Something Completely Different

As you may or may not have heard, we ran this in Music Banter last year and this, and it's reasonably popular, but as most of us seem to be migrating away from MB I thought it might be as well to move the club over to here, so not only can those who already take part continue to do so without the need to log in to MB if they don't want to, but that it can be open to those who have up to now not been aware of its existence.

Here's the skinny.

Anyone who wants to take part let me know and I'll add you to the sign-up sheet. You'll then be eligible to select an album, any genre, any year. Each album will be under the spotlight for two weeks, with the first  week given over to time to listening to the album and the second to commenting on it.

You can write as much or as little about the album as you like, just please remember always to be respectful of people's choices. Except mine. I know you'll all laugh nastily at mine but that's okay, I'm used to it.

First come first choice, so sign up early. Or not at all.

We'll probably rate them, but that will depend on who wants to do that. The main thing is just to get people talking about music again in a fun way.


Note: full members are those who participate in each album chosen, listening to it, reviewing and suggesting their own. Associate members are those who seem to want to take part, but for whatever reason have not been able to give it the time needed. They may pop back in, so we're basically holding their seat, though it's empty at the moment. You can opt to be an Associate member, which means you can just drop in and out as you like, but that also means you're not eligible to suggest an album.


Full members
---------------------
Trollheart (Curating only as of May 18)
Rubber Soul
SGR
Lisnaholic
Mindfulness
Janszoon
DJ Chameleon
Dr Rez **
Toy Revolver
Mrs. Waffles
Guybrush

** Subject to them joining up here.

Associate members
--------------------------------
Fetcher (On hiatus; we hope she'll be back)
Music Collector
Carpe Mortem



Albums already reviewed (thanks to Lisnaholic for the hard work drawing up the list)


Current album:

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b6/Kidneythieves-Zerospace.JPG)
Zerospace - Kidneythieves (DJ Chameleon)

Coming up:

My Head is an Animal - Of Monsters and Men (Mindfulness) - Starts May 30
People's Spring - Warsaw Village Band (Lisnaholic) - Starts June 13
The Holy Bible - Manic Street Preachers (SGR) - Starts June 27
Changing Landscapes (Zompopa) - Arthur King (Toy Revolver) - Starts July 11

n

Requesting permission to come aboard, cap'n!

TR, does that n stand for no or in?
Mrs. Waffles, very welcome aboard.
:)

The Sophtware Slump is on my active playlist right now, I was wondering when you'd bring the album club over here.

Thank you, glad to be here! So does "current album" mean I should review the Grandaddy album? Or should I wait for the next album since I wasn't a member when it was picked?

this album reminds me of 4 albums in particular- soft bulletin aeroplane over the sea final cut and animals - sb is my favorite lips record (and i've followed them since their shortly after their debut) aos should be worshipped by all who have heard it- and the final two are my third and first favorite pf records - so that's high company - this record and their debut set them apart from contemporaries like galaxy 500 and on par with pavement (maybe better even) and sebadoh (probably a smudge inferior)

as far as a one man effort that feels like a band what lytle did here is like prince level of diy vision fulfilment

23 years on this is aging wonderfully and will continue more and more to be acknowledged- i've spent more time with the debut so far but i can definitely see this one replacing it as my go to for this band if i keep on living long enough to transition to that organically- that is to say i view this as the better of the two records but i still like the debut a tad better but this has room to grow especially if i make more effort to appreciate it lyrically

i hope everyone who reviews this starts from the perspective that this is great - what's left to explain why

don't make a fool out of yourself taking any other position

Quote from: Toy Revolver on May 03, 2023, 04:05 AMdon't make a fool out of yourself taking any other position

(https://media.tenor.com/W43jI0ignlYAAAAC/im-in-dange-the-simpsons.gif)

Quote from: Toy Revolver on May 03, 2023, 04:05 AMaeroplane over the sea - aos should be worshipped by all who have heard it

Jeff Mangum taught me that if you can't sing, you should probably stick to poetry.

Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump

(https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/5929b079c0084474cd0c1c60/1:1/w_450%2Cc_limit/3bfe5d14.jpg)

So this is an indie rock album with sprinkles of electronics and psychedelia tentatively having something to do technology and its failures and faults? And is that the lead singer from Built to Spill? No? He just sounds like him then. Built to Spill doing their best OK Computer impression.

These heady comparisons don't really have anything to do with the quality of the music. Even if the echoed reverb synth vocals halfway through the first track sound just like the ones at the end of Radiohead's "Exit Music (For a Film)", it's all seemingly competently put together. There's definite layers to the sound. The lead singer is able to carry a tune. And the mix sounds nice too. And yet it all leaves me a bit non-plussed.

One of the more interesting choices they made, in my eyes, was to open the album up with "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot". This track is almost nine minutes long on an album that's nearly 47 minutes in length. If you do the math, this first track accounts for almost 20% of the album's entire run time. It's not like the song is monotonous or bad or anything, but it's definitely not grand or immediate either. I think this was a rather brave choice artistically, but for me, I prefer album openers to be a bit more punchy and direct, if not in sound, then in impact - and by the end of this song, I find my attention starting to wane.

