A rainy day at the beach. You've brought all your closest friends with you and despite this weather, you still have the best time of your lives. The day ends with you all diving into the sea, it's so cold yet it's the perfect closer to the day.
Should've probably listened to the EPs before this but, I felt like putting this on. It's Slowdive anyway, marvelous as always, so it doesn't really matter what order I put the songs in. I'm planning to listen to Just For A Day and Pygmalion some time in the future as well, but from what I've heard from them so far, they seem to be leaning in one direction or another direction, whereas I think Souvlaki and this compilation are probably the perfect balance. Middle period Slowdive is pretty much perfect (even though this was before any studio releases).
But, I feel like I'm having a slightly more affectionate relationship with this rather than Souvlaki nowadays. I still love that album, but whenever I listen to Morningrise and Shine, I think to myself "Why should I listen to anything else when I have these two songs to keep me going?". It's unhealthy to think that, but these songs left me so awe-inspired on my first listen. The rest of the songs are also really magnificent. Hell, if I keep exploring what was left out from this compilation, I'll probably end up thinking that disc two of Just For A Day is the best album ever! 🤣 _________________
HazeyTwilightboyfriend in your wet dreamsProfile Elmo Knows Where You Live
Visiting your grandparents house; you sit around the fireplace and you look back at your most precious childhood memories through the vintage photo album.
Oh, Sigur Rós. I've had so many wonderful times with you. You guys are one of the most inspirational and sentimental bands of my lifetime. You have some of the most beautiful textures I have ever heard in music. I once thought that you were 'that one band with that one song that was featured on TV during montages' but, I was so glad that I gave you a proper chance to hear your music. When I first heard Agaetis Byrjun, I immediately loved it, peaked at #3 on my chart and thought that you were the best band on the entire planet (that position keeps changing 8-[). I could've gotten the chance to see you live, but I didn't, and I hate myself for that. If Iceland is anything like your music, then I feel like I want to permanently move there when I'm older.
There's a reason I wanted to pick this album to listen during this ULL, and that was to devote some of my time to talking about one song on the album, a song that has affected my musical listening experience that provokes so much emotion out of me:
Ekki Múkk
This is one of those rare moments in my musical listening lifetime where I've actually cried during a song. Sure I can feel the sadness internally but rarely at such an external force. The only other songs I can think of that has given me that same feeling are The Thoughts Of Mary Jane and Carissa. Like seriously, everything about this song is heartbreaking from Jónsi's desolate vocals; the calm progression of drones; that hopeful bridge section that soars; the realisation that I cried to a bunch of gibberish with an emotional force behind it. This song is just that powerful that I was holding back the wailing that you get with crying (don't want to disturb the neighbours with my problems). And the video increases those chances, I mean just look at it:
The vintage, retro feel to it; it's use of colour; even the concept of a tugboat levitating above the ocean is absolutely beautiful. This is why the album cover is one of my favourites, just that sense of disbelief that is magical to its core.
The rest of the album doesn't quite reach that level for me, but the tracks are very lovely. I don't understand why people are calling this mediocre. Maybe because this is Sigur Rós at their most straightforward, I think we were probably all expecting them to take this route at some point in their career, but even so, this is still amazing. _________________
HazeyTwilightboyfriend in your wet dreamsProfile Elmo Knows Where You Live
Running the local candy shop beside the Bristol sea and encounter all of the colourful characters that enter the shop.
Okay, I'm just going to get this out there: I'm not really the biggest fan of twee pop. Which is weird, because I like quite a few artists in the indie pop category. Belle & Sebastian has my favourite album of all time and Eels are pretty big in my life at this moment. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and The Unicorns are pretty solid too. Also slowly getting into The Magnetic Fields. Not to say that I don't like any twee albums, I really love Three Cheers For Our Side...okay that's a shibuya-kei as well...um, oh, but I also like Joanna Gruesome...well to be honest it's only a little bit twee in my opinion, I think it just appeals to the side of me that's full to the brim with Sonic Youth. But, I am willing to give twee pop a chance, hoping to find "the one" album that'll help me fall in love with the genre the same way you lots have.
But I don't think this album is "the one".
