrong... part out of tune, part utterly incompetent rendering of an actual piano sound.<br />
<br />
Thankfully Gazebo seems to drop the keyboard into the background more, and here the softer sound of the amped-up acoustic guitar is nice. The focus on the vocal is still a bit too strong, and the backing becomes a mess as the bonkers keyboard asserts itself some more towards the end of the track, so overall I think I can do without these acoustic interludes.<br />
<br />
I am struggling to reconnect, and with only two short tunes and a 30 second interview clip left to go I am not sure I will. Sucker is not an easy tune to like, but I do appreciate how it plays with the formula, particularly in the rhythm. The chorus, which involves repeating the title a few times with some vocalisations before each one, is weak, but the rhythmic structure of the verses makes up for that. It hasn't drawn me back in, but it has rather arrested the slide.<br />
<br />
I think disc 3 is likely to remain my favourite of the set. 5 and 6 follow similar patterns to this one - live performances captured and broadcast rather than true session recordings. Still I'll make my way through them soon enough.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-74458088039349035432018-02-20T10:58:00.001+00:002018-02-20T10:58:35.694+00:00Complete Peel Sessions (Disc 3) - The Wedding Present<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtVwwK8BZsDtCHCvIhMIyrYmvjL5CbWaJnpirjtXWwRCUbv7IgaVAK5CMM468j2KqIQrraigE8ZKpINg-Y-HzDnXhPRZTm2owWgIOx-3BBuSEYLLyWibbks97PyQtmfGWimmMwhZTXzrGm/s1600/Complete+Peel+Sessions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtVwwK8BZsDtCHCvIhMIyrYmvjL5CbWaJnpirjtXWwRCUbv7IgaVAK5CMM468j2KqIQrraigE8ZKpINg-Y-HzDnXhPRZTm2owWgIOx-3BBuSEYLLyWibbks97PyQtmfGWimmMwhZTXzrGm/s320/Complete+Peel+Sessions.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track List:<br />
<br />
1. California<br />
2. Flying Saucer<br />
3. Softly Softly<br />
4. Come Play with Me<br />
5. Gazebo<br />
6. So Long, Baby<br />
7. Spangle<br />
8. Him or Me (What's it Gonna Be?)<br />
9. Drive<br />
10. Love Machine<br />
11. Sports Car<br />
12. Go, Man, Go<br />
13. Blue Eyes<br />
14. Ringway to Seatac<br />
15. Shivers<br />
16. Queen Anne<br />
17. White Horses<br />
<br />
Running time: 54 Minutes<br />
Released: 2007</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On to the third disc. After this one I'll be half way through John Peel's obsession with The Wedding Present. The <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2018/01/complete-peel-sessions-disc-1-wedding.html">first disc</a> gave me headaches, <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2018/02/complete-peel-sessions-disc-2-wedding.html">the second</a> gave me warm fuzzies, what will the third disc bring?<br />
<br />
The first strains suggest this will be more like 2 than 1. The guitars are muted, relaxed even, giving more space to the voice, which feels for a change to be layered over the backing rather than embedded in it. There is a nice cadence to California, and an airiness which makes it both highly enjoyable and instantly forgettable, which is an odd combination but reflective of convergence with a more general trend in guitar music. It feels less clearly like a Wedding Present track is what I'm saying.<br />
<br />
Flying Saucer disabuses me of the notion that they have lost their personality though. The guitar pattern has filled in again, and whilst there is still a certain distance in the vocal it isn't as far removed. A long bridge with just the wailing guitars reminds us where they came from - a more controlled snarl than anything from the early days, it feels a little dad-rock-ish, but it is also a lot more, dare I say, musical than those earlier energy filled blasts.<br />
<br />
When the pace does rise, it maintains that extra musicality, and some added depths through a changes of tone. It's the natural rhythm of the pieces that carries you along though. No longer a youthful energy, but there all the same. When the pace is removed, such as on Come Play With Me, there is now a real character about the cocoon built by those slower strummings. That said, I am not sure the atmosphere created is quite enough to sustain the song as long as it does, and I am very grateful for the change up for the second half of the track even if it is just a loop.<br />
<br />
It has been a long couple of weeks since I managed the last disc in this set. Life has been a bit too busy for my liking, so I have taken a couple of days off and eventually found time to do this one, but not the two I was hoping for. Still have a tone of boring household admin to fit in today, too. Days off are just for a different type of work these days.<br />
<br />
There is a significantly different feel to So Long, Baby. A relaxation, a "Parklife-esque" insouciance, a change of pace. Then for a track called Spangle, the sound is more of a dull growl than the titular bright sound. Ironically the next track has that very clearly, albeit wrapped in the deeper, gurning sounds. The tracks are flying by and I am only barely finding thoughts to commit to type. I am rather enjoying it though as a form of procrastination. I could do with some of the energy that has gone into thrashing those guitars; getting started on anything is causing me some issues of late.<br />
<br />
This disc feels very different from the previous two in a couple of notable ways. Most obviously there are no Ukrainian folk songs to chunk up the indie tracks, but I think the second difference is actually the more impactful one and that is the changes of tempo. Disc 3 is for the most part significantly slower than the previous two. This drop in tempo comes with the consideration and the sophistication of the compositions; it is a more mature collection of performances of more mature songs, and probably my favourite of the three so far (remember this is just the half way mark of the collected Peel Sessions).<br />
<br />
Go, Man, Go has a really nice melancholy to it, and that is part of the overall theme. I think these slower, broader songs suit the mood of their pieces better. Whilst the fast pace creates a nice contrast with the lyrical content on the earlier tracks, here the two feel in sync, building a more coherent song set.<br />
<br />
I am falling into repetition; the only thoughts I have to share are the ones already written. On that basis I might just relax through the... oh wait. What the hell is that? Shivers is really odd, a complete change of tone and instrumentation. All muffled, old-timey strings and off-key piano. I find the whole thing rather unsettling and unpleasant. In another context it might work but here it feels off and I am not sure I want to maintain it. Thankfully a more familiar sound is back for Queen Anne - though it has a consistency of vocal approach with Shivers. There is a little more of an edge to the guitar parts here too, a nice ringing sound that fleshes out the sound on the track.<br />
<br />
The final number is slow, percussion given prominence, the voice given a wide crucible. It is a bit slow and low for a finale and doesn't really work in its positioning here; it is a rather nice track but a huge let down on the end of the disc.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-11440273239102589242018-02-04T21:06:00.000+00:002018-02-04T21:06:38.879+00:00Complete Peel Sessions (Disc 2) - The Wedding Present<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSGmEtxm3ZTX0XL9Oiw0Of3NRRp8NQ21-b55OiR_IC7BtfvVDJNnl5-lCoq_lXmU4aePS244bGkThxAui5LiPfmjF9TWmJmZWqEXxiT4M884fXreW6cXof04gYDGyOr6XkgxhMR9Xfjn4/s1600/Complete+Peel+Sessions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSGmEtxm3ZTX0XL9Oiw0Of3NRRp8NQ21-b55OiR_IC7BtfvVDJNnl5-lCoq_lXmU4aePS244bGkThxAui5LiPfmjF9TWmJmZWqEXxiT4M884fXreW6cXof04gYDGyOr6XkgxhMR9Xfjn4/s320/Complete+Peel+Sessions.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track List:<br />
<br />
1. Davni Chasy<br />
2. Vasya Vasyliok<br />
3. Zadumav Didochok<br />
4. Verkhovyno<br />
5. Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now?<br />
6. Unfaithful<br />
7. Take Me!<br />
8. Happy Birthday<br />
9. Zavtra<br />
10. Sertsem I Dusheyu<br />
11. Cherez Richku, Cherez Hai<br />
12. Dalliance<br />
13. Heather<br />
14. Blonde<br />
15. Niagara<br />
<br />
Running time: 57 Minutes<br />
Released: 2007</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, after <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2018/01/complete-peel-sessions-disc-1-wedding.html">part 1</a> of this set underwhelmed me, before picking up towards the back end, what of part 2? There are two more sets of Ukrainian folk songs here, which bodes well, and an overall longer runtime which I hope means that things will be slightly less frantic.<br />
<br />
We start where the first disc left off, in the middle of sessions dedicated to Ukrainian folk songs. Davni Chasy actually reminds me of Greek music a little, but I think that is because this sort of structure is common to a lot of different folk cultures in parts of Europe east of here. It's the slower moments that give me that link, when it speeds up, or when the vocal is present there is much less of a Grecian feel. It's nice enough, but really not likely to sell anyone on the concept.<br />
