Taplog - Music Diaries - Forums : Best Ever Albums

Tap · 2015-11-05T15:54:49-05:00

TAPLOG I will be writing about my day's listening here, a post for each day. Just getting this started, I'll fill out the structure of the day as it goes and then I will edit in details and thoughts later. Feel free to comment and suggest things just maybe don't give too many suggestions and also really try to sell me on it or I might forget. Oh and if there's anything here you're interested in hearing but you're having difficulty finding, pm me and maybe I can help you find it. 11/5/15 Art Angels by Grimes Then I followed this up with the Improv4Humans podcast, new ep today has musical guest Dan Deacon. It was too distractingly funny though so I had to pause. Got me thinking that I didn't give a close enough listen to Deacon's latest, so let's give that a whirl. Gliss Riffer by Dan Deacon Yeah, I don't know. I like it. But my way in with Deacon was Spiderman of the Rings. I still love that album, because there was a forcefulness to it, and danger and sharp edges and all of that. While the compositions following that album have gotten more intricate, it feels like all the edge has gotten sanded off. I think the songs on this are fine, and I do like a lot of them more than what was on the previous album (and, controversially, a lot of Bromst, which I still need to put on my year chart come to think of it), and would love to experience them live. But I guess it's a combination of the smoothing of the sound and the increased familiarity with who Dan Deacon is that leads to me noticing that there is some sort of nuanced development to his sound, but just not being able to feel it as much. But I wouldn't say it's bad by any means. It's getting too normie in here so now: Flowers Of Evil by Ruth White Oh, this. I love this album. It's one of the many albums that I love that I found through the Creel Pone unofficial reissue label. Lots of musical spoken word that's all been treated to some degree put over synthesizers of varying levels of murkiness. Nothing really in the way of percussion, but in spite of that and all the murk there's still some really clear forms to these songs that makes them seem quite direct. Anyone looking to expand their knowledge of women making far out electronic sounds in the early days of it absolutely must check this one out. I can hear some loud drums being soundchecked at the venue next door now which is simply too distracting so now I'm goin to some talky podcasts, starting with Who Charted. New format is weird but it works for some word listening. But now I need something wordless to go with the working so Precipice by Byron Westbrook This is just some fantastic ambient music right here. But what makes this stand out is that beyond the gorgeous waves of sound, there are all of these weird little elements to the songs, enough to where I've seen this album referred to as electro-acoustic on top of being ambient. What's great about these layers of weird synthesis in the mix is that they're more than just flavor, they're major determinants in the structure. Like in the last track, there's all these gorgeous waves and it's wonderful but then they break apart into some series of notes and the slowness intensifies and I like it a lot. I need more, so KOCH by Lee Gamble This album is still growing on me, a year later. And I still don't know how to describe it. But man oh man I love these timbres. It's some pretty consistent, minimal music. But there's this quality to his music where it's like he's taking something that previously existed and erasing, and the talent is in the space that's created from the erasure. I don't know. I still need more time and more listens. I'm hungry so I'm going to get something going with that while finishing up the Dan Deacon ep of Improv4Humans. I dunno I could imagine a lot of people find this sort of improv comedy to be annoying but this is so much my jam, absolutely loving it. This will be one of those podcast episodes that I actually listen to more than once. Ok now to go through this again so I can figure out what I want to say here Art Angels by Grimes I guess I have a sort of weird relationship with capital p Pop. I enjoy a song here and there but I never really feel compelled to go dive into a whole album. This is a bit different than capital p Pop, with all the indieosyncrasy. But there's still that slick sort of timbre all over the place, and so many filter sweeps. So I do feel put at a distance from this. On the other hand tho, I've seen some people online absolutely losing their shit about how bad this is. And I completely disagree with those folks. This has tons of really fun catchy songs on here. Kill V Maim, Pin, Realiti (which I actually prefer here to the previously released one), Venus Fly, and Scream and Flesh Without Blood are all great as far as I'm concerned. The other songs, nothing strikes me as being especially bad or enough to make me want to skip, but I don't know if I feel a strong pull back to them. I figure I probably won't be pulling out this album in it's entirety all too often (though I'll have it on my phone for a lil bit I think), but I do think this is good stuff. But the overall timbre, like I can never feel at home with this sort of sound, I'll always feel like a tourist with it and so I value the stuff I feel more at home with more. Now let's go with a first listen for something I think I'll feel at home with On Earth by Hans Otte This is another Creel Pone thing that I ordered recently, I'm not sure if there's any copies online. I guess this was some sort of sound art thing that happened in the space pictured on the cover, and man it must have been really cool to be there in person, with all these noises and spoken German coming out of the squares on the ground and also from the ceiling. It starts up and there's a sort of irregular bass throb that gives a pulse to the whole thing, while waves of noise build up from nothing and hang out in the space for a bit. It can get a bit harsh. But I have no problem with that. The structure isn't super overt, very much in the horizontal development mode throughout and I'm more generally aware of change happening than seeing an exact point of it, if that makes sense. Sometimes this sort of thing doesn't work for me so well when it feels like it's just lingering in a certain mode and not pushing into anywhere new, but this uses a small selection of sounds to go all sorts of places, like it gets into a sort of rhythmic thing in the second half of side A with much more... I guess they would be percussive hits? Well, sort of? It's weird. But the focus in aesthetic and constant development in what the piece is is just great to take in. And then Side B sort of repeats the process of Side A, but gets into more feedback drones, it feels similar in shape, but slower and everything hangs a little different in my ear. And more of the German spoken word. Yes, I am at home here. That's it for today on the music front. Going to catch up on adventure time and then get things sorted for the day tomorrow.

