While their other album was pretty nice, I really can't tolerate this Natural Snow Buildings album.
That being said, The Shins used to be one of the my personal favorites. i still think they're great, just don't hold them in the same light anymore. Voted Shins
Daughter of Darkness is incredible, please take the time to listen to all 6 hours if you're going to vote in this poll.
But that's the problem. I have no difficulties with an LP being as long as the artist desires. And the music is good. But, honestly, when am I going to listen to it again? In full? Probably never. I never have the time to listen to a 6-hours long LP, and most people don't. It's good music, but frankly, for an LP, it's far too long.
But that's the problem. I have no difficulties with an LP being as long as the artist desires. And the music is good. But, honestly, when am I going to listen to it again? In full? Probably never. I never have the time to listen to a 6-hours long LP, and most people don't. It's good music, but frankly, for an LP, it's far too long.
I agree, most of the times I've listened to it(all except once), I've broken it down into smaller chunks in which I've listened to over the course of a week or so. Personally, the quality of the music makes up for the amount of time one must devote listening to it. I like it a lot.
It's no secret that I have an unhealthy obsession with Chutes Too Narrow. To me it's absolutely perfect, easily my favorite album of all time. James Mercer has a brilliant knack for writing gorgeous melodies. The melding of the acoutsic and electric guitar might be my favorite aspect of the album, as most songs use both, always playing off each other beautifully. And don't even get me started on Mercer's lyrical prowess. Just take these lines for example:
"Just leave the ring on the rail, for the wheels to nullify."
"Just a glimpse of an ankle and I, react like it's 1805."
"Since then it's been a book you read in reverse, so you understand less as the pages turn."
Always clever, and always plenty of layers to pick through in his lyrics. Just abstract enough to keep you thinking, but straight forward enough that you can have an idea of what he's trying to say.
All songs on Chutes are wonderful, melding together to form musical perfection. It isn't the most complex album you'll ever hear, but the modest nature of the music is one of the things that makes it great. It's lighthearted (for the most part), uplifiting, and simply fun to listen to. #1 album of all time y'all, no question about it. If you think otherwise I feel sorry for you.
Guys I'm being facetious.
Anyway, if you care about ratings/reviews, it received a splendid score of 8.9 on Pitchfork along with a best new music stamp. A short snippet from the glowing review:
"The uniqueness and inventiveness of James Mercer's melodic sensibility simply cannot be overstated. On Chutes Too Narrow, as with its predecessor, Mercer makes brilliant use of his formidable vocal range, writing soaring melodies every bit as original as they are memorable."
It also carries a number of 88% (universal acclaim) on metacritic.
Daughter Of Darkness is just way too fucking long and even though I liked The Dance of The Moon And The Sun it was still a struggle to sit through the whole thing in one sitting and that was pretty short compared to DoD.
Damnit. I haven't gotten any sleep in a while and now I've gotta say something about this. Oh well, I'll try.
First, here's a couple interview quotes from NSB regarding DoD.
Question (Brainwashed):Which albums of yours are you most proud of?
Answer: "We like Daughter of Darkness because it's totally improvised, no overdubs and totally self-indulgent, and Blackest Rainbow did a great job with the packaging (a VHS box with five tapes inside). "
Question (Thumped):Some of your work, like Daughter Of Darkness, unfolds over a very long duration, several hours in many cases. What kind of experience do you expect the listener to have over such a long listening course?
Answer: "Well, it's something that happens when we play in a live setting, structure built by the interaction of the two of us improvising, and we like long, unfolding songs, epic movements, sounds that would take its time to modify something deeply in the listener's mind. Daughter of Darkness... is a particular case, it was almost a provocation: with more than five hours, you have to immerse yourself in it. It can be a pleasant experience or a very unpleasant one, you can let it enter your listening space. You can also shrug it, pretending that's just shitty noise, but you have to deal with it. The fact that everything was improvised and served without any edits was very important for us at the time, while most of our production was, uh, pop-like produced (with composed and overdubbed parts). It was some kind of affirmation, so five hours sounded appropriate."
But that's the problem. I have no difficulties with an LP being as long as the artist desires. And the music is good. But, honestly, when am I going to listen to it again? In full? Probably never. I never have the time to listen to a 6-hours long LP, and most people don't. It's good music, but frankly, for an LP, it's far too long.
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