<br />
Sunday evening. I have just about recovered from last week, and am using this as my lead in to a wind-down, knowing I have a busy couple of days, at least, to start the week. Fitting this listen in feels a little forced, and I find myself a bit distant from it in these early stages as a result. If I had more energy or people about, this high tempo, high flux folk would be much more appealing. As it is, I can't relax into it because it is unfamiliar, and I cannot share in the motion with anyone. The third track is slower, darker, and more immediately relevant to how I feel, I find myself getting swept up a little in its melodies, the big brooding vocal carrying me along.<br />
<br />
I find this fascinating, the cultural crossover. It's not as if The Wedding Present were a folk band in Blighty, so for them to go to the other edge of Europe to get these tunes and faithfully capture them is a stretch. I'm glad they did, making them more accessible to ears such as mine. Sure - you could argue that there are plenty of traditional artists who could do with the custom instead, but without being in the region how likely was I to ever stumble across their fare?<br />
<br />
When the true British indie returns, it is with a far more muted sound than on disc 1. There isn't anything like the harsh edge to the guitar part, freeing me up to enjoy the tempo, the growl and the peppy backing. Here the guitars are freed to sing without that really tinny, metallic ring. Yes, they get repetitive, but that structure is what carries the track forwards, gives it the momentum it needs to support the characteristic vocal.<br />
<br />
There's something reassuring about this.<br />
<br />
I wonder how Take Me! is going to work as an 8 minute epic at the breakneck pace that the guitars and drums go at. Chords strummed so fast they're just structure. It works though - because all the character comes from David Gedge. I suppose the energy output must've kept everyone warm; it's shaping up to be sub-zero here in the coming week, lots of boring scraping ice off the car in the mornings. Must remember that and get an early night, and hit snooze less first thing. I realise this will sound odd, but the lack of a fine melody in these tracks helps. You can sort of tune out the higher functions and get swept away on the rush of energy without losing too much. It carries you along, unworried, imparting a sense and tone rather than specific notation. The song never drags, despite never seeming to vary all that much, it just <i>is</i>, and that works really, really, well.<br />
<br />
We then get an audio sample of Marilyn Monroe's presidential Happy Birthday before the guitars launch back in. I have to say I am enjoying this disc way more than the last one.<br />
<br />
We dive back into foreign roots music again next. Three more tunes, the first of which starts very slow and dark before a crescendo starts to up the pace... then it stops, resets. Frustration, in a good way. I love things like this - the start slow, build up approach. Here we get it a few times over in the one track, though on balance the energy is killed slightly too soon on the first couple. The third is given a good run at speed to take us through and out the other end of the track.<br />
<br />
Oh, nice. The third track of this trio is the first time the spangly Wedding Present guitar sound has felt so prevalent in the folk-inspired material, the drums are modern and snappy too, making this a really effective hybrid. It all bottoms out midway through and you hear snatches of what I guess is a more traditional sound for the second half of the track, but the synergy in style really works well.<br />
<br />
The last four tracks are firmly back in northern England, though Dalliance is slower, with far more space than I have become used to. Busier sounds creep in as it goes and it builds up to a big sound, driven again by those guitars - harsher again, but that edge welcome as they fill in the hole that was left for them. There is a really satisfying growl to the track by the time it closes rather suddenly. I get the feeling that these are tracks from a matured band - more space, more assurance in their sound, less need for the big noise for the sake of it, but the nous to use it for effect.<br />
<br />
I like this more considered Wedding Present, and as with the first disc I am ending the listen with more of a connection to the music than in the early stages of the album. There it was a switch to the folk songs, here it is the mellowing, the slowing, and the rounding out of the sounds winning me over. There are still big rich noises here, but they are more immediately inviting ones, encouraging that gentle head nod, or slight sway. I'm smiling as Niagara progresses. I know it will all close out soon but it has mellowed me out well. This is why I didn't cut anything from disc one... it was all too much in order, but I know this band can do good things for me; right place, right time this time. It was less frantic, it was more mature, it was more <i>me</i>. I liked this one a lot.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-37438594628763888872018-01-28T16:49:00.001+00:002018-01-28T17:02:53.726+00:00Complete Peel Sessions (Disc 1) - The Wedding Present<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSGmEtxm3ZTX0XL9Oiw0Of3NRRp8NQ21-b55OiR_IC7BtfvVDJNnl5-lCoq_lXmU4aePS244bGkThxAui5LiPfmjF9TWmJmZWqEXxiT4M884fXreW6cXof04gYDGyOr6XkgxhMR9Xfjn4/s1600/Complete+Peel+Sessions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSGmEtxm3ZTX0XL9Oiw0Of3NRRp8NQ21-b55OiR_IC7BtfvVDJNnl5-lCoq_lXmU4aePS244bGkThxAui5LiPfmjF9TWmJmZWqEXxiT4M884fXreW6cXof04gYDGyOr6XkgxhMR9Xfjn4/s320/Complete+Peel+Sessions.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. You Should Always Keep in Touch With Your Friends<br />
2. It's What You Want That Matters<br />
3. This Boy Can Wait<br />
4. Felicity<br />
5. All About Eve<br />
6. Don't Laugh<br />
7. Never Said<br />
8. Don't Be So Hard<br />
9. Hopak<br />
10. Give My Love to Kevin<br />
11. Something and Nothing<br />
12. A Million Miles<br />
13. Getting Nowhere Fast<br />
14. Katrusya<br />
15. Svitit Misyats<br />
16. Tiutiunyk<br />
17. Yikhav Kozak Za Dunai<br />
18. Hude Dnipro Hude<br />
<br />
Running time: 46 minutes<br />
Released: 2007</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The first of a big box set now. A former friend got me into The Wedding Present, a big favourite of the late legendary DJ John Peel, and as a result I picked up this compilation of sessions the band recorded for Peel's show. There are 6 discs in total... that could take me a while.<br />
<br />
Thankfully this first disc is a packed one, 16 in 46, and it kicks us off with a number which sets a tone I expect to be kept. All frantic guitars, northern vocals and pacy tempo. The title is a little rebuke, too. I'm not good at keeping in touch with anyone, friend or otherwise.<br />
<br />
I feel a little like there is a time and a place for this sort of guitar band, and that time and place doesn't really feel like mid-afternoon on a Sunday in January when I have other things to do, but I am squeezing this in to try to keep some kind of rhythm up. My weeks have been so tiring that finding space for more than one listen in 7 days is unlikely at the moment. If I can stick to one a week I'll be doing alright in general. That aside, I am dissing the music a bit that sentiment... I have never been a big fan of guitar for the sake of guitar, which is what a whole load of indie bands feel like to me. There is more to The Wedding Present than that - David Gedge's lyrics and vocals are a real touchpoint - but when crunching a lot of these tunes into a short period of time it does get a little overbearing.<br />
<br />
The super-fast nature of the playing gives a level of intricacy that I struggle to follow, so I am left with a more generic sense of tone and pace that becomes a bit wearing after a while. There is a sort of similarity with the hardcore of, say, the Minor Threat discography I <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2018/01/complete-discography-minor-threat.html">listened to recently</a> in terms of the dominant feeling, but there are a couple of key differences. One, these tracks go on a little longer, and two the edge is a little less. This means that each track has a less powerful impact and also has just long enough to tick over into trying. This makes a complete works like this quite punishing.<br />
<br />
I suspect that, too, it catches me in a bad frame of mind for this up-tempo, slightly downtrodden but spangly combo. I really feel like I need space and time right now, and these claustrophobic guitars are a polar opposite of that. I like the songs better when the guitar work recedes to play second fiddle to the vocal, it feels a little as though the balance isn't quite right elsewhere. Part of it is that the guitars are really stark and harsh, a metallic spangle that rattles around in my head, echoing off the inside of my skull and causing my temples to flare. I suspect this might be something that is less of an obstacle on their studio albums, when post-production may have toned down some of the rougher edges. At points here and there I find snatches of more refined sound that I really like, but that burning itch of annoyance at the harsher sounds is not going away.<br />
