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

Take a walk in Tin Pan Alley, the area's most famous music district.

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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1281

Post by nutella »



whoa, didn't realize spotify links automatically embed. well there it is
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1282

Post by nutella »

Leucocyte - 3ish? I definitely appreciate what it is but I enjoy some parts of it a lot more than others and some of it just drags on/doesn't hold my interest much.
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1283

Post by speedchuck »

Good news! It looks like I'll be changing jobs in the next month or so. And I'll be able to stream music at my new job!
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1284

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dew eet
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1285

Post by G-Man »

Leucocyte

I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be, a jazz person. I have such a limited background with jazz (A Charlie Brown Christmas and having listened to every Miles Davis album for another musical project) that you might as well call me a jazz outsider. That keeps me consistent with a lot of the albums we've listened to. I'm an outsider to a lot of the stuff you folks like, it seems, so please bear with me once more.

Track 1, "Decade," gets this album off on the wrong foot for me. It's sounds nice but it's slow and directionless to me (perhaps that's a thing with jazz that I will understand with time). It's also very short. Is it an intro or a stand-alone piece? I considered it a stand-alone, as it shared nothing with the track that followed. Track 2, "Premonition I. Earth," was both interesting and frustrating at the same time. The entire piece is a slow build, so much that I (with my boorish rock and roll sensibilities) didn't feel like there was a true climax. In my notes, I likened it to boiling a frog- it adds and builds inch by inch but with all the additions and subtle changes, there wasn't a clear and distinct energy transfer- no kicking it up a notch to bring it all home if you will. I liked it but I wish I could have loved it. Track 3, "Premonition 2. Contorted," sucked the energy back out. Perhaps this was a comedown track after "Earth." It was just slow-jam meandering with not my kind of energy. Adequate and pleasant but not engaging for me.

That was the story of much of the album for me. A lot of arty or meandering music that's better than anything I could ever hope to write myself but also not much that appeals to me. "Jazz" struck me as the most conventional piece on the album but it had zip and a few flourishes that kept it from feeling generic. It wasn't until the "Leucocyte" cycle that I perked up in a big way.

"Ab Initio" pounds at your brain. Is it electric guitar I hear? I'm genuinely curious since I don't see guitar listed on any album credits I dig up. It evokes a sense of danger and desperation but also builds in a way that satisfies for me. Believe it or not, I did not give the faux-track "Ab Interim" a zero like I said I would. I gave it a score just below indifference for reasons already stated. I think it disrupts the flow of "Initio" into "Mortem" too much. There's enough of a fade out to just roll into the next track.

"Ab Mortem" and "Ab Infinitum" are certainly companion pieces because of their similar sound and they way they blend together. This one-two punch was very beautiful. There's a little bit of distortion and a large expansive quality that suggests a vast and lonely landscape. Call me a nerd, but the first thing that popped into my head was the cosmos. With the droning elements and the reverberant echo at times, these two pieces sound as if they could be a sonata for the Voyager space probes. It's calming and yet sad at the same time.

If I had to take three tracks with me, I'd snatch up the "Leucocyte" cycle (minus that wasted minute of course). "Premonition I. Earth" comes close but something still feels incomplete. "Jazz" was also a strong contender but it lacks the distinctive personality of the "Leucocyte" cycle.

If you cut out "Ab Interim" and its dead air, the album would have hit 3.6 out of 5 (a B+ for me) on the strength of the "Leucocyte" cycle alone. But alas, that artsy fartsy bit of triviality holds it back. As an amusing consequence, this album came in just a notch or two below Original Sin, which ought to just thrill Rico.

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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1286

Post by Ricochet »

G-Man wrote: Tue Oct 17, 2017 12:58 pm As an amusing consequence, this album came in just a notch or two below Original Sin, which ought to just thrill Rico.
oh you

To be pedantic, I think 'Decade' is stand-alone, in that it is not related or of the same fabric as 'Premonition', yet is an introduction (to the next epic track and to the album by default), since it's too short and form-less to count as either "a composition with its clear structure and message" or "a fully developed/improvised jazz composition".

