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 17 - "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun"]

#961

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

Golden wrote: Wed Jul 12, 2017 12:41 am Jay's list might have a full 10% that is New Zealand music. When are you moving over here, Jay?
Just a rough count in my head:

6 Crowded House
2 Split Enz
1 Neil Finn
1 Finn Brothers
2 Shihad
1 Bic Runga
2 Lorde
1 Julia Deans

16/150 = 10.7%

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Re: SAW [Week 17 - "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun"]

#962

Post by nutella »

Fun reading through your list Jay. I have a lot of comments but I don't want to ramble about it here as I could never have the patience or decisiveness to make such a list myself, but might there be a way to leave comments on specific slot descriptions on the list? I had several thoughts/agreements/disagreements while reading through it that could be fun to discuss. Maybe on discord. Also some surprising absences (personally the Decemberists come to mind, I wouldn't leave The Crane Wife out of a top 100 myself, but maybe you never got into them or they're not your thing and that's fair but slightly surprising to me based on others you have up there) -- I can think of a couple artists that I could recommend based on your taste if you're not familiar with them.


Back on topic, I really enjoyed my first taste of Dead Can Dance. This album might end up being a 4 for me, it's just about up my alley (if again a little on the cheesy side, but overall I loved its sound).
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Re: SAW [Week 17 - "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun"]

#963

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

nutella wrote: Wed Jul 12, 2017 1:19 am Fun reading through your list Jay. I have a lot of comments but I don't want to ramble about it here as I could never have the patience or decisiveness to make such a list myself, but might there be a way to leave comments on specific slot descriptions on the list? I had several thoughts/agreements/disagreements while reading through it that could be fun to discuss. Maybe on discord. Also some surprising absences (personally the Decemberists come to mind, I wouldn't leave The Crane Wife out of a top 100 myself, but maybe you never got into them or they're not your thing and that's fair but slightly surprising to me based on others you have up there) -- I can think of a couple artists that I could recommend based on your taste if you're not familiar with them.
There's unfortunately no way to comment on individual entries, but you can comment on the list itself in the top right corner. That requires an account though (nudge nudge :grin: ). I'm always happy to talk about the tunage though, and Discord is probably the best place for that.
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Re: SAW [Week 17 - "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun"]

#964

Post by Tangrowth »

Awesome list, Jay! I took a glance through all of them last night; I'll have to look at each listing in greater detail. I hope to have a similar list once I'm done going through and rating all of this stuff... check back with me in a year or two. :grin:

Glad you like it so much, nutella! I would give this album a 4.0 myself. It's really got some moments that reach 4.5-level for me, like most of the opening track, "Xavier", and "Summoning of the Muse", just not the entire album. Nonetheless, it's definitely a solid favorite of mine for a reason and I love every track pretty much.

If you (or anyone else is) are interested in hearing more of DCD's stuff, even though I personally don't feel they ever quite capture the quality of this album, I'd nonetheless recommend diving deeper because their discography is still full of solid albums.

Here's how I rated all of their albums (listed chronologically):
Dead Can Dance -- 3.0
Spleen and Ideal -- 3.5
Within the Realm of a Dying Sun -- 4.0
The Serpent's Egg -- 3.5
Aion -- 3.0
Into the Labyrinth -- 3.5
Spiritchaser -- 3.0
Anastasis -- 3.5
So I would recommend any of the 3.5's as a listen to after WTROADS album, but The Serpent's Egg or Spleen and Ideal specifically might be the best second DCD album selections due to their close chronological proximity to the sound on this album.
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Re: SAW [Week 17 - "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun"]

#965

Post by G-Man »

Okay, so here's my review of last week's album:

The Heart Speaks in Whispers kicks off with a song that was nice but had a little too much of a generic club vibe for me to embrace it fully. The second track had some nice touches but it's the kind of slow, romantic song that I wouldn't normally hear save for on a Dancing With the Stars episode. The third track was a conglomeration of 80s sounds followed up by a random act of smooth jazz in the closing minute.

My three-track snap-judgement wasn't the kindest. The third track dropped off the level set by the first two. Falling action on an album isn't unheard of but it's easier to accept when one or both of the first two track perk up my ears. I would have gonged this album at that point but I can admit that, had I done so, I would have missed the best this album has to offer.

