i want in on it but i'm too noncommital to do a "year long project" or whatever so uh instead
200. that's my number. i'm gonna review 200 things. by "whenever"
post albums and i'll make some autistic spreadsheet of it and get to work
I already kinda did this in TGB but figured a more public thing would be fun. For reference, here's my shit from the TGB thread
Big Black - Songs About Fucking
I remember downloading this album sometime in 2009 and deleting it after about ten minutes of listening. Then again, in 2009 I liked Borgore so, who knows. Right off the bat with this album you can tell that it's meant to be listened to as loud as you can handle. It seems, in mastering, and contrary to a lot of music at the time, a more focus is put more on the guitars and the squealing walls of noise they're used to make than there is put on the vocals and drums. So the entirety of the album is wacked-the-fuck-out noise walls laid over a variety of rock subgenres with a very, almost industrial sounding kick drum. The lyrics in this are fuckin hilarious though, bordering on being Angst: The Album.
I dunno. I see how this album influenced a lot of later music, but I'm not sure I "get it" yet. Will have to go back and re-listen a few times
Favorite Track- Ergot
Least Favorite Track- The Model
Score- 6/10
The Knife- Shaking The Habitual
Well produced but, in the end, falling short of their previous releases, Shaking The Habitual sees The Knife moving away from being experimental sonically and pushing more towards being experimental only in image and social interaction. The message of the songs feels very flat, as if it were only adopted for review-bait and/or to capitalize on the (admittedly easy to market to) tumblr-tier no-wave "subversive kawaii" type person. In interviews the duo of Karin and Olof claimed that the music, and i quote, “borrows heavily from queer theory”, but the only thing that appears in the album that lends itself to this statement is one song that just says “gender” for like 3 minutes, and another song that, when boiled down, amounts to nothing more than “i hate liberals oh no”. Honestly, I don't disagree with the anti-liberal message entirely, but a seven minute long droning experimental dark ambient song about that, when made by two well-off white fucks who live in a monarchy, just seems entirely unnecessary.
My biggest complaint with shaking the habitual, outside the fact that it’s less grasping than the knife’s previous releases, and the shaky (lmfao) premise of the album, is that they never seem to know when a song should end; each song drones on very well past its welcome. Hell, some of them go on for so long that they almost seem to fall into self-parody, like 4:40 into Full of Fire, when the song goes from being a simple industrial beat with some vague idm influence to an out of tune kick drum synth slowly getting louder (to the point of clipping) as what sounds like a rubber duck getting pounded in the ass flies through the background. This wouldn’t be an issue if any of the songs had a progression to them that REQUIRED that length, but at the end of it all it just seems like the songs are long for the sake of being long, or god forbid, the sake of being “too deep for u”.
objectively well produced but ultimately un-enjoyable and muddled.
Favorite Track(s)- A Cherry On Top (really liked this one. would listen again), the first 3 minutes of Stay Out Here (sounds like some really cool deep house/industrial hybrid until the vocals fuck it up)
Least Favorite Track(s)- Old Dreams Waiting To Be Realized (a fucking 20 minute long ambient track that's silent for the first 2 minutes, sounds like Fridge Noises for the next 13, spends the next 3 trying to make it into an ambient noise track, and then a two minute long fade out, wherein there's pretty much no sound for the last minute and a half) Networking (sounds like a kid who just downloaded FL Studio, pretending to be Squarepusher, trying to remix a Kraftwerk song), Fracking Fluid Injection (9 minute long song wherein over half is nothing but various non-word moanings echoing while someone fucks up playing a violin in the background)
Score- 3/10
Side Note- I really think my beef with this album is Karin's vocals. Any track with her weird voice going on in the background sounds like The Knife is trying to become Tune Yards. It's damn near offensive to listen to.
Typhoon- White Lighter
Will- Interesting. Song keeps going from what sounds like acoustic blues to very "stage performance of a play" vocals. lo-fi and yet not. Loving this as an intro track. Bells at the end kinda put me off. Don't fit the song's vibe.
The Charm- Great opening line. The weird, almost "cassette tape fucking up" sound going on in the background is cool. Love how the guitar keeps shifting from the left and right speakers. Vocals sound like the dude from Bon Iver if the dude from Bon Iver could actually sing worth a fuck. Oh shit the drums fading in like that hooooooooooly fuck. Alright yeah I can get behind this. This is solid. I goddamn love how it progresses.
so far this album (and this band i guess. almost saw em over the summer but i didn't. never heard anything by them before now) is like some kinda experimental math rock folk album.
Living Decorations- bit of a misstep here. the first two tracks were really engrossing in their atmosphere, whereas this one feels like a watered down and damn-near radio friendly version of that aesthetic.
Solid Ground- getting kind of a... King Crimson-circa-ItCotCK vibe from this. But if king crimson did folky stuff. The synths are a nice touch to this track. Still a little too well-produced and "radio-friendly" compared to the opening two, but this is a step back in the right direction. It's worth it for the ending though, when everything kinda comes back in and it creates that chaotic soundscape. solid track.
Is- this song's almost got a Natural Snow Buildings "drone-folk" vibe to it. Feels like the kinda music I'd listen to while going on a somber but necessary cross-country road trip, or maybe leaving a town I once called home. Very "human" sounding.
Israeli Canvas- whoa. yeah alright not feeling this one at all right off the bat. it's like fucking Dr. Mumford's Jolly Good-Time Incest Band meets Dan Deacon If Dan Deacon Made A Song Drunk. The "oooooowah" vocals are cheesy as hell. I dunno. This feels like the kinda music those 16 year old girls with tumblr accounts who scream "I'M SUCH A HIPSTER LOL" listen to. I hope the rest of the album goes back to sounding like Is or the first two songs.
Banished Be Cavalier- This straight up sounds like something I'd hear while eating at a Jimmy Buffet Themed Restaurant. Is there a part where they namedrop a cheeseburger or something? Song picks up around 40 seconds in. A lot better here. Almost minimal, loving the strings in the back. Oh god great we're back to the fucking Water Park Waiting Music. hhhhhhhhh. A lot of wasted potential here.
