Head over to the Artist Permissions forum section for all the details on how you can get your music into the game.
You'll be able to ask for help, and hopefully find out if anyone is interested in immediately stepping your tunes.
All the best,
Zageron
An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge
Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge
Originally posted by Coolboyrulez0
CBR - i'm done trying
anything over a 2 rating would be retarded
l m f a o
Now We Know Why Aliens Are Afraid of Visiting Planet Earth is actually not bad for mashcore (dancecore?) standards, the rest range from bad to okay. I can't give it anything below a 2 (out of 10), I really don't hate it that much. It's so silly though lmao. Maybe a generous 3.5 or something for almost trying.
Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge
on a more serious note here are some more i'd like your opinion on, really like most reviews so far.
Machinedrum - Room(s)
xi - Agartha
Benefit of the boomerang - Many strings attached
Vorpal - ~The End
clonepa (vs umio & miii) - the goat god's city cousins
Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge
Added the first four albums. You exceeded your shortlist limit though, would you like to swap Many Strings Attached or The End with any other album?
As for The Goat God's City Cousins, it's solid for the most part. 40 Dozen Dead Birds and its remixes are top-notch. Miii's tracks are great, Umio's tracks are decent. Clonepa is good, of course, but he has done better. I'd probably give that a 7/10, Libera Me De Mort Aeterna, Courroux and Pasdedeux are better albums.
Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge
Done.
June 2nd, 2014
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ 一撃 by Undead Corporation
I've been putting this off for a while now. Undead Corporation is a metalcore/melodic death metal band from Japan. 一撃 is nothing new from them, but I haven't listened to them before - other than Magus Night Fever.
As you might have guessed from the album cover, all of the tracks are Touhou arranges. It's one of the harshest sounding Touhou metal albums though. The instrumentation is nothing short of brutal. The vocals are incredibly raw-sounding, far too raw-sounding really. The instrumentation is actually quite good, but the vocals really ruin it. Tracks like The Silent World and Magus Night Fever become much less of an enjoyable experience. The vocals are too overpowering, doesn't help that they aren't that good either. In fact, they're probably some of the worst metalcore vocals I've heard in a long time. The World No Hope Remains is slightly better than the rest, mainly because the vocals aren't as harsh. The female vocals are a nice touch too - but nothing too special. It's definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the subpar screaming though. The main downside? The instrumentation isn't as catchy as the other tracks.
Tracks are not very varied, Put Curse On You has some black metal influences going on. Not the type of black metal that I'd like, unfortunately. The other tracks are generally the same, maybe with different emphasis on metalcore or melodeath. The melodies are different from each other, but it's nothing special. I wouldn't really count that as variation, since they are arranges of melodies that were made to start with.
Ugh... the vocals are just asinine. Every track could be so much better if they were merely instrumentals. Fortunately, the album does have instrumentals of the same tracks. I'm not sure if it's because they're aware that not everyone would like the vocals or not, but that's neat regardless.
As I mentioned before, the instrumentation is wonderful. It's inevitable that the instrumentals are better than their vocal counterparts. So much raw energy, so catchy, it just works. The Touhou melodies aren't quite as prominent as a couple of other arrange albums. This gives it a more original sound, which is always a plus. Tracks like The Silent World and Chain Heart Girl are far more hard-hitting, and the riffs are phenomenal. It's pretty much everything that makes metalcore and melodeath so engaging for me in one package. Catchy riffs, a VERY rough and raw atmosphere... amazing. Almost disappointed that there aren't any other instrumentals like this. They're usually too soft or just not very engaging. The only problem I have with the instrumentations is that they aren't very varied. Some tracks do get a little tiring after repeated listens, but the fact that I could listen to them multiple times is good enough. My question is though... why didn't they make the instrumentals the main tracks? The instrumentation is so much better than the vocals.
I would love to elaborate more on why I love the instrumentation. Unfortunately, I can't talk too much about metal. It's not a genre I'm quite experienced with. I have listened to a lot of metal albums in the past, but not to its technical aspects.
It would be unfair to rate the overall album with instrumentals in it. I'm pretty sure the instrumentals are only meant to be bonus tracks. I'm also rating the instrumentation in the tracks with vocals to begin with. So, I'm just going to split those two components. The tracks with vocals are not very good. The growls are too abrasive, too rough. The screaming is completely senseless, with no clear rhyme or rhythm. It just feels like someone screaming to metal Touhou covers. The instrumentals are fantastic, no reason to pass them up. If you're into metalcore/melodeath, this is probably one of the best Touhou metal albums you can get. Just scrap the first 9 tracks, they're not worth your time.
