I was pretty hyped to listen to this, given the genre classifications and all the reviewers touting it as an overlooked shoegaze gem. And it did not disappoint. It could probably use some trimming, but it is a very well-constructed, deliciously dreamy album. 4/5
I could understand the trimming argument for Xuvetyn but damn the highlights are so good. Also finished up Wildflower and it was excellent. Like really, I didn't listen to this in 2016? Oh well, I got it done now and yeah I enjoyed it. Very welcoming. Very dreamy. Would get in the dreamy electronic list. As well as the 2016 list.
Here's an album.
Carried Away by the underappreciated and not that spoken about People Under The Stairs from 2009.
Infuriatingly inconsistent, though the excellent stuff does significantly outweigh the cringeworthy. The cavernous reverb and repeated twinkling motifs give the whole thing an underlying sense of isolation, but that mood is then occasionally undermined by gratingly twee melodies and hokey marching band percussion. Lots going on here, bounding between a variety of mildly exotic pre-rock sounds, but then bathing it all in glorious delay and electro-acoustic droning, giving the thing an almost proto-Lynchian sense of not quite right Americana at work. I mean, some of these songs must be near the pinnacle of pre-1960s pop music production, but others are just fucking ridiculous ('Entry of the Globbots' alone may have been forgivable, especially when sandwiched between two of the best pop instrumentals I've ever heard, but to then repeat the trick with the somehow even more irritating 'March of the Dribcots' suggests a level of smug pranksterism or excessive childishness that I struggle to reconcile with), making for an often jarring listen that makes me want to pull my hair out given the potential this things has. When listening to the haunted balladry of the title track, the Gavin Bryars-goes-skiffle of 'The Bulblight', or the spacious, hall of mirrors doo wop of 'Valley of the Saroos', however, I'm reminded of what makes pop music so joyous and brilliant in the first place.
For Luigii, an oft maligned slice of sparkling, professional soul-pop that seems all but (unfairly) forgotten bar the title track:
The funny thing about this was I was listening to Never To Much a few days ago. And then I get hit by the album. Damn that's a coincidence. But for the album itself, yeah this is excellent stuff. For one Luther is a god tier singer. Like he makes singing so easy while it takes years to get good pipes. And the sound is still crisp. Not the most mindblowing in the pop soul era but definitely one of the best. Also for the question of being ignored? Well it was the early 80's. Disco demolition was still prevalent in the general consciousness of that time. Before Micheal Jackson and Prince came into the fray, a lot of soul, pop, funk artist got lost in the shuffle. Also the final track is also memorable due to the end getting sampled in Slow Jams by Kanye.
My pick?
Suntrust's overlooked self titled debut from 2003.
Some varied house music.
Haha, Joe Meek is quite a tragic figure in music history. I suggest you read up on him if you didn't, He's an interesting character, but I totally agree with your review.
Haha, Joe Meek is quite a tragic figure in music history. I suggest you read up on him if you didn't, He's an interesting character, but I totally agree with your review.
Autechre are masters. I don't have much to say other than that. Listen to this if you haven't, people.
Luigii why don't you give this a spin. Make sure to find the version with only 11 tracks. It's overlong otherwise.
Black Sea by XTC
The funny thing about the 11 track notion is that the 3 extra tracks were really good. To the point even when this is my first time with The Black Sea, I would give the album a 100. And that's mainly how this album is a ball of fun. Like it's really entertaining, quirky and varied all the way through. And with records like this, I realize that rock music like any other genre can be ball of joy.
interesting album rather raw sounding vocals interesting use of various non instruments to make some of the musical accompaniment. I enjoyed this and will be listening to it again.
First off, I get what you mean skinny about Armand Hammer feeling claustrophobic. I think that’s a part of the appeal to me. And glynspsa, I know this is a bit of a late response - what can I say? I got busy - but this record was an absolute blast, to say the very least. Going in with no former knowledge of who Jeru was or where he was sonically, apart from what I could take an educated guess at from the cover, made the record that much more of a rewarding experience. If you were to tell me that he was trained in the same dojo as Raekwon The Chief or The GZA, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised. But with the lyrical tonality of Tribe, if that makes any sense? That’s not to say that he’s a soulless copy, far from it. The vibrant beats match the cuninng of the bars in terms of sheer quality at every corner, the instrumentals couldn’t have been sweeter and the sampling was fantastic. It seems scoring is a popular thing to do around here and I’m no stranger to it, so if I had to put a number on it, I’d say an 8 and a half at this point. I could definitely see myself coming back sometime soon in the near future or even exploring his body of work further. So yeah, I really appreciated this one man.
And it looks like I get the distinct honour of returning the favour, even if this one’s a bit leftfield:
I'm not a huge fan of jazz (although I like a little bit) or prog (although I like a little bit) so well done Skinny on recommending me a prog influenced jazz fusion record that I really liked. Triumphant is a good way to describe it, especially the first half. The first four songs were great. Futuristic, space agey, experimental jazz that to my simplistic unknowledgeable ears sounded extremely well produced for a mid 70s record. I wasn't as keen on the second half of the album but that's a reflection of my taste not the quality, and overall it really was a fascinating, interesting listen. Thanks!
For Komorebi-D: I get the impression you probably wouldn't mind a bit of DIY psych pop so give this a listen.
I’m always on the prowl for some hot psych pop but at first, this album was a little deceptive. You see, on the first two or three tracks they sounded a lot like King Gizz slowed down, which was really cool but I was promised psych pop. Haha I only kid. Once “Outside” rolled around though, I was completely vibing in an imaginary desert from then on out. The bass was gooey, the drums hit to my headbangs, the guitars had a jangly mind of their own and every single vocal harmony was hypnotic. Top notch stuff from you mate. Love ya work, Purplepash. I’m feeling a solid 7 on this one. Would absolutely spin again and peep more of their discog too, quite possibly. Cheers, dude.
So my second recommendation for you tonight (the first being the one on the canon thread) was a bit of a hard choice but I eventually landed on:
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Skinny
Tha1ChiefRocka
Komorebi-D
Purplepash