Dan Berglund plays solely an amplified/electric double bass - unless I am sorely mistaken, but he has never changed his instrumental role within the trio, throughout their career and discography. So what you're hearing on 'Ab initio' is the bass sound played and distorted in such a way, that it comes off like ragged guitar slashes.
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1287

Post by Tangrowth »

Ricochet wrote: Tue Oct 17, 2017 1:21 pm
G-Man wrote: Tue Oct 17, 2017 12:58 pm As an amusing consequence, this album came in just a notch or two below Original Sin, which ought to just thrill Rico.
oh you

To be pedantic, I think 'Decade' is stand-alone, in that it is not related or of the same fabric as 'Premonition', yet is an introduction (to the next epic track and to the album by default), since it's too short and form-less to count as either "a composition with its clear structure and message" or "a fully developed/improvised jazz composition".

Dan Berglund plays solely an amplified/electric double bass - unless I am sorely mistaken, but he has never changed his instrumental role within the trio, throughout their career and discography. So what you're hearing on 'Ab initio' is the bass sound played and distorted in such a way, that it comes off like ragged guitar slashes.
I was always under that impression as well.
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1288

Post by G-Man »

First impressions of Woodkid:

-Sounds like a dude version of Adele but with less vocal range and passion
-Vocals seemed overpowered by the music at times
-The big orchestral sound gets a little samey by 2/3 of the way through
-Nod of approval for the artist being one of the composers for all the orchestral music and not just writing the vocal parts
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1289

Post by G-Man »

I've listened only once so far this week. Lots of things going on at the office plus planning for the girls' birthday party this weekend will result in me falling behind with this.
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1290

Post by Tangrowth »

So... I was not a fan of Woodkid, to put it lightly. G-Man hit the nail on the head for me by saying 'dude version of Adele'. That was very similar to the impression I had. And I really don't like Adele. This just isn't my thing. I can at least say I liked it better than Adele, but that doesn't mean much. The album shifted between being tedious and actively irritating me, more so the latter unfortunately. I'd give it a 1.5. I won't say more because I don't like being negative about albums. Sorry.
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1291

Post by Ricochet »

Unlikely I'll contribute in regular fashion this week - haven't written anything yet, only listened once and I have twelve hours of moviewatching ahead during the next two days. Just the way my week is panning out.

But the important thing is for more peeps to listen to and share impressions, anyway, it's not only about G's or R's reviews.
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1292

Post by nutella »

I don't understand (/am surprised/rather baffled by) the Adele comparison. Can you guys explain what you mean by that? Where's the similarity, other than that they're both very talented singers with unique voices? Does it have to do with the orchestral/"epic" sound of many of the tracks?

I find Woodkid's music to be quite unique and really beautiful, and I'm curious what you guys found boring or irritating about it.
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1293

Post by Ricochet »

I think there is an element of the whole orchestration style that can strike as casual pop artists who get a backup orchestra for extra oomph or surround. I pay close to little attention to Adele's output as to comment on whether the comparison is meritous, but I'll admit at times the picture in my head was that of a pop big shot playing at Royal Albert Hall with a philharmonic orchestra besides him.

If anything, the voice itself gave me an Antony & the Johnsons impression, sans Antony's emotional, voice-crumbling and -dwindling range.
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1294

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

I am listening to SAW things.
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1295

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Leucocyte

For me, listening to this was a decently rewarding chore. I mean that as both a positive and a negative statement. Throughout the first half or so of the album, I had one continuous impression: everything happening here which isn't a piano is annoying and pointless. This is generic "cool noises, bro" arbitrary aimlessness that I can never stand. The piano held it up enough though that I didn't fall asleep or go make lunch to escape it.

Enduring that was worthwhile though, because the product improved significantly throughout the title suite. Finally in those tracks did the music seem to find a discernible purpose and structure. The relative complexity was sustained without the typical sacrifice of aesthetics. The clear highlight for me was Leudcocyte III. Ad Mortem. I find myself wondering whether I'll just cut the fat next time and get straight to the suite.

