Flash Flash Revolution - View Single Post - An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

EzExZeRo7497 · 05-4-2014, 03:53 AM

Added.

May 4th, 2014
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Rain in England by Lil B (recommended by rayword45)

I really didn't want to review this, along with 05 Fuck Em. Unfortunately the randomizer gave me this album to review so soon.

Sigh... anyway. Rain in England is a cloud rap album from the Based God, Brandon McCartney. He speaks on topics such as family, love and death over bright drones similar to a couple of new age ambient artists.

I don't think you can really call this someone rapping, but rather a self-meditation tape. I really can't find anything interesting to talk about when it comes to this album - whether it's the content or the concept. It's incredibly boring since there's no diversity at all other than his supposedly thought-provoking/surreal lyricism.

Compare it to his cooking songs which are incredibly silly but at the same time entertaining. This is just... something else. I'm too cynical to take these lyrics seriously, especially since it's littered with so many cliches. I honestly have no idea if Lil B is being completely sincere or just being ironic.

I don't hate Lil B though, it's pretty funny to see someone screw with the conventions of hip-hop every now and then. I don't know if this is an attempt to do whatever he would normally do, but this isn't working. It's relaxing at least, but this has to be a joke. Even if it is, it's not a funny one.

Album Highlights: -
Track Average Rating: -
Overall Rating: 2/10

This is also my 666th rating on RYM. All hail the based god.

...I'm also removing 05 Fuck Em from the list. Although from what I've seen it is one of Lil B's better works, 101 tracks of Lil B is something that I don't want to spend my time on. Arkuski, feel free to recommend another album instead.
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Pop by Gas

Ooo, ambient. My favourite genre, so I can type a lot more about the album and what I think of it.

Gas is an ambient techno artist hailing from Germany. He gained some popularity with Zauberberg and Konigsforst, which is predominantly ambient techno and minimal techno. Wolfgang takes a step away from his specialty to create his fourth album, Pop. Pop is an ambient album filled with field recordings from nature, with his own flare of ambient techno embedded in some of the tracks.

The first two tracks give you a very clear scene of a forest lush with plants in daylight. There's no one in this place, just you, the quiet sounds of insects and roaring sounds of waterfalls. There's something special about listening to all those intricate details. The textures don't feel artificial, they feel very real and sincere. Although the tracks are very serene, they are incredibly overwhelming. It immerses you into its world within the first minute, which is a very good characteristic for an ambient album. The first track is too short for me to take in everything at first, but the second track is long enough so that everything just soaks into me. It's a wonderful feeling.

The album would be really boring if it's just these two tracks though. As much as I find nature beautiful, there's only so much of the same sound I could take before it becomes bland. Fortunately, it does change in the third track. This track is incredibly subtle, but very startling nonetheless. Hours have passed and the sky is much darker now. The weather isn't friendly either, the sounds of harsh winds start to form in this track. The faint sounds of my pulse tightens up the atmosphere a little, which further enhances the surreal experience.

The fourth track introduces ambient techno into the mix, which isn't something that I'd want with an atmosphere like this. It's very blue in colour and the track as a whole reminds me of Submers by Loscil. It also has the problem that Submers has too; although the sound is breath-taking and rather bleak, but the kick drum is a bit too powerful and changes the atmosphere completely. Instead of fearing for what it's yet to come, it feels like you're in a trance-like state. Doesn't really fit in the album, but it's still a nice listen.

The bizarre change in environment doesn't last for long, the fifth track brings you back into your senses and you're back in nature. Not much time has passed by since your hallucinogenic trip, but the weather has changed drastically. It's pretty cold, but at the same time the atmosphere feels welcoming. It's much quieter than you remembered - the animals are sleeping and the waterfall seems to trickle rather than roar. Pleasant listen, you could almost feel Mother Nature herself hugging you as you soak in everything.

Her warmth dissipitates in the sixth and seventh tracks. The weather is worsening and the winds are becoming relentless. The winds you've experienced in the third track feels like a mellow breeze in comparison. Your anxiety further deepens, now you're shaking in fear. You have nothing to protect yourself, so you have to face whatever is ahead of you very soon. It doesn't help that the danger ahead shows no presence anywhere, so it becomes a far darker experience than you'd ever expect it to be.

