Best Ever Albums

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Norman Bates — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 13:56:56 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 02/22/2016 18:56

Bookmark post to remind me I have to listen to this.

EDIT: good stuff, this. Very easy on the ear; indus techno that would sound acceptable to my grandmother. Immediately catchy and pleasant while trying to summon up various forms of former avant-garde elements from various periods of electronic music history. The calculation can sound a bit artificial or cynical, might be, works still.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

meccalecca — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 12:29:19 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 02/11/2016 17:29

I've listened once (nearly twice), and so I'm not entirely ready to weight in, but so far I do agree with the general consensus that there's a certain lack of consistency but it's overall a good listen with some strong tracks. I feel odd saying that though since I generally prefer a good amount of variation, but maybe the variation on Animals just needs more fluidity.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 12:14:57 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/11/2016 17:14

For an alternate interpretation of this album, below are some interesting snippets from the Quietus review. They draw a lot of parallels to Italian horror, but seem to acknowledge the jumpy nature of the work with what they describe as "contradictory melodrama" or "waving and drowning". Where I associated the horror/unease with alienation, they see it more as an existential crisis, perhaps rooted in nihilism.

Ed Power wrote:

On his new release under the Not Waving banner, Natalizia places himself in the precarious position of Smith's overwhelmed swimmer. A slow-build horror hangs heavy, with machine-tooled EBM rhythms set alongside spirals of inchoate assembly-line noise. Natalizia is miles from shore and, from the perspective of the onlooker, it can be difficult to tell whether he is genuinely distressed or merely indulging in giddy theatricality.

Ed Power wrote:

Yet hemmed in by Natalizia's horror-show tempos, his musings acquire a nihilistic glower, as if to suggest the only thing more terrifying than a universe presided over by a cruel and judgemental God is one presided over by nobody at all.

Ed Power wrote:

Rejecting poseur understatement, Natalizia feasts freely on contradictory melodrama throughout Animals. The waving and the drowning are thus made feel one and the same. Perhaps Natalizia is giving voice to deep-seated existential unease; maybe he is merely indulging his passion for scary sound effects. Either way, to those of us gawping on the shoreline, close yet immeasurably distant, the results are seductive and potent – dazzling communiques from the other side of the abyss.

Full article here: http://thequietus.com/articles/19639-the-lead-review-not-waving-animals-review

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Anonymous — Tue, 9 Feb 2016 23:20:31 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/10/2016 04:20

Tap wrote:

Hm Pentagonal I don't know if I share that exact interpretation so much but I really like it, that's a cool way to look at it. It does seem like something like that is behind the significance of the last track.

I had pretty much settled on this interpretation before even getting to the end, really, but the last track certainly reinforces that vibe. I should say that I don't mean to imply that this is the only interpretation or even that it was the artist's intent, just that it was the way I connected with it. Perhaps it's my own conflicted feelings about my place in the world that brought it to the fore.

Quote:

And there is definitely something to these bold shifts here like from Gutsy to Face Attack that do seem key to what the album's character. Like I got to looking at tinkering with this but the more I looked at it the more it was like "ah I can't break that". So what I did was just take the bonus track 28 and stuck it right after Gutsy. They're kinda similar tracks and I think it extends the vibe in a way that makes the change hit a bit harder maybe? I dunno, I think I like how it works this way tho. But yeah I thought about trying it without the ambient break in the middle but it felt like it'd be really damaging to do, like the way it brings in distorted guitar tone towards the end it makes it not just a breather but an important variation on what is going on elsewhere on the album.

Cool idea, I'll give it a try. I'm still not sure how I feel about the transition, I need to give it more listens.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Tap — Tue, 9 Feb 2016 22:11:38 GMT

Author: Tap

Posted: 02/10/2016 03:11

Hm Pentagonal I don't know if I share that exact interpretation so much but I really like it, that's a cool way to look at it. It does seem like something like that is behind the significance of the last track. And there is definitely something to these bold shifts here like from Gutsy to Face Attack that do seem key to what the album's character. Like I got to looking at tinkering with this but the more I looked at it the more it was like "ah I can't break that". So what I did was just take the bonus track 28 and stuck it right after Gutsy. They're kinda similar tracks and I think it extends the vibe in a way that makes the change hit a bit harder maybe? I dunno, I think I like how it works this way tho. But yeah I thought about trying it without the ambient break in the middle but it felt like it'd be really damaging to do, like the way it brings in distorted guitar tone towards the end it makes it not just a breather but an important variation on what is going on elsewhere on the album.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Anonymous — Tue, 9 Feb 2016 18:02:50 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/09/2016 23:02