With Vocals Album Highlights: The World No Hope Remains, Chain Heart Girl Track Average Rating: 2.44/5 Overall Rating: 4/10
Instrumentals Album Highlights: Magus Night Fever, Chain Heart Girl, The Silent World Track Average Rating: 4.06/5 Overall Rating: 8/10
Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge
Originally posted by Crazyjayde
Also I can't wait for a Summvs or Insen review.
random.org gave me Insen. I think it's fair to review both on the same day.
June 3rd, 2014
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Insen by Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto(recommended by Crazyjayde)
Two relatively big artists with very contrasting styles working together. Alva Noto is a minimal glitch artist, comparable to Ryoji Ikeda. He is an artist that I've heard of, but I have not heard his works. On the other hand, we have Ryuichi Sakamoto. Prolific modern classical/new age/ambient artist. Not too big on his modern classical works. I made a review before this regarding 1996. It was a little promising, but brought down by its incoherent ideas and long-windedness. Together, they have made a total of three albums: Summvs, Insen and Vrioon.
Aurora is a dreamy minimal piano piece accompanied with Alva Noto's minimal glitch sound. The combination isn't quite as noisy as I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. It's a little bit odd though, seeing this juxtaposition of dreaminess and clinical atmospheres. Perhaps dreaminess isn't the best word - light is probably better. Even then, however, is still an odd combination. It's a little bit odd... but I'd say that the glitches really gave this piece more life. These glitches form tiny specks all over the landscape, like momentary small holes on a white piece of paper. Interesting combination, but not as cathartic as I expected. It's a pleasant listen, nonetheless.
I'm not quite sure what Morning is trying to portray. It's like a picture of the sky, but I couldn't conjure its details. The distortion makes it really difficult to determine even its colour. The light static almost feels like a drizzle, which is the only reason why I feel like it's raining. The melodies feel like it's looming as well, but it's only prominent towards the end. Not quite sure what to think of this, but it's an interesting sound.
This juxtaposition of warm piano melodies and callous bleeps and bloops continue. It's quite unique - there's very little I could compare it to. I can't compare it to Program Music I, as the glitches feel far warmer in that than this. It would be a completely unreasonable comparison, as the only things in common are piano melodies and boops. This album is like watching different rivers while it's raining. Ripples form as raindrops fall into the water, it's an interesting sight. Some ripples are larger than others. Some rivers react to some raindrops in a more beautiful way than others. That's really what differentiates each track from the others to me. I can't dismiss it as monotonous because these sounds are very interesting.
Each track has different emphasis on either Ryuichi or Noto's components. Take Avaol for example. The piano melodies are very distorted in this - it feels like part of the glitchiness now. It reminds me of snowflakes falling, or heavy rain, or just one thick mist. However it's pretty certain that Noto is doing most of the work in this album.
For ambient, I want catharsis. It's one of the main reasons why I enjoy ambient, but there isn't much catharsis here. The music is a bit confused in that aspect. With two such contrasting elements, it's hard to decipher an actual emotion. The album however, is lush with intricate soundscapes. They're so different. Its simplicity is what makes it so beautiful. There is so little going on, but at the same time the landscape is massive. The piano sets up this large but sparse landscape, while the glitches create slight modifications. The concept is simple, but it's executed quite well.
It feels odd though. It doesn't quite feel right, just feasting my eyes with marvelous landscapes. I don't really enjoy it as much as a cathartic album with some fairly vague pictures - like 88. It's probably because my perception is ultimately, less significant than my emotional being. It's appealing to a part of me that I rarely use to appreciate things. Didn't quite click with me as much as I'd want to unfortunately.
Definitely a keeper. I really like this album, but it doesn't faze me. It's impressing me in the wrong departments, so to speak. Not saying that I won't enjoy an album that's mainly very pretty, but I only get slight enjoyment at most. But hey, it's a very neat combination of sounds. Just not something that I would listen to on a regular basis. Feels like something you'd put up in a sound art museum more than anything to be honest.