Enter the seventh track. Everything you thought about what's coming for you is nothing compared to what's actually incoming. Relentless storms form and unleash their powers, and you have nothing to protect yourself. Your heart is beating fast. You try to run from these storms, sheltering yourself with trees and other natural formations, only for them to be ripped apart by strong winds. You keep repeating the process, until you realise... there's nowhere left to hide. You look at the storm head on and close your eyes. You realise that you were transported here with all its resources destroyed, so you finally accept whatever the storm will take you to; whether it'd be home, another island or a visit to the Grim Reaper.

A little thing to note is that the seventh track also has ambient techno elements, similar to the fourth track. It does fit very well given the track before it though, so it's a problem at all. In fact, the strong kick drum enhances the overwhelming feeling of dread - the main feeling I get from this track in particular.

This album became more of a track by track journal rather than a review, whoops. I think this review shows why I like ambient so much. It's incredibly immersive and it brings you to places that you'd never expect to ever visit. Ambient does the tickets and accommodation for you, you just need to grab your headphones and close your eyes.

The album does feel rather open-ended, an eighth track mirroring the serenity of the first track would make it come full circle. That's the only problem I can think of.
It takes a considerable amount of effort to create such vivid landscapes contrasting in atmosphere so clearly and wonderfully. Although some bits feel rather out of place (the fourth track particularly), they still create a coherent experience that is simply outstanding. Strong contender for a 9, but it might be because I listened to Lil B beforehand, but I doubt it. I'll give this album a few more listens before considering on giving this a higher rating, but it is superb.

Shoutouts to Trogdor!!!! for recommending me this album before I thought of the idea of asking everyone on FFR for music recommendations. I'm glad you noticed me.

Album Highlights: Pop 3, Pop 6, Pop 7
Track Average Rating: 4.14/5
Overall Rating: 8/10