Despite being indifferent to the genre and sound as a whole, there are plenty of tracks on this album that I would call pleasant. The only track that I scored as a solid 'good' was "Green Aphrodisiac." The sexy tone worked really well for me on that one. I had trouble picking two other tracks because many were on even standing below the aforementioned tune. I ended up going with "Stop Where You Are" and "Ice Cream Colours" (despite my spell-check's insistence that there should be no u in there). The former was an easy choice because everything clicked pretty well and it had more energy that most of the others. "Ice Cream Colours" contains some lyrics that were silly to me but the overall package worked well. Nice, peppy, poppy stuff.

Two other tracks stood out to me from what would be the second half of the regular album. "Horse Print Dress" features a disco sound reminiscent of Chic in their prime and Michael Jackson's Off the Wall. The beginning of "Walk On" reminded me of "Po' Lazarus" from O Brother, Where Art Thou? Something in the percussion sounds like that repetitive chop and drag of a line of workers. It had to be intentional, but I felt like the rest of the track didn't make the most of its interesting start.

The second half of the album did lag for me. The bonus songs, save for "Ice Cream Colours," were more of the same, though I did feel that "Push On the Dawn" made for a more effective closer than "Night," the final track on the standard album.

I can probably find something good to say about almost any kind of music, so the final rating didn't surprise me too much. It's not my thing, but that doesn't mean it isn't adequate or enjoyable on some level.

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Re: SAW [Week 17 - "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun"]

#966

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

I listened to three other Dead Can Dance albums and they were all decent. They didn't inspire me, but they were decent. They were Dead Can Dance, Spleen and Ideal, and The Serpent's Egg.
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Re: SAW [Week 17 - "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun"]

#967

Post by G-Man »

My first impressions of the Dead Can Dance album are that parts of it sound like music from The Princess Bride, other parts sound like music from an 80s-era British TV murder mystery you might see on PBS, and a few tracks are very good.
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Re: SAW [Week 17 - "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun"]

#968

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

I've listened to a number of Dead Can Dance albums now, and it seems clear to me that this one was their best. I even listened to a compilation without realizing it (ewww compilation) and preferred this.
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Re: SAW [Week 17 - "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun"]

#969

Post by Tangrowth »

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: Sat Jul 15, 2017 12:41 pm I've listened to a number of Dead Can Dance albums now, and it seems clear to me that this one was their best. I even listened to a compilation without realizing it (ewww compilation) and preferred this.
Yeah, everything just kind of comes together in the best way for them on this album. I was hoping to find another album of at least this caliber when revisiting their discography but came to the same realization. Still a solid discography though for sure, at least for my taste. Just nothing else this good.
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#970

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

Week 18: Bobby McFerrin - Circlesongs
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#971

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

I'm almost through Circlesongs for the first time. My first thought is that I'm not sure why the genre voters on RYM (there aren't many of them, this album seems somewhat obscure) have called this "vocal jazz" and a capella. It seems purely the latter to me.

The concept here is something I haven't heard before and that's pretty neat. The vocals function essentially as another musical instrument as opposed to a medium for delivering clear lyrics. At first it benefited from that fresh sound, but it did wear on me as the album progressed. As I near the end I find myself wishing there was something else here. In purely sonic terms it does sound good so I can't outright dislike it. My interest hasn't quite held though. The first spin is about 2.5 stars for me. It'll likely get at least one more opportunity later in the week though.
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#972

Post by nutella »

I think the "jazz" label might just come from the improvisational aspect of how the "circlesongs" were created, but yeah I don't know that I'd call it jazz purely based on that. But I love it, the harmonies are fantastic. For me this album is one of the standouts of the strange multiple-genre range of CDs that my family kept in the house on rotation when I was growing up, and my brother and I share a hyper-familiarity and love for this music. Tracks 3 and 6 are my favorites.

