SAW [Week 64 - "Home of the Strange"]

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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1401

Post by speedchuck »

Uhhhhh . . . I'm not sure how comfortable I feel listening to this at work.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1402

Post by G-Man »

speedchuck wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 2:37 pm Uhhhhh . . . I'm not sure how comfortable I feel listening to this at work.
Joanna Newsom or Drake?

I felt awkward about both.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1403

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G-Man wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 2:39 pm
speedchuck wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 2:37 pm Uhhhhh . . . I'm not sure how comfortable I feel listening to this at work.
Joanna Newsom or Drake?

I felt awkward about both.
Drake.

I felt like if my headphones were unplugged I would get fired.

Haven't listened to Joanna yet
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1404

Post by dunya »

^ hahahaha. Do you work in a very white environment? :p

Jay gave it a 3 star rating on RYM so we're kinda over and I kinda hate him now.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1405

Post by dunya »

I think my next hip hop album recommendation will be oldschool, by my favorite rapper ever: Del Tha Funkee Homosapian and my favorite album by him: I Wish My Brother George Was Here.

I'm convinced there's some secret rap and hip hop fans, even if Drake is not everyone's cuppa tea. I honestly wanted to share it because people overlook Take Care and call Drake that annoying "Hotline Bling" rapper (which is a good tune too tbf). He's got amazing flow imo, and I enjoy him immensely, even if he does fall into the rap/hiphop/pop category.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1406

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dunya wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 4:08 pm ^ hahahaha. Do you work in a very white environment? :p

Jay gave it a 3 star rating on RYM so we're kinda over and I kinda hate him now.
A politically correct environment. I work for a government contractor, white collar, engineering, etc. Nice quiet offices that don't need cultural/gender slurs blasted from speakers.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1407

Post by dunya »

Fair enough. I'll try to submit easier listening material in future. I forget most people listen at work tbh :)
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1408

Post by speedchuck »

dunya wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 4:27 pm Fair enough. I'll try to submit easier listening material in future. I forget most people listen at work tbh :)
:shrug2: This is the first time I've listened at work. My old workplace wouldn't let me stream.

You're good, man.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1409

Post by G-Man »

First thoughts on Drake:

-I like most of the beats- some EDM-esque foundations
-The mixture of R&B and rap provides nice variety
-Neither the N-word nor the P-word are a part of my vocabulary (except for pussy willow, pussy cat, and James Bond references), so hearing them so often was both distracting and disappointing
-I can tolerate the F-word and the S-word if the tone of the song is right. Drake has what I consider a pretty-boy voice, so the language doesn't sound right coming from him.
-Just because you can make an 80-minute album doesn't mean you should!
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1410

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G-Man wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 8:30 pm First thoughts on Drake:

-I like most of the beats- some EDM-esque foundations
-The mixture of R&B and rap provides nice variety
-Neither the N-word nor the P-word are a part of my vocabulary (except for pussy willow, pussy cat, and James Bond references), so hearing them so often was both distracting and disappointing
-I can tolerate the F-word and the S-word if the tone of the song is right. Drake has what I consider a pretty-boy voice, so the language doesn't sound right coming from him.
-Just because you can make an 80-minute album doesn't mean you should!
All of this tells me everything I need to know about the album.

I am by no means a prude, but I like beer and keyboards, and I wouldn't want to hear the words "beer" or "keyboard" floated around in every other stanza or verse. To me, if you need to use certain words more than a few times throughout a piece (excluding a refrain), you probably aren't writing very good lyrics.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1411

Post by G-Man »

I don't dismiss it outright because of the swearing. There are only a few tracks where it's a distraction, the opener being one of them. I think we're on the same wavelength though that throwing those words out too often feels lazy. The same (swearing) problem exists in some corners of rock too.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1412

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G-Man wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 10:54 pm I don't dismiss it outright because of the swearing. There are only a few tracks where it's a distraction, the opener being one of them. I think we're on the same wavelength though that throwing those words out too often feels lazy. The same (swearing) problem exists in some corners of rock too.
I'm not just talking about profanity. If you are using the same words again and again, it's lazy writing (most of the time).
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1413