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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1296

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

Woodkid - The Golden Age

The general aesthetic here seems to parallel The Family Crest; it's easy to understand why nutella appreciates it. There's a unique vocalist working over a very dramatic, if sometimes cheesy, orchestral set. As with TFC, I think Woodkid walks the tightrope of cheesiness dangerously, and probably less successfully, but it still has its merits. I found it decent enough listen for the most part, and it seemed to go by quickly. It's a consistent thing, perhaps too much so sonically speaking.

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SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1297

Post by Ricochet »

*snaps fingers*
Week 32: That Handsome Devil - A City Dressed in Dynamite

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Submitted by [mention]speedchuck[/mention]

Available on YouTube and state if Spotify as well
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1298

Post by speedchuck »

It seems to be on Spotify, but I don't have an account there.

I can't listen to music right now, but I can totally introduce this album.

That Handsome Devil was introduced to me through the games Guitar Hero 2 and Rock Band 2, way back when that was how I got into music. Those games are solely responsible for my somewhat diverse tastes. And in the middle of those games, I found some goofy, irreverent tunes that couldn't help but tap my foot to.

Elephant Bones (not on this album, but worth a listen) and Rob the Prez-O-Dent.

I only fell further in from there.

That Handsome Devil creates booze-soaked bops that imitate anything from elevator music to rockabilly funk (as if I know what that is), selling it all with the distinct vocal drawl of Godforbid and lyrics that barge into inappropriateness with all the grace of a ballet hippo. This fusion spawn tunes that I, at least, can't help but sing along with, and this album has some of my favorites on it: Wintergreen, Rob the Prez-O-Dent, Pills for Everything, Viva Discordia, and Mexico.

I don't know what else to say. Start the playlist, kick down the Damn Door, and (hopefully) enjoy the bumpy ride. I look forward to your comments.

Side note: If you wish to listen to any other Handsome Devil songs from other albums, I recommend Elephant Bones, U and I in Suicide, Charlies Inferno (my personal favorite), and Savages from their newest EP.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1299

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

That Handsome Devil - A City Dressed in Dynamite

It's certainly a unique thing. I always appreciate when musicians make their best effort to blend a whole tossed salad of genres into a cohesive album. I'm not sure how much I enjoyed the actual product itself, but it wasn't a bad listen. I really like the idea of it and it may warrant further exploration of their catalog as time permits, even if I wouldn't call the album essential. Positive marks, to the tune of... [drum roll please for this extremely surprising grade]

3 stars
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1300

Post by Tangrowth »

nutella wrote: Sat Oct 21, 2017 3:29 am I don't understand (/am surprised/rather baffled by) the Adele comparison. Can you guys explain what you mean by that? Where's the similarity, other than that they're both very talented singers with unique voices? Does it have to do with the orchestral/"epic" sound of many of the tracks?

I find Woodkid's music to be quite unique and really beautiful, and I'm curious what you guys found boring or irritating about it.
I wouldn't even say that Adele is untalented; I just don't like her. I certainly wasn't trying to imply that about Woodkid either, just so it's clear.

The comparison doesn't arise necessarily due to the music itself or anything, just more so having a vocalist singing with somewhat similar delivery with "huge" sounding orchestration. Adele and Woodkid both have the same problem, at least in my mind -- the contrast between their vocals and the orchestration and the attempt to sound majestic sounds over the top for the sake of sounding over the top, yet comes off as incredibly contrived and substance-less.

The songs all blended together to me, and it all felt ridiculously disengaging to the point of being actively distracting. And unfortunately I really don't like his voice or delivery at all. His delivery sounded like he was trying to come across as passionate but I heard the opposite. I've found that some chamber pop and indie pop are more likely to come across to me like this than some other genres, uninteresting at best and with irritating unconvincing faux-passion at its worst. At times it was almost cringe-worthy, but not quite that irritating throughout thankfully.