Ratings update- the Dead Can Dance album is a 4 for me, I enjoyed it just as much on second listen and have checked out a few of their others as well. As for Circlesongs I think I'll give it a 4.5 -- there are parts where it gets very repetitive and less interesting, but I find it really pleasant/soothing to listen to (probably in part due to personal significance and how familiar I am with it).
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#973

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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#974

Post by Ricochet »

Don't recall how Circlesongs sounds and haven't gotten into it yet, but Bobby McFerrin is a legit vocal jazz artist. He improvises with his vocal range over themes, jazzy or not, the way any jazzist would. Perhaps genre-wise Circlesongs will prove to be more world music or classical-oriented choral, but you still can't take McFerrin's jazz label away from him.
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#975

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

By all means the artist can be categorized however appropriate. I mean the specific genre label for this album does not fit, IMO. It actually peeves me a bit when albums get lumped into the wrong genres simply because of who created them.
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#976

Post by Ricochet »

It's the peeving part I don't get. Things are mislabeled on RYM? Heck, I bought apples last week on which the price tag said shampoo. Shruggies shrug.
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#977

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

It happens everywhere, not just RYM. It's not like I am going to riot though. Anyway, y'all listen to the tunes and share your thoughts on the tunes. :p
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#978

Post by Tangrowth »

Ricochet wrote: Mon Jul 17, 2017 1:56 am
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Excellent review as always, Rico. I nearly spit out my breakfast at your opening though. :haha: :feb:

I can understand your criticisms about the album in particular, although I personally don't have much of a preference for one vocalist over the other (perhaps a slight for Gerrard), and the ambiance is why I like that album the most.

Nice Schulze drops too. I am really looking forward to revisiting some of his works and listening to a bunch for the first time once I reach him in my ratings marathon, probably like 2 years from now. :p
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#979

Post by Tangrowth »

I can understand Jay's frustration; I'm a RYM album labeling freak too, so it always irks me when an album is mislabeled for the same reason. :p

I'll probably check out Circlesongs sometime today actually, because starting tomorrow one of my best friends is coming into town to visit, then we have a bachelor party this weekend, so between all of that and making sure I still work on the dissertation, today will probably be the only chance I get.
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#980

Post by Tangrowth »

My thoughts on Circlesongs very much mirror Jay's -- it's definitely cool and intriguing, and I respect it, but I don't really enjoy it or get much of anything out of it personally. I gave it a 2.5 as well. I hope to revisit it at some point, but I do have a busy week ahead of me. Thanks for sharing it nonetheless, nutella, it's a pretty interesting album.
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#981

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

Hey gang, listen to Circlesongs!
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#982

Post by triceratopzeuhl »

sorry, I've been away (and will continue to be for the next 3 weeks)

I'll try to get around to all the albums when I return
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Re: SAW [Week 18 - "Circlesongs"]

#983

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I was on vacation from last Friday night until yesterday afternoon. I'm finishing up my final score for Dead Can Dance. Then I'll tackle Circlesongs. Truth be told, the only Bobby McFerrin song I know is "Don't Worry Be Happy." Then I'll listen to whatever is coming up next week.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#984

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

Week 19: Toehider - What Kind of Creature Am I?
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#985

Post by speedchuck »

Hey guys.

Firstly I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with this. I thought I could, but I can't. Which makes me feel sorta bad for taking up a slot, but it's here. I'll take the chance to talk about it anyway.

Toehider is (for the most part) one guy, Michael Mills. I ran into him on the Ayreon rock opera The Theory of Everything and decided almost immediately that he was in my top 3 vocalists of all time, if not my favorite. When I went to check out his original band, I was surprised to find a silly proggy rock mashup of everything I like in music. Everything. This is the first album that I listened to, and is my favorite Toehider work, and one of my favorite albums of all time.

Let me know what you think, and again, sorry about stealing a slot. Won't happen again. Promise.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#986

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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#987

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Giving Circlesongs a first listen. The first four tracks have been nothing short of delightful.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#988

Post by nutella »

Glad you like it G-Man. And Rico, your review really made me want to listen to more of his stuff. I know we had one or two others when I was little (I think at least the Mozart one with Chick Corea) but I'm definitely going to check out Play on your recommendation.

I just finished a listen of the Toehider album and I have to say it really surprised me and mostly in a good way! I wasn't thrilled by the first track so I was afraid it would be more of the same, but the second track utterly blew me away and the rest of the album kept me on my toes (heheh) with lots of unexpected flourishes and nods to various genres. Not all of them were my thing, but for the most part it was a fun and interesting listen. The 12-minute track was pretty fantastic.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#989

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

I'm mostly through the Toehider album now. It has been a bit of a mixed bag, but mostly positive. What I like is that it's more diverse than it appears on the surface. It seems to be a semi-concept album and those aren't known for broad genre interactions. I think they're at their best when they emphasize the vocalist, because I agree he has talent. They seem to have a decent knack for writing an electric rhythm and it works well throughout the middle portion of the album. I'm even tempted to call it power pop. The prog elements aren't egregious in their noodling and don't detract from the cohesiveness of the thing, so that's good too. The longer tracks have dragged though. I'm wondering if I'd have actually liked it more if it was less variable.