Carrying The Wet Wood- right off the bat getting "You Slut!"-esque math rock vibes. Good. GOOD. GOOD FUCKING GOOD. God DAMMIT. I wish they'd get rid of that xylophone, it's killing the song for me. I do enjoy how this album isn't afraid to have shit switch from one speaker to the other at the drop of a hat. Really cool. This song's kinda like some easily accessible entry-point folk math rock. Not 100% against it because that intro ruled but the rest left me wanting more
Pigeon- Alright, promising intro. Let's hope it stays this way. This is pretty minimal so far. Nice progression with the drums. Nodding my head to this one. These dudes really shine when either doing minimal stuff or going full on maximalist shit. Anything in between sounds kinda cheesy. This song definitely focuses on progression in sound though, slowly adding more and more to it. I'm digging it, but it's nothing I'd write home about.
If This Is- I'm not sure WHAT but this one isn't doing it for me. Feels very unfocused, and the horns at the end are wayyyyy too NMH-like.
Was- Good intro so far. Lots of non-percussion instruments at once. It's creating a pretty cool soundscape so far. Gloomy but not necessarily "dark". Melancholic, if you will. I really dig the songs on this album that focus on the atmosphere. This is definitely one of the better songs on the album. Love how distorted the guitar gets about half way through. Also, sounds like they're using one of those old kids toy pianos. Nice touch.
Perch Patchwork- This opens up sounding like a song from a musical. Not a bad thing but it caught me off guard. Getting like. I dunno, some dumbfuck disney character dancing through the woods making friends with the animals or some fucking horseshit like that. Not bad though. Kinda fades back into the subtle electronic distortion in the background like track 2. The strings on this one are very nice. Don't hate the xylophone on this one. The end starts a push more towards the maximalist nature of some of the better moments on this album. Plus, the fact it slowly gets faster over time is a nice touch. The vocals switching where they're centered is fun. Loving how all the instruments slowly fade out leaving only the vocals. Hate to bring them up again but that part is very Tune Yards-like. As a finishing track, this one is a pretty cohesive one. It's as if they took all the good and bad parts from the other songs and put them all into one song hoping to appeal to everyone.
Favorite Song(s)- The Charm, Was, the ending of Solid Ground
Least Favorite Song(s)- If This Is, Banished Be Cavalier, Israeli Canvas
Average Score- 5/12
Score (With Personal Bias) In "Scaruffi Language"- 6/10
Additional Notes- A lot of obvious potential in this group. The high points in the album were goddamn GREAT but the lows were also REALLY FUCKING BAD, so. I wanna see these dudes be more experimental. A lot more. We need more experimental folk music that isn't fucking tune yards, because fuck them
Maps & Atlases-Perch Patchwork
Prelude- weird. boards of canada esque "jingle intro". feels kinda off and weird but it does set a mood
Artificial Light- alright we're getting somewhere. this kinda sounds like Acoustic 65DaysOfStatic. I really dig this so far. All the various instruments coming in and out and appearing at random, really cool. Love that this track ACTUALLY HAS SOME FUCKING DYNAMIC RANGE FOR ONCE. Doesn't feel like this fell victim to the loudness wars. Definitely loving how much this song changes over time. Whoaaaaaa 1:51 sounds like some Man Man shit (good band). Feels very lo-fi but not at the same time. Kinda hard to describe this but it's something new for once and I'm digging it. end of the song kinda eschews all this cool maximalist stuff in the beginning. 3:08 to 4:44 is way too "safe radio friendly indie rock" fare. BUT the way everything hits a climax at 4:45 is perfect and beautiful and if I were at a live show it'd knock me on my ass, emotionally
Young Fathers- was not a huge fan of this one. Felt like something I'd see one of the "1pm" acts at bonnaroo do. The kinda song that heavily rides the whole "haha folk!!!" wave a lot of bands have been doing lately. Needs a little more experimentation with the sound. But after that first track I have some hope
Morton's Fork- interesting intro. strings and ambiance, wasn't expecting that. When the guitar and various other strings come in it does sound a little typical. One thing I will say though, the production in this one is top fucking notch. TOP fucking notch. seems like a lot of effort went into it. Lyrics are morbid as fuck over happy tunes. I love when bands do that. Solid track, might/might not listen to again. Kinda divided
Possible Deaths- All these intros are starting to wear thin on me. Every intro sounds very typical of the genre but develops into something new over time. I don't get it. Except this track was pretty short and didn't have any progression. Huh. Not feeling it
The Lake- HERE WE GO. The intro on this one reminds me of when I'd listen to nothing but Kings of Convenience, but a little more orchestrated. Like this one so far. LOVE the climax in this one. Sounds a lot more electronic than anything else so far. Definitely one of the strongest songs on the album.
Dreams of Cannibalism- Whoa. Once the drums kick in on this it really picks up. Again we go back to the whole "math folk" vibe. The ben folds-esque piano rules too. There should be more folk music like this, honestly. No more of that "one dude hitting a drum he's holding with a wire brush while stomping" shit.
100 Years- Interesting way to start the song off. LOVE the production on this one. Feels very "constantly climactic".
Prosthetic Love- A little typical but nevertheless pulled off well. Not my favorite but nowhere near the worst.
Hunger and Thirst- HELL YEAH this sounds like prog-folk. prog folk holy fucking hell. write that down. someone sell that to a record label. Holy mother of fucking god. I wish the whole album were nothing but this song.
Caesar- Another short transition song like the intro. No real opinion lmao.
Common Sentiments- Feels like a watered down, entry level version of Hunger and Thirst. Good, but not as good as it could be. Do like how the vocalist starts screaming at the end instead of his usual soft whimper of a voice. Album could use more of that.
Post Script- Alright, finale. Let's see what this bad fucker can do.
Lo-fi acoustic guitar intro, but not necessarily "Pavement" lo-fi. sounds like it was recorded on an 8-track. The first half is a very Bon Iver-esque ballad. Not my style. The strings in the second half make up for that in how they create almost an "ambient harsh noise" in their sound. Works well as an outro track
Favorite Track(s)- Artificial Light, Hunger and Thirst holy shit
Least Favorite Track(s)- Young Fathers, Possible Deaths
Average Score- 5.5/11 (didn't count the prelude/transition tracks)
Final Score (W/ Personal Bias) On The Scaruffi Scale- 7/10 (this was a tough one because the album isn't without its low moments, but simply based on how many high points it has, and how great those are, I'd say "buy it eventually" fits)
Notes- Again we see an album with extremely high highs and REALLY low lows. I'm seeing that trend a lot in these folk releases. Granted folk was never my genre so maybe I don't know much. I like the mountain goats.
