The Syndicate

I apologize for my inactivity here as well. Obviously it’s been a very hectic summer. Look forward to rebooting it in the future with you all!

I've been busy. I'll catch up soon, sorry!

Well, at least it wasn't dataplex, though you would just get people thinking you're a robot, so maybe infinity is worse.

G-Man wrote: ↑Thu Jun 14, 2018 11:54 am That feeling when you call a co-worker into your office to discuss something important and you realize partway through your conversation that Aphrodite's Child's "Infinity" is playing on your speakers.

OMG now that’s amazing.

nutella wrote: ↑Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:59 pm ok cool, I didn't feel like that term alone covered the heavy sample-y nature of it

That's understandable; there's definitely sound collage and/or plunderphonics heavily in there too.

nutella wrote: ↑Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:51 pm I knew you'd be into it.

what do you think as far as genre tags though idk what to call it lol

I think you pretty much covered it. I'd call it folktronica.

nutella wrote: ↑Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:46 pm k I've decided on a submission: The Books - Thought for Food / aleatoric/folktronica/sound collage / 12 tracks / 38:31 / available on spotify, youtube and bandcamp

Cool album.

Lanquidity is easily the most accessible Sun Ra album, but it’s also one of his best and not quite typical jazz fusion. Definitely a neat album to play in the evening especially.

And the final track is my favorite too but the whole album is solid. Grew on me a lot over time too.

Knowing how my tastes normally get received though, chances are you all will like those more than the albums I regularly submit.

G-Man wrote: ↑Wed Jun 06, 2018 12:17 pm You know what might be funny? If we set aside one submission phase and had everyone submit an album that they think is bad and that everyone will probably agree is bad. I need to fill in the lower end of my list.

I definitely have some albums that immediately come to mind. That could be an interesting change from the norm.

G-Man wrote: ↑Wed Jun 06, 2018 10:02 am I should be caught up by the end of the week. I'm not sure what to throw in the hat next. I feel guilty that four out of my top five SAW albums so far are my own submissions.

Haha, you shouldn't; that's inevitable to a degree anyway, right?

Golden wrote: ↑Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:48 pm

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Sun Mar 04, 2018 2:31 pm I listened again today, this time a version from the Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Orchestra. It was again agreeable and pleasant, which often seems to be the extent of my reception of classical music. To me there always seems to be something missing at the core which limits its ceiling, though clarifying exactly what that is would be difficult. I struggle to draw any meaningful emotion from it; it rarely makes me feel anything. That's not to say it isn't there, because clearly for many other people the effect is quite the opposite. So it sounds good, I liked it well enough, and I cannot honestly provide it with any greater praise than that.

I noticed Rico had previously made a classical suggestion. Was interesting reading the various feedback,

Particularly the bit I italicised from Jay above, because this is pretty much how I feel about most music, but the highest hit rate of emotion for me is with classical. As speedchuck said, classical music is frequently raw genius at work, the likes of which it's rare to find in modern music which is frequently the product of some kind of hive mind that had a jam session. When I listen to classical music, I can usually understand and empathise with the emotion of the composer; or, where the composer is deliberately telling a story, the characters involved.

I mean; you're the greatest musician of your time and you're going deaf? Beethoven's 7th symphony, second movement. You can feel that sorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tchaikovsky's violin concerto was written shortly after his divorce; the divorce came because he was gay. What he managed to write in the aftermath of that was both tumultuous but also uplifting - I can hear, literally, his sorrow and relief upon the page.

Mendelssohn developed something of a love affair for Britain; he also managed to maintain an air of being casual and happy to the general observer, despite actually being a little cantankerous. You can hear the influence of being in Scotland clearly here, as well as a sort of British upper-classness to it all; It's a counterpoint to the Tchaikovsky. Where the Tchaikovsky is beset with genuine real emotion, Mendelssohn avoids it (but conjures his environment in place of it).

That's interesting. I feel the same way, but substitute classical with electronic or jazz usually. I'm just not much of a classical guy myself, not even entirely sure why.

Golden wrote: ↑Tue Jun 05, 2018 9:06 pm I just don't have time to fully participate which makes it feel mean to submit.

I feel like I should catch up on nutella's submissions first of all. They look great. I'll think about a submission.

Seriously, don't worry about it.

Hope you guys enjoy this week's submission as well. I thought we could use some simultaneously weird yet accessible jazz up in here.

I'll submit:

M Plus 7 - Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out / 2000 / Indie Rock/Dream Pop / 13 tracks / 77:15 / Available on Youtube and Spotify

speedchuck wrote: ↑Mon Jun 04, 2018 1:53 pm Time's End II is just as good in my opinion. While Time's End focuses on the first time loop in the game, Time's End II carries the player through all the forest/swamp related tracks on the way to waking the first giant. Each one is a concentrated adventure, with very different tones to them.