Light 3.5.

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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#990

Post by speedchuck »

Glad you liked it, Nutella!
JaggedJimmyJay wrote: Tue Jul 25, 2017 3:21 am I'm mostly through the Toehider album now. It has been a bit of a mixed bag, but mostly positive. What I like is that it's more diverse than it appears on the surface. It seems to be a semi-concept album and those aren't known for broad genre interactions. I think they're at their best when they emphasize the vocalist, because I agree he has talent. They seem to have a decent knack for writing an electric rhythm and it works well throughout the middle portion of the album. I'm even tempted to call it power pop. The prog elements aren't egregious in their noodling and don't detract from the cohesiveness of the thing, so that's good too. The longer tracks have dragged though. I'm wondering if I'd have actually liked it more if it was less variable.

Light 3.5.

Irrelevant complaint: I can't stand their release covers. They really annoy me to look at. That alone might drive me away long-term, silly as it may be.
I think you encapsulated everything I like about this artist in this post. To each their own. :)
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#991

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After another run-through of Circlesongs, I can tell it's going to make a run at landing in my top five albums for this listening group so far (at least until The Stooges roll around next week).

Toehider was interesting. While the sound is certainly different, the music didn't sound original as often as it needed to. My notes have track six as the first time I thought he sounded like he was doing his own thing, rather than playing styles of other bands that have influenced him. The first half of the album also sounded very different from the second. Subsequent listens will tell me if that's good or not. A few songs sounded, to me, like a poppier version of System of a Down. It was my first listen though, so we'll see what additional spins do for it.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#992

Post by G-Man »

Here's my stab at a review for Dead Can Dance's Within the Realm of a Dying Sun.

Despite some silly-sounding track titles and the smirk-inducing genre title (neo-classical darkwave), I found myself enjoying this album. It reminds me a little of what the existential literature-loving, self-satisfied yet quasi-depressed Goth girls I knew in high school would listen to for pleasure when they weren't listening to Slipknot, Korn, Coal Chamber, or Soulfly for the shock value and the attention that came with it. It all has a slightly-grim fantasy feel to it that is enjoyable and, yes, perhaps just a little cheesy.

The first half of the album sputters along for me. The opening instrumental part of track 1, "Anywhere Out of the World," sounded straight out of The Princess Bride or some low-budget British mystery show. I didn't think the male singer suited it right. If you hand the microphone over to someone like Annie Lennox, this could be more powerful. Track 2, "Windfall," kept with the fantasy vibe but the music, as good as it sounds, doesn't go anywhere or build to anything. It's more like ambient incidental music than anything else. It needs a pinch more punch. Things improved with track 3, "In the Wake of Adversity," but not by much. The music sounded better but it again failed to go anywhere.

At this point, I began to wonder about this album. It sounded nice enough but it lacked any wow factor. Yet. The second half of the album is cohesively and stylistically superior in my opinion. "Dawn of the Iconoclast" serves as a nice extended intro to "Cantara," the cream of the crop for me. "Summoning of the Muse" was a strong follow-up and "Persephone (The Gathering of Flowers)" was pleasant although it ended the album on a bit of a whimper (though I liked the ethereal Lord of the Rings quality about it).

Perhaps the first half of the album is a bit overdone. The second half of the album has some powerful, big-sounding music going on, which is a stark difference to the smaller-sounding first half. Sure, there's a lot of echoey vocals and synthesizers but it lacks the grand scope of the second half. Maybe it's the synthesizers. I don't know for sure.

As you may guess, I would pick the trifecta of "Dawn of the Iconoclast," "Cantara," and "Summoning of the Muse" to take with me. If they'd have retooled the first half of the album to improve consistency of sound, this could have scored even high. It scored well in the end, nearly earning a B+ from me, and it stands above most of the other albums we've listened to. I read that this album was a transitional one away from traditional 'band instruments,' so perhaps later albums perfected what they started here. That might encourage me to check more of their music out but I can't say when that might happen.