That's all just me though. I only elaborate because you were curious. None of this is meant at all as a slight on anyone else enjoying it. I don't even like when I take negatively to any music; I wish I liked it. But certainly there's music out there I don't like. Hell, maybe I'm just an elitist. :p
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Re: SAW [Week 31 - "The Golden Age"]

#1301

Post by G-Man »

MovingPictures07 wrote: Mon Oct 23, 2017 11:17 pm
nutella wrote: Sat Oct 21, 2017 3:29 am I don't understand (/am surprised/rather baffled by) the Adele comparison. Can you guys explain what you mean by that? Where's the similarity, other than that they're both very talented singers with unique voices? Does it have to do with the orchestral/"epic" sound of many of the tracks?

I find Woodkid's music to be quite unique and really beautiful, and I'm curious what you guys found boring or irritating about it.
I wouldn't even say that Adele is untalented; I just don't like her. I certainly wasn't trying to imply that about Woodkid either, just so it's clear.

The comparison doesn't arise necessarily due to the music itself or anything, just more so having a vocalist singing with somewhat similar delivery with "huge" sounding orchestration. Adele and Woodkid both have the same problem, at least in my mind -- the contrast between their vocals and the orchestration and the attempt to sound majestic sounds over the top for the sake of sounding over the top, yet comes off as incredibly contrived and substance-less.

The songs all blended together to me, and it all felt ridiculously disengaging to the point of being actively distracting. And unfortunately I really don't like his voice or delivery at all. His delivery sounded like he was trying to come across as passionate but I heard the opposite. I've found that some chamber pop and indie pop are more likely to come across to me like this than some other genres, uninteresting at best and with irritating unconvincing faux-passion at its worst. At times it was almost cringe-worthy, but not quite that irritating throughout thankfully.

That's all just me though. I only elaborate because you were curious. None of this is meant at all as a slight on anyone else enjoying it. I don't even like when I take negatively to any music; I wish I liked it. But certainly there's music out there I don't like. Hell, maybe I'm just an elitist. :p
I highlighted the parts I can agree with you on there, MP. The Adele comparison for me is strictly the sound. My views on pop create the following categories:

Conventional Pop: modern-day, overproduced music and vocals that forces as many natural and computer-generated elements in as possible

Bubblegum Pop: simple instrumentation based around an upbeat riff or beat

Traditional Pop: Michael Bublé, Harry Connick, Jr., and everyone else who patterns themselves after Sinatra, Crosby, Bennett and all the other 40s and 50s lounge lizards, and sometimes bordering on soft jazz

Dramatic Pop: Taking the classical instruments from Traditional Pop and mixing it with a dash or more of the overproduction of Conventional Pop to create a grand, sweeping, concert-hall-filling sound

My problem with Dramatic Pop, which both Adele and Woodkid fall into, is that it takes the orchestral flourishes that can take a song in almost any genre to the next level and stretches out that flourish and make it the entirety of the sound. It's all grand. It's all epic. It's all sweeping ear candy. But it's also exhausting after a while and can come across as showy and pretentious because after a while it sounds like the artist takes his or herself too seriously.

I don't agree with much of the other stuff MP posted. I can hear a love of music and a dedication to craftsmanship in Woodkid's music. I can tell it's there but Woodkid himself doesn't convey it well for me. His somber voice stays within (what my non-classically-trained ears perceive) a very narrow range. His voice is always quite even keel, which makes him sound a little flat against his lush orchestrated backdrop. He may love what he's doing but it never sounds (to me) like he digs down in and goes for it.

The singer for The Family Crest belts it out, which suits the dramatic scope of the music. I think Woodkid is too measured. He needs to belt it out at times for emphasis. He doesn't though, which is why some of the tracks feel samey and/or boring vocally.