<br />
It must sound like I hate this, right?<br />
<br />
Well, that's not entirely true. I think it's fair to say that I don't like consuming it like this - my problem is the concentration of tracks not the songs themselves. I would never choose to take this disc and play it in a scenario like this one, where I have to listen to the tracks in order again, but remove the persistence and things look a lot nicer. A single track or really fast and busy guitars supporting that distinctive melancholic half-spoken vocal? Much more appealing. Likewise the rhythms - it's all a little one-paced (express!) to be consumed like this.<br />
<br />
Every time the guitar is toned down a bit - its harsher edge tempered or the volume lowered, either one - the songs come alive for me. A Million Miles (yeah, we've got that far without a single tune being called out by name after the first) is a really nice track, the guitars are still urgent, fast and incessant, but they are flattened so that they don't feel like someone is rattling my head around. That carries over to Getting Nowhere Fast, too. These tracks have all the energy and attitude of the earlier numbers but tempered, the instrumentation lacking the piercing qualities that have made enjoying this tough.<br />
<br />
We then dive into the Ukrainian folk songs. I don't really know anything of the story about how a northern English indie band ended up playing folk tunes from the eastern edge of Europe. I suppose I could and should Google it. I immediately find myself relating to this though. Sure, it's a little cheesy and conforming to stereotypes in places, but there is a sense of fun and joy in these tunes that the original Wedding Present material didn't quite share, despite some common characteristics. These tunes also lack the vocals (for the most part), not surprisingly. I am as surprised as anyone else at how when you take away the bit I most enjoyed from the earlier tracks you end up with tunes I enjoy more... but of course there are other changes. Here the forms that are being followed are more respectful of space and time than the frenetic indie tracks, the sounds are more dictated by tradition than individual vision.<br />
<br />
As the final number begins, starting at a stately pace, but promising to speed up - quickly delivered - I am left wondering what to make of this disc. It is just one sixth of the peel sessions. It was tough going for me to being with - the latter half has been very pleasing. I do like the combination of high energy and blue emotion that characterize the band, but those strings need tempering to become something I can truly appreciate. Tempted to scrap a large part of this, but I will hold off for now to see how the rest of the box set goes. </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-55290308334674820132018-01-21T14:15:00.000+00:002018-01-21T14:15:00.638+00:00Complete Madness - Madness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IvQO3wWqgIKmLutUelJOmI8bsddvDqluV1txKECgs-ZMN0WYmrn5G53bWSA0I2q-Vc34YaSNJ8wN_sNWcyjnk6bQJjifdRjtN4bXRVSxkeRmyNHO9vY_z2f7lngUTg1PDH9ODjDm02Ss/s1600/Complete_Madness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IvQO3wWqgIKmLutUelJOmI8bsddvDqluV1txKECgs-ZMN0WYmrn5G53bWSA0I2q-Vc34YaSNJ8wN_sNWcyjnk6bQJjifdRjtN4bXRVSxkeRmyNHO9vY_z2f7lngUTg1PDH9ODjDm02Ss/s1600/Complete_Madness.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. Embarrassment<br />
2. Shut Up<br />
3. My Girl<br />
4. Baggy Trousers<br />
5. It Must Be Love<br />
6. The Prince<br />
7. Bed and Breakfast Man<br />
8. Night Boat to Cairo<br />
9. House of Fun<br />
10. One Step Beyond<br />
11. Cardiac Arrest<br />
12. Grey Day<br />
13. Take It or Leave It<br />
14. In the City<br />
15. Madness<br />
16. The Return of the Los Palmas 7<br />
<br />
Running time: 45 minutes<br />
Released: 1982</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Why did I buy this? I'm not sure.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am shocked at the release date. I remember a number of these tunes from my childhood, yet this best-of was released when I wasn't yet two. They were clearly baked into the British psyche of the 80s.<br />
<br />
OK, so that opening line is a little unfair. The very first chords of Embarassment remind me why I picked this up... there's a grubby but honest charm about Madness' upbeat tones. It's never ever going to touch "favourite" levels, but its good for injecting a simple small smile into a grey day. It's been trying pathetically to snow outside, so the warm brassy sounds are a nice antidote.<br />
<br />
That these 16 old tunes are crammed into 45 minutes like sardines in a tin means the listen will fly by fast and I can move on to more considered musical selections. There is a definite element of lowest common denominator about these lads, but popular does not have to mean bad. I am actually surprised at the amount of space and time there has been in the first two songs given the sub-3 minute average running.<br />
<br />
I don't find these tunes to be very provoking of thought or words. There's something too familiar about them I guess... a sort of comfort space that has my mind switched off. That said, as Baggy Trousers starts, I am reminded that this song formed part of my English lessons at school, some 25 years ago. OK, only one lesson, but it came out of the blue, and unfortunately I can't remember the explanation or outcomes that would make that odd anecdote more interesting. I guess with the state of my music library now, this era of Madness is the equivalent of a palette cleanser between courses of a posh meal, though one that can throw occasional surprises.<br />
<br />
It Must Be Love is one of those tunes that is so heavily scorched into my mind through over-saturation, and cheesy though it undoubtedly is, I think it holds up pretty well. That doesn't mean an awful lot since we can be frighteningly uncritical of things that have become second nature in this way, however for my purposes this un-self-conscious and mushy track manages to bring a smile. This ballad is followed by a bouncy number that has me thinking of The Beatles over and above the other influences, one song in particular which I cannot recall the name of (as I have never been a Beatles fan).<br />
<br />
I have made that admission on this blog before. It's almost a crime in the UK to be a music snob but not see the Beatles as the best thing ever, though I somehow suspect that is not so true for the generation behind me in snobbery. Wait, did I just call myself a music snob whilst listening to <i>Madness</i>? Something doesn't add up there.<br />
<br />
Snob cannot be the right word.<br />
<br />
I try to avoid the term "fan" as far as possible, because fandom is not something I identify with at all. Sure, the point of this blog is to go through my music, calling out what I like, what I don't like, what surprises me, etc., and in the course of that we'll encounter several artists I value very highly, but <i>fan</i> carries connotations that go beyond any level of devotion that I have been able to find.<br />
<br />
I remain surprised by how much space and time these tunes seem to have, by the by. They pack a fair bit into short runs, perhaps because the general tempo is high. The other side of that is that yes, I am finding my thoughts riffing off general themes and trends rather than specific cues in the songs, which, thinking about it, might come back to the level of subconscious familiarity, not the conscious one. What do I mean by that? I think with the tunes that I am consciously familiar with - those that I have sought out and played to death, I would be more inclined to spout off about why I am so attached to them. Here the patterns are kind of ingrained, rote, unthinking. I am not following the grooves, the melodies, the beats of the tracks, rather I am letting my mind wander off whilst old patterns unwind around me.<br />
<br />
Yet in doing so, this is turning out to produce more words than most listens, even if fewer of them directly relate to the sounds playing out. There has been no comment on the style, little consideration of the instrumentation etc. Perhaps that is because I rather expect everyone else to have had Madness baked into them too, which will not be true for children of the 90s, or anyone not British. It seems to me that there is no point me typing out a summary though since I can <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madness_(band)">link to one</a> instead.<br />
<br />
Ugh, I got distracted by reading the Wiki link, bad form. I pull myself away as some less familiar songs hit. Sure, the same old patterns are evident in the music but I am not sure where they are going this time. It's nice to be mildly surprised for a change though. There are some odd, but effective vocalisations on In the City, for example, that make me think of old videogame sound effects.<br />
<br />