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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#993

Post by speedchuck »

G-Man wrote: Tue Jul 25, 2017 12:25 pm A few songs sounded, to me, like a poppier version of System of a Down.
I would listen to SOAD more, but I don't really like the vocalist.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#994

Post by G-Man »

speedchuck wrote: Tue Jul 25, 2017 1:23 pm
G-Man wrote: Tue Jul 25, 2017 12:25 pm A few songs sounded, to me, like a poppier version of System of a Down.
I would listen to SOAD more, but I don't really like the vocalist.
When it comes to a vocalist making or breaking a listening experience, I can't fault anyone. In the end, music appreciation is extremely subjective. Though I am curious- do you dislike SOAD's singer's voice specifically or is it a lyrics/politics dispute? I find myself listening to a lot of radical hard rock for the music but am pretty opposed to their political and policy stances at the same time.

Also...
speedchuck wrote: Sun Jul 23, 2017 8:54 pm Hey guys.

Firstly I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with this. I thought I could, but I can't. Which makes me feel sorta bad for taking up a slot, but it's here. I'll take the chance to talk about it anyway.

Toehider is (for the most part) one guy, Michael Mills. I ran into him on the Ayreon rock opera The Theory of Everything and decided almost immediately that he was in my top 3 vocalists of all time, if not my favorite. When I went to check out his original band, I was surprised to find a silly proggy rock mashup of everything I like in music. Everything. This is the first album that I listened to, and is my favorite Toehider work, and one of my favorite albums of all time.

Let me know what you think, and again, sorry about stealing a slot. Won't happen again. Promise.
Don't feel that you've "taken a spot." I think any submission should be welcome, whether it's from someone who is a regular here or just someone who drops in once in a great while. Otherwise we're just going to keep getting submissions from the same set of people every time. That could get boring.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#995

Post by speedchuck »

G-Man wrote: Tue Jul 25, 2017 2:13 pm
speedchuck wrote: Tue Jul 25, 2017 1:23 pm
G-Man wrote: Tue Jul 25, 2017 12:25 pm A few songs sounded, to me, like a poppier version of System of a Down.
I would listen to SOAD more, but I don't really like the vocalist.
When it comes to a vocalist making or breaking a listening experience, I can't fault anyone. In the end, music appreciation is extremely subjective. Though I am curious- do you dislike SOAD's singer's voice specifically or is it a lyrics/politics dispute? I find myself listening to a lot of radical hard rock for the music but am pretty opposed to their political and policy stances at the same time.

Also...
speedchuck wrote: Sun Jul 23, 2017 8:54 pm Hey guys.

Firstly I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with this. I thought I could, but I can't. Which makes me feel sorta bad for taking up a slot, but it's here. I'll take the chance to talk about it anyway.

Toehider is (for the most part) one guy, Michael Mills. I ran into him on the Ayreon rock opera The Theory of Everything and decided almost immediately that he was in my top 3 vocalists of all time, if not my favorite. When I went to check out his original band, I was surprised to find a silly proggy rock mashup of everything I like in music. Everything. This is the first album that I listened to, and is my favorite Toehider work, and one of my favorite albums of all time.

Let me know what you think, and again, sorry about stealing a slot. Won't happen again. Promise.
Don't feel that you've "taken a spot." I think any submission should be welcome, whether it's from someone who is a regular here or just someone who drops in once in a great while. Otherwise we're just going to keep getting submissions from the same set of people every time. That could get boring.
1. Voice. I don't really care about the political content.
The vocalist for SOAD has times, like in Chop Suey, where he slows down and his voice sounds fine. He's got times when he's going fast and sounds fine. I don't like the sound of his voice when he goes 'flat' (whatever you'd call it) or when he's just yelling.

And yeah, I do like some yellers and screamers. RATM for one. Just the sound of SOAD's voice, in some songs, irks me.

2. Thanks :P
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#996

Post by G-Man »

Circlesongs

This was one of the easier albums to reach conclusions on for me. It's flat-out delightful. I usually don't focus on lyrics much but consider the vocals of albums as equivalent to an instrument. What McFerrin does here is beautiful. I read a little bit more about his voicestra concept and I'm totally open to checking out more of his work if it's anything like Circlesongs.

One of the things I like the most about this album is that it doesn't focus on one kind of sound. While I assume that none of the vocalists are singing in any real languages, different tracks evoke the sound of different vocal styles from around the world. Some of it sounds Indian, some of it sounds Far Eastern, some of it sounds Caribbean, and some of it sounds African. Too much of one of these sounds would have gotten too repetitive but the blend is superb.

