ULL: Gowienczyk

mickilennial · 2014-09-15T17:24:22-04:00

Table of Contents: 9/15, 9/16, 9/17, 9/18, 9/19, 9/20, 9/21 Monday, September 15th On time. I am on time, though effectively I could have started this earlier but it would have probably been a general placeholder for when I could gather my thoughts. Today, I’ll be mostly working on some tiny stuff that won’t allow me be distracted by bandits, dragons, or deranged elves. So let’s get started with the record I'm listening to right now and the record I listened to before I went to bed: Brill Bruisers by The New Pornographers "The New Pornographers are back with their strongest record in years and man am I big fan of well… everything going on in this record—the harmonies, pop hooks, production, simple but driving instrumentation, and the fact that this record has grabbed my attention song-after-song and listen-after-listen. As it has been nine years since Twin Cinema gave us an engaging record from the indie supergroup and Brill Bruisers is ecstatically good. No, scratch that, it’s great. Call me a bit of a Neko Case fanboy but she’s not the leading tour de force here and she never has been in the New Pornographers. I don’t know what possessed A.C. Newman but he’s finally wrote great songs again and in time this might be even better than Mass Romantic." As the above collection of thought can tell you, I've been particularly fond of this record since it came out and I have been listening to it a lot. I'm just an addict for good harmonies, melodies, and just great pop music that doesn't forget what it really is about. I mean I love art pop and those sort of artists, but it's nice to see musicians who are a bit more direct and able to do it with passion as well as care. That's what Brill Bruisers feels like for me. More stuff on the way. The Physical World by Death From Above 1979 I didn't like this at all. I think that’s the best thing I can say about it or really any of Death From Above 1979’s output. It’s weird because I like noise rock and I like dance-punk so this is a band that should be generally up my alley but sadly that really isn’t the case as I feel more annoyed then entertained. This is a feeling I’ve had for years though I am surprised my opinions haven’t changed really at all regarding the band or their music when my feelings on other bands I disliked four years ago has changed to more favorable forms this year (The Shins, for example, is a band I couldn’t stand outside of their pre-Shins debut and now I enjoy their work). But yeah, it’s kind of what I thought it’d be and like I said I didn’t like it at all. Good News For People Who Love Bad News by Modest Mouse My first Modest Mouse record and my third(?) favorite of everything they’ve done. I mean most people know my opinion on Modest Mouse as a whole so I don’t have a lot of need to say much here. “Float On” is my ringtone. Seriously, Modest Mouse is one of my favorite bands and they consistently prove to me that they deserve it as I don’t think I’ve even disliked one single song they’ve ever recorded. Good News shows a lot more restraint for Isaac Brock’s instrumental songwriting and the mood is pretty much the center of the record, lyrically still strong, and produced very well. Brock’s vocal delivery is still frantic as all hell, but the man has a good ear for pop hooks without sacrificing his personal style as well. Ritual In Repeat by Tennis Tennis consistently continues to make enjoyable music that in the end I really don’t fall in love with. At this point in their career they aren’t anything like Best Coast or other bands they were initially compared to. Lyrically it can pretty sub-standard at times even compared to Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino at her worst (for me I enjoy Cosentino’s voice a lot more than Alaina Moore’s own voice, and I also prefer the lyrical songwriting bits too) but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy my second or third spin of this record. There’s some decent hits such as "Never Work for Free" but also some embarrassing flashes with songs like "Bad Girls". But yeah, less lush environments and more straight indie pop. It’s good. I just hope it grows on me some more. All I Know by Cristina Valentina I didn’t think much of this on first listen, but on second listen I can really hear the spirited sort of modern soul revival going on in-between occasional flashes of rhythm and blues. My problem at times is I feel it’s all a bit too generic in the sense that this is nothing new, there is nothing added to add flavor, just direct smooth-ish soul songwriting that is enjoyable but not good enough to acclaim much of it for. Being from Peru, I expected Cristina to add aspects from her place of origin but nothing. Just seems like another modern soul release from England or the United States which is understandable but a bit disappointing. Despite my complaints I do like it well enough, but I’m not sure if it’ll grow too much from here. "Happy State of Mind" was one of the highlights. Pleased To Meet Me by The Replacements My first Replacements record, and one of my favorites. It’s not as tight instrumentally and it’s a bit calmed down in comparison to Tim and Let It Be, but it’s a lot more concise then Hootenanny and Sorry Ma Forgot to Take Out the Trash which makes sense. I think my love for this record isn’t just because it was my introduction to the Replacements but also it has some powerful pop hooks and some pretty cool moments. It also happens to be the last ‘mats record you should really give a crap about. It’s in the alternative canon and was acclaimed and all that, but again that’s not why I like it. I like it because I like the songs and sensibilities of those songs. “Alex Chilton” is one of my favorite alternative rock songs for good reason, of course. Fun by Daniel Johnston First impressions time! Yeah, I’ve never listened to Daniel Johnston before even if I meant to. This one was a bit mixed bag for me with it starting pretty song as I was reminded as a lot of stuff from the late eighties and early nineties. I liked some of the more jangley indie rock bits (Foxy Girl, Psycho Nightmare, Rock ‘n’ Roll/EGA, Love Wheel, etc.) – I am definitely curious to explore Johnston more in the near future so at least I have the ground made and started. Middle Cyclone by Neko Case All this talk of Neko Case (see below) has got me in a mood so it’s time to relisten to Middle Cyclone. When this record first came out it cemented Neko Case as one of my favorite songwriters and storytellers. Plus just look at that album cover, it’s brilliant. There’s a lot of good pop sensibilities as she sacrifices some of the previous 'twang' from her former records in favor of polishing up her sound. The production is almost chambery at times as Neko Case makes a good case for Princess of Alt-Country, if not Queen. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Original Game Soundtrack by Jeremy Soule Anyway, it's back to Skyrim for me for the night.