Firstly, I don't really take any issue with the lyrics on this record - in fact, I find them quite interesting, for example, on "Jed the Humanoid" - the band tell a story that, at face value, can be read to be that of an android that was created - and then abandoned. Jed, like Futurama's famous Bender, took to booze in his isolation and eventually killed himself (and his systems) as a result:

"Jed the Humanoid lyrics"

Last night something pretty bad happened
We lost a friend (we lost a friend)
All shocked and broken (all shocked and broken)
Shutdown, exploded (shutdown, exploded)

Jeddy 3 is what we first called him
Then it was Jed (then it was Jed)
Now Jeds systems dead (Jeds systems dead)
Therefore so's Jed (therefore so's Jed)

We assembled him in the kitchen
Made out of this end (made out of this and)
Made out of that end (made out of that and)
Whatever was at hand (whatever was at hand)

When we finished Jed we were so proud
We celebrated (we celebrated)
We congratulated (we congratulated)
At what we'd created (what we'd created)

Jed could run or walk, sing or talk and,
Complile thoughts and (complile thoughts and)
Solve lots of problems (solve lots of problems)
We learned so much from him (learned so much from him)

A couple years went by something happened
We gave Jed less attention (gave less attention)
We had new inventions (had new inventions)
Left for conventions (left for conventions)

Jed had found booze and drank every drop
He fizzled and popped (He fizzled and popped)
He rattled and knocked (He rattled and knocked)
And finally he just stopped (And finally he just stopped)

[close]

Still, it could just as well be viewed as an allegory for parents who neglect their children - and said children turn to booze and drugs and end up meeting an unfortunate fate - this interpretation, I think I like better.

What this album lacks for me is a lasting musical impression. When "The Crystal Lake" starts, 5 seconds in, that guitar riff will have you hooked. This is easily the best track on the record - and if more songs had the energy and pull of this one, it would be better off for it (even if I find the weird oscillating bleep-bloop synths in my left ear to be rather distracting).

The best albums I've ever heard are able to strike a pretty discernible identity through the sum of their parts (songs), but this album comes off a lot looser, and a lot less unified. Instead, it comes off as a jumble of parts, some good, and some forgettable, that could just as well leave the same impression on you if the album was put on shuffle. I don't get any real sense of continuity or contiguity with the original track list. It will go from a song like "Chartsengrafs", sounding like a mixture between Pavement and Wire to the piano led "Underneath the Weeping Willow", sounding more like (late 90s) Nick Cave or Ed Harcourt. And "Broken Household Appliance National Forest" must be the most indie-rock song title I've ever heard.

The album is top-heavy, the first 5 tracks being better than the last 6 ("Jed's Other Poem" is the standout among the back-half, with the ear catching instrumental). But there's something about this record that just doesn't sit right with me - I think it might be a combination of the Built to Spill sounding vocalist who, after 3 listens, has warmed on me a bit - maybe just due to familiarity - and also the feeling the record leaves me with. It just leaves me depressed. It's not the sad kind of depression though - it's the kind of depression you feel when you've been day-drinking since early afternoon, have just had your supper, and now feel like your energy has completely been sapped away and you're left with nothing but the feeling that you've wasted the day away and don't have anything to show for it. The kind of depression that feels more like an unflinching numbness - marked by nothing but overwhelming ambivalence. It doesn't have to do with the general feeling of depression; when I finish listening to Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, I feel like I've completed a journey. When I finish listening to Low's I Could Live in Hope, I feel sadness and grief. When I finish listening to Joy Division's Closer, I feel like I've finished a suicide note. But when I finish this record, it leaves me with...well, it just leaves me.

All that said, it has merits. Interesting lyrics, some special ideas, and a couple hooks and interesting instrumentals. I think others might get more out of it than I do.

6/10

i think he sounds more like wayne coyne than doug martsch

Quote from: Mrs. Waffles on May 03, 2023, 03:23 AMThank you, glad to be here! So does "current album" mean I should review the Grandaddy album? Or should I wait for the next album since I wasn't a member when it was picked?

No, now that you're a member you can comment on the current album, and feel free to suggest one, which will then go into the queue. It's FCFS of course so the quicker you suggest, the quicker your album will come up.

Speaking of, I'd like to nominate my next one, which happens to be my all-time favorite album.

Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible

(https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/5929c38f69fc7814a47cd68c/1:1/w_600/ffdf6b53.jpg)

This was Richey Edwards' last album before he disappeared, wasn't it?

Quote from: Rubber Soul on May 03, 2023, 05:45 PMThis was Richey Edwards' last album before he disappeared, wasn't it?

Technically yes. He disappeared about 5 months after the release of the album. But the Manics did release Journal for Plauge Lovers in 2009 (produced by Steve Albini) that has a similar sound to The Holy Bible and uses mostly lyrics from Richey Edwards' notebooks that hadn't been used up to that point.

i nominate Changing Landscapes (Zompopa)
by Arthur King it can be found here:

https://arthur-king.bandcamp.com/album/changing-landscapes-zompopa

Eeeeyy!!

Can I join too?

Sure can.

Okay I stumbled over here.


I'd like to nominate this album before I forget it but it will be for later on obviously.

Larry June & The Alchemist - The Great Escape

I'll, uhm, suggest National Health's second album Of Queues and Cures.

Quote from: Guybrush on May 06, 2023, 01:38 AMI'll, uhm, suggest National Health's second album Of Queues and Cures.