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

dunya wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 4:08 pm ^ hahahaha. Do you work in a very white environment? :p

Jay gave it a 3 star rating on RYM so we're kinda over and I kinda hate him now.
:meany:

After one listen I thought it was worthwhile. I wouldn't say I made any special connection with the music, but it was plenty listenable. I liked the cameo feat. appearances a lot, especially Nicki Minaj's (who I pretty much always enjoy). I'll give it another spin before making a final determination, but it's closer to the 3.5 side of 3.0 than the 2.5 side. ;)
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1414

Post by Tangrowth »

My familiarity with Drake is mostly limited to Nothing Was the Same, which I gave a 1.5. Needless to say, I'm not a fan.

Even though I've come a long way with hip hop in the past decade, I still can be picky when it comes to the genre as a whole, and especially so with pop rap and R&B-sounding stuff which almost always lands in the indifferent or worse spectrum for my taste.

I'll try to approach this album with as open a mind as possible though.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1415

Post by Tangrowth »

dunya wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 4:15 pm I think my next hip hop album recommendation will be oldschool, by my favorite rapper ever: Del Tha Funkee Homosapian and my favorite album by him: I Wish My Brother George Was Here.

I'm convinced there's some secret rap and hip hop fans, even if Drake is not everyone's cuppa tea. I honestly wanted to share it because people overlook Take Care and call Drake that annoying "Hotline Bling" rapper (which is a good tune too tbf). He's got amazing flow imo, and I enjoy him immensely, even if he does fall into the rap/hiphop/pop category.
I'm a huge fan of his Deltron 3030 work (well, we won't talk about the comeback album), but that's a solid album too.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1416

Post by G-Man »

MovingPictures07 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:13 pm
dunya wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 4:15 pm I think my next hip hop album recommendation will be oldschool, by my favorite rapper ever: Del Tha Funkee Homosapian and my favorite album by him: I Wish My Brother George Was Here.

I'm convinced there's some secret rap and hip hop fans, even if Drake is not everyone's cuppa tea. I honestly wanted to share it because people overlook Take Care and call Drake that annoying "Hotline Bling" rapper (which is a good tune too tbf). He's got amazing flow imo, and I enjoy him immensely, even if he does fall into the rap/hiphop/pop category.
I'm a huge fan of his Deltron 3030 work (well, we won't talk about the comeback album), but that's a solid album too.
Beastie Boys are known to let the beat drop. Just saying.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1417

Post by Tangrowth »

G-Man wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:19 pm
MovingPictures07 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:13 pm
dunya wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 4:15 pm I think my next hip hop album recommendation will be oldschool, by my favorite rapper ever: Del Tha Funkee Homosapian and my favorite album by him: I Wish My Brother George Was Here.

I'm convinced there's some secret rap and hip hop fans, even if Drake is not everyone's cuppa tea. I honestly wanted to share it because people overlook Take Care and call Drake that annoying "Hotline Bling" rapper (which is a good tune too tbf). He's got amazing flow imo, and I enjoy him immensely, even if he does fall into the rap/hiphop/pop category.
I'm a huge fan of his Deltron 3030 work (well, we won't talk about the comeback album), but that's a solid album too.
Beastie Boys are known to let the beat drop. Just saying.
Beastie Boys are good. As far as old school stuff, I'm more of a fan of De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, etc., but Beastie Boys were clearly talented as well and Paul's Boutique in particular is pretty cool.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1418

Post by Epignosis »

Wyclef and Outkast.

That is all.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1419

Post by Tangrowth »

Epignosis wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:47 pm Wyclef and Outkast.

That is all.
Predictable. :p
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1420

Post by Epignosis »

MovingPictures07 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:50 pm
Epignosis wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:47 pm Wyclef and Outkast.

That is all.
Predictable. :p
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1421

Post by Tangrowth »

Epignosis wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:51 pm
MovingPictures07 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:50 pm
Epignosis wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:47 pm Wyclef and Outkast.