Phuture Doom- s/t
La Grande Messe Noire- Starts off as minimalist dark ambient while a very "you're in a church after dark buddy your ass is grass" voice provides a melody in the background. occasional bell ringings and a slowly appearing Organ really set the mood for what's about to come. In addition, on top of all this are some gregorian chant sounding vocals. I can't necessarily call this a "good song" but it definitely sets the mood for the album. Great production but I'm gonna leave it out of the final score
Burn The Knowledge- this song goes from fucking zero to 100 in under 2 seconds, basically opening with what most Electronic Music Frat Bros would call a "drop" i guess. Sounds very neurofunk-esque even though the song is 140bpm. After a few seconds of that it just RIPS RIGHT INTO a black metal breakdown. The BM guitar shows up during the ""drop"""" part too. In all honesty this is one of the most coherent genre mashup songs I've heard. Near the end a squelching guitar feedback noise leads its way into a full on black metal bit that fades out. Goddamn. A+ song
Black Acid Reign- love how this track and the one before it bleed into eachother perfectly. This one starts off with the black metal but blends it perfectly into a drum and bass esque acid synth fuckhole. I don't know any other way to put it. The best part is about half way into the song, everything drops and becomes damn near silent. the track slowly fades back in as the acid synths pick up alongside the drums. The buildup ends in one of the best climaxes on the album- a perfect combination of the Black Metal bits with acid synthjams over it. Cannot express how much I love this track.
Han Breaks- Starts off with a soft synth and ambient noises under a vaguely tribal sounding chant. with little to no warning it switches to a very "fat of the land"-era Prodigy breaks section and... pretty much stays there for the rest of the song. and the second verse in the song is basically the same as the first. This track really doesn't do it for me.
Mach 100- what a goddamn fitting title. This track is full of Venetian Snares level breakneck amens, with a synth that sounds like a buzz saw going at about 50,000mph flies over it. The production on this is NUTS and the inclusion of the live drums makes it even better. Only complaint is the section where the song goes halftime for no reason, and how short it is.
Doom Terror Corps- again, love how this one bleeds into the track before it. This fucking track. It's a full on homage to the oldschool UK Hardcore and Acid House scenes, even featuring an almost insufferable MC shouting the name of the group. I feel like this one could have been shorter but considering how much everything in it changes over time, it's fine as is. There's a breakdown with some fucking bollywood-esque vocals that oddly work. Definitely a great track.
Rites- bleeds in again. noticing a pattern. love how this starts off with some dark ambient vibes. echoy synths, vocals and hihats. definitely an odd change of pace from the last track though. 1:30in or so a slow almost trip-hop like beat comes in via an ACTUAL DRUM KIT (can't get over that). Fuck. These strings come in and goddamn yeah. Yeah. This kinda goes on until the last 2 minutes, where a slow acid stab synth comes in, finishing the whole fucking thing up. Love the progression but it could've happened faster.
Paradise Lost- it's uncredited but this track has vocals from some uk rap collective called Murkage? We get a, now expected, echo-y chant-y intro, but this time with echoy and distorted samples from the song's vocals. Then out of nowhere the song drops into this guitar riff and oldschool "out of tune synth" rave kinda melody at hip-hop beats. Best way I could describe this uhhh. A dystopian sounding Diesel Power from The Fat Of The Land. The vocals are goddamn near impossible to understand. Only bad thing here is how abruptly the song ends. worst of all it's not even to bleed into the next track. It just kinda. Stops.
Phuneral Phuture- HERE WE FUCKIN GO ALRIGHT we're back to the black metal influence in full force. a damn near lord-of-the-rings-vibe to the melody too. This fade and becomes some kinda halftime drum and bass track with one of the most intense synth lines I've ever heard. I don't even know how to handle this. The back to black metal breakdown has a really odd sounding hihat roll to it at IDM speeds. i have a weird gut feeling owsla made them add some kinda """"trap""" influence to the song. that's all i got. that said, sans the hihat rolls, this is probably one of the top 3 songs on the album
Exodus- huh. this track is left field as fuck. piano, horn sections, chimes, a shuffle drum beat with a not loud as fuck kick drum. sounds like "Victory Music" or "End Credits Music" for some big summer action blockbuster. I like it so far but what the fuck lmao. Shit picks up and the horn section starts getting chopped up while the drums lay an almost typical beat down. and then, just as soon as it started, a final bell rings, and everything fades out to an ambent and swampy soundscape.
Favorite Tracks- Burn The Knowledge, Phuneral Phuture, Mach 100
Least Favorite Tracks- Han Breaks
Average Score- 7/9
Score With Personal Bias on that scale or whatever- 8.5/10
Additional Notes- the fuck was up with that last track?
Arcade Fire- Reflektor CD1
Hidden Track- I'm not reviewing this. Fuck this song.
Reflektor- you can pretty much tell the LCD Soundsystem dude produced this album. Danceable beats with a distinct groove in the background. The lyrics are kinda bullshit. In fact I pretty much hate all the vocals on this. Why the fuck are there lyrics randomly in french? The horns in the chorus appear for like 5 seconds and then go away. What the fuck is up with that. 2 minutes in and I'm already ready for this to be over. Some weird acid-like synths in here that make it interesting though. It kinda becomes noise-pop towards the middle but then shifts back to the danceable groove. This feels unfocused as hell. Is this really 8 goddamn minutes long? What the fuck.
We Exist- I seriously can't believe this fucking album. A really basic beat with occasional echo-y guitar strums. There's some My Bloody Valentine level distortion about half way through this. I kinda dig that. Doesn't make up for the track itself though.
Flashbulb Eyes- obligatory benn jordan joke. Intro has some promise but then it bleeds into this weird electronic surf rock kinda deal. What the fuck. Honestly this one isn't so bad. Probably the best one I've heard so far.
Here Comes The Night Time- sounds like an Avalanches song but then dissolves into a fast-paced drum bit that again dissolves into some slow-beat jam with what sounds like a stock casio synth in the background. This album is a joke, right?
4:15 through 5:40 is cool
god dammit i can't believe this album isn't a joke.
Normal Person- starts off with a live sample. Great. "do you like rock and roll music, cause i don't know if i do" nice opening lines you gigantic fuckhole. This is like animal collective trying to make a 50's rock song. I can't do this. I can't fucking do this. Did I download the wrong album?
2:40 on is very prog-esque. Probably one of the few moments I've enjoyed so far.