I might like the eclectic-but-still-epic nature of Time's End II better than Time's End, but it may just be because it's newer to me.

Since I put last week's album up a day late, I'll update this tomorrow with MP's submission. Now is not a bad time to submit more albums, either.

I agree that Time's End II is just as good as the first. It's hard to compare though.

nutella wrote: ↑Mon Jun 04, 2018 12:35 pm Omg I recognize the fairy music from botw *heart eyes* I'm not familiar with majora's mask specifically but I really should check it out from what I've heard.

This is all incredibly beautiful so far I love it

It is seriously ridiculously well-done.

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri Jun 01, 2018 1:42 am The album was enjoyable, and well suited to my need to multi-task while listening. I have never played Majora's Mask, but I did still hear familiar melodies from Ocarina of Time (particularly in the last track). I've long had the desire to play through the Zelda collection in full, because I've only ever played OoT and ALttP. Perhaps this will serve as the inspiration, assuming I can find decent emulated versions.

Also, you definitely should try to play Majora's Mask if you can. It's my all-time favorite Zelda game still, although Breath of the Wild gives it a run for its money now.

nutella wrote: ↑Mon Jun 04, 2018 1:43 am oh I still haven't listened to this yet but I didn't realize it was zelda music? coolio looking forward to it!

Yeah, inspired by and using motifs from Zelda music might be more accurate than saying it is strictly Zelda music, but either way. Really cool stuff.

I love this album! I need to listen to it again but I already have heard it earlier this year. It probably has more meaning for me having played LoZ: Majora's Mask, but it's awesome stuff either way.

nutella wrote: ↑Sat May 26, 2018 6:35 pm Good stuff. Solid pop album, fun listening and well-composed songs. High-leaning 3.5, will definitely listen again

This echoes my thoughts pretty much exactly.

G-Man wrote: ↑Thu May 24, 2018 5:44 pm I haven’t been able to listen to this one at work because girl pop is one of a few genres that will draw stares and questions from my co-workers. I never gave more thoughts on Loretta Lynn either, so I guess this means I am in catch-up mode again.

Lmao, I'm just imagining you listening to stuff I've nominated at work now, like dataplex.

Surely you didn't do that.

I need to hear this. I've heard it before though and based on recollection was pleasantly surprised.

G-Man wrote: ↑Tue May 15, 2018 10:10 pm

M Plus 7 wrote: ↑Tue May 15, 2018 4:11 pm Loretta Lynn, on the other hand, ehhhhhhh... I'm sorry, I really tried to find merit in this thing, but it's really not my cup of tea. Still better than a lot of country, but I'm not a fan of Jack White, so the collaboration was the opposite of thrilling to me. Not exactly enjoyable but not awful either. A decent 2.0, I guess.

You would give Metacritic's third-highest rated album of all time a 2. But that's why we love you, dude.

Also, I would. Guess I'm weird. Lol. But the feeling is mutual.

nutella wrote: ↑Sat May 19, 2018 7:06 pm I feel similarly to MP on this one. It's just very much not my thing. I guess with some of the context G gave and judging by the lyrics about her life and stuff, I can see why it can be appreciated for sentimentality or whatever, but it's not the kind of thing I can connect to at all and I didn't really find anything about it interesting musically either and didn't get any enjoyment out of it overall. I'll say 2.0 as well.

Yeah, I can sort of get why other people like it, but despite my best attempts I can't wrestle any remote enjoyment or even appreciation out of it.

Loretta Lynn, on the other hand, ehhhhhhh... I'm sorry, I really tried to find merit in this thing, but it's really not my cup of tea. Still better than a lot of country, but I'm not a fan of Jack White, so the collaboration was the opposite of thrilling to me. Not exactly enjoyable but not awful either. A decent 2.0, I guess.

Finally caught up myself!

Reign of Kindo was awesome. I've heard them before, but it's been a while and never this album, so this was a bit of a pleasant surprise. Solid 3.5 for me.

G-Man wrote: ↑Mon May 07, 2018 9:14 am Think we should leave this album open for another week? No one has commented on it. Perhaps more time is necessary.

This would be great, actually. Sorry all, just haven't gotten around to it yet with everything going on.

Having listened to it again today, I'm actually thinking more like a 3.0. It's a bit more shaky in parts than I remember. There's some cool songwriting and experimentation scattered throughout, but part of the problem is that I feel like -- although the themes throughout the record are definitely cohesive, the music is not so much. Definitely a bit inconsistent.

Still a neat album though.

M Plus 7 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:28 am So I'm familiar with 666; it's a pretty solid album even if a bit spotty here and there in terms of quality. I'd give it a light 3.5.

