SCD's Random Monthly Album First Listen

[Trollheart]

If some of you will volunteer to be shrunk to microscopic size, board a tiny spaceship and go inside my head and zap all my brain cells, I'll stop coming up with ideas. No takers? Be it on your own heads then.

The idea here is that each month a member chooses a totally random album that they have not heard, preferably even  by an artist they don't know. We then listen to it - hopefully all for the first time - and give our impressions. Sort of like the Album Club on MB, except far more random, and you can't choose your favourite album as nobody will know what these albums are. Ideally.

Anyway, there's no real need for anyone to join or sign up, just take note if you want to listen to the album and you have a month from the time it's posted to listen to it and either write a review, a few lines, have your head explode, rush out and buy it or own up that you're only holding on to these ears for a friend and are in fact an alien body thief here on a mission to... well, maybe not that.

All albums have to have been released this year, the newer the better. Also, any genre is acceptable and we ask you not to dismiss it on the basis of your not liking the genre. You can use this in your reasoning later, when you're writing about it, to explain why you may not have liked it, but it can't be your only reason to say it sucked balls. If indeed it did. Suck balls, that is.

Anyway, here come some nice men in white coats blocking my only escape route, so just time to throw this completely random one at you before I try to give them the slip. I have no idea how good, bad or indifferent it will be, but anyone who wants to listen to it, please do and when you're ready give us your thoughts before February 21.

La vie modene by La Grand Sophie

[Guybrush]

Fun idea, Trollheart! I don't know Le Grand Sophie, but I will by February 21st.

[Rubber Soul]

Well, I'm guessing that she's French

[Comus]

I gave this album one listen. After the first three songs I had already figured out that this was not for me.

To me, this album does nothing special musically or vocally to make me consider wanting to listen to it again. Maybe the lyrics are really well written and awesome and flow perfectly if you understand what is being sung. But I don't. So after finishing the album I decided it would be unfair to rate it. Hope others have a better impression.

[Guybrush]

I gave the first few tracks a quick listen and found it relatively pleasant. I think I liked the second track the most, but of course haven't heard the whole thing yet.

It's not gonna be a hard one for me.

[Comus]

Yeah I suppose that's the one thing it has going for it, it's completely inoffensive pleasant music.

[Mindy]

Doing this 

[fire]

La vie moderne
by La Grande Sophie
listening now from youtube.
the singer is new to me.
not my thing at all, it's very fluffy and soft, very radio friendly.
unfortunately I will not listen to this album or her music again.
at least her songs on this album are very short.
i am at the moment listening to track number 5.
edit: finished listening now.

[fire]

some questions:
Can anyone suggest an album?
and where we post our suggestions?
how can this work out?
who is choosing the album that we are going to listen?

[Comus]

some questions:
Can anyone suggest an album?
and where we post our suggestions?
how can this work out?
who is choosing the album that we are going to listen?

I think it's just a matter of posting it here and leaving it to THs discretion.

I suggest the current top of RYM 2023:
After the Magic by Parannoul. Never heard it but clearly people are thinking it is good.

[Trollheart]

some questions:
Can anyone suggest an album?
and where we post our suggestions?
how can this work out?
who is choosing the album that we are going to listen?

Hi fire and welcome!
Yes, anyone can suggest, but at the moment we're doing one a month (that could change if people want) and Comus just got his in.
Post your suggestions here, as he did.
Not sure what the third question means?
Answered in the first question.
TH

Comus, good idea: we'll go with that then for this month.
Never got a chance to listen to the Grand Wotsit myself; sounds like I didn't miss much though.

[Guybrush]

So listened to Le Grande Sophie again, this time all the way through. I think it's generally a pleasant listen, but not terribly interesting. There's a lot to like, but not a lot to love. It's inoffensive and doesn't challenge me.

Production wise, some of the songs sound like they could use more work. Some of the compositions could use a more interesting structure and the production could be more layered. The songs sound better to me when there's more going on. As an example, track 7 focuses more on vocals and has a simple structure. Track 11 is more interesting and the composition more diverse. For example, it has a short spoken word part which adds just a bit of quirkyness and helps make it one of my favorites.

Overall, I think the production lets it down by being boring. There's no sense of real space, identity or authenticity. There are no gnarly synth sounds or interesting performances. Weirdly, several of the songs end somewhat unflattering, like the bad fade out on track 10. Was this rushed?

Still, it's pleasant enough - I enjoy some of the songs so it's not all bad. The tracks I enjoyed the most I believe are 2, 3, 5 and 11?

[fire]

After the Magic
by Parannoul
listening now from anghami.
the singer is new to me.
he has a soft voice.
his music is fluffy and dreamy.
i liked that he sings in korean.
i liked the instrumentals part more because they were more interesting than his singing.
all the songs sounds the same to me.
it feels like the album is very long.
unfortunately I will not listen to this album or his music again.
finished listening now.