You Already Know- HHAHAHAHAHA HOLY SHIT THIS INTRO. A MUFFLED VOICE INTRODUCING THE BAND. FUCKING HAND CLAPPING. HAHAHAHAH. I can't fucking do this
Joan of Arc- so it starts off sounding like a cross between Swans' "The Seer" and the THX bumper music and then cuts to old punk so lo fi there is no bass to speak of. Then it suddenly goes into a shuffle kick snare pattern with. What the fuck. What the absolute fuck is this album.
CD2
Here Comes The Night Time II- great a "sequel song" that doesn't come right after the first one. Who the fuck thought that was a good idea. Interesting kinda cosmic fade-in. Not hateful so far. Kinda sounds like Spiritualized. Lots of cool progression actually. I legitimately like this one
Awful Sound- song sucks until about 2:04, at which point it sounds like an acoustic Tycho song with weird vocals. Starts sucking again at 3:05. 4:07 onward gets more and more "loveless"-style distorted again which is cool until they FUCK IT UP AGAIN by repeating that alt-country sounding shit from 2:04
It's Never Over- legitimately had to skip this one
Porno- a darkened-soul with synthwork vibe to this one. kinda like this one. still loathe the vocals. then again, without the vocals this song would just sound like adult swim bumper music so. the bit at 1:52 is cool. I think that's the chorus? does this album even have choruses? fuck if i know. Anyway I'd say this is the only song I'd listen to again. That said, the whole "james murphy lcd soundsystem" thing doesn't really translate well to a verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge songwriting style.
Afterlife- sounds like arcade fire trying to be a poppy !!! ripoff lmao. fuck this song
Supersymmetry- an 11 minute long track wherein only the first half is an actual song, and the first half of that half is the only part with vocals. The last half almost sounds like field recordings and, oddly enough, is one of the only moments on this I've enjoyed
Favorite Tracks- Here Comes The Night II, last 3/4 of Supersymmetry, Porno
Least Favorite Tracks- the rest of em
Average Score- CD1- 0/7 | CD2- 2/6 (+1 for HCTNII, + 0.5 for Porno, + 0.5 for Supersymmetry) = 2/13
Scaled Score- 1/10
Additional Notes- this is the first time I've ever intentionally listened to arcade fire
Gesaffelstein- Aleph
Out Of Line- Industrial-sounding drums at a drum circle pace echo as a vaguely robotic female voice shouts angrily over it. Bell samples and what sounds like gunshots. I have no idea what's going on here but I'm scared and I goddamn love it. I can't explain what this is really. Dark as hell.
Pursuit- hell yeah hell yeah hell yeah hell yeah. crazy dark synth lead with what sounds like an amon tobin level sample shit. i think that's the sound of a switchblade. Screaming vocal sample with a distant and echoing snare bleeds into a 4/4 head-thumping beat. Right away the coolest fucking thing about this album is how it uses panning. there's a hissy-sounding hihat that mostly only exists on the left speaker and occasional sounds that only pop up on the right speaker. This kinda sounds like what electro house wants to sound like, if it wanted to sound like a dark as hell adventure through a neo-technical wasteland in one of those fucked up concerts that happens in an abandoned train tunnel
Nameless- Slowed down with some ambient synth pads but still maintaining that dark vibe. Sounds almost xxyyxx-esque. Fucking love this.
Destinations- The haunting and almost overwhelming kick drum on this is almost death grips esque. In fact that's what this sounds like. This sounds like what The Money Store era death grips would sound like if they tried to make Club Music. The soundscapes in this one are engrossing and echoing with a very cyberpunk haunted house kinda feel to them. Feel like I'm about to get jumped by a dude in a mechanical mask and tied up // tortured with some sorta futuristic sex toy for the next few years of my life.
Obsession- This is actually kinda starting to sound almost Mr. Oizo-esque but less wacky. Kinda like uhhhh... Gesaffelstein is to Oizo like Faith No More was to Mr. Bungle. They both have the same roots and try to be dark at times but one of them is decidedly more wacky as hell. This song's still going with that neo-futuristic shit, but now bordering on maximalist with all the sounds going on. I'm actually getting overwhelmed (in a good way)
Hellifornia- A spacy intro fades quickly into a synth-driven beat that sounds like a fucking Danny Brown instrumental with nothing more than TV Static to warn you. This feels like a change in pace, finally, but still maintaining the vibe. 100% honest I'm gonna say this, this is what Yeezus should've sounded like. This makes the production on that album (specifically Send It Up) sound like trash. Complete fucking trash. I should review Yeezus next
Actually I just got a mashup idea so I'll finish this later
Kanye West- Yeezus
Yeezus is the literal definition of style over substance.
From the artwork to the lyrical content, kanye's taking all the things the media THINKS he is ("reverse racist" even tho that's not a real thing, a narcissist, a misogynst, a man who hates jews, a faux-artist, etc) and puts into a persona that he wears as a post-ironic joke for himself and those into him enough to get it. The album is almost the exact opposite of 2010's MBDTF, favoring minimal production over maximalist gems full of samples, and self-hyping lyrics instead of "i'm an asshole, what the fuck am i doing", in an intentional artistic move kanye even acknowledges on the album ("as soon as they like you make em unlike you" obviously refers to MBDTF's critical acclaim and how yeezus is that album's antithes).
But for everything the album has in artistic intentent, subversive self parody, and occasional legitimate social commentary ("New Slaves"), it lacks in actual musical content. The production, while good on some tracks ("Blood On The Leaves", "Send It Up") is sadly a bit rough and, at times, jarring in its seeming obsession with untransitioned changes (i.e. Frank Ocean's verse on New Slaves coming out of nowhere (even though i really liked that feature)). For every song with a good message, like New Slaves, there are 2 or 3 with shoddy production and post-ironic lyrics that, while offering some criticism of the media's perception of kanye, are honestly too irony-driven to ever have an honest message.
In all, the album shows Kanye at his most conceptual and artistic, but the album is held back by hit or miss production and weak lyrical content.