My typing has run out of steam, my brain run out of words. The denouement is in effect, this Madness is over. I think I will cut a couple off the end in the final reckoning, as the fun quotient dipped sufficiently to not make the tracks interesting.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-36423938833854917652018-01-20T20:03:00.002+00:002018-01-20T20:03:53.772+00:00The Complete Kismet Acoustic - Jesca Hoop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZC5UMErBb8xQp8Y9utyPbKf6VOqZckUx7gLpy2QTsJi99tpzvg1h1yqgqZlA5tu826JwUtRd9AMDY0IejuHzNQcJ6vMtjUo_dPUb4WHIwwWEjzPjT3lLzs0_F-8UwKK5yPeODjzlYHG6/s1600/KismetAcoustic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZC5UMErBb8xQp8Y9utyPbKf6VOqZckUx7gLpy2QTsJi99tpzvg1h1yqgqZlA5tu826JwUtRd9AMDY0IejuHzNQcJ6vMtjUo_dPUb4WHIwwWEjzPjT3lLzs0_F-8UwKK5yPeODjzlYHG6/s1600/KismetAcoustic.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. Silverscreen<br />
2. Summertime<br />
3. Out the Back Door<br />
4. Seed of Wonder<br />
5. Enemy<br />
6. Love Is All We Have<br />
7. Intelligentactile101<br />
8. Havoc in Heaven<br />
9. Reves dans le creux<br />
10. Money<br />
11. Love and Love Again<br />
12. Paradise<br />
13. Worried Mind<br />
<br />
Running time: 56 minutes<br />
Released: 2012</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I don't recall what got me into Jesca Hoop. I mean, I remember that it was <b>Undress</b>, but not the whys of picking up that album. I loved it though, and still do, although to be fair my epiphany wasn't that long ago... maybe 2 years tops? It wasn't until late last year I got around to ordering more older material though, including this one; I haven't received the physical disc yet - sourcing is apparently an issue - but the digital auto-rip will do! It is a first listen for me too... digital buys not usually getting dedicated play when they are grabbed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The opening guitar is not quite what I was expecting... a touch classical. The vocal reminds me of Lisa Hannigan, and someone else I cannot immediately place, in its tone, breathy and close. When the chorus hits, it is more reminiscent of the Jesca Hoop tunes that first engaged me, and overall its a gentle start, but Silverscreen feels like it goes on too long at least twice; it fakes an end then finds a continuation.<br />
<br />
I am hoping this listen will put an end to my listlessness. The past few evenings, and all day today (it's Saturday) I have done nothing of note, not feeling like I want to do anything. Brain won't countenance thinky things, body (and the woeful winter weather) not supporting ideas of doing anything more active. I pine for what Hoop is singing about now... summer; I would take spring. I dislike the dark, I care not for the cold.<br />
<br />
So far there hasn't been any of the really cool use of rhythm that sold Undress to me utterly. Instead these seem more traditional songs, less creative, less <i>sure</i>. The guitar has a nice snap to it, and there is a lively beat to Out the Back Door, but it feels... young? Uncertain, following more than leading... this tune is a step up from the first two though in terms of more than a passing interest. Hoop's voice here is light, also reinforcing the feeling of youth - though I'm pretty sure she was not that young when this was recorded.<br />
<br />
I start to hear some themes and tells that tie this to the other material I am familiar with. Nice use of lyrics outside of traditional line structures, for instance, was one of the features that made me fall in thrall of Hoop's songs, and her vocal style really supports this approach, apparent sharp short breaths punctuating long stretches with constant vocal, hold-overs with long notes as the tune catches up. I like the way it draws my ear in, I like the way it stands out, and the sense of falling forward, onward ever after.<br />
<br />
I have had an odd start to the year one way or another, and I feel a little all at sea with 2018. I have been finding it hard to focus my mind right outside of work, which has eaten up the odd evening too. Sleep has been hard to come by, waking early regardless of what time I bed down, not wanting to crawl out into cold mornings. I have been more or less constantly tired... except when I was ill, when I felt sparkier than I had been for a while. Life is odd, as I say. I am finding this album soothing and a little soporific. I don't mean that it is boring me, but that it is relaxing. The single guitar is clear and tuneful, but also soft and repetitive. The lone female voice not always urgent... those long lines absent from some songs, lapsing into repeated choruses.<br />
<br />
Looking down the track list at the start of this listen - which is a nice break from "Complete" works - I had hopes for Intelligentactile101. Based on the name alone I figured this would be one of the less conventional tracks. There is a child-like aspect to it, a playfulness to the simple melody. That said it also feels a little underdone, like the structure really needed a bit more (most noticeably percussion) to make it work. I suspect I might prefer the original version. Like Undress, The Complete Kismet Acoustic is a re-take of another album. I don't (currently) own <b>Kismet</b> but I think its fair to say that I will soon. I didn't own <b>Hunting My Dress</b> first either.<br />
<br />
This line here to break up the sadly uniform paragraph structures.<br />
<br />
Sad that I had to do that, but I haven't been flowing with ideas for short, snappy insights relating to the music. It feels like I have been listening to this for a very long time, but I am only just over half way through. I think this is probably more a statement on how restless and unsettled I have been feeling more than a stick to beat the album with though. Anyone who has read one of these posts before will be aware that I am never keen to over-criticise first listens - not that those people exist.<br />
<br />
Ooh, Hoop has gone for French. I think I have another version of Reves dans le Creux on another disc, I vaguely remember having to rip it from physical media. Yeah. <b>Snowglobe</b>. I really like the effect that songs in foreign tongues can elicit, I am reminded of Julie Fowlis' Gaelic, or Regina Spektor lapsing into Russian. I don't think its pure exoticism, I think it is more the change up.<br />
<br />
Money has more to it, there is a little more instrumentation here, another layer, and more interest as a result. This has the air of a track that could grow into a favourite, even if at the same time it seems to flout the premise (I doubt that all these extra sounds are acoustic). There is a hint here of the playing with rhythm that sucks me in every time I hear the undressed version of Tulip, for example. It's not as pronounced here, but there's a cool to it all the same.<br />
<br />
As the music falls back into a more sparse and less immediately engaging pattern, I find myself thinking this doesn't really work <i>as an album</i>. Tonally something like Money, but to a lesser extent things like Out the Back Door and Intelligentactile101 too, don't sit well alongside noodle-y little songs over classical-style guitar sounds. I find myself wondering whether the same applies to the non-acoustic original. I will be able to hear in due course.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-53383149559722533682018-01-13T21:15:00.001+00:002018-01-13T21:15:41.658+00:00Complete Discography - Minor Threat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrt-R8WvR6mssqPKojlkW0Ct0SvaB66jsze1eHdB5C7EiJPV38UinwCWzkpxs5IPk3hl5hybORcQa2HPnur_rI_w82bIo1NIhyphenhyphenJ0koA08H1zsvTORzmJGniGv1kuoi16rH8zHb8ckUfODP/s1600/Complete_Discography_Minor_Threat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrt-R8WvR6mssqPKojlkW0Ct0SvaB66jsze1eHdB5C7EiJPV38UinwCWzkpxs5IPk3hl5hybORcQa2HPnur_rI_w82bIo1NIhyphenhyphenJ0koA08H1zsvTORzmJGniGv1kuoi16rH8zHb8ckUfODP/s1600/Complete_Discography_Minor_Threat.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. Filler<br />
2. I Don't Wanna Hear It<br />
3. Seeing Red<br />
4. Straight Edge<br />
5. Small Man, Big Mouth<br />
6. Screaming at a Wall<br />
7. Bottled Violence<br />
8. Minor Threat<br />
9. Stand Up<br />
10. 12XU<br />
11. In My Eyes<br />
12. Out of Step (With the World)<br />
13. Guilty of Being White<br />
14. Steppin' Stone<br />
15. Betray<br />
16. It Follows<br />
17. Think Again<br />
18. Look Back and Laugh<br />
19. Sob Story<br />
20. No Reason<br />
21. Little Friend<br />
22. Out of Step<br />
23. Cashing In<br />
24. Stumped<br />
25. Good Guys (Don't Wear White)<br />
26. Salad Days<br />
<br />
Running time: 47 minutes<br />
