Best Ever Albums

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

Anonymous — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 16:36:23 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/27/2014 20:36

Norman Bates wrote:

Halfway through.

First few songs got me wondering how much better you could get in this type of heavy gothic americana. It's probably impossible. And just as I was thinking about this sounded like the records Nick Cave couldn't do anymore, I am currently losing some of the interest. My theory is that it's hard to keep this sort of intensity without somehow tiring yoiur listener a bit. Anyway, more about this when I'm done. Very impressive anyway and surely making my '14 chart, thanks for the rec.

Kinda makes sense about the intensity thing. As much as I like them, some Wovenhand albums can have tracks that, intentionally or not, seem to just fill in the mood without being as distinctive songwriting wise.

I'd say that (compared to the last couple Wovenhand albums) the album gains in more polished production and richer/more dramatic atmospheres, but loses a bit in having a cohesive tone. The songwriting kinda jumps around in mood, especially in the second half (even when the individual tracks are really really strong)

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

Necharsian — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 00:22:15 GMT

Author: Necharsian

Posted: 04/27/2014 04:22

Okay ranking time

1. Death Vessel - Island Intervals
2. Wovenhand - Refractory Obdurate
3. Have a Nice Life - The Unnatural World
4. Phil Beaudreau - Ether
5. Alcest - Shelter
6. The Gloaming - The Gloaming

7. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
8. An Ant And An Atom - You Are No One
9. Actress - Ghettovile
10. Mike Jourgensen - Moodeity

Everything after 6 is meh.

Still haven't heard these ones in full yet. Will do so hopefully this week.

Chicano Batman - Cycles of Existential Rhyme
Juçara Marçal - Encarnado
Benjamin Construct - Anamorphic Reality
Ratking - So It Goes

I think I'm doing ok in this so far

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

Norman Bates — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 16:41:42 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 04/26/2014 20:41

Halfway through.

First few songs got me wondering how much better you could get in this type of heavy gothic americana. It's probably impossible. And just as I was thinking about this sounded like the records Nick Cave couldn't do anymore, I am currently losing some of the interest. My theory is that it's hard to keep this sort of intensity without somehow tiring yoiur listener a bit. Anyway, more about this when I'm done. Very impressive anyway and surely making my '14 chart, thanks for the rec.

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 16:38:16 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/25/2014 20:38

Just some promotion, one of my favourite tracks was put on youtube:

Link

If you release this man
you'll be no friend of caesar
The wastes of old
The desolation of the ancients
they raise up
renew the city
generation to generation to

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 10:41:32 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/24/2014 14:41

SquishypuffDave wrote:

The TV show is incredibly misanthropic and degrading.

More to the point, it's almost offensively unfunny.

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

paladisiac — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 10:40:15 GMT

Author: paladisiac

Posted: 04/24/2014 14:40

SquishypuffDave wrote:

The TV show is incredibly misanthropic and degrading.

i don't think it's misanthropic. it's more socially insular. not sure if you've ever been a nerd, but most are not that socially accepted and don't have many social skills.

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

RockyRaccoon — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 10:13:45 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 04/24/2014 14:13

Liked the album a lot, created a really cool atmosphere throughout the whole thing. Really impressive.

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

SquishypuffDave — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 22:46:34 GMT

Author: SquishypuffDave

Posted: 04/24/2014 02:46

paladisiac wrote:

the tv show is quite harmless.

The TV show is incredibly misanthropic and degrading.

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

Necharsian — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 17:46:00 GMT

Author: Necharsian

Posted: 04/23/2014 21:46

paladisiac wrote:

bad joke, quite possibly. but offensive? i don't know the album but the tv show is quite harmless.

Haha nah I was kidding. But the show is very terrible so comparing to something good like wovenhand is something I can nay stand for

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

paladisiac — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 17:17:23 GMT

Author: paladisiac

Posted: 04/23/2014 21:17

Necharsian wrote:

This is very offensive and bad

bad joke, quite possibly. but offensive? i don't know the album but the tv show is quite harmless.

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

Necharsian — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 17:08:37 GMT

Author: Necharsian

Posted: 04/23/2014 21:08

paladisiac wrote:

this was a rejected title for a big bang episode

This is very offensive and bad

Anyway listening to this now. Sounds pretty great so far. Could be a top 10 of the year candidate.

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

paladisiac — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 09:57:59 GMT

Author: paladisiac

Posted: 04/23/2014 13:57

this was a rejected title for a big bang episode

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

meccalecca — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 09:56:58 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 04/23/2014 13:56

Fantastic. I had no idea this was streaming. One song in and it's already better than pretty much everything I've heard this year.

Re: ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

RockyRaccoon — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 20:31:05 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 04/23/2014 00:31

Sweet, I'm looking forward to it

ALC #14: Refractory Obdurate

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 20:02:06 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/23/2014 00:02

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

WOVENHAND - REFRACTORY OBDURATE

It comes out in the next week, but is streaming on pitchfork as of a few hours ago, so shouldn't be a problem to listen too:
http://pitchfork.com/advance/411-refractory-obdurate/

Maybe predictable on my part but this is what I've been looking forward too the most this year, and it doesn't dissapoint: It continues the heavy rock sound from the previous Wovenhand album (Hiss is probably one of the most aggressive songs they've done, My good Shepherd one of the most strait-forward), albeit also with more atmospheric folk bits strewn about. Almost stream of consciousness lyrics with lots of biblical sounding language. Powerful, prophetic, commanding stuff.