Favorite Tracks- Black Skinhead, Blood On The Leaves, New Slaves
Least Favorite Tracks- Hold My Liquor, Bound 2, On Sight
Overall Rating- 5/10
Score (With Bias)- 4/10
Additional Comments- I love the album conceptually, but a concept can only carry an album so far. Excited for his upcoming Q-Tip and Rick Rubin produced "sequel album"
200. that's my number. i'm gonna review 200 things. by "whenever"
post albums and i'll make some autistic spreadsheet of it and get to work
I already kinda did this in TGB but figured a more public thing would be fun. For reference, here's my shit from the TGB thread
Big Black - Songs About Fucking
I remember downloading this album sometime in 2009 and deleting it after about ten minutes of listening. Then again, in 2009 I liked Borgore so, who knows. Right off the bat with this album you can tell that it's meant to be listened to as loud as you can handle. It seems, in mastering, and contrary to a lot of music at the time, a more focus is put more on the guitars and the squealing walls of noise they're used to make than there is put on the vocals and drums. So the entirety of the album is wacked-the-fuck-out noise walls laid over a variety of rock subgenres with a very, almost industrial sounding kick drum. The lyrics in this are fuckin hilarious though, bordering on being Angst: The Album.
I dunno. I see how this album influenced a lot of later music, but I'm not sure I "get it" yet. Will have to go back and re-listen a few times
Favorite Track- Ergot
Least Favorite Track- The Model
Score- 6/10
The Knife- Shaking The Habitual
Well produced but, in the end, falling short of their previous releases, Shaking The Habitual sees The Knife moving away from being experimental sonically and pushing more towards being experimental only in image and social interaction. The message of the songs feels very flat, as if it were only adopted for review-bait and/or to capitalize on the (admittedly easy to market to) tumblr-tier no-wave "subversive kawaii" type person. In interviews the duo of Karin and Olof claimed that the music, and i quote, “borrows heavily from queer theory”, but the only thing that appears in the album that lends itself to this statement is one song that just says “gender” for like 3 minutes, and another song that, when boiled down, amounts to nothing more than “i hate liberals oh no”. Honestly, I don't disagree with the anti-liberal message entirely, but a seven minute long droning experimental dark ambient song about that, when made by two well-off white fucks who live in a monarchy, just seems entirely unnecessary.
My biggest complaint with shaking the habitual, outside the fact that it’s less grasping than the knife’s previous releases, and the shaky (lmfao) premise of the album, is that they never seem to know when a song should end; each song drones on very well past its welcome. Hell, some of them go on for so long that they almost seem to fall into self-parody, like 4:40 into Full of Fire, when the song goes from being a simple industrial beat with some vague idm influence to an out of tune kick drum synth slowly getting louder (to the point of clipping) as what sounds like a rubber duck getting pounded in the ass flies through the background. This wouldn’t be an issue if any of the songs had a progression to them that REQUIRED that length, but at the end of it all it just seems like the songs are long for the sake of being long, or god forbid, the sake of being “too deep for u”.
objectively well produced but ultimately un-enjoyable and muddled.
Favorite Track(s)- A Cherry On Top (really liked this one. would listen again), the first 3 minutes of Stay Out Here (sounds like some really cool deep house/industrial hybrid until the vocals fuck it up)
Least Favorite Track(s)- Old Dreams Waiting To Be Realized (a fucking 20 minute long ambient track that's silent for the first 2 minutes, sounds like Fridge Noises for the next 13, spends the next 3 trying to make it into an ambient noise track, and then a two minute long fade out, wherein there's pretty much no sound for the last minute and a half) Networking (sounds like a kid who just downloaded FL Studio, pretending to be Squarepusher, trying to remix a Kraftwerk song), Fracking Fluid Injection (9 minute long song wherein over half is nothing but various non-word moanings echoing while someone fucks up playing a violin in the background)
Score- 3/10
Side Note- I really think my beef with this album is Karin's vocals. Any track with her weird voice going on in the background sounds like The Knife is trying to become Tune Yards. It's damn near offensive to listen to.
Typhoon- White Lighter
Will- Interesting. Song keeps going from what sounds like acoustic blues to very "stage performance of a play" vocals. lo-fi and yet not. Loving this as an intro track. Bells at the end kinda put me off. Don't fit the song's vibe.
The Charm- Great opening line. The weird, almost "cassette tape fucking up" sound going on in the background is cool. Love how the guitar keeps shifting from the left and right speakers. Vocals sound like the dude from Bon Iver if the dude from Bon Iver could actually sing worth a fuck. Oh shit the drums fading in like that hooooooooooly fuck. Alright yeah I can get behind this. This is solid. I goddamn love how it progresses.
so far this album (and this band i guess. almost saw em over the summer but i didn't. never heard anything by them before now) is like some kinda experimental math rock folk album.
Living Decorations- bit of a misstep here. the first two tracks were really engrossing in their atmosphere, whereas this one feels like a watered down and damn-near radio friendly version of that aesthetic.
Solid Ground- getting kind of a... King Crimson-circa-ItCotCK vibe from this. But if king crimson did folky stuff. The synths are a nice touch to this track. Still a little too well-produced and "radio-friendly" compared to the opening two, but this is a step back in the right direction. It's worth it for the ending though, when everything kinda comes back in and it creates that chaotic soundscape. solid track.
Is- this song's almost got a Natural Snow Buildings "drone-folk" vibe to it. Feels like the kinda music I'd listen to while going on a somber but necessary cross-country road trip, or maybe leaving a town I once called home. Very "human" sounding.
Israeli Canvas- whoa. yeah alright not feeling this one at all right off the bat. it's like fucking Dr. Mumford's Jolly Good-Time Incest Band meets Dan Deacon If Dan Deacon Made A Song Drunk. The "oooooowah" vocals are cheesy as hell. I dunno. This feels like the kinda music those 16 year old girls with tumblr accounts who scream "I'M SUCH A HIPSTER LOL" listen to. I hope the rest of the album goes back to sounding like Is or the first two songs.
Banished Be Cavalier- This straight up sounds like something I'd hear while eating at a Jimmy Buffet Themed Restaurant. Is there a part where they namedrop a cheeseburger or something? Song picks up around 40 seconds in. A lot better here. Almost minimal, loving the strings in the back. Oh god great we're back to the fucking Water Park Waiting Music. hhhhhhhhh. A lot of wasted potential here.