That is all.
Predictable. :p
Like Rush and Yes. Don't get cute.
I'm just messing; Wyclef and OutKast are cool but I don't like them as much as you do.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1422

Post by Tangrowth »

As far as more modern hip hop goes, Shabazz Palaces is where it's at. Fucking love them. I'll nominate an album at some point probably.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1423

Post by nutella »

MovingPictures07 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:11 pm
Even though I've come a long way with hip hop in the past decade, I still can be picky when it comes to the genre as a whole, and especially so with pop rap and R&B-sounding stuff which almost always lands in the indifferent or worse spectrum for my taste.

I'll try to approach this album with as open a mind as possible though.
This is about how I feel. (Snipped first part because I'm not familiar with the other album, but I have heard a couple of his hits and feel similarly) I have enjoyed a fair amount of hip-hop, but as far as I know Drake is exactly the type of pop/r&b sound that I generally cannot stand.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1424

Post by nutella »

Wyclef Jean is good -- in fact I believe you guys recommended him to me a while back in another thread, along with a bunch of other artists including the other ones just mentioned in here which I still haven't gotten around to but I have a list. I've also enjoyed Nas a bit, and a handful of newer artists such as Milo and clipping. -- they're all pretty different though I suppose, I'm still a noob to the genre and might categorize it weirdly in my head, haha. I also like Death Grips :p
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1425

Post by dunya »

MovingPictures07 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:13 pm
dunya wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 4:15 pm I think my next hip hop album recommendation will be oldschool, by my favorite rapper ever: Del Tha Funkee Homosapian and my favorite album by him: I Wish My Brother George Was Here.

I'm convinced there's some secret rap and hip hop fans, even if Drake is not everyone's cuppa tea. I honestly wanted to share it because people overlook Take Care and call Drake that annoying "Hotline Bling" rapper (which is a good tune too tbf). He's got amazing flow imo, and I enjoy him immensely, even if he does fall into the rap/hiphop/pop category.
I'm a huge fan of his Deltron 3030 work (well, we won't talk about the comeback album), but that's a solid album too.


enjoy.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1426

Post by dunya »

MovingPictures07 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:53 pm As far as more modern hip hop goes, Shabazz Palaces is where it's at. Fucking love them. I'll nominate an album at some point probably.
I'd recommend Billy Woods, too. He's a modern mastermind. I mean he's not brand new, but someone that came out in the early 00s era then disappeared, and came into more prominence I'd say post 2012.

(no racial / sexist slurs in first song. Second song has two occurrences of the n-word for people who have a problem with that)





And here's a collab with one of the best MPs in the biz imo, Aesop Rock (contains no racial slurs, but one use of "bitch")



I was going to nominate an album by him before Drake, but they're not entirely on YT unfortunately. But really, Today, I Wrote Nothing (2015) is one of the best contemporary hip hop albums and proof there's still real authentic east coast rappers out there.

Also, he formed the rap duo Armand Hammer with Elucid in 2013. Their debut, Race Music, is also pretty amazing too.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1427

Post by dunya »

Since I'm late to the party, and I can surely listen to more than 1 album a week, I'm going to go back from the start at nutella's recommendation and have a listen through past albums.

The Family Crest - Beneath the Brine submitted by [mention]nutella[/mention]

So I've never heard of The Family Crest before, and I'm not a huge listener of orchestral music which is what the band labels itself as (orchestral indie rock?) so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it, but I like to think they have more indie rock in them with little flashes of whatever the hell orchestra is in this sense (I'm going to go with symphonic rock of some sort instead), which brings their music to life. Really frigging enjoyed this, and by the third listen through, I decided I can adequately rate it.