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mickilennial The Most Trusted Name in News Profile
Detroit

revolver94 wrote:

split up your gd sentences!!!!

ur second grade teacher is having a fit!!!!! 🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡 #-o

Informal thoughts/laziness. I'm well aware of the structural anarchy going on.

CameronMB wrote:

Thanks Gowienczyk for a great ULL week. Tough act to follow.

Would've been better had it not for me being basically forced to skip two days out of it. Hell, all of it would be better had I not been sick at all. Thanks though.

revolver94 professional dilettante Profile
Washington, D.C.

Gowienczyk wrote:

structural anarchy

_________________
My top songs of the 2010s
and
Spotify link

Last.fm

RepoMan

Gowienczyk wrote:

Would've been better had it not for me being basically forced to skip two days out of it. Hell, all of it would be better had I not been sick at all. Thanks though.

now you're just showing off. 🤣

LOVING Fox Confessor!!! Thanks for hooking me up. Sometimes I need a good kick. Have stashed a few other albums from your ULL into my listening bin as well.

I really liked your write-ups, Gowi! So keep run-on. 🤡 😁

mickilennial The Most Trusted Name in News Profile
Detroit

Going to ignore Revolver's antics now.

RepoMan wrote:

I really wanted to listen to stuff friday and saturday, but what is done is done. I'll finish what I haven't with thoughts when I can. Glad somebody enjoyed them.

Also YES, I am very glad you dig that record so now here's my obligatory "listen to the rest".

What else did you stash?

RepoMan

Gowienczyk wrote:

What else did you stash?

Brill Builders (of course)
Lydia Loveless (which album should I start with?)
Let Me Introduce My Friends (always wanted to check them out)
Angel Guts (I don't listen to enough Xiu Xiu, & this sounds like a good one for me. What's your favorite Xiu Xiu stuff)
X.ENC (you name-checked 3 of my faves)

pa as it happens Profile
Italia

Gowienczyk wrote:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

American Don by Don Caballero
...American Don is one of those special records that when you listen to it you can hear the evolution of Don Caballero as musicians in the year it was released as well as have an inkling of what this record could have influenced.

I'm planning to listen to this album, I think that I'm gonna love it!

is it worth listening to all their discography?

mickilennial The Most Trusted Name in News Profile
Detroit

RepoMan wrote:

Lydia Loveless (which album should I start with?)

Both Somewhere Else and Indestructible Machine have some really cool songwriting and if you ask me both are pretty quality records. The latter has my favorite Loveless song (Steve Earle), but the former seems a wee bit more consistent. So either.

RepoMan wrote:

Angel Guts (I don't listen to enough Xiu Xiu, & this sounds like a good one for me. What's your favorite Xiu Xiu stuff)

Knife Play
The Air Force
Dear God, I Hate Myself (dat title track)
Angel Guts: Red Classroom

Are the records he's done that I really really appreciate and love. Again, Xiu Xiu has always been this "weird duck" of a project/artistic expression and I really don't think one record is much like the other which is something I always appreciated. I think as of late I have listened to DGIHM and AG:RC more than the two that made me really dig his work (the former two) but those are the most recent.

pa wrote:

I'm planning to listen to this album, I think that I'm gonna love it!

is it worth listening to all their discography?

Yes, I even like the "This is Damon Che's band now" sort of direction on later releases. But I have a bias as Don Cab held two of the most talented musicians that simply wowed me beyond belief (Ian and Damon).

sp4cetiger

Great ULL, Gowie! Glad you're feeling better.

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