Carrying The Wet Wood- right off the bat getting "You Slut!"-esque math rock vibes. Good. GOOD. GOOD FUCKING GOOD. God DAMMIT. I wish they'd get rid of that xylophone, it's killing the song for me. I do enjoy how this album isn't afraid to have shit switch from one speaker to the other at the drop of a hat. Really cool. This song's kinda like some easily accessible entry-point folk math rock. Not 100% against it because that intro ruled but the rest left me wanting more
Pigeon- Alright, promising intro. Let's hope it stays this way. This is pretty minimal so far. Nice progression with the drums. Nodding my head to this one. These dudes really shine when either doing minimal stuff or going full on maximalist shit. Anything in between sounds kinda cheesy. This song definitely focuses on progression in sound though, slowly adding more and more to it. I'm digging it, but it's nothing I'd write home about.
If This Is- I'm not sure WHAT but this one isn't doing it for me. Feels very unfocused, and the horns at the end are wayyyyy too NMH-like.
Was- Good intro so far. Lots of non-percussion instruments at once. It's creating a pretty cool soundscape so far. Gloomy but not necessarily "dark". Melancholic, if you will. I really dig the songs on this album that focus on the atmosphere. This is definitely one of the better songs on the album. Love how distorted the guitar gets about half way through. Also, sounds like they're using one of those old kids toy pianos. Nice touch.
Perch Patchwork- This opens up sounding like a song from a musical. Not a bad thing but it caught me off guard. Getting like. I dunno, some dumbfuck disney character dancing through the woods making friends with the animals or some fucking horseshit like that. Not bad though. Kinda fades back into the subtle electronic distortion in the background like track 2. The strings on this one are very nice. Don't hate the xylophone on this one. The end starts a push more towards the maximalist nature of some of the better moments on this album. Plus, the fact it slowly gets faster over time is a nice touch. The vocals switching where they're centered is fun. Loving how all the instruments slowly fade out leaving only the vocals. Hate to bring them up again but that part is very Tune Yards-like. As a finishing track, this one is a pretty cohesive one. It's as if they took all the good and bad parts from the other songs and put them all into one song hoping to appeal to everyone.
Favorite Song(s)- The Charm, Was, the ending of Solid Ground
Least Favorite Song(s)- If This Is, Banished Be Cavalier, Israeli Canvas
Average Score- 5/12
Score (With Personal Bias) In "Scaruffi Language"- 6/10
Additional Notes- A lot of obvious potential in this group. The high points in the album were goddamn GREAT but the lows were also REALLY FUCKING BAD, so. I wanna see these dudes be more experimental. A lot more. We need more experimental folk music that isn't fucking tune yards, because fuck them
Maps & Atlases-Perch Patchwork
Prelude- weird. boards of canada esque "jingle intro". feels kinda off and weird but it does set a mood
Artificial Light- alright we're getting somewhere. this kinda sounds like Acoustic 65DaysOfStatic. I really dig this so far. All the various instruments coming in and out and appearing at random, really cool. Love that this track ACTUALLY HAS SOME FUCKING DYNAMIC RANGE FOR ONCE. Doesn't feel like this fell victim to the loudness wars. Definitely loving how much this song changes over time. Whoaaaaaa 1:51 sounds like some Man Man shit (good band). Feels very lo-fi but not at the same time. Kinda hard to describe this but it's something new for once and I'm digging it. end of the song kinda eschews all this cool maximalist stuff in the beginning. 3:08 to 4:44 is way too "safe radio friendly indie rock" fare. BUT the way everything hits a climax at 4:45 is perfect and beautiful and if I were at a live show it'd knock me on my ass, emotionally
Young Fathers- was not a huge fan of this one. Felt like something I'd see one of the "1pm" acts at bonnaroo do. The kinda song that heavily rides the whole "haha folk!!!" wave a lot of bands have been doing lately. Needs a little more experimentation with the sound. But after that first track I have some hope
Morton's Fork- interesting intro. strings and ambiance, wasn't expecting that. When the guitar and various other strings come in it does sound a little typical. One thing I will say though, the production in this one is top fucking notch. TOP fucking notch. seems like a lot of effort went into it. Lyrics are morbid as fuck over happy tunes. I love when bands do that. Solid track, might/might not listen to again. Kinda divided
Possible Deaths- All these intros are starting to wear thin on me. Every intro sounds very typical of the genre but develops into something new over time. I don't get it. Except this track was pretty short and didn't have any progression. Huh. Not feeling it
The Lake- HERE WE GO. The intro on this one reminds me of when I'd listen to nothing but Kings of Convenience, but a little more orchestrated. Like this one so far. LOVE the climax in this one. Sounds a lot more electronic than anything else so far. Definitely one of the strongest songs on the album.
Dreams of Cannibalism- Whoa. Once the drums kick in on this it really picks up. Again we go back to the whole "math folk" vibe. The ben folds-esque piano rules too. There should be more folk music like this, honestly. No more of that "one dude hitting a drum he's holding with a wire brush while stomping" shit.
100 Years- Interesting way to start the song off. LOVE the production on this one. Feels very "constantly climactic".
Prosthetic Love- A little typical but nevertheless pulled off well. Not my favorite but nowhere near the worst.
Hunger and Thirst- HELL YEAH this sounds like prog-folk. prog folk holy fucking hell. write that down. someone sell that to a record label. Holy mother of fucking god. I wish the whole album were nothing but this song.
Caesar- Another short transition song like the intro. No real opinion lmao.
Common Sentiments- Feels like a watered down, entry level version of Hunger and Thirst. Good, but not as good as it could be. Do like how the vocalist starts screaming at the end instead of his usual soft whimper of a voice. Album could use more of that.
Post Script- Alright, finale. Let's see what this bad fucker can do.
Lo-fi acoustic guitar intro, but not necessarily "Pavement" lo-fi. sounds like it was recorded on an 8-track. The first half is a very Bon Iver-esque ballad. Not my style. The strings in the second half make up for that in how they create almost an "ambient harsh noise" in their sound. Works well as an outro track
Favorite Track(s)- Artificial Light, Hunger and Thirst holy shit
Least Favorite Track(s)- Young Fathers, Possible Deaths
Average Score- 5.5/11 (didn't count the prelude/transition tracks)
Final Score (W/ Personal Bias) On The Scaruffi Scale- 7/10 (this was a tough one because the album isn't without its low moments, but simply based on how many high points it has, and how great those are, I'd say "buy it eventually" fits)
Notes- Again we see an album with extremely high highs and REALLY low lows. I'm seeing that trend a lot in these folk releases. Granted folk was never my genre so maybe I don't know much. I like the mountain goats.