The album infuses a lot of different tecniques and genres I'd say, some jazz vibes on some tracks even, good song writing and quite a few paces in here. Sometimes I get flashes of Brandon Flowers, sometimes some The Decemberists, sometimes a bit of Elvis Costello, sometimes some Paulo Nutini or Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. All of whom I love in different quantities ftr. So many instruments, love the trombone, cello, trumpets, violin and drum use. It's very cool to hear in indie rock music and gives it a refreshing edge. The music feels upbeat and new. Lyrics are very catchy, the whole album is something easy to sing along to in fact, and the lead singer's voice is quite pleasant...clear and easy to listen to without grating on your ears.

I'll give this an easy 4/5.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1428

Post by Tangrowth »

dunya wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 9:51 am
MovingPictures07 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:53 pm As far as more modern hip hop goes, Shabazz Palaces is where it's at. Fucking love them. I'll nominate an album at some point probably.
I'd recommend Billy Woods, too. He's a modern mastermind. I mean he's not brand new, but someone that came out in the early 00s era then disappeared, and came into more prominence I'd say post 2012.
...
Sweet! I'll take a listen once I'm done nerding out with my Tim Hecker discography run today. Thanks dunya. :D
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1429

Post by Tangrowth »

dunya wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 1:28 pm Since I'm late to the party, and I can surely listen to more than 1 album a week, I'm going to go back from the start at nutella's recommendation and have a listen through past albums.

The Family Crest - Beneath the Brine submitted by @nutella

So I've never heard of The Family Crest before, and I'm not a huge listener of orchestral music which is what the band labels itself as (orchestral indie rock?) so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it, but I like to think they have more indie rock in them with little flashes of whatever the hell orchestra is in this sense (I'm going to go with symphonic rock of some sort instead), which brings their music to life. Really frigging enjoyed this, and by the third listen through, I decided I can adequately rate it.

The album infuses a lot of different tecniques and genres I'd say, some jazz vibes on some tracks even, good song writing and quite a few paces in here. Sometimes I get flashes of Brandon Flowers, sometimes some The Decemberists, sometimes a bit of Elvis Costello, sometimes some Paulo Nutini or Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. All of whom I love in different quantities ftr. So many instruments, love the trombone, cello, trumpets, violin and drum use. It's very cool to hear in indie rock music and gives it a refreshing edge. The music feels upbeat and new. Lyrics are very catchy, the whole album is something easy to sing along to in fact, and the lead singer's voice is quite pleasant...clear and easy to listen to without grating on your ears.

I'll give this an easy 4/5.
Glad to see a newcomer going back through past submissions!

Your commentary is pretty insightful; I'd say I find it generally agreeable and it's partly why I liked TFC as well. Curious to see your takes on the others.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1430

Post by nutella »

wait so for those of you who have listened, did you find a youtube playlist that all worked, or did you have to search for some of the tracks? I'm not using the spotify version because it appears to be censored, and on the youtube playlist I found some of the videos are deleted and it's kind of a chore to have to individually find some tracks to make sure I'm not missing anything.

in other news, I'm not hating this as much as I expected, hehe! it's still really not my genre but it's ok so far, for the most part not actively annoying and some parts are quite pleasant. the lyrics are so far removed from my world though haha
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1431

Post by nutella »

ok this is way too long. I'm bored as hell
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1432

Post by G-Man »

[mention]nutella[/mention] I use the Spotify web browser and I found two versions of the album- one clean and the other explicit.

For me, the album starts out pretty even, fades over tracks 6-10, picks back up but then fades at the end again. I definitely prefer the tracks that are more R&B because his voice doesn't sound right dropping rap rhymes (and profanities). As a middle-class white guy from Middle-Class White Guy Land, some of the lyrics elude me. The songs about getting some tail and spending dollars is the opposite of my world view. I'm going to try to give it two more listens before making a final ranking though. I like most of the beats. The lyrics may be the kind of thing that takes time.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1433

Post by Tangrowth »

MovingPictures07 wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:22 pm
dunya wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 9:51 am
MovingPictures07 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:53 pm As far as more modern hip hop goes, Shabazz Palaces is where it's at. Fucking love them. I'll nominate an album at some point probably.
I'd recommend Billy Woods, too. He's a modern mastermind. I mean he's not brand new, but someone that came out in the early 00s era then disappeared, and came into more prominence I'd say post 2012.
...
Sweet! I'll take a listen once I'm done nerding out with my Tim Hecker discography run today. Thanks dunya. :D
Hey dunya, thanks for the recs. Enjoyed them. I'll have to check these out more. :beer:

I'll get to Drake either later today or tomorrow probably.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1434

Post by Tangrowth »

Alright, Drake's Take Care. Random thoughts during listening.