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I have neither the time nor talent for anything of this caliber. Keep doin what you do Tap and I'll just continue to watch in awe

if the book tourney taught me anything it's that spreadsheets and I do not get along

also hey you should check out this

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New Music For Electronic And Recorded Media: Women In Electronic Music by Various Artists

edit: and this

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Crossing Into The Electric Magnetic by Halim El-Dabh

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2/13/16

1. Hot Shaker Meet Lead Donut by Prants
2. Animals by Not Waving
3. Water Above Sky Below Now by Pauline Oliveros And Ione
4. The Life Of Pablo by Kanye West

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2/14/16

1. Orch.V by Team Doyobi (LTY)
2. Piteous Gate by M.E.S.H.
3. Ultimate Care II by Matmos
4. The Inexhaustible Document by AMM (FL)
5. Elektronische Musik by Josef Otto Mundigl (FL)
6. New Music For Electronic And Recorded Media by Various Artists (FL)
7. Douve by Ehnahre (FL16)
8. Painting With by Animal Collective (FL16)

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Oh hey DBZ thanks for the recs. Gave a listen to the Women In Electronic comp today, really enjoyed it. So do you know what the deal is with Annea Lockwood? She appears to be the same person credited as Anna Lockwood for that glass sounds album, right? Really dug her piece, and she's still active too! Gonna check out something she did in 2014 soon along with the early music comp of her's since that'll probably have more like what was on here. But yeah, I'd also been meaning to check that Halim El-Dabh after I saw you post something about it earlier, I remember a couple of really good tracks on compilations but didn't know there was something that collected all his work. I'm slacking on listening to that Oram too (2 hours is intimidating!), I think I'll get around to those tomorrow and a couple of other old electronic things I'm still needing to check, make a day of it and all that. Oh and dude you have to check out this Pauline Oliveros & Ione thing from last year if you haven't already, it's on spotify and stuff.

I thought my night was over but a legit copy of the new Animal Collective is very slowly appearing on my computer now so now I think maybe I won't be sleeping just yet. Thank god tomorrow is a holiday.

Yep I'm staying up.

I don't understand a word of it and it's really great.