Phuture Doom- s/t
La Grande Messe Noire- Starts off as minimalist dark ambient while a very "you're in a church after dark buddy your ass is grass" voice provides a melody in the background. occasional bell ringings and a slowly appearing Organ really set the mood for what's about to come. In addition, on top of all this are some gregorian chant sounding vocals. I can't necessarily call this a "good song" but it definitely sets the mood for the album. Great production but I'm gonna leave it out of the final score
Burn The Knowledge- this song goes from fucking zero to 100 in under 2 seconds, basically opening with what most Electronic Music Frat Bros would call a "drop" i guess. Sounds very neurofunk-esque even though the song is 140bpm. After a few seconds of that it just RIPS RIGHT INTO a black metal breakdown. The BM guitar shows up during the ""drop"""" part too. In all honesty this is one of the most coherent genre mashup songs I've heard. Near the end a squelching guitar feedback noise leads its way into a full on black metal bit that fades out. Goddamn. A+ song
Black Acid Reign- love how this track and the one before it bleed into eachother perfectly. This one starts off with the black metal but blends it perfectly into a drum and bass esque acid synth fuckhole. I don't know any other way to put it. The best part is about half way into the song, everything drops and becomes damn near silent. the track slowly fades back in as the acid synths pick up alongside the drums. The buildup ends in one of the best climaxes on the album- a perfect combination of the Black Metal bits with acid synthjams over it. Cannot express how much I love this track.
Han Breaks- Starts off with a soft synth and ambient noises under a vaguely tribal sounding chant. with little to no warning it switches to a very "fat of the land"-era Prodigy breaks section and... pretty much stays there for the rest of the song. and the second verse in the song is basically the same as the first. This track really doesn't do it for me.
Mach 100- what a goddamn fitting title. This track is full of Venetian Snares level breakneck amens, with a synth that sounds like a buzz saw going at about 50,000mph flies over it. The production on this is NUTS and the inclusion of the live drums makes it even better. Only complaint is the section where the song goes halftime for no reason, and how short it is.
Doom Terror Corps- again, love how this one bleeds into the track before it. This fucking track. It's a full on homage to the oldschool UK Hardcore and Acid House scenes, even featuring an almost insufferable MC shouting the name of the group. I feel like this one could have been shorter but considering how much everything in it changes over time, it's fine as is. There's a breakdown with some fucking bollywood-esque vocals that oddly work. Definitely a great track.
Rites- bleeds in again. noticing a pattern. love how this starts off with some dark ambient vibes. echoy synths, vocals and hihats. definitely an odd change of pace from the last track though. 1:30in or so a slow almost trip-hop like beat comes in via an ACTUAL DRUM KIT (can't get over that). Fuck. These strings come in and goddamn yeah. Yeah. This kinda goes on until the last 2 minutes, where a slow acid stab synth comes in, finishing the whole fucking thing up. Love the progression but it could've happened faster.
Paradise Lost- it's uncredited but this track has vocals from some uk rap collective called Murkage? We get a, now expected, echo-y chant-y intro, but this time with echoy and distorted samples from the song's vocals. Then out of nowhere the song drops into this guitar riff and oldschool "out of tune synth" rave kinda melody at hip-hop beats. Best way I could describe this uhhh. A dystopian sounding Diesel Power from The Fat Of The Land. The vocals are goddamn near impossible to understand. Only bad thing here is how abruptly the song ends. worst of all it's not even to bleed into the next track. It just kinda. Stops.
Phuneral Phuture- HERE WE FUCKIN GO ALRIGHT we're back to the black metal influence in full force. a damn near lord-of-the-rings-vibe to the melody too. This fade and becomes some kinda halftime drum and bass track with one of the most intense synth lines I've ever heard. I don't even know how to handle this. The back to black metal breakdown has a really odd sounding hihat roll to it at IDM speeds. i have a weird gut feeling owsla made them add some kinda """"trap""" influence to the song. that's all i got. that said, sans the hihat rolls, this is probably one of the top 3 songs on the album
Exodus- huh. this track is left field as fuck. piano, horn sections, chimes, a shuffle drum beat with a not loud as fuck kick drum. sounds like "Victory Music" or "End Credits Music" for some big summer action blockbuster. I like it so far but what the fuck lmao. Shit picks up and the horn section starts getting chopped up while the drums lay an almost typical beat down. and then, just as soon as it started, a final bell rings, and everything fades out to an ambent and swampy soundscape.
Favorite Tracks- Burn The Knowledge, Phuneral Phuture, Mach 100
Least Favorite Tracks- Han Breaks
Average Score- 7/9
Score With Personal Bias on that scale or whatever- 8.5/10
Additional Notes- the fuck was up with that last track?
Arcade Fire- Reflektor CD1
Hidden Track- I'm not reviewing this. Fuck this song.
Reflektor- you can pretty much tell the LCD Soundsystem dude produced this album. Danceable beats with a distinct groove in the background. The lyrics are kinda bullshit. In fact I pretty much hate all the vocals on this. Why the fuck are there lyrics randomly in french? The horns in the chorus appear for like 5 seconds and then go away. What the fuck is up with that. 2 minutes in and I'm already ready for this to be over. Some weird acid-like synths in here that make it interesting though. It kinda becomes noise-pop towards the middle but then shifts back to the danceable groove. This feels unfocused as hell. Is this really 8 goddamn minutes long? What the fuck.
We Exist- I seriously can't believe this fucking album. A really basic beat with occasional echo-y guitar strums. There's some My Bloody Valentine level distortion about half way through this. I kinda dig that. Doesn't make up for the track itself though.
Flashbulb Eyes- obligatory benn jordan joke. Intro has some promise but then it bleeds into this weird electronic surf rock kinda deal. What the fuck. Honestly this one isn't so bad. Probably the best one I've heard so far.
Here Comes The Night Time- sounds like an Avalanches song but then dissolves into a fast-paced drum bit that again dissolves into some slow-beat jam with what sounds like a stock casio synth in the background. This album is a joke, right?
4:15 through 5:40 is cool
god dammit i can't believe this album isn't a joke.
Normal Person- starts off with a live sample. Great. "do you like rock and roll music, cause i don't know if i do" nice opening lines you gigantic fuckhole. This is like animal collective trying to make a 50's rock song. I can't do this. I can't fucking do this. Did I download the wrong album?
2:40 on is very prog-esque. Probably one of the few moments I've enjoyed so far.