The most magazine sounding band name of all time (probably)

Quote from: SGR on May 06, 2023, 02:16 AMThe most magazine sounding band name of all time (probably)

I believe they were named after a brand of sunglasses. This was back in the 70s so might be long gone.

Welcome DJ! Good to have you here! :beer:

GRANDADDY- THE SOPHTWARE SLUMP

I stumbled upon the gem when searching for music sometime in the early 2000's. Now, to be fair, you can't go wrong with any of Grandaddy's five albums.

But I probably prefer this second effort by Jason Lytle who, by all purposes is Grandaddy. And it is a piece of genius and is easily my favorite album of 2000. The way he weaves piano pieces in an electronic background impresses me. It is also quite melodic ,and, in some ways, he can remind you of a (dare I say it?) Brian Wilson or Paul McCartney. Indeed, this could be the Beach Boys without the harmonies.

Lyrically, it is quite superior as well starting with the opening track, He's Simple He's Dumb He's the Pilot. He continues in this vein for the next four tracks as we get into what is probably the most popular song on the LP (The Crystal Lake). Crystal Lake is certainly a nice track and it is what attracted me to this album to begin with.

But there are tracks I like better including He's Simple, Hewlett's Daughter, Jed the Humanoid among others.

It is the last two tracks that really knock me out, however with the Miner at the Dial-A View and So You'll Aim Towards the Sky. Miner comes off as spooky psychedelia and I love the off voice announcer bit.

This song segues into the piece of resistance, So You'll Aim For the Sky. Not since A Day in the Life have I heard such a profound ending to an album. It, and the album, even cuts off before it has a chance to wrap it up. Again, another piece of genius.

I'm not sure where I would rank this among my all-time albums. Perhaps I have yet to hear one post 2000 that tops this one (Sufjan Stevens' Illinois comes close). If you're into electronic music or even if you just like to hear nice melodic songs, I think you'll like this album. As for me, I absolutely love it.

10/10 (The Word has spoken) :D

And with that, my next nomination is...

(https://i.discogs.com/mGg7L-KpElUzsvpt1yBB4ej1dTcCy6_lgdynJrhuwMM/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:595/w:564/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTM4MTEw/NzktMTM0NTMyNjEz/My02NDU3LmpwZWc.jpeg)

Quote from: Rubber Soul on May 12, 2023, 06:12 PMGRANDADDY- THE SOPHTWARE SLUMP

I stumbled upon the gem when searching for music sometime in the early 2000's. Now, to be fair, you can't go wrong with any of Grandaddy's five albums.

But I probably prefer this second effort by Jason Lytle who, by all purposes is Grandaddy. And it is a piece of genius and is easily my favorite album of 2000. The way he weaves piano pieces in an electronic background impresses me. It is also quite melodic ,and, in some ways, he can remind you of a (dare I say it?) Brian Wilson or Paul McCartney. Indeed, this could be the Beach Boys without the harmonies.

Lyrically, it is quite superior as well starting with the opening track, He's Simple He's Dumb He's the Pilot. He continues in this vein for the next four tracks as we get into what is probably the most popular song on the LP (The Crystal Lake). Crystal Lake is certainly a nice track and it is what attracted me to this album to begin with.

But there are tracks I like better including He's Simple, Hewlett's Daughter, Jed the Humanoid among others.

It is the last two tracks that really knock me out, however with the Miner at the Dial-A View and So You'll Aim Towards the Sky. Miner comes off as spooky psychedelia and I love the off voice announcer bit.

This song segues into the piece of resistance, So You'll Aim For the Sky. Not since A Day in the Life have I heard such a profound ending to an album. It, and the album, even cuts off before it has a chance to wrap it up. Again, another piece of genius.

I'm not sure where I would rank this among my all-time albums. Perhaps I have yet to hear one post 2000 that tops this one (Sufjan Stevens' Illinois comes close). If you're into electronic music or even if you just like to hear nice melodic songs, I think you'll like this album. As for me, I absolutely love it.

10/10 (The Word has spoken) :D

i've decided i don't want to rank the album because i don't like when it's like who nominated the most popular record contest because i think the point should be more to just hear different shit

but i'm with you on this one deserving the highest accolades

QuoteIndeed, this could be the Beach Boys without the harmonies.

i get what you're saying - he's a great song writer but that's kind of like saying van halen without the guitar solos

You don't have to rate. It's not a requirement. I've hated some albums so much that I didn't want to rate them for fear of insulting the person who suggested them. Also there was one I didn't finish so I didn't rate that. Ratings are not important; it's how you felt about the album and what you thought about it that we're interested in. We could do like Dark Side of the  Moon or Sgt Peppers or Ziggy and everyone would rate them top, but that would only be half the story.

Quote from: Trollheart on May 13, 2023, 12:18 AMYou don't have to rate. It's not a requirement. I've hated some albums so much that I didn't want to rate them for fear of insulting the person who suggested them. Also there was one I didn't finish so I didn't rate that. Ratings are not important; it's how you felt about the album and what you thought about it that we're interested in. We could do like Dark Side of the  Moon or Sgt Peppers or Ziggy and everyone would rate them top, but that would only be half the story.

(https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExYzhmOTFlNTllNWFkMjQyZDVkNDQ3N2Q2MDhkMWJjMmVmMDdhOWQ2MSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZzX2dpZklkJmN0PWc/5b5OU7aUekfdSAER5I/giphy.gif)

Quick review as I just finished the album.