Album Highlights: Moon, Iano Track Average Rating: 3.44/5 Overall Rating: 7/10
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Summvs by Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto(recommended by choof)
Summvs, on the other hand, is more piano-driven. The glitches aren't anywhere as prominent as Insen's, but they're still there in the background. Microon I sets off an eerie mood with some slightly offkey piano with a loomy digital atmosphere. The mood is there, but it's not very effective. The melody feels very aimless, the electronic elements don't help much either.
The juxtaposition is far more prominent here. Despite the glitches being more in the background than Insen, the atmospheres they create contrast greatly. In Insen, there are a couple of moments where they complement each other well. It doesn't quite happen as often here. The landscapes aren't quite as intricate either. Most of these glitch elements become very predictable, which somewhat ruins the beauty of these pictures. They're too uniform and uninteresting at that point.
What Summvs makes up for, however, are large atmospheres. Halo is a seven minute track, with very subtle piano melodies and looming ambience. It's very beautiful, it's like watching a night sky in a forest. They complement each other just enough to make this cohesive bleak landscape. The track goes downhill at the last minute or so, when it progresses to something more sinister. It ruined the subtlety of it, so I was a little disappointed.
Other than that though... most of the album just feels aimless. Not many of the tracks create a nice atmosphere like Halo did. Summvs doesn't quite have the same charm as Insen, it's like an entirely different album. The intricate landscapes? Not there anymore. The pleasant sounds of glitch? Still there, but nowhere as much. There aren't too many redeeming elements in this album. It's just quite mundane. The sounds are usually pleasant, but that's all there is to it. By This River is the prettiest track out of the rest of these - but it's not saying much. The piano melody drove this quite well, but I'd much rather see it as a piano piece.
Probably not going to listen to this again. There's a little too much to be ambiguous, but the pictures aren't clear enough. The sound itself is alright, but I've heard much better. I did expect something more emotional, as there's more emphasis on Ryuichi. It didn't happen, unfortunately. There are some moments that I felt were warm, but not many. The rest of the album felt flat - the soundscapes are quite boring too. Not much to catch my attention overall. Can't give it too low of a rating because I don't dislike it though. I just expected a lot more, since I just heard Insen before it.
Album Highlights: Halo, Ionoscan Track Average Rating: 2.55/5 Overall Rating: 5/10
Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge
June 4th, 2014
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Eyes Like Brontide by Lights Out Asia
Lights Out Asia is an American post-rock/ambient band.
When I listen to a lot of albums from a particular genre, it's inevitable that I'll make comparisons. A Day Towards Other Days' atmosphere is strikingly similar to Mono's, minus the crescendos. It's hazy and blurry, it sounds quite good. Shame it's a bit too short though. The next track is quite different, however. Radars Over the Ghosts of Chernobyl has some electronic elements, embedded with post-rock. It's quite cinematic overall, it feels too flashy at points. It especially shows in its sole post-rock moments. The dreamy vocals are a nice touch, but it doesn't help much. The entire track just feels aimless - there's not much going on. The music fits in most scenarios, but it doesn't have its own form. It doesn't create imagery by itself, which isn't really a good thing for post-rock.
X-33 is a simpler track and far less flashy. Despite its simplicity, It actually sounds very very pretty. It's like watching fireworks, and the stars shine after the light show. It makes me feel so free - I can feel all my thoughts just leave me. All I just want to do is sit down and gaze at the sky. It's a track that works viscerally. That's really what makes most good minimal tracks so good. Shame that it's short though.
Most of the long tracks here really don't do much. The long tracks could honestly be cut in half to have the same effect. It's too aimless, wandering off isn't necessarily a good thing in post-rock. Ironically enough, it's the shorter tracks that caught my attention. Lights Out Asia seems to be able to put a lot into short tracks, which is superb. Unfortunately I feel that they weren't able to do the same for the longer tracks. They seem to put in too little - collectively less than the shorter tracks. The only exception would be The Wrong Message Could End You, but it's because of its variation. It progresses quite a bit, changing from a post-rock ambient atmosphere to a psychedelic one. Not quite my cup of tea, but it's different.
The electronic sound is quite rich, but that's all it really provides for me. There's nothing much that I can appreciate, other than that. The ambience is nice, but not very stunning. In fact it goes by the other ear quite quickly. There are some very brief moments of genius, but that's all there is to it. The vivid skies of MIR 4 minutes in are something to be stunned by, but it ends quick. Didn't even take a minute for these beautiful colours to disappear, which is disappointing.
