Typically when an American rock musician wanders on over to an eastern country and releases an album of "eastern music", it's typically some vapid cultural appropriation, some way of "westernizing" eastern music, so I can understand approaching this album with some trepidation. Johnny Greenwood and Nigel Godrich collaborating with a whole collective of musicians. There's over 16 people playing on this album, and honestly, you wouldn't even know Johnny Greenwood is even there, and that's what makes this album as great as it is. Greenwood places his influence in the music, but he isn't the center of virtually any of the tracks, save perhaps "Allah Elohim". This is a whole melding of cultures, there are songs in multiple languages, including Hebrew and Hindi, and even if you don't speak the language, the emotion is communicated through the music. Greenwood and Godrich are out of the way, they let the individual musicians here tell their own stories, it's a beautiful experience of musicians coming together, learning from each other and just celebrating music. _________________ Progressive Rock
I don't really know what took me so long to actually listen to this album, but I'm glad I finally did. This was quite the unique experience, and honestly I wouldn't expect anything less from Jenny Hval. This is, without a doubt, a very intriguing listen, it draws you in and makes you pay close attention. Hval will jar you with random things here and there, whether it's her talking about "soft dick rock" or if it's some kind of breakneck switch in musical style, this album does repeat the same thing twice, and that's what makes it so interesting. It has a very dreamy, improvisational feel to it, like anything could change at any moment, and it keeps you engaged. It's quite an impressive work of art and while it might not be for everyone, for those that it clicks for, they'll really enjoy it. _________________ Progressive Rock
I don't really know what took me so long to actually listen to this album, but I'm glad I finally did. This was quite the unique experience, and honestly I wouldn't expect anything less from Jenny Hval. This is, without a doubt, a very intriguing listen, it draws you in and makes you pay close attention. Hval will jar you with random things here and there, whether it's her talking about "soft dick rock" or if it's some kind of breakneck switch in musical style, this album does repeat the same thing twice, and that's what makes it so interesting. It has a very dreamy, improvisational feel to it, like anything could change at any moment, and it keeps you engaged. It's quite an impressive work of art and while it might not be for everyone, for those that it clicks for, they'll really enjoy it.
AOTY. I've listened to this album more than any other this year, and I'm still yet to tire of any of it (even my other major favourites occasionally don't suit my mood, or have moments that I feel I'm overly familiar with, but this continues to give and give regardless of situation). That said, why I enjoy it is one of the most difficult things for me to articulate. I don't know why. As far as I'm concerned, it's her masterpiece (and that's coming off the back of a really strong three album run - Viscera; Innocence is Kinky; Meshes of Voice). It's just wonderful. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
RockyRaccoonIs it solipsistic in here or is it just me?ModeratorProfile Maryland
AOTY. I've listened to this album more than any other this year, and I'm still yet to tire of any of it (even my other major favourites occasionally don't suit my mood, or have moments that I feel I'm overly familiar with, but this continues to give and give regardless of situation). That said, why I enjoy it is one of the most difficult things for me to articulate. I don't know why. As far as I'm concerned, it's her masterpiece (and that's coming off the back of a really strong three album run - Viscera; Innocence is Kinky; Meshes of Voice). It's just wonderful.
You know, it's funny, I had a similar feeling. I liked it, I just don't really know why, it was really hard for me to accurately articulate how I felt about it.
By the way, I think you would enjoy (or at the very least I'm interested in your thoughts on) the Shye Ben Tzur/Johnny Greenwood album _________________ Progressive Rock
The fusion of electronic music and jazz that's really started to grow in the last few years has been incredible. With this album, we get another addition into that ever-growing catalog. The combination of jazz-quintet Kneebody with electronic producer Daedelus creates pure magic. This is an album that takes you places, much of the album is very warm and relaxed, very rural, but there are parts of the album that are more frantic with a deep, urban feel to them, even an industrial, dirty feel. Variety is key, and this album certainly has it, it doesn't get complacent sitting in one spot for long, it's constantly moving and shifting and that's what makes it so engaging. The ending couldn't be more perfect though, the beautiful, melancholic piano that slowly fades itself away, as if the album is waving farewell to you as it rides off into the night. This album is special, it's intelligent and it's beautiful and absolutely worth a listen.