I discovered this album back in 2007 or 2008, and it quickly became a favorite indie/alt rock record of mine. Every song is memorable in its own unique way, and it's bursting with lofty artistic ambition that really does "aim toward the sky" in a way conceptually. Almost reminds me of prog rock in that way, though it's of course done with a flair of 90s cynicism. The use of electronic textures really adds a lot to further the sort of techno-dystopian aesthetic. The album is masterfully sequenced as well, it ebbs and flows just right, culminating in the wistful and beautiful final track.

This was even better than I remembered it being. I haven't listened to it in a long time and it was an absolute joy.

GRANDADDY- THE SOPHTWARE SLUMP

I played this album early in the morning on the way to a doctor's appointment. It did nothing to help me wake up at all. Not that I should be listening to this album with the intention of it having to wake me up. I'm just saying that it was sleepy background noise to me at that point in time. I feel like I'm always going to end up grading indie albums on a downward curve. Roxy kind of got me into listening to more Indie bands back in the day but I'm still so picky about the ones that I DO listen to. It wasn't until the track Crystal Lake that it woke me up a bit and had a nice driving song to change up the feel of the prior three tracks. I feel like Crystal Lake is the standout track of the album to me and the only saving grace. I believe there was another track that I liked later on but tbh I have only listened to this album once. I will give it another go just to listen to the last few tracks because I believe there was one I really liked near the end but woof overall. I'd give this a 2.5/5 if I had to rate it.

Quote from: DJChameleon on May 13, 2023, 03:57 PMGRANDADDY- THE SOPHTWARE SLUMP

I played this album early in the morning on the way to a doctor's appointment. It did nothing to help me wake up at all. Not that I should be listening to this album with the intention of it having to wake me up. I'm just saying that it was sleepy background noise to me at that point in time. I feel like I'm always going to end up grading indie albums on a downward curve. Roxy kind of got me into listening to more Indie bands back in the day but I'm still so picky about the ones that I DO listen to. It wasn't until the track Crystal Lake that it woke me up a bit and had a nice driving song to change up the feel of the prior three tracks. I feel like Crystal Lake is the standout track of the album to me and the only saving grace. I believe there was another track that I liked later on but tbh I have only listened to this album once. I will give it another go just to listen to the last few tracks because I believe there was one I really liked near the end but woof overall. I'd give this a 2.5/5 if I had to rate it.

I think you had similar feelings on this one to me. The album just kind of left me cold. I'm not sure why, but yes, Crystal Lake is easily the best tune.

Like you, indie albums for me are always a red flag in the sense that they're probably not going to live up to the hype. Too much of it is artsy fartsy pretentiousness - just give me some good songwriting and a few hooks, and I'm happy. I don't need the lyrics to be profound.

I'm curious now though - what indie albums do you like? I'm a fairly big Pavement fan myself - but their style in some ways apes my favorite band, The Fall.

I honestly don't mind artsy pretentiousness, I am a prog fan after all. I like when artists treat their albums like works of art, I think it is valid to make ambitious high concept shit just as much as it is to just make some noise.

My favorite band that would usually be described as indie is probably Stereolab.

Quote from: Mrs. Waffles on May 13, 2023, 05:20 PMI honestly don't mind artsy pretentiousness, I am a prog fan after all. I like when artists treat their albums like works of art, I think it is valid to make ambitious high concept shit just as much as it is to just make some noise.

My favorite band that would usually be described as indie is probably Stereolab.

Agreed - but for me there is a threshold for that kind of music - and that is the artist needs to be able to 'sell it'. If it has the air of artsy pretentiousness, it needs to be good. It needs to endear me to it. It needs to be unique and/or have something remarkable about it, etc.

Stereolab is a great example - even though they're weird and different, the little hooks and flourishes on Dots and Loops (or even Emperor Tomato Ketchup) could make even your average music listener fall in love with it. I guess what I'm saying is that if an album is an indie 'artsy' sort of album, for me, it needs to justify it musically. Some artists do, some don't. Stereolab definitely do. They often sing in French (which I don't understand), and I don't even notice because the songs are that good.

Quotebut their style in some ways apes my favorite band, The Fall

The song "Conduit for Sale!" on Slanted and Enchanted sounds so much like The Fall that I think many Fall fans who have heard that record in passing over emphasize the mimicry on that one song at the expense of other songs that have a healthy and even necessary Fall influence. I, for one, love that song and if you understand Pavement in terms of the personality of their music you (and i mean the universal you not you in particular) will get it as a good natured and sincere nod to The Fall's greatness. Pavement is trusting their fans to understand that and to know they are much more than a Fall rip off. Some of Pavement's greatest moments are when they lean into their Fall influence and that's how it should be.

Quote from: Mrs. Waffles on May 13, 2023, 05:20 PMI honestly don't mind artsy pretentiousness, I am a prog fan after all. I like when artists treat their albums like works of art, I think it is valid to make ambitious high concept shit just as much as it is to just make some noise.

My favorite band that would usually be described as indie is probably Stereolab.

I love Stereolab, too. I bought their debut when it came out, probably based on a positive review in melody maker or nme, and fell in love immediately.

Quote from: SGR on May 13, 2023, 04:52 PMI think you had similar feelings on this one to me. The album just kind of left me cold. I'm not sure why, but yes, Crystal Lake is easily the best tune.

