Best Ever Albums

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

Purplepash — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 06:23:53 GMT

Author: Purplepash

Posted: 06/28/2021 10:23

This was the only match up from the play in rounds where the album I voted for got through!

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

RoundTheBend — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 01:50:54 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 06/28/2021 05:50

Tear - thanks for the nom Streams. I get why, but I fell in love.

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

baystateoftheart — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 21:39:47 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 06/28/2021 01:39

Velika Praska defeats Harbors 12-7 to advance to round one.

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

Repo — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 12:45:03 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 06/26/2021 16:45

EyeKanFly wrote:

Streams and LedZep, I really thank you both for the exposition and background behind each of the 2 albums. Fantastic work nominating these 2.

Fullman/Wong: this filled an itch I've had for experimental classical music. For whatever reason, it was absolutely the perfect album to listen to the other day when I heard it for the first time. And on another listen, you start to catch layers of the LSI (and cello too) that weren't apparent at first. Great recommendation.

Bošković: I feel like the single genre descriptor on RYM doesn't do this album justice. There are a lot of inspirations from all different angles here, from synthpop to art punk to even a little funk. But yes, neo-psychedelia seems to be the best descriptor if you're only using one.

Overall I think the classical album was really really cool, but Velika Praska was overall slightly more interesting to me. This was a tough decision, but I went with the latter.

This. all of this. Captures what I'm feeling perfectly. Both great picks, but I find myself playing Velika Praska more often. Reminds me a bit early Gorky's Zygotic Mynci too!

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

Repo — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 11:41:57 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 06/26/2021 15:41

LedZep wrote:

I think it's a cool mix of psychedelic, hypnagogic pop, synthpop and space rock with folk music of Brač. Includes several cool solos as well as a great space rap single as a closer.

Love your pick! Reminds me a bit of Ariel Pink. I guess that's the hypnagogic pop element.

Really tough matchup! Been listening to both a ton while camping.

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

cestuneblague — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 09:19:12 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 06/26/2021 13:19

I definitely prefer the sparer Fullman and Wong to the more mercurial opponet, been meaning to listen to the former forawhile (thanks Streams), but Boskovic is def a good bit of fun

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

Hayden — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 11:17:13 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 06/18/2021 15:17

Difficult albums to pit against each other.

When Bošković is in their groove, they've got something going on. Wish it was a smidge more consistent though. And I never say this about any band, but I kinda wish they sounded a little more like Radiohead (In Rainbows era). Like, 10% more. I think it would suit them.

Fullman/Wong flew by for some reason. Was over before I knew it. Dug what they had going on, but it just feels so odd to compare it to a psych/pop/rock record...

I mean... are either better than the other? Dunno. Enjoyed both though.

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

RoundTheBend — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 22:59:21 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 06/15/2021 02:59

oh man - anyone who quotes Monty Python typically gets my vote (Bošković), but I fell in love with the other.

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

EyeKanFly — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 07:41:22 GMT

Author: EyeKanFly

Posted: 06/14/2021 11:41

Streams and LedZep, I really thank you both for the exposition and background behind each of the 2 albums. Fantastic work nominating these 2.

Fullman/Wong: this filled an itch I've had for experimental classical music. For whatever reason, it was absolutely the perfect album to listen to the other day when I heard it for the first time. And on another listen, you start to catch layers of the LSI (and cello too) that weren't apparent at first. Great recommendation.

Bošković: I feel like the single genre descriptor on RYM doesn't do this album justice. There are a lot of inspirations from all different angles here, from synthpop to art punk to even a little funk. But yes, neo-psychedelia seems to be the best descriptor if you're only using one.

Overall I think the classical album was really really cool, but Velika Praska was overall slightly more interesting to me. This was a tough decision, but I went with the latter.

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

baystateoftheart — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 16:11:27 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 06/13/2021 20:11

Harbors is another very good album, and an entrancing listen. In contrast to Fischman, for me the bookends are where it shines. The instruments used and their interplay are both super cool. While it is high-quality throughout, there aren't many standout moments, which is perhaps intentional. In a fairly close call, Velika Praska gets my vote because it has higher highs. 3.5/5.