First, this is way too long. That's the major beef I have with it. Half of this stuff could be trimmed easily, probably much more. The songs get ridiculously samey really quickly.

Second, speaking of Kanye, it's at least apparent that this album's production is also influenced by him, and this is certainly commendable. That's the most positive thing I have to say in this album's favor: the production is solid. That said, I'm not generally a fan of the sleak pop rap production founded on The College Dropout and further popularized by albums like this, but it's hard to criticize.

Third, I did actually like some bits of... some of the samples used, most notably the opener. Based on that song it was immediately clear he's influenced by Kanye (but I suppose which pop rap artist isn't?).

Fourth, I hate autotune. Ugh.

Fifth, I have a hard time approaching most of these songs without feeling immediately negatively about them because it was stuff like this that made me think I really didn't like hip hop for years. Perhaps I'm harsher on it than I would be were it not for that. That said, despite still not really enjoying this album, I do suppose there's worse pop rap than a lot of these songs (a few songs though... yeah, they're really bad). At least some props must be given to Drake for some of the samples and decent enough composition structure, even if it does get samey.

But that doesn't change the fact that I just think a good chunk of these songs are filler or worse. Unfortunately the pop rap and contemporary R&B spectrum is one that I just really don't enjoy in general, and this album doesn't prove to be an exception to that. The only exception I've found so far is Kanye, and I'd thought throughout this album that I would rather be listening to his stuff than this.

Lastly, the lyrics, well... yeah. I'm not a lyrics guy so this doesn't really bother me that much, so not worth discussing at length. As much as I ignored them, occasionally they did cause cringe though. I agree with G-Man to an extant; specifically, that hearing swears in general, let alone so many, from Drake feels unnatural and forced.

Ehhhhhhhh... I was admittedly a bit torn here between 1.5 and 2.0 on my rating scale, but in the end I have to give it a 1.5 in part due to its ridiculous length. I started off in 2.5 land on the first song, then it quickly degenerated into 1.5-2.0 for most of the rest of my listen, but in the end I had to go for the former because the middle and end of the album just were an absolute slog to get through.

All of that said, I still appreciate dunya nominating this one, because chances are I wouldn't have given Drake another chance out of my own free will.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1435

Post by nutella »

^I agree with pretty much 100% of that post
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1436

Post by Tangrowth »

Christmas music time now, I presume?

I generally don't like Christmas music at all (understatement), but G-Man nominated one of the few exceptions to that rule for me.
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Re: SAW [Week 37 - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"]

#1437

Post by G-Man »

Week 37: Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas

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Submitted by G-man

Available on YouTube single video or playlist and Spotify

I'll jump in and start the new album off. [mention]JaggedJimmyJay[/mention] can adjust the front post later.

I'm eager to hear what you all think. To put it simply, this is one of the few Christmas albums for me that is an essential part of the Christmas season. Oh, sure, there are many essential Christmas songs, but there's a special magic that makes a whole album essential. Something in A Charlie Brown Christmas delivers that. I'll leave it at that, as I'm sure many of you are familiar with at least a few of these tunes from past holiday seasons or even from watching the weather channel during Christmastime in years past.

A note, the original album was only 11 tracks. Both the YouTube video and Spotify add a few bonus tracks from other Peanuts specials.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1438

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Thanks for stepping up, G-Man.
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Re: SAW [Week 36 - "Take Care"]

#1439

Post by nutella »

Oh I never gave a rating for Ys, huh. OK I'm caught up

Ys - 4.5
Take Care - 2.0 (maybe 2.5 if I'm feeling generous, it was fine in the background I guess)
Charlie Brown Christmas - hmm let's say 3.5? maaayyybe 4 for sentimental associations? Hard to rate since I'm so familiar with it

tbh the numbers are meaning less and less to me every week, they just feel arbitrary now and probably wouldn't all make sense relative to each other
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Re: SAW [Week 37 - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"]

#1440

Post by Tangrowth »

I went ahead and updated the first post.