The opening track is probably the standout of the whole show. It's jazzy but it's also got roots in an almost spiritual vibe that I can't quite call gospel or world music but something tangential to both. Track two highlights the contrasts between the upper and lower ends, which is nice. It's a step or two below the opener but it's still enjoyable. Track three is a step above Track 2 and shows us something different yet again. This variation to styles really made me hungry for the rest of the album. I wasn't disappointed. The only track that might be considered a let-down was the closer. Maybe it lacked something the others had or maybe the novelty was wearing off. I don't know. It was still a decent track.

The opening track is the first one I would take with me. My second-favorite track was Track 4. I was originally on the fence with this one. After learning that my wife's grandmother passed away this morning, my mind wandered while listening to this track. I was thinking of the times that Chloe (our oldest) interacted with her great-grandmother and this tune just blended seamlessly with that train of thought. I guess I sort of had a moment with Track 4 and that put it over the edge. Track 7 is my third choice. Good grief, what a chill track. It had a Lady Blacksmith Mambazzo vibe to it. I think I might add it and Track 4 to the list of songs I want to hear on my deathbed.

This album blew me away. As I admitted before, the only Bobby McFerrin song I knew before this was "Don't Worry Be Happy" and that's a little of a jokey guilty pleasure tune. The concept and execution of Circlesongs caught me off my guard. It's inviting, enchanting, and relaxing. I never would have anticipated liking an all-vocal project this much. It wasn't enthralling 100% of the time but this was a welcome dose of calm amidst a week when I came back from vacation to a small mountain of paperwork on my desk. I needed this album and it came to me at the right time.

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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#997

Post by G-Man »

Now that my focus is solely fixed upon Toehider's album, I have to say that it almost feels too diverse. Has anyone else felt that way about it?

There are certainly a few standout tracks but I guess I come back to my earlier opinion that parts of the album sound more like someone who wants to play songs that sound like the bands that inspire him rather than exemplifying a cohesive style that he is passionate about playing. Another possibility that I'm considering is that I'm finally "old" to the point where much of what I hear in newer music are the echoes of bands I'm familiar with and sounds I've heard before. I don't mean to compare but perhaps I'm just becoming too set in my "they don't make them like they used to but they sure recycle a lot of stuff that used to sound fresh" ways.

There's talent here but I guess I feel like he needs to pick a direction and master it. Does that make sense?
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#998

Post by speedchuck »

G-Man wrote: Thu Jul 27, 2017 12:21 pm Now that my focus is solely fixed upon Toehider's album, I have to say that it almost feels too diverse. Has anyone else felt that way about it?

There are certainly a few standout tracks but I guess I come back to my earlier opinion that parts of the album sound more like someone who wants to play songs that sound like the bands that inspire him rather than exemplifying a cohesive style that he is passionate about playing. Another possibility that I'm considering is that I'm finally "old" to the point where much of what I hear in newer music are the echoes of bands I'm familiar with and sounds I've heard before. I don't mean to compare but perhaps I'm just becoming too set in my "they don't make them like they used to but they sure recycle a lot of stuff that used to sound fresh" ways.

There's talent here but I guess I feel like he needs to pick a direction and master it. Does that make sense?
I'll let others handle the answers to your questions, since I am a bit biased. To me it all sounds like a talented guy having fun with a lot of different types of songs. Amusing, charming, fun and interesting, but perhaps not as artsy or thick with mastery.
Regardless, could you list some of the older bands that play similar stuff? The echoes you're talking about?
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#999

Post by G-Man »

Let me preface this by saying that I think the album is pretty good overall. I'm not sitting here rolling my eyes at each listen or calling it derivative. There are just familiar-sounding elements. That said, here are my observations:

Track 1: Blend of System of a Down and generic artsy-indie that borders on Panic at the Disco, delving into standard alternative rock chords at times

Track 2: Reliant K/My Chemical Romance on the intro, Queen (on the harmonies), The Darkness in general and the falsettos (add a splash of Deep Purple too on the penchant for high notes), Muse with the orchestral & choral part

Track 3: System of a Down meets Queen, diving into Muse again with the organ but it could be Queen flair too depending on the Queen album, System of a Down specifically on that gloomy mandolin-like part

Track 4:The Darkness meets 2005-2010-era alt-indie bands trying to bring back "epic" 80s metal licks and chords (My Chemical Romance comes to mind because I never got into that scene or sound much past them despite hearing it all on the radio)

Track 5: The opening and main riff is so close to the middle jam of "Carry on My Wayward Son" by Kansas to me, Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy" inspired rapid-fire lyrics

Track 6: Original sounding but too ballady to sell these days. Good tune.