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

Luigii — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 07:42:43 GMT

Author: Luigii

Posted: 06/13/2021 11:42

Both of these albums were quite excellent. I would say Harbors is the better album of the two due to how striking and hypnotizing the strings make the album. There was two points during my listen. Like how in the beginning, the was a bit of certainty of being a 100. It wasn't. As well as this album felt like it was hitting the late 2010's of Tim Hecker's discography. Also Virgins. And I think the main reason for me not loving this to the max would be how the drones could get a bit to bright for me or how this album didn't have that particular scope of Virgins. While Velika dabbled in a lot of "space disco"? I know it says Neo-Psychedelia in its description but there is something about the vibe and grooves that could be considered space disco. And I do love that vibe and style. So far this pay off section of the tournament has been really solid and hopefully it contiunes.

Grade for both albums:90

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

baystateoftheart — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 00:29:22 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 06/13/2021 04:29

Velika Praska is a cool album full of breezy, well-produced pop. There's a decent amount of musical variety, good vocals (except for the last track), and several outstanding songs. I did hear some parts that were a bit too reminiscent of other music I've heard. For instance, when the opener basically copied the Good Times bassline, I started hearing Rapper's Delight in my head. Not every song is a winner, but many of them are gorgeous, and this is a groovy record that deserves more attention. 3.5/5.

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

kokkinos — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 09:31:43 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 06/12/2021 13:31

Probably the coolest matchup of the play-in mini tournament, two records I would have never touched weren’t it for this game.
What I liked the most about Velika Praska is how balanced it was both in terms of structure - it was keeping a focal point and was trying to expand based on that, in other words varied yet cohesive - and in terms of sound - it was refreshingly modern yet innocent and nostalgic.
The language barrier didn't matter one bit. (Ok, I have to admit I wasn’t super concentrated, It took me a couple of minutes to start thinking something’s wrong and then I realised this isn’t English, lol – which has nothing to do with the album itself, it just shows how much attention do I pay to lyrics when it’s not hip hop). Though based on LedZep ‘s thorough analysis, I suspect they would have elevated the overall listening experience to a higher level of enjoyability, as they would add an extra dimension of humour that is missed. The closing track was the most puzzling part of the album, haven’t decided if it’s the highest or the lowest point of it – but it certainly stands out one way or the other.
Harbors was even more outlandish for me. I appreciated having the chance to listen to something like that, but I wouldn't go beyond that.
Also, slightly off-topic, but

Streams wrote:

I can link the score

read the whole thing, great stuff !
Velika Praska gets my vote.

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

19loveless91 — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 18:10:08 GMT

Author: 19loveless91

Posted: 06/10/2021 22:10

LedZep wrote:

The duo is from the island of Brač (pronounced "bra" + "ch"). They're singing in heavy dialect so most Croats are struggling with the lyrics too. You have no excuse to not like it 😁

Oh good, I was getting worried.

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

LedZep — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 15:17:58 GMT

Author: LedZep

Posted: 06/10/2021 19:17

Quote:

Valentino Bošković is a Croatian duo who sometimes tell stories about an astronaut of the same name, who left planet Earth on a Sunday in 1646. He will return on the 14th of February 2046 and then, the band will have their first concert ever on a mountain called Vidova Gora on the island of Brač. While waiting for him, Branko Dragičević and Josip Radić are making music. Latest album Velika Praska (‘Big Bang’) came out in October.

The duo is from the island of Brač (pronounced "bra" + "ch"). They're singing in heavy dialect so most Croats are struggling with the lyrics too. You have no excuse to not like it 😁
"Veliki prasak" means "Big Bang" and "velika praska" is a female version of Big Bang. Something like words "mister" and "mistress" in English. Female Big Bang doesn't exist in our universe. It does in theirs. From bandcamp

Quote:

"Velika Praska" is the wife of "Veliki Prasak" (Big Bang). If not for her, there wouldn't be a Universe, nor us, nor this album.