Often the first thing I do when I approach a new album is (briefly) ponder the title and cover. It's our first clue about what the artist intends to express and often hints at the kind of listening experience we're likely to have with it. In this case, the title and cover seem to point in opposite directions. On the one hand, we have "Animals", a word that could either point to a non-human animal theme or, more likely, an exploration of our animal nature. On the other hand, we have an abstract with sharp-edged geometric figures, clear signifiers of the kind of high-level thought that distinguishes us from the rest of the animal kingdom.

So which does it sound like? I'd say both; in fact, I'd argue that the contrast between our animal nature and our role as cogs in an industrial/post-industrial society is the main theme of this album (several times it made me think of 2001: A Space Odyssey) . Throbbing acid house beats are at the forefront for most of the album's length, creating a distinctly inorganic atmosphere, but humanity is always present. Sometimes the human element is very literal, with vocal tracks faintly calling out over the mechanical rhythms, while other times I hear it in the noise...

Several people here noted that the album sounded scattered. While it's tempting to point to the variety of genres that they tackle, for me the most jarring shifts are between tracks that seem to bemoan our loss of humanity and those that seem to embrace it. Nowhere is this shift more apparent than between "Gutsy" and "Face Attack", as Tap already pointed out. I'm still not sure if I perceive this as a flaw, however... I know I'm conflicted about my place in modern society and the way the album alternates between feelings of isolation/alienation and empowerment is definitely familiar.

Anyway, I'll keep listening and see how much it sticks. Two listens so far and I'm really enjoying it.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Grzywa — Tue, 9 Feb 2016 15:57:53 GMT

Author: Grzywa

Posted: 02/09/2016 20:57

I've listened to it about 5 times now and find it rather compelling. It's really diverse for a basically electronic album. 24 scares the shit out of me, Tomorrow We Will Kill You has a trace of the most mantra-like Joy Division tracks (The Eternal and Autosuggestion come to my mind), Face Attack goes electro punk and Work Talk reaches out to some industrial noises.

Contrary to some other views, I think the ambient track halfway through the album works well as a sort of half-time intermission. They Cannot Be Replaced is pretty much what you would expect from a closing track, maybe a bit too obvious musically, but the spoken word about evolution seems poignant to me at the end of this weirdly fascinating evolutionary offshoot.

Thanks for throwing light on this one. So far my album number 2/3 this year, right behind Bowie and up there with Howes.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

mickilennial — Tue, 9 Feb 2016 06:33:01 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 02/09/2016 11:33

dividesbyzero wrote:

y'all are nuts with the lukewarm reactions here this is some of the best shit I've heard all year

We only have a .5 difference in rating.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Anonymous — Tue, 9 Feb 2016 02:32:03 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/09/2016 07:32

Yeah, I barely noticed "Gutsy" on my first play-through. I think that the stark transitions the album makes are interesting, but sometimes the transitions are actually being blunted by a certain amount of kinda dead space like that track, and it makes me feel like you could get the same impact without making me sit through a 50 minute album.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Tap — Tue, 9 Feb 2016 02:28:48 GMT

Author: Tap

Posted: 02/09/2016 07:28

Satie wrote:

[...]I think it's interesting to put it generally for now before I get a chance to listen to this again that this album brings out that tendency in me and apparently others. What about it screams out in need of some adjustment? I'm thinking maybe with anticipation of the turns to come, the album might lay itself out more as signposting the directions it's going in, so I'm hopeful for that.