Like you, indie albums for me are always a red flag in the sense that they're probably not going to live up to the hype. Too much of it is artsy fartsy pretentiousness - just give me some good songwriting and a few hooks, and I'm happy. I don't need the lyrics to be profound.

I'm curious now though - what indie albums do you like? I'm a fairly big Pavement fan myself - but their style in some ways apes my favorite band, The Fall.

whenever I see The Fall mentioned I think of The Unfan and Urbanhatemonger. They were both such huge The Fall stans well most of OG MB liked them too. I like Twin Shadow, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Alt J and Vampire Weekend. If any of those groups aren't technically indie let me know but that's the genre I have them chucked into in my head. Oh Chvrches and Glass Animals as well.

Quote from: Guybrush on May 06, 2023, 01:38 AMI'll, uhm, suggest National Health's second album Of Queues and Cures.

I'm sure National Health (the band) just took their name from Britain's National Health Service, the free nation-wide system of hospitals and medical attention. I think today it's more often called "the NHS", but back in the day, a conversation like this would be entirely possible: "Where did you get your teeth done?" "On the National Health." Ditto with glasses, which were considered to be functional, but lacking style:-

  (https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ywTX2PjZapQ/hqdefault.jpg)

To his credit, John Lennon singlehandedly took the stigma out of wearing free, state-supplied glasses and made them popular, even cool.

I'll be interested to hear their album, whose title, "Of Queues And Cures" sounds like a ref to the same NHS system.

Quote from: SGR on May 13, 2023, 04:52 PMI'm curious now though - what indie albums do you like? I'm a fairly big Pavement fan myself - but their style in some ways apes my favorite band, The Fall.

Grandaddy aside, I like some of the Americana artists like Wilco and Sufjan Stevens. I also like me some New Pornographers and Shins. No surprise that I tend toward the more sixties sounding bands.

Quote from: Lisnaholic on May 14, 2023, 12:39 AMI'm sure National Health (the band) just took their name from Britain's National Health Service, the free nation-wide system of hospitals and medical attention. I think today it's more often called "the NHS", but back in the day, a conversation like this would be entirely possible: "Where did you get your teeth done?" "On the National Health." Ditto with glasses, which were considered to be functional, but lacking style:-

  (https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ywTX2PjZapQ/hqdefault.jpg)

To his credit, John Lennon singlehandedly took the stigma out of wearing free, state-supplied glasses and made them popular, even cool.

I'll be interested to hear their album, whose title, "Of Queues And Cures" sounds like a ref to the same NHS system.

Hey Lisna, thanks for your comment! The quote on this goes as follows:

Dave Stewart : "I remember clearly that the band was named after my spectacles (cheap 'National Health' round frames, now wildly popular in Japan for some reason) in that cheery way musicians have of celebrating physical defects. God knows what the band would have been called if I'd had a hernia or worn an artificial limb...".
[Note : The National Health Service is the name of the social security system in Britain]

I didn't realize glasses were issued or might be referred to as if they were issued based on appearance, so thought it might be a brand?

That's many years of confusion cleared up 🙂 thanks again!

The album is mostly instrumental and not for everyone, but it is also rightly considered a classic and one of the best things the Canterbury scene ever produced by people in the know.

Personal note: Things are not going well at home and I've been mired in a depression for about a week now. Slowly rising, then falling back in, you know how it goes. I don't want this to impact the club here - especially since I only just ported it over - so for a while I'm going to just curate it. I'll post the new album as it comes due and accept nominations and all that stuff, but I won't be reviewing any of them myself. So nobody wait for me. I just don't feel at the moment able to commit to any time-sensitive project. Hopefully things will pick up and I'll be back in the trenches with you, but for now I'm just going to be watching from the sidelines.
Thanks.

Two days late, sorry, but we're onto this now.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b6/Kidneythieves-Zerospace.JPG)

Quote from: Trollheart on May 18, 2023, 10:15 PMPersonal note: Things are not going well at home and I've been mired in a depression for about a week now. Slowly rising, then falling back in, you know how it goes. I don't want this to impact the club here - especially since I only just ported it over - so for a while I'm going to just curate it. I'll post the new album as it comes due and accept nominations and all that stuff, but I won't be reviewing any of them myself. So nobody wait for me. I just don't feel at the moment able to commit to any time-sensitive project. Hopefully things will pick up and I'll be back in the trenches with you, but for now I'm just going to be watching from the sidelines.
Thanks.

Take all the time you need buddy! Hope you feel better soon!

I'm sorry to hear that, Trollheart. I hope things at home improve and that your spirits will lift. As I'm sure you know, don't feel under pressure from here, but also remember that you have a sympathetic audience for anything you want to share. Take care, please, TH.

Trollheart, I hope you're taking care of yourself, my friend. Let me know if there's anything anything I can do for you.

Quote from: Trollheart on May 18, 2023, 10:15 PMPersonal note: Things are not going well at home and I've been mired in a depression for about a week now. Slowly rising, then falling back in, you know how it goes. I don't want this to impact the club here - especially since I only just ported it over - so for a while I'm going to just curate it. I'll post the new album as it comes due and accept nominations and all that stuff, but I won't be reviewing any of them myself. So nobody wait for me. I just don't feel at the moment able to commit to any time-sensitive project. Hopefully things will pick up and I'll be back in the trenches with you, but for now I'm just going to be watching from the sidelines.
Thanks.

it's good to step back from time to time and check in with your self care. Take as much time as you need and don't feel obligated to return before you are fully ready.