Sure, it's sounds nice and cute, but there's only so much I can take before I go insane and think that the world is all sunshine and rainbows and sweets and all that other lovey-dovey shit. Actually, I'm over-exaggerating, this sound is completely harmless. It's normal to indulge in some sweet things every now and again. I'm sure there's some kind of deep analysis of English teenagers in dire situations about love somewhere buried in a hurricane of peppy vocals and trebly guitars. I can see why people would love this, and there's even some good catchy tracks to go with it, it's just not for me (the best it could be for me is sounding like a bunch of hippy Londoners covering Ramones). But you never know, if you see a crazy ginger teenager running around the streets substituting daisies for clothes, then this album has done something right.
After the breakup between you and your significant other, you spent the following week alternating between running and/or walking and writing your deepest personal feelings during the nighttime.
After Backwash, I still wanted to continue the objective in finding "the one" twee album to obsess over. Snowball fared a little better. I don't know if this is "the one" I was looking for, but it's definitely a pleasant album to listen to. Not much to say about it other than the fact that they're jangly love songs with a little bit more to offer, and it's quite good. I like it. 😄 _________________
HazeyTwilightboyfriend in your wet dreamsProfile Elmo Knows Where You Live
Sitting alone in the manger, waiting for the right person to come and save you, but you know that will never happen.
This is going to ruin more of my indie credibility but, I'm not the biggest fan of Low's music. The way I feel about I Could Live In Hope - my first exposure to them - is kind of similar with how I feel about Deathconsciousness but I swear it's not as bad (not enough to get me on a tyrant rant). There are a few songs I do like from them - Words being my favourite. My biggest problem with them is that they're so boring lifeless that after a minute or two into their songs and I already want to turn it off. I suppose if you were to come into it feeling in the most miserable you've ever felt, it might be able comfort you, but I just don't feel anything when I listen to these guys.
With that being said, I'm surprised how much I liked their rendition of classic christmas tracks and also including some originals as well. It sounds a bit iffy on paper, but when you actually listen to it, you just kick yourself for ever thinking that Low and Christmas doesn't work together. Because they do. It's definitely felt more engaged with this album then I did with I Could Live In Hope. If you're going to listen to something festive this Christmas, bring this album into your collection, because this is actually really solid.
In the town centre on Christmas Eve, spinning around in dizzying circles until you get to finally see the parade marching through the town and all it's citizen's are filled with gleeful smiles.
I like Bright Eyes. I think have many aspects going for them. I like Conor Oberst's vocals and lyrics, and the instrumentation is nice. If you couldn't tell from those half-assed descriptions, I like them, but I clearly don't love them. Maybe I haven't listened to their material for very long, but sometimes they can get a bit meandering once in a while (*cough* half of Lifted...*cough*). But the majority of their music I've listened to, I like them enough to look past that. Yeah, I like them, I can deal with them.
Unlike Low's Christmas album where it had some original songs, I think this is entirely compiled of covers. I usually don't buy into the whole idea of cover albums very much (I don't want to remember that debate where I made an absolute fool of myself about traditional albums ;_; ), but as long they are unique and can stand on their own two feet to the original, then I have no problems with them if that was the case. This is a cover album done right. These covers are done in the most delightful way possible. I can't imagine how excited all the indie kids must of felt when they heard these renditions coming from their stockings. _________________
your words are beautiful Hazey and I love your way of writing...thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I had my first Shibuya kei experience with Fantasma, I'd say it is an interesting trippy album, I love it!
After that I decided to explore Kahimi Karie's discography, I started with
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Larme De Crocodile by Kahimi Karie
and it's a nice, never boring album, especially the first track I think it is brilliant!
I'm gonna have a look on Takako Minekawa soon, thanks for the rec 😁
HazeyTwilightboyfriend in your wet dreamsProfile Elmo Knows Where You Live
your words are beautiful Hazey and I love your way of writing...thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I had my first Shibuya kei experience with Fantasma, I'd say it is an interesting trippy album, I love it!
After that I decided to explore Kahimi Karie's discography, I started with
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Larme De Crocodile by Kahimi Karie
and it's a nice, never boring album, especially the first track I think it is brilliant!
I'm gonna have a look on Takako Minekawa soon, thanks for the rec :D
Aww, I'm glad you're enjoying it and getting a couple recs from it pa. 😄 And I actually haven't heard Larme De Crocodile yet, I must get to that in the future. _________________
HazeyTwilightboyfriend in your wet dreamsProfile Elmo Knows Where You Live
Sitting back on the old armchair during a desolate Winter. Too fantasizing about flying through the snow and condensation to worry about your real world issues.