Looking forward to revisiting this album; it's actually been a while since I don't typically listen to much Christmas music if I can avoid it.
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Re: SAW [Week 37 - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"]

#1441

Post by G-Man »

Available on YouTube single video or playlist and Spotify
I added a link to a playlist on YouTube for Charlie Brown. The single video cuts out partway through the last bonus track (if you listen that far).
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Re: SAW [Week 37 - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"]

#1442

Post by speedchuck »

A Charlie Brown Christmas

I guess I'll provide some perspective.

This was really, really good. I've heard a lot of these songs before, at some point or another, but I've never listened to this album or seen A Charlie Brown Christmas. I went in without expectations, I guess. Some tunes were familiar, some weren't, but I feel like I could listen to this at any time of year and be satisfied.

The tunes work best as background music, in my opinion. But I could reasonably just close my eyes and listen. I guess this is what iconic music is. There's a reason this movie was so popular, and I'll bet a lot of it has to do with the music.

I'm not going to go into detail like some of you do. I have an ear for musical intricacy, which is why I listen to prog, but I'm not good at explaining what a piece does or how it does it and why that makes it good. All I know is that I like it. And I like this.

4.5/5
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Re: SAW [Week 37 - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"]

#1443

Post by Tangrowth »

G-Man wrote: Tue Nov 28, 2017 9:07 am
Available on YouTube single video or playlist and Spotify
I added a link to a playlist on YouTube for Charlie Brown. The single video cuts out partway through the last bonus track (if you listen that far).
Thanks, G-Man! :beer:
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Re: SAW [Week 37 - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"]

#1444

Post by G-Man »

Take Care

Listening to this album made me realize a few things. First, most of the hip hop and/or rap that I've listened to is either white guys or part of the greater rap-rock genre. I hope that doesn't mean I'm subconsciously racist. Second, this album's lyrical content made me realize just how tame and responsible my life has been. Sure I've had moments of stupidity but I've never lived or even encountered the kinds of lifestyles on display with Drake's album.

Track 1 ("Over My Dead Body") has some great beats and backing vocals. It was lovely until Drake started his droning style of rapping, which left me on the fence. Take away his foul-mouthed braggadocio and you've got the potential for a really sophisticated and chill R&B or even rap tune. Track 2 ("Shot For Me") is smoother and better than the opener. If that is Drake singing, then he should stick to that. I thought I detected some autotune on the talk-rap, which surprised me. Did he really need autotune to keep his talking in tune or is it just an effect used to sound cool in the rap genre in general? Track 3 ("Headlines") has the best beats yet and also features the best rapping so far. Drake uses a little more vocal variety, which helps break up what could otherwise sound monotonous. The lyrics hold it back yet again.

That was a common theme I found throughout the album- Drake's lyrics fail to aspire to the same heights as his beats. The production values are lovely. I enjoyed the EDM-influenced beats and the use of ambient strings and other elements missing from the few rap songs I've stumbled upon when switching through radio stations. At times, it's a real shame.

The one track where the lyrics and production mesh perfectly is the title track, "Take Care." That is a great tune and the duet nature makes it stand out like a beacon of light. The lyrics are honest, a little vulnerable, and mostly clean. It's my choice cut for the album. Rounding out my three to take with me are "Headlines" for its blend of singing and rapping, and "Lord Knows" for its big sound that actually warrants to showy nature of the lyrics.