Quote from: Trollheart on May 18, 2023, 10:15 PMPersonal note: Things are not going well at home and I've been mired in a depression for about a week now. Slowly rising, then falling back in, you know how it goes. I don't want this to impact the club here - especially since I only just ported it over - so for a while I'm going to just curate it. I'll post the new album as it comes due and accept nominations and all that stuff, but I won't be reviewing any of them myself. So nobody wait for me. I just don't feel at the moment able to commit to any time-sensitive project. Hopefully things will pick up and I'll be back in the trenches with you, but for now I'm just going to be watching from the sidelines.
Thanks.

Hey, Trolls. Not to worry, you know we're not going anywhere. :)

Kidneythieves - Zerøspace

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b6/Kidneythieves-Zerospace.JPG)

An early '00s industrial album. For industrial, it's very pleasant on the ears. First two tracks remind you a lot of Nine Inch Nails, while track 3 starts to give off a flavor of latter-era Massive Attack. Track 4 just serves as an intro to "Black Bullet", track 5. This one has more of a nu-metal sound to it. It sounds like something that could've come off of Trust Company's first two albums. Track 6, "Dyskrasia", reckons us with its stop start energy. But it's at this point that I realize that while I think the female vocalist is talented and brings a unique flavor to the industrial sounds, her voice lacks a bit of the bite I typically enjoy and expect in industrial music. Her voice really is a melodic counterpoint to the harsh texture of the music. You're milage with this may vary. "Spank" is a by the numbers rocker. And the rest? Well the rest kind of just washes over me, without much distinguishing itself, besides maybe "Serene Dream", which is a more acoustic, string driven affair. The last track follows the 2000s trend of having a hidden track behind minutes of silence. Let's just say it's not really worth the wait.

This album is front loaded. But the back half isn't terrible, it's just not stunning. The first half is where the real enjoyment lies. Probably not one I'll spin repeatedly, but a different take on the industrial formula, and a decently enjoyable listen.

6/10

Edit: Hope Trolls is doing okay, without him around, we've all really fallen behind schedule :(

Is anyone in the club still participating?

Let's move onto

My Head is an Animal - Of Monsters and Men

We are super behind schedule but I will step in to crack the whip and take over for Trollheart til he comes back. Let's move onto Mindy's rec.

I will post my review of my own rec Monday then Mindy's Tuesday.

I forgot to do this but I have free time over the weekend and will get on it.

We have fallen far behind so lets jump to the next one.


People's Spring - Warsaw Village Band (Lisnaholic)

Quote from: DJChameleon on Jul 14, 2023, 01:24 PMI forgot to do this but I have free time over the weekend and will get on it.

We have fallen far behind so lets jump to the next one.


People's Spring - Warsaw Village Band (Lisnaholic)

Personally, I think we should just put this thing on hold until Trollheart comes back, particularly because engagement with it has dropped off immensely. Maybe people need a break? (it is summer now, so I'm guessing people are a bit more busy than usual doing stuff with their weekends, too)

I was the only one who reviewed your submission, no one reviewed Mindy's submission yet - what's to gain by 'moving on' to the next submission if no one is currently engaging with the thread/listening to the albums?

Quote from: SGR on Jul 14, 2023, 04:27 PMPersonally, I think we should just put this thing on hold until Trollheart comes back, particularly because engagement with it has dropped off immensely. Maybe people need a break? (it is summer now, so I'm guessing people are a bit more busy than usual doing stuff with their weekends, too)

I was the only one who reviewed your submission, no one reviewed Mindy's submission yet - what's to gain by 'moving on' to the next submission if no one is currently engaging with the thread/listening to the albums?

I kind of agree the point of moving on though is to try to catch up with the time line that has been way pushed off but I agree with you that if engagement isn't around. I shouldn't push so hard to continue it without others contributing.

I was thinking of going through with it and constantly still posting reviews until others jump in. So if it's just you and I being the only ones reviewing. I'm cool with that personally until others decide they want to start participating again.

I listened to The Sophtware Slump, but forgot to post my review and should probably listen to it again.

I liked it quite a bit, but there was something about repeating elements in the songs, like arpeggios, that were a little too static and pervasive so I had some issues with the production. Still a good album and not what I expected when I turned it on.

Trolls said not to wait for him, but a lack of engagement is more of a hurdle. I'll try and catch up.

I stopped fucking with this thread and the album club when Trollheart left us. Plus the movement from MB to here.

Sorry, DJ, I meant to respond to you earlier, but was kind of busy, so like many, I haven't been contributing to the Album Club recently: like Guybrush, I listened to The Sophtware Slump, but didn't review it.

I hope Trollheart is beginning to  feel better about his circumstances, and obviously I would hate for him to feel any unwanted pressure about keeping the club afloat, but here's my opinion:-

To be user-friendly, the club needs a bit of gentle, continuous maintenance, doesn't it? Otherwise, everyone who comes to this thread has to trawl backwards through old posts to find: what's the current album, what are the upcoming nominations, and (for the statistically curious) what and how were the last albums rated.