If the point is to maintain a mood, then I would argue that the album is more successful than we give it credit for. I'm listening for what I'm listening for though, and I like a little more fun and zest than what Woodkid delivers. But I am a fan of what's one step beyond Dramatic Pop- Rock Opera, so that bias is hard to overcome.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1302

Post by nutella »

I think the Family Crest comparison is much fairer, but maybe I'm biased :p Still, not necessarily the first connection I would make, as I think they evoke very different moods and I don't think Woodkid is "over the top" in the same way TFC are. But it's interesting/insightful from my perspective that you pointed out that overlap in my taste.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1303

Post by G-Man »

I think part of it for me is that I've become too much of an optimist to enjoy somber music (or music with sustained somber qualities) for great lengths of time (aka- a whole album's worth). I need that over-the-top element or upbeat nature lately if I'm not listening to something straight out of my collection that I am intimately familiar with.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1304

Post by Tangrowth »

That's not it for me. I listen to plenty of depressing stuff (see: black metal and many other things); the mood it was attempting to create didn't bother me at all. I'm not even quite sure what it is; I love Dream Pop and when it's done right, even Chamber Pop can be bliss (see: Bjork). I just have a general aversion to certain pop artists and pop/orchestral mixes. Even my taste in jazz tends to be a lot pickier once you throw in strings; Miles Davis is one of my all-time favorite artists easily but his strings stuff doesn't excite me greatly even if I think it's incredibly well-done. Music tastes are weird.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1305

Post by Ricochet »

I think it would be of no surprise that my disposition proves to be the antithesis of G-Man's, at least the way he presented it. For instance, my top-of-the-year lists highlight each time a bias for dark ambient, as opposed to other electronic genres - not to mention,list-related, that all my yearly #1s of this decade (apart from 2015's, that found me in a "yeah I'll acknowledge this huge release" mood) portray me as either pretentiously or predisposedly picking more obscure stuff, that probably only me and 99 other people on the planet enjoyed to such extent.

That is not to say I cannot enjoy well-made upbeat music as well - see my embrace of some contemporary indie rock starting 2008-09 - but even there, my slowly-developing credo is that the most uplifting type of music is the saddest - meaning music whose composition, style, instrumentation, rhythms etc. can obviously be described in positive ways, but are a mirage to, say, deeper, subtler, more poetic lyrics. It's a form of expression that entices me without finding it self-contradictory.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1306

Post by G-Man »

Moving on to That Handsome Devil for the first listen. It's a niche product for sure but an enjoyable one. It wasn't the best first listen for me because I have a lot to do and it was a bit distracting. I get the feeling that this is an album best listened to in a certain state of mind. Right now I am not in it.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1307

Post by Tangrowth »

nutella wrote: Tue Oct 24, 2017 10:49 am I think the Family Crest comparison is much fairer, but maybe I'm biased :p Still, not necessarily the first connection I would make, as I think they evoke very different moods and I don't think Woodkid is "over the top" in the same way TFC are. But it's interesting/insightful from my perspective that you pointed out that overlap in my taste.
This is an interesting point. I didn't draw the parallel either, but once Jay said it, I can see the overlap for you as well. Now I'm intrigued. Diagnose me, sir! [mention]JaggedJimmyJay[/mention]

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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1308

Post by Tangrowth »

Ricochet wrote: Tue Oct 24, 2017 1:17 pm I think it would be of no surprise that my disposition proves to be the antithesis of G-Man's, at least the way he presented it. For instance, my top-of-the-year lists highlight each time a bias for dark ambient, as opposed to other electronic genres - not to mention,list-related, that all my yearly #1s of this decade (apart from 2015's, that found me in a "yeah I'll acknowledge this huge release" mood) portray me as either pretentiously or predisposedly picking more obscure stuff, that probably only me and 99 other people on the planet enjoyed to such extent.

That is not to say I cannot enjoy well-made upbeat music as well - see my embrace of some contemporary indie rock starting 2008-09 - but even there, my slowly-developing credo is that the most uplifting type of music is the saddest - meaning music whose composition, style, instrumentation, rhythms etc. can obviously be described in positive ways, but are a mirage to, say, deeper, subtler, more poetic lyrics. It's a form of expression that entices me without finding it self-contradictory.
I think my perspective is somewhat similar to yours, but that's not too surprising since you and I do have some overlap even if we also have some stark differences as well. It'd be really cool to conceptualize all of our tastes with like subgenre and artist diagrams. Syndicate music taste cloud or something. This needs to be accomplished somehow.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1309

Post by Tangrowth »

G-Man wrote: Tue Oct 24, 2017 2:42 pm Moving on to That Handsome Devil for the first listen. It's a niche product for sure but an enjoyable one. It wasn't the best first listen for me because I have a lot to do and it was a bit distracting. I get the feeling that this is an album best listened to in a certain state of mind. Right now I am not in it.
Yes, let's make sure we talk about this week's thing!