As a white guy from teh suburbs, I don't get rap culture. Very little exposure to the kind of "look at me mother @#%*er" self-promotion present here on many tracks caused me to reject a lot of the lyrical content. Old school rap wasn't as vulgar but I understand that gangsta rap's shadow looms long over all corners of the rap and hip hop genres. Maybe I just need to get used to hearing it because it is such a foreign element to me. I don't think I'll ever be able to say "b****es and rappin' and rappin' and b****es" is justifiable as lyrical content or as a lifestyle/worldview.

The album is inconsistent in the ebb and flow between droning raps and smooth R&B. I think that's why the length of the album is a negative aspect for me. If an album is great, you won't care how long or short it is. When it's not doing it for you, people have a tendency to check their watch. I checked mine a few times. Momentum grows over the first few tracks, then it craters through the midpoint. It picks back up again but flat-lines through the final three tracks. Despite good production, the lyrics dragged seven tracks down to 'indifferent' status. If you cut those seven tracks out, the album is shorter, tighter, and would have scored a B in my book.

G-Man Scale: 2.99 out of 5
Rico Scale: 3 out of 5
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Re: SAW [Week 37 - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"]

#1445

Post by dunya »

Thanks G-Man, that's a great review! And you'd be surprised, but I agree a lot with your last point of having rated it higher had he cut some filler tracks out of there. Your top album picks were pretty agreeable, though Marvin's Room is another important track for me and HYFR and Shot For Me are also noteworthy in my book. For what it's worth, I gave it a 4/5, and that's also because I actually did relate to some of the songs hahaha. I wanted to suggest more rap, and pop rap seemed liked the safest way in here. I should have definitely listened to my better instincts and gone with something with a little more funk than pop and it would have been better received. Not all rap is about bitches and hoes. I have been an avid hip hop listener for about 13 years now, so I can guarantee there's a lot of content that any average Joe can reason with too, where it's just fun every day stuff (not even going to try and recommend political hip hop on here, ever, ever ever ever lmao).
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Re: SAW [Week 37 - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"]

#1446

Post by speedchuck »

I can listen to music at work now. Yes I'm doing this.

1. nutella - The Family Crest - Beneath the Brine

Beneath the Brine has one of the best album openings I've ever heard, and the first song mostly lives up to that promise. Blending the beauty of voice and strings with the frenetic energy of alt rock seamlessly. It's a new combination to me, it's catchy, pretty, fun, and I love it.
The World calms down and gets snappy, providing an uptempo groove that immediately showcases the variety of the band while still fitting into the mold the first song provided. Around the end of the song, though, I began to notice another pattern. When it seems like the vocalist is improvising/warbling against a repetitive part of the song, I grow bored quickly. The music, in these rare cases, falls back and loses its unique flavor.
I loved everything about Love don't Go except for the vocal hook. Little generic pop/altrock missteps like this bring the album down in places, make it lose its energy and majesty.
William's Dirge is . . . dirgy. And swanky. Good for what it is, I guess, as an introduction to Howl, which is amazing right off the bat. Jazzy, groovy, and intoxicating. I don't listen much to this type of swingy music, so my expectations might be low, but dang. It knows when to drop off and pick things back up again. Love it.
The Water's Fine starts really strong, like Beneath the Brine did. And it just . . . stays strong.
I am the Winter is probably the most beautiful song on here, but I'm not sure it holds the same uniqueness as the rest of the album thus far.
She Knows My Name is good, pretty. It's got a lot of mood to it, though the music doesn't include anything that surprises me or catches me like some of the other songs did. Solid and well done.
As We Move Forward moves forward. Straightwforward. I feel like I've said everything I need to say about the style already. Both this song and the previous song have a slight feeling of . . . catharsis, maybe? Feels like something's been accomplished.
Atomsperic pieces and acoustic guitar jump us into When the Lights Go Out. Once again, after a couple of somes that were 'normal,' I feel like we're going somewhere new. And while the rest of the song doesn't continue to surprise, the way it swells and dims is legitimately emotional. And then the end of the song is perfect.
We end with There's a Thunder. It makes a good finale song in feel, with more of that cathartic feeling. It's a strong finish, but not one that pushes the band rating up. The choiric part really contributes to the unique feel of the song.
Overall, I enjoyed this album immensely. The music is beautiful, with hints of something even greater. Like the album is about 2/5 masterpiece, and the rest is along for the ride and merely excellent. There were no really low points, and I loved the sound of the vocals. The lyrics didn't stand out to me as something you should play close attention to, but did give me the feel of a concept album. The struggle and hope of love out of reach or something like that. It felt thematically consistent.