Not much variation to really counter its lack of inspiration. These sounds don't bring anything new to the table, but they are relaxing. Relaxing music can only get you so far though - especially with genres that aren't really relaxing. Most ambient does create a more clear and vivid soundscape than this. Most post-rock is far more interesting than this. This doesn't quite work, either way.
Six Points of Fire is the strongest track here, no doubt. An 11 minute track that just builds up more and more to create this wall of distorted instrumentation. It also has some very striking similarities to Mono. The introduction has some pretty pictures. They're a little more wonderful than the atmospheres in the shorter tracks, too. Having that sense of direction by the loud drums and all though... that's a huge plus. It makes everything just so breath-taking. The debris after the storm clears up slightly, and goes back to yet another storm. The transition isn't as fluid as the one before it, but it works. Being engulfed by this maelstrom of noise is good enough. Phenomenal closer..
The rest of the album... just doesn't click with me. It's too unmemorable and unspectacular. It's just your typical post-rock with ambience. There isn't anything new, nor is this any better than albums of the same genre. Not as bland as Lowercase Noises, but this isn't too much of an improvement. Only recommended for fans of post-rock, particularly 65daysofstatic or God Is An Astronaut.
Album Highlights: Six Points of Fire, X-33 Track Average Rating: 2.75/5 Overall Rating: 5.5/10
Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge
you might like their more recent album more, eyes like brontide is GOOD but it's less "complete" compared to in the days of jupiter or w/e it is
Originally posted by cetaka
I saw a flyer on a bulletin board at school asking for high-functioning aspergers/autism people to participate in some kind of experiment, and all I could think was, that sounds like a great place to meet girls.
Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge
FUCK YE EZ, you know how to please somebody rofl.
More seriously, even if Vrioon is the definite contender in composition and atmosphere, it's probably Insen who struck home the hardest for me. I've always considered both to be counterparts, with the following Summvs to be the relief. The parallel somebody made about them being night and day is actually very defining, and it actually gives a sense as to why Insen seems to be less stimulative or dynamic. The cover art also remind me of some color perception theories, and I think they've made good usage of these hues as indicative of the desired imagery. But, anyways, Insen is definitely a grower, but I think its strength relies so much on the actual sonic experience.
Which leads me to this important point about it being my entry point at the time into more meditative and leftfield music. I think the most fascinating part of this collaboration is how two absolutely distinctive and quite seemingly antagonistic instruments start to weave through similar timbres or nuances and become one. After a while in this slightly fuzzy and immersive bubble, you might come to a particular contemplative area, not quite divergent from catharsis, but a derivative of it nonetheless. The majesty of it, at least from a personal level, mind you, is that the outcome of this confounding phenomenon can be translated through different senses, whereas, if I'd look at a scenery, I'll start to perceive synesthetic vibrations and feel as though this artifical sounding soundscape meddles with some of my most acquainted sounds. For example, sometimes, it's about how the more minimalistic side of it creates a rhythmic pattern in the myriad of actions constituting my environment, and just links them in a surprising collage. It's fucking great. Although not an essential step, it still made me realize that music can also be enjoyed as a way to orchestrate my perceptions, as those are the ultimate filters of enjoyment. Sometimes it's more about the experiment, then there's the whole background around it. So yeah, next time you know I was enjoying a lot of lowercase.
Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge
I did reach that grey area of contemplation, but I didn't quite recognise it as a deviation of catharsis. I personally don't feel too attached to Insen, but I see where you're coming from. How you explained your love for the album is really neat too. My perceptions are usually a bit more animated and natural - so it's hard to elaborate on Insen. Your perceptions seem to be more mechanical and artificial. Not saying that it's bad, but it's really really neat.
Speaking of experimentation...
June 5th, 2014
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Confield by Autechre
Autechre is hailed as one of the masters of minimal electronic music. With albums like Tri Repetae and LP5 under their belt, it's hard to disagree. Their subtle sound has been quite interesting to some, cathartic to others. I don't quite have the same reactions, but some of them work. Tankakern (from Quarastice), Gantz Graf, C/Pach, Rae are all great tracks from them. Confield is one of their more experimental albums.