Released: 1989</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am hoping this ends up being another <b><a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2014/09/action-image-exchange-fig-40.html">Action Image Exchange</a></b>, a surprising and intense experience but one well worth stepping outside of my normal boundaries for. Similar crunching of tracks into a small run time, similar provenance (I believe I received both together)... similar outcome? We shall see.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is pretty amazing how short songs can begin with long notes. I suspect it might be perceptions - they seem long in hindsight because everything that follows is so short and sharp - but nonetheless you can pack a lot into a sub-2 minute runtime if you try. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The opening exchanges are not as full on or utterly mind blowing as after-impression of Fig 4.0 that comes to my mind, but the pace is vital and the sound is constantly shifting. I guess this form of punk is music's equivalent of sprinters... go all out for a short while, burn out and recover to go again. All action, all mouth, all strut. A million miles from my normal fare, but totally relate-able and enjoyable. I write that with a knowing smirk, because I don't really feel that in the moment. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am feeling a detachment from myself, a tiredness and ennui that made starting this listen harder than it should have been and has led to finding ways around doing other things today, too. I am self-aware enough to put the detachment on me though, not the sound. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am still tapping along, head bobbing, slight side sway. I am appreciating, but not really <i>feeling</i> it. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Looking down the track list, the tempo of the album might slow down - the tracks trend longer later, and this concerns me because I can't see these rough edges supporting a more traditional length of piece. Not only that, but it is the constant cutting from one riff to another, one screed to a second, one pulsing, hammering beat to a facsimile, that gives the form its pulse, its lifeblood. Sure the band could write decent tracks, produce skilled output, but the really sweet piece about the short but intense track is that... <i>it doesn't last long enough </i>for its violence, its abrasiveness, to really hit home. It's like the classic trope of being dazed, shocked and surprised by an attack and not realizing the actual physical damage.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sure enough, as I hit the second half, and the longer tracks (meaning those over 2 minutes - it's not like these are epics) I feel a little bit of the magic wearing off. The repetitions become too frequent, the impact lost by their familiarity. The same tricks have been employed all the way through, but they are seen and heard now, the wow factor is gone. I suppose I can point to my ears starting to feel like they have been assaulted to illustrate that the tone and pace hasn't all gone, but my ethereal detachment has vanished and now I am a glum guy giving less shits. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
You know what though? I would quite like more of this really fast, visceral material. My attempts to find more in the punk field that gels with me have not worked out that well. Steps taken away from the groups or albums I received together as a package have resulted in anemic, impact-less finds. Yet I am loathed to stick my toe in deeper for fear of the bad and the bile that can sometimes swill around counter-cultures. Basically I don't trust myself to find the good stuff and don't want to wade through the shit, which is likely to be actively un-enjoyable. Bad buys in other genres might be boring or bland, but they are less likely to be offensive. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That same ability to polarise though... that is absolutely critical to the impact. Without it, if these tracks were anodyne, there would be nothing. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I should be glad for what I have. Isn't that kind of the point of this site?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As ever with these inserts that lie outside the majority direction of these pages, which I guess I would characterise as Folk/Jazz/Singer-Songwriter... cue loss of train of thought. I don't know where I was going with that. It might have been "good to expand horizons", it might have been "quality wins out" it might have been "music has more in common..." or any number of other half-baked or half-formed thoughts. I am glad for these little inserts though... the harder edge to the guitars, the driving riffs, the shouted lyrics, the additional personality. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The longest track on the album is Cashing In, at 3:44. Actually I really like this one; there is something cathartic about the commonly repeated chorus. I get the sense that this track has a story behind it and the softer sound on the track is part of a deliberate sell out narrative - but that the band have still managed to make their deliberately half-assed effort sound and feel like them. If you're in, you're in, or something. I'm probably way off base here, but it felt like a statement, and not a face value one. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The disc meanders to a close really, Good Guys doesn't have the heart, and Salad Days is Minor Threat Lite, not full fat. Overall I am less astounded and enraptured by this than I was hoping to be, but still pretty pleased in the end. Fig 4.0 made more of an impression, And None Of Them Knew They Were Robots stick with me more, but I am pleased to have heard all Minor Threat chose to offer.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-9278542697402002512018-01-01T17:21:00.001+00:002018-01-01T17:21:22.314+00:00The Complete Anthology (Disc 3) - Stump<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyR-G8ONxYuJ3kuDZ0cCPvmAOa8me3kd7fVJavoX0tSvSpWzdJKuRvqlGTQwXgvqGFKwoe0ktb1PE89v2DpQXuuBY1a_h8X8mZNh7hHd9PtHEsfQafNM4x5DyR2D5vE0zDrKHyQIzleyj/s1600/CompleteAnthology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyR-G8ONxYuJ3kuDZ0cCPvmAOa8me3kd7fVJavoX0tSvSpWzdJKuRvqlGTQwXgvqGFKwoe0ktb1PE89v2DpQXuuBY1a_h8X8mZNh7hHd9PtHEsfQafNM4x5DyR2D5vE0zDrKHyQIzleyj/s1600/CompleteAnthology.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. The Queen And The Pope<br />
2. Seven Sisters<br />
3. The Rats<br />
4. Warm In The Knowledge<br />
5. The Song's Remains<br />
6. Safe Sex<br />
7. The Lipstick Maker<br />
8. Maggie<br />
9. Love Is Too Small A Word<br />
10. Ice The Levant<br />
11. Thelma<br />
12. Angst Forecast<br />
13. Heathers In Shelter<br />
<br />
Running time: 40 minutes<br />
Released: 2007</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
More Stump now, such is the way with multi-disc retrospectives. You may wonder, if you are reading in order (as if you are) why I jump from <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-complete-anthology-disc-1-stump.html">Disc 1</a> to Disc 3. Where is Disc 2? Well, that is filed under the album it represents, <b>A Fierce Pancake</b>. I'm not sure why but I am not about to go and restructure things for consistency - it simply wouldn't be in the spirit of this band!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Disc one was a mess, but with some interesting bits and pieces mixed in, and I kept more than I thought I might. That was the last post of 2017, this the first of 2018. What does the new year bring?<br />
<br />
My first thought is that the sound is more matured than yesterday's fare. There is more obviously a tune, albeit one realised through odd sounds and weird lyrics. The Queen and the Pope is much more clearly a song than Tupperware Stripper was (or many of the other offerings). It feels milder, too... watered down somehow. This is both good and bad. If the more extreme tendencies have been reigned in then there might be some more palatable sounds here, but on the other hand if it dulls the spirit, then it might end up with a bunch of dull tripe.<br />
<br />
Early impressions are more the latter.<br />
<br />
I was not expecting folksy sounds. The Rats opens with a very exaggerated Irish vocal, and a twangy little string accompaniment. I rather like it, moreso for the surprise, but it really does not belong on the same album as the first couple of tracks. It is over quickly and replaced by more of the quirky electro peaks and troughs that remind me of the small volume of Devo tracks I acquired at some point. It's spikey, hard to get into, but I think it largely works. The fast-paced vocal offsets the janky sounds well, though it goes a little tuneless in places and the end is bizarrely sudden.<br />
<br />
This disc is jumping all over the place as the next number goes slower and darker. There is a nice atmosphere to it, the thrum of the bass in particular. The top end is light touch, soft, subservient and layers well for the most part - but then it takes over as a focus, a sort of evil magic tingle (if you've seen the same films or played the same games I have that might mean something) and it's an awkward, unpleasant central passage. Thankfully order is restored on the track so as not to sour me on it.<br />
<br />
Then ugh. Safe Sex is just noises, unpleasant noises - bubbling sounds and nasal vocalisations. It does not belong on any record, ever.<br />
<br />
It's a struggle not to be distracted by shopping... my brain is clearly in an "acquiring things" mode and with the sales on, I have a couple of wardrobe requirements to fill. Yet I haven't been motivated to look for things when not sat here listening. Classic attention and focus problems that have affected me for a few months now, and I am not sure why. In any case, after the horror interlude, the sounds have returned to something more tuneful. It is all very dated, but there is an 80s charm to Stump when they are palatable, and an 80s horror to them when they are not.<br />