2014, I think, has definitely been the year of Mark Kozelek for me. This year was the time where my appreciation for him blossomed and later withered as he progressed through the year, and then slowly regained my trust. This was the year where I heard about Red House Painters, and at a time when I really needed them. 2014 wasn't a particularly good year for me personally, which you probably get a gist of how I felt to anyone who actively reads this. But they came at a time where I was feeling so hopeless, and then Down Colorful Hill came into my life. But, this year was a pretty significant year for Kozelek that was not an excuse for me backlogging. Sun Kil Moon puts out Benji; the hecklers; the hillbillies; the banter with The War On Drugs; War On Drugs Suck My Cock; having an original song featured on Yo Gabba Gabba. I shit you not that last one actually happened! "Yeah, those stupid little kids won't get the subtext that will scar them for eternity when they're older!"
Yeah, Kozelek has been responsible for some of the most outrageous news in the world of music this year. Which is why I didn't expect him to release, not only a Christmas album, but a good Christmas album! 😲 Is it quite on the level of Benji? Definitely not. And it'd certainly be crazy if it actually did reach that level. But, it is quite a serene novelty album for this time of the year. The reason I think it's novelty because, right in the middle of Christmas Time Is Here, there is conversation dialogue about how Kozelek is depressed during the holidays. It is one of the corniest things I've ever heard this year, probably tops the corny-ness of I Love My Dad, another Kozelek blunder that happened this year. But, apart from that, this is a nicely presented album that doesn't need to be taken seriously. Kozelek is just having a bit of fun. _________________
HazeyTwilightboyfriend in your wet dreamsProfile Elmo Knows Where You Live
Whilst your intoxicated, you seem to have the ability to travel through different dimensions, but you still manage to bring the spirit of your good ol' Irish pub with ye'.
While technically not a Christmas album, you all know what this album is responsible for: Fairytale Of New York. Quite possibly the best Christmas song ever known to us. Its legacy speaks for itself. It's strange, I've always liked the song but, now I've got a bit more understanding in what makes a perfect song, I now love this song with a passion. Though it's a shame that I only knew them from that song alone, because this album is just mesmerising.
To shoot my own heritage and culture in the foot, traditional Irish music is not my scene at all. Sure, it's unique...for the first few ditties you hear, after a while every song sounds the same as the last song you hear. Oh, there's ornamentation in the vocals. Oh, there's another fiddle and tin whistle. I just get sick of it. But, there is something that The Pogues do to make them sound unique from the rest of the crowd in a really clever way: they don't play it in a traditional way. Now, that may make me sound like a madman - taking the tradition out of traditional Irish music - but, I'm quite thankful that some of the members are British, not Irish and that it has punk roots. It gives that false sense of security that you're going to hear some safe music, but you listen to the first track and that's clearly not the case now. Mixed in with the more punk-y influences you have sweet and solemn numbers, like the aforementioned Fairytale Of New York. But I particularly love the punk snarls of Shane McGowan's vocals (just don't ever sing his melodies in a faux-American accent, that is the worst offense).
If I listened to this when I first joined this site, I would've just passed it off as generic Irish music. But, I'm glad I proved myself wrong in that situation. I just love this album. _________________
HazeyTwilightboyfriend in your wet dreamsProfile Elmo Knows Where You Live
Rowing your boat on the river of the mystical rainforest, that changes depending on your mood. Calmness results to nothing happening, dissonance feels like you're fighting white water rapids.
Might as well give some of the more obscure albums in my wishlist a listen. I plan on going through some of those albums tomorrow so I can get those listens out of the way so I can say "hey I listened to that album you rec'd me, can we be friends now?" Thought I'd give this one, suggested by pa, because he's a lovely user and because this is the highest rated album by this artist.
I thought I'd get a really pretty folk album, but to my surprise, it's more like an atmospheric yet slightly adventurous singer/songwriter album. Sort of like a Leonard Cohen meets Joanna Newsom meets St. Vincent scenario (pa can kill me later if that statement is inaccurate :lol:). Even though it sometimes gets a bit monotonous (or maybe I was just really tired), but there's still some interesting things that this album does, especially the lyrics tackle some really fascinating concepts sometimes. Yeah, I like it. _________________
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