VI Score Poise is the only track here that is similar to their older works. It's quite minimal, but doesn't quite appeal to me. The glitches are alright, but nothing engaging to me. It feels like a bunch of incoherent sounds, altogether. It feels very mechanical in its approach, which is Ae's signature atmosphere. Most of their work are considered cold and clinical, and I don't disagree.
Cfern's hard kickdrum is almost disorienting. It starts off somewhat predictable at first, but it becomes harder to focus later on. When you think you found a particular rhythm, it does something different to throw you off. I almost feel like I'm getting a headache from this, actually. Not a good thing, but wow. I didn't expect any track to make me feel dizzy. I could just fall off my chair at any moment... this is nuts. It doesn't quite cause any claustrophobia or anything to me - but I could see it. I just think that the disorientation effect is far more prominent here. Quite frankly, I can't listen to this without getting a headache...
Pen Expers is like an explosion in comparison to the first two tracks. Though not as noisy as Gantz Graf, it is relentless in its approach. The track is aggressive, but at the same time a little subtle. The sounds are soft, but it's just... intimidating. At the same time though, it almost feels like Rae with thicker skin. It's more callous, but the core is still there. You can see that it's still emotional inside. It just doesn't want to show its weak side, it's too enjoyable being chaotic after all. Doesn't quite hit me on an emotional level, but the sound is pretty, albeit a little rough at points.
Sim Gishel is just looming terror in its most minimal form. The ambience is actually terrifying and uncomfortable. The other intricate sounds just serve as a chant for the danger to appear. I have no idea what's coming... but it doesn't look good at all. I could almost hear distorted growling halfway through. I'm starting to feel a little paranoid... I'm running out of space to hide. What... what even is going on.. I ca-q͏̨̧̛e̴̷҉f͏̢͟q̸̧̕͜͝ę̸̢̕͘u̶f̸̨͢q̷̀e̸͏̶̡ì͏̨͠f̶̶h҉̵̀ęq͞͏͟f̡̡̢͝͡ŗ̶͘͢͟ȩ̷̧̕͠j̷̡̀o̡͡r̴̵q̷̡͜
j̸̡̡͟͟ǫ̀͝ŕk̀̕ȩ̢̕͢y̷͡҉u̢̡͠͠i̵̡͘͢͜ ̷́͘͘q̶̴ứ̴͟͢e̵̛̛̕͢q̡̕͜͢͠ ̡͜͏͜͠q͢͏̴̸̨e̴͢͜q͝͏͏ ̡̛҉̶̕9̶̸̕8͟͠3͏͞0̵̛҉͠2҉́̕1̷͘͜͞ ̵́̕҉͟8̵̵̶͠2҉̧̢̨͢0́̕é͞é̵͜u̸̷̡͞j̵͠d̷̵̸̀̕ò̵̡į͢͟͝w̷͠͠ ̨͠҉̡d̡̡ę̸́̕͢q̴̴̛i̛͘h̷̡͝j̴͘e̶̕ǫ̷̢͜͝q͘͘h͞҉̀ ̶̀͘e̷q͘͘͡ ̷́̕͝è̵̛͝͝3͡q̷͏͠u̡̧ì4͏g̴̷e͏̴̧͟͝i̸̡ư͟ ̡̕̕͜h̶͝é́͘q̨̧̢̕͡ẃ͠h͡ ͡͏̸͢e̶͏͏͡q̕͏̶w̨̡͜ǫ̛͢͢͡e͟͝
Confield, to me, is one of Autechre's more cathartic albums. LP5 fits this criteria for me. Tri Repetae doesn't quite do that, it's just a nice collection of sounds. I know there are some people who feel dread, confusion and hatred through Autechre, though. I just can't quite reach that level of understanding just yet. But, I do feel some emotion here. As I said before, Sim Gishel is very terrifying. In fact, the entire album is just a schizophrenic, claustrophobic and anxious journey. Some tracks are significantly weaker both in quality and atmosphere, like Parhelic Triangle, but a couple of them work. It's a little interesting how two significantly different tracks evoke the same feeling though. Bine evokes the same emotion that Sim Gishel did. However, Bine is far more structured and aggressive. It's quite soft, but it's so fast you can barely comprehend what's going on. The sounds of machines moving at breakneck speeds... definitely something to write back home.