<br />
I have not been as immediately aware of, and uncomfortable with, the nonsense lyrics today. My instinct is that they are as all over the place as before, but they are less of a front and centre feature. Now there is a repeat of a track from yesterday... Ice the Levant has improved marginally on this later recording. Like many of the tracks here there is a more definite sense of a tune behind the screams and proclamations of oddity. It's still not worth holding on to, though there is a really pleasing resonance to some of the lower notes that I don't recall from disc 1. The screeches are too much though, as they were before.<br />
<br />
Now that I am most of the way through, I will re-assert that yes, this is a more mature sound. By the time these tunes were recorded Stump had obviously refined their songwriting and performance. There is less random cacophony and more consideration. More of a standard pattern to subvert with their randomness rather than noise for noise's sake. There might not be anything as iconic as a man shouting "does the fish have chips?" but I prefer this more harnessed, controlled weirdness. They still have the interesting sounds here, they just use them in the production of tunes that are more, well, tuneful. For all my distractions and reluctance to fit this in today I have rather enjoyed it and am surprised to find myself keeping much more than not. The last track puts me in mind of Laika & the Cosmonauts, which is a very positive thing. Happy New Year. </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-16554146622872381172017-12-31T21:39:00.001+00:002017-12-31T21:39:55.142+00:00The Complete Anthology (Disc 1) - Stump<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ossggMeOsnvxGHv7xi2Pq_hu5gi25CCjUB4EwV_lyMktAedAoGBx0BCQwwmWCCkDzcCxTUFcJFfSSZ_Zdb_-BxTZCkt2X6FzIni-WtK31zRhok5HIed-nuN9npWn5z1ww3ep7OTUReOi/s1600/CompleteAnthology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ossggMeOsnvxGHv7xi2Pq_hu5gi25CCjUB4EwV_lyMktAedAoGBx0BCQwwmWCCkDzcCxTUFcJFfSSZ_Zdb_-BxTZCkt2X6FzIni-WtK31zRhok5HIed-nuN9npWn5z1ww3ep7OTUReOi/s1600/CompleteAnthology.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. Tupperware Stripper<br />
2. Our Fathers<br />
3. Kitchen Table<br />
4. Buffalo<br />
5. Everything In Its Place<br />
6. Bit Part Actor<br />
7. Orgasm Way<br />
8. Ice The Levant<br />
9. Grab Hands <br />
10. 50-0-55 <br />
11. Big End<br />
<br />
Running time: 35 minutes<br />
Released: 2007</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Complete random insert now. Back when I was getting into Microdisney via Cathal Coughlan's solo work, Stump were recommended to me by some algorithm somewhere (I don't recall whether it was a shop or a music site). I fell for the trap, bought the recently released Complete Anthology and then... thought it was odd and ignored it. Was that a good move? </div>
<br />
By the by, this is apparently a concatenation of two releases, Quirk Out and Mud on a Colon.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The first sounds are hardly tuneful, and the early voice sounds more like a lead in to a budget 60's sci-fi tune than a pop song... my first musical point of reference is early Pink Floyd. There are some quite funky sounds buried in this track, in and amongst the rubble of the rest, but it is hard to see myself ever choosing to listen to Tupperware Stripper again. Amusing title, though, and the drive of the rhythm is a positive that hints there may be something salvageable in the anthology as a whole. We shall see!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This listen is my New Year's Eve; I've never been a fan of this night of the year and a safe, low key solo pursuit is just the ticket... even if the content I am consuming is not immediately lovable. I like Our Fathers a lot more than the first number though - there is a more definite tune here, whilst preserving some of the interest and quirkiness. The ending is a little but anti-climactic though, and the cutover to the next track is jarring. It jumps into precisely the kind of experimental noise-pop that I was expecting from my brief experiences of Stump when ripping the CDs... and it's not a culture I buy into, though that said I think the vocals that clearly don't fit standard lines and structures provide interest and creativity; it's the music around that which lets it down.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am more parochial about my music these days for practical reasons. I have too much, I've never liked radio and the ways that I expanded my horizons in the past are less effective now - the lists of new releases on big online stores are dominated by re-releases and multiple different formats of mainstream items which I have no interest in, so I don't get to discover. I'd like to think I would be open to new artists, new sounds etc. - certainly I've been pleasantly surprised by some of the less familiar works I have listened to - but I don't go out of my way to find them. I also just... don't get to gigs anymore. No idea what is on, where, and no-one to go with if I were make for live music retreating out of my life.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I guess it is a question of priorities to some degree, but I do think it's got harder to sort wheat from chaff because there is now so much more... and the latter has always dominated in scale.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Anyhow - meaningless digression aside, if you overlook the questionable lyrics and suppress the suspicion that they're being weird for the sake of being weird, Stump had some talent in there. There is experimentation and there is cacophony, but there are also funky structures, rhythms and good pace. Nothing can save the horrible noise of Bit Part Actor though... it's just awful. It marks the end of the first EP; the latter 5 tracks are the second.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
No song I have heard so far this evening has been entirely likable, but equally not everything has been a write off. For all the noise and weirdness in the construction of the sound, I think the most dubious element of the tracks is the lyrical content. The other parts wax and wane in quality, but the lyrics are just sheer nonsense throughout, and "adult" in that particularly juvenile way more often than I am comfortable with. I find it odd that I bring that up here, but for once I actually feel able to track the words to some degree... perhaps the lack of traditional tune structures throws a little more focus on the script?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Experimentation can be a good thing, but by its nature it is hit and miss. On this disc I feel the balance is more miss than hit. For every cool hook and each sweet sound there are two or three unpalatable items - crap words, walls of tuneless sound, incoherent track structure and so on. On the plus side, the tracks have been short and the whole disc is less than 40 minutes so it's not like it's eaten too much of my life. I find that I am keeping about half of it, much more than I thought I would, because enough of the tracks contained little positives to warrant another listen. By rights I should nuke it all, really, but sometimes that spirit of experimentation is welcome, and for when it is, there is Stump.</div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-63065397248691380352017-12-29T17:09:00.000+00:002017-12-29T17:09:57.827+00:00Compendium - The Second Hand Marching Band<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTWvWTf3Axj7C-FuOQ76VQx7ryYJ_AvPMrUKKBRejJzqNpFajIH7l1wykk0ETrt4UMiTPmjhJWWgrPeiPOSfVSZWecCb85B1FVALD6FgaUt6L_qZfL8rsmysNwRRsaRg4x4Ej7LVA0OLa/s1600/Compendium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTWvWTf3Axj7C-FuOQ76VQx7ryYJ_AvPMrUKKBRejJzqNpFajIH7l1wykk0ETrt4UMiTPmjhJWWgrPeiPOSfVSZWecCb85B1FVALD6FgaUt6L_qZfL8rsmysNwRRsaRg4x4Ej7LVA0OLa/s320/Compendium.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. Mad Sense<br />
2. Lies <br />
3. A Dance to Half Death<br />
4. Don't!<br />
5. Not Yet<br />
6. We Walk in the Room<br />
7. BonBon<br />
8. Grit and Determination<br />
9. My Gift is Waiting<br />
10. Next Year<br />
11. Bottle of Anger/Lies (BBC Scotland Radio Session)<br />
12. A Hurricane, a Thunderstorm (BBC Radio Scotland Session)<br />
13. Love is a Fragile Thing (Sleazy version)<br />
14. Learn to Love (2007 demo)<br />
15. Bypass (2007 demo)<br />
16. Transformers (2007 demo)<br />
17. Dawn Raid (2009 demo with Benni Hemm Hemm)<br />
18. Alexander and Angela (2009 demo)<br />
<br />
Running time: 69 minutes<br />
Released: 2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've written about how I came across The Second Hand Marching Band <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2017/04/and-rest-will-follow-second-hand.html">before</a>. This has the look of a best-of and retrospective, including tracks I have elsewhere, but that's alright by me. Twee Scottish low-fidelity amateur charm is OK in my book.<br />
<br />