Beneath the Brine, Howl, and The Water's Fine are the 3 songs I would take with me. (I'm going to do this for any album I want to)

4.3/5 stars (round it up to 4.5 I guess)
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Re: SAW [Week 37 - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"]

#1447

Post by speedchuck »

[mention]nutella[/mention]
I think I'm going to link people when I review their albums as I go through. I'll quit if somebody thinks it's obnoxious.
For the record, Nutella, I just reviewed your OG submission.
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Re: SAW [Week 37 - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"]

#1448

Post by speedchuck »

[mention]MovingPictures07[/mention]
2. MovingPictures07 - Fishmans - Otokotachi no Wakare
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Whoa dang this is really long. And live. But it has a good sound. After the cheering, I can't really tell it's live. Which is good. :P
ARE YOU FEEL GOOD? I'm probably not going to do a song-by-song on this. I'll just throw in thoughts as they come.
This first guitar riff goes on a long time. The sufferings of a live album, I guess. At least it's a good riff to have in the background, and others are doing their stuff.
So far, nothing is bad. But it's (according to the OP) dream pop. Never heard dream pop before. And I'm not big on it. The music is just kinda... there, and I can't understand the lyrics (though that hasn't stopped me from liking songs before). I suppose the beats are sometimes catchy, and as of 30 minutes in, I've liked some of the riffs and solos okay. But the plodding pace and repetitiveness in parts makes me feel like I could have heard everything I've really liked from this album so far in about 7 minutes of time, if that.
Even when the album starts doing something interesting and fun, it ends up back at the plain muted cord progessions or repeated same-y notes.
Some strong grooves in places. Back to my bolded point, though. Everything is swamped in chill dream pop that doesn't really do much for me, and often that pop is repetitive. Especially when the lyrics come in.
Bass guitar sounds pretty good, even in the parts that are meh.
In the Air ends with some awful whining vocal sounds. It is the worst part of the album thus far.
5 minutes into Long Season, and it's a definite step up. I expected a bigger step at the very beginning, but it lapsed back into the same style (don't know what I expected) but maye better. The piano repetition 5 minutes in is killing me though.
This all works better to me as background music. Maybe it's the reggae I don't like. Hrm.
The piano riff never goes away.

I'm a picky guy when it comes to music. I want one of . . . five? things.
1. Fun to sing with
2. Energetic, driven, springy, idk something that fills my spirit and makes me want to move my legs or rock out
3. Musically intricate and diverse
4. Lyrically moving or plat-focused
5. Mood-setting/nostalgic

This album was well-put-together, especially for a live album, and had some good grooves and solos and instrumentation. The closest this got to me liking it was criteria #3, during some little parts. I somehow didn't get #5 from it at all. :shrug: To each their own.

1.5/5
Didn't know albums this long were allowed. Anyone against me picking my favorite album for the next poll? It's about 1.5 hours.
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Re: SAW [Week 37 - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"]

#1449

Post by dunya »

speedchuck wrote: Thu Nov 30, 2017 4:16 pm I think I'm going to link people when I review their albums as I go through. I'll quit if somebody thinks it's obnoxious.
For the record, Nutella, I just reviewed your OG submission.
I did the same, I think it's ok.

I was stuck at MP's album cos it was so long :p
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Re: SAW [Week 37 - "A Charlie Brown Christmas"]

#1450

Post by Tangrowth »

I realized quickly in retrospect that it was probably a poor choice for submission, but I love that album (and was especially obsessed with it at the time we started this thing), and I thought it would be a good introduction to an overlooked band, especially given their transition from dub to dream pop. I don't plan on nominating anything remotely close to that long in the future.
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