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Running Tally '16

First Listens: 85
Releases Listened This Year: 232
2016 Releases Listened: 24
Total Listens: 323
Only Listened Once: 186

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2/15/16

1. Painting With by Animal Collective
2. Painting With by Animal Collective
3. Ultimate Care II by Matmos
4. Painting With by Animal Collective
5. Crossing Into The Electric Magnetic by Halim El-Dabh (FL)
6. Painting With by Animal Collective
7. Painting With by Animal Collective
8. Earnest Rubbish by Matthew Revert & Vanessa Rossetto

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So I really like this Animal Collective album a lot (I'll probably edit in another listen before the day is over lol). Some of my favorite stuff has been when Avey Tare and Panda Bear both doing vocals, but with counterpoint, like on Loch Raven. And so it's really cool to hear the tracks on here where they sort of do something similar to hocketing, but the two voices aren't following the same path and there is that feeling of the two dancing around each other, but with much more pep in the step via the equally short bursts from each. This is definitely the most playful music they've made since Sung Tongs, but everything is so much more straightforward and immediate. Besides a flash of robot voice, there's really not any vocal effects besides those manually created with the dueling vocals. And there's something to the rhythm too... but it feels like a significant evolution from the previous incarnations of the band. I'll need some more time to really get in depth with it. Not on the HTCI/Sung Tongs level but that's been impossible anyways since Feels. Still, I think this is up there with the best pop-thru-repetition stuff they've done since that started. And I'm really excited to see how this goes live.

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Running Tally '16

First Listens: 86
Releases Listened This Year: 233
2016 Releases Listened: 24
Total Listens: 331
Only Listened Once: 186

Last edited by Tap on 02/16/2016 08:49; edited 1 time in total

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Oh hey glad you dug the comp. Outside of her piece on that I'm only familiar with The Glass World thing you mentioned, but from what I gather A Sound Map of the Hudson River and A Sound Map of the Danube are supposed to be good (and they've been sitting on my hard drive long enough. Should probably get to that.) My favorite piece on there is probably Johanna Beyer's, and honestly it's just one of my favorite songs ever written and I'm not sure it exists in recorded form outside of this comp.

Oh I didn't know about the new Oliveros! I'll have to get on that

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Oh yeah that Beyer was some good stuff, and damn I didn't notice it was done in 1938 when I listened, that's pretty incredible. Looking into it I guess she didn't really do much more in electronics? Wiki made her non-electronic works sound interesting, I might look into finding a good recording of one of those.

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Tap wrote:

Oh yeah that Beyer was some good stuff, and damn I didn't notice it was done in 1938 when I listened, that's pretty incredible. Looking into it I guess she didn't really do much more in electronics? Wiki made her non-electronic works sound interesting, I might look into finding a good recording of one of those.

I like this one

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Johanna Beyer: Sticky Melodies by The Astra Chamber Music Society

but yeah actually Music of the Spheres was supposed to be only 1 part of what was gonna be her fully electronic opera before she died from ALS related complications (IIRC). Often find myself pondering what could've been with that one, because 1938 goddamn...

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2/16/16

1. Painting With by Animal Collective
2. Alas Rattoisaa Virtaa by Kemialliset Ystävät (LTY)
3. View by Rom=Pari
4. Drum 'N' Bass For Papa by Plug (LTY)
5. Pulaski Skyway by Chris Swansen (LTY)
6. Cognition / Observation by Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe
7. Church Of Anthrax by John Cale And Terry Riley (LTY)
8. Painting With by Animal Collective
9. Oleo by Joe McPhee Po Music

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I'm really happy with how I got the work soundtrack for today to flow. Starting off with a kick from Painting With, and then picking up on the playfulness but pushing the weird on Kemialliset Ystavat's one from 2014, going abrasive and weird with the over the top Japanese IDM from Rom=Pari, bringing down the business but keeping up the energy with some Plug, then going all moog funk with that Chris Swansen before closing out with the blissful repetition on Robert A.A. Lowe's new one. The day back to work after a holiday can be a real drag but that powered me thru for sure.