I don't really have anything overly negative to say about this album. While I do respect this album as a piece of art, I don't like it that much. They're a tad too minimal for me to embrace. Even some of the louder tracks don't do it for me. Pen Expers is indeed loud, but not memorable. A good majority of the album doesn't quite inflict enough trauma to be remembered. With tracks this minimal, you do need something large to capture my attention. Confield doesn't quite do it for me. I wouldn't say that this album is clinical, but rather too subtle. I especially can't call this inhuman because of one particular track, Lentic Cathachresis. I'm really not sure how to explain it. It just feels the most humane out of all of the other tracks. While it gets incredibly chaotic towards the end, I can feel a sense of human confusion. It's very complex, but at the same time there's this huge level of familiarity. I can't quite pinpoint what... but it's one of the most engaging works Autechre has done in a while.
I still have that headache from Cfern, by the way. Autechre is not really an artist I can fully appreciate, because of this. I haven't really gotten used to their sound, even after six albums. While I understand that Autechre changes quite considerably after each album - they tend to barely miss the mark. Confield is not an exception, unfortunately. It doesn't quite click with me, or at least as much as I'd like it to. I just want something more emotionally engaging, more warm. I don't think I'm necessarily asking the right artist, because Ae doesn't do that at all. I could be wrong though, I've heard Amber was quite a warm experience. I should check that out some other time. Oversteps and Amber are the last two Autechre albums that I'm interested in.
I'd rank this as the third best album I've heard from them. Tri Repetae and LP5 are better. This album is better than Exai, Quarastice and Draft 7.30 for me. Gantz Graf is on another level though.
Album Highlights: Bine, Lentic Catachresis Track Average Rating: 3.11/5 Overall Rating: 6/10
Confield exhausted me out, but I'll do an EP anyway.
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ You Made Me Realise by My Bloody Valentine
My Bloody Valentine is one of the biggest shoegaze acts ever. They're especially known for albums like Isn't Anything and Loveless - particularly the latter. They are known as THE seminal shoegaze band. Loveless has been praised as one of the best, if not the best shoegaze album. I personally disagree, though. I'm not really a big fan of Loveless, and the band in general. I'll explain why at the end. You Make Me Realise is a very short EP from MBV, only 15 minutes long.
You Made Me Realise starts off with decent distorted instrumentation, albeit a little trite. Bonus points for the overwhelming instrumentation occasionally. The vocals do ruin it slightly for me, but it's not that bad. It's just the delivery/the tone that bothers me more. It just reminds me of post-punk, which really isn't my thing. It's really the only reason why I don't like MBV as much as I should. I didn't like Loveless as much as I should because of the same reason. The instrumentation gets a little too corny for me at points, too.
Slow is what you expect, slow. Vocals are a little more tolerable, but the instrumentation isn't as engaging. Nowhere as catchy, but it's a heavy sound. You can't go too wrong with heavy sound, but it's just a bit too aimless here. Lovesliescrushing does it better than My Bloody Valentine in the dense department, in my opinion. The track's alright, just nothing too much to talk about.
Cigarette in Your Bed is a lot better. The female dreamy vocals work far better than male vocals here. The instrumentation is good, but again, nothing too special. It's very catchy, too. My favourite track from the EP, it has the elements of a shoegaze track that appeals to me. It's dreamy, it's hazy, it's shoegazer. I think MBV does well when they try to create ethereal atmospheres - this track does show it. Drive It All Over Me is alright, but nothing much to talk about. The second half is much better than the first. I really don't like Thorn.
I think I have a problem with MBV's general sound more than anything else. I understand that My Bloody Valentine is one of the innovators of shoegaze, but that's it. I don't quite like Loveless as much as many others do - it's too tame and not hazy enough. There are some tracks in Loveless that are quite ethereal, but it's a rarity for me. There's something about the album that I just don't like about. I think it's just the overall atmosphere. Tracks like What You Want and When You Sleep just doesn't appeal to me at all. It just feels corny, for the lack of a better word. I would like people to tell me the appeal of MBV, and Loveless in general. I just don't get the album and the band as a whole. I feel that there are many other shoegaze bands that are better as well. You Make Me Realise is pretty different from Loveless, but it still doesn't click with me. Just doesn't work, I guess. Very unpopular opinion, but...
Album Highlights: Cigarette in Your Bed Track Average Rating: 2.4/5 Overall Rating: 4/10
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