Also, glad to see G-Man made the Vangelis connection; he's pretty great. I prefer some of his solo work to this album, but this is great too and an intriguing bit of musical history.

Alright, there's definitely more to talk about here. What do people think of the sex track? That ought to get you all listening to it.

Alright, I have to decide on my next submission. Always a tough call. I'll go with...

Sun Ra - Lanquidity / 1978 / Jazz Fusion / 5 tracks / 42:07 / Available on Youtube and Spotify

Something different this time.

M Plus 7 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 19, 2018 2:49 pm

nutella wrote: ↑Thu Apr 19, 2018 12:48 pm Well I'm listening to R Plus 7 now and loving it, so

Dammit, I picked the wrong one.

Seriously though, that’s awesome. It’s amazing. I love Replica and R Plus Seven both; I really cannot choose. OPN is a rare artist in that his discography contributes more than one to my all-time favorite albums.

Just a week later and this opinion of mine is wrong. R Plus Seven is better. And considering Replica is in my top 15-20 albums or so, that says something. It's definitely my favorite thing of all-time, at least for the duration.

So I'm familiar with 666; it's a pretty solid album even if a bit spotty here and there in terms of quality. I'd give it a light 3.5.

Also, glad to see G-Man made the Vangelis connection; he's pretty great. I prefer some of his solo work to this album, but this is great too and an intriguing bit of musical history.

nutella wrote: ↑Thu Apr 19, 2018 12:48 pm Well I'm listening to R Plus 7 now and loving it, so

Dammit, I picked the wrong one.

Seriously though, that’s awesome. It’s amazing. I love Replica and R Plus Seven both; I really cannot choose. OPN is a rare artist in that his discography contributes more than one to my all-time favorite albums.

I could see why you all feel that way, primarily due to how ambient and minimalist the recorded layers are. It definitely is an album that grew in appreciation over time for me, but on the other hand I also pretty much loved it instantly. I'm an ambient guy though, so a lot of space in my music doesn't deter me (if anything, it does the opposite).

If any of you are interested in sampling any of Lopatin's other work, it might be more likely to hit with you all, but I don't know, especially as someone who is naturally gravitated towards his stuff. Generally though it is less ambient and floaty than Replica, which was his first major release. He's been increasingly exploring new ground with each release (despite all throughout retaining some unique OPN trademarks that still exhibit his general composition style and sound).

R Plus Seven (2013) is sort of a transition between his Replica sound (though he started stripping away ambiance and relying more on actual space as well as on Sequencer and MIDI sounds) and his more recent sound featured in Garden of Delete (2015), which is still pretty experimental and delves in ambient but otherwise is much more chaotic and less sparse, more so influenced by industrial and post-industrial music. Either way, he's exploring worlds in electronic and ambient music that no one else has for sure, so it's hard to find comparisons.

These two songs work better within the contexts of their albums, but at least might give an indication of how you will feel about his post-Replica stuff:

"Zebra" from R Plus Seven
"I Bite Through It" from Garden of Delete

Lastly, he has an album coming out this year that I cannot possibly be more excited about. No idea what he's going to do next, but I'm thrilled to hear what it will be.

G-Man wrote: ↑Tue Apr 17, 2018 12:41 pm Replica was nice and easy to listen to but my first spin didn't leave me feeling a whole lot. It came, it wafted to and fro, got a little strange at times, and faded away. It seems like it may be a challenge to isolate individual tracks without staring at my computer screen due to the overlap/sudden change.

This kind of music reminds me a little of this guy I was friends with in college. In his free time he creates his own instruments. I don't know that he does much with sampling but the overall mood and vibe seems to fit the kind stuff he does.

Oh man, this is cool, thanks for sharing! I can see why you drew the comparison; definitely different, but perhaps their approaches and aesthetic are similar. Cool either way.

Regarding my submission for this week, Replica, a few things (I'll try to stay as succinct as possible):

- Oneohtrix Point Never is the recording alias of an American experimental electronic composer named Daniel Lopatin. The name is a verbal play on the name of the Boston FM radio station Magic 106.7.

- This is hands down my personal favorite album I've submitted so far, so much to the point that I would consider it a top XX "desert island" album. It's just about everything I want in music wrapped up in a very unique slice of surreal ambient electronica based heavily on samples with substantial glitch undertones. I mean, I was pretty much destined to love this album from the album's RYM subgenres alone:

- Speaking of samples, some people would call this a Plunderphonics album, which is a fancy term music nerds came up with to describe albums based heavily or entirely on samples. My favorite use of sampling on this album... so tough to decide, but it would have to be the use of this in "Sleep Dealer" (which has to be easily one of the greatest tracks of all-time in my weird opinion).
- If you want to know more regarding the album's title and meaning:

Happy listening!