I'm actually familiar with That Handsome Devil; I remember some buzz around this album when it came out! I'm not even sure I ever heard the album in full though, and it's been since its release year since I've really heard any of it, so it'll be an almost brand-new listen for me, although I do remember the general aesthetic and experimentation. Should be interesting.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1310

Post by G-Man »

WOODKID: This time through I noticed a very Coldplay-esque vibe, especially on the tracks when he's singing with a piano. I can hear Chris Martin singing some of these somber tunes. Also, I think this guy could write one heck of a James Bond theme. Some of the tunes possess arrangements that are big and brassy enough to sound ominous and hit the right chords for it.

THAT HANDSOME DEVIL: Didn't make it back to this one today.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1311

Post by Tangrowth »

My thoughts on That Handsome Devil can be summarized as follows:

I'm torn on this one because I think it's cool when artists try to create something unique, but in the end I don't really think anything of it in terms of enjoyment. I strongly believe it is a very commendable experimentation and mix of sub-genres, but the songwriting is lacking, at least for me. I didn't really feel or think much of anything as a result of listening to it.

I would say it's pretty much a poor man's Mr. Bungle, if I'm feeling savage. The vocalist isn't interesting at all (in stark contrast to Mike Patton), and this album also fails to make any impression in terms of conventional melodies or unconventional experimentation, which I feel Mr. Bungle accomplish in different ways; instead, it falls in the middle of trying to be both, but doesn't accomplish either. Perhaps my feelings would change with increased familiarity, however. I know they're also doing something different than Patton and Bungle did, but the comparison kept inevitably popping in my mind as I listened.

I'm giving it a 2.5. But if I considered things like experimentation, admiration, etc., the score would definitely be higher. I think it's a cool little product. Just doesn't make any impression on me in the end, and I don't have any real desire to revisit it, despite not thinking anything remotely negative of it.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1312

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THAT HANDSOME DEVIL: Getting a weird but enjoyable Outkast meets Nick Cave fusion going on in places here. I also hear the rockabilly/swing revival influence. I'm glad the band doesn't stay too close to that last sound because I'm a firm believer that that phase, while fun in the moment, has long since passed.

WOODKID: Honing in on a final rating.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1313

Post by Tangrowth »

G-Man wrote: Thu Oct 26, 2017 1:55 pm THAT HANDSOME DEVIL: Getting a weird but enjoyable Outkast meets Nick Cave fusion going on in places here. I also hear the rockabilly/swing revival influence. I'm glad the band doesn't stay too close to that last sound because I'm a firm believer that that phase, while fun in the moment, has long since passed.

WOODKID: Honing in on a final rating.
Lol, I didn't even think of that; OutKast meets Nick Cave with some rockabilly thrown in is a very apt description.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1314

Post by speedchuck »

Welp, time to check out two more bands. XD

I love the voice, despite what MP said. It's really fun to sing with.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1315

Post by Tangrowth »

speedchuck wrote: Thu Oct 26, 2017 5:48 pm Welp, time to check out two more bands. XD

I love the voice, despite what MP said. It's really fun to sing with.

By all means, that’s awesome. Subjectivity man. Not sure why but his voice doesn’t do anything for me.

That said, despite having immense respect for Nick Cave, I’m not really into his music or voice either so maybe that’s part of it for me. I would definitely recommend his Bad Seeds era from the late 80s-early 90s though, sounds like you’ll dig his stuff.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1316

Post by Ricochet »



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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1317

Post by speedchuck »

Be watching as soon as I get home, for sure. I'm at the family's for the weekend.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1318

Post by Tangrowth »

Keep up the reviews, Rico. They're awesome!
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1319

Post by nutella »

Just finished first listen of THD. It was... interesting, but I don't really know how I feel about it beyond that yet. I'll have to absorb it a couple more times. I think my feelings might end up similar to MP's though -- I definitely appreciate it as, well, interesting, but it doesn't really do much for me in particular that I can't get somewhere else. Or it's just not really my style anyway. Idk, we'll see.

