The Syndicate

Goat - World Music (on Spotify)

I have been a terrible participant in this thread, I'll just come out and say it. Been occupied with life and Game of Champions. But can sit down for a few minutes and make some comments this evening!

Beneath the Brine reminded me a good chunk of one of my favorite bands, The Dear Hunter, but more orchestral and less poppy. Which I initially thought I would like, but then felt to be a weakness. It's less driving than I think is necessary for the blending of rock and orchestral instruments. I also found their singer to be a bit... lounge? Only way I can describe that sort of smoothness. I probably need to go back to it, but it wasn't an immediate favorite.

98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare had a great chill vibe, and I appreciate the capture of lengthy noodling in the live setting. I feel like it gets samey over long periods of time, but my head stayed consistently nodding. I think I need to listen through the rest of their discography to understand their style evolution, which is what seems to make MP squee about them :P

World Music caught my attention instantly when it came up in my Spotify Discover feed. I'm a sucker for neo-psychedelia, especially the kind that drops big fuzzy bass throughout the proceedings. I like the old-school guitar tones, the willingness to let things jam, the ritualistic vocals... It reminds me of a more exploratory Wolfmother, which is a very good thing.

What strikes me about this album is just how much inspiration it takes from country/western music. "Maybellene" wouldn't be out of place in a modern rockabilly set, and obviously "Johnny B. Goode" describes a country boy. The guitar tone, because of the lack of effects, also sounds similar to the clean electric guitar of a lot of country. This crucible of fusion between music traditions is pretty neat.

I really haven't listened to much Kinks before, so I was pleasantly surprised by Arthur. It's like a kaleidoscope that reorients all the British Invasion sounds I know into something different—although I have a hard time expressing why exactly I find it distinctive. I think Llama's on to something by describing it as "old-fashioned, thoroughly British music"; the careful use of horns and less-careful piano work do give it an early-century sheen.

My favorite track is probably "Australia." Catchy lyrics that combine setting, rhyme, and concept, groovy beats, and an extended psych coda that just swirls and swirls. I don't think it goes on too long; I think it successfully portrays the lure of the exotic on the postwar mind. But that's me.

Quin wrote:

thellama73 wrote:Quin, do you think your enjoyment of Australia was mitigated by the fact that you live in New Zealand?

Probably. Those assholes think they invented pavlova.

From the Wikipedia page: "Later research by Andrew Wood and Annabelle Utrecht suggested the dessert originated in the United States and was based on an earlier German dish."

WILL AMERICA EVER STOP WINNING?!

Oy glavin, thanks for the poke. I should look at this more often. Posting to remind myself.

Dammit, I really like this. The synth texture is pleasantly thick throughout, and the choppiness of the vocal style makes my head bob something fierce. I agree that the lyrics and songwriting don't really... progress anywhere. But the individual grooves are infectious.

Listening through the album, I was surprised by actually recognizing I Ran! It feels warmer than the other tracks, which I actually don't like as much? Maybe it's the more singalong nature of the vocals. Guitar work on You Can Run friggin' shreds and goes along with the icy synth in the background.

Telecommunication is just cheesy, like offbrand Kraftwerk. Don't Ask Me suffers from the I Ran problem — too singable. I guess I like 80s music when it falls more in the Tears for Fears vein, all ice and depression. And Tokyo strikes me as not abandoning old rock tropes enough. They got synths, they should use them! But overall, pretty good album.

MovingPictures07 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2017 1:15 am Cosmogramma is one of my favorite albums of all time. A truly exhilarating and unique slice of electronica. Hope you all enjoy it.

Making a concerted effort to be more present on the forum, and figured I might as well start with this. And boy howdy, am I impressed. Feels like I'm staring into a well, with constantly shifting lights at every single different depth of the well. He does a beautiful job of separating out the frequencies, giving each a distinct sonic profile and momentum. The beats are also consistently surprising within the usual 4/4 meter.

My own personal taste keeps me from giving this a 5, because I miss having anthemic banger melodies. (Deadmau5 and Daft Punk, anyone?) But taken on its own terms, as an frenetic piece of sound installation art, it's groovy. Also, the video for "Zodiac Shit" is one of the first things I saw while in a... significantly altered state, let's say, and it's just as impressive in regular mind.

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Mon Dec 11, 2017 3:45 pm A Piece of Strange is one of my favorite albums in hip hop, perhaps as high as the top two or three. I'm glad to be able to bring it to SAW to continue the recent trend toward diversifying the set here after the likes of Drake and even the Charlie Brown jazz album. This album is very much aligned in the conscious, political portion of the hip hop spectrum, and though it does at times embrace the harsh lyrical nature that some people struggle with -- it's a necessary component of the passions being expressed here in my opinion. Moreover, alongside Outkast these guys are the best evidence I know of that hip hop music need not be perceived as a battle of the American coasts. These are southerners, and they're fantastic.

Well said. Finished my listen earlier, and I was struck by how easily they incorporated different voices throughout the album. "The Gates" feat. Tonedeff was probably the best example of that, with absolutely seamless back-and-forth between two perspectives. "America Loves Gangsters" feat. Tim Means also employed the guest star to wonderful effect, expanding the themes of the first two verses into full geopolitical reality. And I listened to Immortal Technique a lot in college, so great to hear him as well.

Easily 4.5 stars. I can see this creeping up on repeated listening and studying the lyrics.

Just dropping in to say I'm a huge Goat Rodeo Sessions fan. To my mind, Chris Thile's work with Punch Brothers has always been about breaking down the classical/bluegrass boundary — "Another New World" and "The Blind Leaving the Blind" are the best examples of that. Partnering with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Duncan makes that trend even more explicit. I think the album could have benefited from more time spent composing, but that's what you get when you have a supergroup trying to work together.