Has anyone here heard this yet? I feel like this would be quite popular amongst a lot of the people here. _________________ Progressive Rock
So this has been reissued with a couple more tracks on it, and I've gotta say, it was pretty enjoyable. I've always been irrationally in love with Ty Segall, and him doing T. Rex covers feels very appropriate. I especially appreciate how deep into the T. Rex catalog Segall went, unearthing some great T. Rex songs that really weren't very popular (the first track being a great example). Segall takes all these songs and puts his own stamp on it, he very much makes them his own and I think that's the key to making a great cover, making it yours, rather than just imitating the original. This isn't anything earth-shattering, but it's still solid and fun to listen to. _________________ Progressive Rock
It's amazing how sometimes two artists can come together and fit so perfectly together. Such is the case with Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld. This is mostly a meditation on the value of a note, it's slow, it's airy, it creates a vast sonic landscape and a dark, haunting mood. The combination of Stetson's breathy saxophone and Neufeld's smooth violin meld together to create something beautiful. This is a very simple album, but simple doesn't mean boring necessarily, artists like Arvo Part and Steve Reich have shown us that. Stetson and Neufeld create a mood, they create a scene, and it's a dark scene, it's the sound of a funeral on a rainy day, it's the sound of a poor, heavily industrialized urban area. It's sadness, but it's beauty. Each song has its own mood, it's own unique feel, but it all contributes to the overall atmosphere of the album, and it's quite an impressive work of art. _________________ Progressive Rock
A rather nice album actually. Mutemath have shown themselves to consistently be one of the better indie rock bands out there in a genre that's awash with bands that all lack any sense of identity. Mutemath retain theirs though, and they continue to move themselves forward. There's still a few songs on here that are typical Mutemath rockers, but they also explore a slower side, with songs like "Remain" and "Composed", they focus more on atmosphere rather than just an aggressive, in your face, synth-heavy rock. It's nice to see these guys still making good music, it's nothing that's going to knock you to the ground, but it's still a nice listen. _________________ Progressive Rock
Jimmy LaValle's collaboration with some members of Sigur Ros might actually be his best album. There's such a beautiful, quiet stillness to this album, it's something to listen to while driving across the midwest at dusk looking out the window as nothing but open fields go by and you drift off to sleep. Some of this can sound repetitive, but it's the little variations that make this as good as it is. The highlight, for me, is the opener, "Window", but that's mostly because I have a strong personal connection to it. A good friend and mentor of mine, a long time back, probably 7 or 8 years ago, showed a video about personally dealing with the death of a friend or family member, especially when it's sudden and nothing makes sense. A week after he showed that video, he died suddenly while playing basketball. "Window" was the soundtrack to that video, and the combination of my personal attachment to the song, and the song's natural beauty, really makes it hit hard. It's a truly beautiful album all the way throughout and songs like "Over The Pond" and "Twentytwofourteen" just emphasize that point even further. _________________ Progressive Rock
The Oh Hellos established themselves as one of the best indie folk bands out there when they released Through The Deep, Dark Valley. In a genre that's become more and more crowded with bands all trying to imitate each other, it's an impressive feat to actually carve out a meaningful identity, and that's exactly what The Oh Hellos did. Now, with this album, they're a bit more heavily produced than their previous album, but it's still a good album. Not nearly as good as the last, but a solid indie folk album. They incorporate some slightly heavier elements (i.e. electric guitar) a bit more than they have in the past, and there's an interesting, folky version of Camille Saint-Saens' "Danse Macabre" here, which is one of my favorite pieces of music. There are some definite highlights and the rest is fine, at worst unspectacular, but overall a solid album. _________________ Progressive Rock
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RockyRaccoon
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