You Already Know- HHAHAHAHAHA HOLY SHIT THIS INTRO. A MUFFLED VOICE INTRODUCING THE BAND. FUCKING HAND CLAPPING. HAHAHAHAH. I can't fucking do this
Joan of Arc- so it starts off sounding like a cross between Swans' "The Seer" and the THX bumper music and then cuts to old punk so lo fi there is no bass to speak of. Then it suddenly goes into a shuffle kick snare pattern with. What the fuck. What the absolute fuck is this album.
CD2
Here Comes The Night Time II- great a "sequel song" that doesn't come right after the first one. Who the fuck thought that was a good idea. Interesting kinda cosmic fade-in. Not hateful so far. Kinda sounds like Spiritualized. Lots of cool progression actually. I legitimately like this one
Awful Sound- song sucks until about 2:04, at which point it sounds like an acoustic Tycho song with weird vocals. Starts sucking again at 3:05. 4:07 onward gets more and more "loveless"-style distorted again which is cool until they FUCK IT UP AGAIN by repeating that alt-country sounding shit from 2:04
It's Never Over- legitimately had to skip this one
Porno- a darkened-soul with synthwork vibe to this one. kinda like this one. still loathe the vocals. then again, without the vocals this song would just sound like adult swim bumper music so. the bit at 1:52 is cool. I think that's the chorus? does this album even have choruses? fuck if i know. Anyway I'd say this is the only song I'd listen to again. That said, the whole "james murphy lcd soundsystem" thing doesn't really translate well to a verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge songwriting style.
Afterlife- sounds like arcade fire trying to be a poppy !!! ripoff lmao. fuck this song
Supersymmetry- an 11 minute long track wherein only the first half is an actual song, and the first half of that half is the only part with vocals. The last half almost sounds like field recordings and, oddly enough, is one of the only moments on this I've enjoyed
Favorite Tracks- Here Comes The Night II, last 3/4 of Supersymmetry, Porno
Least Favorite Tracks- the rest of em
Average Score- CD1- 0/7 | CD2- 2/6 (+1 for HCTNII, + 0.5 for Porno, + 0.5 for Supersymmetry) = 2/13
Scaled Score- 1/10
Additional Notes- this is the first time I've ever intentionally listened to arcade fire
Gesaffelstein- Aleph
Out Of Line- Industrial-sounding drums at a drum circle pace echo as a vaguely robotic female voice shouts angrily over it. Bell samples and what sounds like gunshots. I have no idea what's going on here but I'm scared and I goddamn love it. I can't explain what this is really. Dark as hell.
Pursuit- hell yeah hell yeah hell yeah hell yeah. crazy dark synth lead with what sounds like an amon tobin level sample shit. i think that's the sound of a switchblade. Screaming vocal sample with a distant and echoing snare bleeds into a 4/4 head-thumping beat. Right away the coolest fucking thing about this album is how it uses panning. there's a hissy-sounding hihat that mostly only exists on the left speaker and occasional sounds that only pop up on the right speaker. This kinda sounds like what electro house wants to sound like, if it wanted to sound like a dark as hell adventure through a neo-technical wasteland in one of those fucked up concerts that happens in an abandoned train tunnel
Nameless- Slowed down with some ambient synth pads but still maintaining that dark vibe. Sounds almost xxyyxx-esque. Fucking love this.
Destinations- The haunting and almost overwhelming kick drum on this is almost death grips esque. In fact that's what this sounds like. This sounds like what The Money Store era death grips would sound like if they tried to make Club Music. The soundscapes in this one are engrossing and echoing with a very cyberpunk haunted house kinda feel to them. Feel like I'm about to get jumped by a dude in a mechanical mask and tied up // tortured with some sorta futuristic sex toy for the next few years of my life.
Obsession- This is actually kinda starting to sound almost Mr. Oizo-esque but less wacky. Kinda like uhhhh... Gesaffelstein is to Oizo like Faith No More was to Mr. Bungle. They both have the same roots and try to be dark at times but one of them is decidedly more wacky as hell. This song's still going with that neo-futuristic shit, but now bordering on maximalist with all the sounds going on. I'm actually getting overwhelmed (in a good way)
Hellifornia- A spacy intro fades quickly into a synth-driven beat that sounds like a fucking Danny Brown instrumental with nothing more than TV Static to warn you. This feels like a change in pace, finally, but still maintaining the vibe. 100% honest I'm gonna say this, this is what Yeezus should've sounded like. This makes the production on that album (specifically Send It Up) sound like trash. Complete fucking trash. I should review Yeezus next
Actually I just got a mashup idea so I'll finish this later
Kanye West- Yeezus
Yeezus is the literal definition of style over substance.
From the artwork to the lyrical content, kanye's taking all the things the media THINKS he is ("reverse racist" even tho that's not a real thing, a narcissist, a misogynst, a man who hates jews, a faux-artist, etc) and puts into a persona that he wears as a post-ironic joke for himself and those into him enough to get it. The album is almost the exact opposite of 2010's MBDTF, favoring minimal production over maximalist gems full of samples, and self-hyping lyrics instead of "i'm an asshole, what the fuck am i doing", in an intentional artistic move kanye even acknowledges on the album ("as soon as they like you make em unlike you" obviously refers to MBDTF's critical acclaim and how yeezus is that album's antithes).
But for everything the album has in artistic intentent, subversive self parody, and occasional legitimate social commentary ("New Slaves"), it lacks in actual musical content. The production, while good on some tracks ("Blood On The Leaves", "Send It Up") is sadly a bit rough and, at times, jarring in its seeming obsession with untransitioned changes (i.e. Frank Ocean's verse on New Slaves coming out of nowhere (even though i really liked that feature)). For every song with a good message, like New Slaves, there are 2 or 3 with shoddy production and post-ironic lyrics that, while offering some criticism of the media's perception of kanye, are honestly too irony-driven to ever have an honest message.
In all, the album shows Kanye at his most conceptual and artistic, but the album is held back by hit or miss production and weak lyrical content.
Favorite Tracks- Black Skinhead, Blood On The Leaves, New Slaves
Least Favorite Tracks- Hold My Liquor, Bound 2, On Sight
Overall Rating- 5/10
Score (With Bias)- 4/10
Additional Comments- I love the album conceptually, but a concept can only carry an album so far. Excited for his upcoming Q-Tip and Rick Rubin produced "sequel album"
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