The Album Exchange

[Guybrush]

@fire I listened to the album! Let's just say first that Benedicte (and her entourage) is not an artist I am familiar with from before.

I kinda like the production. You can really hear the hairs of the bow rubbing against the strings of the hardingfele. It's quite dry except for reverb, but also feels authentic. A slight downside is I think the album sounds a little austere. It's like folk music without the warmth of actual people. On the other side of that, it makes the music sound introspective and that might also be suitable for these tracks.

Unfortunately, and this has nothing to do with the album, I'm not a big fan of drones and typically avoid that flavour of folk music. As an example, the early track Huldreslått I & I has a drone note in a slightly detuned F note that is played relentlessly for most of the track's 7:40 runtime. A fault of mine is I can't not listen to that one note and it gets a little annoying. To me, the music is best when it occasionally does something else. I have a problem with bagpipe music for much the same reason.

Variations of the sameish hooks are repeated over and over and structurally, it starts to remind me of certain psychedelic albums, like early Amon Düül or something.

I think I liked Etterdønning and Og fargane.. the most. Still, if I'm gonna listen to Norwegian traditional music, I'd rather listen to something like this.

[fire]

I have a few questions
1) when is the deadline for recommending and listening and commenting? How much time? For example a week or a month?
2) what we do if a pair finished with recommending and listening and commenting? Guybrush and I finished. Are we still going to recommend an album for each other? Or we wait until everyone finished with theirs?
And then start a new pairing?

[fire]

@fire I listened to the album! Let's just say first that Benedicte (and her entourage) is not an artist I am familiar with from before.

I kinda like the production. You can really hear the hairs of the bow rubbing against the strings of the hardingfele. It's quite dry except for reverb, but also feels authentic. A slight downside is I think the album sounds a little austere. It's like folk music without the warmth of actual people. On the other side of that, it makes the music sound introspective and that might also be suitable for these tracks.

Unfortunately, and this has nothing to do with the album, I'm not a big fan of drones and typically avoid that flavour of folk music. As an example, the early track Huldreslått I & I has a drone note in a slightly detuned F note that is played relentlessly for most of the track's 7:40 runtime. A fault of mine is I can't not listen to that one note and it gets a little annoying. To me, the music is best when it occasionally does something else. I have a problem with bagpipe music for much the same reason.

Variations of the sameish hooks are repeated over and over and structurally, it starts to remind me of certain psychedelic albums, like early Amon Düül or something.

I think I liked Etterdønning and Og fargane.. the most. Still, if I'm gonna listen to Norwegian traditional music, I'd rather listen to something like this.

It's OK it's not for everyone 🙂
Have a good weekend 🌟

[Lexi Darling]

Monster Rally—Flowering Jungle (2017)

I really enjoyed this album! I made omelettes for breakfast today while listening to it and it was an excellent soundtrack to that.

I really dig the tropical instrumentation, was interesting to hear that kind of vintage vibe within a more loop-based musical context, like an exotica album with the structure of an chillout electronic album, if that makes any sense.

The subtle little edits like the chopped up trumpet solo on the track "Rio" is such a cool way to play around with the instrumentals. Very cool album, like chill hip hop meets exotica meets vaporwave, or something.

Thank you for the rec!

[Trollheart]

I have a few questions
1) when is the deadline for recommending and listening and commenting? How much time? For example a week or a month?

No deadline, unless you and the person you pair up with want to set one between you.

2) what we do if a pair finished with recommending and listening and commenting? Guybrush and I finished. Are we still going to recommend an album for each other? Or we wait until everyone finished with theirs?
And then start a new pairing?

Start again whenever you want. Choose an new partner or stick with the one you have, choose several (we don't insist on musical monogamy here!) - look around. Maybe you see an album posted by someone you're interested in. Contact them and ask if they'd be interested hearing one from you, if so, you're golden. If not, there's really nothing stopping you listening to it anyway and making a report.

[Janszoon]

I really enjoyed this album! I made omelettes for breakfast today while listening to it and it was an excellent soundtrack to that.

I really dig the tropical instrumentation, was interesting to hear that kind of vintage vibe within a more loop-based musical context, like an exotica album with the structure of an chillout electronic album, if that makes any sense.

The subtle little edits like the chopped up trumpet solo on the track "Rio" is such a cool way to play around with the instrumentals. Very cool album, like chill hip hop meets exotica meets vaporwave, or something.

Thank you for the rec!

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I'm having a bit more downtime at work than I expected, so here's my rec:

Manuel Gottsching - Inventions for Electric Guitar (1975)

70s cosmic ambient-adjacent music from the main man in Ash Ra Tempel. Mostly effected guitar but really feels like an electronic album in spirit. I do hope you enjoy!

I thought this was great! I agree that it feels like an electronic album in spirit. Even though I can recognize the guitar as guitar if I focus on it, it's so atmospheric that it feels like a synth-centric album. It was really only on tracks 3 and 8 that I heard guitar that decidedly sounded like a person playing a guitar, otherwise this feels very much like ambient electronic music.

When I listen to this, it does not make me think of Manuel Göttsching's half smiling face on the cover, but it does make me think of subatomic particles, light waves, complex molecular structures, and in general the austere beauty of the basic building blocks of the universe. It's very evocative music that will definitely be getting repeat listens from me.

[Lexi Darling]

I thought this was great! I agree that it feels like an electronic album in spirit. Even though I can recognize the guitar as guitar if I focus on it, it's so atmospheric that it feels like a synth-centric album. It was really only on tracks 3 and 8 that I heard guitar that decidedly sounded like a person playing a guitar, otherwise this feels very much like ambient electronic music.

When I listen to this, it does not make me think of Manuel Göttsching's half smiling face on the cover, but it does make me think of subatomic particles, light waves, complex molecular structures, and in general the austere beauty of the basic building blocks of the universe. It's very evocative music that will definitely be getting repeat listens from me.

Glad you enjoyed my rec as well! Love your way with words in describing the sonic imagery.

[Trollheart]

Oh yeah, you want to seek out his journals. Jansz is a gifted writer. Doesn't do it often enough.

[fire]

Mrs. Waffles do you want to be my pair?

[Guybrush]

Who can I bother? You know the shite I listen to?

[Lexi Darling]

Mrs. Waffles do you want to be my pair?

Apologies for the late reply, but sure!

[Janszoon]

Who can I bother? You know the shite I listen to?

I'm game!

[Guybrush]

Who can I bother? You know the shite I listen to?

I'm game!

Marvellous!

I'll pick an album in a little while 🙂

[Guybrush]

@Janszoon alright.. I've had a bit of a think. I wanna keep digging deep and hand you Hatfield and the North's debut.



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatfield_and_the_North_(album)

They only made two albums. I don't wanna write too much about it, but if you wanna narrow your focus, tracks 4/5 and the run of songs from track 10 to 13 may be of note. Though who knows what other ears might think 🤔

If you already know it well, let me know and I'll hand you my plan B or C instead 😄

[Janszoon]

@Janszoon alright.. I've had a bit of a think. I wanna keep digging deep and hand you Hatfield and the North's debut.

I have never heard of that album or that band, but the cover art is pretty intriguing. I'm looking forward to listening to it!

I thought of one for you as well, hopefully it's not something you're already familiar with:



Lionel Loueke—HH (2020)
Lionel Loueke is a guitarist and vocalist from Benin. In addition to his solo albums and various collaborations, he's also in the current incarnation of Herbie Hancock's band. That experience inspired this album, which is made up of deconstructions of Herbie Hancock tracks (hence the HH).

Spotify

Bandcamp