I'm not sure, but that's definitely something I'm thinking about. Because I am super into this album and would be throwing it on day after day even without this thread, but all the while I have thought about tinkering and I really normally don't. I think my main issue might boil down to the 2nd half, the shorter length, like Gutsy is over so quick and then it feels like we jump into something way different with Face Attack that I don't end up feeling the impact of Gutsy, which seems especially crucial coming out of the ambient middle. I don't know, it's something I'll be thinking about for sure. I am gonna try my next listen with the bonus tracks in the mix there to try and change how that section works for me. But even with all my nitpicking here I'm still feeling really strongly for this album.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Anonymous — Tue, 9 Feb 2016 01:53:44 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/09/2016 06:53

Tap wrote:

One thing I'd be curious about is what you guys think of this being tagged as Progressive Electronic on RYM? I don't really think that fits. I don't know if I'd say it's exactly regressive, maybe neutralgressive. But the relative simplicity in timbres and mechanical rigidity of this music feels counter to a lot of what's going on in the boundary pushing electronic music coming out these days. But I think that's what gives this music it's vitality, like I feel like the sound Powell is trying to build on Diagonal Records is electronic music with a punk sort of spirit, and I think this music has it and works as a healthy contrast to the more boundary pushing stuff. Tho the closer is so not punk (though I'm on board with it now), maybe I'm just talking nonsense. I think there is something to this though, and that it really isn't progressive electronic.

Progressive Electronic on RYM doesn't mean progressive electronic music - it refers specifically to the synthesizer-heavy, looser-form electronic music of more open-ended Kraftwerk stuff like Autobahn, Klaus Schulze, etc. I think it's an imperfect label for this release, but I think this does have sort of a grand take on electronic music in that way, the free-floating synth lines are definitely there, and with the RYM genre-tagging system allowing for secondaries to clarify a bit, I think it's probably the widest term for the release as a whole that should then be supplemented with post-punk (or dance punk? do they use that for Liars?) and acid house along with the minimal synth secondary they have now.

I also know what you mean about wanting the breathers, and that's why I hesitate to really prescribe a more focused and honed release. I know that the couple of acid house tracks here could be the A side to an acid house EP that I would listen to once and completely forget about, or they could be stand-outs in a really eclectic album. It's hard to fault Not Waving for presenting the material this way, especially since they're so competent in all these fields. I think the thing for me is that I definitely feel fatigued by the end and don't know where to cut. I hardly see the role of the audience/critic to be to piece together a superior work from the materials the artist has presented, but I think it's interesting to put it generally for now before I get a chance to listen to this again that this album brings out that tendency in me and apparently others. What about it screams out in need of some adjustment? I'm thinking maybe with anticipation of the turns to come, the album might lay itself out more as signposting the directions it's going in, so I'm hopeful for that.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Anonymous — Tue, 9 Feb 2016 01:46:34 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/09/2016 06:46

y'all are nuts with the lukewarm reactions here this is some of the best shit I've heard all year

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Tap — Tue, 9 Feb 2016 01:34:46 GMT

Author: Tap

Posted: 02/09/2016 06:34

Thanks for checking this out guys, guess I underestimated you all in being down for the heavy acid of I Know I Know I Know. I feel you guys who mentioned that a smaller more focused release could've been preferable, but I think I like this better with the diffused focus, even if I'm not enthusiastic about some of the turns. I don't know maybe it's acid in particular, but when I'm just getting laid into with it unrelentingly I get numb to it really quick, and I need the breathers to be ready for the heavier stuff.

One thing I'd be curious about is what you guys think of this being tagged as Progressive Electronic on RYM? I don't really think that fits. I don't know if I'd say it's exactly regressive, maybe neutralgressive. But the relative simplicity in timbres and mechanical rigidity of this music feels counter to a lot of what's going on in the boundary pushing electronic music coming out these days. But I think that's what gives this music it's vitality, like I feel like the sound Powell is trying to build on Diagonal Records is electronic music with a punk sort of spirit, and I think this music has it and works as a healthy contrast to the more boundary pushing stuff. Tho the closer is so not punk (though I'm on board with it now), maybe I'm just talking nonsense. I think there is something to this though, and that it really isn't progressive electronic.

So did you guys listen to the bonus tracks? It's kind of weird because they just come on after the real ending for me, I think I should try to incorporate them into the tracklist? I thought they were both pretty solid and could probably work better somewhere inside.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

benpaco — Mon, 8 Feb 2016 15:14:48 GMT

Author: benpaco

Posted: 02/08/2016 20:14

Not a bad album as a whole, and it definitely seems to get weirder as it progresses. "Presenza Immobile" was the only track I was really taken aback by that much, just because it has such a feeling of total discomfort, but I like the almost horror club music of "Work Talk" and "24". I think the album as a whole might've worked better for me if it picked a style and stuck with it, those squealy moments on those last two tracks I mentioned give this something unique to work with but others really fall flat. I think especially "Believe" is just so incredibly generic and "They Cannot Be Replaced" is so incredibly unnecessary, I don't know if I can see myself revisiting an album with that weak a start and end compared to the middle.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

mickilennial — Mon, 8 Feb 2016 14:36:09 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 02/08/2016 19:36

