Best Ever Albums

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

Luigii — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 18:48:32 GMT

Author: Luigii

Posted: 08/31/2018 22:48

dihansse wrote:

Glad you like it. I would start with their final live album before they restarted the band

The Complete Live At Raji's by The Dream Syndicate

Put that album in my wishlist. Will give it a listen.

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

dihansse — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 02:22:27 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 08/31/2018 06:22

Luigii wrote:

Now I have started the Dream Syndicate album and so far it's also a trip. Dihansse is there any other records that has this vibe and sound?

Glad you like it. I would start with their final live album before they restarted the band

The Complete Live At Raji's by The Dream Syndicate

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

Luigii — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 20:02:10 GMT

Author: Luigii

Posted: 08/31/2018 00:02

Wow, this is a hard one to choose. Both are excellent albums. Glad I got to listen to. Just now a challenge to vote.

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

Luigii — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 19:27:23 GMT

Author: Luigii

Posted: 08/30/2018 23:27

Now I have started the Dream Syndicate album and so far it's also a trip. Dihansse is there any other records that has this vibe and sound?

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

Luigii — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 21:45:03 GMT

Author: Luigii

Posted: 08/28/2018 01:45

Yeah, Reflections of a Floating World is dope. The only song I wasn't crazy about from this album was Sonntag. But the other 5 are necessary.

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

Luigii — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 21:04:04 GMT

Author: Luigii

Posted: 08/28/2018 01:04

16 minutes in Elder and Damn this shit is dope. Stuff like this makes me want to uptake my rock sessions to find more albums. Not voting yet. Need to hear the Dream Syndicate album.

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

baystateoftheart — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 16:25:59 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 08/26/2018 20:25

I enjoyed both these albums, but had to go with The Dream Syndicate. First, the Elder record overstayed its welcome a bit. Second, while The Dream Syndicate provides (to my ears) a fairly run-of-the-mill indie sound, I tend to enjoy that more than even an outstanding stoner rock sound.

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

babyBlueSedan — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 13:39:22 GMT

Author: babyBlueSedan

Posted: 08/24/2018 17:39

I discovered Elder through this album last year, and since then I've been listening to them a lot. Some of the best stoner rock I've heard - consistently interesting and varied throughout. If you like this one I highly recommend Dead Roots Stirring which is my personal favorite from the band.

I enjoyed the Dream Syndicate album as well, the songwriting and guitar work are both great. If I have one complaint it's that the songs tend to go on for a bit longer than necessary without doing anything new, but I wasn't bored while listening to it so it's not a huge complaint. In the end I have to give it to Elder though because I think it will stick with me longer.

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

Purplepash — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 06:03:37 GMT

Author: Purplepash

Posted: 08/24/2018 10:03

Wow! Two great albums that I should have heard before now and will definitely listen to again. Just, and only just, giving it to The Dream Syndicate. Best two album for my tastes so far and they were against each other.

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

Repo — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 01:48:27 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 08/24/2018 05:48

Totally dig that elder album unsurprisingly - just great, epic metal and will totally be sth I return to often.

BUT, that Dream Syndicate album is something else. One of the best indie rock comeback albums I've ever heard. It's hard to believe the last album they put out was in the 80s. Pure Craziness. Will have to check out some his solo stuff as well as delve back in The Dream Syndicate discog.

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

Skinny — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 10:04:22 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 08/23/2018 14:04

Elder are one of my favourite bands currently working - knotty, majestic, soaring stoner rock, technical without being showy, every layered riff servicing the song above all else. That Dream Syndicate album is also excellent, however, so will give it a few more listens before voting, but leaning strongly towards Elder at the moment.

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

Repo — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 23:14:27 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 08/23/2018 03:14

The Dream syndicate album is like hanging out with an old friend after twenty years and still finding why you were such great friends to begin with.

My fave so far in the tournament. Just great, classic 80s American Underground rock - probably my favorite genre.

Looking for to checking out the Elder album tomorrow.

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

mickilennial — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 19:55:00 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 08/22/2018 23:55

Great insight from Dihansse. Unfortunately I like the progressive stoner doom record a bit more. Though I was impressed enough by the Dream Syndicate record to be digesting it some more before thinking if it charts on my 2017.

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

dihansse — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 16:14:28 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 08/22/2018 20:14

Of course I like my pick better but that Elder album is really good: really good mix between great stoner riffing and prog like elaborated song structures. This is the first album yet in this tournament which will make it to my personal 2017 chart.

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

dihansse — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 15:20:29 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 08/22/2018 19:20

Here is some context and reasons why to me this is the best album of 2017:

How Did I Find Myself Here? by The Dream Syndicate
This band is all about one of my personal favorite artists: Steve Wynn. He started with the Dream Syndicate in 1982 with a bang with one of the quintessential albums of the early eighties in the LA Paisley Underground scene: The Days Of Wine And Roses and this album made it clear that this was one of the most talented guitar bands around at that time. Both in the Dream Syndicate until 1989 (which ended with one of the best live albums ever: Live At Rajis) and during his solo career after that (with some intermediary bands like Gutterball inbetween), Steve Wynn proved to be a very prolific artist with a knack for great songs. Unfortunately this didn't result in the big success he deserved although he built up a good live reputation.
And then all of a sudden the Dream Syndicate was back in 2017 with the best album of the band and all his solo efforts together. I've already been fairly vocal on this site about my view that adventurous guitar music is back which is proven over and over again by new music issued by young artists but helped by old geezers like this and I can't argue enough that this album is worth at least a listen. The best tracks here are Glide and The Circle but every single track is no less than engaging in the best possible way. The basis of every tracks is a very good song which is then further enhanced by some great guitar soloing (a bit similar the the expansive guitar sound of Neil Young and Crazy Horse): pure bliss. And for example on the long title track the music gets this kind of jazzy groove which just makes you want this track to go on forever.
I also saw the band live last year and this only confirmed my very positive vibe.
Many people like the old guitar classics but are of the opinion that this genre has grown old and new and inventive albums are not possible anymore: this album proves to be the opposite in my humble opinion.

I haven't listened to the Elder album yet but I have the impression this might be an interesting competition...

Re: 2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

Luigii — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 17:25:44 GMT

Author: Luigii

Posted: 08/21/2018 21:25

Oh boy. It continues!

2017 Championship Tournament: Play-In Game #4

baystateoftheart — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 17:24:52 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 08/21/2018 21:24

Play-In 4A:

Reflections Of A Floating World by Elder

Nominated By: Space-Dementia
Genres [RYM]: Heavy Psych, Stoner Rock

Play-In 4B:

How Did I Find Myself Here? by The Dream Syndicate

Nominated By: dihansse
Genre [RYM]: Paisley Underground

Instructions:

Please listen to both albums in full before voting. Share your thoughts and/or your vote in this thread. This poll will be tallied in no less than twelve days. See Tournament Spreadsheet for the full bracket.