The album is free, just like the whole Universe.

Everything was sung, played and performed by Branko Dragičević and Josip Radić, without Brian May.
Except "Adio Trafikonte" which also included Saša Antić, TBF and Studijo Bozon.

(TBF and its frontman Saša Antić are one of the most popular hip hop groups in the country)

The lyrics (based on every third word I can understand) are mostly fun and often talking about the island itself. "Brian May" is an ode to Queen guitarist, the gist is that in their youth they were stargazing and listening to Brian May's solos in spite of the elders' disapproval. Prilog semantickoj motivaciji toponima otoka Brača ("A contribution to the semantic motivation of the toponyms of the island of Brač") is exactly what it says: a sentence or two about the names of several towns on Brač. ("Do you know how Supetar got its name? It was named after a man who was in fact bonkers"). Milde Sorte is about wine sorts of the island, Amorella is about the narrator's granny ("Granny came from the mountain, she'll make a supper. My granny is the best, she's a being from the future.") I have no idea what is "Boboviscica", but the song starts with "My wife will kill me, I came home late again. My wife has no mercy." and then a lot of gibberish I don't understand. Tongue in cheek and pretty hilarious, even if some of the humour is lost in translation. Etc etc, you get the point.

I'm not gonna shove this one down everyone's throat (like I'm doing now lol), but I think it's a cool mix of psychedelic, hypnagogic pop, synthpop and space rock with folk music of Brač. Includes several cool solos as well as a great space rap single as a closer.

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

Fischman — Wed, 9 Jun 2021 15:21:32 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 06/09/2021 19:21

Two very interesting nominations, neither of which I would likely have found were it not for this game. I found much to like in both, as well as some things that didn't quite sit well either. Nevertheless, both were far more positive than not and overall both very much enjoyed. I leaned toward Fullman in the end. Part 2 was especially captivating for me.

Re: Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

Streams — Wed, 9 Jun 2021 09:03:52 GMT

Author: Streams

Posted: 06/09/2021 13:03

While Ellen Fullman is not the first to use a long string instrument (LSI), she is certainly its primary innovator. And Wong and her cello are probably the most interesting compliment to the LSI since Pauline Oliveros and her accordion. The LSI trusses up several 40+ meter strings across a room, among which Fullman walks with rosined fingers playing them like a violin except parallel, making the very room the resonating body of the instrument. There's some EAI stuff happening with the cello, but the 'genre' this is closest to is probably drone, where the focus is on naked harmonics, the physicality and spatiality of their sound waves, how they reverberate, refract, and interact or synthesize together in space - a live performance is always preferable to embed the listener in these interactions and provide the opportunity to hear wildly different interactions in different parts of the room, but this recording is pretty good at conveying that feeling. I think this piece has quite a bit of movement, especially with what the cello's doing, but listening asks for a smaller scale than something like verse-chorus-verse songs; the pulses of wave cycles provide the rhythm, their interaction the harmony. While I chose Harbors because it is a deep, rich listen, I also chose it because I can link the score (control/command+F "harbors"), which provided a helpful guide in my listening and I hope it will in yours too. There's often a lot of snobbery around notation, but I find open or alternative notation can provide intuitive pathways for those illiterate in traditional notation to more deeply understand the music it represents.

It's available on Spotify, but also streamable here.

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

baystateoftheart — Tue, 8 Jun 2021 23:23:52 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 06/09/2021 03:23

Seed #30A:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Velika Praska by Valentino Bošković

Nominated by: LedZep
Genres [RYM]: Neo-Psychedelia

Seed #30B:

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Harbors by Ellen Fullman & Theresa Wong

Nominated by: Streams
Genres [RYM]: Modern Classical, Ambient

Instructions:

If you have not already, 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 fewer than fourteen days. See Tournament Spreadsheet for the full bracket.