Track 7: Green Day circa anthemic overdose (aka 21st Century Breakdown) in the chords and structure and intentional use of non-rock instrument sounds in the percussion (marimba/xylophone thing plinking the high notes); veers into Darkness territory mid-way through with the chugging and falsetto

Track 8: Going for a Nick Cave vibe on the deep vocals?; The verse melody mirrors another song I know but I can't remember the words or song title. I'll get back to you on that if it comes to me. Pink Floyd-esque on the guitar solo. It holds its own overall though.

Track 9: Reminds me of Jethro Tull but this is rocks so much more than A Passion Play did, which I appreciate. Maybe touches of Muse on the production.

Track 10: Insert any number of schlock-metal bands or wannabe alt-rockers who want to prove they can shred like Satan.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#1000

Post by speedchuck »

Lyrics from song three:

"The thing with me, is that I lack originality
Perhaps I just have no integrity, and maybe steal too much from royalty
But it's in my blood, this trace of Mercury, it's been there since I was in infancy
I should just let it drop, but it's getting it to stop"

The Queen influence is recognized by the man himself. These are the official lyrics on Bandcamp. Mercury is even capitalized. I'm not trying to defend him. I'm trying to find more stuff I like so I can listen to it. Sounds like I need to check out Darkness and My Chemical Romance. Thanks! :p

By the way I recommend checking out the lyrics to Song 10. I hated it until I listened to the words. I'm not a huge scream-y metal fan. :beer:
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#1001

Post by G-Man »

Haha nice. I thought I picked up on the Queen references in the lyrics. Nice to have it confirmed.

I would definitely recommend The Darkness. I have their debut album in mind for a future submission here. They're cheesy, sleezy glam-metal revival, unitards and all. It's fun stuff, even if their albums are a little uneven. When they came out in 2003, my college roommate and I thought they had to be a fake band because their music video looked like an elaborate joke:



My Chemical Romance was more emo than I usually get into and I only have their first album. A very theatrical, bombastic sound there.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#1002

Post by G-Man »

Actually, it seems I have My Chemical Romance's second album- Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#1003

Post by nutella »

I definitely agree with the Muse comparisons lol (and as they overlap with the Queen comparisons)
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#1004

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

Muse wrote the book on ripping off Queen. At least Toehider left a citation in their lyrics.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#1005

Post by Epignosis »

At least Mika was honest about it.

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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#1006

Post by nutella »

Btw Epi I haven't seen you participate in here in a while but have you listened to this week's album? I really think you'd like it.

I'm checking out Toehider's other stuff on Spotify, this EP-compilation deal (guess it's all on bandcamp too). Liking it so far. This is a really interesting artist speed, thanks for showing us.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#1007

Post by Epignosis »

I tend to give up when I get too far behind in something. :blush:

Which is weird considering this is just listening to music.

I'll give this one a listen and maybe try to catch up.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#1008

Post by Ricochet »

I don't get the idea of catching up - or rather being behind becoming a deterrent. It shouldn't be a chore. It's one album per week to check out, at one's leisure.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#1009

Post by speedchuck »

nutella wrote: Sat Jul 29, 2017 1:55 pm Btw Epi I haven't seen you participate in here in a while but have you listened to this week's album? I really think you'd like it.

I'm checking out Toehider's other stuff on Spotify, this EP-compilation deal (guess it's all on bandcamp too). Liking it so far. This is a really interesting artist speed, thanks for showing us.
You're welcome! :) I enjoy pretty much all of his stuff. I've bought both his full albums and the 'Best of 12 EPs in 12 Months'. It's all worth a listen.
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Re: SAW [Week 19 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?"]

#1010

Post by G-Man »

New link for The Stooges:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qannFs9 ... 6t3s3ymYrF

YouTube deleted the full-album video, so we're stuck with a playlist now.

I'll post my review for Toehider and some info on The Stooges later today.
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