It is a suitably low key starter for 10. Mad Sense's slow tempo, a lone voice, adding another. It's disarmingly charming. Yes, I was biasing myself towards this before I started, but there really is something comforting about the simplicity here. That said, I am happier for the bigger sound and a bit more life in Lies as that takes over, its intro more than half its length before the vocal joins. <br />
<br />
I can't help but feel, though, that I should stop this listen after three tracks, because A Dance to Half Death is undoubtedly the summit. I have loved this track since the first time I heard it. There's some fragility in the voice that endears, whilst the main theme, the twiddling tunes behind the vocal and the pace all strike emotional chords (pun intended) in me. There is a rawness to it all, a heart laid bare, a pleading appeal. In some ways the song is amateurish, the voice almost fades away in places and it sounds like only an indie-effort could... a little rough around the edges. Yet the earnestness, the genuine intent and belief of the performers and the tones of their strings stir feelings in me, a sort of comfortable loneliness and longing. It is, I think, a masterpiece, albeit one most people will never hear or appreciate.<br />
<br />
The sense that everything is slightly off-key can't be as easily brushed off on the more bombastic Don't!, and here the effect of everyone playing and singing together has more of a cacophony about it, and then we hit the first of the tracks on this album that I don't recognise. Not Yet jettisons the noise for a stripped back sound, a female main vocal, it reminds me more of Strike the Colours' less pop-y pieces in places with the intricate little strumming loops, though overall the similarities aren't that great. It builds nicely and I find myself enjoying it a lot.<br />
<br />
Of course, my liking this should not be any surprise; The Second Hand Marching Band shares (shared?) some overlap in membership with eagleowl, a lot of their tunes exhibit that very clearly, and eagleowl are the best band no-one ever heard of and the group that I keep going back to when being alone all the time tips over into loneliness. The downside of that is that hearing those sounds when I wasn't feeling lonely (like just now) can tip me over into the very loneliness that I use these sounds to escape. Today is a calm day of not much between two days of hosting people for board games and in the aftermath of family Christmas. The quiet and peace are - or were - welcome, especially as I don't really feel like I have been off work for a week yet!<br />
<br />
The album loses its way a bit in the middle. All pace slips from the tunes, and they strip back too far to be interesting. They retain a gentle charm, but it is a detached one, rather than an intimately engaging one.<br />
<br />
The combination of Bottle of Anger/Lies brings back the energy. Yes, it is in part a repeat, and I could have sworn it was something I had <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2015/02/bbc-scotland-1089-second-hand-marching.html">elsewhere</a>, and a quick search suggests that I axed it! Huh. Context matters - here this combo really worked to bring back something that was lacking as the mid-section drifted. There I found the raucousness abrasive. Odd. I am still not that enamoured of A Hurricane, A Thunderstorm though and I may axe that again (especially as I have other versions).<br />
<br />
It amuses me that there is a sleazy version of, well, anything that would be advertised as such, but that is where we are with Love is a Fragile Thing... I can't hear anything immediately worthy of that term, so I guess it is a bit tongue in cheek (or I am tone-deaf). Then we are into a bunch of demos to finish off the offerings.<br />
<br />
Learn to Love starts these off with the same trembling vocals that endeared A Dance to Half Death to me. Here there is less to back that up, but it is still plenty pleasant. Actually it may end up being these demos are the real reason to have this album... the search for where I had Bottle of Anger/Lies before laid open how Compendium is less a greatest hits and more the collected works. The first 10 tracks come from two EPs, 11 and 12 from the BBC sessions linked above. Happily thus far they are well worth having. The recording is a little harsher, louder, than perhaps would be ideal but the tone of the songs is right.<br />
<br />
My attention wandered, and I find myself suddenly at the end of Transformers without consciously processing the bits in between - nice soft guitars, low key vocal and not a lot to do with the track name as far as I can tell...<br />
<br />
Two to go, then; 10 more minutes.<br />
<br />
I find my words are gone. My drive to type MIA. Suffice to say I really like Dawn Raid even though I cannot find the lines to explain why. The closing track I am less keen on. Musically its more of the same and OK, but the lyrics are mean-spirited in places. Not a good finish.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-16093905207587878682017-12-27T17:50:00.002+00:002017-12-27T17:50:40.883+00:00Comments of the Inner Chorus - Tunng<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOoflOVQRxt8KX3cUk7CnuBku4oPmXj3YAa8O68fv884oJoRr6JqCF6QvH0ailRdaSf5eFLECUKT0_0V_pZEYybickLQgE8QKZSniXGnlPWOILKDDyHICth_4wrQtIksuYzi20FwqMpA-/s1600/CommentsInnerChorus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOoflOVQRxt8KX3cUk7CnuBku4oPmXj3YAa8O68fv884oJoRr6JqCF6QvH0ailRdaSf5eFLECUKT0_0V_pZEYybickLQgE8QKZSniXGnlPWOILKDDyHICth_4wrQtIksuYzi20FwqMpA-/s1600/CommentsInnerChorus.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. Hanged<br />
2. Woodcat<br />
3. The Wind Up Bird<br />
4. Red and Green<br />
5. Stories<br />
6. Jenny Again<br />
7. Man in the Box<br />
8. Jay Down<br />
9. It's Because... We've Got Hair<br />
10. Sweet William<br />
11. Engine Room<br />
<br />
Running time: 42 minutes<br />
Released: 2006</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As much as I like Tunng, my favour has always fallen on <b>Good Arrows</b> and <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2014/11/and-then-we-saw-land-tunng.html"><b>And Then We Saw Land</b></a>. outside of those two albums I haven't listened nearly as much. I suspect that's probably a mistake and I hope this listen will back that up and convince me I should give them more time. We shall see.<br />
<br />
Post-Christmas haze. First day back home alone without the family around. Blessed quiet, and space for a listen, albeit competing with the sound of the washing machine in the kitchen. Can't have everything. Hanged starts with precarious found sounds, wandering light beeps and rustling percussion. There is a structure to it though, and it begins to coalesce into something more... then abruptly ends with a vocal sample. An idiosyncratic start, very Tunng, very good for setting the tone. Then we get into a picked guitar loop to start Woodcat, and Sam Genders' soft whispered vocal.<br />
<br />
My two favourite Tunng albums sit either side of Genders' split from the band, but I love his vocal style. It's comforting, familiar, understated. It is like a little aural cushion to fall back on to. It wouldn't fit with the bolder sounds of And Then We Saw Land, but Genders-era Tunng were lower key, and labeled with the horrible portmanteau "Folktronica." I can see where the genre-labelers were coming from but really... It's not folk, and it's not electronica. It's not really even between the two, though it is hard to argue against it containing elements of the latter. Tunes are almost incidental as the intriguing array of found sounds and samples predominates over the instrumentation in terms of how the tracks are built and structured. For a man who wasn't keen on being the centre of attention, Genders situates his vocal very much at the fore of these pieces, too - though I don't think anyone could call the lyrics visionary, or insightful.<br />
<br />
There is a nice emphasis on structural elements to these tracks, the counterpoint to the relative lack of melody. On Red and Green, for example the tune comes from the variation in the vocal to begin with, whilst the rhythm is prominent, up front and all squeaks and beeps - yet somehow without any harshness to them, and not out of place either. The higher pitch beeps used to form the beats has a tinge of birdsong to it, despite clearly being electric rather than organic. In some respects this is a strange album. It's harder to get into than the more tuneful works that followed but quietly rewarding once you get past the rather odd first impression.<br />
<br />
Their tunes are quite hooky, too. As in they all have some little quirk your ear can latch onto and have your brain replicate again and again. I suspect I might be hearing the main loop of Man in the Box for the rest of the day.<br />
<br />
Huh. I just noticed that the track list I pulled had 13 tracks for the album, but I only have 11. I wonder if I am missing a couple of bonus numbers? It could also be to do with some hidden tracks in the final number as its 8 minute run time is a little suspicious.<br />
<br />