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Running Tally '16

First Listens: 86
Releases Listened This Year: 237
2016 Releases Listened: 24
Total Listens: 340
Only Listened Once: 188

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2/17/16

1. Expanding Universe by Laurie Spiegel (LTY)
2. Nation Time by Joe McPhee
3. Painting With by Animal Collective
4. It's Cosy Inside by Woo
5. Ultimate Care II by Matmos
6. Eraser Stargazer by Guerilla Toss (FL16)
7. Painting With by Animal Collective
8. Human Music by Jon Appleton & Don Cherry (LTY)
9. Things Our Bodies Used To Have by Good Willsmith (FL16)
10. Hivemind by Mhysa (FL16)
11. Color Attic by Bulbs (FL16)

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I could've sworn this Jon Appleton & Don Cherry thing was in the database already, huh. It's a super weird mix of free jazz & electronics, heavy on the electronics, like sometimes whatever Cherry is playing will get run thru some heavy ring mod and fully integrate into the synthetic sound and it's great.

Checked out this new Guerilla Toss album, been meaning to giving the band a listen. It's fun loud stuff. Sorta spastic energy but still with an emphasis on grooves and a lightly goofy weirdness to the melodies. The vocalist is cool and reminds me of a particular Marnie Stern track on the last one here. Some cool rock music.

Also this new Good Willsmith, they're on the more accessible side of structured improvisation. I remember listening to the preview track and it sounding cool but taken as a whole it really is quite striking. Anyone looking for something cool and weird check it out it's streaming on their bandcamp https://umorrex.bandcamp.com/album/things-our-bodies-used-to-have

Also enjoyed that Myhsa that I saw in Satie's thread but go read his writeup if you're curious, I'm pretty tired. Also gave this Bulbs a listen, it's one of the dudes who was in the american 00's band Axolotl and someone else and it's my favorite new thing of the day, but I'm so tired, words later.

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Running Tally '16

First Listens: 90
Releases Listened This Year: 243
2016 Releases Listened: 28
Total Listens: 351
Most Listened Album: Painting With (Times Played: 10)
Only Listened Once: 192

19loveless91 mag. druž. inf Profile

Glad you like the new AnCo. It's been flying oddly under the radar around here. That hocketing vocal trick or whatever you want to call it, is maybe a bit overused on the album, but I thought the songwriting is pretty top notch across the board, Golden Gal in particular is just perfect pop.

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Yeah I've been really enjoying it. I'm trying not to overdo it but I feel a pull towards it a lot.

2/18/16

1. Traditional Synthesizer Music by Venetian Snares (FL16)
2. Daze by Brood Ma (FL16)
3. Painting With by Animal Collective
4. Color Attic by Bulbs
5. Zauberberg by Kassel Jaeger / Stephan Mathieu / Akira Rabelais (FL16)
6. On Earth by Hans Otte (LTY)
7. Sung Tongs by Animal Collective (LTY)
8. Zauberberg by Kassel Jaeger / Stephan Mathieu / Akira Rabelais

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So I caught some more new releases, it's pretty absurd how many things I'm enjoying have come out at the same time. The Venetian Snares album I didn't get pulled in real deep on, but it was around 10 AM, I'll be giving it more attention for sure but I'm not sure if it's really gonna get me. I guess it got me awake enough for the Brood Ma album though, that thing rips. It's out on Tri Angle records and people who enjoy music from that label should check it out. Though it's probably closer to someone like SD Laika than Roly Porter. Really cool stuff.

But what really blew me away was the Kassel Jaeger / Stephan Mathieu / Akira Rabelais album. I don't quite know what to think of it or how to talk about it, but I know it's going at the top of my list right now. Ahhhh there's so much to write about. I really need to hunker down sometime and get my thoughts in order. For now though I'm just gonna take things in and have a good time tho.

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Running Tally '16

First Listens: 93
Releases Listened This Year: 248
2016 Releases Listened: 31
Total Listens: 359
Only Listened Once: 195