05-4-2014, 03:53 AM	#50
EzExZeRo7497 ⠀ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Singapore, SG Age: 26 Posts: 6,858	Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away \| 365 Album Challenge Added. May 4th, 2014 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Rain in England by Lil B (recommended by rayword45) I really didn't want to review this, along with 05 Fuck Em. Unfortunately the randomizer gave me this album to review so soon. Sigh... anyway. Rain in England is a cloud rap album from the Based God, Brandon McCartney. He speaks on topics such as family, love and death over bright drones similar to a couple of new age ambient artists. I don't think you can really call this someone rapping, but rather a self-meditation tape. I really can't find anything interesting to talk about when it comes to this album - whether it's the content or the concept. It's incredibly boring since there's no diversity at all other than his supposedly thought-provoking/surreal lyricism. Compare it to his cooking songs which are incredibly silly but at the same time entertaining. This is just... something else. I'm too cynical to take these lyrics seriously, especially since it's littered with so many cliches. I honestly have no idea if Lil B is being completely sincere or just being ironic. I don't hate Lil B though, it's pretty funny to see someone screw with the conventions of hip-hop every now and then. I don't know if this is an attempt to do whatever he would normally do, but this isn't working. It's relaxing at least, but this has to be a joke. Even if it is, it's not a funny one. Album Highlights: - Track Average Rating: - Overall Rating: 2/10 This is also my 666th rating on RYM. All hail the based god. ...I'm also removing 05 Fuck Em from the list. Although from what I've seen it is one of Lil B's better works, 101 tracks of Lil B is something that I don't want to spend my time on. Arkuski, feel free to recommend another album instead. ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Pop by Gas Ooo, ambient. My favourite genre, so I can type a lot more about the album and what I think of it. Gas is an ambient techno artist hailing from Germany. He gained some popularity with Zauberberg and Konigsforst, which is predominantly ambient techno and minimal techno. Wolfgang takes a step away from his specialty to create his fourth album, Pop. Pop is an ambient album filled with field recordings from nature, with his own flare of ambient techno embedded in some of the tracks. The first two tracks give you a very clear scene of a forest lush with plants in daylight. There's no one in this place, just you, the quiet sounds of insects and roaring sounds of waterfalls. There's something special about listening to all those intricate details. The textures don't feel artificial, they feel very real and sincere. Although the tracks are very serene, they are incredibly overwhelming. It immerses you into its world within the first minute, which is a very good characteristic for an ambient album. The first track is too short for me to take in everything at first, but the second track is long enough so that everything just soaks into me. It's a wonderful feeling. The album would be really boring if it's just these two tracks though. As much as I find nature beautiful, there's only so much of the same sound I could take before it becomes bland. Fortunately, it does change in the third track. This track is incredibly subtle, but very startling nonetheless. Hours have passed and the sky is much darker now. The weather isn't friendly either, the sounds of harsh winds start to form in this track. The faint sounds of my pulse tightens up the atmosphere a little, which further enhances the surreal experience. The fourth track introduces ambient techno into the mix, which isn't something that I'd want with an atmosphere like this. It's very blue in colour and the track as a whole reminds me of Submers by Loscil. It also has the problem that Submers has too; although the sound is breath-taking and rather bleak, but the kick drum is a bit too powerful and changes the atmosphere completely. Instead of fearing for what it's yet to come, it feels like you're in a trance-like state. Doesn't really fit in the album, but it's still a nice listen. The bizarre change in environment doesn't last for long, the fifth track brings you back into your senses and you're back in nature. Not much time has passed by since your hallucinogenic trip, but the weather has changed drastically. It's pretty cold, but at the same time the atmosphere feels welcoming. It's much quieter than you remembered - the animals are sleeping and the waterfall seems to trickle rather than roar. Pleasant listen, you could almost feel Mother Nature herself hugging you as you soak in everything. Her warmth dissipitates in the sixth and seventh tracks. The weather is worsening and the winds are becoming relentless. The winds you've experienced in the third track feels like a mellow breeze in comparison. Your anxiety further deepens, now you're shaking in fear. You have nothing to protect yourself, so you have to face whatever is ahead of you very soon. It doesn't help that the danger ahead shows no presence anywhere, so it becomes a far darker experience than you'd ever expect it to be. Enter the seventh track. Everything you thought about what's coming for you is nothing compared to what's actually incoming. Relentless storms form and unleash their powers, and you have nothing to protect yourself. Your heart is beating fast. You try to run from these storms, sheltering yourself with trees and other natural formations, only for them to be ripped apart by strong winds. You keep repeating the process, until you realise... there's nowhere left to hide. You look at the storm head on and close your eyes. You realise that you were transported here with all its resources destroyed, so you finally accept whatever the storm will take you to; whether it'd be home, another island or a visit to the Grim Reaper. A little thing to note is that the seventh track also has ambient techno elements, similar to the fourth track. It does fit very well given the track before it though, so it's a problem at all. In fact, the strong kick drum enhances the overwhelming feeling of dread - the main feeling I get from this track in particular. This album became more of a track by track journal rather than a review, whoops. I think this review shows why I like ambient so much. It's incredibly immersive and it brings you to places that you'd never expect to ever visit. Ambient does the tickets and accommodation for you, you just need to grab your headphones and close your eyes. The album does feel rather open-ended, an eighth track mirroring the serenity of the first track would make it come full circle. That's the only problem I can think of. It takes a considerable amount of effort to create such vivid landscapes contrasting in atmosphere so clearly and wonderfully. Although some bits feel rather out of place (the fourth track particularly), they still create a coherent experience that is simply outstanding. Strong contender for a 9, but it might be because I listened to Lil B beforehand, but I doubt it. I'll give this album a few more listens before considering on giving this a higher rating, but it is superb. Shoutouts to Trogdor!!!! for recommending me this album before I thought of the idea of asking everyone on FFR for music recommendations. I'm glad you noticed me. Album Highlights: Pop 3, Pop 6, Pop 7 Track Average Rating: 4.14/5 Overall Rating: 8/10 Last edited by EzExZeRo7497; 05-29-2014 at 09:05 AM..