In some ways these songs are all vignettes at heart, a core idea. The group then layer little explorations and theories expanding around that core to build neat little baubles. This listen feels more like wandering through a gallery of things than it does sitting down to appreciate a composition. The Science Museum made into music. A hundred different little things to peer at and move on. It's quite a special feeling, but not really one that this project sets out to capture. I mention that because my attention is wandering... less so from appreciating the sounds presented to me, rather from being able to formulate coherent notes to tie it all together. The little intricacies and aural oddities that crop up here and there, the somewhat off-kilter sounds, they all pull thought away from typing.<br />
<br />
Ah, the final number, Engine Room, is the one track I really recognise from its opening notes. A really strong guitar hook, with a nice roll to it over an ominously tight picked center. It moves away from that core as it goes but its a very strong opening. By the time it becomes a space-y metallic fade out I am not quite sure where the time went. That is about the 4.20 mark, so there are some hidden track shenanigans here, but thankfully there is next to no silence (so it escapes the tag). I am not so enamoured of the postscript though... it's perfectly fine, but no more - and frankly the majority of this album is so much more than merely <i>fine</i> that this waffling final few moments is a complete anti-climax.<br />
<br />
I really liked this one; I am not surprised by that, but it has made me think that I should expand the range of Tunng albums that make it to the commute-box.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-30096406904490675052017-12-23T12:57:00.003+00:002017-12-23T12:57:57.012+00:00Comfort of Strangers - Beth Orton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwBCpsmLs0cxXMQip_MNrn48kMm57w_CyFBg-4A99Hyfsmw3FM42qIgHNClZIr4kE_4ipJ-hLkLDHJoQgx0rkrkLse-WjHSmRBWKkPMqfsBNHFc5uwgGD3aWYZ6Q1T3V3VV6HBNZ8DFz4/s1600/Comfort+of+Strangers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwBCpsmLs0cxXMQip_MNrn48kMm57w_CyFBg-4A99Hyfsmw3FM42qIgHNClZIr4kE_4ipJ-hLkLDHJoQgx0rkrkLse-WjHSmRBWKkPMqfsBNHFc5uwgGD3aWYZ6Q1T3V3VV6HBNZ8DFz4/s1600/Comfort+of+Strangers.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. Worms<br />
2. Countenance<br />
3. Heartland Truckstop<br />
4. Rectify<br />
5. Comfort Of Strangers<br />
6. Shadow Of A Doubt<br />
7. Conceived<br />
8. Absinthe<br />
9. A Place Aside<br />
10. Safe In Your Arms<br />
11. Shopping Trolley<br />
12. Feral Children<br />
13. Heart Of Soul<br />
14. Pieces Of Sky<br />
<br />
Running time: 44 minutes<br />
Released: 2006</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have a strange musical loyalty gene or something, because I keep buying records from artists long after I stop actively enjoying their current releases. I think this is such an example. I loved early Beth Orton... <b>Trailer Park</b>, <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2015/05/best-bit-ep-beth-orton.html"><b>Best Bit</b></a> and <a href="http://whereilisten.blogspot.com/2017/01/central-reservation-beth-orton.html"><b>Central Reservation</b></a> all. Then was much less enamoured of <b>Daybreaker</b>, yet I bought this album at launch. I also picked up last year's release, <b>Kidsticks</b>, though nothing in the decade between this and that and I can't recall actively listening to it at all. Time to reappraise this one.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In truth I remember little. Worms actually starts things off in a promising manner. Simple backing supporting a song that thrives on its vocal. It's such a simple composition that it really works, all the melody comes from Orton's voice. The song is nonsense, but like most of this disc (14 in 44 mins) it is also short so it doesn't have time to instill any feeling of distaste at the oddities. If this is a sense of things to come then I might actually enjoy this album. I don't have that many shorter songs really, and this type of punchiness - there, formed and gone - is actually a nice thing. Brevity can be welcome.<br />
<br />
It is the Saturday before Christmas and I have surprised myself by basically being ready. Yesterday was massively productive and the family commitments only begin on the day itself so I have a couple of days to relax before it hits. On the record, things are breezy and warm, its not really speaking to me the way that Orton did on Trailer Park but it's not bad either. Pleasant background music I guess. Not maintaining a constant rhythm on this project doesn't help with approaching this sort of thing with any consistency. I'm sure that in the past I have binned tunes that were simply "fine" or "nice" like this. I could here, too, but I am not really feeling that decisive today.<br />
<br />
It's true that the music is not giving me much to write about, but that is as likely to be because the tracks are gone before relevant and coherent thoughts are formed. None of the numbers on this album go over 4.30 in length and many are sub-3 minutes. I've reached the title track already and it feels like I have barely started. This song is the first that makes me feel actively indisposed to it. The vocal sounds a little flighty and a bit more broken, and the sparse backing is more fiddly and offputting than supportive. Compared to Worms, which has a similar high level structure, the execution is off.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I find that the goodwill I felt a mere 2 tracks ago fading, the unwillingness to call this bland and cull is suddenly replaced by the opposite urge. I cannot quite place why.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The general tone of this record is I guess a gentle warmth, it feels a little self-indulgent, self-congratulatory for a nice life. A little comfort bubble, but one that I feel I am outside looking in on, cynically so. That's me being the cynic. I find myself disengaged, distant and unable to find a thread to follow in these tunes. There is a lushness to the sound, and I find that doesn't play well with Orton's voice for me. This is probably ossification of taste, an indication of how I loved earlier material that I am more familiar with. My impression - whether accurate or not - is that the first couple of records were a bit rawer, a bit more visceral, and this one is overdone. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That said, I rather like the tune on Safe In Your Arms, the longest runner on the album. It has a nicely tilting simple back-and-forth guitar lead and while the arrangement is still a little on the warm and fuzzy side of things, the sounds all rounded off, no hard edges, the tune has more room to grow. The piano deployed here adds something where elsewhere on the album I felt it superfluous. Tellingly, the point at which it feels it might be getting too much is also the point it chooses to close. A good decision, and a gem amidst the pile of stones.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I think the skepticism in my intro is justified by my experience of listening through. There are brief moments here and there when the music within swells and gives joy, but the overwhelming senses I take away from this is apathy and disengagement. Songs that disappoint may contain some nice ideas but then fail to deliver on them - Heart of Soul is a good example of this, where I rather like the approach to the chorus, and the way it breaks the structure from the verses, but I find the vocal does not work for me.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In closing, whilst very little of the album is actively bad, by the same token very little of it has me enthused. I wouldn't complain if someone put this on, but I wouldn't choose to do so myself. Damning with faint praise is damning most of these tunes to the recycle bin.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7336683269992334973.post-57212285846625914852017-12-13T21:21:00.001+00:002017-12-13T21:21:42.370+00:00Come Up With Me - Thea Gilmore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHI_RBji10XmR6sdxhiNx04D-7NSE-NkJ9RqcSeP6H29eI15b8FbdtXhYnxtho_umxI0-uT6GinXY24FXSiEXVXTV_md8YvuVYgpS15I41jJbzJyqQM3hLLVt7paKBkahU2i75WALnAjC/s1600/Liejacker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHI_RBji10XmR6sdxhiNx04D-7NSE-NkJ9RqcSeP6H29eI15b8FbdtXhYnxtho_umxI0-uT6GinXY24FXSiEXVXTV_md8YvuVYgpS15I41jJbzJyqQM3hLLVt7paKBkahU2i75WALnAjC/s320/Liejacker.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Track list:<br />
<br />
1. Come Up With Me<br />
<br />
Running time: 3 minutes<br />
Released: 2008</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This was a <b>Liejacker</b>-era single or promo or such, and in my library at least shares the album's cover art. One song, not sure when or where I picked it up, but Gilmore remains one of my all-time favourites (and her latest <b>The Counterweight</b> is her best for years). I think I can hear this tune in my head, but how does it go really?<br />
<br />
It's gentle folk-rock intro, layers one guitar on to another. The song is fine, I guess, but it's hardly Gilmore's best work. Her voice is good here, and the tone is brighter than a lot of how I hear Liejacker in my head, so that's good, but ultimately this is filler. I think I can live without this one, however much I may like some of her other work.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01959953232858572312noreply@blogger.com0