But the existential prob is of course the number of people engaging in the club. To that end, finally and brazenly coming out of my closet as a teacher, I thought I'd take the attendance:-

QuoteFull members
---------------------
Trollheart (Curating only as of May 18)
Rubber Soul
SGR
Lisnaholic
Mindfulness
Janszoon
DJ Chameleon
Dr Rez **
Toy Revolver
Mrs. Waffles
Guybrush

** Subject to them joining up here.

Associate members
--------------------------------
Fetcher (On hiatus; we hope she'll be back)
Music Collector
Carpe Mortem

People in bold are the ones who might/would continue, or at least could be bullied into contributing. For myself, I could go either way on a seven-member club, but I suggest we take a quick "I'm in/I'm out" poll.

If after that, we decide to continue, I wonder about the following:
i) is it possible or respectful to access TH's opening post in order to keep things up-to-date?
ii) should we chuck out the noms of people who are absent from what will be in effect a new, slimmed-down version of the club?

Cards on the table: I'm happy to contribute over the summer, but come September I'd likely post the bare minimum as rl will again intrude into my free time.

What do you think, guys? Call a halt or do a bit of CPR on the Album Club?

Apologies, I've been checking this thread but yeah I'm honestly not sure which album we're supposed to be on at the moment, it seemed for a while to me like no one was on the same page. Maybe if enough people want to continue we should do a hard reset, for the sake of clarity?

I'm in if we can keep this organized.

As I volunteered myself earlier. I'm down to continue the club as the new manager in the mean time until TH returns. I know he would want this to go on in his absence. I'm perfectly fine with a 7 person club or even a two person club if it comes down to only two people wanting to participate. Just as long as I am not the only one in it.


So I had the idea of kind of rushing through the end of the current list of albums we have by instead of leaving a two week period we do one week period just to finish up the current list.

Once we do we will start a new list of albums under the new slightly adjusted club and we can go back to the two week period.

I will add the dates to keep everyone on the same page but obviously I don't have access to the OP to edit anything. I would have to get Guybrush to help me out there.

Quote from: Mrs. Waffles on Jul 16, 2023, 05:30 PMApologies, I've been checking this thread but yeah I'm honestly not sure which album we're supposed to be on at the moment, it seemed for a while to me like no one was on the same page. Maybe if enough people want to continue we should do a hard reset, for the sake of clarity?

I'm in if we can keep this organized.

If you want to review an album this is the current one we are on.

People's Spring - Warsaw Village Band (Lisnaholic)

Today is July 17th so I will give until July 24th for everyone to get their review in. In the mean time I ask that people that currently want to participate in the club leave album suggestions.

Thanks, Mrs. Waffles and DJ ! Your commitment is contageous, and I'll contribute to the new-style club which will be under the guidance and stewardship of DJ. Well done for volunteering, DJ.  :clap: As you say, I think TH himself would approve of someone continuing the club in his absence.

It's an excellent idea to run through the existing nominations one week at a time. In the coming days, I'll catch up with some of the albums I missed, which is the v. least I can do, as it's my nom which is up for review this week.

I applaud the initiative and really want to do my part 🙂 my only problem at the moment is we're swamped with stuff to do now that it's summer vacay. We've just been away, then it's been people and family visiting every day and tomorrow we're on a train to visit friends on a dmfarm and then we're off to the family cabin etc. etc.

But I'm game for sure when I can find the time 👍

Quote from: Guybrush on Jul 18, 2023, 02:34 AMI applaud the initiative and really want to do my part 🙂 my only problem at the moment is we're swamped with stuff to do now that it's summer vacay. We've just been away, then it's been people and family visiting every day and tomorrow we're on a train to visit friends on a dmfarm and then we're off to the family cabin etc. etc.

But I'm game for sure when I can find the time 👍

No pressure just jump in when you feel like it. I know summer is a busy season for most people that get outside and touch grass. I touched grass this weekend and was super busy.

Quote from: Lisnaholic on Jul 17, 2023, 04:03 PMThanks, Mrs. Waffles and DJ ! Your commitment is contageous, and I'll contribute to the new-style club which will be under the guidance and stewardship of DJ. Well done for volunteering, DJ.  :clap: As you say, I think TH himself would approve of someone continuing the club in his absence.

It's an excellent idea to run through the existing nominations one week at a time. In the coming days, I'll catch up with some of the albums I missed, which is the v. least I can do, as it's my nom which is up for review this week.

Because it works as a quick visual flag for anyone scrolling this thread, and makes the album easier to find, here's a link to the first track of

People's Spring by Warsaw Village Band

On Youtube this should take you a place where the other tracks are available - see spoiler for tracklist:

   

Spoiler

1. To You Kasiunia

2. Chassidic Dance

3. At My Mother's

4. I Had a Lover

5. A Red Apple
   
6. Traditional Rural Polka

7. Who Is Getting Married

8. Clear Water

9. What Have You Been Doing Kasia

10. Polka Folk is dead

11. The Rain Is Falling

12. Cranes

13. Maydów

14. Matecka (At My Mother's)

[close]

This is a good idea. I think moving forward I will post the first track just like you did and all the tracks in a spoiler tag well just the names.

No problem. Now that I have a bit more free time. I was swamped near the end of June. I don't mind helping out with the club.

Catching up on previous albums, here are my thoughts on The Sophtware Slump:-

First track, first impression: here's a guy with a slightly Neil Young voice, but instead of a simple heart-wrenching confessional song like NY at his best, "He's simple" has an unsatisfying structure, jumping around between various musical ideas.