Okay, finally got a chance to listen to Royal Blood! For my taste, it's a bit too much on the generic hard/alt rock side of things for me to really dig it, but it wasn't bad by any means. It passed into background listening for most of its duration, but occasionally I would think the vocals or drums were kinda neat. Sorry I don't have more to say about it. At the risk of being boring and predictable (which I totally am), I would rate it a 2.5.

Apologies from me as well, I'll be able to catch up later today and also provide some context on my submission.

Chalk me up as someone who hates Axl Rose's voice as well; otherwise, Geoff Tate is pretty solid.

Yeah, I don't know; the sole reason I like and appreciate Queensryche is that it doesn't sound like hair metal too much for me. I can't stand stuff like Def Leppard, Motley Crue, etc.

I'd agree it shouldn't be prog metal primary. I'll go help that fight now.

Maybe secondary, but that doesn't make much sense either since it influenced prog metal, not the other way around.

Operation: Mindcrime is an album I'm familiar with but haven't heard much in the past handful of years. I'd say despite moving away from prog metal pretty substantially, this album is actually a pretty solid slice of metal that sits awkwardly in history as influencing prog metal without really being prog metal or anything else either. It's not something I'd want to revisit often, but it's good stuff. I'm leaning... 3.5.

I've now heard both Fisherman's Woman and The Wilderness; I gave the former a 2.5 and the latter I'm actually torn between 2.5 and 3.0. It's been a while since I've revisited other EitS material, so I think I will do that tomorrow and listen to The Wilderness again then.

I also did some very extensive ratings reassessments this weekend (this is how I spend free time when I actually get it, apparently) because I felt like I was drifting too high with my ratings on RYM in general (not here specifically, but it caused me to reassess every one of these as well).

So here is a comprehensive list including my revised ratings for all 53 albums so far, for anyone interested:

Alright, I'll be giving both albums a listen hopefully later today! I've actually heard The Wilderness before a few times, and I'm not a huge fan of EitS (my feelings about their albums are pretty much 80% "they're alright" and 20% "this is pretty good"), but they're a solid band. I don't remember being that disappointed by the album unlike some, so it'll be interesting to revisit it.

Generally I do personally feel like there's something missing from EitS's material that keeps them from entering the "elite" tier of post-rock bands like Sigur Ros, Bark Psychosis, and Talk Talk, and even GY!BE. They're not bad by any means though.

Sorry all, I'm busy AF with my dissertation right now especially since Thursday, so even though I've been listening to stuff the past week, it's been reserved solely to stuff I already know with as little effort as possible.

I'll play catch up at some point once the craziness has died down a bit.

YES, Rico reviews are back!!

I can fathom the vocal criticisms as well; I love female vocalists and I'd say ethereal wave / dream pop kind of stuff can be killed in its tracks with the wrong kind of vocalist. Comparing to Bjork will inevitably lead to disappointment, lol, but I still think the vocalist here is pretty good, even if a bit more unconventional. I can understand why someone would have a beef with it.

speedchuck wrote: ↑Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:05 pm Best thing about this album is that Bass Guitar. It's crunchy, grungy, and yet clear. I want it to hold me.

Agreed.

MovingPictures07 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:49 pm Okay, I'm a fan of this for sure. I'll be listening to it again with anticipation. I'm thinking light 4.0 after one listen.

Listening to it again and my impressions are pretty much the same as they were after listen #1.

I'm trying to think what keeps this from being an ideal record, despite the fact that I think it's really cool. I will admit that this album isn't exactly the most unique thing in the world. Many artists since Cocteau Twins in the 80s have sought to create their own brand within the space of gothic-rock and ethereal wave (and I suppose the same could be said of post-rock since Talk Talk in the late 80s), but simultaneously I wouldn't say any artist immediately comes to mind as a convincing parallel to what Esben and the Witch accomplish on this album. It's an interesting blend of influences but still by no means feels overly derivative; I'd say the band still occupies a relatively unique space in those aforementioned, crowded genre "tents", so to speak. Perhaps this might be a bit mood-dependent for me as well, maybe due to the vocals more than anything, which are great really, but I can't foresee wanting to spin it all the time. But even if I did listen to it when my mood wasn't exactly compatible, I still think I would get quite a bit of enjoyment out of it.

All of that said, this is a new favorite of mine for sure. It makes for a pretty great addition to my other favorites, so I'm sticking with the 4.0 rating. I'd say I'm now a casual fan of this band.

I'm not sure any particular track sticks out because during both listens I felt I was listening to a rather cohesive album. I'd probably pick "The Jungle" as the highlight if I had to pick just one though.

Thanks for the submission, nutella. Not sure how I didn't know about this band already, but very glad I do now. I'll be likely checking out their other releases as well.

Okay, I'm a fan of this for sure. I'll be listening to it again with anticipation. I'm thinking light 4.0 after one listen.