On another note, I just realized I never actually gave my own rating for Woodkid. I'll say 4.5 (some days I might even say 5 just because it's a sort of special album to me personally but not, like, one of the most important)
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1320

Post by speedchuck »

Fantastic review, Rico. You basically hit exactly what I feel about the band in there.

It's late here now, but I'll be watching your other review when I get the chance. I like your reviewing style, as it picks apart the stylings of the music, how well they are played, and points to a bunch of other musical influences that pique my interest. I think that's my favorite part of the reviews. If I like a particular song that you mention, I can go look at some of the similar sounds you mentioned.

Glad you got some enjoyment out of it!

And those are my favorite tracks too, followed by Viva Discordia and Rob the Prez-O-Dent.
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Re: SAW [Week 32 - "A City Dressed in Dynamite"]

#1321

Post by G-Man »

The Golden Age

I don't know that Woodkid's voice would work in any of the other categories of Pop that I listed before except for maybe Traditional Pop. His accent doesn't bother me but his range strikes me as limited in range and his expressiveness was lacking or limited in a number of tracks. That being said, I think the artist knows what his vocal limitations are and wrote orchestration that suits his abilities pretty well.

Track 1, "The Golden Age," tries to put its best foot forward and does for the most part. Even with my headphones on, I felt that his voice got swallowed up by the orchestra too much. Whether that's a mixing issue or just the reality of his voice vs. the music is unclear. Track 2, "Run Boy Run," hits the right combination of the two elements and has a good driving energy. Track 3, "The Great Escape," was grand in scope but the horns were a little over the top for me. I can envision a music video of a high-fantasy world, the hero gallantly riding his steed in time to the percussion. I don't know what should or even could replace the horns but it seemed a little thick for me.

That's more or less how this album played out for me. There were five solid tracks and the rest were just pretty good to my ears. Some songs feel a little too close to other music I'm familiar with (Coldplay, Michael Giacchino, James Bond music) and other tracks just felt like they were incomplete or missing one or two crucial elements that would put it over the top. When it works though, it's very enjoyable.

My three favorite tracks were "Run Boy Run," "I Love You," and "Ghost Lights." "Run Boy Run" has a great energy to it and contains more than just the singer and the orchestra. The opening of "I Love You" reminded me of Original Sin with its echoey, metallic sounds. The strings and bells were a nice touch in that song too. "Ghost Lights" might be my favorite of the tracks for the long brass notes. They provide some oomph that is either missing or not quite complete on other tracks.

Orchestral Pop seems to be full of niche artists that can't escape from the shadows of the soulful dramatic pop of Adele unless you are into the genre and go looking for indie/obscure artists. This album came in just a few points under The Family Crest, which surprised me. I went back and looked to see why (I thought Woodkid would come in well below them) and I found that while The Family Crest went all-out with their gusto and wore their passion on their sleeve, they were inconsistent. I wasn't indifferent to any of the tracks on The Golden Age while I was indifferent to a few on Beneath the Brine but Woodkid's album contained more tracks and fewer tracks that I thought were 'very good.' I'm fascinated that these two albums took very different journeys to very similar ratings.

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Rico Scale: 3.5 out of 5
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SAW [Week 33 - "Creep On Creepin' On"]

#1322

Post by Ricochet »

Oops, forgot to change yesterday and Jay is an awful boss at having delegated me to do everything from now on.