As the album advances, it didn't improve imo: I found the guy's voice kind of weak and strained, there were too many tricksy little add-ons (the recorded machine announcement in Dial-A-View, the distortion throughout Jed The Humanoid, the frankly embarrassing intro to Jed's Other Poem). To me, the cumulative effect was like listening to a band who were still undecided about their sound, offering up things that were sometimes melodic, even beautiful, but were just as often interspersed with dull, mildly irritating stuff, like the tinkly piano that spoils the otherwise decent Underneath The Weeping Willow.
Even the supposed stand out track, Crystal Lake,  was nothing special. "This is like the track I would always skip if it was on a Beach Boys' album" is what I thought while it was playing – then I read what Rubber Soul wrote about Sophtware Slump: "like the BBs but without the harmonies". So yeah, like a Beach Boys' song that falls flat.

The weird sounds of the Knievel Interlude instrumental summed up the album for me: as if no-one in the studio could decide, "Is this good, or just curious? Let's put it on the album and let other people decide." The result of this approach is a sub Neil Young, sub Beach Boys confection that even the band doesn't really sound committed to:  2/10

My Head is an Animal - Of Monsters and Men

I'm only halfway through this album currently and it is definitely better than I was expecting.

Idk why I have such a bad attitude towards any band described as Indie. I always it's going to be slow boring hipster music. The weird part is that I actually like alot of indie bands. The last time I made that criticism. I googled indie bands and there were so many that I have willingly listened to and actually enjoy.

Indie and Avant Garde genre get the same reaction from me. I'm always apprehensive about them until I give them a shot.

Avant Garde is a tad bit different. I know I'm going to be in for some artsy fartsy crap and go in with that in mind. I always give music a chance and one time listen to see if they might change my mind but at times they live up to exactly what I think they will sound like.

I know some of the songs off of that Of Monsters and Men album. I've heard them in commercials or movies but I'm enjoying it so far.

:4stars:

DJChameleon has quite rightly opened a new Album Club thread. Well done!

So this is the new place to go: https://scd.community/index.php?topic=407.0#msg11754

In hopes of making a clear break and a fresh start, I'd like to clarify: the albums that got reviewed in this thread were just these three:-

The Sophtware Slump by Grandaddy (from Rubber Soul)
Zerospace by Kidneythieves (from DJChameleon)
My Head Is An Animal by Of Monsters And Men (from Mindy)

To me, the logical thing is to put any late-arriving reviews for those three albums here in this thread, but anything else should go to the new Album Club: Hard Reset thread.

EDIT: ...and following my own advice, here's a short, catching-up review of:

Zerospace by Kidneythieves (from DJChameleon)

Right from the start, I loved the fuzzy attacking guitar riff of Before I'm Dead and then comes the vocalist: for once not a disappointment, but an added bonus. She has that particular modern tone that conjures up the instant image: Hot Rebel Chick. So, not a particularly individualistic voice, but one that I'm happy to listen to throught this whole album. Her only mistake, imo, is to use the F-word in one or two songs. That's not a word I want to hear when I put on some music, but I'm sure it's not a prob for most listeners.
On the title track, Zerospace, we have a welcome respite from the musical intensity when the sound drops right off, just keeping the beat going before the sound comes powering back again to great effect.
That contrast of full-on loud bits and brief quieter passages works well on several tracks, of particular note on Serene Dream, which has a surprising moment of what sounds like cello. Nice. Also the track Crazy which is a slower-paced showcase for vocalist, Free Dominguez. (Yes, I liked this album enough to find out who Kidneythieves actually are.)
Another track that stood out to me was Black Bullet which starts with an unsettling stop-start kind of sound, but which, by the end of the track has resolved itself into a great closing riff.
So much to like about this album, especially if, like me, you enjoy the combination of heavy pulsing guitar+synth with soaring female vocals. Thanks for this rec, DJ; I will definitely be replaying this to get a clearer idea of my favourite tracks, etc.
9/10
 

I forgot to review my own album.

I got into Kidneytheives because of that song, "Before I'm dead". It was on the soundtrack to Queen of the Damned which is a solid soundtrack overall.
It's definitely my favorite track from the entire album along with Crazy which is a cover from Patsy Cline but they put their own little spin on it because why not.

I'll be honest, it was a long time since I last heard this album and for some reason I wasn't feeling it overall. I was like damn I have to report back that I feel sorry for recommending this album to the club and torturing others to listen to it but I'm glad to see that Lisna enjoyed it. Around the time that this album came out I used to listen to industrial music heavily. Maybe I need to relisten to it and give it another chance but after Before I'm dead and a few tracks in, I just got bored of the sound overall. I don't know if I was maybe distracted while listening to it so I didn't get to catch all the nuisances but I walked away from the album thinking woof that was rough to get through. I did have great memories of hearing zerospace track and before I'm dead again. Especially the latter track with it's association to the movie. Free definitely helps the album though and this was probably the birth of me heading into symphonic metal which largely has female vocalists. I kept looking for more female vocalists with rock backing so this lead me to Evanescence which was the baby steps into Lacuna Coil and then I went down the rabbit hole. 2/5 from that first listen but I'd probably bump it up to a 3.5/5 after listening to it again.