I seem to have gone back and forth with this one this morning. While there are songs I really like (“Believe”, “I Know I Know I Know”, “Face Attack”) there is a lot that doesn’t leave me with as strong of an impression. I feel the minimal synth-type tracks are less of my bag than the more direct ‘dancier’ type ones. I’m not sure how to dissect my thoughts beyond that, though. I’ll be sure to relisten based on the three tracks I like a lot though.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Anonymous — Mon, 8 Feb 2016 13:31:22 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/08/2016 18:31

Having a really hard time parsing my feelings on this one. It's surely eclectic, and everything here is definitely competent, which is impressive given the stylistic variation from ambient to more straight-ahead dance music to that post-punk track you mentioned to the more progressive electronic lush epic synth bits that bookend the record with "Head Body" and the closer. There's a clear industrial rock/post-punk flavor to it, and I like that stuff well enough. It scratches all the right itches. But I still feel sort of unconvinced by it. The middle part drags quite a bit, and I think you could toss a handful of tracks from the center and have a pretty impressive mini-LP or EP or something. I also think I'd be much more taken with a full album of one of these styles than one trying to incorporate all of them, 'cause it comes off as more of a demo reel in this case. I also find myself comparing each track or group of tracks as the case may be to better artists in those genres or who have done such combinations themselves (Liars and "Tomorrow We Will Kill You" being the most obvious one) because there's no over-arching themes or motifs. Overall, definitely can see myself picking this up again and definitely liked it for what it was, but feel like it could have been so much more with a bit of focus and/or a bit of trimming. "I Know I Know I Know" and "Work Talk" are certifiable bangers.

Re: ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

RockyRaccoon — Mon, 8 Feb 2016 11:06:09 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 02/08/2016 16:06

I liked it. It was pretty accessible for what it was, and had this really great ominous, dark feel to it, while simultaneously being fairly upbeat. Personally, I liked the last track, I thought Oliver Sacks' little monologue worked pretty well and kind of felt like a punctuation mark at the end of the album, I thought that track kind of felt like a vital organ of the body of this album.

Good stuff Tap! Thanks!

ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

Tap — Mon, 8 Feb 2016 02:33:39 GMT

Author: Tap

Posted: 02/08/2016 07:33

Curious about this thread and what the ALC is? Check out the main topic here and sign up for a week if you haven't!

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Animals by Not Waving
Label: Diagonal Records
Release Date: February 5th, 2016

My selection for the first entry in the 2016 Album Listening Club comes to us from Italian born, UK based artist Alessio Natalizia.

I'm curious to hear what you guys think of it, because while this is a sort of minimal synth dance album, I think this has a wider appeal than whatever small niche that is, by virtue of it's synthesis of acid and post-punk. Now I don't want to mislead you here and say that the post-punk elements are totally at the forefront here. Though the fourth track does have singing and sounds sort of like something Liars could eventually end up at. The album starts pretty innocently, but on the second track the combination of sounds starts to get a little clear with the combination of squelching synth and guitar, and we're off to the races.

I don't think this is a perfect album by any means, or even my favorite of the year so far. The full dive into acid on I Know I Know I Know can feel a bit too consistent and might be a bit of a hurdle, and the ambient breather strikes me as a bit overlong. And the last track (before the two digital bonus ones) is a bit of an odd curveball in the sort of mood that the melody goes for on top of the sample of Oliver Sacks talking about creationism. But I have still found this a highly listenable album, I got it on Friday and I'm already up to 5 listens. I think this is a really fresh sound that a lot of people could find appealing.

But... that's where you come in! Am I wrong to think this has appeal beyond it's niche? Did you like it/do you see yourself as being inclined to like an album of electronic dance music? Is this sound actually regressive in it's application of style? Let's have at it. I'll go a bit deeper on my thoughts here as we go, but I'd be curious to hear from you all before I start getting into that.

The album can be streamed on Spotify, and you can check the single 24 right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1wCN1oM4zY