Week 33: Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin' On

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Available on YouTube and surely Spotify
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Re: SAW [Week 33 - "Creep On Creepin' On"]

#1323

Post by nutella »

Ahhh yes this will be a good Halloween one. I've heard Timber Timbre before and keep meaning to actually listen to them more. Good shit
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Re: SAW [Week 33 - "Creep On Creepin' On"]

#1324

Post by G-Man »

THAT HANDSOME DEVIL:
Another attribute I've noticed is that the artists are very intentional about portraying an image through their music. Some of the little things, like a laugh here, an extra side comment to the listener there, seem like things more suited to a live show, so it's like their trying to capture some of their stage persona on the record. It's fine on this album but it might wear thin over multiple albums for me. Another analogy I came up with to describe the album is this: take every single Quentin Tarantino movie soundtrack, put it in a blender, and add a healthy dose of Tarantino's desire to be intentionally hip with everything he does, and it might sound like A City Dressed in Dynamite.

TIMBRE TIMBRE:
How is this a variant of folk music? To me it just sounds like quasi-tongue-in-cheek gothic alternative.
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Re: SAW [Week 33 - "Creep On Creepin' On"]

#1325

Post by insertnamehere »

G-Man wrote: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:18 pm THAT HANDSOME DEVIL:
Another attribute I've noticed is that the artists are very intentional about portraying an image through their music. Some of the little things, like a laugh here, an extra side comment to the listener there, seem like things more suited to a live show, so it's like their trying to capture some of their stage persona on the record. It's fine on this album but it might wear thin over multiple albums for me. Another analogy I came up with to describe the album is this: take every single Quentin Tarantino movie soundtrack, put it in a blender, and add a healthy dose of Tarantino's desire to be intentionally hip with everything he does, and it might sound like A City Dressed in Dynamite.

TIMBRE TIMBRE:
How is this a variant of folk music? To me it just sounds like quasi-tongue-in-cheek gothic alternative.
I'd say Obelisk, Swamp Magic, Lonesome Hunter, and Souvenirs all qualify as "folk" on Creep On.

Timber Timbre changes their sound from album to album. Their early stuff is their folkiest, and was literally recorded in a cabin in the middle of the woods. After they signed with an indie label, they gradually added more and more instrumentation and production values, while still keeping the same general atmosphere to their music for their next couple albums (Creep On being included in that.)

After the release of this album, they went into more varied and retro territory. Hot Dreams was a tribute to California, and was made to sound like 50's film scores/the closest thing to gothic country ever concocted. Their latest album Image is kind of their arbitrary synthesizer album that seemingly every band has to do at some point, and is my least favorite of theirs. They recently released a pretty snazzy single that sounds like, yet again, a new direction for the band with dark lounge crooning and seemingly random French interjections.
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Re: SAW [Week 33 - "Creep On Creepin' On"]

#1326

Post by speedchuck »

I listened to the first 3rd of the album before bed. It's very pleasant. I like the voice.
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Re: SAW [Week 33 - "Creep On Creepin' On"]

#1327

Post by Ricochet »

Yooooooo what you guys think of Timbrrrr Tahmbrrr

Also, lmao, Fantano mispronounces them twice as Timber Timber before realizing it.

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Re: SAW [Week 33 - "Creep On Creepin' On"]

#1328

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Re: SAW [Week 33 - "Creep On Creepin' On"]

#1329

Post by insertnamehere »

"like the tingling sensation of a spider walking on your forearm"

perfect summation of this album.

Yeah, I agree with you in saying that this isn't Timber Timbre's best work, but I think it's the best possible gateway to the band and links to the rest of their discography clearly. Essentially, this is the "start here" album on the Timber Timbre flowchart, with arrows labeled "rawer and lo-fi," "more like this," and "what if instead of spooky woods, California" leading to Medicinals, their self-titled album, and Hot Dreams respectively.

Plus, this is probably their most outwardly "spoooooky" album, which seemed appropriate for the holiday.

My personal favorite is Hot Dreams, but despite being a kick-ass album, it isn't really indicative of the rest of the band's work.

You also correctly identified Beat the Dead Horse, Under Your Spell, and Lay Down In The Tall Grass as pure quality.
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Re: SAW [Week 33 - "Creep On Creepin' On"]

#1330

Post by Tangrowth »

I'll be back into this soon! Haven't really been listening to / rating stuff the past week due to everything RL happening lately.
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